see then it is self-deceiving flattery to hope for the love and favour of God whilst I love my sin and continue in it if I will have his love and escape his hatred I must leave off sin for he hateth all the workers of iniquity Psal 5.6 He hateth the evil way Prov. 8.3 I must either leave the evil way or perish in his hatred For none ever escaped perishing who by continuing to sin provoked his displeasure and wrath against them Resolve therefore as becomes a man O my soul fly and hasten thy flight from wrath to come prevent the misery of being hated and accursed of thy God cast off thy sin cease to do evil and then God will cease to be angry There cannot be any thing in sin to compensate thee to reward thee for the loss of the favour of God Sin can never heal the wounds which the hatred of God will make in thy soul Poor creature thou wert better have all the men on Earth and all the finite invisible powers of light and darkness to hate thee thou mightest bear this than have one God to hate thee thou canst never bear this In fine therefore saith the believing serious and considerate soul I will not hazard I will not run the venture and danger of divine displeasure of the hatred of an Almighty God for I see in the Curse which my Lord lay under what I must lie under for ever if I will by continuing longer in sin own my former sins pull the punishment of them upon my self and love that which my God so perfectly hateth I will every day labour to hate that with perfect hatred which my God hateth I will seek his love by a present separation and divorce from sin I will this day renew my purpose and attempts to leave my cursed sins for God hath renewed my thoughts of his hatred against sin by the renewed remembrance of Christ dying a Curse for my sin Fourthly In the renewed thoughts of this kind of death The Believer hath the renewed sight and evidence of a death hanging over the head of every sinner which of all deaths is the most dreadful which is fullest of horrours and soul-tormenting fears Death is the King of terrours though represented and cloathed in the lest dreadful manner it can be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristotel No kind of death but is terrible enough but of all this is the most terrible and only to be feared it is this at the heels of the other that makes it dreadful It is a most undoubted truth that every one continuing to sin and so dying shall die under a Curse for his own sin though the sinner should live to an hundred nay to many hundred years yet if he live and die a servant to his sin he shall die accursed and this we may be sufficiently assured of by the accursed Death of our Lord for he died so for as much as the sins of God's Elect and chosen ones were laid to him he was loaded with them and all the guilt of them was charged on him and therefore was he punished therefore he died in such a manner He was made a Curse because the guilt of our sins was laid on him and punishment due to that guilt inflicted on him Nothing more certain He was wounded for our transgressions Isa 53.5 He bare the sin of many ver 12. He his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree 1 Pet. 2.24 And all this evidently set forth before our eyes so that the serious and considering soul soon comes to this conclusion that whoever doth bear the guilt of sin he must die a Curse for it and he needs no other proof of it but this Christ did bear guilt and this brought him to a cursed Death Now then he begins to argue the case with himself Can I continue in sin and not bear the guilt of sin Can I yield my self a servant to sin and yet not be accounted a servant of sin Can I do the works of iniquity and not be thought by judicious and wise men a worker of iniquity How much more will the just and righteous God occount me so When I do any fact for which the Law of man will call me to account can I do the fact and the Law not impute it to me It is most sottish folly to continue in the service of sin and to flatter my self that I shall not be accounted a servant of sin or to hope I shall not be loaded with the guilt of my sin And it is no less folly to think that we may lye under the guilt of sin and yet not sink under the importable burthen of a Curse No no either I must leave my sinning or I must die that Death which of all is the most terrible I must be a Curse under the wrath of God Now therefore resolve what thou and I shalt do God proposeth a Christ dying a Curse for thee to encourage thee to leave sin or to shew thee what thou must trust to if thou live in sin He preacheth to thee this Doctrine Life through Grace if thou wilt obey if thou wilt renounce thy evil way for then thy Saviour shall be thy Peace bear thy Guilt and endure thy Curse or else Death if thou wilt still refuse to convert and leave thy sin And let me tell thee it is Death with a Curse and consider thou whether thou canst endure it and let me ask thee these few questions 1. Dost thou not believe that there is somewhat more in Death when it is sharpened with this sharp and piercing sting Dost thou not think that the Curse doth add unto the dread and fear of Death When God proclaimeth any one blessed in death dost thou not perswade thy