readiness and resoluteness whatsoever calamities or miseries may attend us for Christ's sake or the Gospel's sake Ah what a shame would it be if we should â—ot be always ready to suffer any thing for his sake who hath suffered so much for our sins as is beyond all conception all expression Never was Jacob more gracious and acceptable to his father Isaac than when he stood before him cloathed in the garments of his rough brother Esau then the father smelling the savour of the elder Gen. 27. 27. brothers garments said Behold the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed And never are we more gracious and acceptable to our heavenly father than when we stand before him cloathed in the rough garments of Christ's afflictions and sufferings Oh Christians all your sufferings for Christ they are but in lets to your glorious reigning with Christ Justin Martyr saith that when the Romans did immortalize their Emperours as they called it they brought one to swear that he see him go to Heaven out of the fire but we may see by an eye of faith the blessed souls of Martyrs fly to heaven like Elias in his fiery charriot or like the Angel that appeared to Manoah in the flames By the consent of the School-men all Martyrs shall appear in the Church triumphant bearing the signs of their Christian wounds about them as so many speaking testimonies of their holy courage that what here they endured in the behalf of their Saviour may be there an addition to their glory But Sixthly hath Jesus Christ suffered such great and grievous things for you Oh then in all your fears doubts and conflicts with enemies within or without fly to the sufferings of Christ as your City of refuge Did Christ endure a most ignominious death for thee did he take on him thy sinful person and bare thy sin and death and cross and was made a sacrifice and curse for thee Oh then in all thy inward and outward distresses shelter Psal 90. 1. Psal 91. 1 4 9. thy self under the wings of a suffering Christ I have read of Nero that he had a shirt made of a Salamander's skin so that if he went through the fire in it it would keep him from burning Oh sirs a suffering Christ is this Salamander's skin that will keep the Saints from burning in the midst of burning from suffering in the Dan. 3. 24. 29. Isa 43. 2. midst of sufferings from drowning in the midst of drowning In all the storms that beat upon your inward or your outward man eye the sufferings of Christ lâ—an upon Zach. 13. 10. Cant. 8. 5. 2 Cor. 2. 14. Eph. 6. 14. the sufferings of Christ plead the sufferings of Christ and triumph in the sufferings of Christ It is storied of a Martyr that writing to his wife where she might find him when he was fled from home oh my dear said he Surius in vita sancti Elzearii if thou desirest to see me seek me in the side of Christ in the cleft of the rock in the hollow of his wounds for there I have made my nest there will I dwell there shalt thou find me and no where else but there In every temptation let us look up to a crucified Christ who is fitted Heb. 2. 17 18. cap. 4. 15 16. and qualified to succour tempted souls oh my soul when ever thou art assaulted let the wounds of Christ be thy City of refuge whither thou maist fly and live Let us learn in every tentation which presseth us whether it be sin or death or curse or any other evil to translate it from our selves to Christ and all the good in Christ let us learn to translate it from Christ to our selves Look as the Burgess of a Town or Corporation sitting in the Parliament house beareth the persons of that whole Town or place and what he saith the whole Town saith and what is done to him is done to the whole Town even so Christ upon the cross stood in our Isa 53. 4 5 6. place and bare our sins and whatsoever he suffered we suffered and when he died all the faithful died with him and in him I have read of a gracious woman who being by Satan strongly tempted replyed Satan if thou hast any thing to say to me say it to my surety who has undertaken all for me who hath paid all my debts and satisfied Divine Justice and set all reckonings even between God and my soul Do your sins terrifie you oh then look up to a crucified Saviour who bare your sins in his own body on the Tree 1 Pet. 2. 24. When sin stares you in the face oh then turn your face The strongest Antidote against sin is to look upon sin in the red glass of Christ's blood Auâ—tin to a dying Jesus and behold him with a spear in his side with thorns in his head with nails in his feet and a pardon in his hands Hast thou wounded thy conscience by any great fall or falls O then remember that there is nothing in heaven or earth more efficacious to cure the Bern. Ser. 61. in cant wounds of conscience than a frequent and serious meditation on the wounds of Christ Doth death that rides upon the pale horse look gashly and deadly upon thee Rev. 6. 8. Rom. 5. 6 8. oh then remember that Christ died for you and that by his death he hath swallowed up death in victory Oh 1 Cor. 15. 55 56 57. remember that a crucified Christ hath stripped death of his sting and disarmed it of all its destroying power death may buzz about our ears but it can never sting our souls Look as a crucified Christ hath taken away the guilt of sin though he hath not taken away sin it self so he hath taken away the sting of death though he hath not taken away death it self He spake excellently that said that is not death but life wbich joyns the dying man to Christ Ambrosius in 1 Tim. 5. 6. Death will blow the bud of Grace into the flower of Glory and that is not life but death that separates the living man from Christ Austin longed to die that he might see that head that was crowned with thorns Did Christ die for me saith one that I might live with him I will not therefore desire to live long from him all men go willingly to see him whom they love and shall I be unwilling to die that I may see him whom my soul loves Bernard would have us never to let go out of our minds the thoughts of a crucified Christ let these says he be meat and drink unto you let them be your sweetness and consolation your honey and your desire your reading and your meditation your contemplation your life death and resurrection certainly he that shall live up to this counsel will look upon the King of terrors as the King of desires Are
7. 15. 19. 21. 23. Isa 30. 22. 14. Hos 8. When the will stands upon such terms of defiance with all sin as that it will never enter into a league of friendship with any sin then is the Soul turned from every sin Thirdly In the judgments turning away from all sin by disapproving disallowing and condemning all sin Rom. 7. 15. O! saith the judgment of a Christian sin is the greatest evil in all the world 't is the only thing God abhors and that brought Jesus Christ to the Cross that damns Souls that shuts Heaven and that has laid the foundations of Hell O! It is the pricking thorn in my eye the deadly arrow in my side the two-edged-sword that hath wounded my Conscience and slain my comforts and separated between God and my Soul O! sin is that which hath hindred my prayers and imbittered my mercies and put a sting into all my crosses and therefore I can't but disapprove of it and disallow of it and condemn it to death yea to Hell from whence it came Fourthly In the purpose and resolution of the soul the soul sincerely purposing and resolving never willingly wilfully or wickedly to transgress any more Psal 17. 3. The general purpose and resolution of my heart is not to transgress though particular failings may attend me yet my resolutions and purposes are firmly set against doing evil Psal 39. 1. The true Penitent holds up his purposes and resolutions to keep off from sin and to keep close with God though he be not able in every thing and at all times to make good his purposes and resolutions c. But Fifthly In the earnest and unfeigned desires and careful endeavours of the Soul to abandon all sin to forsake all sin and to be rid of all sin Rom. 7. 22 23. You know when a prudent tender indulgent Father sees hs Child to fail and come short in that which he enjoyns him to do yet knowing that his desires and endeavours is to please him and serve him he will not be harsh rigid sowre or severe towards him but will spare him and exercise much tenderness and indulgence towards him and will God will God whose mercies reach above the Heavens and whose compassions are infinite and whose love is like himself carry it worse towards his Children then men do carry it towards theirs Surely no. God's Fatherly indulgence accepts of the will for the work Heb. 13. 18. 2 Cor. 8. 12. Certainly a sick man is not more desirous to be rid of all his Diseases nor a Prisoner to be freed from all his bolts and chains than the true Penitent is desirous to be rid of all his sins Sixthly and lastly In the common and ordinary declining shunning and avoyding of all known occasions of sin yea and all temptations provocations inducements and enticements to sin c. That royal Law 1 Thes 5. 22. Abstain from all appearance of evil is a Law that is very precious in a Penitent mans eye and commonly lyes warm upon a Penitent mans heart so that take him in his ordinary course and you shall find him very ready to shun and be shie of the very appearance of sin of the very shews and shadows of sin Job made a Covenant with his eyes Job 31. 1. and Joseph would not hearken to his bold tempting Mistriss to lye by her or to be with her Gen. 39. 10. And David when himself would not sit with Vain persons Psal 26. 3 4 5. Now a true penitential turning from all sins lyes in these six things and therefore you had need look about you for if there be any one way of wickedness wherein you walk and which you are resolved you will not forsake you are no true penitents and you will certainly lose your souls and be miserable for ever This Opinion that is now under-consideration is an opinion that will exceedingly deject many precious Christians and cause them greatly to hang down their heads especially in four days 1. In the day of common calamity 2. In the day of personal affliction 3. In the day of death 4. In the great day of account First In a day of common Calamity when the Sword is drunk with the blood of the slain or when the raging Pestilence lays thousands in heap upon heap or when Fevours Agues Gripes and other Diseases carry hundreds every week to their long homes O! now the remembrance of a mans beloved sins his bosom sins his darling sins if a Saint had any such sins will be very apt to fill his soul with fears dreads and perplexities Surely now God will meet with me now God will avenge himself on me for my beloved sins my bosom sins my darling sins O! how righteous a thing is it with God because of my beloved lusts to sweep me away by these sweeping Judgments that are abroad in the Earth On the contrary how sweet and comfortable a thing is it when in a day of common Calamity a Christian can appeal to God and appeal to Conscience that though he has many weaknesses and infirmities that hang upon him that yet he has no beloved sin no bosom sin no darling sin that either God or Conscience can charge upon him O! such a consideration as this may be as life from the dead to a gracious Christian in the midst of all the common Calamities that do's surround him and that hourly threaten him Secondly In the day of personal Affections when the smarting Rod is upon him and God writes bitter things against him when the Hand of the Almighty has toucht him in his Name Estate Relations c. O! now the remembrance of a mans beloved sins his bosom sins his darling sins if a Saint had any such sins will be as the hand writing upon the Wall Dan. 5. 5 6. that will make his counteance to be changed his thoughts to be troubled his joynts to be loosed and his knees to be dashed one against another O! now a Christian will be ready to conclude O! 't is my beloved sins my bosom sins my darling sins that has caused God to put this bitter cup into my hand and that has provokt him to give me gall and wormwood to drink Lam. 3. 19. Whereas on the contrary when a man under all his personal tryals though they are many and great yet can lift up his head and appeal to God and Conscience that though he has many sinful weaknesses and infirmities hanging upon him yet neither God nor Conscience can charge upon him any beloved sins any bosom sins any darling sins O! such a consideration as this will help a man to bare up bravely sweetly cheerfully patiently and contentedly under the heaviest hand of God as is evident in that great instance of Job who so sorely afflicted as Job and yet no beloved sin no bosom sin no darling sin being chargable upon him by God or Conscience Job 10. 7. chap. 31. 33. How bravely sweetly and Christianly do's Job bear up under
in one is guilty of all 2 Jam. 10. Now that ye may not mistake Aquinas nor the Scripture he cites you must remember that the whole Law is but one copulative Exod. 16. 18. Ezek. 18. 10 11 12 13. v Mark he that breaketh one Command habitually breaketh all not so actually Such as are truly Goâ—ly in respect of the habitual desires purposes bents byasses inclinations resolutions and endeavours of their Souls do keep those very commands that actually they daily break But a dispensatory Conscience keeps not any one Commandement of God he that willingly and wilfully and habitually gives himself liberty to break any one Commandement is guilty of all That is 1. Either he breaks the chain of duties and so breaks all the Law being copulative or 2. With the same disposition of heart that he willingly wilfully habitually breaks one with the same disposition of heart he is ready prest to break all The Apostles meaning in that Jam. 2. 10. is certainly this viz. That suppose a man should keep the whole Law for substance except in some one particular yet by allowing of himself in this particular thereby he manifests that he kept no precept of the Law in obedience and conscience unto God for if he did then he would be careful to keep every precept thus much the words following import and hereby he manifests that he is guilty of all Some others conceive that therefore such a one may be said to be guilty of all because by allowing of himself in any one sin thereby he lyes under that Curse which is threatned against the transgressors of the Law Dan. 27. 26. Eighthly Every Christian should carry in his heart saith another a constant and resolute purpose not to sin in any thing for Faith and the purpose of sinning can never stand together This must be understood of an habitual not actual of a constant not transient purpose But Ninethly One flaw in a Diamond saith another takes away the lustre and the price One puddle if we wallow in it will defile us One man in Law may keep Possession One piece of ward Land makes the Heir liable to the King So one sin lived in and allowed may make a man miserable for ever But Tenthly One turn may bring a man quite out of the way One act of Treason makes a Traytor Giddcon had seventy Sons but one Bastard and yet that one Bastard destroyed all the rest Judg. 8. 13. One sin as well as one Sinner lived in and allowed may destroy much good saith another Eleaventhly He that favoureth one sin though he forgoe many do's but as Ben adab recover of one disease and dye of another yea he doth but take pains to go to Hell saith another Twelfthly Satan by one Lye to our first Parents made fruitless what God himself had Preached to them immediatly before saith another Thirteenthly A man may by one short act of sin bring a long Curse upon himself and his Posterity as Ham did when he saw his Father Noah Drunk Gen. 9. 24 25. And Noah awoke from his Wine and knew what his younger Son had done unto him and he said Cursed is Canaan a Servant of Servants shall he be unto his Brethren Canaan was Hams Son Noah as Gods mouth Prophesied a Curse upon the Son for his Fathers sin Here Ham is cursed in his Son Canaan and the curse entailed not only to Canaan but to his Posterity Noah Prophesies a long series and chain of curses upon Canaan and his Children he makes the curâ—e Hereditary to the Name and Nation of the Canaanites A Servant of Servants shall he be unto his Brethren that is the vilest and basest Servant for the Hebrews express the superlative degree by such a duplication as Vanity of Vanities that is most vain a Song of Songs that is a most excellent Song So here a Servant of Servants that is the vilest the basest Servant Ah heavy and prodigious Curse upon the account of one sin But Fourteenthly Satan can be content that men should yield to God in many things provided that they will be but true to him in some one thing for he knows very well that as one dram of Poyson may poyson a man and one stab at the heart may kill a man so one sin unrepented of one sin allowed retained cherrished and practised will certainly damn a man But Fifteenthly Though all the parts of a mans body be sound save only one that one Diseased and Ulcerous part may be deadly to thee for all the sound members cannot preserve thy life but that one diseased and Ulcerous member will hasten thy death So one sin allowed indulged and lived in will prove killing and damning to thee Sixteenthly Observe saith another that an unmortified sin allowed and wilfully retained will eat out all appearance of Vertue and Piety Herods high esteem of John and his Ministry and his reverencing of him and observing of him and his forward performance of many good things are all given over and laid aside at the instance and command of his master-sin his reigningsin Johns head must go for it if he won't let Herod enjoy his Herodias quietly But Seventeenthly Some will leave all their sins but one Jacob would let all his Sons go but Benjamin Satan can hold a man fast enough by one sin that he allows and lives in as the Fowler can hold the Bird fast enough by one wing or by one claw Eighteenthly Holy Policarp in the time of the fourth Persecution when he was commanded but to swear one Oath he made this Answer Four-score and six years have I endeavoured to do God Service and all this while he never hurt me how then can I speak evil of so good a Lord and Master who hath thus long preserved me I am a Christian and cannot swear let Heathens and Infidels swear if they will I cannot do it were it to the saving of my life Nineteenthly A willing and a wilfull keeping up either in heart or life any known transgression against the Lord is a breach of the holy Law of God it is a fighting against the honour an glory of God and is a reproach to the Eye of God the Omnipresence of God Twentiethly The keeping up of any known transgression against the Lord may endanger the souls of others and may be found a fighting against all the crys prayers tears promises Vows and Covenants that thou hast made to God when thou hast been upon a sick bed or in eminent dangers or near death or else when thou hast been in solemn seeking of the Lord either alone or with others these things should be frequently and seriously thought of by such poor souls as are entangled by any Lust Twenty-one The keeping up of any known transgression against the Lord either in heart or life is a high tempting of Satan to tempt the soul it will also greatly unfit the soul for all sorts of duties and services that he either owes to God
an offering for sin Ergo Christ offered his Soul as well as his Body Again Our Saviour himself saith My Soul is Math. 26. 38. very heavy unto death Certainly it was not the bodily death which Christ seared for then he should have been weaker than many Martyrs yea than many of the Romans who made no more of dying than of dining therefore Christs Soul was verily and properly stricken with heaviness and not with the beholding of bodily torments only as some dream But Fourthly That whereby Adam and we ever since do most properly commit sin by the same hath Christ the second Adam made satisfaction properly for our sin but Adam did and we all do properly commit sin in our souls our bodies being but the instruments Ergo Christ by and in his soul hath properly made satisfaction First The truth of the proposition is confirmed by the Apostle As by one mans disobediâ—nce we are made Sinners so by the Rom. 5 19. obedience of one many shall be made Righteous Christ then satisfied for us by the same wherein Adam disobeyed Nâ—w Adams soul was in the transgression as well as his body and accordingly was Christs very soul in his sufferings and satisfaction and Christ obeyed that is in his soul for obedience belongeth to the soul as one observeth upon those words of the Apostle Phil. 2. 8. He became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross Who Agatho Epist ad Constantin upon Phil. 2. 8. doth not understand saith the same Author that obedience doth belong to the humane will That there is a kind of dying in the soul when it is pierced with grief besides the death of the soul either by sin or damnation is not disagreeing to the Scripture Simâ—on saith to Mary A sword shall pierce through thy soul Luk. 2 35. Look as then the body dyeth being pierced with a sword so the soul may be said to dye or languish when it is pierced with grief what else is Crucifying but dying Now the soul is said to be Crucified as is evident by that passage of the Apostle I am Crucified to the World when as yet his body was alive So Ambrose doubts not to say Gal. 6. 14. Mens mea in Christo Crucifixa est My soul was Crucified Ambâ—ose lib. 5. â—â— Luc. in Christ that is Christ in His Soul was Crucified which he calleth our soul because he did assume our soul and body or else where he saith Mea est voluntas quam suam dixit Ambrâ—se lib. 2. de sid c. 3. c. It is my will which he calleth his it is my heaviness which he took with my affections yet was it properly and personally Christs Soul and Will but ours by community of nature Secondly For the Assumption 1. Howsoever it be admitted that the body is the instrument of the soul both in sinning and suffering yet the conclusion is this That because sin is committed in the soul principally and properly therefore the satisfaction must be made in the soul principally and properly If this conclusion be granted we have that we would for the bodily pains affecting the soul are not the proper passions of the soul neither is the soul said to suffer properly when the body suffereth but by way of compassion and consent 2. We grant that in the proper and immediate sufferings of the soul the body also is affected As when Christ was in his Agony in the Garden his whole body was therewith stirred and mâ—â—â— and that it did sweat drops of blood But it is one thing when the grief beginneth immediatly in the soul and so affecteth the body and when the pain is first infliâ—ted upon the body and so worketh upon the soul there the soul suffereth properly and principally of which sufferings we speak here neither properly nor principally which is not the thing in question 3. It is not the reasonable soul that is affected with the body for it is a ground in Philosophy that the soul suffereth not but only the sensitive part But the grief that we speak of that is satisfactory for sin must be in the very reasonable soul where sin took the beginning and so Ambrose saith upon those words of Christ Ambrose de Incarnat cap. 7. My Soul is heavy to death Ad rationabilis assumptionem animae c. naturae humanae refertur affectum It is referred to the assumption of the reasonable soul and humane affection Pride Ambition Infidelity began in Adams soul and had their determination there in the committing of those sins the body had no part indeed with the ear they heard the suggestion of Satan but it was no sin till in their minds they had consented unto it Wherefore seeing the first sin committed was properly and wholly in the soul for the same the soul must properly and wholly satisfie Because sin took beginning from Adams soul the satisfaction also must begin in Christs Soul as Ambrose saith Inciplo in Christo vincere unde in Adam victus sum Ambrose lib 4. in Luc. I begin there to win in Christ where in Adam I was overcome Then it followeth that the sufferings of Christs soul took beginning there and were not derived by simpathy from the stripes and pain of the body We infer then that therefore Christs Soul had proper and immediate sufferings besides those which proceeded from simpathy with his body and all Christs sufferings were satisfactory Ergo Christ did satisfie for our sins properly and immediatly in his soul But if you please take this fourth Argument in another form of words thus The punishment which was pronounced against the first Adam our first Surety and in him against us that same did Christ the second Adam our next and best Surety bear for us or else it must still lye upon us to suffer it But the punishment threatned and denounced against Adam for transgression was not only corporal respecting our bodyes but spiritual also respecting our souls There was a spiritual malediction due unto our souls as well as a corporal c. Look as God put a Sanction on the Law and Covenant of works made with all of us in Adam that he and his should be liable to death both of body and soul which Covenant being broken by sin all Sinners became obnoxious to the death both of body and soul so it was necessary that the Redeemed should be delivered from the death of both by the Redeemers tasting of death in both kinds as much as should be sufficient for their Redemption O Sirs as sin infected the whole Man soul and body and the Curse following on sin left no part nor power of the mans soul free so Justice required that the Redeemer coming in the room of the persons Redeemed should feel the force of the Curse both in body and soul But Fifthly He shall see of the travel of his soul Isa 53. Here the soul is taken properly and the travel of Christs
