being as broad and as long as the Law and our transgressions of it Above the Mercy-seat on either side were the Cherubims and the Majesty of God appeared between the Ceerubims Christ interposeth between God and his Law to make him propitious to his People From above the Mercy-seat Ver. 22. between the two Cherubims will I meet thee and commune with thee So you see this Mercy-seat this Cover of Gold typified Christ the true Propitiatory or Mercy-seat covering out of God's sight all our Transgressions of the Law and God through him meeting with us and made propitious and reconciled to us And here now Christ is called by the name of his own type as often elsewhere when he is called the Lamb and Lamb slain and so called the Propitiatory or Propitiation God having made him really that to us which that did but typifie Christ was made an Expiation and Ransom and Propitiation for Sins for these things the Hebrew word signifies Here now under this Head I will make it my business irrefragably to prove to you what I have taken hitherto almost for granted 1. He died not for Himself He was the Lamb without spot as indeed he that was to wash away others spots was to be without spot Himself Messiah cut off but not for himself 2. He could not die but for some Sin Death befalleth not Men as Men but as Sinners The Apostle proveth all to be Sinners because all die else it was impossible in justice God Act. 2. 24 raised him up having loosed the pains of death for it was not possible he should be holden of it Death being but the Servant of God's Justice and Christ having satisfied Justice it could not but let go its hold He could not but be taken from prison and from judgment We may use the same argument it was impossible Death could not have taken hold of Him at all had it not been for Sin 3. It remains therefore that he died for our sins according to the Scripture for none else come in competition None will pretend He died for the Sins of Angels good or bad or of Brutes which are not capable of sin Was delivered to death for our sins Bore the sins of many Gave himself for us that he might redeem us The professed Adversaries of this Doctrine the Socinians will grant He died in some sense for our Sins Therefore How died he for our Sins 1. He died for our Sins so as to turn us from them this is truth but this is as they suppose all and they will grant no more But we must go further 2. He died for our Sins as a meritorious deserving cause of his Death For the transgression of my people was he smitten Wounded for our transgressions Isa 53. Rom. 4. 25. Delivered to death for our sins So that if it be asked What meaneth the heat of this great anger wherefore was he thus wounded We must answer He was wounded for our transgressions We have pierced him this hath been by our means we have ate sowre grapes and his teeth were set on edg the Children ate sowre grapes and the everlasting Father's teeth were set on edg 3. He died for our sins in our place and stead that we might not perish for them In our place and stead for expiation for satisfaction for compensation though not in such an unâ—ound irrational sense as some pretend and I shall have occasion to speak of hereafter in a more convenient place I shall prove this first from express Scriptures second from the peculiarity of his Death third from the Sacrifices that typified Him 1. From express Scriptures in three Instances 1. We often read of his Sufferings for our fins 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This man after he had â—ffered one sacrifice for sins Heb. 1. 12 Gal. 1. 4. Who gave â—imself for our sins Now this word translated for may signifie only the final cause as to turn us from them But words must be understood secundum subjectam materiam according to the subject matter and in such speeches the subject matter will not bear that sense We never read in Scripture or any where else of one dying and suffering for sins but it is for them as the meritorious cause of the sufferings as some compensation for the fault as when he saith I will punish you for your iniquities And Israel suffered for the sins of Jeroboam 2. We often read of his Suffering for persons I lay down my life for my sheep Redeemeth us from the curse Joh. 10. 17. Gal. 3. 17. of the Law being made a curse for us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the usual sense of this is instead of another As Paul could wish himself accursed for his brethren Yet I know this phrase for another may in some instances signifie only the final cause only for their good and not in their stead A man may be said to die for his Country only as the final cause for their good and to lay down his life for his brother only for his good to save his life But it is not capable of such a narrow sense when one dieth for another as a sinner as an offender Now we read of Christ's dying the just for the unjust there it must be meant in his stead And when sinners he died for us And Hs who knew no sin was made sin that is a Sin-offering for us * The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are the words the Septuagint express a Sin-offering by called in Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that place Rom. 8. 3. which as it is translated is scarce sence should have been translated God sending his own Son in the likeness of â—inful flesh and a Sin-offering 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 condemned â—â—a in the flesh as the same words are well translated Heb. 10. 6. In Burnt-offering and Sacrifice for sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou hast no pleasure And so again vers 8. It is good sense to say such a one died for his Country as in the Warrs only to denote the final cause for the good of his Country But because Men go not into the Warrs because of their faults neither are they killed in the Warrs ordinarily for any fault Men die not in the Warrs as Malefactors but as Soldiers It would not be sense to use such speeches He died for his Country though an innocent man it would be a frigid sapless dilute manner of speaking for here would be no Opposition in it But you see He who knew no sin was made sin for us We esteemed him smitten of Isa 53. God But he was wounded for our sins 2 Cor. 5. 15. c. Because we thus judg if one dyed for all then were all dead and he dyed for all c. This place would not be true if one interpret dying for all only for the good of all not in their stead For it
meant of those that are actually Believers or fore-seen and looked on as such by him for he saith they shall come unto me shall believe on me and this belief and coming is named as the effect of God's giving men to Christ and so the giving is antecedent to the coming in all consideration So Ver. 44. No man can come unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him Ver. 45. It is written They shall all be taught of God every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father commeth unto me Ver. 65. No man can come unto me except it be given him of my Father This he said knowing that there were some that believed not Such is the wilful wickedness of the world that all would reject Christ yea and they cannot do otherwise in some sense though they can in another sense which senses I could make plain to you but it would take up too much time and be too large a digression so that the working the Condition the first Grace the first difference is to be ascribed to Election 4. Though the common saying is That Christ's death merited no Volitions no Decrees and so his fore-seen death merited not that God should will such and such things and the most build much upon Aquinas his saying Deus vult hoc propter hoc sed non propter hoc vult hoc meaning there are reasons and motives causes of the things willed but not of the willing of those