sin yet it cannot do any hurt at all But saâ— he I thanke God through our Lord Jesus Chriâ—â— who will deliver me from this body of death As much as to say Indeed till a man looke to Christ there is nothing but matter of bitternesse and evill to be seen as the certain fruits of sin and there can be nothing but bitternesse in sin in regard of the evill that is like to follow it But when persons can once looke to Christ the case is altered What doth he thanke God for He thanks God that though naturally a body of death grew up by sin yet there is no prejudice in this kinde can come to him through Christ Now that the Apostle doth plainly mean that he thanks God in that sin could not doe him or others any hurt mark how in his thankfulnesse he expresseth himself in the beginning of the 8. Chapter There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ that walke not after the flâ—sh but after the Spirit There you see the ground of the Apostles thanksgiving namely that now there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ No you will say no condemnation in Hell but yet as there is remainders of sinne in Gods owne people so there will some evill or other fall upon the commission of sin marke what the Apostle speakes of it in the 2. and 4. verâ—â— Would you have the clear minde of the Spirit â—in it There it is held forth The Law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ hath freed mee from the law of sinne and death for what the Law could not doe in that it was weake through the flesh God sent forth his Son in the similitude of sinfull flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ hath freed mee from the Law of sinne and death Here Christ stands for the deliverance of his people from condemnation from eternall wrath say some yea but saith the Apostle wee are delivered from the Law of sin and death what is the Law of sin but what the Law may do to persons for those sins which are committed by them Now what can sin do when it is condemned It is true take a Traytor as he is at liberty hee may do mischief but take him as he is arraigned and condemned and as he is bound and manacled he can doe no hurt Now sinne is condemned to the Believer it can do no hurt at all to him for what hurt can that doe unto a man which is carried into a Land of forgetfulnesse to avoid further prejudice of such persons that are indangered by it When men have been found dangerous unto the State 〈◊〉 hath been a common practice to banish them the Kingdome into a place far remote when they cannot have any opportunity of doing any mischief and when they are banished theâ— are not to returne againe upon paine of death Now beloved our Scape Goat hath carriâ— our sins into a Land of forgetfulnesse Consider further suppose a man be entered into many bonds and they are for great summes It is true while they remaine bonds in force such a man is subject to feare arrests but put the case these bonds are all cancelled that the debt in the Creditors book be blotted out what hurt then can these bonds do unto a man when the seal is torn off and all the writing in the bond is blotted out If a man saw a thousand such bonds in which he were obliged it would affright him no more then if he saw none at all True indeed every sin is a great debt and wee commit sins daily and hourly against the Lord and the torments of Hel is the merit of the least sin in the world for I speake not this to extenuate any sin but to shew the greatnes of Gods Grace and to ease upon good grounds distressed consciences Therefore such as look upon these sins as uncancelled and these debts as true debts it is true so long these sins may work a horror and trembling in persons but for Believers that are the members of Christ they may read fairly all the sins that ever they have committed they may read also the desert of these transgressions which should be executed and inflicted upon them if they were not cancelled and blotted out But marke what the Lord speaks in the 43. of Isaiah I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine owne name sake and will not remember thy sins Now what prejudice can that do that is blotted out I say every debt of a Believer is a cancelled debt so that the Lord himselfe hath nothing at all to lay to a Believers charge For how can that Scorpion do hurt that hath lost his sting and spent his venome in the sides of Christ and left it there It was Christ that was wounded for the transgressions of his people he was bruised for the iniquities of the faithfull the chastisements of their peace was upon him saith the Holy Ghost in the 53. of Isaiah and the 5. verse What hurt can there be to whom there is peace from God and nothing but peace It is true our sins themselves do not speak peace but Christ bearing the sinne and the wrath that these sins doe deserve his chastisement or the wrath hee sustained speaks peace to every Believer whose transgressions be did beare Therefore beloved be not affraid ye that are Believers and members of Christ for fear of wrath breaking down from heaven upon you for such and such sins which you have committed for they can do you no hurt all your sins together can do you no harme all the sting and poyson of your sins were spent upon the backe of Christ Marke that excellent expression of the Apostle in the 1 Cor. 15.56 57. he tels us there indeed that the sting of death is sin and the strength of sinne is the Law so that here seems to be a sting in sin even to death it selfe But mark what follows thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ that hath given us the victory What doth he meane even the victory of overcoming of sinne and death that is his true meaning Though naturally sin hath a sting yet there is a victory over this sting Christ is the death of it as he tooke away the sting of it so that the sins of Believers set up to affright them by Satan or his instruments they are but Scare-crows and Bugbears things to fright ignorant children indeed but men of insight and understanding are able to see that they are counterfeit things It is true before men come to see the light of the Gospel of Christ their sins stare in their faces seeming to spit fire at them but just as you shall have children it may be put one of their company into hideous postures and a fearfull and terrible representation causing every one that knowes it not to run from him so sinne
as it is set up by Satan with a terrible visage as it were to spit fire in the faces of the godly and faithfull seems very threatning and dreadfull But they are to know for certaine it is but a made thing there is no feare from the sins of Believers all the terror and fearfulnesse of sin Christ himselfe hath drunk it and in the drinking of it Christ himselfe our life was crucified and in that regard I say all the terror and gastlinesse and hideousnesse of sin as it is represented by Satan is spent and â—n it self is dead It is true indeed a living roaring Lion is a terrible creature but in a dead Lion there is no more feare then is in a stick or a stone to him that knows he is dead While sin is alive it is fearfull and corrible and deadly but when sin it self is dead then there is no more terror in it then is in a dead Lion Thus I speak concerning sin not as it smiles upon a man with a promiâ—ing countenance before it be committed for so it is most dreadfull and odious to the faithfull as that which crucified their sweetest Lord but as committed and lying upon the conscience of a Believer indeavouring to drive him to deny the love and free Grace of God to him and the all sufficiency of Christ For in this regard it is crucified by Christ and so a Believer need not be affraid of sin Indeed terrible it maâ— seem to be at first but there is no just cause of terriblenesse in it for it can doe no hurt Therefore the Apostle telling us of the Hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us and contrary to us saith that Christ hath nailed them to his Crosse So that the sins of Believers are crucified with Christ they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof We commonly understand this as if our mortification and denying of sin were the crucifying of the flesh but the Apostle speaks otherwise there and you may see he intends that they that are Christ are crucified with him as much as to say Christs dying upon the crosse for Beleevers his death became the death that is the expiation of sin for them that it should be no more terrible unto them nor affright the people of God I have inâ—isted the more upon this because indeed it is the root from whence all other feares spring For from crosses and afflictions which come upon persons of which we shall speake presently they run immediately to their sins and conceive that it is their sins that have put stings into them and makes them so bitter still therefore they are perplexed with fears as long as sin is upon them Certainly some fearfull thing wil come upon them Why they have committed such and such sins these be the cause of their fear But beloved either deny plainly that Christ dyed for your sins and that he hath borne the whole wrath of God that sin hath deserved or sit down by this truth that sin did hurt Christ so much that it cannot hurt the Believer for whom Christ did die Secondly as we should not fear our own sins being Believers and members of Christ so neither ought we to fear the sins of others Object You will say supposing there be no sins of our own to pull downe judgement yet the world is full of iniquity and abundance of sins there are upon the times that bring downe wrath from Heaven Answ Though it be true that Nationall sins bring downe Nationall judgements and wrath yet all the sins of the times cannot do a member of Christ a lot of hurt And therefore as they cannot do him any hurt so he need not be affraid of them I will make it appeare that the sins of the world the crying sins of the times can do a Believer no hurt at all Marke the plea of the Lord often mentioned in Ezekiel against the people that hit him in the teeth as if he were unjust The fathers say they have eaten sowre grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge He pleads his owne innocency in it and directly answers that the soule that sinneth shall dye As much as to say he that doth commit the fault shall bear the burthen of it thou that art not the committer of the fault thou shalt not bear the burthen of it Therefore the sins of the times that are committed by the wicked they cannot do Gods people any hurt The childrens teeth shall not be set on edge Object I but some will say I have had some hand in these sins I did not reprove these sins or I did not seperate my selfe from them Answ I answer suppose that the members of Christ are in some sort accessary to these sins yet so far as you in your owne persons have been actors or partakers of these transgressions Christ hath borne these transgressions and suffered for them It is not some sins that Christ bears and leaves some sins for Believers to bear and so also leaves some punishment for Believers to suffer for it is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world and that he doth take them all away appeareth 1 John 1.7 The blood of Christ his Sonne cleanseth us from all sins Whether then you consider every elect person as he sinneth by himselfe or as he shareth with others all these sinnes the blood of Christ cleanseth him from and therefore I say the sins of other people they shall not they cannot be imputed to him that is a Believer Object But you will say surely the Lord doth send crosses and afflictions upon his owne people as well as upon the people of the world many times and should we not therefore bee affraid of them Answ Therefore in the third place let mee tell you as there is no occasion nor need nay as people ought not to be affraid for the sins of others so ought not they to be affraid for the chastisements of the Lord upon them Consider but the true nature of feare looke upon things as they are in themselves If there bee occasion of feare in any thing that may come there must be evill in these afflictions or else there need not be feare now there is no evill in them but all are exceeding good and they work for good and that that works for good is not evill every agent produceth effects answerable to its owne nature an evill tree brings forth no good fruit no more doth a good tree bring forth evill fruit so then if there be nothing but good in all the afflictions of the people of God then there is no cause of feare there is an apprehension of evill in a thing if there be feare but there is not a just apprehension of evill in a thing that is good be assured of this there is no feare to be had of afflictions let them be never so tart let them be never so great or many Oh saith
Believers indeed the sword is broken the sting is gone The sting of death is sinne the strength of sinne is the Law 1 Cor. 15. but thanks be to God saith the Apostle that hath given us the victory over sinne and death so that we may boldly say Oh death where is thy sting Oh grave where is thy victory If you be the Lords and the Lord be yours if you be Believers you may triumph as the Apostle doth Oh death where is thy sting It is gone nay Oh death saith the Lord in the Prophesie of Hosea I will be thy destruction I beseech you give not care either to Satan or to whatsoever instrument he hath that would possesse you that though Christ dyed for you and hath borne your sins himselfe upon the Crosse or upon the tree as the Apostle Peter expresseth yet those same sins will doe you hurt and prove a mischief and bane to you I say there cannot bee greater despite done nor affront offered unto Christ then to make the Believer conceive that he was not able to beare their sinnes nor the wrath of God sufficiently for them but that they must be wounded notwithstanding all that Christ hath done If Christ be hurt as much as sin can hurt him how can any man be hurt by it for whom Christ suffered If Christ upon the Crosse took the sting out of it and carried it to his own grave how commeth it to have a new sting or did Christ dye in vain If he took away the sting of one sin and not the sting of another there were need of another Christ it seems to take away that sting that is behind and so Christ hath not perfected for ever them that are sanctified I desire you to heare with patience this is the first ground of all your comfort in affliction that sin is gone for then all afflictions in the world cannot discomfort seeing all discomfort ariseth from sin which is the sting of affliction Hereupon the Apostle triumpheth Who can lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifieth who can condemne Contrariwise the soul is in the greatest bitternesse when sin remains and the sting of it is not taken away but when God is reconciled as he is to the faithfull for God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe not imputing their trespasses unto them how then can finne do hurt when it is not to be imputed God doth use to reckon when he doth take payment If God doth not reckon with men he will never smite them with wrath as is the wrath so must be the smart and harm and hurt that person is to sustain in respect of the sins committed Chastise he doth indeed for speciall ends but the sin doth not at all hurt And though the Lord doth afflict that will do you no hurt neither afflictions are the physicke of God to purge and sanctifie the conversation Will a man thinke that is ready to dye of the stone or wind-cholick or stoppage in the fromach if a Physitian comes and gives him a bitter potion that he doth do him any hurt when he knoweth it is to recover his life and save it he knowes he dyes if he heals not the infirmity God useth no physick no chastisement and affliction but it shall worke for good so the Apostie expresseth it in Hebr. 12. No affliction for the present is joyous but grievous yet afterwards it bringeth forth the peaceable fruits of righteousnesse to them that are exercised therewith It bringâ—th forth the peaceable fruits of righteousnesse what hurt is there in all this But I must go on and come to that which I have more particularly to deliver to you and that is upon the consideration of Gods motives by which he doth attempt to prevail over the spirits of his people not to be afraid or dismayed come what can or may come you know God is best able to perswade God best knows what Rhetorick will take with his own people A man that hath had the breeding of a childe and so comes to observe the temper of it can better tell then any other which way to win him God hath the breeding of his own children nay God goeth further he hath the spirits of his children at his own beck and therefore can best tell which way to work upon their spirits and to beget that in them which he calls for of them The Lord would have them not to be afraid nor dismayed Let the Lord propose his way to bring them to this composednesse and fixednesse of spirit it is but presumption in any creature to conceive there may be better wayes to work upon the spirits of men then that which God prescribes And it is worth your observation to consider that when the Lord puts his people upon a composednesse and fixednesse of spirit he doth not say Fear not for you have fasted for you have prayed for you have forsaken your sins and denied your selves and walked holily with me and therefore because you have done this and that Feare you not The Lord doth not say so here he hath higher Propositions that he proposeth that have more excellent vertue to move his people He saith Feare not I am toy God I will helpe thee and uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousnesse The prop for the upholding of spirits against feare when evill cometh it is without a mans selfe in him that is a rock and unchangeable The Lord doth not say You change not therefore you are not consumed you continually proceeded in holines you waver not therefore you are not consumed but I am God and change not therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed I say therefore again If you would have setlednesse of spirit you must go out of your selves and fetch peace of spirit out of God himselfe and I dare be bold to say take all the sweetnesse and comfort of all the world of all the creatures mixed together extract the quintessence of their own excellencies all these together shall never settle a heart nor make it secure and free from fear but only this proposition that God is their God And by the fruit of this principle a poor tottering spirit is under-propped and under-set here with four pillars at every corner one as I may so say I am thy God I am with thee I will helpe thee I will uphold the with the right hand of my righteousnesse or rather there is one main principle and three subordinate supporters affixed unto the main principle for sometimes you shall see great weights laid upon some great pillar and for the better securing of that which is laid upon it you shall have some short pillars branching out from the main spread out wide and so upholding This present discourse seems to be such a main principle that is Gods being a God to such a people I am thy God this is the foundation this is the great pillar I am with thee I will
These things I write unto you that you sin not And theâ— immediately follows these words If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father To what purpose doth he bring in these words if he doth not bring them in as a motive to prevail with them to the thing hee perswades them unto Nay he tels us plainly he doth write these words on purpose to them that they do not siâ— What was it that he wrote to them before First I say he writes this that the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin and then agaiâ—â— Iâ— we confesse our sins he is faithfull and just to fâ—rgive us our sins And now saith he These things I write unto you that you sin not If any man sin wee have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous Here saith the Apostle these things I write unto you that you sin not Suppose one man should come unto another and tell him there is such a friend of yours will do such and such things for you for he hath told me he intends such good things to you and I tell you these things that you may comply with this man that will do all this for you Beloved is not here compliance to this man provoked by the graciousnesse and kindnesse revealed from such a man that he will shew Yea this mercy and favour revealed is the spur to cause him to comply So the Apostle saith here If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous These things I write unto you that you sin not It is plain therefore that the knowing what shall become of our sins namely that they shall do us no hurt the knowing of this before hand is not the opening a sluce or a floud-gate to provoke to sinfulnesse but a bridle to restrain men from sin For you shall finde by consulting with the Scripture that the Holy Ghost is not rare but very plentifull in opening of this very truth that the free Grace of God and the security of a believer from sin is therefore made maifest that believers might not sin Look in the third Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans see how fully the Apostle Paul manifests this very business we have now in hand In the 23. 24. verses of that Chapter he beginneth to reâ—ate after he had shewed the desperate condition of man by nature in respect of what he himself could do he begins to relate the admirable free Grace of God to men even while they are enemies while they can do nothing that is good therein establishing of free Grace and then he comes to shew that this revelation of grace thus is a way to put them upon more obedience than if it should be hidden from them Observe the words But now the righteousness of God saith he in the 21. ver without the Law is manifâ—sted being witnessed by the Law the Prophets even the righteousnes of God which is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that do believe for there is no difference for all have sinned and havecome short of the glory of God being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be the propitiation through faith in his bloud to declare his righteousnes for the remission of sins Mark how sweetly excellently he preacheth the free grace of God concluding all under sin and in a desperate condition in respect of sin and then he brings in the righteousnes of Christ naeÌ„ly free justification by him that is the propitiation for our sins But now what 's the fruit of all this The Apostle in his time found that the preaching of this free grace unto men as they are sinners raised this very objection that is on foot to this day I believe will be to the end of the world and therefore mark the last ver of that Chapter after he had ended this great discourse and laid down his foundation ground that a man is justified by faith without the works of the Law The object that comes in is this Do we make void the Law through faith God forbid nay rather we establish it Marke the expression few will subscribe to this sentence which the Apostle delivers That to preach to men though the desperâ—test sinners under heaven there may be as free justification as for the righteousest and holiest man in the world though by the deeds of the Law there be no justification though there be nothing but condemnation by the Law proâ—â—unced against him yet notwithstanding there is justification for such men and that this is the means to restrain from sin Why say some this gives liberty to all uncleannesse for a man to know that notwithstanding his wicked estate he shall be justified freely and he shall be saved it is impossible he should miscarry Who will not take liberty to sin when he knows that though he doth sin though his sins be never so great all his sins shall be done away he shall not receive any hart at all by them though he doth commit them is not this to make void the Law you will say Mark the Apostles answer God forbid nay rather we establish the Law that is the preaching of this doctrine to you that are Believers little children that have fellowship with the Fathâ—r and the Son will not make void the Law You cannot take liberty from this free Grace revealed The preaching and publishing of this free Grace of God doth more effectually win believers to obedienceand forbearance of sin then any other course in the world that can be taken This saith the Apostle is a doctrine that doth establish the Law and not make it void that is it doth establish men in obedience to the will of God and bring them neerer in conformity to the Law and doth not set men loose to the breaking and violating frustrating of the Law and to prophaness And so the same Apostle in the self-same Epistle having in the 4. and 5. Chapâ—res gone on in an unparallel'd way in the revelatino of the admirable Grace of God speaking of Abraham that he was justified being yet uncircumcised to shew that we are justified when we are in the worst of sinfulnesse and sweetly speaking in the 5. Chapter when yet we had no strength Christ died for us and while we were yet sinners Christ died for us and when wee were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne and in the latter end of the 5. Chapter having shewed the free gift and Grace 〈◊〉 God to us being considered as lost persons in Adam at the beginning of the 6. Chapter at vers 1. the Apostle meets with the same objection in substance and answers it more fully then he did before The objection is this Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid saith he How shall we that are dead to sin live any
longer therein The summe and substance of the objection is this Is there so much Grace that where sin hath abounded Grace aboundeth much more then it seems that the more sin a man doth commit the more will the glory of the Grace of God appear in the pardoning of these sins and so I shall glorisie God best when I commit sin most will some say So that the preaching of the abundance of grace where sin hath abounded seems to let men loose to the commission of sin as much as possibly The Apostle answers this with God forbid as if he had said God will never suffer any Believer though never so weak through any such truth reveal'd to break out into any sin because wher sin hath abounded grace hath abounded much more God will never have them to make any such abominable inference from such truths And he also gives the reason why they cannot make such use of the grace of God How shall we that are dead unto sin live any longer therein to the Apostle the inference of the objectors from this argument seems so absurd that he doth appeal to the adversaries themselves how such an inference as this can follow such a Proposition He doth not say positively that they cannot live in sin that are dead to it but he puts the question to them how it can be And whereas some may answer yea they may easily do it No saith the Apostle they that are partakers of this Grace are dead unto sin and how can they live in it when they are dead to it The glorious power of this Grace revealed strikes sinne dead in men or rather strikes men dead to sin Sinne shall not have dominion over you saith the Apostle for you are not under the Law but under Grace And as you shall heare by and by the Apostle makes the very Grace of God to have that power in it as to breake the neck of sin in the Believer This is the most certaine truth of the Text and springs directly from it There is a death unto sin where there is a revelation effectually of the Grace of God to persons to whom it doth belong It brings a dart with it to slay sin The law of the Spirit of life that is in Christ hath freed mee from the law of sin and death and what the law could not doe in that it was weake through the flesh God sent forth his Son in the simili tude of sinfull flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh so that although to reason and sense the preaching of the free Grace of God to men and to publish what the Lord hath done for them for his own sake and that before-hand may seem to be a doctrine that gives liberty to sin and so to be a licentious doctrine yet it seems to the Apostle that there is nothing that doth more establish a restraint from sin then the manifestation hereof In the 11. to the Romans towards the latter end of the Chapter the Apostle tells us that God hath concluded all men under sinne that hee might shew mercy upon all and therefore he falls out into admiration O the depth of the riches both of the Wisdome and Knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes ast finding out Now what follows Having prevealed this unsearchable Grace see how hee begins in the 12. Chapter and 1. verse I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice acceptable to God which is your reasonable service And be not conformed to this world but bee transformed by the renewing of your mindes that is I beseech you by the mercies of God that you refraine from sinne What mercy doth he meane Even the mercies of God concerning the freenesse of his Grace manifested before in all the 11. Chapter Now if the Apostle had beene of some mens mindes that the preaching of the free Grace of God were a dangerous doctrine to set men loose to sin he would never have used the mercies of God as an argument to prevail with men to refrain from sin Hee would not have published that which should have been of such dangerous consequence but he would rather have been filent so far would hee have been from revealing of it as an argument to the contrary were the revelation of it the way to bring men to loosenesse and licentiousnesse it had been the wisdome of Paul and the other Apostles to have concealed it which certainly he would have done had it been so But the Apostle was not of that judgement and therfore in 1 Corinth chap. 6. and towards the latter end he draws his argument after the same manner You are not your owne you are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your bodies and spirits for they are Gods Observe here that the injunction which the Apostle gives the Corinthians is that they should glorifie God in their bodies and spirits and what is the argument by which he would perswade them to it You are bought with a price But will some say it seems I am bought and the price is laid downe for me now I am sure enough I am safe the gates of hell cannot prevail against me I may live as I list for no danger will follow now I may take liberty to sin Now if the Apostle had known that this consequence would justly have followed upon the preaching of this Crace he had dealt very discourteously with the people of God and absurdly by inforcing a conclusion from a ground contrary to it by revealing such a doctrine as this is Therefore surely the Apostle would never have used this expression of being bought with a price if he had knowne that this would follow but contrariwise he knew that there is no way in the world will so much prevaile with Gods people to leave their sins as by telling them before hand that their sins are forgiven them and that they are bought with a price In 2 Titus from the beginning to the 12. v. you shall finde how the Apostle urgeth Titus that hee presse a holy conversation answerable to old men and old women as also to young women and young men and also a conversation suitable to servants and especially he writes concerning them that they should not purloin from their masters but shew all faithfulnesse But what is the argument now by which the Apostle urgeth all these things upon these men See in the 12. and 13. verses and you shall finde that the argument is the same we have now in hand For the Grace of God saith he that brings salvation hath appeared teaching us to deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and that we should live righteously soberly and godly in this present world As much as to say The Lord hath made known and revealed his salvation to you and you see it before you Salvation is brought unto you and not your well-doing but the Grace of God is
God which effectually teacheth us the contrary For though Beleevers in infirmity may happen at some times or other to be overcome with strength of passion and corruption to fall into sin upon consideration that the free Grace of God will save them yet shall we therefore conceal this Grace of God because men take that liberty which it doth not give I say beloved if this should be a standing rule God should never have revealed the Gospell to the sons of men I know no Beleever so perfect in a course of sanctification and obedience and abstinence from sin but his corruption may occasion him to take advantage even from the Gospell it selfe to sin But certainly I dare be bold to affirm there is not any Believer that is a true Beleever indeed that doth maintain this Principle that he may sin without controule because the free Grace of God hath abounded I dare say further that it is a bold slander and that no man is able to make it good from true evidence that there is any that doth take constant and frequent liberty to break out into sinfullnesse because he knows what shall become of him and that his sins are done away by the blood of Christ so that they shall do him no hurt For the beliefe of this doth certainly and effectually teach and produce an hatred of sin and a love of holinesse So that certainly this is more then can bee proved against any true Beleever that he should approve himself in any sin upon this ground If indeed Beleevers were in their owne keeping then what sinne might they not fall into But they doe not stand upon their own legs they do not go in their own strength they do not walk by their own principles for saith the Apostle You are kept by the mighty power of God through faith unto salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 And againe saith the Apostle Paul The life that I now live is by the faith of the Son of God that loved me and gave himself for me and I live yet not I but Christ lives in me It is not a Believer now that lives but it is Christ that lives in him and he is the predominant principle whereby his actions are swayed And as the Beleever is carried along according to the principles of Christ he cannot fall into sin It is true indeed Christ for reasons best knowne to him may let loose the reins and the cords wherewith hee holds a Beleever for a while and then he may fall into sin but this comes to passe because the Grace of God is hid and not because it is manifested unto him and beleeved by him and at length the power of Christ shall pul them in againe and restrain them even by those cords of love whereby they were first drawn unto him And the Beleever hath the ingagement of Christ himself that hee will never faile him nor forsake him and hee hath promised that his strength shall be made perfect in weaknesse and his grace shall be sufficient for him And that 〈◊〉 they are not under the Law but under Gâ—â—â—â— therefore sinne shall not have dominion over them as the Apostle speakes Rom. 6.14 So that except Christ will give up one of his own members to make it his constant practice to abuse and turne the Grace of God to sin he shall not do it But Christ hath undertaken that sin shall not have dominion over that person that is a member of his Object 3. But some will say There are many that doe admire and adore the Doctrine of the free Grace of God that yet are notoriously known to live in all manner of lewdnesse and licentiousnesse and that upon this ground because their sins are laid upon Christ and they say we may live in sin and do what we list and what is their argument Oh say they our sins are laid upon Christ and Christ died for them Answ For answer to this I professe I never heard from any person of credit that there are any such monsters as these are that dare presume to make it their practice to be drunk and to break the Sabbath and to curse and to swear and to live in uncleannesse and all manner of vilenesse and abomination because all their sins are laid upon Christ that say they are Beleevers and they shall doe well enough There are many that are taxed for such but for mine owne part I cannot say any thing to the truth of this charge by mine owne experience of any man in the world But it may bee there are such monsters as these are in the world And the Apostle Paul said there were such in his time that because the Grace of God did abound therefore would make sinne to abound and turne the Grace of God into wantonnesse and therefore it is probable there are such now And if there be any such let me deal plainly with them for my part I must account them the greatest monsters upon the face of the earth the greatest enemies to the Church that ever were and I say of such dishonourers of the Church and disturbers of the consciences of Gods people that they are carnall sensuall and devillish They are the greatest enemies to the free Grace of God and the greatest subverters of the power and purity of the Gospel and the greatest hinderers of the course of it that are under heaven And I dare be bold to say open Drunkards and Harlots and Murtherers that professe not the Gospel of Jesus Christ come infinitly short of those persons in abomination No persons in the world do so wound the sides of Christ as he that doth professe the Gospel and yet live wickedly And if there be any such here let me tell them their faith is no better then the faith of devils for they believe and tremble and that Christ will have a heavier reckoning and account for such when they come to judgment then for any persons under heaven besides How many thousands have forsaken their own mercy and despised the free Grace of God accounting it a licentious doctrine and a doctrine giving liberty to sin and all because of the occasion that such persons as these do give by their vile conversation Well beloved admit that the free Grace of God hath been thus abused by such wretches look over the whole Scripture hath not the whole Scripture both Law and Gospel been abused as well as this particular Grace Is not Christ set up and appointed for the rising and falling of many in Israel Is not he appointed as well to be a stumbling stone for the falling of many as to be a corner stone for the rising of many Is not Christ set up as a Rocke for some to build upon but to dash others in pieces Is not he set up for a stone of offence to grinde many to powder as well as to be a foundation stone to others Assure your selves the Gospel of Christ as it shall make Believers far more holy then
Beleevers were to fear them or as if Believers should come under them but wrath and vengeance is to be revealed as Believers are secured and freed from them that so they should fear to commit and fall into sin not for feare of coming under wrath but out of love because God hath beene so gracious to them as to deliver them from the weight of so heavie wrath and displeasure that otherwise must of necessity have fallen upon them and so their walking with God in a holy conversation is a fruit of the mercy already shewne and doth not goe before as a thing by which the mercy should be obtained and procured They serve God because they are delivered from wrath and not because they might receive deliverance from under wrath It proceeded from joy in consideration of wrath already past and not from feare of wrath to come so that the wrath of God is preached unto them not that they are to come under it or that they are in that way to fear it but that they may see what they are delivered from that they may see what they did and should and others must lie under that they may see Gods love unto them therein that this may draw them to obedience and that this might restraine them from sin And now they say because I have been delivered from so great a wrath therefore will I sing and rejoyce and I will walke before the Lord in the Land of the living and I will triumph in the Lord my deliverer leading a life answerable to the love of God bestowing such a deliverance upon me and so by this preaching of the wrath of God as being freed from it the more one seeth what he is freed from the more he seeth what Christ hath done in bearing that wrath for him and consequently the more hee is stirred up to walke before God in more cheerfull and comâ—ortable obedience and the more thankfull hee will bee And the more hee seeth what God hath done for him the more obedience hee seeth hee oweth unto God And now if any persons here present have an evill opinion of the Grace of God as a thing of dangerous consequence as a licentious doctrine and that it is a meanes to make men take liberty to sin let them learn from that which hath been said to mende their mindes and to correct their judgements knowing that the Holy Ghost is of another mindeâ— that the revealing of the Grace of God is the best way in the world to take men off from sinne so farre is it from letting loose the reines for persons to break out into all manner of sinfulnesse SERMON IV. 1 John 2. vers 1 2. My little children these things I write unto you that you sinne not And if any man sinne we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sinnes and not for our sinnes only but for the sinnes of the whole world I Have elsewhere made an entrance in respect of some generalls these words afford time being precious we shall be as thriving of it as possible may be only a few words so far as may serve to bring us where we were and then we shall bring you on through Gods assistance through the particulars this Text holds forth unto us The main scope of the Apossle in this place is to endeavour to take the people of God off from running into sin But first he useth an argument to prevail with them which seems absurd unto the world and doubtlesse goes for little lesse then foolishnesse among men if not worse then foolishnesse I write to you that you fin not Well but how will he prevail with them If any man sinne we have an Advocate with the Father and he is the propitiation for our sinnes As much as to say this is the best way to prevail with you that you sinne not to know before hand that if you do sinne you have an Advocate with the Father that will take away your faults and save you harmlesse Indeed it is accounted absurd but this is the common strain of the Gospell to make this the best argument that can be imagined to prevaile over people from the committing of sin to let them know how gracious God is unto them even to the forgiving of their sins they shall commit and that which wee noted as the main body of the Discourse was this For such persons who have fellowship with the Father and the Son to know before hand that they have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous who is the propitiation for their sins I say to know this before hand before they do commit sin is so far from being the opening of the flood-gates to sinne that it is a shutting down thereof to stop the course of sinfulnesse The Holy Ghost is very plentifull in this very way of arguing to prevail with people not to sinne shewing clearly thereby that the proclaiming of the free grace of God to men in the pardon of their sins and letting them know it before they doe sin doth not destroy obedience to the Law of God but doth establish it better than any other arguments can doe You may see it clearly in the 3. to the Romens 23. 24. verses compared with vers 31. For all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God being justified freely by his Grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to hee the propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of their sinnes theâ— are past through the forbearance of God In these verses the Apostle preacheth free Grace in the absolute freenesse of it even to persons that are utterly undon and know not what to doe and in the last verse of that Chapter the Apostle brings in an objection Doe wee make void the Law through faith God forbid we rather establish the Law The Apostle making his conclusion we are justified by faith without the deeds of the Law this saith he doth establish the Law and doth not make it void to know that from all the sins we doe commit we are freely justified by his Grace this doth establish obedience and doth not make void the Law So in the 6th Chapter of the same Epistle to the Romans the 1. and 2. verses the Apostle having gone on to declare the exceeding riches of the Grace of God in the 4. 5. Chapters he makes the same objection in substance that he did before Shall wee continue in sinne that Grace may abound God forbid how shall wee that are deaunto sinne live any longer therein Wherein hee shews plainly that though some may collect that this is a way to make men continue in sin to preach the exceeding riches of the Grace of God yet he saith there can be no such conclusion drawne there-from by just inference How shall we that are dead unto sinne live any longer