cannot be satisfied for the transgression of the Law but by the death of the Sinner but it doth not require that this should be done in the place of the damned The wicked go to Prison because they do not they cannot make satisfaction otherwise Christ having fully discharged the debt needed not go to Prison Object But the pains and torments that are due to mans Obj. 5 sins are to be everlasting and how then can Christs short sufferings countervail them Answ That Christs sufferings in his soul and body Answ were equivalent to it although to speak properly Eternity is not of the essence of death which is the reward of sin and threatned by God but its accidental because man thus dying is never able to satisfie God therefore seeing he cannot pay the last farthing he is for Math. 18 28. 35. ever kept in Prison Look as eternal death hath in it eternity despair necessarily in all those that so die so Christ could not suffer but what was wanting in duration was supplyed 1. By the immensity of his sorrows conflicting with the sense of Gods wrath because of our sins imputed to him so that he suffered more grief then if the sorrows of all men were put together Christs Hell sorrows on the Cross were meritorious and fully satisfactory Isa 53. for our everlasting punishment and therefore in greatness were to exceed all other mens sorrows as being answerable to Gods justice 2. By the dignity and worth of him that did suffer Therefore the Scripture calls it the blood of God The damned must bear the wrath of God to all Eternity because they can never satisfie the justice of God for sin therefore they must lye by it world without end but Christ hath made an infinit satisfaction in a finit time by undergoing that fierce battel with the wrath of God and getting the Victory in a few hours which is equivalent to the Creatures bearing it and grapling with it everlastingly This length or shortness of durance is but a circumstance not of any necessary consideration in this case Suppose a man indebted a 100 l. and likely to lye in Prison till he shall pay it yet utterly unable if another man comes and lays down the money on two hours warning is not this as well or better done that which may be done to as good or better purpose in a short time what need is there to draw it out at length The justice of the Law did not require that either the Sinner or his Surety should suffer the Eternity of Hells torments but only their extremity it doth abundantly counterpoise the eternity of the punishment that the person which suffered was the eternal God Besides it was impossible that he should be detained under the sorrows of death Act. 2. 24. And if he had been so detained Then he had not spoiled principalities and powers nor triumphed over them Col. 2. 15. but had been overcome and so had not attained his end But Secondly The pains of Hell which Christ suffered though they were not infinit in time yet were they of an infinite price and value for the dignity of the person that suffered them Christs temporal enduring of Hellish sorrows was as effectual and meritorious as if they had been perpetual the dignity of Christs person did bear him out in that which was not meet for him to suffer nor fit in respect of our Redemption for if he should have suffered Eternally our Redemption could never have been accomplished but for him to suffer in soul as he did in body was neither derogatory to his person nor prejudicial to his work Infinitly in time Christ was not to suffer as one well observes Christ dyed secundum tempus Ambrose in 5. ad Rom. 6. in time or according to time Tempora in mundo sunt c. Times are in the world where the Sun riseth and setteth unto this time he dyed but where there is no time there he was found not only living but conquering Christ God-Man suffered punishment in measure infinit and therefore there is no ground why he should endure it eternally and indeed it was impossible that Christ should be Act. 2. 24. holden of Death because he was both the Lord of life and the Lords holy One 1 Cor. 2. 8. Act. 2. 27. But Thirdly If the measure of a mans punishment were infinit the duration needs not be infinit sinful mans measure of punishment is finit and therefore the duration of his punishment must be infinit because the punishment must be answerable to the infinit evil of sin committed against an infinit God O Sirs continual imprisonment in Hell arises from mans not being able to pay the price for could he pay the debt in one year he needs not lye two years in Prison Now the debt is the first and second death and because sinful man cannot pay it in any time he must endure it eternally but now Christ has laid down ready pay upon the nail to the full for all his chosen Ones and therefore it is not reâ—uired of him that he should suffer for ever neither can it stand with the holiness or justice of God to hold him under the second death he having paid the debt to the utmost Farthing Now that he hath fully paid the debt himself witnesseth Joh. 19. 30. saying when he had received the Vinegar It is finished so vers 28. After this Jesus knowing that all things were accomplished Though there are many interpretations given of this place by Augustine Chrysostom Jansenuâ— and others yet doubtless this alone will hold water viz. That the heavy wrath of the Lord which did pursue Christ and the second death which filled him with grievous terrors is now over and past and mans Redemption finished he speaketh here of that which presently should be and in the yielding up his Ghost was accomplished And thus you see that Jesus Christ did feel and suffer the very torments of Hell though not after a Hellish manner and you see also that Christ did not locally descend into Hell Shall we make a few inferences from hence First then O! how should these sad sufferings of Christ for us endear Christ to us O! what precious thoughts should we have of him O! how should we Psal 136. 17 18. prize him how should we honour him how should we love him and how should we be swallowed up in the admiration of him as his love to us has been matchless so his sufferings for us has been matchless I have read of Nero that he had a Shirt made of a Salamanders skin so that if he did walk through the fire in it it would keep him from burning So Christ is the true Salamanders skin that will keep the soul from everlasting burnings Isa 33. 14. and therefore well may Christians cry out with that Martyr None but Christ none but Christ Tigranes in Zenophon Lambert coming to Redeem his Father and Friends with his
instances and not blush Certainly the more Christ hath suffered for us the more dear Christ should be unto us the more bitter his sufferings have been for us the more sweet his love should be to us and the more eminent should be our love to him O let a suffering Christ lie nearest your hearts let him be your Manna your Tree of Life your Morning-star 't is better to part with all than with this Pearl of price Christ is that golden pipe through which the golden oyl of salvation runs and oh how should this inflame our love to Christ Oh that our hearts were more affected with the sufferings of Christ Who can tread upon these hot coals and his Can. 8. 7 8. heart not burn in love to Christ and cry out with Ignatius Christ my love is crucified If a friend should die Joh. 10. 17 18. for us how would our hearts be affected with his kindness and shall the God of Glory lay down his life for us and shall we not be affected with his goodness Shall Saul be affected with David's kindness in sparing his life 1 Sam. 24. 16. and shall not we be affected with Christ's kindness who Joh. 1. 18. to save our life lost his own O the infinite love of Christ that he should leave his Fathers bosom and come down Joh. 14. 1 2 3 4. from heaven that he might carry you up to heaven that he that was a Son should take upon him the form of a Phil. 2. 5 6 7 8. servant that you of slaves should be made Sons of enemies should be made friends of heirs of wrath should Rom. 8. 17. be made heirs of God and joynt-heirs with Christ that to save us from everlasting ruine Christ should stick at nothing but be willing to be made flesh to lie in a manger to be tempted deserted persecuted and to die upon a Cross O what flames of love should these things kindle in all our hearts to Christ Love is compared to fire in heaping love upon our enemy we heap coals of Râ—m 12. 19 20. Prov. 26. 21. fire upon his head now the property of fire is to turn all it meets with into its own nature fire maketh all things fire the coal maketh burning coals and is it not a wonder then that Christ having heaped abundance of the fiery coals of his love upon our heads we should yet be but key-cold in our love to him Ah what sad metal are we made of that Christ's fiery love cannot inflame our love to Christ Moses wondred why the Bush Exod. 3. 3. consumed not when he see it all on fire but if you please but to look into your own hearts you shall see a greater wonder for you shall see that though you walk like those three Children in the fiery furnace even in the Dan. 3. midst of Christ's fiery love flaming round about you yet there is but little very little true smell of that sweet fire of love to be felt or found upon you or in you Oh when shall the sufferings of a dear and tender-hearted Saviour kindle such a flame of love in all our hearts as shall still be a breaking forth in our lips and lives in our words and ways to the praise and glory of free Grace Cant. 2. 5. O that the sufferings of a loving Jesus might at last make us all sick of love O let him for ever lie betwixt our Cant. 1. 13. breasts who hath left his Fathers bosom for a time that he might be enbosom'd by us for ever But Thirdly Then in the sufferings of Christ as in a Gospel-glass you may see the odious nature of Sin and accordingly learn to hate it arm against it turn from it and subdue it Sin never appears so odious as when we Psal 119. 104 113 128. Rom. 7. 15. cap. 12. 9. behold it in the â—ed Glass of Christ's sufferings Can we look upon sin as the occasion of all Christ's sufferings can we look upon sin as that which made Christ a curse and that made him forsaken of his Father and that made him live such a miserable life and that brought him to die such a shameful painful and cruel death and our hearts not rise against it Shall our sins be grievous unto Christ and shall they not be odious unto us shall he die for our sins and shall not we die to our sins did not he therefore suffer for sin that we might cease from sin did not he bear our sins in his own body on the tree 1 Pet. 4. 1. that we being dead to sin should live to righteousness If 1 Pet. 2. 24. one should kill our father would we hug and imbrace him as our father no we would be revenged on him Sin hath killed our Saviour and shall we not be reveng'd on it Can a man look upon that Snake that hath stung his dearly beloved spouse to death and preserve it alive warm it at the fire and hug it in his bosom and not rather stab it with a thousand wounds 'T is sin that hath stung our dear Jesus to death that has crucified our Lord clouded his glory and shed his precious blood and oh how should this stir up our indignation against it ah how can a Christian make much of those sins that killed his deared Lord how can he cherish those sins that betrayed Christ and apprehended Christ and bound Christ and condemned Christ and scourged Christ and that violently drew him to the Cross and there murdered him It was neither Judas nor Pilate nor the Jews nor the Souldiers that could have done our Lord Jesus the least hurt had not our sins like so many Butchers and Hangmen come in to their assistance After Julius Caesar was treacherously murthered in the Senate-house Antonius brought forth his Coat all bloody cut and mangled and laying it open to the view of the people said Look here is your Emperors coat and as the bloody conspirators have dealt by it so have they dealt with Caesar's body whereupon the people were all in an uproar and nothing would satisfie them but the death of the murtherers and they run to the houses of the conspirators and burnt them down to the ground But what was Caesar's coat and Caesar's body to the body of our dear Lord Jesus which was all bloody rent and torn for our sins Ah how should this provoke us to be revenged on our sins how should we for ever loath and abhorr them how should our fury be whetted against them how should we labour with all our might to be the death of those sins that have been the death of so great a Lord and will if not prevented be the death of our Souls to all eternity To see God thrust the sword of his pure infinite and incensed wrath through the very heart of his dearest Son notwithstanding all his supplications prayers Heb. 5. 7. tears and strong cries
conveyed and made over to us that we may receive the benefit thereof and be justified thereby it is by way of Imputation the meaning is this God doth reckon the righteousness of Christ unto his people as if it were their own he doth count unto them Christ's sufferings and satisfaction and makes them partakers of the vertue thereof as if themselves had suffered and satisfied This is the genuine and proper import of the word Imputation when that which is personally done by one is accounted and reckoned to another and laid upon his score as if he had done it Thus it is in this very case we sinned and fell short of Rom. 3. 21. Isa 53. Imputed righteousness seems to be prefigured by the skins wherewith the Lord after the fall cloathed our first parents the bodies of the beasts were for sacrifice and the skins to put them in mind that their own righteousness was like the sig-leaves imperfect and that therefore they must be justified another way the glory of God and became obnoxious to the vindictive Justice of God and the Lord Jesus Christ by his obedience and death hath given full content and satisfaction to divine Justice on our behalf now when God doth pardon and accept us hereupon he doth put it upon our account he doth reckon or impute it unto us as fully in respect of the benefit thereof as if we our selves had performed it in our own persons and this is the way wherein the holy Ghost frequently expresseth it Rom. 4. 6. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works and ver 11. That righteousness might be imputed to them also and therefore it highly concerns us to mind this Scripture-rule That in order to the satisfaction of the Justice of God the sins of Gods people were imputed and reckoned unto Christ and in order to our partaking of the benefit of that satisfaction or deliverance thereby Christ's righteousness must be imputed and reckoned unto us The first branch of this Rule you have Isa 53. 5 6. He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities c. and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all And for the other branch of the Rule see Rom. 5. 19. As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous ver 17. As by one man's offence death reigned by one much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ From the comparison between the first and second Adam it is evident that as Adam's transgression of the Law of God is imputed to all his posterity and that in respect thereof they are reputed sinners and accursed and liable to eternal death so also Christ's obedience whereby he fulfilled the Law is so imputed to the members of his mystical body that in regard of God they stand as innocent justified and accepted to eternal life Look as Adam was the common root of all Mankind and so his sin is imputed to all his posterity so Jesus Christ is the common root of all the faithful and his obedience is imputed to them all for it were ridiculous to say that Adam's sin had more power to condemn than Christ's righteousness hath to save and who but fools in folio will say that God doth not impute Christ's righteousness as well as Adam's sin The Apostle's parallel between the two Adams does clearly evidence That as the guilt of Adam's disobedience is really imputed to us insomuch that in his sinning we all sinned so the obedience of Christ is as really imputed unto us insomuch that in his obeying reputatively and legally we obey also How did Adam's sin become ours Why by way of imputation he transgressed the Covenant Gen. 3 6 11 12. As imitation of Adam only made us not sinners so imitation of Christ only makes us not righteous but the imputation Dewâ— of Justification and did eat the forbidden fruit and it was justly reckoned unto us it was personally the sinful act of our first Parent but it is imputed to all of us who come out of his loyns for we were in him not only naturally as he was the Root of Mankind but also legally as he was the great Representative of Mankind In the Covenant of works and the transactions thereof Adam stood in the stead and acted in the behalf not only of himself but of all his posterity and therefore his sin is reckoned unto them even so saith the Apostle after the same manner the obedience and righteousness of Christ is made over to many for Justification I cannot understand the analogy betwixt the two Adams wherein the Apostle is so clear and full unless this imputation as here stated be granted Look as Christ was made sin for us only by imputation so we are made righteous only by the imputation of his righteousness to us as the Scripture every where evidences 2 Cor. 5. 21. 1 Pâ—t 2. 21. He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him How was Christ made sin for us not sin inherent for he had no sin in him he was holy harmless and undesiled separate Heb. 7. 26. from sinners and made higher than the heavens but by imputation Christ's righteousness is imputed to us in that way wherein our sin was imputed to him Now our sin was imputed to Christ not only in the bitter effects of it but he took the guilt of them upon himself as I have in this Treatise already evidenced so then his righteousness or active obedience it self must be proportionably imputed to us and not only in the effects thereof The Mediatory righteousness of Christ can no way become the believers but as the first Adam's disobedience became his posterities who never had the least actual share in his transgression that is by an act of imputation from God as a Judge the Lord Jesus having fulfilled the Law as a second Adam God the Father imputeth it to the believing soul as if he had done it in his own person I do not say that God the Father doth account the sinner to have done it but I say that God the Father doth impute it to the believing sinner as if he had done it unto all saving intents and purposes Hence Christ is called the Lord our righteousness Jer. 23. 6. An awakened soul that is truly sensible of his own baseness and unrighteousness would not have this golden sentence The Lord our righteousness blotted out by a hand of heaven out of the Bible for as many worlds as there are men in the world so is that Text to a believer living and dying a strong cordial In this 1 Cor. 1. 30. the Apostle 1. distinguisheth Righteousness from Sanctisication imputed Righteousness from inherent Righteousness 2. he