things yet I look upon this saying as meer words and void of truth and we ought to have other conceptions or else we shall have conceptions unworthy of God Yet many go in such a method in speaking of God's Decrees that they make this such a main Pillar of their Fabrick that for one to hold that God's love or pity or man's misery was any motive to God to send his Son to dye which God forbid any should deny would destroy their whole method for it is impossible that any thing should be or be considered as ratio rei volitae a reason of the thing willed but it must be and must be considered as ratio actus voluntatis as the reason of the willing For a reason or motive is essentially a motive to the will of the principal Agent for what can it possibly be conceived to move but the Will Can it be a Motive and move nothing or can it be actually a prevailing-reason and not prevail with the Will What ever God doth in time for the Merits of Christ he decreed and willed from eternity to do it in time for the Merits of Christ for whatsoever God doth now in time for any end whatsoever or upon any motive whatsoever he decreed and willed for that end and upon that motive from eternity to do it If God in time created rain to make the earth fruitful then the reason why he decreed and willed to cause rain was that the earth might be fruitful And for us to conceive otherwise of God would be for us to conceive him to act irrationally as willing things for no end and would put a stop to all admiration of the wisdom of God seen in his Providence and therefore such a conception of him would be offensive to him for we ought to conceive of him in the most honourable way we are able and that is the most pleasing to Him who is above our best conceptions If he condemn men in time for their refusal of Christ then he decreed to condemn them because he foresaw that they would refuse Christ If he save none justifie none in time but for their believing then he willed and decreed from eternity to save none with any decree or violence that we are to conceive of as distinct from his Will or Decree to work the Condition in men that they might be justified and saved but those he foresaw should believe And it seems plain that as he absolutely and without condition justifieth and saveth none so neither did he absolutely and without condition decree to justifie and save any But God foreseeing what an order and concatenation of things he would make and was bound in Honour to make notwithstanding Christ's death As in time without Condition though not without means He worketh Faith and Repentance worketh the Condition in the Elect that they may be justified and saved by Christ So he willed and decreed absolutely and without condition to work the condition the first Grace that they might be justified and saved by Christ 5. Though Christ's death as a satisfaction expiation was the cause of no more to us than this That if we repent and believe we shall be justified and saved Satisfaction and Propitiation being only for sin yet considering this suffering of Christ as a highly pleasing meritorious act as a worthy voluntary undertaking for the Honor of God we may say Christ did merit that God should give this Faith work this Condition and keep it in the Elect for all would notwithstanding this and the easie reasonable terms made of their interest in it through their own wilful wickedness have perished and he deserved that his blood should not thus far be lost as water spilt on the ground but that he should have some fruit of the travel of his soul in seeing a Seed actually to honour venerate and adore their Redeemer Though I must say for the honour of our Redeemer in this great affair He will have some reward in those that perish in that he did a wonderful kindness for them it being only through their own chosen refusal that they had no benefit by it His Goodness and Grace is not therefore no Grace because men reject it And to do a good and gracious act is a reward and satisfaction in it self And you may as well maintain That except God be ignorant and know not that men will reject his mercy he cannot be righteous and just in punishing them for it which is contrary to the knowledg of the whole world as to say Except God be ignorant and know not that they will through their wicked wilfulness refuse his Mercy his Grace and Mercy is no Grace and Mercy If one of you take a long tedious and hazzardous journey to disswade your friend from something you hear he designs to do which you know will undo him though he wilfully persist and will not be perswaded by you and so is undone by it yet he is bound to thank you all his life after and your kindness ceaseth not to be kindness and you have this satisfaction and reward You did a kind act though he reap no benefit And suppose you might have prevailed with him if you had there stayed longer with him and taken more pains yet your kindness ceaseth not to be a kindness because you did no greater kindness since that which you did would have been enough had it not been for his wilful obstinacy And his after-ruing of his own folly bears a loud testimony to
Wisdom Justice and Holiness that saving the honour of these he might pardon and advance to dignity rebells against Heaven upon their returning to their subjection and allegiance that the honour and credit of these might be maintained and yet the offenders not perish And this atrocious death of the Son of God for sin did do God great honour in the face of the Sun and of the World did assert his holiness and ha 〈…〉 proclaim his Righteousness and is a loud Thunder-clap of terror against such as shall again a second time and after such hope brought in undo themselves And by this all the dishonour that would have come to God by pardoning submitting and yielding enemies and rebells is cleared and wiped off and the repute of the Law as well secured and kept up and offenders considerate no more imboldened to sleight Him and his Laws and Threats by looking on him as no great enemy to sin than if the penalty had been executed upon all Men for ever I shall add no more here because I have prevented my self in speaking largely of this before 6. That God might be just and a justifier of faln man that God might be just and merciful 1. That God might be just it would not be sense to stop here for God would have been just without this Propitiation inflicting the punishment on sinners themselves but then he would have been meerly just and no justifier of faln man because man could never have satisfied he would have been always paying and yet the debt always to pay still so that there could never have been any Justification of sinners 2. But that he might be just and a justifier He set out Christ a Propitiation for the remission of sins Here you see two causes of Christ's death The love of God to Man one and the justice of God the other He was induced to this amazing act by his Philanthropy his love of man and zeal of justice He so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believed on him might not perish but might have everlasting life And here his justice did not swallow up his Mercy nor his Mercy his Justice but they are of quite distinct considerations Here is a loud Testimony of his Love to us and love to his Law and Justice of love to us that Christ should die rather than we perish and of love to his Law and Justice in that he hereby took order that they should not be injured by his pardoning of us Yet observe well here for the understanding of the things I have spoken of and shall speak of depend much upon it that this love was not the love of Complacency or Rectoral love for that is and was the fruit of Christ's Death but a love of pity such as was consistent with Rectoral and Legal hatred Zaleucus might lawfully have a love of pity to his