act of justice and righteousnesse that the Father should justifie and acquit these persons for whom he hath received of Christ this satisfaction and accordingly hath acknowledged satisfaction under his own hand and acquitted them You know though it bee in a mans power and liberty whether hee will take a surety or the principall for his money yet when he hath taken a surety and he hath made payment it is an act of unrighteousnesse in the creditor after the acknowledgement of full satisfaction to come upon the principall again and to make him pay the money And it is a plea grounded in Law that if that cause come in triall again the Judge ought to acquit the principall if it bee proved that the debt is paid by the surety Now Christ hath paid all that the Father could ask and God hath acknowledged full satisfaction for all He beheld the travell of his soule and was satisfied Now being satisfied it is an act of justice and righteousnesse that the Father should acquit a person in this kind Suppose a person should bee brought before a Judge in a cause wherein hee oweth the Judge himself such a summe of moneyes and borrowed it of the Judge himself an Advocate comes and pleads the cause before the Judge that it is true there was so much money lent and borrowed but saith the Advocate I my selfe became the surety for that man I paid every farthing there is the acquittance you gave under your own hand Now I ask this question the Judge being convinced and a righteous Judge too of the truth of the plea whether in judgement he ought not to acquit that person whose cause is pleaded before him He tooke saits faction he acknowledged satisfaction he could have but satisfaction of him therefore in justice he must discharge him The same case is betweene God and us it is true indeed Beleevers doe commit those things that are in their own nature debts Forgive us our debts as the word is but when this cause came to be agitated and pleaded before God the Judge himselfe to whom the debt was owing Christ the Advocate came and stood up and pleaded that he himselfe being become the surety of a better testament upon it he came and paid the whole debt and hee having satisfied his Father hee received under his Fathers hand that he had paid every farthing and that he was satisfied and that upon that satisfaction his people should be discharged Now this plea is grounded upon iustice it selfe Observe but how fully and clearly the Apostle speakes the same things in the 1. of John 1.7 the Apostle tels us expresly that the blood of Christ his Son cleanseth from all sins and here If any man sinne we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and hee is the propitiation for our sins and againe in the former Chapter If we confesse our sinnes God is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins Mark well that the Apostle grounds himself upon Christs satisfaction namely his blood that doth cleanse us from all sin Upon this ground hee doth conclude that it is an act of faithfulnesse and justice in God to forgive sinne I dare say none are so ignorant in these daies of light as to thinke there is such a proportion between confession of sin and forgivenesse of sinne that confession can ballance forgivenesse and so consequently make it an act of justice No the Apostle doth ground the force of justice upon the blood of Christ that is shed Therfore if you do observe it well you shall find that the Apostle speakes of confession by way of anticipation or prevention of fear you know the common Proverb in the world concerning a Malefactor apprehended is Let him confesse say wee and he shall be hanged Why so because if it be disclosed the Law lays hold upon him and hee shall be sure to die for it and therefore in naturall policy his safety lies in concealing of it But now if satisfaction hath beene made by a friend of his to the Law and accordingly a pardon sued out for him there is no danger in his confession at all Now the Apostle in this place having before said that the blood of Christ his Sonne cleanseth us from all our sinnes from hence he gathers incouragement unto the people of Christ that they should not fear so as to conceal their sins lest being known they should do them a mischief But saith he lay all open before the Lord there is nodanger to be supected now For God is faithfull and just to forgive them therefore the hiding of them should prevent no evill because no evill should come upon them for them though they were laid open never so naked Therefore was this spoken by the Apostle to take away fear and this is the â—rue meaning of the Holy Ghost therein I say to take away fear from the damage that would ensue if we should confesse our sins what they are Paul writing to Timothy mark what he ascribes to participating of the excellencies of Christ even of righteousnesse and justice I have fought the good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse Marke a crown of righteousnesse is laid up in which is included the discharge from sin and participating of glory and a crown of righteousnesse prepared and laid up But mark the foundation of his confidence that he shall partake of it It is a righteous Judge that shall give it he shall give it out of righteousnesse it self justice shall prevail with him to do this thing for him Whence it is that Christ is called so frequently Righteousnesse The Lord our righteousnesse as you have it in the 33. of Jeremiah a Prophesie concerning the righteous Branch and his name shall be called The Lord our righteousnesse that is the Lord that is righteous makes us one with God and doth communicate his own righteousnesse unto us that we may be the delight of the Father Give me leave to tell you beloved that God is so unchangeable in all his Attributes that even Christ himself is not able to obtain any thing of the Father that may be any wayes prejudiciall to the nullifying of any attribute whatsoever I say Christ himself can get nothing of the Father whereby his justice may suffer or be violated Christ must make it clear that justice shall have its full due and God shall not need to bate one grain of what justice doth expect or else Christ himselfe can have nothing of the Father For Christ came not to destroy the Law and so he saith himself much lesse did Christ come to destroy that which is essentiall unto God Gods justice is essentiall unto him If Christ violate justice he should destroy the very being of God himselfe Therefore without giving justice satisfaction this would be a derogation to the Father therfore when Christ doth plead with the Father for the
not leave them out then that reconciliation doth as much concern those sins as other transgressions already committed Now think whether of these be true doctrine either that Christ should leave some sins out that are brought now again into controversie and so God be again at controversie and begin to fall out with persons for them or whether he make agreement for all and all comes into reconciliation Therefore I say suppose two men are at variance they have a hundred actions one against another a friend comes in and agitates to make up the businesse between them he brings in every one of these hundred actions to this agreement he dealeth so with them that all the controversie between them in respect of these actions shall die and so he makes them friends Now I ask when all the trespasses and actions are brought into the agreement may these men fall to quarrelling and suits of Law for any of these particulars brought into the agreement They cannot do it beloved if Christ brought in all the transgressions of his people into the agreement and they were all satisfied for by him every one of them His blood cleanseth from all sin as saith the Apostle I say if all were brought into agreement at once how cometh it to passe that God should again fall out and be at controversie with men for any of these sins that were in the agreement before in that reconciliation made Therefore know for certain for your everlasting and eternall consolation that there is nothing shall be able to separate you from the love of God in Christ nothing shall make a breach between God and you who are the people of God Every sin which in its own nature indeed makes a breach is taken into the agreement that Christ makes with the Father and if there should be such an objection rising in your hearts when you haue committed a sin now God is at controversie with me for this Aâ—k your he arts this question Was this sin brought into the agreement of reconciliation or was it left out Did God accept of the reconciliation when this transgression was in the agreement how can he then fall out again for this that was in his thoughts when reconciliation was made But this may seem to be but discourse only and therefore take a view of some passages of Scripture whereby you shall see as cleer as the light that Gods reconciliation to men is one entire and simple act This reconciliation being once made there is no more quarrell and controversie that God should prosecute these persons reconciled Look into the 9. Chapter of Daniel and the 24. verse there is a time mentioned of making reconciliation if you look into the Prophesie you shall therein see the effects that do accompany the reconciliation made I have heretofore recited other effects unto you but not this Seventy weeks saith he shall be determined upon thy people and holy City for what for the finishing of transgression for the making an end of sin and making reconciliation for iniquity and bringing in of everlasting righteousnes Observe it well when reconciliation is made then there is an end of the matter that did breed and feed the controversie and quarrell When there is a controversie of God against a person the controversie must spring from the sins of that person but when there is reconciliation made there is a finishing of transgression and a putting an end to sin Take away the cause and the effect vanisheth of it self but observe the Text a little more yet to shew the unchangeablenesse of this reconciliation when reconciliation is made there is saith he in the next word brought in everlasting righteousnes Righteousnesse as you have heard before is that that doth both beget and feed and preserve peace and reconciliation with God So then this fountain of righteousnesse must bee drawn dry before the peace that is made by this fountain can be wasted How comes it to passe a Lamp goeth out but because the oyl is wastâ—d that feeds the Lamp so the righteousnesse of Christ is the oyâ— that feeds the reconciliation made Either this righteousnesse must be spent or the Lamp of peace cannot go out But saith the Holy Ghost there is brought in upon reconciliation everlasting righteousnesse So that it is cleer when God reconciles himself to persons they are reconciled for ever to him Consider also that excellent expression in 54. of Isa in the 9. and 10. verses This is to me saith the Lord as the waters of Noah For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shal no more go over the earth so have I sworn that I wil not be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee any more the mountains shal depart and the hils shal be removed but my loving kindnes shal not depart from thee saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee The very expresse words shew the excellent qualities of that reconciliation that is produced by the bringing in oâ— a better covenant there spoken of Mark it well I beseech you for there are admirable expressions in it The thing God proclaims is this That he will not be wroth that he will not fall out any more with his people and this thing the Lord confirms by an oath as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall be no more upon the earth so have I sworn I will not he wroth with thee nor rebuke thee any more You see here the confirmation of it by an oath and what can be more binding then the oath of God Well secondly take notice of the continuance of this He hath sworn and will not be wroth nor rebuke but how long will not he be wroth nor rebuke Even so long as flouds shall cease to drown the world God hath sworn that till the world shall be drowned with water again God will not be wroth with his people so saith the Text As long as water shall not come upon the earth nay longer if longer may be The mountains shall depart and the hills shall be removed but my loving kindnes shall not depart from thee as much as to say the loving kindnesse of God shall remain stedfast to the people reconciled to him even longer then the mountains shall stand fast and the hills unremoved This I say is established by such a firm covenant by such an oath and out of the mouth of so glorious a Lord that the hearts of Gods people may be established and secure that God will not be wroth with them Object But where as some may say the Lord speaks in this place in the 17. verse In a little wrath have I hid my face for a moment therefore it seems it is not to be taken for such a perpetuall forbearance of wrath Answ Consider that all along this Chapter the Prophet speaks of the Church of God in a two-fold estate he speaks to it one while as it is a wife of youth and another while as her breasts are grown
For the head will communicate that the soule it selfe cannot contain it selfe in its own bounds The love of Christ constraines me saith Paul hee can doe no otherwise hee that is driven must needs goe Christ he drives and makes himselfe a way into his members hee breakes his own way into them and so sets them on and puts them forwards Then again Christ being the beginning of all our being he is the beginning also of all prerogatives priviledges whatsoever the Church of Christ hath they have no priviledge but as it flows from the grant of Christ As first of all Justification even Justification it selfe comes from Christ It may be that you will object that the Text saith that God justifies the ungodly and how then doth Christ justifie them I say still as I said before That which God doth Christ doth God is still in Christ God doth nothing but Christ doth all things All the Father hath he hath given to the Son The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment to the Son The meaning I take it is this God as hee is simply one divine essence in himself he doth in this simple consideration of himself not manage any thing in this kind but all that ever he manageth he manageth in his Son and this Son as he is become man So that whosoever they are that are justified they are justified by the Sonne and whosoever come to the knowledge of Justification they attaine to the knowledg of Justification also by Christ We have not received the spirit of the world but wee have received the Spirit that is of God that wee may know the things that are freely given us of God Now this Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ So then the knowledge of the things freely given us of God is by the Spirit of Christ Nothing can acquaint the soule and satisfie it of a portion and interest in Christ and being a member of Christ but by the Spirit of God that must resolve the case at last do what you can Every thing is dumb and silent but as the Spirit of God doth speak The Word of God and even the word of grace is a dumb letter but as the Spirit of the Lord doth speak in it or with it and so of all things in the world And therefore beloved know you run into those two great evills the Holy Ghost speakes of in Jeremiah the forsaking the fountaine of living water and the digging to your selves cisterns that can hold no water while you forsake Christ the spring fountain and go to pump and fetch any thing you take from any thing besides him If you run to creatures you make not Christ the beginning You will say you suppose Christ to be the beginning in all and you believe him so to be But I say Is this a good supposition of Christ when he is not thought of shall he be but supposed and shall services be set up to take up all the affections and all the suits and pleadings of your hearts How hath Christ all the priority In the 18. verse of the 1. chapter to the Colossians hee is said to be the head of the body of the Church That hee might have the pre-eminence in all things Why do people then run to other things and magnifie and extoll and exalt other things while Christ shall not have a good word Nay people are affraid to speake out of things that are Christs for fear of giving liberty to people to sin and charge people to take heed of the setting forth of Christ and Grace by him as a dangerous Doctrine So seldome daring to speake of the excellencies of Christ and of the excellent priviledges and benefits that come by and from Christ nor of the freenesse of those things that are conveyed to us in and through Christ And why Oh! this will make men run out into all manner of licentiousnesse and prophanenesse without controll and so Christ shall be suppressed for feare of giving liberty and in the meane while other things shall bee set up above Christ the divine Rhetorick of Repentance and Humiliation the prevalency of teares to wash away sin and our conscionable walking will commend us to GOD at the last day Here must bee a magnifying of mans righteousnesse and when these things come to be examined they are but rhetoricall expressions Beloved God grant that our Rhetorick may advance him that is to bee advanced and keepe all other things in their own places that are to be kept low that nothing may have the preeminence of Christ Christ being the head and the beginning of all things that the people of God may go with their buckets to the wells of salvation and draw waters of life from thence and not runne to muddy puddles The zeale of the Lord I meane of the Lord Christ who hath so magnified the riches of his grace to the Sons of men should eat up your spirits raise up your soules against every thing that doth raise it selfe up to exalt it self above Christ If Christ be not the beginning but somthing else let that have the preeminence but if Christ be the beginning let him have the preeminence as Eliah once said to the Idolatrous Israelites that had fortaken the Lord had set up the works of their own hands instead of him If Baal be God then worship him but if God be God then serve and worship him So I say at this present unto you If you will acknowledge Christ to be the beginning let it appear in the setting of him up above all other things in your hearts and thoughts Make him your sanctuary make him your refuge wait upon him for all things Why are your hearts so cast downe It may be corruptions prevail within you fear not Is not there enough in the fountaine to refresh thee and supply thee with strength against them Doth Satan seek to overcome you by his temptations like a roaring Lion seek to devour you he is able to tread down Satan under your feet Beloved will you starve in a Cooks shop as they say Is there such plenty in Christ will you perish for hunger You wil answer it may be you would close with Christ you would goe to Christ for supply with all your hearts but you dare not you are afraid Christ will reject you if you come to him Beloved come to Christ Christ will not cast you off Is there any thing in the world you would have would you have joy and peace come to him and the God of peace wil ful you with all peace and joy in believing Would you have your iniquities subdued come to him and sin shall not have dominion over you saith the Apostle for Ye are not under the Law but under Grace For it is the grace of God that brings salvation salvation from sin as well as salvation from wrath And this Grace of God saith the Apostle will teach you to deny all ungodlinesse and worldly â—usts There is no greater motive in the world to encourage man to venture upon any thing that Christ puts him upon then this That he hath Christ to inable and to lead him through it In the mean time give me leave to â—ut one caution to you Christ I say being the head and as the head being the beginning the supplier of all things pertaining to life godlinesse if there bee any person that either now or at any other time make these most desperaâ—â— conclusions from any thing that they have heard as that they may continue in sin and that they may go on in iniquity Christ hath dyed for them let them sin as much as they can they cannot out-sin the death of Christ If there be any person that doe charge any such untruth upon any Minister and will collect such blasphemies from the Doctrine of the Gospel oâ— Christ let them know that God will eitheâ— bring them to see the greatnes of their folly 〈◊〉 to be ashamed of it or for ought I know theâ— may have their deserved portion in the loweâ— part of hell I dare be bold to say there is noâ— people under heaven who are so prejudiciall 〈◊〉 the Gospel of Christ as such stumbling blocks are nor unto trembling hearts that would faiâ— close with the free grace of God in Christ aâ— such persons that take liberty to sin that gracâ— may abound causing the Gospel to be evill spoken of and detested causing that scandalouâ— name to be raised upon the Gospel that it is a doctrine of liberty Beloved as hee that hath called you is holy so you that are called 〈◊〉 ye holy in all manner of conversation and 〈◊〉 he that hath called you will make you holy 〈◊〉 he is holy First in a word here is matter of exhortatiâ—â— if Christ be the head and the beginning of â—â—l things look up to the head suck at the head raw from the heâ— let nothing draw you â—om the head 2ly Here is matter of consolation to all the â—embers of Christ as long as the head hath in self the body shall never want Such a head â—hrist is that hath al fulnes in him he can neâ—â—r be drawn dry Christ is not as the springs â—â—b speaks of brooks that fail in summer but â—is spring is of such an excellent nature that he â—akes an everlasting spring in the heart whereâ—to he pours himself so saith he He that drinâ—â—th of the waters that I will give him shall never â—irst again but the waters shall be in him a well â—ith Christ bubling up unto eternall life Know â—ssuredly be consident of it God must cease 〈◊〉 be God before there can be a lack of supply 〈◊〉 what is useful for you Christ is head as he 〈◊〉 head he is God as wel as man God himselfe â—en must be drawn dry before you shal want â—ny thing that is good for you Therfore let Saâ—â—n all the world set themselves against you â—â—u shall never have cause to say all the springs â—e dried up now there is no hope of any more â—pply for certainly the Lord will maintain â—â—ntinue that which he hath undertaken I am â—d and change not therefore ye sons of Jacob are consumed FINIS