self that God taketh away much of the terrour of death if so then certainly when God addeth a Curse with death he addeth terrour to it and thou must confess it also if thou wilt consider it Now then say Canst thou contentedly think of dying for thy sin Canst thou think of doing more than dying for thy sins Vntil that time be come wherein thou canst say thou wouldest be willing to suffer more than death for sin thou should'st not be willing to serve sin any more in thy life I know when we come to die we shall judge sin unworthy of such a pledge of love or service as one pang or one fear or one sigh for its sake oh then we shall say He loved sin too much who for sin's sake added the lest pang to death Whatever thou dost therefore leave to sin lest tlou add the misery of a Curse to thy death 2. Let me ask thee Is there no manner of dying which is a terrour to thee more than ordinary If thou wert now to die and mightest chuse thy death wouldst thou chuse any that were full of pains or loathsomness or both these continuing long Are there not some kinds of death from which
thou prayest to be delivered and what kinds of death are these are they not those wherein God's hand would most immediately and most publickly and with most displeasure appear against thee wouldst thou not account it worse than death to be long dying with such a tormenting lingring and loathsom disease as Sylla the Roman or as Maximinus the bloody persecutor or as Herod the great whose story is better known to thee eaten up of worms Would not others be ready to say of thee That God had indeed set his hand against thee that God judged thee unfit to live among common men and unworthy so good a death as the death of common men how would this trouble thee This was the thing wherewith Job's friends did most aggrieve him that they would conclude God's hand against him as against an enemy But now let me tell thee The afflictions of Job nor the woful death of a Sylla or a Herod have no such evidences of God his displeasure and wrath in them as the easiest death of an accursed sinner hath in it For other deaths may and usually are inflicted by other means this is inflicted by the immediate hand of God alone and can thy heart endure or thy hands be strong when God shall do this is not his wrath as he is He alone can bless and he alone can curse and this shall be known to the sinner in the day wherein God will appear against him think then whether sin deserve so well that thou shouldst not only die but die a Curse for it whether there be any thing in sin to fortifie thy spirit against the terrours of God's immediate furious rebukes and slaying of thee Who dieth a Curse dieth under the revenging strokes of an infinite God Look then how much there is in infinite Power and Justice more than can be in finite so much indeed is there in dying a Curse for sin more than in naked single dying For 3. Thirdly Let me ask thee one question more Doth not Death a cursed Death reach the soul and kill this no other disease but is in the body and is the disease of the body and kills the body and so vanisheth But who dieth a Curse dieth in his soul that is his soul is separated and disjoyned from that sweet communion and fellowship with God which is the true life of souls and Angels When God slayeth these wretches and makes them sacrifices to his offended Justice he slays them with this Depart from me ye cursed Matth. 25.41 Now is it not more dreadful to die thus a Curse than barely to die or if thou couldst die and be willing to lose the life of thy body for sin sake canst thou also be willing to lose the life of thy soul for sin's sake This is another arrow in this quiver and which woundeth deeper than any other The soul dieth when the man dieth a Curse for sin and let me tell thee albeit foolish and inconsiderate slaves of sin will cast away their souls for sin the wise and considerate Believer judgeth his soul and the life of it infinitely too good to be so spent and wasted The death of the soul is so much more dreadful than the death of the body as the soul is more worth than the body thou mayest not then continue in cursed sins for they will bring down upon thy soul a death of all most dreadful cease therefore to sin that thou be not a curse for thy sin Fourthly Let it be considered after all this if this do not convince enough whether thou couldst be willing to die more than once for thy sin Would not a thousand deaths one after another be too much to undergo for sin He that dieth a Curse for his sins shall die more than ten thousand times for them he shall be ever ever dying as many daies nay hours nay moments as are in eternity so many times shall the miserable deplorable cursed sinner die in the acute fresh and renewed pangs of soul every lash of conscience every dolorous remembrance of what he suffereth for shall be a death unto him This makes it death indeed and if thou canst not love thy self so little as to chuse to be ever dying thou must not love thy sins so much as to be ever serving them Say then if thou canst not but fear endless dying I must fear and fly endless sining who dieth a Curse for his sin is as long dying as his soul is living and that is for ever and ever