Son before his invented Satisfaction but Rectoral wrath and hatred He was bound in honour as a iust Rector to execute the Law to keep it sacred and unblemished and this restrained his natural pity from doing an injury to justice And this Love that I am speaking of was the Love of one that was bound in honour and justice to be an enemy as things stood but yet of one willing to find out some way that he might with safety to his honour and justice be a friend as Governour that is might justly not inflict the penalty Thus you see the love of Pity that sent Christ was not the fruit of Christs Death But his love of Complacency his justifying love Pardoning love Rectoral love that is the fruit of his Death 7. Justifier of Sinners of faln Man that is implied in the word Propitiation and remission of sin and in the whole texture of the words And here I will shew you he died for Justification of the greatest of sinners upon their acceptance of him yea and of sinners then long since dead 1. For the Pardon and Justification of the greatest Sinners worst of Men whose throat was an open Sepulcher and their feet swift to shed blood as is expressed before in this Chapter The greatest Sins cannot exceed the price paid for they are but the Sins of Man but the Sufferings were the Sufferings of God They that were guilty of the hainousest act that ever the Sun saw of that horrid act of Crucifying Christ upon their repentance and being pricked in their hearts were forgiven as we read in the Acts of the Apostles 2. For the Pardon and Justification of Sinners then dead before Christ's death God now declareth his righteousness in the remission of those past sins Whether all those that were justified and saved under the Old Testament did know of this to come satisfaction or not I do not now dispute But this is plain whether they knew of it or not they were not justified and saved without God's having respect to this to come Propitiation it was by virtue of this which is now declared It is now declared to Men and Angels that it was upon the account of the Satisfaction intended and promised They were justified by virtue of Satisfaction designed and undertaken by Christ and in due time to be exacted and paid but through the forbearance of God the exacting of the price for sins past and fore-committed was deferred till the time of the Gospel A Meritorious cause is a Moral cause and for a Moral cause to operate and have its effect it is not necessary that it do exist it sufficeth that it have an Esse cognitum a beeing in knowledg A man may be properly said to have bought that which he hath not yet paid for and may have the actual benefit of his purchase if he hath undertaken the payment and the other accepts of and rests satisfied with his promise and undertaking Grotius lib. de Satisf thus interpreteth this place remission of sins past And it seemeth probable enough to be the meaning of this difficult place Sanguis Christi profuit antequam fuit Both the Ancients were and we are saved by Christ and God hath now set him forth a Propitiation for those past sins And indeed till Christ thus came the Satisfaction was not paid but through the forbearance of God thus served the turn that it was undertaken and promised and typified and represented by the Sacrifices and Types which shadowed it out but the Truth Reality and true Sacrifice came not till Christ And God did forbear to inflict wrath on them because he should at length have satisfaction and now he declareth his Righteousness in exacting the prefigured Satisfaction They drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them which Rock was Christ Hence it is not improbably concluded by some that he is called The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world * Yet I rather encline to them that read it written from the foundation of the world in the book of the Lamb slain Because in the same Book
the Law for us in this sense so as it is to be imputed to us as if we had fulfilled the Law our selves then we should be freed altogether from any obligation from the Law to obedience just as we are freed from the condemnation of the Law because Christ underwent it as a Satisfaction for us we should not then sin in not-obeying the Law and we could not be pardoned by Christ for our sins in not obeying the Law for they are no sins according to this Hypothesis If there be a Law That if a servant hired for a year shall refuse to serve his year's service if his Master require he shall lye in the prison a year Suppose one hired did not serve a year but another served a year good and faithful service for him Must this hired man also serve a year for himself or he is to blame and Must this man accepted to serve a year for him also lye in prison for him What if I did not serve a year yet another served for me and better service than I can perform What need is there may he say that I should serve it my self Do I think I can mend his work do it better my self than I have done it in him I am almost ashamed to lay open the weakness of them that hold these things after such multitudes of learned Protestants have shown their absurdity How much clearer is the Scripture way of God for Christ's sake justifying and pardoning us for Christ's Satisfaction Propitiation than to talk of our fulfilling the Law yea or which is not so ill our satisfying in Him suffering in Him or redeeming our selves in Him or God accounting us to have satisfied in Him These are Phrases the Scripture is a stranger unto though if they will say as some They mean no more by such speeches but that God for Christ's Satisfaction gives us all these Gospel-mercies I shall only say They might speak plainer And our satisfying in Him is true in a figurative sense though not in a proper sense and so God's accounting us to have satisfied in Him yet in no possible sense is our fulfilling the preceptive part of the Law in Him true for this would make Christ's satisfaction needless Now since I have defined Justification by pardon of sin it is necessary that I tell you what Pardon is Pardon is a dissolution or discharge from the obligation to punishment It is none of these four things that only pretend to come in competition 1. Pardon of sin is not A making sin cease to be for that is to be ascribed to Sanctification which is a real change in opposition to relative 2. It is not making that it should be said that the sin was never committed this is impossible 3. It is not making sin that it do not in its own nature deserve damnation 4. It is not the executive taking off the penalty for this is a consequent of pardon by virtue of justice and faithfulness Yet sometimes it is used in this improper sense in Scripture But it is A dissolution of the obligation to punishment the dueness of the penalty is taken away immediately by pardon and so remotely and ultimately the penalty God being just and faithful will not inflict what is not due what he hath made not due by his Law of Grace So that Justification actively taken for God's act is an act of God whereby he pardoneth our sins or dissolveth the obligation to punishment And then Justification when taken passively for the effect of Justification is A dissolution of or discharge from the obligation to Hell and Punishment or a right to Salvation or a right to be free from Condemnation which is nothing else but a right to salvation It doth not in this Discourse concern me to speak of the further degrees of Happiness superadded for Justification of it self comprehendeth no more than right to what would have been due to us if we had been righteous without pardon had never transgressed the Law for Justification is from some thing as well as to some thing Yet this on the by Greater things than we fell from do come to man by the same Law of Grace by the same blood of Christ and upon the performance of the same condition that Justification or pardon of sin doth As for the meritorious cause of this Justification I have spoken very largely of it already for whose sake merit Cujus intuitu I told you that he justifies us through the redemption that is in Christ and I dare not ever and anon return to speak of it here lest I should confound your understandings I shall after this speak of God's working Faith in us that we might be justified and Christ's meriting of it Therefore do not in your too forward thoughts over-run me as if I denied any thing I come not yet to speak of Now I will tell you what this act of God is how God dischargeth the sinner and dissolveth this obligation to Punishment and so giveth right to salvation which we lost by our sins It is by some new Law or Constitution by some Covenant or Promise founded in Christ's Satisfaction It is some judicial juridical act and therefore by some Law-act I thus prove it 1. It is impossible that a man that is a sinner should have right to be freed from condemnation but it must be by some Law of Grace some legal discharge Such a jus or right cannot possibly pass but by some Law-act If a Rector should refuse to inflict the penalty on a man guilty or condemned this is not Pardon or Justification You may call it Suspension Impunity but the offender hath no right to the Impunity the obligation to punishment is not dissolved by it Yea suppose God should have resolved within himself never to inflict the penalty yet he might inflict it when he would without injustice though I confess not without mutability the offender hath no right to impunity by such an intention no jus the obligation is not dissolved till some lex remedians some remedying Law some Rectoral Law of Oblivion some Act of Pardon and Oblivion else it is only forbearance but no acquittance no discharge no pardon no justification 2. God will be true to his own Laws and will not leave a man unpunished to whom punishment is due by his own Constitutions all things considered but his judgment and execution will be according to Truth and Law He that condemneth Prov. 17. 15. the righteous and justifieth the wicked they both are an abomination to the Lord. He will sentence men according to his own Laws and he will not justifie or condemn pro libitu but according to his own declared Laws He will not sententially hereafter justifie nor will he account justified here any sinner but whom the new Law of Grace the Gospel founded in the blood of Christ justifieth which only justifieth Believers 3. Condemnation is by some Law therefore Justification must be by some Law for
essentially one and the same act and both proper Efficients of the effect If one strike with a rod he strikes and the rod strikes though less principally yet both truly If a man promise he gives right and the promise gives right properly 3. Christ's Death and Merits justifie as a Satisfaction to God's Justice that he might pardon with safety to his honour and government 4. The faith of Christ or true Christianity as the condition Now a condition is a causa sine quâ non and it is agreed that a causa sine quâ non is no cause but only so necessarily called for want of a better word just as we are forced to speak always of non-entities as if they were entities whenever we speak of them as Tenebrae sunt Nihil fuit So I was wittingly forced sometimes before to use the word of Faith's influence into right And it is almost impossible to speak otherwise but any intelligent man may see though the performance of the Gospel-condition seemeth at the first view to have something like influence into right like causality yet it hath not but that influence which it seemeth to have is to be ascribed in propriety only to God and the Promise When a Felon reads it was not his reading that pardoned him but the Legislators by the Law upon his reading So that they err that use to tell us that Faith is a cause of Justification and not other graces for it is no cause it doth not in propriety justifie and pardon our sins at all If Faith did merit then it would be a moral efficient of our right Methinks none should say Faith is an Instrument of Justification for then it would be a true proper saying in the strictest sense Faith pardoneth our sins Faith acquitteth us You have seen upon what honourable terms God hath dispensed with his Law in not executing it however not fully executing it upon offenders 1. He doth execute some of it in this life upon his pardoned ones pardoned as to the great matters for Christ did not bargain that the curse should in every part be taken off immediately upon their believing No God makes sin evil and bitter to them in this life many ways and they must dye and their bodies rot in the grave for a time God told Moses he had pardoned the Israelites that is so as not to cut them off from being a people but as truly as I live all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord their carkasses shall fall in the wilderness And I doubt not but this tends to the honour of God's Justice to leave some drops of this curse upon us in this life and we ought to take notice of his righteousness as well as mercy in afflicting us Some will object But the Sufferings of Believers are not satisfactory Ans I know they are not in the strict sense of the word for that signifieth compensation enough for the fault or in the sense the Papists use the word For little Sufferings buying off other Sufferings yea the great or eternal suffering And some object They are not vindictive and when they explain the word they mean they are not eternal or totally destructive which is true indeed But if any by the words Satisfactory or Vindictive mean that they are not inflicted by the Rector by virtue of the Law for a fault in token of his displeasure and for the honour of his Justice and warning of others I must deny it and say So far as they are for sin they are satisfactory and vindictive in this sense and can plainly prove it 2. That which God hath and will take off as indeed all will be clear taken off at the great full executive Redemption the Resurrection of the body Christ hath paid deer for it 3. Though Christ hath paid this great Price yet we shall have this benefit by it only upon such terms of honour to God as acknowledging in deep sense of our unworthiness God's righteousness if he had condemned us and turning from sin accepting the Redeemer Methinks we should be so far from quarrelling at that we should see high reason for and admire the wisdom of God in this whole Transaction and while we see some of his ways are rational conclude all are so and our ignorance is the cause they appear no more amiable to us Here is no shadow of injustice in the Universal Magistrate of the World neither to Christ nor to Christians nor to the Commonwealth of the World nor to his old Law that was not executed 1. No wrong done to Christ for he underwent it willingly Et violenti non fit injuria No wrong can be done to a mind willing of the damage 2. Not to Christians The highest praises are due to God from them and given by them for this very transaction 3. Not to the World It was to reform it and lay a new foundation of Religion in it 4. Not to his Law For the repute of that hath been as well secured and kept as inviolable by the revelation of this to be adored Justice of God as if it had been executed upon all offenders to all Eternity I will answer but one Objection more before I come to apply all Some will expect to hear how this whole Doctrine is consistent with Election and Special Grace If you ask men of different perswasions concerning general and special Grace How it comes to pass that any of the degenerate sons of Adam are saved They will answer Only by Grace and Mercy through Christ If you ask them further How