by the morning-dew There is nothing puts a more serious frame into a man's spirit than to know the worth and preciousness of time Time saith one were a good commodity in hell Bernard Blessed Hoâ—p was spare of diet sparer of words sparest of time And Bradford counted that hour lost where in he did not some good by his tongue pen or purse A Heathen could say he lived no day without a line that is he did something remarkable every day Maâ—k Cato was wont to say that there were three things which he abhored 1. To commit secrets to a woman 2. To go by water when he might go by land 3. To spend one day idle Plutarâ—h and the traffick of it most gainful where for one day a man would give ten thousand worlds if he had them One called his friends thieves because they stole time from him and certainly there are no worse thieves than those that rob us of our praying seasons our hearing seasons our mourning seasons c. There was an eminent Minister who would often say that he could eat the flesh off his arm in indignation against himself for his lost hours It was good counsel that an ancient Christian that is now triumphing in glory gave to another who is still alive be either like Christ or Mary The first was always doing good the latter was still a receiving good this is the way to be strong in grace and to be soon ripe for glory Certainly time is infinitely precious in regard of what depends upon it What more necessary than repentance yet that depends upon time Rev. 2. 21. I gave her space to repent of her fornications What more desirable than the favour of God This depends upon time and is therefore called the acceptable time Isa 49. 8. What more excellent than salvation this likewise depends upon time 2 Cor. 6. 4. Now is the accepted time now is the day of salvation Pythagoras saith that time is anima coeli the soul of heaven But to draw to a close what can there be of more worth and weight and moment than Eternity it is the Heaven of Heaven and the very Hell of Hell without which neither would Heaven be so desirable nor Hell so formidable Now this depends upon time Time is the Prologue to Eternity the great weight of Eternity hangs upon the small wire of Time Whether our time here be longer or shorter upon the spending of this depends either the bliss or the bane of body and soul to all Eternity This is our seed-time Eternity is the harvest whatsoever seed we sow whether of sin or grace it cometh up in Eternity whatsoever a man soweth Gal. 6. 7 8. 2. Cor. 9. 6. the same shall he reap This is our market time in which if we be wise Merchants we may make a happy exchange of earth for heaven of a Valley of tears for a Paradise of delights This is our working time I must work the works of him that sent me the night cometh Joh. 9. 4. when no man can work according as the work is we do now such will be our wages in Eternity Though time it self lasts â—ot yet whatsoever is everlasting dependeth upon it and therefore should be carefully improved to the best advantage for our souls and for the making sure of such things as will go with us beyond the grave Shall your Lady live to be an honour to God to be wise 1 Pet. 3. 3 4 5. 1 Tim. 2. 9 10. Eph. 6. 4. Prov. 31. 1 2 3 Gal. 4. 19. 1 Tim. 1. 5 6. Isa 44. 3 4. cap. 59. 21. Psal 112. 1 2. Eph. 1. 3. for Eternity to be a pattern of piety humiliy modesty c. to others to be a joyful mother of many children and to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Shall you both live to see Christ formed up in your Off-spring and to see their souls flourish in grace and holiness and God bestowing himself as a portion upon them Shall you all round be blessed with all spiriual blessings in Heavenly places in Christ and shall you all round be crowned with the highest glory happiness and blessedness in the world to come Shall you all live in the sense of divine love and diâ— in the sense of divine favour Now to the everlasting arms of divine protection and to the constant influences of free rich Gal. 5. 22 23. and sovereign Grace and Mercy he commends you all who is Sir Your much obliged friend and soul's servant Tho. Brooks TO THE READER Christian Reader SOme preachers in our days are like Heraclitus who was called the dark Doctor because he affected dark Heraclitus was a Philosopher of Ephesus he was surnamed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Obseurus because he affected dark speeches Joh 38. 2. speeches so they affect sublime noions obscure expressions uncouth phrases making plain truths difficult and easie truths hard c. They darken counsel by words without knowledg Men of abstracted conceits and wise speculations are but wise fools like the Lark that soareth up on high peering and peering but at last falleth into the net of the Fowler Such persons commonly are as censorious as they are curious and do Christ and his Church but very very little service in this world The Heathenish Priests had their Mythologies and strange canting expressions of their imaginary unaccessable Deities to amaze and amuze their blind superstitious followers and thereby to hold up their Popish and apish Idolatries in greater Veneration the prudent reader can tell how to make application If thou affectest high strains of wit or larded pompous and high-flown expressions or eloquent trappings or fine new notions or such things that thou mayest rather wonder at than understand I shall not encourage thee to the perusal of this Treatise But First If thou wouldest be furnished with soveraign Antidotes 1. 2 Pet. 3. 16. 1 John 4. 1 2 3. 2 Epâ—st John 7 8. 9 10. 11. against the most dangerous errours that are rampant in these days then seriously peruse this Treatise Secondly if thou wouldest be established strengthened setled and confirmed in the grand points of the Gospel then 2. 1 Pet. 5. 10. seriously peruse this Treatise But 3. Thirdly If thou wouldest know what that faith is 3. John 1. 12. cap. 3. 16. John 5. 24. that gives thee an interest in Christ and in all that fundamental good that comes by Christ then seriously peruse this Treatise But Fourthly If thou wouldest have thy judgment rightly informed 4. 1 Cor. 2. 6 7. Psal 119. 18. in some great truths about which several men of note have been mistaken then seriously peruse this Treatise But Fifthly If thou wouldest know what safe and excellent 5. 2 Cor. 5. 10. Heb. 9. 27. Pleas to make to those ten Scriptures that refer to the general Judgment and to thy particular day of Judgment then seriously peruse this Treatise But Sixthly
A gracious Soul looks upon sin with as evil and as envious an eye as Saul look'd on David when the evil spirit was upon him O! saith Saul that I was but once well rid of this David and O saith a gracious Soul that I was but once well rid of this proud heart this hard heart this unbelieving heart this unclean heart this earthly heart this froward heart of mine Tenthly Every Godly man complains of his known sins and mourns over his known sins and would be fain rid of his known sins as might be made evident out of many scores of â—cripture 7 Job 21. 51. Psal 14. Hos 2. Eleventhly Every gracious Soul sets himself mostly resolutely valiantly and habitually against his special sins his constitution sins his most prevalent sins Psal 18. 23. I was also upright before him and I kept my self from mine Iniquity Certainly that which is the special sin of a Godly man is his special burden it is not delighted in but lamented there is no sin which costs him so much sorrow as that to which either the temper of his body or the occasions of his life leads him That sin which he finds his heart most set upon he sets his heart his whole soul most against The Scripture gives much evidence that David though a man after Gods own heart was very apt to fall into the sin of Lying he used many unlawful shifts we read of his often faultring in that kind when he was in straits and hard put to it 1 Sam. 21. 2. 8. 1 Sam. 27. 8 10 c. but it is as clear in Scripture that his heart was set against lying and that it was the grief and daily burden of his Soul Certainly that sin is a mans greatest burden and grief which he prays most to be delivered from O! how earnestly did David pray to be delivered from the sin of lying Psal 119. 29. Keep me from the way of lying And as he prayed earnestly against lying so he as earnestly detested it ver 163. I hate and abhor Lying Though Lying was Davids special sin yet he hated and abhorred it as he did Hell it self And he tells us how he was affected or afflicted rather with that sin whatsoever it was which was his Iniquity Psal 31. 10 my life is spent with grief and my years with sighings my strength faileth and my bones are consumed or Moth-eaten as the Hebrew has it here are deep expressions of a troubled Spirit and why all this Mark he gives you the reason of it in the same verse because of mine Iniquity as if he had said there is a base corruption which so haunts and doggs me that my life is spent with grief and my years with sighing He found it seems his heart running out to some sin or other which yet was so far from being a beloved sin a bosom sin a darling sin that it was the breaking of his heart and the consumption of his bones So Psal 38. 18. I will declare mine Iniquity I will be sorry for my sin There is no sin that a gracious heart is more perfectly set against than against his special sin for by this sin God first has been most dishonored and secondly Christ most crucified and thirdly the Spirit most grieved and fourthly Conscience most wounded and fifthly Satan most advantaged and sixthly Mercies most imbittered and seaventhly Duties most hindred and eighthly Fears and doubts most raised and increased and ninethly Afflictions most multiplied and tenthly Death made most formidable and terrible and therefore he breaks out against this sin with the greatest detestation and abhorrency Ephraims special sin was Idolatry Hos 4. 17. he thought the choicest gold and silver in the world hardly good enough to frame his Idols of But when it was the day of the Lords gracious power upon Ephraim than he thought no place bad enough to cast his choicest Idols into as you may see by comparing of these Scriptures together Hos 14. 8. Isa 2. 20. and chap. 30. 22. True grace will make a man stand stoutly and stedfastly on Gods side and work the heart to take part with him against a mans special sins though they be as right hands or right eyes True grace will lay hands upon a mans special sins and cry out to Heaven Lord Crucifie them Crucifie them down with them down with them even to the ground Lord do justice do speedy justice do signal justice do exemplary justice upon these special sins of mine Lord how down root and branch let the very stumps of this Dagon be broken all in pieces Lord curse this wild â—ig-tree that never more fruit may grow thereon But Twelfthly There is no time wherein a gracious Soul cannot sincerely say with the Apostle in that Hâ—b 13. 18. Pray for us for we trust we have a good Conscience in all things willingly to live honestly gracious hearts affect that which they cannot effect So Acts 24. 16. And herein do I exercise my self to have always a Conscience voyd of offence towards God and towards men in all cases in all places by all means and at all times a sincere Christian labours to have a good Conscience void of offence towards God and towards men Prov. 16. 17. The high-way of the upright is to depart from evil that is it is the ordinary usual constant course of an upright man to depart from evil An honest Traveller may step out of the Kings high-way into a House a Wood a Close but his work his business is to go on in the Kings high-way so the business the work of an upright man is to depart from evil 'T is possible for an upright man to step into a sinful path or to touch upon sinful facts but his main way his principal work and business is to depart from Iniquity as a Bee may light upon a Thistle but her work is to be gathering at flowers or as a Sheep may slip into the dirt but its work is to be grazing upon the Mountains or in the Meadows but Thirteenthly and lastly Jesus Christ is the real Christians only Beloved he is the Saints only darling 2 Can. 3. As the Apple-tree among the Trees of the Wood so is my Beloved among the Sons ver 8. The vâ—yce of my Beloved behold he cometh leaping upon the Mountains and skiping upon the hills ver 9. My Beloved is like a Roe or a young Hart ver 10. My Beloved spake and said unto me Rise up my Love my fair one and come away ver 17. Turn my Beloved and be thou like a Roe or a young Hart upon the Mountains of Bether Can. 4. 16. Let my Beloved come into his Garden and eat his pleasant fruits Seven times Christ is called the Beloved of his Spouse in the fifth of Canticles and twice in the sixth Chapter and four times in the seaventh Chapter and once in the eighth Chapter In this Book of Solomons Song Christ is called the Churches Beloved just twenty
times I might turn you to many other Scriptures but in the mouth of twenty Witnesses you may be very clearly and fully satisfied that Jesus Christ is the Saints Beloved 1. When the Dutch Martyr was askt whether he did not love his Wife and Children he Answered Were all the World a lump of gold and in my hand to dispose of I would give it to live with my Wife and Children in a Prison but Christ is dearer to me than all 2. Saith Jerom If my Father should stand before me and if my Mother should hang upon me and my Brethren should press about me I would break through my Brethren throw down my Mother and tread under-foot my Father that I might cleave the faster and closer unto Jesus Christ 3. That Blessed Virgin in Basil being condemned for Christianity to the fire and having her Estate and Life offered her if she would worship Idols cryed out Let money perish and life vanish Christ is better than all 4. Love made Hierom to say O! my Saviour didst thou dye for love of me a love more dolorous than death but to me a death more lovely than love it self I cannot live love thee and be longer from thee 5. Henry Voes said If I had ten heads they should all off for Christ 6. John Ardley Martyr said If every hair of my head were a man they should all suffer for the Faith of Christ 7. Ignatius said Let fire racks pullies yea all the torments of Hell come on me so I may win Christ 8. George Carpenter being asked whether he loved not his Wife and Children when they all wept before them Answered My Wife and Children are dearer to me than all Bavaria yet for the love of Christ I know them not 9. O Lord Jesus said Bernard I love thee more than all my Goods and I love thee more than all my Friends yea I love thee more than my very self 10. Austin saith he would willingly go through Hell to Christ 11. Another saith He had rather be in his Chimney-Corner with Christ than in Heaven without him 12. Another crys out I had rather have one Christ than a thousand Worlds by all which 't is most evident that Jesus Christ is the Saints best Beloved and not this or that sin Now by these 13 Arguments 't is most clear that no gracious Christian do's or can indulge himself in any Trade course or way of sin Yea by these thirteen Arguments 't is most evident that no Godly man has or can have any one beloved sin any one bosom darling sin though many worthy Ministers both in their Preaching and Writings make a great noise about the Saints beloved sins about their bosom darling sins I readily grant that all Unregenerate persons have their beloved sins their bosom sins their darling sins but that no such sins are chargable upon the Regenerate is sufficiently demonstrated by the thirteen Arguments last cited And O! that this were wisely and seriously considered of both by Ministers and Christians there is no known sin that a Godly man is not troubled at and that he would not be rid of There is as much difference between sin in a Regenerate person and in an Unregenerate person as there is between poyson in a Man and poyson in a Serpent Poyson in a mans body is most offensive and burdensome and he readily uses all Arts and Antidotes to expel it and get rid but poyson in a Serpent is in its natural place and is most pleasing and delightful So sin in a Regenerate man is most offensive and burdensome and he readily uses all holy means and Antidotes to expel it and to get rid of it But sin in an Unregenerate man is most pleasing and delightful it being in its natural place A Godly man still enters his protest against sin a gracious Soul while he commits sin hates the sin he commits O Sirs there is a vast difference between a special and a beloved sin a darling sin a bosom-sin Noah had a sin and Lot had a sin and Jacob had a sin and Job had a sin and David had a sin which was his special sin but neither of these had any sin which was their beloved sin their bosom sin their darling sin that passage in Job 31. 33. is observable If I covered my Transgression as Adam by hiding mine Iniquity in my Bosom Mark in this Text while Job calleth some sin or other his Iniquity he denyeth that he had any beloved sin for saith he Did I hâ—de it in my Bosom did I shew it any favour did I cherrish it or nourish it or keep it warm in my Bosom O! No I did not A Godly man may have many sins yet he hath not one beloved sin one bosom sin one darling sin he may have some particular sin to which the Unregenerate part of his will may strongly incline and to which his unmortified affections may run out with violence too yet he hath no sin he bears any good will to or doth really or cordially effect Mark that may be called a mans particular way of sinning which yet we cannot we may not call his beloved sin his bosom sin his darling sin for it may be his greatest grief and torment and may cost him more sorrow and tears than all the rest of his sins it may be a Tyrant usurping power over him when it is not the delight and pleasure of his Soul A Godly man may be more prone to fall into some one sin rather than another it may be Passion or Pride or Slavish fear or Worldliness or Hypocrisie or this or that or tother Vanity yet are not these his beloved sins his bosom sins his darling sins for these aâ—e the Enemies he hates and abhors these are the grand-Enemies that he prays against and complains of and mourns over these are the potent Rebels that his Soul crys out most against and by which his Soul suffers the greatest violence Mark no sin but Christ is the dearly beloved of a Christians Soul Christ and not this sin or that is the chiefest of ten thousand to a gracious Soul and yet some particular corruption or other may more frequently worst a Believer and lead him Captive but then the Believer crys out most against that particular sin O! saith he this is mine Iniquity this is the Saul the Pharoah that is always a pursuing after the blood of my Soul Lord let this Saul fall by the Sword of thy Spirit let this Pharoah be drown'd in the Red Sea of thy Sons blood O! Sirs It is a point of very great importance for gracious Souls to understand the vast difference that there is between a beloved sin and this or that particular sin violently Tyrannizing over them for this is most certain whosoever giveth up himself freely willingly cheerfully habitually to the service of any one particular Lust or Sin he is in the state of Nature under wrath and in the way to eternal Ruine Now
mighty noise many famous men have made about legal preparations before men presume to close with Christ or to give up themselves in a Marriage Covenant to Christ most of them requiring men to be better Christians before they come to Christ than commonly they prove after they are implanted into Christ c. Now though I have said enough I suppose to lay that Opinion asleep that has been last under consideration viz. That the Saints have their beloved sins their bosom sins their darling sins yet for a close of this discourse promise with me these five things First That all Unconverted persons have their beloved sins their bosom sins their darling sins The beloved the bosom the darling sin of the Jews was Idolatry The beloved the bosom the darling sin of the Corinthians was Uncleanness Wantonness 1 Cor. 6. 15. 20. The beloved the bosom the darling sin of the Cretians was Lying 2 Titus 12. Jeroboams beloved sin was Idolatry and Cains beloved sin was Envy and Corahs beloved sin was Gain saying and Esaus beloved sin was Prophaneness and Ishmaels beloved sin was Scossing and Baalams beloved sin was Ambition Simoon and Levios beloved sin was Treachery Manasses beloved sin was Cruelty and Nebuchadnezars beloved sin was Pride and Herods beloved sin was Uncleanness and Judas his beloved sin was Covetousness and the Young mans beloved sin in that 19th of Matthew was Wordly-mindedness c. Secondly Promise this with me that the Elect of of God before their Conversion had their beloved sins Manassâ—s beloved sin was Cruelty and Ephraims beloved sin before Conversion was Idolatry Hos 4. 17. and Zacheus his beloved sin before Conversion was worldly-mindedness and defrauding of others and Pauls beloved sin before Conversion was Persecution and the Jaylors beloved sin before Conversion was Cruolty and Mary Magdolens beloved sin before Conversion was Wantonness and Uncleanness c. Thirdly Premise this with me viz. That after Conversion there is no Sin that the heart of a Christian is more seriously more frequently more resolutely and more perfectly set against than that which was once his beloved Lust The hatred detestation and Indignation of a Converted person breaks out and discovers it self most against that Sin which was once a beloved Sin a bosom Sin a darling Sin his care his fear his jealousie his watchfulness is most exercised against that Sin which was once the darling of his soul The Converted person eyes this Sin as an old Enemy he looks upon this Sin as the Sin by which God has been most dishonoured and his own Conscience most enslaved and his Immortal soul most indangered and Satan most advantaged and accordingly his Spirit rises against it Hos 14. 8. 2. Isa 20. chap. 30. 22. And all Christians experience confirms this truth but of this more before Fourthly After Conversion a Christian endeavours to be most eminent in that particular grace which is most contrary and opposite to that Sin which was once his beloved Sin his bosom Sin his darling Sin Zacheus his boloved Sin was Worldliness and Defrauding but being Converted he labours to excel in restitution and liberality The Jaylors beloved Sin was Severity Cruelty but being Converted he labours to excel in pitty and courtesie Pauls beloved sin was Persecution but being Converted how mightily do's he bestir himself to Convert souls and to edifie souls and to build up souls and to strengthen souls and to establish souls and to encourage souls in the ways of the Lord he gives it you under his own hand That he laboured more abundantly than they all 2 Cor. 11. 23. Austins beloved Sin his bosom Sin his darling sin before his Conversion was Wantonness and Uncleanness but when he was converted he was most careful and watchful to arm against that Sin and to avoid all temptations and occasions that might lead him to it afterwards If a mans beloved Sin before Conversion has been Wordlinesse then after conversion he will labour above all to excel in Heavenly-mindedness or if his Sin his beloved Sin has been Pride then he will labour above all to excel in Humility or if his beloved Sin has been intemperance then he will labour above all to excel in temperance and sobriety or if his beloved Sin has been Wantonness and Uncleanness then he will labour above all to excel in all Chastity and Purity or if his beloved Sin has been Opprâ—ssing of others then he will labour above all to excel in Piety and Compassion towards others or if his beloved Sin has been Hypocrisie then he will labour above all to excel in sincerity c. But Fifthly Though no Godly man though no sincere gracious Christian hath any beloved Sin and bosom darling Sin yet there is no Godly man there is no sincere gracious soul but has some Sin or other to which they are more prone than to others Every real Christian hath his inclination to one kind of Sin rather than another which may be called his special Sin his peculiar Sin or his own Iniquity as David speaks in Psal 18. ver 23. Now the main power of grace and of uprightness is mainly seen and exercised in a mans keeping of himself from his Iniquity Now that specal that peculiar Sin to which a gracious soul may be most pâ—one and addicted to may arise 1. From the temperament and constitution of his body the complexion and constitution of a mans body may be a more prepared instrument for one vice rather than another or 2. It may arise from his particular Calling Christians have distinct and particular Callings that encline them to particular Sins For instance the Souldiers Calling puts him upon Rapine and Violence Luk. 3. 14. Do Violence to no man neither accuse any falsly and be content with your wages And the Trades-mans Calling puts him upon Lying Deceiving Defrauding and over-reaching his Brother And the Ministers Calling puts him upon Flattering of the Gallants and great ones of his Parish and upon pleasing the rest by speaking of smooth things Isa 30. 10. and by sowing of Pillows under their Elbows Ezâ—k 13. 18 20. And the Magistrates Judges and Justices Employments lays them open to Oppression Bribery Injustice c. If Christians are not very much upon their watch their very Callings and Offices may prove a very great snare to their souls Or 3dly It may arise from his outward state condition in this world whether his state be a state of Prosperity or a state of Adversity or whether he be in a Marriage state or in a single state Many times a mans outward state and condition in this world hath a strong influence upon him to encline him to this or that particular sin as best suiting with his condition or 4thly It may arise from distinct and peculiar Ages for it is certain that distinct and peculiar Ages do strongly encline persons to distinct and peculiar Sins Youth enclines to Wantonness and Prodigality and Manhood to Pride and Ambition and