Fifthly and lastly Can any thing sweeten the thoughts or allay the bitterness of such a Death Can there be any thing wherewith others may or thou mayest bless thy self after God shall have so cursed thee Consider what a loss it is which is so great that nothing can lessen it say then though possibly thou couldst endure somewhat for sin's sake yet I can never endure a Curse for it which is more than to die it is to die under the immediate avenging hand of God it is to kill my soul That is to be as often dying as are moments in eternity and all this without any recompence and sweetning allay I cannot chuse so to die therefore saith the considerate Believer the renewed thoughts of my Lord 's dying a Curse renew my apprehensions of the danger of sinning any longer this renews my dislike of sin and I must needs reolve to leave it FINIS ERRATA'S PAge 44. l. 24. for woad r. word p. 70. l. 28. r. hither to p. 73. l. 21. r. Imperfections p. 104. in the margent r. communionis r. christianorum p. 112. l. 9. r. provision p. 123. l. 21. for his r. this p. 143. l. 13. r. imbitter l. 14. dele i before alwaies p. 189. l. 3. r. another p. 221. l. ult r. no. Part 3. p. 22. l. 34. r. easily p. 27. l. 28. for in r. and p. 36. l. 34. for 1. r. in p. 39. l. 3. r. might p. 58. l. 5. r. peace p. 61. l. 7. r. virtue p. 77. l. 17. r. account p. 78. l. 3 1. r. thou Books Printed for and are to be sold by Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside IN the Press a hundred Select Sermons by Dr. Tho. Horton Sermons on the whole Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians br M. J. Daille translated into English by F. S. with Dr. Tho. Goodwin's and Dr. J. Owen's Epistles Recommendatory An Exposition of Christ's Temptation on Matth. 4. and Peter's Sermon to Cornelius and Circumspect Walking by Dr. Tho. Taylor A practical Exposition on the 3d Chap. of the 1 Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians with the Godly Man's Choice on Psa 4.6 7 8. by Anthony Burgesse An Exposition on four select Psalms viz. The fourth Psalm in eight Sermons The forty second Psalm in ten Sermons The fifty first Psalm in twenty Sermons The sixty third Psalm in seven Sermons Forty six Sermons upon the whole eighth Chapter of the Epistle of the Apostle
who had offended he would not have brought in the person speaking thus Sanguine placavi Divos Cum sis ipse nocens moritur cur victima pro te by blood of Sacrifice I have appeased the incensed Deities He was nocent for whom a Sacrifice died In a more lofty strain the Prophet Micah cap. 6. ver 6 7. ascertaineth us that the Sacrifice whether Rams or Calves or fruit of the body in what exuberance of measure can be imagined it is all for transgression for the sin of the soul In the solemn offering on the day of Expiation God commanded that the iniquities of the house of Israel should be confessed over the head of the Scape-goat Levit. 16.20 21. Sect. 4. 4. Then must the Sacrifice be slain the Penalty due to the offence and the execution thereof hanging over the head of the offender are thus derived upon the head of the offender his Sacrifice That creature which was made a sin-offering was sure tody for it I might exceed in prosecuting this particular but I will not you read the Generall rule Lev. 1.2 The offering of the cattell herd or flock God required if a Bullock it must be slain ver 5. If of the flock whether Sheep or Goat it must be killed v. 10 11. If a Fowl be offered it must be killed also ver 15. Sacrifices were ever next door to death Nay Scripture speaketh concisely calleth Sacrifice the Killing of an oxe Jsai 66.3 And the Author to the Hebrewes speaking to them in their owne dialect concerning matters of their own intimate acquaintance compriseth all in one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shedding of blood Hebr. 9..22 Which must not be understood of the shedding of a little blood by opening a veine or giving a wound but of that shedding of blood which was in use in slaying their victimes which bled all out of their veines and which blood the Horns of the Altar being sprinkled with some small portion of it was wholy poured out at the side of the Altar Lev. 4.34 This was so in separable to Sacrifices that when Superstition had devoted a child though to an idol the Fathers will spare the dearest pledges of their love They could see they must kill their Sacrifices they could not see they ought not Sacrifice their Children Natural affection was not able to divert them from cruelty and unnatural inhumanity when Idolatrous superstition had engaged them in a Murtherous vow But the Ignorance of these salvage brutes may somewhat enervate the testimony I bring from them be it so yet hear one that cannot be excepted against in this point when Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his Son he obeyed the command and shewed at once how he understood God's command and wherein his own obedience consisted when he put out his hand to slay his Son Gen. 22.10 Sect. 5. 