comes it about that some are saved and some perish notwithstanding this Grace They will further answer Because some believe perform the Gospel-condition others not If you demand How comes this that some perform the Gospel-condition and not others They will still concent in answering Some will and some will not some chuse mercy on the terms of it and others chuse rather to perish than to accept Christ and Mercy on the Gospel-terms Thus far they agree commonly so that it doth not properly concern me to speak in this Discourse of the things wherein they differ both granting all that I affirm But if you enquire further of them How comes it to pass that some are thus willing and others not Here they disagree Some will say this of man's willingness it is to be ascribed to man himself or give such answer that it inevitably follows from it and that God doth no more in this case for one than for another helps one as much as another and then consequently it follows that a man converted is not a jo◠more beholden to God than one not converted God doing no more for him than the other And some doctrinally hold That God giveth men only free-will and the Gospel or objective Evidence and will go no further with any I cannot understand how such can pray for Grace or for God's giving them to improve the Gospel and his
he will be as ready to part with it to thee as ever Naaman was to Gehazi 5. Have nothing to do with Sin The Philistines would not tread on the threshold they thought brake their Idol Dagon's neck The Jews would not put the Thirty pieces given for betraying Christ into the Treasury because it was the price of blood Mat. 27. 6. Will you look on sin as gain on that which you have gotten by sin as gain It is the price of blood Should that be pleasing to thee which was so bitter to Christ David would not drink of the water his Worthies had ventured their lives for but poured it out and said Is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives 2 Sam. 23. 17. Wilt thou put that Serpent into thy bosome that hath stung to death thy dearest Relation A strange sight for a Child to delight in that Sword or Knife that killed his Father Some will break God's Law for the gain of two-pence God made not such a leight matter of the breach of his Law Let this conspicuous Justice of God be as a flaming-sword to keep you from sin Since Christ hath dy'd for sin let us dye unto sin yea let us rather chuse to dye than to sin Lastly Live to your Lord Redeemer walk as they that are bought with such a price say to Christ as the people â—o Gideon Rule thou over us for thou hast delivered us from the hand of our enemies He died that they which live might not live to themselves A strong and constraining bond of obedience and thankfulness is laid upon us Offer up Souls and Bodies a living sacrifice to him that offered up himself a dead sacrifice for us Be cheerful in suffering for him grudg not at suffering any thing for him that suffered so much for thee Christ loved not his life unto the death for our sakes A Discourse concerning the Apostle Paul's meaning by Justification by Faith occasioned by some passages in the Sermons An Endeavour to make apparent That the Apostle Paul by Justification by works and by the Law means justification for mens deserts and merits or by unsinning obedience without pardon And by Justification by Faith means pardon of sin upon mens believing and turning from sin to God And that it is not in the least his design to exclude Repentance and sincere Obedience from being a condition of our justification but that he includes them in the word Faith FIrst We are sure whatever the Apostle teacheth is consistent with himself and the whole tenour of Scripture Therefore his meaning cannot be That it is not necessary or that it is dangerous for any to repent and turn from sin for pardon or justification and salvation But this I have already cleared Secondly We are sure Whatever the Apostle saith is true and his arguing cogent as when he tells us Rom. 4. 4. To him that worketh the reward is not reckoned of grace but of debt and Rom. 11. 6. If by grace then it is no more of works but if it be of works then it is no more of grace Now this would not be true for a reward may be of works and yet of grace unless by works he understand meritorious works or full and compleat innocency If there be a promise made of a reward to a work yet if the work be inconsiderable in value to the reward this reward is to be ascribed to the grace and favour and kindness of him that promiseth and giveth the reward and not to the merit of his work that receives it It would be in this case of Grace as the Cause though of Works as the Condition the Works not being meritorious Else it would be impossible for any promise to be a gracious promise that hath any duty for the condition of it which to affirm would be the abhorring of any rational soul yea though the condition was to be performed by the man 's own strength whatever any say to the contrary which yet is not in the case-in-hand I willingly grant yea a conditional promise would not be one jot less gracious if the condition was to be performed by man of himself and is not more gracious because God causeth us to perform it only this causing us to perform it is more of grace Dare any deliberately say these conditional promises were not of grace because a work made the condition viz. If the wicked turn he shall live Repent that your iniquities may be blotted out Nay do we not expresly read Such are of grace Jer. 3. 1 12. Thou hast playd the harlot with many lovers yet return and I will not cause mine anger to fall on you For I am gracious and merciful 2 Chron. 30 19. The good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek c. though he be not cleansed according c. Nehem. 13. 22. Remember me my God concerning this also and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy Jonah knew if God spared Nineveh upon repentance it would be an act of grace I know thou art a gracious God and merciful Jonah 4. 2. Whatsoever any one gives or promises to another who works more than the merit of the work amounts to is of grace and the justification of any man upon any terms less than the obedience of the Law in every thing is of Gospel-grace to wit of pardon Thirdly The opposition of the Apostle is good and true if by works be meant meritorious works deserving the reward or full and compleat obedienee to the Law in every thing viz. If of meritorious works then not of grace then the reward is no more than what is owing in strict Justice and one need not cry gratias grace grace need not give thanks for such a reward And if of compleat unsinning obedience one needs not pardon cannot be pardoned cannot give thanks for the reward as having of it upon the account of sin pardoned Object But would not Adam's justification have been of grace if he had continued in his innocency though it would have been of works This some object against this Tenent That the Apostle meant it of meritorious works or full obedience and I never saw this well cleared and many are much puzled with it therefore I will speak the more largely to it Ans I distinguish here between justification simply taken as justification of an innocent man accused or accusable though falsly and between the justification of a man with the resultancies from it which though immediate resultancies yet come on him upon his meer justification by virtue of some gracious Law Promise or Covenant made on condition of his innocency First Suppose there had been no promise made of everlasting happiness to Adam on condition of continued innocency but only a threatning That if he sinned he should dye be damned First In this case while he had continued innocent it would have been of debt not to have condemned him as a