Abednigo there was a hot fiery furnace prepared for them seven times hotter than ordinary the King proclaimes that what ever he be that will not fall down and worship his Image should presently be cast into this furnace This was enough to startle a person and make him tremble But how is the temper of the three children expressed there We are not say they carefull to answer thee in this matter These threatnings though very fearfull in the eyes of others seemed but a matter of nothing to them they made a tush at it We are not carefull to answer thee in this matter Even so people are then free from feare who when evill is comming care not for it a man when he cares not for any thing that assailes him hee rusheth in upon it and although it seeme to threaten unto him some mischief yet he is confident it cannot hurt him So far forth as youâ— can overlook evills drawing on upon you more or lesse not regarding them in respect of any hurt they can doe you so far forth are you free from feare Object You will say none in the world can have such a temper of spirit when dangers are growing especially great and thick upon them Answ No What say you of these three children I speak of men now they were carelesse Object You will say it may be that was an extraordinary case Answ Nay you shall finde that the very ground of the undauntednesse of their spirits was the same which the Lord proposeth in this Text to put us out of feare We are carelesse to answer thee in this matter Why Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us and he will deliver us The carelesnesse of their spirits was grounded upon a common principle of the whole Church and upon the same the Lord proposeth to all the rest of his people as well as to them they being confident God was their God neither the greatnesse of the King nor the violence of his threatnings could stir them a jot they were all nothing to God who was their God who was able to deliver them and would deliver them Their confidence in this was that which made them break forth into this bold expression We are carelesse to answer thee in this matter But now let us consider what the people of God should not feare Object What to be affraid of nothing doth not the Lord himselfe commend feare to men Nay is not God himselfe called the fear of Isaac and yet would you make us to believe that we should have no fear Answ I answer there is a threefold feare here is a naturall feare a religious feare and here is a turbulent feare A naturall feare is â—othing else but such an affection as is in men â—y nature that they cannot be freed from such feare was in Christ himselfe without sinne There is a religious and godly feare and that is nothing but an awfull reverence whereby people keepe a fit distance between the gloriouâ— Majesty of God and the meannesse of a creature and it is opposed to saucinesse And theâ— there is a turbulent feare and that is a feare 〈◊〉 disquietnesse now all disquieting feare is thaâ— which the Lord endeavours to take off froâ— his people Well but what are the things you will say we should not bee affraid nor dismayed atâ— Perhaps I shall pitch upon things people are much affraid of and will thinke strange theâ— should not be affraid of them First I must tell you the people of Goâ— his owne people they need not be affraid 〈◊〉 their sins And yet let me not be mistaken 〈◊〉 doe not say we must not be affraid to sinne bâ— they need not be affraid of their sins they thâ— have God for their God there is no sin thâ— ever they commit can possibly doe them anâ— hurt Therefore as their sins cannot huâ— them so there is no cause of feare in their sinâ— they have committed Object Some will be ready to say This 〈◊〉 strange All the evils in the world that comâ— they grow up from the sinfulnesse of men If man be affraid of any thing he should bee aâ—fraid of sin from whence all evils do flow Answ I answer beloved it is true sin natâ—rally is a root bringing forth all manner of evill fruit The wages of sinne is death but yet I say what ever sin in its owne nature brings forth yet the sins of Gods peculiar people they that have God for their owne God their sins can doe them no hurt at all and in that regard there is no cause of feare from any of their sins that ever they have committed Beloved I conceive this may seeme somewhat harsh to some spirits touching the truth of it especially to such as misconceive the drift at which I aim which is not to incourage any one unto sin but to ease the consciences of the distressed I desire you to resolve with your selves this one thing so far forth as the Lord reveals it so far you will sit downe contented with the minde of the Lord revealed to you and I beseech you kicke not against the truth There is not one sin not all the sins together of â—ny one believer that can possibly do that belieâ—er any hurt real hurt I mean and therefore he â—ught not to â—e affraid of them How will that â—e made good you will say I will make it apâ—eare out of the seventh to the Romans from â—he midst of the Chapter to the end you see â—ow the Apostle carries it along especially â—bout the 15. and 19. verses where it is true the â—postle expresseth himself in heavy complaints â—gainst such sins as befall believers The good that I would doe that doe I not and the evill thâ— I would not do that doe I insomuch that in tâ— last verse but one the Apostle with much vehâ— mency puts the question thus O wretâ—hed mâ— that I am who shall deliver me from the body of thâ— death Some will be ready presently to saâ— here you see plainly is a fear of sin or ought 〈◊〉 be here is a body of death in men to be affraâ— of But give me leave to tell you that thâ— Apostle in this Chapter as I conceive doâ— personate a scrupulous spirit and doth nâ— speak out his owne present case as it was at thâ— time when he speaks it but speaks in the persâ— of another yet a Believer and my reason 〈◊〉 this Because the Apostle in respect of hâ— owne person what was become of sins wâ— already resolved therefore I conceive he doâ— act the part of a troubled spirit that in respeâ— of the multitude and prevalency of corruption was ready to cry out O wretched man who shâ— deliver mee from the body of this death But maâ—â— how the Apostle answers this question whâ—ther it bee his owne case or anothers foâ— will not stand upon that and you shall plainâ— see the Apostle concludes though there 〈◊〉 such marvellous filthinesse and prevalency 〈◊〉
righteousness And among all the Aâ—â—stles and Dâ—â—cipies that conversed with Christ his Dâ—â—ciple John had the priviledge which Daniel had among the Propâ—ets to be called The beloved of the Lord the beloved Disciple And as an argument of that he is admitted 〈◊〉 in the bosome of Christ And of all the Apostles that conversed with Christ you shall finde none of them hit so upon the great Gâ—â—ce of God to the sons of men as this Apostle doth compare the Gospel which he wrote with other Evâ—â—gelists writings you shall finde a vast difference between the manifestation of the free grace of God to them and to this 〈…〉 also writing this Epistle follows the same strain therein in â—he former Chapter he delivers notâ— us two admirable passâ—ges the one is The blâ—ud of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sins and the other is He is faithfull and just to fo give us one sins two great manifestions of the â—hsolute freenesse of the Grace of Gâ—d to the sons of men Now this Apostle in the 4. verse of the first Chapter declares one main end for which he doth publish this free grace of God I write these things saith he that your joy may be full implying that there is fulnesse of joy in the Grace here revealed and it is fit that little children that have fellowship with the Father and the Son should have the knowledge of this excellent Grace of God that their joyâ— mâ—y he full Now whereas he speaks of Gods forgiving freely he would not have people mistake as if his revealing of pardon of sin did intimate that people did not sin any more And therefore he anticipates it in the 8. verse If any man say he hath no sin he deceiveth himselfe and there is no truth in him Sâ—n we do but the grace of God stands in this that when wee sin sin is forgiven and it is an act of justice for God to forgive these sins that are committed Beloved I â—â—â—ceive the world clamouâ—s extremely against that in consideration of the fearfull fruits as they conceive of such publishing the Grace of God to men Tell men their sins are forgiven tell them whatsoever sins they do commit being Believers their siâ—s shall do them no hurt This is the way say they to all manner of licentiousnesse this brings Libertinisme into the world this opens the floud gates for flouds of sins to overflow the Church But the Apostle prevents this great objection and he doth not only prevent it but he establishes the direct contrary to the infrence men make from the free Grace of God And this he doth in the words of my Text. And observe it well were it not an Apostle of Christ that spake these words there are many Zelots in the Church would condemnit not only for Heresie but for the greatest absurdity in the world This appears plain for there are two things the Apostle drives at in these two verses First an inforcement of something that he would work upon little children as he calls them that have fellowship with the Father and the Son Secondly the great argument the Apostle useth to prevaile with them to entertain and imbrace that which hee would fasten upon them The thing that the Apostle would fasten upon believers was that they would not sin For which cause he writes these things to them The argument by which he would prevail with them to do this he calls upon them for is a strange one in the opinion of most men Observe the argument If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father c. Put them together and it amounts to this I would have you not to sin Now the only way and the best way to prevail with you not to sin is this I will acquaint you with this truth that if you do commit sin there is an advocate with the Father that shal take order that the sin you commit shal do you no hurt at all Though you do sin he is become the propitiation for your sins therefore feare not though you doe sin of any hurt that can come to you by these sins So that this is the argument by which he would prevail with them and us against the commission of sin Now what an absurd argument seems this to be not only to the world but even to zealous professors also to prevail with men to the forbearance of sin to tell them before hand that if they sin there is an advocate for them and he is the propitiation for their sins That this is an argument for men to forbeare sin is such a Paradox not only to the world but even to professors themselves that for ought I see in matters of Religion at this day there is nothing so vilely calumniated as the publishing of this free grace of God to men in this way as being the high way to break out into all manner of sinfulness whatsoever This say men is that which lets go the reins into the neck of Libertisme this is that which makes men take liberty without controule freely to commit any sin in the world Who ever is of this mind I must tell him before I go on he doth directly crosse the wisdome of God and directly give the lie to the Apostle here that expresseth with much infallibility to the world how little hurt the knowledge of the pardon of sin can do do to persons in Jesus Christ in that he passeth it as an argument to prevail from sin I shall beseech you beloved not to have any regard to any words I shall say of my selfe to you but as I shal speak the full mind of the Holy Ghost And I shall give you one point first in generall which is the main scope of the Apostle here and afterwards handle the severall branches of it particularly First I say take the generall scope of the Apostle here and then as the Scripture will evince the truth so for the truths sake receive that which shall be delivered though for the present it may seem otherwise then ordinary The point that ariseth out of the words is this observe how naturally it â—riseth out of the words For a person who hath fellowship with the Father and the Sonne one of the little children which the Apostle speaks of here for such a person to know before hand before he doth commit sin that there is an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous who is the prâ—pitiation for sin to know this I say iâ— so far from being a spur to provoke him to the commission of sin that it is one of the strongest arguments and the best motives toprevail with such persons to refrain from the commission f sin First see how naturally it lieth in the Text that you may see the Doctrine is no fancâ— not opinion of men but the cleer truth It appears plainly that the Apostles business here is to take men off from sinning that appears in the beginning of the tex
that which brings this salvation to you Then may I doe what I list will some say No saith the Apostle This Grace of God that brings salvation brings this too It teacheth us to deny al ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and that we should live godlily soberly and righteously in this present world I say it is blasphemy against the truth of the Holy Ghost in these severall passages of Scripture to say or to maintaine that this is a necessary inference from the revelation of the free Grace of God to men before-hand that thereby men will breake out into sin and uncleannesse and give up themselves thereto and that this is the way to give up the reines into the neck of vice and licentiousnesse I will give you but one passage more although I confesse I have gone further in the cleering of this businesse by Scripture then I intended because I know it sticks so in the hearts of opposers and quarrellers and cavillers that are ready to spit fire into the faces of those persons that are assertors and maintainers of the free grace of God and the publishers thereof to the people of God I will give I say but one place more in confirmation hereof namely that which the Apostle delivers in 1 John 3.9 the words are these He that is borne of God sinneth not saith hee because the seede of God abides in him and he cannot sin because hee is borne of God Hee that is borne of God What is that It is no more but this he that is received into Grace by Christ becomes one with Christ in respect of the spirituall union between Christ and such a person To bee borne of God and to be a new creature is all one To be new creatures is to be such as wee were not before More fully a new creature is a person that is translated from himselfe into Christ and he stands before God as Christ himself and not as he is in or of himselfe Now such a person saith the Apostle sinnes not because the seede of God abides in him nay he cannot sin because he is born of God There may bee some difficulty in the expression but you must know the intention of the Apostle John here is to take off the objection against the Doctrine of the free Grace of God that it is a licencious Doctrine to take off I say the reproach that is unjustly cast upon it And so the meaning of the Apostle John is this Hee that is borne of God sinnes not that is hee cannot take such liberty to sinne he cannot make such licentious uses of the Grace of God as to walk in sinfull courses though his sins shall not hurt him I say this Licentious living in sin is the thing the Apostle speakes of here Hee that is borne of God sins not And the reason is because the seed of God abideâ— in him that is there is an over-ruling power planted in him to over-match the propensity of the flesh that remains still in Beleevers that it should not have that liberty and power that naturally it would have by vertue of such a Principle implanted Not that the Apostle speakes absolutely of sin that a childe of God shall sinne no more for that were to make the Apostle John himselfe the lier and that by his owne words and to speak against himselfe For he saith in another place Hee that saith hee hath no sin deceives himselfe and is a lier And King Solomon also who saith that there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not Eceles 7.20 Therefore by sinne in this place he must needs mean a licentious liberty taken unto sin Beloved I know there are many objections raised against this truth I shall briefly run through some of them to you and if it be possible clear this truth unto you at this time and vindicate the Gospell from those abominable untruths cast upon it and that I will do the rather because thousands in the world turne away from the Grace of God and dare not venture themselves upon it Because they fear if they should adventure themselves upon these principles of free Grace they should presently take liberty to sin and so fall away and apostatize Oh! how many have miscarried and refused their owne mercies and have not received the Gospell to this day upon such conceits that the receiving of it should make them break out into ungodlinesse I know here are many here present cannot but witnesse they are affraid to close with free Grace though never so fully proved and manifested in Scripture upon this consideration that it will make them live loosely Object 1. First some will object and say we know many Beleevers that do take liberty to themselves when once they have beene acquainted with such free Grace that hath beene preached Answ For answer to this First I say that if Beleevers from this Grace published doe take liberty they take but what God giveth them The end of Christs coming and preaching the free grace of God to men is this very thing that in it the Lord might proclaime liberty to the captives which are Christs owne people Christ came of purpose as you shall finde in Heb. 2.15 to deliver those who through feare of death are subject to bondage all their lives long And therefore saith Christ If the Son shall make you free you shall bee free inâ—eâ—d that is if the Son give you liberty then you shall have liberty indeed So that it Believers do take this liberty upon this ground they take but that which is their owne purchased unto them by the blood of Christ and given unto them freely by God their Father Object 2 But some will say It is a true Christian liberty that Christ allows and this indeed is a liberty that Christ gives men to be delivered from the captivity and bondage of sin which they were under before But many that professe this doctrine are knowne to be more slack in the performance of duties and to grow more and more cold in their zeale and carelesse in the practice of Religion and are more regardlesse of sin and in a word take more liberty to sinne since such Grace hath been revealed Answ For answer to this Beloved first you are not to expect perfection of works from Believers in this life and that they should be free from all manner of sin I know none of those that have the most indignation against this doctrine of the free grace of God to men but will yeeld that they themselves are not without failings they ought not therefore to aggravate the weaknesse of their brethren much lesse ought the truth of God to bee charged with the failings of men But suppose some do make evill uses of the free Grace of God sometimes are therby encouraged to be more bold with sin as they are not to be upheld in it nor allowed so ought not their fault to be laid upon the free Grace of