5. Expiation made in order to setling a Peace between God and the offender was a fifth thing comprized in a Sacrifice It is not much to my present purpose to discourse on the Nature of this Peace and the connexion of it unto sacrifices which do's depend primarily on the institution and warrant we have to offer them He rested in a false Peace who offered up a Sacrifice without a warrant from Heaven and he found no true Peace who offered otherwise with other heart affections and design than God required The Sacrificer aimed at an expiation of his crime 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Homer Il. 10. car 495 496 497. a setling of that peace which his offence had disturbed and a reconciling himself to an incensed Deity which I might trace out in the Victims of Idolatrous Heathens but I shall chuse a fairer and a more sure path to follow until I have given you view of this thing Levit. 1.4 He shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him Here is the main end of Sacrifice and Sacrificer viz. that the Sacrifice may be accepted and an atonement may be made for the Sacrificer So the sin-offering was to make atonement that the sin might be forgiven to the Sacrificer Levit. 5.20 26 35. In like manner Sacrifices for sins of ignorance were appointed of God himself to take away guilt to make atonement and to procure forgiveness of the errour Levit. 5.17 18. lest farther displeasure broke out against him Sect. 6. 6. A recovery of the favour of God or the restitution of the offender to that good opinion and esteem which he had before he offended The Sacrificer hoped that his errours being expiated and forgiven he should regain the Love of his God who justly might be displeased with him for his offences The conscience once set upon removal of guilt judgeth his work but half done unless it recover the Favour and Love of its God on better principles and stronger desires it sueth as Absolon for a sight of the King's face 2 Sam. 13.32 And this seemeth to me the chief and ultimate end of Sacrificers who know what they go about when they sacrifice unto God and indeed it seemeth contain'd in the Hebrew phrase which we render accepted Lev. 1.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and I am sure is contained in the promises God hath made of accepting the Sacrifice of every one who offereth to him according to his mind and will The benevolence or good will of God which is his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 satisfieth the soul and the soul seeketh it in its sacrifice Wherewithall shall I come before the Lord Mich. 6.6 seemeth the proper and natural enquiry of each Sacrificer How shall I meet the Lord as my friend and favourer so the Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 importeth and so the other part of the question importeth Neh. 13.2 Deut. 22.4 will he be pleased c. ver 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The recovery of the Divine Favour is worth our best and costliest sacrifices and may well be made our aim in sacrificing In brief therefore Christ a Sacrifice for us was substituted in our room was charged with our guilt recognized our faults submitted to their punishment made our atonement and recovered the Favour of God for us This great atchievement is comprized in this small and short phrase Christ Died our Sacrifice Each of which particulars might easily be shewed in Christ's Sacrifice but when we have shewed they are contained in all sacrifices it cannot be reasonably doubted whether they are contained in the Sacrifice of Sacrifices This most excellent and transcendent Sacrifice could not want what was found to perfect less worthy Sacrifices He that was the completion of all Mosaical Sacrifices must in reason be supposed to comprehend all perfection typified in those which were shadows of him And so I pass unto the fourth proposed General CAP. IV. Particular Graces hereby Improvable THE consideration of Christ dying our Sacrifice will afford us arguments well suited
appointment he provided it when we were at a loss and could not find wherewith we should come before the Lord and bow our selves before the most High God when the fruit of our body could not expiate the sin of our soul when finite wisdom was non-plus'd then the Lord discover'd his Grace and Mercy and chose out a sacrifice for us he prepared this sacrifice We may as Abraham said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 varying the tense say God hath provided himself a Sacrifice This he shadowed out to us by prescribing all his Sacrifices This he telleth us when he saith He prepared a body for Christ when he saith He sent him and gave him to be a propitiation for us and sealed him c. and such like expressions He the Lamb of God because ordained of God was our Sacrifice These two things considered let the guilty convinced fearing and almost desponding soul debate the case against his own fears and distrusts Put such Questions to an issue 1. Shall I despair when I have a ground to hope Let him embrace his despondencies who cannot see a ground for hope my heart breaks not while my hope is whole and unbroken 2. Are not those hopes well bottom'd which are built on the assurance that sins my only dangers and fears are pardonable Cain perhaps would have hoped if he had apprehended his sin pardonable And I am bound to hope because God assureth me by this sacrifice that my sins