did in their own nature stir up teach and oblige you to holiness Ver. 9. But what were not we Jews better than the Gentiles so as they to be sinners and we holy worthy men No we confess on all hands the Gentiles were great sinners and so I will prove from the Scripture were the Jews also None righteous no not one none that doth good their throat is an open sepulcher Ver. 19. Now whatever the Law saith it saith to them under the Law that is whatever the Scripture speaketh it speaketh of them that lived in Scripture-places and this was written by David a Jew and so he meant it of the wickedness of the Jews So that all are sinners and under condemnation you Jews as well as others whatever your thoughts are to the contrary And no flesh can be justified in his sight by the deeds of the law no man shall be justified as being a man that deserves it or as having no need to have his sin pardoned so as his justification to be of debt and not to be of grace favour and pardon Ver. 25. But thus man's justification comes about God hath set forth Christ a Propitiation since all are sinners and God justifieth men by this for his sake pardoning their sins Ver. 27. Where is boasting then it is excluded but is not excluded by the Law of Works for if a man was justified that way he might boast God pardoned him nothing but by this Law of Faith by this Gospel-way of pardoning sinners without merits or strict Law-righteousness And therefore the Gentiles may be saved if they become Christians and have this heart-circumcision though they have not these outward priviledges which you account things of such great worth God pardoning their sins upon their believing the Gospel and having their hearts purified by it which you account such low ignoble things Chap. 4. This Chapter is accounted by the opposers of the doctrine I taught to have the greatest appearance against it but I shall manifest it doth not in the least oppose it The design of this Chapter as you will see is to prove the whole business That the Gentiles may be justified and saved by grace and pardon of sin upon their turning from idolatries and believing and obeying the Gospel without Circumcision and he proveth it by this argument viz. Abraham was a sinner and was not justified for any original righteousness as having never sinned nor for any meritorious works or priviledges of his that in Justice deserved the reward by making satisfaction for his sins for that would still be of debt from natural Law and Equity if a man could do something after great Crimes that satisfies for them all it would be so of Justice to acquit him as not to be of Grace it would however be as the Apostle expresseth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it were by the works of the law Rom. 9. 31. as it were by the works of the Law though not wholly or altogether yet in a sort or as it were They that grant they are sinners and yet suppose they make amends by some strict observance so that it would be hard and severe if God should condemn them do esteem their salvation due as it were by the works of the Law they esteem it not of grace But when it is said Abraham was justified the meaning is he was pardoned and if so God may justifie the Gentiles on that manner viz. by pardoning them Ver. 1. Shall we say that Abraham found i. e. all that kindness favour and justification from the flesh i. e. from works as we see in the following verse for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the flesh is in the following verse repeated and expounded by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by works So Gal. 3. 3. made perfect by the flesh he expounds v. 2 5. by the works of the law and so by the flesh may signifie unsinning obedience to the law or by the flesh might be meant some such meritorious priviledges as those the Jews boasted of for Phil. 3. 3. 4. in expounding what is meant by the flesh he reckons up Hebrew of Hebrews circumcised the eighth day a Pharisee We may here understand either but rather both for his arguing excludes both equally Ver. 〈◊〉 No sure For if he was justified in such a way by the law of works as having never been a sinner or by some high merits deserving such things from God then he had whereof to boast and say he was not pardoned and that his justification was of merit and not of grace But not before God i. e. but he could not boast and say God never pardoned his sins and that he was one of such worth and merits that whatever God did for him was due debt whatever glorying he might make of his innocency toward men Ver. 3. He proves it from Scripture that Abraham could not thus boast What saith the Scripture Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness Now this very word counted proveth this fully that i◠was not due debt from God and also that his believing did not merit it For the word counting is like the Law-word acceptilatio which word acceptilatio is used in such cases as when a man accepts from his debtor a penny for a hundred pound and acquits him upon it So this very word implieth that his believing was so low a thing as not to be any way meritorious of those great things God rewarded him with upon it He lays all the stress as you will see by the following verses upon this word counted that it signifieth graciously acquitted him and not as a just man that deserved it Ver. 4. If Abraham had been a man of high merits and deserts or his faith any thing meritorious it would not have been said God accounted it which signifies God graciously accounted it For to him that worketh i. e. that meriteth by his works the reward is reckoned of debt and not reckoned of grace as this word signifieth This very word implies that God might justly have refused to have justified him upon his believing This is the same argument with that Rom. 11. 6. If it be of grace then it is not of works i. e. of meritorious works otherwise grace is not grace and mercy but if it be of works i. e. meritorious works then it is no more of grace and mercy else works is not works that is merit is not merit merit doth not deserve which is a contradiction Ver. 5. Counted it to him for righteousness It cannot be said that a man's believing or repenting or any other duty is counted that is graciously counted for righteousness except the man be and these things be void of merit Therefore it implies That Abraham believed one that justified an ungodly man an undeserving man a sinner a man unjust justified a man in the strict sense of the law unjust by pardoning his sins his unrighteousness Yea it is probable that by the
word ungodly in this verse is implied that Abraham was once an Idolater as the Gentiles are This plainly proves his justification was by pardon of sin and that he was a man God might justly have refused to have thus justified and that he was not righteous in God's sight in the primary strict and properest sense of the word but meerly of grace and pardon Ver. 6. And David fully proveth this in his describing blessedness and wherein it lies for he taketh for granted that blessedness comes not by unsinning obedience or meritorious works which are inconsistent with pardon else he would have said Blessed are they that never sinned or have made full satisfaction for their sins But he tells us it lies in not imputing iniquity and imputing accounting righteousness is nothing else but pardon of sin imputing righteousness and not imputing sin are all one and signifie the same because to impute or account righteous signifieth as he proved before graciously to impute and that can be nothing but pardon of sin and so the meaning is God pardoned Abraham's sin upon his believing God Which sheweth he was no such worthy man as you think your selves so as to need no forgiveness Ver. 9. Now will this blessedness of Justification come only on you Jews Are not the