true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience He that comes to God with a true honest upright heart being sprinkled from an evil Conscience may draw near to God in full assurance of Faith whereas guilt clouds clogs and distracts the soul that it can never be with God either as it would or as it should Conscientia pura semper secura A good Conscience hath sure confidence Conscience is mille testes a thousand Witnesses for or against a man Conscience is Gods Preacher in the bosom 'T is better with Euagrius to lye secure on a bed of Straw than to have a turbulent Conscience on a bed of Down It was a Divine saying of Seneca a Heathen viz. That if there were no God to punish him no Devil to torment him no Hell to burn him no man to see him yet would he not sin for the ugliness of sin and the grief of his own Conscience But Fifthly Cherrishing of any special or peculiar sin or the keeping up of any known transgression in heart or life against the Lord and against the light of a mans own Conscience will greatly hinder his high esteem and reputation of Jesus Christ and so it will keep him from comfort assurance and sight of his interest in him so that somtimes his dearest Children are constrained to cry out God is departed from me and he answereth me not neither by Dream nor Vision neither this way nor that 1 Sam. 28. 15. But Sixthly The greatest and most common cause of the want of assurance comfort and peace is some unmortified Lust some secret special peculiar sin unto which men give entertainment or at least which they do not so vigorously oppose and heartily renounce as they should and might hinc illae lachrymae and this is that which casts them on sore straits and difficulties and how should it be otherwise seeing God who is infinitely wise holy and righteous either cannot or will not reveal the secrets of his love to those who harbour his known Enemies in their bosoms the great God either cannot or will not regard the whinings and complainings of those who play or dally with that very sin which gauls their Consciences and connive and wink at the stirrings and workings of that very Lust for which he hides his face from them and writes bitter things against them Mark all fears and doubts and scruples are begotten upon sin either real or imaginary Now if the sin be but imaginary an enlightned rectified judgment may easily and quickly scatter such fears doubts and scruples as the Sun doth mists and clouds when it shines in its brightness but if the Sin be real then there is no possibility of curing those fears doubts and scruples arising from thence but by an unfained Repentance and returning from that sin Now if I should produce all the Scriptures and instances that stand ready prest to prove this I must transcribe a good part of the Bible but this would be labour in vain seeing it seemeth to have been a notion engraven even on natural Conscience viz. That sin so defiles persons that till they be washed from it neither they nor their services can be accepted from whence arose that custom of setting water-pots at their entrance into their Temples or places of worship Let him that wants assurance comfort peace and a sight of his interest in Christ cast out every known sin and set upon a universal course of Reformation for God will not give his Cordials to those that have a foul Stomack those that against light and checks of Conscience dally and tamper with this sin or that those God will have no commerce no communion with on such God will not lift up the light of his countenance Rev. 2. 17. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna and I will give him a white stone and in that stone a new name written These are all Metaphorical expressions which being put together do amount to as much as Assurance but mark these are promised 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to him that overcometh to him that rides on conquering and to conquer O that Christians would seriously remember this The dearer it cost any one to part with his sins the more sweet and comfortable will it be to call to mind the Victory that through the spirit of grace he has got over his sins There is no comfort joy or peace to that which arises from the conquests of sin especially of special sins When Goliah was slain what joy and triumph was there in the Camp So here Seventhly Cherrishing of any special or peculiar sin or the keeping up of any known transgression either in heart or life against the Lord and against the light of a mans own Conscience will hinder the soul from that warm lively fervent frequent seasonable sincere and constant way of duty as contributes most to the increase of grace peace comfort and assurance c. Eighthly Seriously consider of the several assertions and concurrent judgments of our best and most famous Divines in the present case I shall give you a tast of some of their Sayings First A man saith one can have no peace in his Conscience that favoureth and retaineth any one sin in himself against his Conscience Secondly Another saith A man is in a damnable state whatsoever good deeds seem to be in him if he yield not to the work of the Holy Ghost for the leaving but of any one known sin which fighteth against peace of Conscience But Thirdly So long saith another as the power of mortification destroyeth thy sinful affections and so long as thou art unfainedly displeased with all sin and doest mortifie the deeds of the body by the Spirit thy case is the case of Salvation But Fourthly Another saith A good Conscience stands not with a purpose of sinning no not with irresolution against sin this must be understood of habitual purposes and of a constant irresolution against sin Fifthly The rich and precious box of a good Conscience saith another is polluted and made impure if but one dead fly be suffered in it One sin being quietly permitted and suffered to live in the soul without being disturbed resisted resolved against or lamented over will certainly mar the peace of a good Conscience Sixthly Where there is but any one sin saith another nourished and fostered all other our graces are not only blemished but abolished they are no graces Dike of the deceiptfulness of the heat chap. 16. Seventhly Most true is that saying of Aquinus That all sins are coupled together though not in regard of conversion to temporal good for some look to the good of gain some of glory some of pleasure yet in regard of aversion from eternal good that is God So that he that looks but towards one sin is as much averted and turned back from God as if he looked to all in which respect St. James says He that offâ—ndeth
Statutes of God there is a two-fold Obedience to all the Royal Commands of God First One is legal when all is done that God requireth and all is done as God requireth when there is not one path of duty but we do walk in it perfectly and continually thus no man on Earth doth or can walk in all God's Statutes or fully do what he Commandeth For in many things we offend all Jam. 3. 2. So Eccles 7. 20. There is not a just man upon the Earth that doth good and sinneth not 1 King 8. 46. For there is no man that sinneth not Prov. 20. 9. Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin Job 14. 4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean not one 1 Joh. 1. 8. If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Secondly Another is Evangelical which is such a walking in all the Statutes of God and such a keeping of all the Commands of God as is in Christ accepted of and accounted of as if we did keep them all this walking in all God's Statutes and keeping of all his Commandements and doing of them all is not only possible but it is also actual in every Believer in every sincere Christian and it consists in these particulars First In the Approbation of all the Statutes and Commandements of God Rom. 7. 12. The Commandement is holy and just and good ver 16. I consent unto the Law that it is good there is both assent and consent Psal 119. 128. I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right A sincere Christian approves of all Divine Commands though he can't perfectly keep all Divine Commands But Secondly It consists in a Conscientious submission unto the Authority of all the Statutes of God Every Command of God hath an Authority within his heart and over his heart Psal 119. 161. My heart standeth in awe of thy Word A sincere Christian stands in awe of every known Command of God and hath a spiritual regaâ—d unto them all Psal 119. 6. I have respect unto all thy Commandements But Thirdly It consists in a cordial willingness and a cordial desire to walk in all the Statutes of God and to obey all the Commands of God Rom. 7 18. For to Will is present with me Psal 119. 5. O! that my ways were directed to keep thy Statutes ver 8. I will keep thy Statutes But Fourthly It consists in a sweet complacency in all Gods Commands Psal 119. 47. I will delight my self in thy Commandement which I have loved Rom. 7. 22. I delight in the Law of God after the inward man But Fifthly He who obeys sincerely obeys universally though not in regard of practice which is impossible yet in regard of affection he loves all the Commands of God yea he dearly loves those very Commands of God that he cannot obey by reason of the infirmity of the flesh by reason of that body of sin and death that he bears about with him ponder upon that Psal 119. 97. O how I love thy Law Such a pang of love he felt as could not otherwise be vented but by this pathetical exclamation O how I love thy Law ver 113 163 127 159 167. ponder upon all these verses But Sixthly A sincere Christian obeys all the Commands of God he is universal in his obedience in respect of valuation or esteem he highly values all the Commands of God he highly prizes all the Commands of God as you may clearly see by comparing these Scriptures together Psal 119. 72 127 128. Psal 19. 8 9 10 11. Job 23. 12. But Seventhly A sincere Christian is universal in his Obedience in respect of his purpose and resolution he purposes and resolves by Divine assistance to obey all to keep all Psal 119. 106. I have sworn and will pâ—rform it that I will keep thy Righteous Judgments Psal 17. 3. I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress But Eighthly A sincere Christian is universal in his Obedience In respect of his inclination he has an habitual inclination in him to keep all the Commands of God 1 King 8. 57 58. 2 Chron. 30. 17 18 19 20. Psal 119. 112. I have inclined my heart to perform thy Statutes always oven to the end But Ninethly and lastly Their Evangelical keeping of all the commands of God consists in their sincere endeavour to keep them all they put out themselves in all the ways and parts of obedience they do not willingly and wittingly slight or neglect any Commandement but are striving to conform themselves thereunto as a Dutiful Son doth all his Fathers commands at least in point of endeavour So your sincere Christians make Conscience of keeping all the Commands of God in respect of endeavours Psal 119. 59. I turned my feet unto thy Testimonies God esteems of Evangelical Obedience as perfect obedience Zacharias had his failings he did hesitate through unbelief for which he was struck dumb yet the Text tells you That he walked in all the Commandements of the Lord blameless Luk. 1. 6. Because he did cordially desire and endeavour to obey God in all things Evangelical Obedience is true for the essence though not perfect for the degree A Child of God obeys all the Commands of God in respect of his sincere desires purposes resolutions and endeavours and this God accepts in Christ for perfect and compleat obedience This is the glory of the Covenant of Grace that God accepts and esteems of sincere obedience as perfect obedience Such who sincerely endeavour to keep the whole Law of God they do keep the whole Law of God in an Evangelical sense though not in a legal sense A sincere Christian is for the first Table as well as the second and the second as well as the first he doth not adhere to the first and neglect the second as Hypocrites do neither doth he adhere to the second and contemn the first as prophane men do O Christians for your support and comfort know that when your desires and endeavours are to do the Will of God entirely as well in one thing as another God will graciously pardon your failings and pass by your imperfections He will spare you as a man spareth his Son that serveth him Mal. 3. 17. Though a Father see his Son to fail and come short in many things which he enjoyns him to do yet knowing that his desires and endeavours are to serve him and please him to the full he will not be rigid and severe with him but will be indulgent to him and will spare him and pitty him and shew all love and kindness to him The Application is easie c. The second Question or case is this viz What is that Faith that gives a man an interest in Christ and in all those blessed benefits and favours that comes by Christ or whether that person that experiences the following particulars may not safely groundedly and
sins were not pardoned until you do repent then we should be left to an uncertainty whiles our sins be pardoned or when they will be pardoned for it may be long ere we repent as you see in David who lay long under the guilt of Murther and Adultery before he repented and you know Solomon lay long under many high sins before he repented c. and it may be more long ere we do or can know that we do truly repent of our sins But Ninethly If all sins were not forgiven at once then justification is not perfect at once but is more and more increased and perfected as more and more sins are pardoned which cannot consist with the true doctrine of justification Certainly as to the state of justification there is a full and perfect remission of all sins considered under the differences of time past present and to come as in the state of Condemnation there is not any one sin pardoned so in the estate of Justification there is not any one sin but is pardoned for the state of Justification is opposite to all Condemnation and Curse and Wrath. But Tenthly All agree that as to Gods eternal decree or purpose of forgiveness all the sins of his people are forgiven God did not intend to forgive some of their sins and not the rest but an universal and full and compleat forgiveness was fixedly purposed and resolved on by God Forgiveness of sins is a gracious act or work of God for Christ sake discharging and absolving believing and repenting persons from the guilt and punishment of all their sins so that God is no longer displeased with them nor will he ever remember them any more nor call them to an account for them nor condemn them for their sins but will look on them and deal with them as if they had never sinned never offended him Thirdly Consider that at the very moment of a Believers dissolution all his sins are perfectly and fully forgiven all their sins are so fully and finally forgiven them that at the very moment of their souls going out from the body there is not one sin of omission or commission nor any aggravation or least circumstance left standing in the book of Gods remembrance and this is the true reason why there shall not be the least mention made of their sins in their tryal at Christs Tribunal because they were all pardoned fully and finally at the hour of their death all debts were then discharged all scores were then crossed so that in the great day when the Books shall be opened and perused there shall not one sin be found but all blotted out and all reckonings made even in the blood of Christ Indeed if God should pardon some sins and not others he would at the same time be a friend and an enemy and we should be at once both happy and miserable which are manifest contradictions besides God doth nothing in vain But it would be in vain for God to pardon some sins but not all for as one leak in a Ship unstopped will sink the Ship and as one sore or one disease not healed nor cured will kill the body so one sin unpardoned will destroy the soul Fourthly God looks not upon those as Sinners whose sins are pardoned Luk. 7. 37. And behold a Woman in the City which was a sinner A notorious sinner a branded sinner mark it is not said behold a Woman which is a sinner but behold a Woman which was a sinner to note that sinners converted and pardoned are no longer reputed sinners Behold a Woman which was a sinner look as a man when he is cleansed from filth is as if he had never been defiled so when a Sinner is pardoned he is in Gods account as if he had never sinned Hence those phrases in Cant. 4. 7. Thou art all fair my love and there is no spot in thee Col. 2. 10. And ye are compleat in him who is the head of all principality and power as though he had said Because in himself he hath the Well-head of Glory and Majesty the which becometh ours in that he is also the head of his Church Col. 1. 21. And you that were somtime alienated and Enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled ver 22. In the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight that is by his Righteousness imputed and imparted Ephe. 5. 27. That he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish The word present is taken from the custom of solemnizing a Marriage first the Spouse was woed and then set before her Husband adorned with his Jewels as Rebecca was with Isaacs Rev. 14. 5. And in their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the Throne of God 1. They are without fault by imputation 2. By inchoation Hence Job is said to be a perfect man Job 1. And David to be a man after Gods own heart Act. 13. 22. The forgiven party is now looked upon and received with that love and favour as if he had never offended God and as if God had never been offended by him Hos 14. 1 2 4. Isa 54. 7 8 9 10. Jer. 31. 33 34 36 37. Luk. 15. 19 20 21 22 23. Here the sins of the Prodigal are pardoned and his Father receives him with such expressions of love and familiarity as if he had never sinned against him his Father never so much as objects any one of all his high sinnings against him Hence it is that you read of such sweet kind tender loving comfortable expressions of God towards those whose sins he had pardoned Jer. 31. 16. Refrain thy voyce from weeping and thine eyes from tears verse 20. Is Ephraim my dear Son is he a pleasant Child Math. 9. 2. Son be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee The Schools say that the remission of sins is not only oblativa mali but collativa boni a remotion of guilt but a collation of good Look as he that is legally acquitted of Theft or Murder is no more reputed a Thief or Murdeter so here Isa 50. 20. In those days and in that time saith the Lord the Iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon them whom I reserve Pardoned sin is in Gods account no sin and the pardoned sinner in Gods account is no sinner as the pardoned debtor is no debtor Where God hath pardoned a man there he never looks upon that man as a siner but as a just man Pardon of sin is an utter abolition of it as it doth reflect upon the person making him guilty and obliging him actually to condemnation in this respect the pardoned man is as free as if he had never sinned Therefore the Believer