therein Wherein he puts it to the Objectors themselves whether they can make it out how it is possible it should bee so Therefore the Apostle doth make use of it as the strength of his argument to prevaile with people In the 12. to the Romans I beseech you by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice You see hee makes use of mercy and what mercy is it In the latter part of Chap. 11. he seems to intimate what that mercy is O the depth and the exceeding riches both of the Wisdome and Knowledge of God! Why wherein It follows in that he hath concluded all under sinne that he might have mercy upon all I beseeeh you by these mercies saith he and all other mercies of free Grace present your bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God not conforming your selves to this world as if hee had said mercy is that which wil prevail with you most of al to present your bodies a living sacrifice and not conform your selves to the world but I must go on to that we have yet to consider I have spent some time in Obiections and Answers but wee cannot now dwell upon them We are to consider now the specialties of the argument the Apostle useth here to prevail with people that they sin not Beloved this very Text is the opening of the fountaine that is set open forâ—â—ne and for uncleannes it is a spring of strong water to revive a fainting swooning spirit it is the prop of a sinking tottering soule to keep it from sinking and perishing In it the Lord Christ is revealed unto us an All-sufficient succour to all his own notwithstanding all their sins that ever they do commit Herein we are to consider 1. The matter of this argument 2. The force and strength of it in reference to the thing the Apostle would argue from hence First concerning the matter of the argument it selfe that is contained in these words If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins The force of it lies in the reference of it to the thing the Apostle calls for wherein we may consider what prevalency this Position hath to keep from sin namely for persons to know that when they doe sin they have an Advocate with the Father We will begin with the matter of the Argument first and in this Proposition there are two things observable First a Supposition Secondly a Provision of indemnity against the mischiefe of the thing supposed The Supposition laid downe is in these words If any man sin or If any man do sin The Provision of indemnity is in these words We have an Advocate with the Father c. In the supposition you may note First the thing supposed and that is Sin Secondly note the time which doth illustrate it hee doth speak of present and future sins Note I say the time whereunto the Apostle doth refer the thing supposed he doth not say If any man hath sinned heretofore in the Pretertense but he speakes of the time present If any man sin that is if any man doe sin there are some things that are spoken of the present time that are in force but onely that very instant in which they are spoken and that in stant being past the thing it selfe is also past But for this exptession If any man doe sinne it is not a transient but a permanet expression The Apostle speakes not only of his time and of the people of his time If any man sin now the words are not to be understood of that very instant onely and exclusively as having reference onely to those that did sin in his time then these words should have been transient But the meaning of the Apostle is that the present of which hee spake should bee a standing present time and the words should be of force for present even as long as the Word of God should remain upon record If any man sin So that the words are to bee understood of this present time and all present times that shall bee in the next age that shall succeed If any man sinne now or if any man sin in the next age so that there is to be understood a perpetuity of present time to bee included in this expression If any man do sinne It is of great concernment beloved that you receive this truth unlesse you exclude your selves from the benest of the Advocateship of Christ For if the words were spoken of the present time and intended only for that time wherein they were expressed what should become of us that live so many ages after that time They must therefore be of a perpetuall and permanent being Thirdly note in the supposition the nature of it if any man sinne saith the Apostle this word If here admits of a double construction either the Supposition imports a thing possible but not likely or a thing that may be likely to come to passe or rather a thing that may and will come to passe Either it is a supposition in case a thing is which it may bee will not or a supposition by way of confession and granting of the thing supposed In this place John puts not the word If by way of supposition as if it were onely likely there should bee a sinning and if there were a sinning there were an Advocate but he puts the word here by way of concession as if hee had said there must and will be sinning We Gods own people shall fall into sin it cannot be denied But for refuge when there is such sinnes committed know that there is an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous Thus you have the first part of the Text branched out unto you namely the Apostles Supposition Secondly consider the Provision that the Lord by the Apostle holds forth unto persons that are Beleevers the Members of Christ I say the provision the Lord holds out by the Apostle for their indempnity against these sins that they do or shall commit namely We have an Advocate with the Father In this Provision observe First the office assigned for the making good of such provision The office assigned here is mentioned in these words We have an Advocate with the Father Secondly note in this provision the person to whom this office of Advocateship is given and therein the ability and qualification of this person to this office to manage it effectually in these words Jesus Christ the righteous Thirdly the issue and the event of the execution of this office in these words He is the propitiation for our sins In the office that the Lord sets on foot for the provision of indemnity against sin being committed you may observe in it 1. The office it selfe and that is an Advocateship 2. The propriety of this office or the relation of it to the persons that are the members of Christ The Apostle doth not say
simply and abstractively there is an Advocate but he speaks relatively we have an Advocate that is our Advocate c. Thirdly this Advocate is set forth not only in his relation to men as he is their advocate but he is declared also and set forth as he hath relation unto God Hee doth not say simply we have an Advocate but I say the Apostle doth declare the excellency of this office of advocateship in respect of this circumstance With the Father we have an Advocate and that with the Father we have an Advocate he is ours and not only so but he is an Advocate of ours which the Father which notes unto us that the plea of Christ for indemnity from sin is not in any inferiour Court where if there bee a sentence of acquittance procured there may be a charge from an higher Court But the Advocateship of Christ is managed for our good in the highest Court of all with the highest Judge that when hee gets a sentence it is definitive and determinative and there is no other Court that can take upon it the determination of the case or call in question the triall of that which hath been determined there Lastly the provision in respect of the office assigned is excellently illustrated by the circumstance of time when the office is on foot or when the officer doth manage it The Text doth not say we had an Advocate or we shall have one hereafter but he speaks in the Present Tense We have an Advocate that now is to agitate it It is but a cold comfort for a man to say being now a begger he had abundance of wealth neither doth it give him fulnesse of comfort to say that he shall have abundance of wealth hereafter but herein lyes his comfort and happinesse that he can say in truth I am rich I have abundance of all things It is but cold comfort for a man to say I had a friend in Court once but he is dead now If he had been alive now it had been better with me then it is I should have sped well I had then carried the cause on my side hee would have done so and so for me I but here lies a mans comfort that he hath a friend at Court that will doe him a good office at his need The Apostle saith here we have an Advocate As therefore I said of the present being of sin committed so I say of the present being of our Advocate It must not be understood to be a transient but a permanent sentence it was in force in the Apostles time it is as full in force in our time and we may as well and truly say Wee have an Advocate and in after ages the Church of God shall say to the end of the world in their times as truly as we now and the Apostle in his time said We have an Advocate with the Father Secondly consider here the person managing this office of Advocateship who is described unto us by three admirable and notable titles that are proper and full for the comfort and incouragement of those whose Advocate he is He is Jesus Christ the righteous saith the Text this is our Advocate First he is Jesus and that is a word that imports a Saviour as the Angel expounded it Luke 1. And they shall call his name Jesus for hee shall save his people from their sins An admirable encouragement to lift up the heads of dejected and drooping spirits when the Advocate comes to plead this Advocate is their Saviour that is his plea is of such force and prevalency that he saves his client Object But some may say many times in suits of Law men have skilfull Lawyers to plead for them which are able to save them who are not admitted to plead for them because they are not called to the Bar. Answ Yea but this Jesus is Christ too this Advocate doth not rush into this office of his own head without warrant but is called to it For as you shall heare afterwards the word Christ imports anointing to the office Many a good Lawyer indeed may not be admitted to come to the bar of Common pleas although he can plead the cause of his client the best of all he must be authorized and called unto the bar or else he may not speak But the Advocate provided for the indemnity against sin is Christ he is called to it Thirdly it is Jesus Christ the righteus and that imports the strength of the plea hee hath by which he becomes a propitiation for sin it is his righteousnesse that prevails in heaven to get the sentence to go on the side of his client Lastly you may observe here the issue what will become of this Advocateship what effect it will have at the last Many men who have causes in suit are restlesse to know how their cause will goe when they come to triall fain they would know on which side the verdict will be given and it is a great refreshing to persons to know before-hand that the cause will goe on their side Now the Apostle doth here intimate unto us what will become of the cause before it is tried He is such an Advocate with the Father saith hee that hee is become the propitiation for all the sins of Gods people and what that is we shall shew hereafter Beloved this is a large field of excellent variety of sweetnesse and fatnesse we must take the particulars into consideration that wee may discusse them the more orderly and I hope it will be no difficulty to gather some of the flowers in this garden and the Spirit of the Lord assisting there may be sucking yea sucking so that persons may be satisfied that they may suck and bee satisfied at the brests of consolation That wee may the better lay our mouthes to this breast and draw more easily the milke thereof let us briefly consider these particulars First concerning the office here spoken of we are first to consider what it is to be an Advocate and how Christ doth manage this office being in heaven I say first what it is to be an Advocate with the Father and how Christ doth manage it Secondly whose cause it is that Christ doth undertake to be an Advocate for Thirdly how Christ is gifted and qualified for the comfortable managing of this office of Advocateship Fourthly what it is to have Christ to be the propitiation for the sinnes of his people this I conceive contains the sum of the whole drift of the Apostle in these words To begin with the first what the office of Advocateship is and what it is for Christ to be an Advocate and how hee doth now manage it in heaven for his elect First this office to bee an Advocate as it is appropriated unto Christ I doe not finde that it is once more mentioned in all the Scripture besides this place Of an Intercessor and Redeemer and the atonement we reade frequently in Scripture that Christ is
sons of men that they might have discharge from sin he doth make it manifest that all he doth aske of the Father he doth ask according unto justice nay Christ makes it to appear that justice is as much satisfied in discharging of Believere from their sins as it is in the damnation of the Reprobates in hell for their sins Justice 〈◊〉 no more right in their damnation then it hath in the others acquittance and discharge In the damnation of the Reprobates in Hell to satisfie justice there is no more but the wrath of God revealed from Heaven and executed upon them Now for those Believers that are the members of Christ and are discharged by Christ from their sins the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven and poured out upon his Son in their behalf who sustained in respect of the proportion of justce equivalently to all the torments the Repriobates in Hell do sustain So that Christ hath as fully satisfied the justice of God for his elect as it is satisfied in the damned in Hell who suffer in their own persons Surely there had been no need of Christs coming into the world if Believers might have been saved and justice violated without satisfaction But now justice had been violated had not a proportionable recompence been made before the sin had been discharged from off the person committing the same Therefore the Psalmist speake admirably when he saith Mâ—rey and Truth hath met together and Righteousnesse and Peace have kissed each other This place is appropriated unto Christ shewing that in managing the work of Redemption of the sons of men as he doth exâ—â— Mâ—â—cy so he doth not diminish Justice and Righteousnesse but carries the businesse so that they both of them have their due and both of them have so their due that they agree one with another nay they do imbrace and kisse each other they come to rejoyce and triumph in the satisfaction of each other And therefore it is but an ignorant imagination in the hearts of some men that God will grow more remisse in respect of the sins of his own people that God is not so much offended with the nature of sin after Christ died as before For God hath all the abhorring detesting thoughts of sin in the nature of it since Christ is dead as he had before he died It is altogether as abominable unto him as before it was Christ did not come to make sin lesse filâ—â—â— to the Lord or to make a person where sin is more lovely or lesse hatefull before God but rather declares and sets forth the wrath of God 〈◊〉 sin in the highest degree Where eveâ— thâ— Lord seeth sin and not Christ upon the persâ—n taking away that sin the Lord cannot but hate both the sin and the sinner All the pleasure the 〈◊〉 takes in the sons of men proceeds from a purity Christ put upon them and the taking away of that sinfulnesse from them which otherwise could not but stir up indignation and wrath in the Lord against the perâ—â—ns where he findes it I say this is the ground upon which Christ pleadâ— justice that so it might appear there is no violation of it but the Lord is as well satisfied as if the person transgressing had lain under the wrath deserved in his own person I could wish I were able to speak to you in so sull and clear language that not one dram of this glorious mysterie of this Gospel of Christ might be hid for the comforting and refreshing of your spirits The thing I drive at being that all the people of Christ might know wherein lies their strong consolation not in themselves as if they did not sin nor in themselves as if they could mâ—ke amends for their sins but in him who hath made perfect amends for them and in whom they are accepted with the Father as if they themselves in their own persons had made this amends who hath presented them so compleat in himself unto the Fathers eye that the Lord is pleased to looke upon them as upon his own innocent Son and to take pleasure in them with the same pleasure that he takes in his Beloved And if ever you mean to have your consciences and your consolations established and well grounded concerning the pardon of your sins you must see that Christ hath onely pleaded and doth plead out your acquittance and discharge and this your indemnity even to the sans◠〈◊〉 of justice it self For if justice be not yet 〈◊〉 if the Lord hath yet a plea against your â—ouis if Christ hath not fully answered it but lefâ—â— us plea with God who shall stand up before him Christ being silent to plead for you Gods jurâ—ce comes in and pleads terribly against you and will exact satisfaction of you therefore you must receive this principle if you will be established in consolation that as there is mercy in respect of us who bring nothing in consideration of our sins so there is righteousnesse and justice in forgiving of sin in respect of Christ our Advocate that doth manage his office and makes it known for this very end that in knowledge thereof we might have the stronger consolation SERMON V. 1 John 2. vers 1 2. My little children these things I write unto you that you sin not And if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins WE have formerly as some of you may remember entered upon these words wherein the Apostle makes the proposall of the Grace of God in Christ the encouragement unto people to forbear sin The first thing we noted therefore from hence was this That the knowledge of an Advocate that becomes a propitiation for sin even for such as do commit sin I say the knowledge of this Grace is so far from opening a gap unto a licentious life that indeed it is the best means and help in the world to keep us from sinning The last day we fell upon the matter of the Argument which the Apostle useth to disswade little children from sin If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous Herein we proposed to be considered First what this Advocateship of Christ is and how Christ doth manage this office of Advocateship Secondly whose cause it is that Christ doth here plead Thirdly how Christ is gifted and qualified for this office of Advocateship Lastly what the issue of this Advocateship of Christ is proposed in the last words of the Text He is the propitiation for our sins Concerning the first what this office of Advocateship is the summe is briefly this The office of an Advocate is to plead out the cause of a man as it is in justice and right so that the Advocateship of Christ consists in pleading forth the discharge of his people even from the principle of right and justice Whereas it is objected and indeed seems a thing unreconcilable namely that
this discharge from sin goes all along under the notion of Grace and free Grace and pardon how can this be if it be meerly an act of justice for God to forgive sins This may easily be reconciled with a distinction discharge from sin in respect of us or what we can bring by way of recompence for the sin committed is meerly free Grace Wee can bring nothing at all Also in respect of Christ as he is allowed to stand in the room of us it is Grace too But thirdly Christ being allowed and admitted and the Lord having taken the full payment he could ask at the hands of Christ and acknowledging satisfaction upon such payment this act of Christ makes it an act of justice and right that God should forgive sins and therefore the Apostle in the first Chapter of this Epistle of John tells us That the blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God cleanseth us from all our sins And therefore he concludes that he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins But I cannot insist upon what I have formerly delivered Now peradventure some though I confesse a little over-curious desire to understand how Christ being now in Heaven doth execute this office of Advocateship or in what sense he is said to plead the cause of his people I call it a curious querie because the Scriptures are very sparing in declaring the manner of Christs managing this office That he is an Advocate is cleer enough how he doth deale with God in the execution of it is more obscure Frequent mention is made indeed of Christs intercession in Heaven be ever liveth to make intercession for us as the Apostle testifieth he doth intercede for the Saints saith the holy Gost yet though this be so frequently mentioned and the comfort of Gods people much laid upon this nâ—â—ely this intercession yet the Scriptures are very sparing what kind of intercession he makes whether he prays to his Father in heaven as he did upon earth or no The like I say oâ— this businesse of Advocateship Some few passages of Scripture there are that will give some â—int at least to have some glimmerings of the very manner of Christs Advocateship and the exâ—cution of it In Heb. 11.4 there is something that wil give us some light Bâ— faith saith the Apostle Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice then Cain whereby he received or obtained witnesse of God that he was righteous by which he being dead et speaketh that is by which sacrifice he being dead yet speaketh The sacrifices you know they were Christ in the Antitype for all the life of sacrifices from which persons obtain testimony of God that they are righteous is Christ himself And it is Christ in sacrifice that speaks even when the sacrifice it selfe is offered I conceive therefore beloved as sacrifices speak in respect of a prevailing power they have with God when he sits in judgement we are to conceive likewise of the Advocateship of Christ which iâ— nothing else but the speaking of Christ is in such a kinde managed after such a manner Christ speaks as sacrifice speaks for indeed Christ as Advocate pleads only as a sacrifice form an In the 12th Chapter of the same Epistle and the 14. verse you have another expression having a little more cleernesse in it We are come saith the Apostle to Mount Sion the City of the living God to an innumerable company of Angels and to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things then the blood of Abel Here you see whereas the Apostl in the former Chapter imports a voyce or a plea in the mouth of sacrifices in this Chapter and verse he speaks more plainly and puts a voyce or plea to that which is the life of sacrifices namely the blood of sprinkling the blood of Jesus Christ Wee are come unto the blood of sprinking And this blood is that which speaks better things then the blood of Abel You know that there was a strong plea in the blood of Abel which cryed from earth to heaven till it brought vengance upon the head of Cain The blood of Christ hath a stronger plea and hath a stronger cry and is for better purposes So that under favour for in this I shall not contend much so far as I can see the value and working and desert and preciousnesse of the bloodshed of Christ that is the plea that Christ makes as Advocate in heaven that when a Believer doth commit sin the efficacy of this blood-shed is fresh in the pretence of the Lord in the behalfe of that poore wretch that hath thus sinned I say the blood is present and the whole efficacy power and vertue of that blood is fresh in the thoughts of the Lord. And as it is thus effectuall and powerfull it procures the discharge and brings the discharge and acknowledgement of the Lord to his thoughts too if I may so speak whereby he is pacified towards them and pleased with them This is alwayes before him and present with him yea present before him when the sins that a Believer commits are present and the counterplea of the value of the blood of Christ overcomes the naturall plea of the sin it selfe But I will not dwell upon this but rather hasten to a second thing very considerable which is Whose cause it is that Christ doth plead with the Father or for whom the value and vertue of his blood doth plead I remember the Disciples when Christ spake generally concerning his betraving were very inquisitive Is it I saith one Is it I saith another I doubt not but in regard of the prevalency of the plea of the blood of Christ many persons present will fal upon this inquiry Is it I that he means is he my Advocate Am I his client to plead my cause I shall endeavour to make it cleer and to resolve it is the Apostle doth here propose it The plea that Christ puts up for the persons whose câ—use he doth undertake are first all sorts of Believers whatsoever high or low rich or poor â—ay strong or weak Christ I say pleads their cause he is the Advocate of the weakest Believer iâ— the world Nay more he is the Advocate of the weakest Believer when he is the greatest sinner I mean when he falls foulely when he falls it may be through the weaknesse of his faith making him suspect that Christ will be silent in his cause in regard of such failings and sinfulnesse I say he is then as properly the Advocate of such a person a Believer who peradventure falls into some scandalous evill at that very time when this person that is a Believer falls thus Mark but the Apostle If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father he makes no exception neither in respect of persons nor in respect of sins If any man sin he doth not say if any man sin meerly of infirmity and common frailty but