wicked Gentiles capable of it if they turn from sin and Idols to God and believe his testimony of his Son and obey him though they never be circumcised for we say his faith was reckoned for righteousness it was not from his worthiness but by pardon of his sin upon believing Ver. 10. He yet improveth this Scripture-citation as further cogent thus Was this justification conferred on Abraham when he was circumcised or when he was uncircumcised You will find this was said concerning Abraham before he was circumcised when he was as yet uncircumcised when he could not pretend to this high meritorious priviledg you boast of viz. Circumcision but when he was as the Gentile-believers now are that are confessedly void of such accomplishments Why may not they therefore be justified in such a Gospel-way as he was having their sin pardoned through the Propitiation upon their only believing and obeying the Gospel For though you look upon Faith and Obedience as low things in comparison of Circumcision yet these were graciously accepted from him by God and his sins pardoned thereon and why may they not be accepted from them without meritorious works if it be granted such are so which you account so Ver. 11. And he received the sign of circumcision the seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had being uncircumcised that he might be the father of all them that believe though they be not circumcised that righteousness might be imputed unto them also I shall here take a liberty not allowed me by my designed method to speak largely of these words because they are difficult and there is a strange disagreement about the meaning of them The words that these are coupled unto are these It was counted to him in uncircumcision then follows and he received the sign of circumcision And that is and then or and after it is ordinal as it is frequently The sign of circumcision or Sacrament of Circumcision it is an ordinary manner of speaking the genitivus specie as we use to say the sacrament of Baptism for the sacrament Baptism so the sign of Circumcision for the sign Circumcision and Beza saith he found it so in the Accusative case in an ancient Copy By receiving the sign of circumcision is not only or chiefly meant his receiving it in his body though he did so but his receiving it in the institution or law of it from God as John may be said to have received baptism being the first to whom it was delivered by God as an Ordinance to be by him as a Minister administred And as Moses is said Acts 7. 28. to receive the lively oracles of God to give to the Jews and John 7. 22. Moses gave unto you circumcision i. e. the Ordinance of it Without doubt he is said here to receive circumcision in the sense that God is said Acts 7. 8. to give him the covenant of circumcision not in the sense wherein he gave it to himself circumcised himself I grant it doth connote secondarily his receiving it in his body yet still as in the law and ordinance of it so as to begin it to others And that which makes it further appear to be so meant is this because the stress of his becoming the father of all that believe c. seemeth to be laid here For if it should have the other sense all circumcised might on the same account be called Fathers of them that believe And else it is probable the Apostle would have used the ordinary word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and have said he was circumcised and not he received circumcision Abraham was honoured by God to be the first receiver of this Institution Indeed the promise or covenant that this sealed had been made known to the world long before viz. That whosoever of faln man should repent and believe God and obey him sincerely should be saved and all that were justified before Abraham were justified by this law of grace made in the blood of Christ but Abraham was the first that received from God this visible seal to confirm it to the world The seal of the rightsousness of the faith which he had being uncircumcised These words seem an exegetical Parenthesis or a Parenthetical explication of the former words received the sign of circumcision For these words that he might be the father seem to have their dependance on and respect to the former words received the sign of circumcision In these words here is a definition of that and also of every other Sacramental Institution Circumcision is called a sign or token of the Covenant Gen. 17. 11. and it is called figuratively the Covenant v. 10. and Acts 17. 8. even as the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is also called the Covenant This is the new covenant in my blood that is the sign or seal of the Covenant founded in my blood By the faith of Abraham is not here to be understood that personal individual faith which he had but a faith of that sort or kind which he had even in such a sense as that faith which dwelt first in his Grandmother Lois and Mother Eunice is said to dwell in Timothy to wit not the same individual act or habit but a faith of the same sort or species i. e. faith unfeigned as he explains it 2 Tim. 1. 5. and so these words the faith of Abraham ver 16. of this Chapter must necessarily be understood to this sense Again Circumcision is not said by the Apostle to be a sign or seal of his faith or any one's else no that is a mistake though I know in another sense Circumcision was and Baptism and the Lord's Supper are a seal or seals
justification than any having more laws and more clearly revealed A man that would look to be justified by exact obedience to every precept and will look for no pardon will find these laws will be so far from justifying him and conferring right to any reward that they work only wrath and oblige him the more to condemnation For where there is no law there is no transgression Many of these things which you Jews sinned in omitting would have been no sins had not God thus revealed his will to you in such multitudes of commands and others not so great sins Ver. 16. Therefore happiness is not by the law that is by unsinning obedience or making all up by meritorious works but by faith that is in a Gospel-way by some promise made of pardon to sinners called the law of faith by some promise made to sinners to whom justification cannot be of debt upon their repentance belief and sincere endeavour of obedience And it is thus of faith that it might be of grace and mercy And it is thus of faith that the promise might be sure to all the seed that is to all that walk in the steps of Abraham's faith that believe repent obey God in difficulties whether they have those great priviledges you boast of as the Jews or none such as the Gentiles And so he is the father of us all both Jews and Gentiles i. e. a pattern of our justification both being justified the same way as he was Ver. 17. As it is written I have made thee a father of many nations Either this is a remote meaning of these words cited or it is an allusive accommodative making use of this citation which seemeth frequent with this Apostle The meaning however of the Apostle is this As I have received thee into favour upon thy believing me in every thing and obeying and following my call so many of several Nations both Jews and Gentils shall receive grace and favour and blessedness from me in thus turning from sin and believing and obeying me as thou hast and so be justified in such a way as thou art and so thou shalt be their Father a prime example or pattern of their justification Ver. 18 19 20 21. He sheweth the faith of Abraham was a great and strong faith he believed the most unlikely things upon God's credit believed against hope believed God was able to do what he promised though never so unlikely he never considered the difficulty it was a faith that carried him out to trust and obey God in every thing So would the Gentiles believe the resurrection of Christ which he compares there to Abraham's believing God could quicken the dead the dead womb and also dead Isaac Heb. 11. 