that appertains to him alone to be able to bring in an everlasting Righteousness and to make reconciliation for Iniquity Dan. 9. 24. It is by Christ alone That they who believe are justified from all things from which they cannot be Ecclâ—s 11 9. cap 12. 14 Matth. 1â— 14. cap. 18. 2â— Luk. 16. 3. Rom. 1â— 10. 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 10. Heb 9. 27. cap. 13. â—7 1 Pet. 4. 5. justified by the Law of Moses Act. 13. 39. Now from the active obedience of Christ a sincere Christian may form up this third plea as to the ten Scriptures in the Margent that refer either to the general judgment or to the particular judgment that will pass upon every Christian immediately after death O! blessed God thou knowest that Jesus Christ as my Surety did perform all that active obedience unto thy holy and righteous Law that I should have performed but by reason of the in-dwelling power of sin and of the vexing and molesting power of sin and of the captivating power of sin could not There was in Christ an habitual righteousness a conformity of his nature to the holiness of the Law for 1 Pet. 1. 19. he is a Lamb without spot and blemish the Law could never have required so much righteousness as is to be found in him and as for practical righteousness there was never any aberration in his thoughts words or deeds Hâ—b 7. 26. The Prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me John 14. 30. The Apostle tells us That we are made the Righteousness of God in him he doth emphatically add that clause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 6. 21. in him that he may take away all conceit of inherence in us and establish the Doctrine of imputation As Christ is made sin in us by imputation so we are made righteousness in him by the same way Augustines place which Beza cites is a most full Commentary God the Father saith he made him to be sin who know no sin that we might be the Righteousness of God not our own and in him that is in Christ not in our selves and being thus justified we are so Righteous as if we were Righteousness it self O! holy God Christ my Surety hath universally kept thy Royal Law he hath not offended in any one point yea he hath exactly and perfectly kept the whole Law of God he stood compleat in the whole will of the Father his active obedience was so full so perfect and so adaequate to all the Laws demands that the Law could not but say I have enough I am fully satisfied I have found a Ransom I can ask no more Neither was the obedience of Christ fickle or transient but permanent and constant it was his delight his meat and drink yea his Heaven to be still a doing the will of his Father Assuredly whilst our Lord Joh. 4. 33 34. Jesus Christ was in this world he did in his own person fully obey the Law he did in his own person perfectly conform to all the holy just and righteous commands of the Law Now this his most perfect and compleat obedience to the Law is made over to all his Members to all Believers to all sincere Christians it is reckoned to them it is imputed to them as if they themselves in their own persons had performed it All sound Believers being in Christ as their head and Surety the Laws righteousness is fulfilled in them legally and imputively though it be not fulfilled in them formally subjectively inherently or personally sutable to that of the Apostle That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us mark not by us but in us for Christ in our Nature Râ—m 8 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Beza well tenders 〈◊〉 legis that the right of the Law might be fulfilled in us hath fulfilled the right of the Law and therefore in us because of our communion with him and our ingrafting into him God hath condemned sin the flesh of his Son that all that which the Law by a right could require of us might be performed by him for us so as if we our selves had in our own persons performed the same The Law must have its right before a Sinner can be saved we cannot of our selves fulfil the right of it But here 's the comfort Christ our Surety hath fulfilled it in us and we have fulfilled it in him Certainly whatsoever Christ did concerning the Law is ours by imputation so fully as if our selves had done it Do's the Law require obedience saith Christ I will give it Do's the Law threaten Curses saith Christ Math 3 15. cap. 5 17 18 they shall be borne The precept of the Law saith Christ shall be kept and the promises received and the punishments endured that poor Sinners may be saved Our Righteousness and Title to eternal life do indispensably depend upon the imputation of Christs active obedience to us there must be a perfect obeying of the Law as the condition of life either by the Sinner himself or by his Surety or else no life which doth sufficiently evince the absolute necessity of the imputation of Christs active obedience to us the Sinner himself being altogether unable to fulfil the Law that he may stand Righteous before the great and glorious God Christs fulfilling of it must necessarily be imputed to him in order to righteousness There are two great things which Jesus Christ did undertake for his redeemed ones the one was to make full satisfaction to Divine Justice for all their sins Now this he did by his Blood and Death the other was to yield most absolute conformity to the Law of God both in nature and life by the one he has freed all his Redeemed ones from Hell and by the other he has qualified all his Redeemed ones from Heaven This is my Plea O Lord and by this plea I shall stand Well saith the Lord I accept of this plea as honourable just and righteous Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Secondly As Jesus Christ did for us perform all that active obedience which the Law of God required so he did also suffer all those punishments which we had deserved by the transgression of the Law of God in which respect he is said 2 Cor. 2. 22. To be made sin for us 1 Pet. 2. 24. Himself to bear our sins in his own body on the Tree 1 Pet. 3. 18. For Christ also hath once suffered for sin the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God Phil. 2. 8. To humble himself and to become obedient unto death even the death of the Cross Gal. 3. 13. To be made a Curse an Exceration for us Ephe. 5. 2. To give himself for us an Offering and Sacrifice unto God Heb. 9. 15. And for this cause he is the Mediator of the New Testament that by means of Death for the Redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Testament they which
Fifthly To say peremptorily he suffered what is it but to say that he principally suffered that he excessively suffered To say he suffered What is it but to say he was the cheif sufferer the arch sufferer and that not only in respect of the manner of his sufferings that he suffered absolutely so as never did any but also in respect of the measure of his sufferings that he suffered excessively beyond what ever any did And thus we may well understand and take those words He suffered That lamentation of the Prophet Lam. 1. 12. is very applicable to Christ Behold and see if there be any sorrows like unto my sorrow which is done unto me wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fiorce anger Now is it not enough for the Apostle to say that Christ hath suffered but will you yet ask what But pray Friends be satisfied and rather of the two ask what not for what sufferings can you think of that Christ did not suffer Christ suffered in his Birth and he suffered in his Life and he suffered in his Death he suffered in his Body for he was diversly tormented he suffered in his Soul for his Soul was heavy unto death he suffered in his Estate they parted his Rayment and he had not where to rest his head he suffered in his good Name for he was counted a Samaritan a Devillish Sorcerer a Wine-bibber an Enemy to Caesar c. He suffered from Heaven when he cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me He suffered from the Earth when being hungry the Fig-tree proved fruitless to him He suffered from Hell Satan assaulting and encountering of him with his most black and horrid temptations He began his life meanly and basely and was sharply persecuted He continued his life poorly and distressedly and was cruelly hated He ended his life wofully and miserably and was most grievously tormented with Whips Thorns Nails and above all with the terrors of his Fathers wrath and horrors of hellish agonies Ego sum qui peccavi I am the man that have sinned but these Sheep what have they done said David when he saw the Angel destroying his people 2 Sam. 24. 17. And the same speech may every one of us take up for our selves and apply to Christ and say I have sinned I have done wickedly but this Sheep what hath he done yea much more cause have we than David had to take up this complaint For First David saw them dye whom he knew to be Sinners but we see him dye who we knew knew no sin 2 Cor. 5. 21. But Secondly David saw them dye a quick speedy death we see him dye with lingering torments He was a dying from six to nine Math. 27. 45 46. Now in this three hours darkness he was set upon by all the powers of darkness with utmost might and malice but he foyled and spoiled them all and made an open shew of them as the Roman Conquerors used to do triumphing over them on his Cross as on his Chariot of State Col. 2. 15. attended by his vanquished Enemies with their hands bound behind them Ephe. 4. 8. But Thirdly David saw them dye who by their own confession was worth ten thousand of them we see him dye for us whose worth admitteth no comparison But Fourthly David saw the Lord of glory destroying mortal men and we see mortal men destroying the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2. 8. O how much more cause have we then to say as David I have sinned I have done wickedly but this Innocent Lamb the Lord Jesus what hath he done what hath he deserved that he should be thus greatly tormented Tully though a great Orator yet when he comes to speak of the death of the Cross he wants words to express it Quid dicam in crucem tollere What shall I say of this death saith he But Thirdly As the sufferings of Christ were very great so the punishments which Christ did suffer for our sins these were in their kinds and parts and degrees and proportion all those punishments which were due unto us by reason of our sins which we our selves should otherwise have suffered Whatsoever we should have suffered as Sinners all that did Christ suffer as our Surety and Mediator always excepting those punishments which could not be endured without a pollution and guilt of sinâ— The chasrisement of our peace was upon him Isa 53. 5. And including the punishments common to the nature of man not the personal arising out of imperfection and defect and distemper Now the punishments due to us for sin were corporal and spiritual And again they were the punishments of loss and of sense and all these did Christ suffer for us which I shall evidence by an induction of particulars First That Christ suffered corporal punishments is most clear in Scripture You read of the Injuries to his Person of the Crown of Throns on his Head of the smiting of his Cheeks of spitting on his Face of the scourging of his Body of the Cross on his Back of the Vinegar in his Mouth of the Nails in his Hands and Feet of the Spear in his Side and of his crucifying and dying on the Cross 1 Pet. 2. 24. Who himself in his own body on the Tree bare our sins 1 Cor. 15. 3. Christ dyed for our sins according to the Scriptures Rev. 1. 5. And washed us from our sins in his own Blood Col. 1. 14. In whom we have Redemption through his Blood even the forgiveness of sins Math. 26. 28. For this is my Blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins Christ suffered derision in every one of his Offices First In his Kingly Office They put a Scepter in his Hand a Crown on his Head and bowed their Knees saying Hail King of the Jews Matth. 27. 29. Secondly In his Priestly Office They put upon him a gorgeous white Robe such as the Priests wore Luk. 23. 11. Thirdly In his Prophetical Office When they had blindfolded him Prophesie say they who it is that smiteth thee Luk. 22. 64. Sometimes they said Thou art a Samaritan and hast a Devil Joh. 8. 48. And sometimes they said He is beside himself why hear ye him Mark 3. 21. And as Christ suffered in every one of his Offices so he suffered in every member of his Body in his Hearing by their reproaches and crying Crucifie him Crucifie him In his sight by their Scoffings and scornful gestures In his Smell in his being in that noysome place Gâ—lgotha Math. 27. 33. In his Tast by his tasting of Vinegar mingled with Gall which they gave him to drink Math. 27. 33. In his Feeling by the Thorns on his Head blows on his Cheeks spittle on his Face the Spear in his side and the Nails in his Hands he suffered in all parts and members of his body from head to foot His Head which deserved a better Crown than the best in
magnitude and multitude great drops and those so many so plentious as that they went through his Apparel and all streamed down to the ground and now was the time that his garments were dyed with crimson red that of the Prophet though spoken in another sense yet in some respect may be applyed to this Wherefore art thou red in thy Apparel and thy garments like him that treadeth the Wine-fat O what a sight was here his Isa 63. 2. head and members are all on a bloody sweat and this sweat trickles down bedecks his garments which stood like a new firmament studded with stars portending an approaching storm Nor stays it there but it falls down to the ground Oh happy garden that was watered with such tears of blood Oh how much better are these rivers than Abana and Pharpar rivers of Damasâ—us yea then Bernard all the waters of Israel yea than all those rivers that waters the Garden of Eden so great was Scanderbegs ardor in Battel that the blood burst out Bucholeer of his lips but from our Champions not lips only but whole body burst out a bloody sweat Not his eyes only were Fountains of tears or his head waters as Jeremy wished but his whole body was turned as it were into Jer. 9 1. Rivers of blood A sweet comfort to such as are cast down for that that their sorrow for sin is not so deep and soaking as they could desire Christs blood is put in Scripture by a Synecdoche of the part for all the sufferings which he underwent for the sins of the Elect especially his bloody death with all its concomitants so called First Because death especially when it is violent is joyned with the effusion of blood If we had lived in the days of our Fathers we would Math 23. 30. not have been partakers with them in the blood of the Prophets And so again Pilaâ—e said I am Innocent of the Math. 27. 24. blood of this just person that is of his death Secondly Herein respect is had to all the Sacrifices of the Law whose blood was poured out when they were offered up Hâ—b 9. 22. Almost all things are by the Law purged with blood and without shedding of blood there is no remission so that the blood of Christ is the Anti-type aimed at in the blood of those Sacrifices that were slain for Sinners sins But Secondly As the death of Christ on the Cross was a bitter death a bloody death so the death of Christ on the Cross was a lingring death It was more for Christ to suffer one hour than for us to have suffered for ever but his death was lengthened out he hung three hours on the Cross he dyed many deaths before he could dye one from the sixth hour till the nineth hour that is from twelve till three in the Afternoon there was darkness over Math. 27. 45. all the Land About twelve when the Sun is usually brightest it began now to darken And this darkness was so great that it spread over all Luk. 23. 44. the Land of Jewry yea some think over all the world so we translate it in Luke And there was darkness over all the Earth to shew Gods dislike of their horrid cruelty He would not have the Sun give light to so horrid an act the Sun as it were hid her face that she might not see the Sun of Righteousness so unworthily so wickedly handled It was dark 1. To shew the blindness darkness ignorance of the Jews in crucifying the Lord of glory 2. To shew the detestation of the fact 3. To shew the â—vileness of our sins This darkness was not a natural Eclipse of the Sun for first it cannot be so total so general Nor Secondly It could not be so long for the interposed Moon goeth swiftly away Certainly this was no ordinary Eclipse of the Sun seeing the Passover was kept at the full Moon when the Moon stands right opposite to the Sun on the other side of the Heaven and for this cause cannot hinder the light of Exod. 10. 12. the Sun but a supernatural work of God coming to pass by Miracle like as the darkness in Aegypt The Moon being now in the full it being the mid'st of the Lunar moneth when the Passover was killed and so of necessity the body of the Moon which useth to Eclipse the Sun by its interposition and being between us and the Sun must be opposite to and distant from the Sun the diametrical breadth of the Hemisphere the Full Moon ever rising Suid. in viâ—ae 5. Dion at the Suns setting and therefore this Eclipse could never be a natural Eclipse Many Gentiles besides Jews observed this darkness as a great Miracle Dionysius the Areopagite as suidas relates could say at first sight of it Amos 8. 9. Either the World is ending or the God of Nature is suffering of this darkness Amos long before had Prophesied And it shall come to pass in that day that I will cause the Sun to go down at Noon and I will darken the Earth in the clear day The opinion of Authors concerning the cause of this darkness are various some think that the Sun by Divine power withdrew and held back its beams others say that the obscurity was caused by some thick Clouds which were miraculously produced in the Ayre and spread themselves over all the Earth Others say that this darkness was by a wonderful interposition of the Moon which at that time was at full but by a Miracle interposed it self betwixt the Earth and Sun Whatsoever was the cause of this darkness it is certain that it continued for the space of three hours as dark as the darkest Winter Math. 27. 46. Nights About three which the Jews call the nineth hour the John 19. 28 30. Sun now beginning to receive his light Jesus cryed with a loud voice Eli Eli Lama sabachthani My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And then that the Scripture might be sulfilled he said I thirst and when he Luk. 23. 46. had received the Vinegar he said It is finished and at last crying with a loud voyce he said Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit and having said thus he gave up the Ghost Christs words were ever gracious but never more gracious than at this time You cannot find in all the books and writings of men in all the Annals and Records of time either such sufferings or such sayings as were these last words and wounds sayings John 19. 30. and sufferings of Jesus Christ And having said thus he gave up the ghost or as John relates it He bowed his head and gave up the ghost Christ would not off the Cross till all was done that was here to be done Christ Emisit nâ—n amisit Ambrose bowed not because he was dead but first he bowed and then dyed that is he dyed freely and willingly without constraint and
was heavy unto death beset with terrors as the word implies when he drank that bitter cup that cup of bitterness that cup mingled with curses which made him sweat drops of blood which if men or Angels had but sip'd of 't would have made them reel stagger and tumble into Hell The Soul of Christ was over-cast with a Cloud of Gods displeasure The Greek Church speaking of the sufferings of Christ calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unknown sufferings Ah Christians who can speak out this sorrow The spirit of a man will sustain Pâ—ov 18. 11. his infirmity but a wounded spirit who can bear Christs Soul is sorrowful but give me that word again his Soul is exceeding sorrowful but if that word be yet too low then I must tell you That his Soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death not only extensively such as must continue for the space of seventeen or eighteen hours even until death it self should finish it but also intensively such and so great as that which is used to be at the very point of death and such as were able to bring death it self had not Christ been reserved to a greater and heavier punishment of this sorrow is that especially spoken Behold Lament 1. 12. and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is done unto me wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger Many a sad and sorrowful Soul hath no question been in the world but the like sorrow to this was never since the Creation the very terms or phrases used by the Evangelists speaks no less He was sorrowful and heavy saith one amazed and very heavy saith another in an Agony saith a third in a Soul-trouble saith a fourth Certainly the bodily torments of the Cross were much inferior to the Agony of his Soul the pain of the body is the body of pain Oh but the very soul of sorrow is the Souls sorrow and the very soul of pain is the Souls pain Secondly That which Christ assumed or took of our nature he assumed to this end to suffer in it and by suffering to save and redeem it But he took the whole nature of man both body and soul ergo He suffered in both first the assumption is evident and needs no proof that Christ took upon him both our soul and body the Apostle assures us where he saith That in all things it became Heb. 2. 17. him to be like unto us therefore he had both body and soul as we have Secondly Concerning the proposition viz. That what Christ took of our nature He took it by suffering in it properly and immediatly to Redeem us Now this is evident by that blessed word where the Apostle saith Christ took part with them that he might destroy vers 14 15. through death him that had the power of death that is the Devil and deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage Hence I reason thus that wherein Christ delivered us he took part with us in but he delivered us from fear of death Ergo he did therein communicate with us Now marke This fear was the proper and immediate passion of the Soul namely the fear of death and God's anger And the Text giveth this sense Because the fear of this death kept them in bondage but the sear only of the bodily death doth not bring us into such bondage witness that Song of Zachery That we being delivered from the hands of our Enemies Luke 1. 74. should serve him without fear this then is a spiritual fear from the which Christ did deliver us Ergo He did communicate with us in this fear for the Apostle saith Heb. 2. 18. In that wherein he suffered and was tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted Certainly that fear which fell on Christ was a real fear and it was in his Soul and did not arise from the meer contemplation of bodily torments only for the very Martyrs in the encountering with them have feared little Assuredly there was some great matter that lay upon the very Soul of Christ which made him so heavy and sorrowsul and so afraid and in such an Agony But if you please take this second Argument in another form of words thus What Christ took of ours that He in suffering offered up for us for His assuming of our Nature was for this end to suffer for us in our Nature but he took our Nature in Body and in Soul and he delivered our souls as well as our bodys and the sins of our souls did need his Sacrifice as well as the sins of our bodys and our souls were Crucified with Christ as well as our bodys Mens mea in Christo Crucisixa est saith Ambrose Surely if our whole man was lost then our whole man did need the benefit and help of a whole Saviour and if Christ had assumed only our flesh our body then our souls adjudged adjudged to punishment had remained under transgression without hope of pardon Several sayings of the Ancients doth further strengthen this Argument take a tast of some Si totus homo periit totus benesiâ—io salvateris indiguit c. If the whole man perished August â—ont Feliâ—i n. c. 13. the whole man needed a Saviour Christ therefore took the whole man body and soul if he had taken only flesh the soul should remain addict to punishment of the first transgression without hope of pardon By the same reason Christ must also suffer properly in soul because not by taking our soul but by satisfying in his soul our soul is delivered Suscepit animum meam Suscepit corpus meum Ambrose Ambrose He took all our passions or affections to sanctifie them Damaâ—cene Hâ—b 5. 9. all in himself but Christ was Sanctified and Consecrated by his death and so doth he consecrate us For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Heb. 10. 14. Ergo By his offering of our soul and suffering in our soul hath he consecrated our soul and affections Suscepit affectum meum ut emanduret He took my affection to amend it c. Now he hath amended it in that he consecrated it by his offering Heb. 10. 14. Iâ—llud pro nobis suscepit quod in nobis amplius pâ—riclitabatur He hath taken that for us which was most in danger for us c. that is our soul as he expoundeth it de incarnat c. 7. But Christ hath not otherwise delivered us from the danger but by entring into the danger for us this danger of the soul is the fear and feeling of Gods wrath Thirdly Christ bore our sorrows Isa 53. 4. Now what sorrows should we bear but the sorrows due unto us for our sins and surely these were not corporal only but spiritual also and those did Christ bear in his soul The same Prophet saith ver 10. He shall make his soul