are expiable and may be pardoned 3. Why is there an Expiatory Sacrifice admitted nay provided by God himself who is the supreme vindex culpae and who alone had jus poenae the power of executing punishment on the offenders Hath he appointed a Sacrifice to expiate my sin and can it be that my sin remaineth inexpiable unpardonable Is not that sacrifice sufficient which God himself sindeth out Away with unreasonable fears banish forever sinful distrust Here 's a Sacrifice to atone my offended Lord of his own providing and will he not accept it I will tender it I will mention it he will not refuse his own choice 4. Can any one be found who missed the benefit of a pardon that sought it in the blood of this Sacrifice Oh that I could believe and hope until I heard of one so disappointed then should I never be ashamed Hath he not put away sin by once offering of himself and hath he not by one sacrifice forever perfected those that believe that are sanctified 5. Am I not one who may betake my self to this sacrifice What should more hinder me than others Am I excepted out of the Act of Oblivion Why may not my sins be laid on this Sacrifice Do I not read that he liveth for ever to make intercession for those that come to God by him Oh glorious hope Intercession for all that come to God by him Then cheer up doubting heart here is a sacrifice for all that come to God by him for this Intercession is an act or exercise of Christ's Sacerdotal Office subsequent to and dependent upon his foregoing Sacrifice He sacrificeth for as many as he intercedeth if then the Intercession of Christ can impetrate and obtain favour it is because the Sacrifice of Christ hath expiated thy sin and crime Sect. 5. 5. Thus far Guilt Danger and Feares may by eyeing the Sacrifice convince the sinner how seasonable a good hope would be and this Sacrifice sheweth how good the believer's hope is Now would it well become the soul to humble it self and if thou find thy heart remain still proud and unhumbled ask it these Questions over thy Sacrifice 1. Canst thou be proud and yet be found worthy to die in thy Sacrifice can this be born wilt thou confess death is thy desert and yet bear up as if thou wert innocent and in no deserved danger 2. Canst thou be proud of any thing so long as thy life is the fruit of an Expiatory Sacrifice Thou livest by the death of another and wilt thou pride thy self as if thou neededst not any ones help 3. Canst thou confess guilt and yet profess a thought of worth in thy self How shameless is that pride which at the bar confesseth it's Guilt against the Law and advanceth it self against the Law-giver It is a most unseemly thing to behold a heart rising with pride and falling in a Sacrifice Let thy humility then sute thy state as it appeareth in thy Sacrifice and I dare say it will sute the state of thy soul in it's repentance and mourning for sin Sect. 6. 6. Fountains and Springs lye deep where the soul is laid thus low if it doth not freely and spontaneously weep bring it's Sacrifice into sight let that be viewed see it standing before an offended and displeased God who was provoked by thy sin look on it loaded with imputed guilt Alas my sin lyeth upon it observe thy Sacrifice falling before the Altar and say alas was not this for my sake should not I have fallen thus if he had not He bled and out of excess of love to me poured out his life for me he groaned sighed breath'd out his soul for my sake and could he do more alas have I brought my Sacrifice to this was ever man more unhappy to his friend to his Brother how hard are those stony Rocks how dry that flinty heart which gusheth not out with tears in Remembrance of these things My dearest Lord pity unrelenting soules and oh give a mourning heart that may be more equal in it's griefes and sorowes in it's teares and sympathies how many eyes weep at newes of an endangered troubled imprisoned and wrackt friend How many hearts are softned melted and broken with the sweats burning fits and Agonies of a dying man yea how many melting hearts and weeping eyes how many compassionate discourses on the death of some one deserving more than Law inflicts for his breach of the Law But how few over a suffering bleeding dying Saviour and Sacrifice whither are the compassions of men and women fled where may they be found where shall we seek or how shall we wooe and prevail with them Lo their friend and Lord charged with their guilt sweating under its weight groaning under its penalty sighing with sobs that drew blood out of his veins bleeding dying a Sacrifice loaded with our deserved punishment And few alas very few grieving hearts weeping eyes or mourners for their want of tears Lord give more that I may give some tears to wash thy bleeding wounds A second grace requisite to a Christian in the commemoration of the Lord's Death at the Lord's Supper 2d Grace Faith exercised and improved and improveable on consideration of Christ dying a Sacrifice is Faith a grace indisputably necessary to him that will come duly to that Ordinance and therefore I lay not out any time or pains on the proving thereof a grace well improveable by consideration of Christ dying our Sacrifice on which I intend to insist next