19. and the almost-incredible things of the Gospel and be carried on by such belief to obey and follow God and Christ notwithstanding all their sufferings and discouragements they may be justified and saved without being circumcised and keeping the Ceremonial Law or perfectly the Moral Law as he applies this belief of God's raising the dead to his raising Christ from the dead v. 24. Ver. 22. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness That is as I have again and again explained it he was graciously accepted and acquitted and rewarded upon it and treated as if he had been an innocent just person though he was not so in the strict sense of the law or natural equity Ver. 23 24. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but we may make use of it it was written for some great end and therefore sheweth that though the Gentiles be unworthy persons and have no merits by such priviledges or observances as the Pharisaical opposers of their reception suppose themselves to have yet if they do as Abraham did they shall fare as he fared if they believe this great difficulty of raising Christ from the dead and carry sutable to such a faith righteousness shall be imputed to them also that is they shall be pardoned their sins shall not be imputed to them which was the thing to be proved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chap. 10. v. 11. The Apostle reassumes the same and here are some passages some may think make against what I have preached Ver. 2. The Jews have a zeal for God but not according to knowledg Ver. 3. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness i. e. his way of justifying sinners by pardon and going about to establish their own righteousness of perfect obedience or meritorious works have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God that is God's way of pardoning sinners by the Gospel as he explains it v. 6. Ver. 4. For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth It is to be acknowledged that the Law as every Law doth require as its end perfect obedience primarily and upon default of that secondarily the punishment of the transgressors But Christ hath satisfied this as much to God's honour and its content as if it had been perfectly obeyed or the penalty suffered by us And this Propitiation is for those that believe that perform the Gospel condition So that there is no necessity now of our unsinning obedience or our making satisfaction by meritorious works in order to our justification but only of our performing the Gospel-condition and they are ignorant of this way of God Ver. 5. For Moses describeth the righteousness of the law the Covenant of Works the way that they stick to for justification thus That the man that doth these things shall live by them i. e. without pardon Lev. 18. 5. Gal. 3. 12. Moses describeth that is these words of Moses taken in the strict law-sense as a law and in the sense you understand them represent that way you stick to for justification I say represent that way For it is apparent that those very words and the whole body of the Mosaical law were a Gospel-covenant of grace as they were given by Moses and understood and ought to be understood by the people The meaning was If you endeavour to do all these sincerely and lament your falling short you shall be justified blessed live otherwise you shall perish I could make this fully apparent that it was a gracious Covenant for it was spoken to sinners and with such words I am the Lord thy God and If you will obey my voice and Moses sprinkleth blood and saith Behold the blood of the Covenant which Covenant they restipulated to when they promised to obey his voice and God saith I have heard the words of this people and they have well said in all that they have said which he would not have said if the meaning had been We promise to do things impossible to make that it should be said We never have been sinners and we will perfectly obey in every thing without the least remisness in thought word or deed But to be short see Mr. Ant. Burgess
oppose the Doctrine delivered are to be interpreted in pursuance of this design That men are justified only by pardon of sin through the Propitiation upon performing those conditions pardon is promised to and so may the Gentiles be justified without such perfect obedience to the Law or meritorious priviledges or satisfactions If I should proceed I can only repeat the same again and again with very little variation upon the places following Gal. 2. 11 12 13 14 15 16. Gal. 3. Gal. 5. 2. Paul once circumcised Timothy yet here saith Behold I Paul say unto you If you be circumcised that is upon this account else he would not have spoken so severely to make you such worthy persons as to need no pardon Christ shall profit you nothing Ver. 3. For I testifie again to every man that shall now be thus or on this account circumcised he is a debtor to the whole Law He must look to it that he fail not in the least for he virtually disclaims all pardon by Christ and so shall not have it So Tit. 3. 5. Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost Ver. 7. That being justified by his grace c. This Scripture tells us what is meant by work and what by faith and plainly to any considering man James 2. 14 to the end When some had it is probable mis-understood such expressions in St. Paul's Epistles as if only believing the truth was enough for salvation the Apostle James shews that by Abraham's faith was meant his faith and obedience and saith that those words believed God mean believed God and obeyed him in offering up his son and other difficulties like that 1 Maccab. 2. 52. Was not Abraham found faithful in temptation and it was imputed to him for righteousness As Phineas executed judgment and it was counted to him for righteousness throughout all generations that is God rewarded him graciously with an everlasting Priesthood as if he had been a righteous man a deserving man when yet he was not by the Apostle Paul's argument that the word counted implieth it was not due to him so doing but of grace Ver. 22 23. When he offered up his son then the Scripture was fulfilled perfectly explained that saith Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness that is God acquitted and rewarded him upon his faith and obedience as if he had been a righteous man in the strictest sense when indeed he was not And you may observe it would as much serve the Apostle Paul's arguing and support what he builds upon it if the very words had run thus Abraham believed and obeyed and it was counted c. and it is plain that was the meaning as you may see Gen. 22. 8. In thy seed shall all nations be blessed because thou hast obeyed my voice or if they had run thus He walked before God and was upright and it was counted c. and this is said in effect in saying If he did so God would do great things for him cap. 17. 2. Or if the words had been expresly thus Abraham feared God and it was accounted to him for righteousness and we do read as much in sense though not in express words Gen. 22. 12. For now I know thou fearest God seeing thou hast not with-held c. Ver. 16. By my self have I sworn For because thou hast done this thing and hast not with held thy son that in blessing I will bless thee It would be a poor blessing if it did not include justification I say had the words run so the Apostle is so far from excluding these things from being a condition of justification that such words would as well have proved what he is proving only they would not so occasionally have served to press them to the great difficult duty of that day the believing Christ's Resurrection FINIS