in generall If any man sin as if he had said there must something be done by Believers that goes beyond the being of sin before they can be excluded from having interest in the Advocateship of Christ Here the Apostle speaks expresly there is an Advocateship of Christ for Believers finning without exception I know it is too frequent among many that more grosse sins then ordinary in a Believeâ— do not only waste the conscience but do also interpose between such a person and Christ of which we shall have occasion to speak else-where For present there is a coâ—â—eit that if a Believer sine more then ordinarily presently there is just câ—use for him to suspect Christ will not sufficiently manage his office for him an least Christ hath not sufficiently managed it already so that there is juâ—t cause of feare But let me tell you to the everlasting consolation of Gods people that there is no sin which a Believer can commit which can exclude him from the benifit of this Advocateship or bring him beyond the bounds of this large grant If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father And if it be any man you will say it extends to all men in the world as well as Believers if any man sin Nay there is a restraint in the words and you shall easily see it If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father If any of us that have fellowship with the Father and the Son it is not every one that hath Christ for an Advocate but those that are Believers Those that have right to fellowship with the Father and the Son are only spoken of in this place I speak this to the end that those who 〈…〉 fear of death are subject unto bondage all their lives long â—ay know that Christ is coâ—â—e to deliver them and reveales this truth on purpose to deliver them from the feare of death and bondage by being their Advocate for their sins He is an Advocate he is a propitiation for every sin of his The words run in the generall to the end If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father and he is the propitiation for our sins The Apostle doth not say he is not an Advocate for such and such but for such and such Believers that sin so and so if they commit sin so and so agravated and if their sins rise to such an height there is no propitiation for them But the Apostle speaks in the generall style If any man sin and he is the propitiation for our sins and yet beloved I must be bold to goe a little further in respect of the persons whose cause Christ doth plead and in whose behalf Christ is an Advocate I say it is for all sorts of Believers nay I go further it is for more then present Believers even for some who are not for the present Believers but remaine as yet in a state of unbelief In brief Christ is the Advocate of the cause of euery person in the world for whom he paid the price of redemption whether they be persons already called or persons not yet acquainted with the Grace of God for every Elect person as well unconverted as converted Christ doth equalty in respect of the substance of his plea interpose but when I say he plead as well for the unconverted as for the converted I mean for such unconverted persons as do belong unto the election of Grace and have their portion in the price of his blood Beloved for mine own part I cannot yet conceive any other considerable difference between the plea of Christ for the converted persons and the Elect unconverted but this circumstantiall difference namely that the value of his blood is equally of force to Believers and unbelievers being elected saving that the Belevers have this priviledge that the Lord Christ pleads for the manifestation of this discharge unto this converted person but pleads not for the present manifestation there of unto the unconverted elect person tell such time as he shall be called to the faith and by that faith that thing be made evident which before was hid I say the pardon of sin by the blood of Câ—rist is 〈◊〉 full for the unconverted elect person as fully passed over in grant I mean to that person as to the Believer himself God doth add never a tittle of pardon it self more to him that is a Believer then to that person not yet converted to the faith in regard of the substance of the pardon it self For the cleering of this to you I beseech you note what is the rise or ground-work of the pardon of sin Secondly note when this pardon of sin is compleat with God These two things considered you shal perceive that all the pardon in respect of the substance of it that God passeth over unto men he doth passe it over before their conversion Look I say upon the rise the true rise or originall of the pardon of sin is the gracious grant of God upon the blood of Christ shed This is the onely foundation of pardon I say Gods gracious grant upon the sheding of the blood of Christ there is no pardon appliable to any person in the world but what pardon is to be found in the word of Grace Thou that art a Believer at present thou hast the pardon of thy sins in thy spirit thou art assured of it Where hadst thou this pardon Didst thou not fetch it out of the word of Grace Then as soon as the word of Gods Grace was first published this Grace of the pardon of sin was held forth If thou foundest it not here thou found'st it some where else but tell me where will you have this Grant of God to build upon if you will not have it in the word of Grace You will say the Spirit of God will reveale it unto you It is true indeed but if the Spirit of the Lord doth reveal a grant to you of Grace it is according to his Word The Spirit speaking out of the word oâ— Grace to men speakes no otherwise but according to this word of Grace in men and if that there be a contradiction between the inward voyce and this word of Grace that is enough to give you cause of suspicion yea you may be confident that that voice within you in respect of such contradiction is a false voyce I say that the Lord Christ sends us unto his Word and from the word we take out the pardon of sin we have Now beloved I beseech you consider if all pardon to all the Elect to the end of the world be contained in this word of Grace there is no more pardon then what is written there then it must needs follow that God passed over his act of pardon of sin at that instant when he entred this pardon in the volume of his Book Is there no pardon till thou art converted and called then the pardon of all thy sins are not to be
upon the trespasse but bail takes men off till judgement be given or perfect satisfaction be made As wee have sinned so in legality wee ought to lie by it presently but Christ comes before hand even the Advocate and passeth his word for these persons that there shall be currant payment in due time binding himself body for body that there shall be appearance at the day but that is not all when the day is come though most witnesses prove point-blanck the crime objected and the Law pleads the just desert of the punishment provided in that behalf yet this Advocate steps in and payes all the Law can demand I my self have satisfied the Law on their behalf saith he therefore there can be no more asked of them This you know that if a man have borrowed an hundred pounds and he be sued never so violently and witnesses come in and prove the debt never so cleerly yet if a surety comes in and enters bond for him yea and payes the debt for him if he hath been discharged hath an acknowledgement of satisfaction made on the behalf of that person then there is no judgement comes out against that person that borrowed the mony though the thing be proved This is the case with our Advocate he is the Surety of a better Testament and pleading when matter of fact is proved and the Law speakes directly against it and justice pleads for such a penalty to be inflicted yet then is the Saviour produced that makes currant and full payment There could not be expected any stopping of the sentence for the client by pleading for them but there must first be a satisfying of all This is the Saviours office and as a Saviour so he is the satisfier Thirdly this Advocate is Jesus Christ the righteous and this title imports two things to us and they are very considerable and they have either respect unto us or they have respect unto God and both of them shew how admirably Christ is gifted how sufficiently he is qualified For this office of Advocateship as it hath reference unto us he is Christ Jesus the righteous as much as to say the true and faithfull Faithfulness and righteousness are taken for one and the same thing for dealing truly with persons Many a one loseth a goodcause for the unfaithfulnesse of his Counsel they make against their clients for bribes and play on both sides they deal not honestly with men they carry the business in a dilative way they will not dispatch the suit they have all the arguments of delay But this your Advocate and our Advocate is the righteous Advocate the faithfull and true witness he dealeth ingenuously and uprightly this one you may trust and put all things into his hand Many times men put their whole business into their Counsels hands to sink or swim But here is an Advocate that is faithfull here is no danger of sinking you may put all into his hands you need not fear at all he is the righteous and faithful Christ the faithfull Advocate But the principal thing I intended in this righteousness is that wherein the strength of his argument lieth that he doth plead in the behalf of his client that is the Advocate Christ is so righteous that this very righteousness of his shall carry the cause on your side even to a full dicharge even from all sins whatsoever Beloved the whole security of persons from wrath and Hell from sin and death hangs upon this one hinge of his righteousnesse As there is force enough in his righteousnesse so the cause prospers on the clients side if that should fail nothing in the world can uphold the cause It will be therefore of mighty concernment to consider First how cleere the Scripture is that layes all the burthen of the task in pleading upon his righteousnesse and further to consider what kind of righteousnesse of Christ that is that carries such a strength in Christs pleading for his people Both of them need to be cleered especially the latter passage For the first the Scriptures will be cleer of themselves only the latter passage what kinde of righteousnes it is that hath that prevalency is to be made apparent A righteousnesse and his righteousnesse most grant but some mistake there is in the mindes of some people that reach not the height of the Gospel what that righteousness is that hath such a prevalency The present time will not give me leave to handle it fully and I will not doe it by halves and therefore I will leave it to another time SERMON IV. 1 John 2. verse 1 2. If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins c. IN these words you have the Apostles conclusion and his Argument to inforce it his conclusion is that he would not have them to sin his argument is If any man doe sin c. The first thing that we have observed out of these words is this That it is a powerfull argument to prevaile with persons such as John writes unto not to sin to let them know that though they do sin yet they have an Advocate with the Father We are fallen upon the consideration of the Argument it self First in the matter of it Secondly in the forâ—e of it Every Argument hath some firmnesse in it self from whence is produced some good inference That which hath not a power in it self is not able to make good another thing Concerning the matter of this Argument you have First the Apostles Supposition Secondly a Provision against that which this Suppesition might doe or against that which he doth suppose a man might do First I say here is a Supposition You may sin though you be little children The Provision against the evill that sin might doe is in the following words Though we do sin yet we have an Advocate with the Father ' And concerning this matter of the Argument we have these things proposed considerable First what the office is that is here ascribed unto Christ in that he is called Advocate We have an Advocate and how Christ in Heaven doth exercise this office Secondly whose cause it is that Christ doth plead by verâ—â—e of this his office Thirdly how this Advocate is qualified unto this office Lastly the issue and the event of the execution of this office Concerning the first this Advocateship oâ— Christ is a plea founded or grounded upon Justice Christ doth not appeal in his plea to meere mercy but his client shall stand or fall as Justice it self shall pronounce a sentence And concerning the second clause of this first part Christ doth exercise this his office in Heaven rather virtually then vocally He speaks as his blood doth speak We are come to the blood of sprinkling saith the Apostle in the 12th Chapter to the Hebrews that speaks better things then the blood of Abel We came further to consider whose cause it is that
Christ doth maintain and plead First I say of all Believers he calls them little children as well as strong men even the cause of little children even when they have sinned without limitation of this sin they shall commit For he doth expresse himself in generall terms it is the cause of those that do sin If any man sin Secondly the cause not only of present Believers but also the cause of all the Elect Believers or unbelievers if they be elected It is true they shall believe in time but yet I say Christ is an Advocate of them while unbelievers if they be elected There is not a sin in the world but as it is damnable in its own nature in the rigour of justice so it doth not allow of any forbearance it is only Christ that makes the forbearance evun untill they are called Then we came to consider how Christ our Advocate is qualified to manage this office with that efficaciousness and successe to the comfort of those whose cause he doth maintain The qualifications of Christ are expressed in three things in the Text. First for the title he is anointed to be an Advocate he hath a lawfull call to the Bar nay he is priviledged there is none to plead but himself Secondly it is Christ anointed that is gifted and made an able Minister in the 42. of Isaiah and the beginning of the Chapter in the 1. v. the Lord tells us how he shall not be dismayed he will hold him up and saith the Text There the Isles shall wait for his Law we must understand it two wayes The Isles shall wait for his Law that is the Isles shall now be directed and guided by him as their Law-giver or we may understand it thus he shall be so good a Lawyer that the Isles shall waite for his Law as much as to say If a man have a cause to be tried he heares of a good Counsell and a Lawyer very expert in the Law such a man waits for such a mans Law he waits for the Law out of his mouth he hopes he will plead his cause so well that it shal go well with him God makes Christ so good a Lawyer that when he comes to plead his Law he shall carry the sentence on his clients 〈◊〉 Secondly he is Jesus 〈◊〉 the Text and in that is imported 〈…〉 equalification of Christ to exercise his â—ffice of Advocateship Jesus as much as a Saviour and it shews the efficacie of his pleâ— he pleads the cause of his clients so strongly that he sayes Thirdly the qualifications of Christ unto his Advocateship sâ—mported in the third title he is Jesus Christ the righteous saith the Text He is Jesus Christ the righteous in a double sense and in both of them is declared the excellent qualifications of Christ to Advocate for us First he is Jesus Christ the righteous that is the raithfull a Conâ—sellor that will deal truly with his client A Counsell that will deal uprightly a Couâ—eâ— that will not fall Secondly this Advocate is Jesus Christ the righteous 〈◊〉 Christ who hath such a righteousnessâ— as â—â—at the whole strength of his plea the force â—f his Argumenâ— that he doth â—â—â—e in his 〈…〉 together in his righteousnesse The 〈◊〉 expression imports what Christ himseâ—â— is this imports what his Argument is I say the only argument that hath the carrying power to leade the cause to state the conclusion for the client the only force of the argument lies in the righteousnesse of Christ this is that 〈…〉 is that 〈…〉 this is that which makes 〈…〉 thing with God to so give and to 〈…〉 I say his righteousnes this is 〈…〉 which the whole 〈…〉 which all our 〈…〉 that keeps us from 〈…〉 nothing else could be 〈…〉 of all things in the world 〈…〉 be more searched into and 〈…〉 then this one truth namâ—ly that it is the righteousnesse of Christ that prevailes in plea with God for a person that dâ—th sin and this righteousnesse of Christ only I shall therefore endeavour for the cleering up of this thing that the strength of Christs 〈…〉 God doth lie in his righteousnesse Here 〈◊〉 I shall endeavour to shew you First evidently onâ— of Scripture that it is this righteousnesse of his and only this righteousnesse of his that prevails with God for the discharge of a member of Christ when he doth sin Secondly we shall consider what this righteousness is that doth so prâ—vail with him First I say the Scripture or rather the Holy Ghost in the word of Grace holds forth this truth frequently unto us that all the strength of the plea with God and consequently all the ground of solid comfort unto us doth wholy depend upon the righteousnes of Christ and nothing else Look into Psal 50.5 6. verses for David even in his time was marvellous cleer in this truth Gather my Saints saith the Lord in that Psalm such as have made a covenant with me by sacrifice and the heavens shall declare his righteousnesse Gather them together that is bring them to judgement such as have made a covenant with me by sacrifice and then when they stand in Judgement The heavens shall declare his righteousnesse The Text doth not say the heavens shall declare my righteousnesse though that also is a truth that the heavens do declare both Gods and Christs righteousnesse Gods in passing sentence of absolution Christs pleading so for this sentence that God in justice cannot but passe the sentence The heavens shall declare his righteousnes saith the Text. Either understand it thus the righteousnesse that shall be pleaded is the righteousness that comes down from heaven of which wee shall speak more hereafter or thus the righteousnesse which Christ shall plead shall be so cleer and evident in the prevalency of it that the Sun in the Firmament the Sun in Heaven hath not a cleerer brightnesse in it then this righteousnesse shall have to cleer up the business Gather my Saints together that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice saith the Text. What sacrifice will you say or what is there in sacrifice that the Lord should be in covenant with his people Look into the 51. Psalme and verse 19. you shall there see what there is in sacrifice that makes a covenant between God and his people Then shalt thou be pleased saith David with the sacrifice of righteousnesse righteousnesse in the sacrifice is that which doth procure a pleasedness in God unto those persons unto whom sacrifice doth belong or for whose use sacrifice doth serve I say righteousnesse in the sacrifice not an inherent righteousnesse in the typicall sacrifice it self For saith the Apostle it is impossible that the blood of Buls and Goats should take away sin But there is a righteousnesse that is declared from Heaven and annexed to the sacrifice the righteousness of Christ this is that which puts an end to the quarrel this is that which makes an agreement between those that are at