soul is his sufferings for it follows And he shall bear their Iniquities But Sixthly Christ gave himself for his peoples sins Gal. 1. 9. 6. Ephe. 5. 25. 1 Tim. 2. 6. Who gave himself for our sins Tit. 2. 14. Who gave himself for us that he might Redeem us from all Iniquities c. but the body only is not himself ergo The Apostle saith Phil. 2. 7. Christus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exinanivit Christ did empty or evacuate himself or as Tertullian expounds it Exhausit Teâ—tâ—llian Conâ—ra Marcian lib. 5. He drew out himself or was exhaust which agrees with the Prophesis of Daniel chap. 9. 26. Mâ—ssias shall have nothing being brought to nothing by his death without life strength esteem honour c. Hence we conclude that if Christ were exhaust upon the Cross if nothing was left him that he suffered in body and soul that there was no part within or without free from the Cross but all was emptied and poured out for our Redemption Again We read That Christ through the eternal Spirit Heb. 9. 14 offered himself to God Whatsoever was in Christ did either offer or was offered His eternal Spirit only did offer ergo His whole humane Nature both Body and Soul was offered Thus Origen witnesseth in these words Origen â—om 9 in Levit. Vide quo modo verus pontifex Jesus Christus adsumptâ— batillocarnis humanae c. See how our true Priest Jesus Christ taking the censor of his humane flesh putting to the fire of the Altar that is His magnificent Soul wherewith he was born in the flesh and adding Incense that is an immaculate Spirit stood in the middest between the living and the dead Thus you see that he makes Christs soul a part in the Sacrifice Seventhly and lastly Christs love unto man in suffering for him was in the highest degree and greatest measure that could be as the Lord saith What could I have done any more for my Vineyard that I have not done unto it But if Christ had given his Body only and not his Soul for us he had not done for us all he could and so his love should have been greatly empaired and diminished ergo He gave his Soul also together with his Body to be the full price of our Redemption and certainly the travail and labour of Christs Soul was most acceptable unto God Isa 53. 12. Therefore I will give him a Portion with Isa 35. 12. the great because he hath poured out his Soul unto death c. and bare the sins of many Doubtless the sufferings of Christ in his Soul together with his Body doth most fully and amply commend and set forth Gods great love to poor Sinners Before I close up this particular take a few Testimonies of the Fathers which do witness with us for the sufferings of Christ both in Soul and Body Christ hath taken off us that which he should offer as Ambrose de Incarnat c. 6. proper for us to Redeem us and whatsoever Christ took off us he offered ergo He offered Body and Soul for he took both Another upon these words My Soul is heavy saith Anima Concil Hispalens 2. c. 13. passionibus obnoxia divinitas libra His Soul was subject to passions his Divinity was free c. If nothing were free but his Divine Nature than his Soul was subject to the proper and immediate passions thereof Perspicuum est sicut corpus flagellatum ita animam verè Hierom in 35. cap. Isa doluisse c. It is evident that as his body was whipped so his Soul was verily and truly grieved lest some part of Christs sufferings should be true some part false ergo Christs Soul as properly and truly suffered as his Body the Soul had her proper grief as the Body had whipping the whipping then of the body was not the proper grief of the soul Whole Christ gave himself and whole Christ offered himself ergo He offered his soul not only to suffer by way of compassion with his body as it may be Fulgenâ—ius ad Thâ—aâ—maud lib. 3. answered but he offered it as a Sacrifice and suffered all passions whatsoever incident to the soul The same Author expounds himself further thus Because this God took whole man therefore he shewed in truth in himself the passions of whole man and having a reasonable soul what infirmities soever of the soul without sin he took and bare If Christ then did take and bare all the passions of the soul without sin then the proper and immediate grief and anguish thereof and not the compassion only with the body To these let me add the consent of the reformed Churches French Confes Christ did suffer Harm p. 59. Sect. 6. both in body and soul and was made like unto us in all things Sin only excepted Thomas granteth that Christ Secundum genus passus est 3. Par. qu 46. Artic. 5. omnem passionem humanam in general suffered all humane sufferings as in his soul heaviness fear c. Now the Testimonies of the Fathers and the consent of the reformed Churches affirming the same that Christ was Crucified in his soul and that he gave his soul a price of Redemption for our souls Who can then doubt of this but that Christ verily properly immediately suffered in his soul in all the proper passions thereof as he endured pains and torments in his flesh and if you please this may go for an eighth argument to prove that Christ suffered in his soul Secondly That the sufferings of Christ in his soul were very high and great and wonderful both as to the punishment of loss and as to the punishment of sense all which I shall make evident in these four particulars First That Jesus Christ did suffer dereliction of God really that he was indeed deserted †Forsaken 1. By denying of protection 2. By withdrawing of solace Non solvit unionem sed subtraxit visionâ—m Leo. The Union was not desolved but the beams the influence was restrained forsaken of God is most evident Math. 27. 46. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me But to prevent mistakes in this high point seriously consider 1. That I do not mean that there was nay such desertion of Christ by God as did desolve the union of the Natures in the person of Christ For Christ in all his sufferings still remained God and Man Nor 2. Do I mean an absolute desertion in respect of the presence of God For God was still present with Christ in all his sufferings and the God-head did support his Humanity in and under his sufferings but that which I mean is this That as to the sensible and comforting manifestations of Gods presence thus he was for a time left and forsaken of God God for a time had taken-away all sensible consolation and fâ—lt joy from Christs humane soul that so divine justice might in his sufferings be the more fully satisfied In this
of future deliverance and present support and 5. By denial of Protection and 6. By withdrawing of all solace and comfort Now it is foolish and impious to think that Christ was forsaken any of the first four ways for the unity of his person was never dissolved his graces were never either taken away or diminished neither was it possible that he should want Assurance of future deliverance and present support that was Eternal God and Lord of Life but the two last ways he may rightly be said to have been forsaken in that his Father denied to protect and keep him out of the hands of his cruel bloody and merciless Enemies no ways restraining them but suffering them to do the uttermost that their wicked hearts could imagine and left him to endure the extremity of their fury and malice and that nothing might be wanting to make his sorrows beyond measure sorrowful withdrew from him that solace and comfort that he was wont to find in God and removed far from him all things for a little time that might any way lessen and asswage the extremity of his pain Secondly That Jesus Christ did feel and suffer the wrath of God which was due unto us for our sins The Prophet Isa 53. 4. saith That he was plagued and smitten of God and ver 5. The chastisement of our peace was upon him To be plagued and smitten of God is to feel and suffer the stroak of his wrath And so to be chastified of God as to make peace with God or to appease him is so to suffer the wrath of God as to satisfie God and to remove it And truly how Christ should possibly escape the feeling of the wrath of God incensed against our sins he standing as a Surety for us with our sins laid upon him and for them fully to satisfie the justice of God is not Christianly or rationally imaginable And whereas some do object that Christ was always the beloved of his Father and therefore could never be the object of Gods wrath I answer By distinguishing of the person of Christ Sol. whom his Father always loved and as sustaining our sins and in our room standing to satisfie the justice of God and as so the wrath of God fell upon him and he bore it and so satisfied the justice of God that we thereby are now delivered from wrath through him So the Apostle Rom. 5. 9. Much more being justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath by him 1 Thes 1. 10. And to wait for his Son from Heaven whom he raised from the dead even Jesus which deliverod us from the wrath to come It is a groundless conceit of some learned heads who deny the cause of Christs Agony to be the drinking of that Cup of wrath that was given to him by his Father saying That the sight of it only and of the peril he saw we were in was the cause of his Agony for the Cup was not Joh. 18. 11. only shew'd unto him and the great wrath due to our sins set before him that he should see it and tremble at the apprehension of the danger we were in but it was poured not only on him but into him that he for the sins of his Redeemed Ones should suffer it sensibly and drink it that the bitterness thereof might affect all the powers of his soul and body for the Scripture do's sufficiently testifie that not only upon the sight and apprehension of this wrath and curse coming on him the holy humane Heb. 5. 7. Nature did holily abhor it but also that he submitted to receive it upon the consideration of the divine decree and Math. 26. 38 39 42 44. 1 Cor. 6. 20. cap. 7. 23. agreement made upon the price to be paid by him and that upon the feeling of this wrath this Agony in his soul and bloody sweat of his body was brought on But how could the pourings forth of the Fathers wrath upon Quest on his innocent and dear Son consist with his Fatherly love to him c Even as the innocency and holiness of Christ could well Answ consist with his taking upon him the punishment of our sins for even the wrath of a just man inflicting capital punishment on a condemned person put case it be his own Child can well consist with Fatherly affection towards his Child suffering punishment Did you never see a Father weep over such a Son that he has corrected most severely Did you never see a Judge shed tears for those very persons that he has Condemned There is no doubt but wrath and love can well consist in God in whom affections do not war one with another nor fight with reason as it often falls among men for the affections ascribed unto God are effects rather of his holy will towards us than properly called affections in him and these effects of Gods will about us do always tend to our happiness and blessedness at last how-ever they are diverse one from another in themselves Thirdly That Jesus Christ did feel and suffer the very torments of Hell though not after a Hellish manner I readily grant that Jesus Christ did not locally descend into Hell to suffer there amongst the damned neither did he suffer Hellish darkness nor the flames of Hell nor the Worm that never dyes nor final despair nor guilt of Conscience nor gnashing of teeth nor impatient indignation nor eternal separation from God these things were absolutely inconsistent with the holiness purity and dignity of his person and with the office of a Mediator and Redeemer But yet I say that our Lord Jesus Christ did suffer in his Soul for our sins such pain horror terror agony and consternation as amounted unto cruciatus infernales and are in Scripture called The sorrows of Hell The sorrows of Hell did compass me about or the Psal 18. 5. cords of Hell did compass me about such as wherewith they bind Malefactors when they are led forth to Execution Now these sorrows these cords of Hell were the things that extorted from him that passionate expostulation My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Math. 27. 46. Christs sufferings were unspeakable and somewhat answerable to the pains of Hell Hence the Greek Letany By thine unknown sufferings good Lord deliver us Funinus an Italian Martyr being asked by one why he was so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. and Mon. fol. 853. merry at his death sith Christ himself was so sorrowful Christ said he sustained in his soul all the sorrows and conflicts with Hell and death due to us by whose sufferings we are delivered from sorrow and the fear of them all It was a great saying of a very learned man that setting Iniquity and Eternity of punishment aside which Christ might not sustain Christ did more vehemently and sharply feel the wrath of God then ever any man did or shall no not any person reprobated and damned excepted and certainly the reason annexed
High-Court of the Jews But The third kind of secret Murder is an open reviling and reproaching of a Brother in these words But whosoever shall say thou Fool shall be in danger of Hell-fire Thou Fool this is a word of greater disgrace than the former 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies unsavory or without rellish a Fool here is by a metaphor called insipid Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sote which we call Sot shall be in danger of Hell-fire or to be cast into Gehenna Gehenna comes from the Hebrew word Gettinnom that is the Valley of Hinnom lying near the City of Jerusalem in which Valley in former times the Itolatrous Josh 15. 8. Jews caused their Children to be burned alive between the glowing arms of the brazen Image of Moloch imitating vide 2. King 23 10. Jer. 7. 31. Jer. 32. 35. Jer. 19. 4 5 6. the Abominations of the Heathen And hence the Scripture often makes use of that word to signifie the place of eternal punishment where the damned must abide under the wrath of God for ever There were four kinds of punishments exercised among the Jews First Stranglings 2. The Sword 3. Stoning 4. The Fire Now this last they always judged the worst as Beza affirms upon this very place In these words Shall be in danger of Hell-fire Christ alludes to the great Sanhedrim and the highest degree of punishment that was inflicted by them namely to be burned in the Valley of Hinnom which by a known Metaphor is transferred to Hell it self and the inexpressible torments thereof For as those poor wretches being inclosed in a brazen Idol-heat with fire were miserably tormented in this Valley of Hinnom So the wicked being cast into Hell the Prison of the damn'd shall be eternally tormented in unquenchable fire This Valley of Hinnom by reason of the pollution of it with slaughter blood and stencth of Carkasses did become so execrable that Hell it self did afterwards inherit the same Name and was called Gehenna of this very place And that 1. In respect of the hollowness and depth thereof being a low and deep Valley 2. This Valley of Hinnom was a place of misery in regard of those many slaughters that were committed in it through their barbarous Idolatry So Hell is a place of misery and infelicity wherein there is nothing but sorrow 3. Thirdly By the bitter and lamentable crys of poor Infants in this Valley is shadowed out the crys and lamentable torments of the damned in Hell 4. In this Valley of Hinnom was another fire which was kept continually burning for the consuming of dead Carkasses and filth and the garbidge that came out of the City Now our Saviour by the fire of Gehenna in this Mat. 5. 22. hath reference principally to this fire signifying hereby the perpetuity and everlastingness of Hellish pains To this last judgment of the Sanhedrim viz. Burning Doth Christ appropriate that kind of Murder which is by open reviling of a Brother that he might notifie the heynousness of this sin marke in this Scripture Judgment Councel and Hell fire do but signifie three degrees of the same punishment c. See also Matth. 5. 29 30. And if thy right Eye offend thee pluck it out and cast it from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy Members should perish and not that thy whole body should be cast into Hell And if thy right hand offend thee cut it off and cast it from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy Members should perish and not that thy whole body should be cast into Hell-fire Julian taking these commands literally mockt at Christian Religion as foolish cruel and vain because they require men to maim their members He mockt at Christians because no man did it and he mockt at Christ because no man obeyed him but this Apostate might have seen from the scope that these words were not to be taken literally but figuratively Some of the Antients by the right hand and the right eye do understand Relations Friends or any other dear enjoyments which draws the heart from God Others of them by the right eye and the right hand do understand such darling sins that are as dear to men as their right eyes and right hands That this Hell here spoken of is not meant of the Grave into which the body shall be laid is most evident because those Christians who do pull out their right eyes and cut off their right hands that is mortifie those special sins which are as dear and near to them as the very members of their bodies shall be secured and delivered from this Hell whereas none shall be exempted from the Grave though they are the choycest persons on Earth for grace and holiness Death like the Duke of Parma's Sword knows no difference twixt Robes and Raggs twixt Prince and Peasant All flesh is grass The Isa 40. 6. flesh of Princes Nobles Counsellors Generals c. is grass as well as the flesh of the meanest Beggar that walks the Streets The mortal Sythe saith one is master Hâ—rat l. 1. Oct. 28. of the Royal Scepter it mows down the Lillies of the Crown as well as the Grass of the Field Never was there Oratour so Eloquent nor Monarch so Potent that could either Dâ—aths Motto is Nulli cedo perswade or withstand the stroak of death when it came It is one of Solomons sacred Aphorisms The Rich and the Poor meet together somtimes in the same Bed somtimes Prov. 22. 2. at the same Board and somtimes in the same Grave Death is the common Inne of all Man-kind There is no defence against the stroak of death nor no discharge in that Hâ—b 9. 27. Eccles 8. 8. War Death is that only King against whom there is no rising up If your Houses be fired by good help they Prov. 30. 31. may be quenched if the Sea break out by art and industry it may be repaired If Princes Invade by power and policy they may be repulsed If Devils from Hell shall tempt by assistance from Heaven they may be resisted But Death comes into Royal Pallaces and into the meanest Cottages and there is not a man to be found that can make resistance against this King of terrors and terrour of Kings Deaths Motto is Nemini parco I spare none Thus you see that by Hell in Math. 5. 29 30. You may not you cannot understand the Grave and therefore by it you must understand the place of the damned But if you please you may cast your eye upon another Scripture viz. Math. 10. 28. Fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell The word rather is not a comparative but an adversative We should not fear man at all when he stands in competition with God So Victorian the Pro-Consul of Carthage being sollicited to Arrianism
accordingly pouring down on his head the whole curse and all those dreadful punishments which are threatened in it against sin for the curse followeth sin as the shadow the body whether it be sin inherent or sin imputed even as the blessing follows righteousness whether it be righteousness inherent or righteousness imputed But Fifthly He that did feel and suffer the very torments of Hell though not after a hellish manner was God-man Christ participates of both natures being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God and man God-man such a Mediator sinners needed no Mediator but such a one who hath interest in both parties could serve their turns or save their souls and such a one is the Lord Jesus he hath an interest in both parties and he has an interest in both natures the God-head and the man hood The blessed Scriptures are so express and clear in these points that they must shut their eyes with a witness against the light that can't see Christ to be God man to be God and man I shall first speak something of Christ as he is God Now here are fathomless depths and bottomless 1 Pet. 1. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word signifies to look wishly and intently as the Cherâ—biâ—â—s of old look'd into the Mercy-Seat Exod. 25. 18 19 It signifie prying into a thing over-veiled and hidden from â—ight to look as we say wishly at it as if we would look even through it bottoms if I may so speak here are stupendious and amazing mysteries astonishing and confounding excellencies such as the holy Angels themselves desire to pry into God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dwelling in accessible light 1 Tim. 6. 16. Here are such beauties and perfections that had I as the Poet speaks a hundred tongues a hundred mouths and a voice of steel yet I could not sufficiently describe them Nevertheless give me lieve to say something concerning our Lord Jesus Christ who is one eternal God with the Father and with the Holy Ghost I might produce a cloud of witnesses in the case but it is enough that we have the Authority of the sacred Scriptures both in the Old and New Testament confirming of it and therefore I shall lay down some proofs or demonstrations of the eternal Godhead of Christ which I shall draw out of the blessed Scripture This is a point of high concernment that Christ is God so high as whosoever buildeth not upon this buildeth upon the Sands This is the rock of our Salvation The word was God Concerning John 1. 1. this important point consider First That the Godhead of Christ is clearly asserted and manifested both in the Old and New Testament Take a taste of some of those many Scriptures which might be cited Isa 43. 10. 11 12. That ye may know Compare these Scriptures of the Old Testament with these in the New Heb. 1. 2 3. 1 John 1. 7. Aâ—s 4. 12. Eph. 4. 8. Râ—m 9. 30. Jer. 33. 23. Psal 6. 68 18 19 20. and believe and understand that I am he I even I am Jehovah and besides me there is no Saviour And Isa 41. 21. 22 23 24 25. There is no God else besides me A just God and Saviour there is none besides me Look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth for I am God and there is none else To me every knee shall bow In Jehovah have I righteousness In Jehovah shall the seed of Israel be justified Compare this with Rom. 14. 10 11. And the Socinians may as safely conclude that there is no other God but Jesus Christ as they may conclude that there is no God but God the Father from the seventeenth of John But they and we ought to conclude from these Scriptures that Jesus Christ is not a different God from the Father but is one and the same God with him so he is called The mighty God The everlasting Father Isa 9. 6. Take a few clear places out of the New Testament as that in Rom. 9. 5. Of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came who is over all God blessed for ever more Christ is here himself called God blessed for ever So Tit. 2. 13. Looking for that hope and the glorious appearance of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Who is it that shall appear at the last day in the clouds but Christ who is called the great God and our Saviour God blessed for ever saith Paul to the Romans The great God saith Paul to Titus 1 John 5. 20. And we know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ This is the true God and eternal life Phil. 2. 6. He was in the form of God and thought it no robbery to be equal with God And Coloss 2. 9. In him dwelleth the fulness of the Godhead bodily John 20. 28. My Lord and my God 1 Tim. 3. 16. God manifested in the flesh To which of Heb. 1. 1. the Saints or Angels did God say at any time thou art my Son The Heir of all things the illustrious brightness of my Glory and lively character of my person Thy Throne oh God is for ever and ever and all the Angels of God shall worship thee Certainly he who is Gods own proper natural consubstantial coessential only begotten Son he is God where ever this Sonship is there 's the Deity or the Divine Essence Now Christ is thus Gods son therefore he is God What the Father is as to his nature that the Son must also be now the first person the Father of Christ is God whereupon he too who is the Son must be God also A Son always participates of his Fathers essence there is betwixt them evermore an Identity and oneness of nature if therefore Christ be Gods Son as is most evident throughout the Scripture he is then he must needs have that very nature and essence which God the Father hath insomuch that if the second person be not really a God the first person is but equivocally a Father These Scriptures out of the Old and New Testament are so evident and pregnant to prove the Godhead of Christ that they need no illustration yea they speak so fully for the Divinity of Christ that all the Arians and Socinians in the world do but in vain go about to elude them But Secondly Let us ponder seriously upon these Scriptures John 3. 13. And no man hath ascended up to Heaven but he that came down from Heaven even the Son of man which is in Heaven v. 31. He that cometh from above is above all he that cometh from Heaven is above all John 8. 23. Ye are from beneath I am from above John 16. 28. I came forth from the Father and am come into the world and again I leave the world and go to the Father Now from these blessed Scriptures we may