difference And in the 51. Psalme and the 14. verse you shall see beloved David hath such a confidence in the righteousnesse of Christ and doth so make it his refuge as that in the greatest of sins as he was ever overtaken with he betakes himself unto that Deliver me O Lord from blood-guiltinesse and there you shall finde he doth expresse himself thus namely The God of my righteousnesse these you shall plainly see deliverance from blood-guiltinesse is ascribad 〈◊〉 the righteousnesse of God and he waiâ—s for his deliverance even out of the power which that rightcousness hath with God For that purp of in the 71. Psilme and the â— vers and in the 19. verse or there abouts First you 〈…〉 here makes the 〈◊〉 hereusâ—â—◠〈…〉 â—â—emity Deliver me O Lord in thy righteousnesse and afterwards you shall 〈…〉 this righteousnesse 〈…〉 not leave it My mouth shall shew forth thy right 〈◊〉 And I will make mention of thy righteousnesse and thine only sâ—â—th thâ— Texâ— there v. 16. Mark the expression well set David be in what condition be will he veilmake no other plâ—a in the world but this I will make mention of thy righteousnesse and thine only Whether you will understand it of Gods righteousnesse sâ—â—ply as Judge or of Christs righteousnesse as he is the Advocate they come all to one reckoning For iâ— God dâ—â—â—eliver in a righteoussentance or according to righteousnesse deliverance doth proceed from righteousnesse plended So that I say if you understand of the Lord then you must conceive the righteousnesse of Christ is the ground why God pronounceth a sentence of righteousnesse And in the 143 Psalme and the 11. verse you shall set David doth there againe ascribe his deliverance unto righteousness still Quicken thou mee O Lord for thy names sake and for thy righteousnesse sake saith he bring my soule out of trouble The Prophet Isaiah coures behind none in Evangelicall sweet 〈…〉 comfort of Gods people he is marvelous full concerning this thing namely the 〈…〉 of the people of God by the righteousnesse of Christ Look into Isaiah Chap. 1. verse 27. Sion saith the Lord there shall be redeemed with judgement c. and the converts with righteousnesse Here you see beloved that the Church of God shal be brought to judgemens Judgement you know is a sentence passed by a Judge and there shall be redemption unto Sion even by judgement and this sentence of a Judge must be pronounced for the deliverance of the client This is our comfort we shall be saved by righteousnesse saith the Text. In Isaiah 41. you shall fee how the Lord sets out Christ in this very term Who hath raised up the righteous man saith the Text in vers 2. and hath set him as his feet I the first and the last saith the Lord in ver 4. Christ I say is held forth unto men as the righteous man raised up for the good of the sons of men In the 51. of Isaiah the Holy Ghost tells us about the 5. 6. verses that God will make judgement to rest as a light upon the people that is when the Lord brings his people unto judgement it shal be a lightsome day unto them and though a lightsome day yet who can stand before his Judgement Mark the ground of the lightsomness of the day when they shall come unto their trial My righteousness is neer saith the Lord my judgement is gone forth my salvation is gone forth therefore it should be a lightsome day because there shall be righteousness in that day to plead out that judgement that shall be given on the behalf of the clients of Christ In Isaiah 53. vers 11. He shall see of the travel of his soul and he shall be satisfied that is God shall see the travell of the soul of Christ and God shall be satisfied But how comes it to passe that God is pacified by beholding the righteousnesse the travel of the soul of Christ By his knowledge saith the next words shal my righteous servant justifie many There is a great deal of difference to understand the meaning of the phrase righteous servant By his knowledge shall my righteous servant just ifie many For my own part I think the plain sense doth carry much light in it as much as to say Christ knows so much concerning the prevalency of his own righteousnesse that he pleads so with the Father by it that he shall be sure to carry the cause in the behalf of his client when he pleads it he knows so much I say of the prevalency of his righteousnesse that he is sure he shall carry the cause for their justification when they come to their triall In the 59. of Isaiah and 16. verse you have an excellent expression there the Lord saith the Text wondered that there were none that he could finde never an Intercessor therefore as it follows my arm hath brought salvation But how doth his arm bring salvation my righteousnesse so it follows it sustained me Observe it well there is none in the world to deal with God on the behalf of men but the Son of God Christ himself there could not one come in to help him There is a mighty charge laid against poor Believers containing such a bulk of transgressions with so many aggravations that Christ himself had sunk under them being alone had not his righteousnesse sustained him this was that which held him up in the whole plea till the sentence was given on the behalf of his clients for be put on righteousnesse as a brest-plate In the 51. of Ieremiah and the 5. 6. verses of that Chapter Behold the dayes come or In those dayes I will raise up a righteous branch unto David In those dayes Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and the name wherewith he shall be called is The Lord our righteousnesse Here is a righteous branch raised up this follows next thâ—â— shall be savâ—d How to In that there is a righteous branch 〈…〉 for it Israel shall 〈…〉 shall be saved in the word and from 〈…〉 but in that 〈…〉 up Judab that be 〈…〉 himself that 〈…〉 Judah when the 〈…〉 God himself 〈…〉 not only 〈…〉 Jerusalem 〈…〉 shal not cast our 〈…〉 is raised no which shal in 〈…〉 Judah to dwel safely And the reation of all this is not abley rendered namâ—â—y in that this righteousness is become our 〈◊〉 and he is so become our righteousnes that his very name is The Lord our righteousnes It is very well worth your observation how still the last refuge is fastened upon this eighteousnesse of Christ In the 9. of Daniel and the 24. verse Yet seventy weeks are determined unto thy holy City to what purpose to sinish transgression to put an end to sin to make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring in everlasting righteousnesse Mark it well this sealing up or the Vision that is the establishment or the forgivenesse of sins and the finishing of transgression I
say this sealing up follows after the bringing in of everlasting righteousnesse and this everlasting righteousnesse is the righteousnesse of Christ Therefore in the 4. of Malachi and the 2. verse you shall find there is heath apprepâ—â—ated unto Christ and there you shall finde where the â—â—tue lies that Christ hath such a bealing Vnto them saith the Text that feare my name shall the Sun of righteousuesse arise with healing in his wings therefore a healing Sun because he is the Sun of righteousnesse and the vâ—tue in the wing of Christ to heale is the righteousnesse of Christ I have been more copiou in these passages of Scripture before the coming of Christ that people may not think that to depend only and 〈◊〉 upon the righteousnes of Christ for security and comfort is a new thing but was knows and was a refuge from the beginning The Apostle Paul speaks more clearly then any of the rest I shall instance but in two passages for the truth is all the Epistles of the Apostles are full of the thing The strength of the plea of Christ in the behalf of his people sinning doth stand in his righteousnesse For this purpose look into the 3. Chapter to the Remans in the begioning of which Chap. you shall see how mightily the Spostl pleads to the convincing of all the world of sin and the fruit of that sinfulnesse you shall finde from the 13. verse forwards a description of the sins of men In the 20. verse he makes a conclusion Therefore by the deeds of ehe Law shal no flesh be justified in his sight Now after he had taken off all that might possibly be in man towards his remedy and refuge all that possible might be in the Law for the people to rest in he begins to establish the foundation upon which the safety deliverance and security of Gods people doth indeed depend But now saith the Apostle in v. 21. The righteousnesse of God without the Law is manifest being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets even the righteousnesse of God which is by faith in Iesus Christ unto all and upon all that doe believe for there is no difference for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God being justified freely by his Grace through the redemption that is in Iesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sins to declare his righteousnesse at this time that he might be just and the justifier of those that doe believe in Iesus You see here is an inculcating again and again that it is a righteousnesse namely his righteousnesse which God hath set forth to be a propitiation that is the righteousnesse of Christ to declare his righteousnesse saith the Apostl upon all imports unto us the sole refuge for the remission of sins is only the righteousnesse of Christ Look also into the 5. of the Romans 18. 19. verses As by one mans disobedience manywere made sinners so by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous Our transgressions are the issue which Adams disobedience brought forth that obedience of one man is our security and deliverance from Hell and death which one mans disobedience brought into the world all of it is frustrated and evacuated by the obedience of one and by the righteousnesse of that one Nothing but the obedience and righteousnesse of Christ setting persons free from the fruits of unrighteousnesse and disobedience in Adam is able to make them righteous I hope by this time the truth is cleered enough that there is nothing to be mentioned but only his righteousness nothing can hold water nothing can hold plea but this righteousnesse of Christ You shall therefore consider out of all these passages what that righteousnesse is that hath efficacy and prevalency with the Father for the discharge of a member of Christ when he sins First you shall see this negatively Secondly positively and therein we shall endeavour to declare what righteousnesse of Christ that is that doth relieve us First negatively there is not any righteonsnesse of a Believer which he acts which can possibly have any force in plea with the Father for the discharge of a person that hath committed a sin I say no righteousness of a Believer which he acts and I mention that righteousnesse which he doth act because the very righteousnesse of Christ it self is indeed the righteousnesse of a Believer For he is our righteousnesse The Lord our righteousnesse as you have heard As he was made sin for us and became our sin by impuration so we are made the righteousnesse of God in him that is Christs righteousnesse is as much become our own righteousnesse as our sins became Christs sins And as Christ bare the whole fruit of our sins by being made sin for us so we enjoy the whole fruit of Christs righteousness by being made righteous in him therefore I say not simply no righteousnesse of a Believer but no righteousness of a Believer which himself doth act hath the least force in plea to prevaile for the discharge of 〈◊〉 I must â—ell you there is no divine Rethoricke there is no omnipotent excellency in any righteousnesse whatsoever which a Believer can put up unto God It is not your turning from your evill wayes it is not your repentance though never so cordiall and large it is not your departing from iniquity it is not your doing good hath the least force or power of plea with the Father to prevail with him for your righteousnesse for your discharge or to move him to give the sentence upon you that you are discharged No righteousnesse I say whatsoever you can doe For the best righteousnesse that ever man did performe Christ only excepted hath more in it to make against the person that did it then it hath to make for him to obtain a sentence of discharge and my reason is this In the best righteousnesse of man in turning from sin or in repenting or mourning or what ever else there is to be thought of there is abundance of sin even in the very best actions that are performed And where there is sinfulnesse there is a plea against the person so that if you bring that righteousnesse to plead with God to prevail with him you bring that which may be objected against you and may prove a strong plea to mar the cause that is in hand I beseech you beloved observe the Apostle in the 7th Chapter to the Romans where I think I shall meet with these things which most people in ignorance do most commonly make their chiefest plea whereon they build their own comforts and their whole comforts as if all were well between God and them thereby yet you shall their finde how the Apostle though qualified in that manner as he was doth both renounce any such plea and also doth betake himself to that plea we are now in hand with The
Apostle saith there expresly To will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I finde not I delight in the Law of God in the inner man but in the mean while there is a law in my members rebelling against the law of my minde and leading me captive to the law of sin out of all which principles observe I beseech you these particulars First the Apostle though he did see he fell through infirmitie yet he cleerly perceived his heart was upright towards God so that he said To will is present with me the good that I would doe that doe I not and the evill that I would not doe that do I. Though the Apostle was overtaken yet his heart was towards God still when he did evill his heart said plainly It is not with my consent when he could not do good his heart told him it was for lack of power and not because he did not desire it Now come to persons that walk exactly as the Apostle did they are overtaken with a sin what is there comfort when they do sin though I be overtaken the frame of my heart is right still my heart is sincere towards God my heart is right it is directly contrary to my disposition I do not do that evill I do with a full bent of my spirit and in regard my heart is thus right there is comfort to me though I have sinned Suppose your spirits were in that frame the Apostles was in at that time I ask but this Do you not draw comfort still from the plea of this disposition your spirits do make When you have committed a sin do you not fetch comfort from thence Ask your hearts and they will answer yea we have done so and we may do so I beseech you consider it well when the Apostle had argued the case thus what was the finall conclusion and the sole refuge that he doth flie unto or the plea that he would trust unto for his deliverance and comfort He doth not say in the conclusion I thank God to will is present with me I thank God my heart is in a good frame and temper though I was overtaken I say Paul doth not make use of this plea but he betakes himself to this I thank Gâ—d through Jesus Christ and there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ and it is the law of the Spirit of life that is in Christ hath freed mee from the law of sinne and death So that the whole refuge of the Apostle was not any inward disposition as if he could plead out comfort unto himselfe there-from but the plea was without himselfe even in Christ and therefore he gives thanks unto Christ for deliverance So in the 2. Chapter to the Philippians you shall heare the Apostle towards the beginning of the Chapter pleading the same thing there as he did here namely that it is not any righteousnesse that he can reach unto that he dare venture the plea upon or his own comfort upon First he tells us that touching the righteousnesse of the Law he was blamelesse This was before his conversion you will say It is true but after his conversion he tells us also of a righteousness he had then But beloved doth Paul put out his own righteousnesse to plead for him Doth he expect his comfort or the Answer of Heaven for discharge upon the plea of that righteousnesse of his Nothing last for saith the Apostle there I account all things but losse and dung that I may be found in him not having mine own righteousnesse which is of the Law but the righteousnesse of God which is by faith in Jesus Christ Surely beloved if the Apostle had reckoned that his righteousness could have had any force in plea he would never have rejected it as dung That man that thinketh he hath strength in an argument will not fling that argument away and not make mention of it for the triall of his cause if he thought there were any power in it But this the Apostle did hee accounted his righteousnesse dung even the righteousnesse of his after he was converted and in that regard he durst not be found in that but only in the righteousnes of God which is by faith in Christ He doth not simply say he would not be found in the righteousness of the Law but exclusively also he would not be found in his own righteousnesse so that he bâ—â—s out his own righteousnesse quite there shall no plea at all go along through his own righteousnesse The righteousness of Christ shall speak for his plea or else he would look for no good issue at all this beloved is the way Let me give one touch by way of application you may easily perceive how mightily people are mistaken and therefore no marvell they do live so uncomfortably no marvell they are in fear of death and thereby in bondage all their life long while they run for the refreshment of their spirits to their own righteousnesse to the plea of their own works and will have their hearts eased upon that righteousnesse that they themselves do whereas nothing gets a gracious discharge from their Father but only Christ and his righteousnesse Therefore beloved how ever it may go with some for a harsh thing to take men off from their own righteousnesse in respect of speaking comfort unto them and to lead them to the righteousnesse of Christ revealed in the Gospel as that from which they may draw all their comfort though this may found harsh to some people that have not been trained up in the way of the grace of God and in the freenesse of it revealed in the Gospel yet I doubt not but in time the Lord will be pleased to reveale to us that running to Christ out of our selves and disclaiming of our owne righteousnesse and seeking of comfort from it that leaving our own actions and all that can be imagined to be in us or can be done by us will be the thing that in the end will establish our hearts and spirits yea and fill them with joy and peace in believeing It remains that we should further confâ—ler one thing that I know startles some persons or at least lays blocks in their way before I can possibly come unto the righteousnesse of Christ it self that makes up the strength of plea with God for poor creatures Object Some will object Though all that we do of our own will not hold plea yet there is a righteousnesse of faith will some say and that pleads with the Father and that gets the discharge of sin from the Father Beloved there is some dispute about this point and I shall not desire to enter into it I shall onely in a few things endeavour to cleer up the truth as cleer as possibly I may that I may goe on Answ I answer in generall so far forth as the righteousness of faith is the righteousness of Christ there is strength in the plea of that
is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seene Faith is the evidence saith the Text of things not seen The Apostle here doth not give any efficacy to faith to procure or bring forth a new thing but he gives to faith only an evidencing power and that not to evidence any new thing but to be an evidence of things not seen that is of things that were before in being but were hid but by faith come to be apparent and cease to be hid and are manifest and open when the evidence of faith doth bring them forth to light Either you must say it is not in being till faith is come and so faith doth more then evidence even beget and give being to the very thing or you must confesse the thing indeed was but faith makes it evident that before was hid and obscure Now though faith be honoured with the greatest businesse of all the gifts of the Spirit of God yet that Christ may not be robbed of that which is peculiar unto him and properly his own that is to give compleat being to our justification that it should be given unto faith it self I say give me leave to propose to you some particulars wherein it is as cleer as the day-light that it is impossible for any person under Heaven to believe till such time as this person be first united unto Christ and become one with him and that faith it self being but a fruit that flows from our union with him is not the uniter that knits Christ and a person together I shall not need to insist upon that place I have often made mention of in the 16. of Ezekiel But beloved when you take this point into consideration I beseech you remember that passage in the 8. and 9. verses The time when God fastened his love upon the Church was the time of the blood of the Church When I saw thee polluted in thy â—lood I said unto thee Live In vers 7. it is three mes repeated When thou wast in thy blood I said unto thee Live and in vers 8. Thy time was be time of love that is the time of thy blood that he spake of before this time was the time of love And I spread my skirt over thee saith the Text and I sware unto thee and entered into covenant with thee and thou becamest mine then washed I thee with water yea I throughly washed thee from thy blood Here is first loving and spreading the skâ—â—t over the Church before the Church is washed Here is not first washing and then loving and spreading the skirt over them but here is first a spreading of the skirt in blood and after that comes washing and throughly washing from blood If any man do think that this washing is to be understood of sanctification let them but consider whether or no there be a through-washing from bloud a perfect washing from bloud such a washing from bloud as that the person so washed is presently all fair or as the Prophet speaks expresly in that Chapter compleat in beauty that is perfect and that through his comeliness put upon this person But to go on consider I beseech you beloved that expression in Isa 43.22 23. the Lord there is pleased first to deciare himself concerning his people in what a condition they were their condition was this Thou hast not called upon me but thou hast been weary of me yea thou hast wearied me with thy sins and thou hast made mee to serve with thy transgeessions saith the Lord. And mark what follows I even I am hee that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine owne sake and will not remember thy sins Here the people whose sins God blotted out are not considered as believing people but are considered as a people that wearied God with their sins and people that made him serve with their transgressions they are considered as a people that had not so much as an heart to call upon God but were quite weary of God for so he doth expresse himself concerning this people and even while he doth consider them thus even then he for his owne sake blotteth out their transgressions And in the 53. of Isaiah whereof I spake so largely heretofore if you marke well in the 6. verse you shall see plainly there is nothing but sin considered in the person whose iniquitles the Lord laid upon Christ All wee like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one of us to our own way and hee hath laid on him the iniquity of us all Here is not a consideration of people as believing people as though there must be a believing before there can be a discharge from sin but there is a consideration of people before they are believing people even while they are a people going astray and turning every one to their owne way But the most notable expression of all to this purpose is in the 15. of John I desire you that you would seriously consider the strength of Christs plea in that place about the 4. 5. ver you see Christ comparing himself in the beginning of the Chapter saith I am the Vine and my Father is the Husbandman every branch in me that beareth fruit my Father purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit every branch in me that beareth not fruit is cast forth as a branch and withereth But the main thing that I defire to be observed is this Abide in me as the branch abideth in the Vine for as the branch that abideth not in the Vine cannot bring forth fruit no more can yee except yee abide in me Out of which passage of Scripture I shall desire you to observe briefly these particulars wherein I hope it will be cleer and plain unto you that it is impossible a person should believe till Christ hath united himself to this person I know beloved there is none or at least I cannot meet with any yet that will deny but that faith or believing is a fruit of the branch that groweth upon the Vine that is one of the fruits of the Spirit that are wrought by the Spirit of Christ in those that are Christs For in the 5th Chapter of the Epistle to the Galatians towards the end of the Chapter you shall finde the Apostle reckon up the fruits of the Spirit and he takes up faith for one of those fruits amongst the rest If therefore believing be a fruit that persons beare by vertue of union to the Vine Christ then it must needs follow men must first be in Christ then believe For if persons do believe before they are vnited and their union by by a faith that they do act then surely the branch must beare this fruit before it be in the Vine before there be union And if faith be the uniter it is present before the union be made and so the branch doth bear fruit before it doth abide in the Vine contrary to Christs words For it is maintained