As man he was wonderfully born of a Virgin called therefore Mat. 1. 23. by a peculiar name Shiloh which signifieth a secundine or after-birth Gen. 49. 19. The word comes of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies tranquillum esse intimating that Christ is he who hath brought us peace and tranquility and that he might be our peace-maker it was necessary that he should be Shiloh born of the sanctified seed of a woman without the seed of man The Apostle expounds the name where Gal. 4. 4. he saith of Christ that he was made of a woman not of a man and woman both but of a woman alone without a man Christ as man was foretold of by the Prophets and by sundry Types Christ as man was attended upon at his birth by holy Angels and a peculiar star was created Luk. 2. 13 14. Mat. 2. 1 2. for him Christ as man was our sacrifice and expiation he was our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a counterprice such as we could never have paid but must have remained and even rotted in the prison of hell for ever Christ as man was Maâ— 1. 18. Act. 1. 9 10. Câ—l 11. 3. 1. conceived of the holy Ghost Christ as man is ascended into heaven Christ as man sits at the right hand of God Now what do all these things import but that Jesus Christ is a very precious and most excellent person and that even according to his manhood Christ had the true properties affections and actions of man He was conceived born circumcised he did hunger thirst he was cloathed he did eat drink sleep hear see touch speak sigh groan weep and grow in wisdom and stature c. as all the four Evangelists do abundantly testifie But because this is a point of grand importance especially in these days wherein there are risen up so many deceivers in the midst of us it may not be amiss to consider of these following particulars First of those special Scriptures that speak out the certainty and verity of Christ's body John 1. 14. And the word was made flesh 1 Tim. 3. 16. without controversie great is the Mystery of godliness God manifested in the flesh Christ is one and the same begotten of the father without time the son of God without mother and born of the Virgin in time the son of man without father the natural and consubstantial son of both and Oh what a great mystery is this Heb. 2 14. 16. For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood he also himself likewise took part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the devil For verily he took not on him the nature of angels but he took on him the seed of Abraham according to the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He assumed caught laid hold on as the Angels did on Lot Gen. 19. 16. Maâ— 14. 31. or as Christ did on Peter or as men use to do upon a thing they are glad they have got and are loath to let go again Oh Sirs this is a main pillar of our comfort that Christ took our flesh for if he had not taken our flesh we could never have been saved by him Rom. 1. 3. Concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh Rom. 9. 5. Whose are the fathers and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came who is over â—ll God blessed for ever Amen This is a greater honour to all mankind than if the greatest King in the world â—hould marry into some poor family of his Subjects Christ saith my flesh is meat indeed and I say his flesh was flesh indeed as true real proper very flesh as that which any of us carry about with us Col. 1. 22. In the body of his flesh through death Heb. 10. 5. wherefore when he cometh into the world he saith sacrifice and offering thou wouldst 〈◊〉 but a body hast thou prepared we 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 'T is a Metaphor taken from Mechanicks who do artificially fit one part of their work to another and so finish the whole God fitted his Son's body to be joyned with the Deity and to be an expiatory sacrifice for sin 1 Pet. 2. 24. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree c. The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 himself hath a great Emphasis and therefore that Evangelical Prophet Isaiah mentions it no less than five times in that Isa 53. v. 4 5 7 11 12. Christ had none to help or uphold him under the heavy burden Isa 63. 3. v. of our sins and his father's wrath It is most certain that in the work of man's Redemption Christ had no coadjutor He who did bear our sins that is the punishments that were due to our sins in his own body on the Tree he did assume flesh cast into the very mould and form of our bodies having the same several parts members lineaments the same proportion which they have Christ's body was no spectrum or phantasm no putative body as if it had no being but what was in appearance and from imagination as the Marcionites Manicheâ—s and other hereticks of old affirmed and as some men of corrupt minds do assert in our days but as real as solid a body as ever any was And therefore the Apostle calls it a body of flesh a body to shew the Organization of it and a Câ—los 1. 22. body of flesh to shew the reality of it in opposition to all aerial and imaginary bodies Christ's body had all the essential properties of a true body such as are organicalness extension local presence confinement circumscription penetrability visibility palpability c. as all the Evangelists do abundantly witness take a few instances for all Luk. 24 39. Behold my hands and my feet that it is I my self handle me and see for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have Christ here admits of the testimony of their own senses to assure them that it was no vision or spirit but a true and real body risen from the dead which they now saw certainly whatever is essential to a true glorified body that is yet in Christ's body Those stamps of dishonour that the Jews had set upon Christ by wicked hands those he retained after his resurrection partly for the confirmation of his Apostles and partly to work us to a willingness and resoluteness to suffer for him when we are called to it 1 John 1. 1. That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life He alludes to the Sermons which he and the other Apostles heard from Christ's own mouth and also to the glorious testimony which the father gave once and again from heaven to Christ he alludes also to the miracles
3. 13. 15. He 's called the man Christ Jesus 1 Tim. 2. 5. 1 Cor. 15. 21. Since by man came death by man came also the resurrection of the dead God's justice would be satisfied in the same nature that had sinned 16. God's son made of a woman Gal. 4. 4. 17 Man 1 Tim. 2. 5. The man Christ Jesus 18. The son of David Mat. 1. 1. Mar. 12. 35. How say the Scribes that Christ is the son of David In that the Scribes and Pharisees knew and acknowledged according to the Scripture that Christ should be the son of David that is should be born and descend of the stock and posterity of David according to the flesh Hence we may easily gather the truth of Christ's humane nature that he was ordained of God to be true man as well as God in one and the same person for else he could not be the son of David Now that he must be the son of David even the Scribes and the Pharisees knew and acknowledged as we see here and this was a truth which they had learned out of the Scriptures and not only they but even the common sort of Jews in our Saviour's time John 7. 42. some of the common people spake thus Hath not the scripture said that Christ cometh of the seed of David and the Messiah was then commonly called the son Rom. 1. 3. of David so then Christ being of the seed of David after the flesh he must needs be true man as well as God for which cause he was incarnate in the due time appointed of God that is to say he being the son of God from everlasting did in time become man taking our nature upon him together with the infirmities of our nature sin only excepted John 1. 14. Now thus you see that the 18 denominations that are given to Christ in the blessed Scriptures do abundantly demonstrate the certainty of Christ's humane nature But Thirdly Christ took the whole humane nature he was truly and compleatly man consisting of flesh and spirit body and soul yea that he assumed the entire humane nature with whatever is proper to it Christ took to himself the whole humane nature in both the essential parts of man soul and body the two essential and constitutive parts of man are soul and body where these two are there 's the true man now Christ had both and therefore he was true man First Christ had a true humane and reasonable soul the reasonable soul is the highest and noblest part of man this is that which principally makes the man and hath the greatest influence into his being and essence if therefore Jesus Christ had only a humane body without a humane soul he had wanted that part which is most essential to man and so he could not have been looked upon as true and perfect man O Sirs Christ redeemed and saved nothing but what he assumed the redemption and salvation reach no farther than the assumption our soul then would have been never the better for Christ had he not taken that as well as our body Hence said Augustine Aug de civ Dei lib. 10. c. 27. p. 586 Therefore he took the whole man without sin that he might heal the whole of which man consists of the plague of sin And Fulgentius to the same purpose As Fulgent ad Thrasymund lib. 1. p. 251. the Devil smote by deceiving the whole man so God saves by assuming the whole man If he will save the whole man from sin he will assume the whole man without sin saith Nazianzen The Scriptures do clearly evidence that Christ had a real humane soul Mat. 26. 38. My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death every word is emphatical my soul his sorrows pierced his soul Psal 22. 16. and sorrowful round about even to death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is heavy round about Look as the soul was the first Agent in transgression so it is here the first Patient in affliction to death that is this sorrow will never be finished or intermitted but by death My soul is exceeding sorrowful then Christ had a true humane soul neither was his Deity to him for a soul as of old men of corrupt minds have fancied for then our bodies only had been redeemed by him and not our souls if he had not suffered in soul as well as in body The sufferings of his body were but the body of his sufferings the soul of his sufferings were the sufferings of his soul which was now beset with sorrows and heavy as heart could hold John 12. 27. Now is my soul troubled and what shall I say The Greek word signifies a vehement commotion and perturbation as Herod's mind was troubled when he Mat. 2. 3. heard that a new King was born or as the Disciples were Mat. 14. 26. troubled when they thought they saw a spirit walking on the sea and cryed out for fear or as Zachary was troubled Luk. 1. 12. at the sudden sight of the Angel The rise and cause of Christ's soul-trouble was this the Godhead hiding it self from the humanitie's sense and the father letting out not only an apprehension of his sufferings to come but a present taste of the horrour of his wrath due to man for sin he is amazed overwhelmed and perplexed with it in his humanity and no wonder since he had the sins of all the Elect laid upon him by imputation to suffer for And so this wrath is not let out against his person but against their sins which were laid on him Now though Christ was here troubled or jumbled and puzzled as the word imports yet we are not to conceive that there was any sin in this exercise of his for he was like clean water in a clean vessel which being never so often stirred and shaken yet still keeps clean and clear neither are we to think it strange that the son of God should be put to such perplexities in this trouble as not to know what to say for considering him as man encompassed with our sinless infirmities and that this heavy weight of wrath did light upon him on a sudden it is no wonder that it did confound all his thoughts as man O Sirs look that as sin hath infected both the souls and bodies of the Elect and chiefly their souls where it hath its chief seat so Christ to expiate this sin did suffer unspeakable sorrows and trouble in his soul as well as torture in his body for my soul is troubled saith he Though some sufferings of the body be very exquisite and painful and Christ's in particular were such yet sad trouble of mind is far more grievous than any bodily distress as Christ also found who silently bare all his outward troubles but yet could not but cry out of his inward trouble Now is my soul troubled Isa 53. 10. Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin when Christ suffered for us our sins were laid upon
one only Mediator betwixt Isa 63. 3. I confess the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is given to Moses in that Gal. 3. 19. but Moses was but a typical Mediator and you never find that Moses is called a Mediator in a way of redemption or satisfaction or paying a Ransom for so dear Jesus is the only Mediator so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 us used in that 1 Tim. 2. 5. Heb. 8. 6 7. 8. Heb. 9. 14 15. Heb. 12. 22 23 24. God and men and 't is as high folly and madness to make more Mediators than one as 't is to make more Gods than one There is one God and one mediator betwixt God and men for look as one husband satisfies the wife as one father satisfies the child as one Lord satisfies the servant and on sun satisfies the world so one Mediator is enough to satisfie all the world that desire a Mediator or that have an interest in a Mediator The true sence and import of this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Mediator is a middle person or one that interposes betwixt two parties at variance to make peace betwixt them Though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Mediator be rendred variously sometimes an Umpiere or Arbitrator sometimes a messenger betwixt two persons sometimes an interpretor imparting the mind of one to another sometimes a reconciler or peace-maker yet this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth most properly signifie a Mediator or a midler because Jesus Christ is both a middle person and a middle officer betwixt God and man to reconcile and reunite God and man This of all others is the most proper and genuine signification of this name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jesus Christ is the middle that is the second person in the Trinity betwixt the Father and the Holy Ghost He is the only middle person betwixt God and man being in one person God-man and his being a middle person fits and capacitates him to stand in the midst between God and us And as he is the middle person so he is the middle officer intervening or interposing or coming between God and man by office satisfying God's justice to the full for man's sins by his sufferings and death and maintaining our constant peace in heaven by his meritorious intercession Hence as one observes Jesus Christ is Gerhard a true Mediator is still found in medio in the middle He was born as some think from Wisd 18. 14. about the middle of the night he suffered in the middle of the world that is at Jerusalem seated in the middle of the Heb. 11. 12. earth he was crucified in the midst between the two John 19. 18. thieves he died in the air on the cross in the midst between heaven and earth he stood after his Resurrection John 20. 19. in the midst of his Disciples and he has promised that where two or three are gathered together in his name he Mat. 18. 20. will be in the midst of them and he walks in the midst Rev. 2. 1. of the seven golden candle-sticks that is the Churches And he as the heart in the midst of the body distributes Ephe. 4. 15 16. spirits and vertue to all the parts of his mystical body Thus Jesus Christ is the Mediator betwixt God and man middle in person and middle in office And thus you have seen at large what a meet Mediator Jesus Christ is considered in both his natures considered as God-man But Secondly If Jesus Christ be not God then there is no spiritual nor eternal good to be expected or enjoyed If Christ be not God our preaching is in vain and your hearing is in vain and your praying is in vain and your believing is in vain and your hope of pardon and forgivness by Jesus Christ is in vain for none can forgive sins but a God Mark 2. 7. John 3. 16. John 10. 28. 2 Tim. 4. 8. James 1. 12. 1 Pet. 5. 4. v. Rev. 3. 21. Rev. 2. 11. Christ hath promised that believers shall never perish he hath promised them eternal life and that he will raise them up at the last day he has promised a Crown of Righteousness he has promised a Crown of Life he has promised a Crown of glory he has promised that conquering Christians shall sit down with him in his throne as he is set down with his father in his throne He has promised that they shall not be hurt of the second death And a thousand other good things Jesus Christ has promised but if Jesus Christ be not God how shall these promises be made good If a man that hath never a foot of Land in England nor yet worth one groat in all the world shall make his will and bequeath to thee such and such houses and Lands and Lordships in such a County or such a County and shall by Will give thee so much in Plate and so much in Jewels and so much in ready money whereas he is not upon any account worth one penny in all the world certainly such Legacies will never make a man the richer nor the happier None of those great and precious promises which are hinted at above will signifie any thing if Christ be not God for they can neither refresh us nor chear us in this world nor make us happy in that other world If Christ be not God how can he purchase our pardon procure our peace pacifie divine wrath and satisfie infinite justice A man may satisfie the justice of man but who but a God can satisfie the justice of God will God accept of thousands of Micah 6. 7. Rams or ten thousands of Rivers of Oyl or the first-born of thy body for the sin of thy soul Oh? No he will not he cannot that Scripture is worthy to be written in letters of Gold Acts 20. 28. Take heed therefore unto your selves and to all the flock over the which the holy Ghost hath made you over-seers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood This must needs relate to Christ and Christ is here called God and Christ's blood is called the blood of God and without a peradventure Christ could never have gone through with the purchase of the Church if the blood he shed had not been the blood of God This blood is called God's own blood because the son of God being and remaining true God assumed humane flesh and blood in unity of person by this phrase that which appertaineth to the humanity of Christ is attributed to his Divinity because of the union of the two natures in one person and communion of properties The Church is to Christ a bloody Spouse an Acheldama or field of blood for the could not be redeemed with silver and gold but with 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. the blood of God so it is called by a communication of properties to set forth the incomparable value and vertue thereof But Thirdly if