with persons in the death of all controversie between God and a person for that is reconciliation when persons that were at variaÌ„ce are now made friends all things that were objected between them areanfwered and no more for one to say against another I say if you speak of this reconciliation to God it is appropriated to the blood of Christ God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them But how will you say and by what means comes in this reconciliation In the 5. Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans and the 6. verse you shall see how they come to that reconciliation If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son now much more being reconciled shall we be saved by his life So that reconciliation you see is attributed unto the death of Christ that was the last act of the â—on of God for man So againe You who were afarre off are made nigh by the blood of Christ Here you see the same thing in substance given unto the blood of Christ though in other words Men that were afarre off men that God was at controversie with men who were at great distance from God by the blood of Christ are made nigh againe So likewise the satisfaction that God takes for the discharge of sin which God hath acknowledged is said to be the travell of the soul of Christ He shall see of the travell of his soule and he shall be satisfied with it The Apostle speaks in the generall in his Epistle to the Hebrews without blood there is no remission of sins Christ entred with his blood once into the holy of holies and thereby hee hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Infinite it were to quote Scripture for the illustration of this that to the sufferings of Christ which are indeed all summed up in his blood in the sheeding of blood because that was the last of all and the chiese of all all blessings are attenbuâ—ed â—s reconciliation adoption c. Thirdly beloved although it be most true that the active and passive obedience of Christs humane nature must concuâ— to make up a righteousnesse yet both these together are not enough â—here must be something more then all this That is strange will some say what can there be more required then the active and passive obedience of Christ to make up the righteousnesse of a person Is not that sufficient Let me tell you beloved what the Holy Ghost speaks of the righteousnesse whereby we come to be righteous and discharged from sin he speaks in a higher strain then to appâ—opriate it to the active and passive obedience of Christs humane nature only In the 10. to the Romans and verse 3. when the Apostle taxeth the Jews for going about to establish their own righteousnesse that which hee taxeth them withall is that they did not submit themselves to the righteousnesse of God Now the righteousnesse of God is manifested saith the same Apostle and in the 5. Chapter of the 2. Epistle to the Corinthians and the last verse He was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him I say therefore beloved that the righteousnesse by which we attain to our discharge from sin and the pleading out of that discharge is the righteousnesse of God The righteousnesse that doth give the full discharge to persons from sin must have something that is proper to God himself conferred or added to the humane righteousnesse of Christ as giving dignity to it I say something that is proper to God himself must concur with the active and passive obedience of Christ to make up a compleat righteousness for the discharge of a sinner It is a known rule nothing can give more to another then it hath it self the very active and passive humane obedience of Christ can give no more to man then that active and passive obedience hath in it self Now man considered as a sinner hath need of more then barely the humane active and passive obedience of Christ to make him righteous the sin that man doth commit hath its extent according to the dignity of the person against whom the sin is committed You know beloved that crimes against Magistrates have a deeper tincture in them then any ordinary crime The self-same offence committed against a Prince that is committed against an inferiour person hath its additions of extent and hainousnesse according to the person of the Prince offended Now sin is committed against an infinite Majesty against an Infinite God and so hath a more deepnesse of tincture and filthinesse in proportion to the injury done to such a Majesty in that respect sin indeed becomes an infinite crime For still according to the injury done in respect of the person injured so is the offence you know the difference in slanders slander a poore man and it may be the action will not heare above ten pounds for it but slander a rich merchant whose credit goes far there men lay an action of a thousand pounds for the slander of such a man in regard of his degree the richman being greater then others and his credit being of greater value the offence in taking away his credit is so much the more hainous and higher Now by how much God is greater then man by so much is the hainousness of transgâ—ession coÌ„mitted against God beyond all other transgressions whatsoever Now beloved that righteousnesse that must save a person harmlesse must have an extent in it that may reach as far as the transgression branches it self forth Take unto your consideration the transgression committed against a Divine Majesty take the active and passive obedience of Christ as it is acted by his human nature only it 〈◊〉 but a created thing it is but a fiâ—ite thing 〈◊〉 cannot extend to such a height as to anâ—â—â—â—â—n proportion with the offence of the divine Majesty Beloved let it not seem strange that the very Godhead it self must confer something of its own to the active and passive righteousnesse of Christ to make it a compleat righteousness The divine nature doth give value and vertue to the obedience and sufferings of the human nature The divine nature addeth so much as to raise up that created obedience to an infinite value and height of worth All that I contend for at this time is but this very thing namely that the divine nature must give worth and that simply the active and passive obedience of the humane nature of Christ is not sufficient of it selfe without something of Gods own be communicated unto it to discharge a Believer from an infinite fault or guilt But what it is that God doth communicate more then this that he gives value to the humane righteousnesse and how he doth communicate it is a secret we know not But this we are sure of we are made the righteousnesse of God in Christ and that righteousnesse of God is the
give him to believe actually But to say that this believing should give the first being of that life that should be in persons is to say there is not the life of the elect persons in Christ before they do believe In a word beloved I shall seriously desire you that with candidness and ingenuity of spirit you would take into your consideration those dangerous consequences that must of necessity follow if you will receive this for a Principle that there is no justification and union at all belonging unto elect persons till they do actually believe in Christ I say If this be maintained dangerous consequences must needs follow upon it if persons are not united unto Christ and doe not partake of justification before they doe believe but that believing is the instrument by which they are first united then mark what will follow upon it First this that in some respect there will be a bringing to life again the covenant of works How will that be will you say I beseech you consider it well The Apostle will tell you so as well as I The Lord told Adam at first Doe this and live If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandements saith Christ to the rich man And the Apostle in the 10. Chap. to the Romans about the 4. and 5. verses tells us of the covenant of Works cleerly Moses saith he describing the righteousnesse of the Law saith thus He that doth these things shall even live in them mark here the covenant of Works out of these expressions is this namely for persons to do that they may live The covenant of Grace runs upon contrary terms men must first live that they may doe God in his covenant of Grace gives life first and from life comes doing In the covenant of Works there must be first doing for life Object But you will say how doth this follow out of this conceit that men must believe before they shall live in Christ Answ I answer thus you must of necessity presse upon your selves these terms or such like I must do that I may have life in Christ I must believe there is no life till I do believe now if there must be living first then there is doing before living Object But it may be you will say Faith is opposed to Works and doing Ans I answer when it is opposed to Works it be understood objectively that is it is understood of Christ believed on and not of the act it self of believing for it is certain beloved our act of believing is as much our doing as our acts of love or our acts of charity even as much our doing as any of these So that here must first be doing before life be obtained if persons must first believe before they have union with Christ Secondly if there must be our act of believing before there be participating in Christ then mark what will follow those sins which were once laid upon Christ and taken away from the elect for they could not be laid upon him unlesse they were taken from them they are it seems returned back again upon this Believer whereas they were charged upon Christ whereas Christ once paid the full price whereas upon the paiment of this price there was acknowledged full satisfaction so that those sins were once blotted out I say if there must be believing before there be union with or interest in Christ it must necessarily follow that till such believing the person of that elect doth beare his own transgression and is chargeable for his owne transgressions and his transgressions are imputed unto him But how can it stand with the glory of the Redemption of Christ that Christ should have all iniquity laid upon himself carring all iniquity like the Scape Goat into the Land of forgetfulnesse and yet till the time of that elect persons believing these sins are returned from the Land of forgetfulness whither they were once carryed and they are afresh charged upon this person agine Did Christ bear them away and did Christ return them back again Where did you ever finde that sin once taken away and carryed away by Christ from the person offending did returne back again upon the person from whom Christ took it way Thirdly suppose this that men have no interest in Christ till actually they do believe in him then it must follow that these persons till they are actually believers are under the hatred of God For if they bear their own transgressions themselves then God being a jealous God his holy and pure nature everlastingly hating iniquity and also the person upon whom iniquity is charged there must be a hatred of God upon these persons till they do believe and to conceive that God doth hate these persons is to conceive that God may love and hate the same person whereas he saith in the 19. Chap. to the Romans concerning Jacob that being yet unborn Jacob have I loved here you see love is communicated to Jacob being yet unborn Now mark Jacob when he was not yet born was not an actuall believer till after times Jacob was not come to believe Well had Jacob no interest in Christ and the love of God till such time as he did believe Yea bee had so saith the Text. I but yet Iacob must be hated till he doth believe because Jacob till he doth believe must bear his own transgressions so that here must be at the â—ame time upon the same person both the love and hatred of God and how can these contraries stand together Yet again Suppose persons have no interest in Christ untill they dâ—e actually believe it must follow from thence necessarily that there is a believing in such persons before they have union with Christ and then you must make some other root from whence this believing of persons must spring as for Christ it hath nothing to do with him for he hath nothing in regard of communicating his Grace Spirit to do with them but they are Beuevers and their believing is that which knits the knot between Christ and them Whence comes this believing where is the root of it Is Christ the root then have they first union with Christ that they may receive it from him then must they first be united unto Christ and made one with him and live in him and by vertue of union with him receive this faith as a fruit of that union If it proceed from some other root I beseech you consider how it can be and how can this be avoided but that this conceit must needs be exceeding derogatory to Christ to make another foundation besides Christ whereas in Heb. 12. it is expresly said there Christ is the author as well as the finisher of faith Beloved upon these confiderations for my own part I have receiv'd this principle that I have delivered unto you and meerly the vindication of the glorious priviledges which are proper peculiar unto Christ alone is the occasion that I do refer the being
wee should then finde the comfort of this Office of Christ to be a propitiation for us Now if you will know what this reconciliation is which is indeed an interpretation of propitiation observe I pray you beloved how the Apostle doth illustrate it in the 2. chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians and the 13. verse You that were sometimes afar off hath he made nigh by the blood of Christ Reconciliation is making nigh those persons who were sometimes afarre off and that you may the better understand this being afarre off look into the 1. chapter of the Epistle to the Colossians the 21 and 22. verses the Apostle there will tell you in what respect the members of Christ the elect are said to be afarre off You who were sometimes alienated strangers enemies in your minds by wicked works hath he now reconciled So then to be afarre off and of afarre off to be made nigh is as much as to say that persons who were alienated in respect of enmitie in their mindes in regard of wicked works these persons notwithstanding all that enmity in respect of wicked works they are made nigh they are reconciled You know well in respect of the persons of men who are elected persons they are from all eternity in the purpose of God made nigh by the vertue of the blood of Christ that in time should be shed which vertue of that blood is effectuall in the eyes and thoughts of God from all eternity so that although in respect of the nature of wicked works there be a separating and an alienating nature and quality yet in regard of the efficacy of the blood of Christ being in force with God the persons who are elected in the thoughts of God are nigh to him in purpose from eternity So that alienation and estrangement in respect of eternity against God is not to be understood as if elect persons were in very deed and properly at any time decreed to be separated absolutely from God no God had them in his thoughts as the objects of his love from eternity and these thoughts of being nigh were intended to be executed through that blood that was continually in his eye But saith the Apostle you that were alienated in your mindes through wicked works that is you who so far forth as you wrought wicked works had that in you which in its own nature was the cause of alienation and could not admit of your being neer and being in the thoughts of Gods love till there were reconciliation made by Christ hath he made nigh that is whereas these wicked works were those things that did in their own nature actually and for the present make you walk at a distance from God and so in respect of wicked works you were afarre off you are now made nigh by the blood of Christ that is Christ hath taken away sin the cause of that distance between God and you and also hath revealed himself unto you being Believers and in revealing himself to you he hath made known to you the eternall counsel of God concerning your reconciliation and that now you are actually and really in the very bowels of God and also he doth in some measure subdue and destroy the power of Satan in those wicked works so that there is now a neernesse I say there is a more neernesse even in conversation with God after calling and believing then there was before calling and the blood of Christ is that that make persons who were far off nigh again to God And this is the reconciliation namely where as there was a distance before there is now a neernesse and this neernes is by the blood of Christ as by a sacrifice of propitiation That you may the better understand the nature of reconciliation with God you must know that reconciliation properly imports thus much that whereas there is variance â—â—â—angement and a controversie between person and person a person is then said to bee reconciled when the breach is made up and the controversie is ended and the quarrell is done and the persons at variance are become friends again You know as long as there is hitting in the teeth as long as there is secret grudges as long as there is objectings one against another and prosecuting one another in respect of injuries done so long there is not reconciliation When men are reconciled they lay down the bucklers they quarrell no more they fight no more but walk as friends together And if they should walk as friends in outward semblance and yet should bear rancor in their spirits one against another this were but an hypocriticall reconciliation Inâ—cconciliation the very heart it self is made friends with persons reconciled All this imports unto us this much Christ is become to beleevers the atonement one that makes a peace with God he is he that ends the controversie and the quarrell between God and them whereas God was injured and might have prosecuted the Law with violence upon us Christ doth bring to passe that the Lord layes down the buckler to have no more to say against a person but to become friends with him You know that reconciliation is such a thing as is not only a making friends to day but a making friends so that there may be a continuation of this amity You cannot call this reconciliation when men are brought together and their controversies are ended now to day but upon the same controversie they will fall out again to morrow here is not reconciliation for in reconciliation there must be a burying of all that which was the subject matter of the quarrel So Christ being our reconciliation he making our peace with God doth not bring God to be friends with us to day so as to fall out with us to morrow again but to be friends with us for ever Therefore by the way know that every person reconciled unto God by Christ is not only a person becoming a friend of God now but a friend of God for ever And as Christ doth take away the present anger of God against him to day so he takes away all quarrels and controversies for ever So that a person reconciled shall never have God at controversie any more with him Some it may be do conceive Christ doth reconcile God and us in respect of sins that are past but if I sin anew say they God must have new controversies and new quarrels But beloved remember this he did bear all the iniquitie at once upon him and when he made the reconciliation with God he brought in all the trangressions of men from first to last and so ended the quarrel with God in respect of every transgression even for sins future as well as for those that are past He dealt so with God that he did reconcile him to you in respect of them So that Christ must either leave out those sins you think breaks the peace with God in the agreement he made or if he did