Look as he must be more than man that he may be able to suffer that his sufferings may be meritorious so he must be man that he may be in a capacity to suffer die and obey for these are no work for one who is only God A God only cannot suffer a man only cannot merit God cannot obey man is bound to obey wherefore Christ that he might obey and suffer he was man and that he might merit by his obedience and suffering he was God-man just such a person did the work of Redemption call for That Christ's merits might be sufficient he must be God for sufficient merit for Mankind could not be in the person of any mere man no not in Christ himself considered only as man for so all the grace he had he did receive it and all the good he did he was bound to do it for he was made of a woman and made under the Law not only Gal. 4. 4. under the Ceremonial Law as he was a Jew but under the Moral as a man for it is under that Law under which we were and from which we are redeemed therefore Gal. 3. 13. in fulfilling it he did no more than that which was his duty to do he could not merit by it no not for himself much less for others considered only as man therefore he must also be God that the dignity of his person might add dignity and vertue and value to his works in a word Deus potuit sed non debuit homo debuit sed non potuit God could but he should not man should but he could not make satisfaction therefore he that would do it must be both God and man Torris erutus ab igne as the Prophet speaketh Is not this a fire-brand taken out of the fire you know that in a fire-brand taken out of the fire there is fire and wood inseparably mixed and in Christ there is God and man wonderfully united He was God else neither his sufferings nor his merits could have been sufficient and if his could not much less any man 's else for all other men are both conceived and born in Original sin and also much and often defiled with actual sin and therefore we ought for ever to abhor all such popish Doctrines Prayers and Masses for the dead which exalt mans merits man's satisfaction For no man can by Psal 49. 7. 8. v. any means redeem his brother nor give to God a ransom for him for the redemption of their soul is precious and it ceaseth for ever And therefore all the money that hath been given for Masses Dirges Trentals c. hath been cast away for Jesus Christ who is God-man is the only Redeemer and in the other world money beareth no mastery Let me make a few inferences from what has been said and therefore First is it so that Christ is God-man that he is God 1. 1 Pet. 1. 21. and man then let this raise our faith and strengthen our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ faith is built on God Now Jesus Christ is very God and therefore the fittest foundation in the world for us to build our faith upon God manifest in the flesh is a firm basis for faith and comfort Heb. 7. 25. ad plenum saith Erasmus ad perfectum say others He is able to save to the uttermost Christ is a thorow Saviour he saves perfectly and he saves perpetually he never carries on Redemption-work by halves Christ being God as well as man is able by the power of his Godhead to vanquish Death Devils Hell and all the enemies of our Salvation and by the power of his Godhead is able to merit pardon of sin the favour of God the heavenly inheritance and all the glory of the other world for this dignity of his person addeth vertue and Acts 20. 28. efficacy to his death and sufferings in that he that suffered and died was very God therefore God is said to have purchased the Church with his own blood Christ having suffered in our nature which he took upon him that is in his humane soul and body the wrath of God the curse and all the punishments which were due to our sins hath paid the price of our Redemption pacified divine wrath and satisfied divine Justice in the very same nature in which we have sinned and provoked the holy one of Israel so that now all believers may triumphingly say There is no condemnation to us that are in Râ—m 8. 1. v. Christ Jesus Christ having in our nature suffered the whole curse and punishment due to our sins God cannot in justice but accept of his sufferings as a full and compleat satisfaction 1 John 1. 7 9. for all our sins so that now there remaineth no more curse or punishment properly so called for us to suffer either in our souls or bodies either in this life or in the life to come but we are certainly and fully delivered from all not only from the eternal curse and all the punishments and torments of Hell but also from the curse and sting of bodily death and from all afflictions as they are 1 Cor. 15. 55 56. curses and punishments of sin that Jesus who is God-man hath changed the nature of them to us so that of bitter curses and heavy punishments they are become fatherly chastisements the fruits of divine love and the Heb. 12. 5 6 7. Rev. 3. 19. promoters of the internal and eternal good of our souls Oh! how should these things strengthen our faith in dear Jesus and work us to lean and stay our weary souls wholly and only upon him who is God-man and who of God 1 Cor. 1. 30. is made unto us wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption Among the Evangelists we find that Christ had a threefold entertainment among the sons of men some received him into house not into heart as Simon Luk. 7. 44. the Pharisee who gave him no kiss nor water to his feet some neither into heart nor house as the graceless Mat. 8. 34. swinish Gergesites who had neither civility nor honesty some both into house and heart as Lazarus Mary Martha John 11. 16. c. certainly that Jesus who is God-man deserves the best room in all our souls and the uppermost seat in all our hearts But Secondly If Jesus Christ be God-man very God and very man then what high cause have we to observe admire wonder and even stand amazed at the transcendent love of Christ in becoming man Oh! the firstness the freeness the unchangeableness the greatness the matchlesness of Christ's love to fallen man in becoming man men many times shew their love to one another by hanging up one another's pictures in their families but ah what love did Christ shew when he took our nature upon him Heb. 2. 16. For verily he took not on him the nature of Angels but he took on him the seed of Abraham 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he assumed apprehended caught laid hold on the seed of Abraham as the Angel did on Lot as Christ Gen. 19. 16. did on Peter or as men do upon a thing they are glad Mat. 14. 31. they have got and are loath to lâ—t go again Oh sirs it is a main ground and pillar of our comfort and confidence that Jesus Christ took our flesh for if he had not took our flesh upon him we could never have been saved by him Christ took not a part but the whole nature of man that is a true humane soul and body together with all the essential properties and faculties of both that in man's nature he might die and suffer the wrath of God and whole curse due to our sins which otherwise Heb. 2. 14. being God only he could never have done and that he might satisfie divine justice for sin in the same nature that had sinned and indeed it was most meet and fit that the Mediator who was to reconcile God and man should partake in the natures of both parties to be reconciled Oh what matchless love was this that made our dear Lord Jesus to lay by for a time all that glory that he John 17. 5. had with the father before the world was and to assume our nature and to be found in fashion as a man to see Phil. 2. 8. the great God in the form of a servant or hanging upon the Cross how wonderful and astonishing was it to all that believed him to be God-man God manifested in 1 Tim. 3. 16. 1 Pet. 1. 11. our flesh is an amazing mystery a mystery fit for the speculation of Angels that the eternal God should become 1 Tim. 2. 5. the man Christ Jesus that a most glorious Creator should Dan. 7. 9 13 22. Mat. 2. 11. become a poor creature that the Ancient of days should become an Infant of days that the most high should stoop so low as to dwell in a body of flesh is a glorious mystery that transcends all humane understanding It would have seemed a high blasphemy for us to have thought of such a thing or to have desired such a thing or to have spoken of such a thing if God in his everlasting Gospel had not reveiled such a thing to us Among the Romish Priests Friars Jesuits they count it a great demonstration of love an high honour that is done to any of their orders when any Noble man or great Prince who is weary of the world and the world weary of him comes among them and takes any of their habits upon him and lives and dies in their habits Oh what a demonstration of Christ's love is it and what a mighty honour hath Jesus Christ put upon mankind in that he took our nature upon him in that he lived in our nature and died in our nature and rose in our nature and ascended in our nature and now sits at his fathers right hand in Acts 1. 10 11. our nature Though Jacob's love to Rachel and Jonathan's love to David and David's love to Absolom and the primitive Christians love to one another was strong very strong yet Christ's love in taking our humane nature upon him does infinitely transcend all their loves I think Bern. sup cant ser 20. saith one speaking of Christ he cannot despise me who is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh â— for if he neglect me as a Brother yet he will love me as a husband that 's my comfort Oh my Saviour saith one didst thou Hierom. die for love of me a love more dolorous than death but to me a death more lovely than love it self I cannot live love and be longer from thee I read in Josephus that when J. s Bel. Jud. l. 1. c. 8. Herod Antipater was accused to Julius Caesar as no good friend of his he made no other Apology but stripping himself stark naked shewed Caesar his wounds and said let me hold my tongue these wounds will speak for me how I have loved Caesar ah my friends Christ's wounds in our nature speak out the admirable love of Jesus Christ to us and Oh how should this love of his draw out our love to Christ inflame our love to that Jesus who is God-man blessed for ever Mr. Welch a Suffolk-minister weeping at table being asked the reason said it was because he could love Christ no more ah what reason have we to weep and weep again and again that we can love that Jesus no more who hath shewed such unparalelled love to us in assuming of the humane nature Et ipsam animam odio haberem si non diligeret meum Jesum I must hate my very soul if it should not love my Jesus saith Bernard ah what cause have we given to hate our selves because we love that dear Jesus no more who is very God and very man But Thirdly Is Jesus Christ God-man is he very God and 3. consult hese Scriptures Isa 61. 1. Dan. 9. 24. 1 John 3. 8. Luk. 1. 74. 75. Tit. 2. 14. 1 Pet. 1. 4. very man then we may very safely and roundly assert that the work of Redemption was a very great work the Redemption of souls is a mighty work a costly work to redeem poor souls from sin from wrath from the power of Satan from the curse from hell from the condemnation was a mighty work wherefore was Christ born wherefore did he live sweat groan bleed die rise ascend was it not to bring deliverance to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound was it not to make an end of sin to finish transgression and to bring in everlasting righteousness and to destroy the works of the Devil and to abolish death and to bring life and immortality to light and to redeem us from all iniquity and to purifie us to himself and to make us a peculiar peple zealous of good works Certainly the work of Redemption was no ordinary or common thing God-man must engage in it or poor fallen man is undone for ever The greater the person is that is engaged in any work the greater is that work the great Monarchs of the world do not use to engage their sons in poor low mean and petty services but in such services as are high and honourable noble and weighty and will you imagine that ever the great and glorious God John 1. 18. 8. Pro. 22. 33 would have sent his son his own son his only begotten son his bosom son his son in whom his soul delighted before the foundations of the earth was laid to redeem poor sinners souls if this had not been a great work a high work and a most glorious work in his eye The Creation of the world did but cost God a word of his mouth Let there be light and there was light but the Redemption Gen. 1. 3. of souls cost him his dearest son there is a
accursed death Oh what a Leprosie is sin that it must have blood yea the blood of God to take it away Now thus you have seen 1. That the sufferings of Christ have been free and voluntary and not constrained or forced 2. That they have been very great and heinous 3. That the punishments which Christ did suffer for our sins were in their parts and kinds and degrees and proportion all those punishments which were due unto us by reason of our sins and which we our selves should otherwise have suffered 4. That Jesus Christ did feel and suffer the very torments of Hell though not after a hellish manner 5. That he that did feel and suffer the torments of hell though not after a hollish manner was God-man 6. That the punishments that Christ did sustain for us must be referred only to the substance and not to the circumstances of punishment 7. That the meritorious cause of all the sufferings of Christ were the sins of his people Now to that great question of giving up your account at last according to the import of Eccles 11. 9. cap. 12. 14. Mat. 12. 14. cap. 18. 23. Luk. 16. 3. Ram. 14. 10. 2 Cor. 5. 10. Heb. 9. 27. cap. 13. 17. 1 Pet. 4. 7. those ten Scripures in the margent you may in the fourth place make this safe noble and happy plea Oh blessed God Jesus Christ hath suffered all those things that were due unto me for my sin he hath suffered even to the worst and uttermost for all that the Law threatned was a curse and Christ was made a curse for me Gal. 3. 13. he knew no sin but was made sin for me 2 Cor. 5. 21. and what Christ suffered he suffered as my surety and in my stead and therefore what he suffered for me is as if I had suffered all that my self and his sufferings hath appeased thy wrath and satisfied thy justice and reconciled thee to my self For God was in Christ reconciling the 2 Cor. 5. 19. world to himself not imputing their trespasses unto them And he hath reconciled both Jews and Gentiles unto God in one body on the Cross having slain enmity thereby Jesus Christ took upon him all my sins they were all of them laid upon him and he bare or suffered all the wrath and punishment due for them and he suffered all as my surety in my stead and for my good and thou didst design him for all this and accepted of its sufficient and effectual on my behalf Oh with what comfort courage and confidence may a believer upon these considerations hold up his head in the great day of his account Let me now make a few inferences from the consideration of all the great and grievous sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore First Let us stand still and admire and wonder at the love of Jesus Christ to poor sinners that Christ should rather dye for us than the Angels they were creatures of a more noble extract and in all probability might have brought greater revenues of glory to God yet that Christ should pass by those golden vessels and make us vessels of glory Oh what amazing and astonishing love is this This is the envy of Devils and the admiration of Angels and Saints The Angels were more honourable and excellent creatures than we they were celestial spirits we earthly bodies dust and ashes they were immediate attendants upon God they were as I may say of his privy chamber we servants of his in the lower house of this world farther remote from his glorious presence their office was to sing Hallelujahs Songs of praise to God in the heavenly Paradise ours to dress the Garden of Eden which was but an earthly Paradise they sinned but once and but in thought as is commonly thought but Adam sinned in thought by lusting in deed by tasting and in word by excusing why did not Christ suffer for their sins as well as for ours or if for any why not for theirs rather than ours Even so O Father for so it pleased thee We move this question not as being curious to search thy secret counsels O Lord but that we may be the more swallowed Mat. 11. 26. up in the admiration of the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of Christ which passeth knowledg The Apostle being in a holy admiration of Eph. 3. 18. 19. Christ's love affirms it to pass knowledg that God who is the eternal Being should love man when he had scarce Prov. 8. 30 31. a Being that he should be enamoured with deformity that he should love us when in our blood that he should pity us when no eye pitied us no not our own Oh such was Christ's transcendent love that man's extreme Ezek. 16. misery could not abate it the deploredness of man's condition did but heighten the holy flame of Christ's love 't is as high as Heaven who can reach it 't is as low as Hell who can understand it Heaven through its glory could not contain him man being miserable nor Hell's torments make him refrain such was his perfect matchless love to fallen man that Christ's love should extend to the ungodly to sinners to enemies that were in arms of rebellion against him yea not only so but Rom. 5. 6 8 10. that he should hug them in his arms lodg them in his bosom dandle them upon his knees and lie them to his breasts that they may suck and be satisfied is the highest improvement of love That Christ should come from the Isa 66. 11 12 13. eternal bosom of his father to a Region of sorrow and John 1. 18. Isa 53. 4. 1 Tim. 3. 16. John 17. 5. Mat. 25. death that God should be manifested in the flesh the Creator made a creature that he that was cloathed with glory should be wrapped with rags of flesh that he that filled Heaven should be cradled in a manger that the God of Israel should fly into Egypt that the God of strength should be weary that the judg of all flesh should be condemned that the God of life should be put to death that he that is one with his father should cry out John 19. 41. of misery O my father if it be possible let this cup pass from me that he that had the keys of hell and death Mat. 26. 39. Rev. 1. 18. John 19. 41 42. should lie imprison'd in the Sepulchre of another having in his life time no where to lay his head nor after death to lay his body and all this for man for fallen man for miserable man for worthless man is beyond the thoughts of created natures The sharp the universal and continual sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ from the cradle to the cross does above all other things speak out the transcendent love of Jesus Christ to poor sinners That wrath that great wrath that fierce wrath that pure wrath that infinite wrath that
in some respects the breach of the commands of the Gospel are greater than the breach See Heb. 2. 2 3. 8. 6. 10. 28 29. of the commands of the Moral Law for the breach of the commands of the Gospel carrieth in it a contempt and light esteem of Jesus Christ Men's not rejoycing in Christ Jesus must flow from some dangerous humour and base corruption or other that highly distempers their precious souls If all created excellencies if all the privileges of God's people if all the kingdoms of the earth and the glory of them were to be presented at one view they would all appear as nothing and emptiness in comparison of the excellency and fulness that is to be found in Christ Jesus and therefoâ—e the greater is their sin who rejoyce not in Christ Jesus Do you ask me where be Plutarch in Phocione my Jewels my Jewels are my Husband and his Triumphs said Phocion's wife do you ask me where be my ornaments my ornaments are my two sons brought up in vertue and learning said the mother of the Gracchi Do you ask me where be my Treasures my Treasures are my friends said Constantius the father of Constantine but now if you ask a child of God when he is not clouded tempted deserted dejected where be his Jewels his Treasures his Ornaments his comfort his joy his delight he will answer with that Martyr none but Christ none but Christ Oh! none to Christ none to Christ Christ is all in all unto me Colos 3. 11. Aeterna erit exultatio quae bono laetatur aeterno That joy lasts for ever whose object remains for ever such an object is our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore the joy of the saints should still be exercised upon our Lord Jesus Christ shall the worldling rejoyce in his barns the rich man in his bags the ambitious man in his honours the voluptuous man in his pleasures and the wanton in his Dalilahs and shall not a Christian rejoyce in Christ Jesus and in that robe of righteousness and in those garments of salvation with Isa 61. 10. which Christ hath covered him The joy of that Christian that keeps a fixed eye upon Christ and his righteousness cannot be expressed it cannot be painted no man can paint the sweetness of the honey-comb nor the sweetness of a cluster of Canaan nor the fragrancy of the Rose of Sharon As the being of things cannot be painted so the sweetness of things cannot be painted The joy of the Holy Ghost cannot be painted nor that joy that arises in a Christian's heart who keeps up a daily converse with Christ and his righteousness cannot be painted it cannot be expressed who can look upon the glorious body of our Lord Jesus Christ and seriously consider that even every vein of that blessed body did bleed to bring him to heaven and not rejoyce in Christ Jesus who can look upon the glorious righteousness of Christ imputed to him and not be filled with an exâ—berancy of spiritual joy in God his Saviour There is not the pardon of the least sin nor the least degree of grace nor the least drop of mercy but cost Christ dear for he must die and he must be made a sacrifice and he must be accursed that pardon may be thine and grace thine and mercy thine and oh how should this draw out thy heart to rejoyce and triumph in Christ Jesus The work of redemption sets both Angels and Saints Rev. 5. 11 12 13 14. Rev. 1. 5 6. cap. 5. 8 9 10. a rejoycing and triumphing in Christ Jesus and why not we why not we also who have received infinite more benefit by the work of Redemption than ever the Angels have A beautiful face is at all times pleasing to the eye but then especially when there is joy manifested in the countenance Joy in the face puts a new beauty upon a person and makes that which before was beautiful to be exceeding beautiful it puts a lustre upon beauty so does holy joy and rejoycing in Christ Jesus put as it were a new beauty and lustre upon Christ Though the Romans punished one that feasted and looked out at a Plin. 1. c. 7. window with a Garland on his head in the second Punick war yet you may be sure that God will never punish you for rejoycing and triumphing in Christ Jesus let the times be never so sad or bad in respect of war blood or misery But Eighthly The Imputed Righteousness of Christ may serve to comfort support and bear up the hearts of the people of God from fainting and sinking under the sense of the weakness and imperfection of their inherent righteousness The Church of old have lamentingly said we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousness Isa 64. 6. is as filthy rags when a Christian keeps a serious eye upon the spots blots blemishes infirmities and follies that cleaves to his inherent righteousness fears and tremblings arise to the sadding and sinking of his soul but when he casts a fixed eye upon the righteousness of Christ imputed to him then his comforts revive and his heart bears up for though he hath 〈◊〉 righteousness of his own by which his soul may 〈◊〉 â—ccepted before God yet he hath Gods righteousness which infinitely transcends his own and such as in God's account goes for his as if he had exactly fulfilled the righteousness which the Law requires according to that of the Apostle Rom. 9. 30. What shall we say then the Gentiles which followed not after righteousness have attained to righteousness even the righteousness which is of faith Faith wraps it self in the righteousness of Christ and so justifieth us The Gentiles sought righteousness not in themselves but in Christ which they apprehending by faith were by it justified in the sight of God and the Jews seeking it in themselves and thinking by the goodness of their own works to attain to the righteousness of the Law missed of it it being in no man's power perfectly to fulfil the same only Christ hath exactly fulfilled it for all that by faith close savingly with him Oh sirs none can be justified in the sight of God by a righteousness of their own making but whosoever will be justified must be justified by the righteousness Râ—m 3. 20 28. cap. 10. 2. Gal. 2. 16. Tâ— 3. 5. of Christ through faith The Gentiles by faith attain the righteousness of the Law therefore the righteousness of the Law and of faith are all one viz. in respect of matter and form the difference is only in the worker The Law requires it to be done by our selves the Gospel mitigates the rigour of the Law and offers the righteousness of Christ who performed the Law even to a hairs breadth The right way to righteousness for justification is by Christ who is the way the door the truth and the life because we want a righteousness of our own God hath assigned us the righteousness of