seen of Angels is but collaterall to it to make up the glory of it ab extra from the admiration of such divine creatures when they did but look on it but yet this mystery goes on still in its greatnesse even in regard of our actings towards it and this is put in among the rest to fill it up that it was beleeved on in the world the receiving of Jesus Christ and beleeving on him as the Author of life and salvation and the righteousnesse and redemption of poor sinners is one part of the great mystery of godlinesse and that which is as much to be admired as any of the rest Let us first looke on it in relation to the other parts of this mysterie then consider it in it selfe First consider it as with the rest and it is one of the greatest parts of the mystery for the acting and contriving of this in God's owne heart he had no opposition all was done in light and glory but when it was acted on us there was the opposition light and darkenesse striving together yet one would think this should be no mystery at all for us to beleeve this which was so much for our own eternall good Who will wonder at a starved begger to take bread that is offered him or for a poor prisoner condemned to take a pardon all the wonder is that the man should be so bountifull as to part with the bread out of his own belly to give the beggar and that the K. should be so gracious as to grant the pardon to such a wretch yet the Holy Ghost sets this downe as an equall mystery with the rest that Christ should be beleeved on in the world which is no more but that sinners should receive and entertaine that glory which is let downe from Heaven to blesse them withall to lay hold on that Rock without which they are drowned for ever to accept of that grace which only can bring salvation to them to give up themselves to be saved by the infinite riches of love and glory yet this is a mysterie that ever this Christ should be thus beleeved on That God should be manifest in flesh to save such sinners as we are why his own infinite love prompted him to it he had a design of glory out of it he knew what he did it was an essay of acting out his wisdome and love and that he was seen of Angels such sagacious and spirituall creatures is not so much wonder for who was fit to behold such an object but such blessed spirits and that it should be preached to the Gentiles may yet be conceived For God to proclaime it to us and open his heart was exceeding glorious yet still this was God letting out his owne love to us but that sinners who lie in darkenesse know nothing of God should beleeve this this is yet a farther mysterie and as great as any of the others But to open it more fully that we may see wherein this mysterie lies in this expression I shall lay downe these particulars It will be a mystery if you consider 1. The condition which the world is in 2. The nature of beleeving 3. The difficulties and disadvantages to the worke of beleeving 4. The requisites to such an act For the first That Christ should be beleeved on in the world by the world is meant the Gentiles unto whom Christ was to be preached Now the whole world lay in wickednesse averse from God scorning the name of Christ the condition of the world was a condition of utter darkenesse they were given up to blindnesse and hardnesse of heart they walked in the vally of the shadow of death under the power of the Devill ruling in their hearts as children of disobedience dead in trespasses and sins 2 Eph. 1 2 3. What a wonder is it for blind men to see though it be the best thing which may doe them good for dead men to be sensible of a miserable condition or of any thing that lies upon them such were all the world running with full careere to sin and Hell and will not be stopt delighting in sin as their meat and drinke serving their lust and the Devill as their God men not only not sensible of their owne estate but having the name of that which may reforme them Now for such to receive and entertaine a Christ submit to the glory of the Gospell must needs be a mysterie how such blind soules can see the light of the glory of God such dead hearts entertaine joyfully a living Christ and be brought from death to life from the power of Satan to God be transformed into light and life be taken up into glory may well be put on the account of the mysterie of the Gospell and adde to its greatnesse But 2. What is meant by beleeving in generall here Faith is put for all graces and all the glorious workings of God in our hearts beleeving being the first and the choicest grace every grace in our hearts makes up a mysterie and beleeving here comprehends all the workings of our hearts in relation to the designe of God in the Gospell as the manifestation of God in flesh and his justification in spirit is put for all the worke of redemption and justification the foundation of it being surely laid in that so all the workings of it in our hearts is summed up in beleeving How our hearts should take in all this love and be turned into it and live in it this is a mysterie indeed but especially beleeving is to be taken properly for the Faith it selfe which is nothing else but a closing with a receiving of and laying hold on Jesus Christ now if you look into the nature of this Faith you will find it a mysterie that Christ should be beleeved on in the world 1. A renunciation of selfe 2. A reall and full closing with Jesus Christ 3. It is a receiving Christ on his own tearmes For the first That a man should renounce himselfe and be nothing it is the hardest strait that Nature is put to selfe being the principle and end of all mens actions by Nature and that which lies diametrically opposite to the mystery of godlinesse for a poor creature whose Nature and actings can comply with nothing but selfe to abjure it and cast away all yea abhorre and loth selfe as its misery what shall we thinke of this can it amount to lesse then a mystery to see Nature not only to be weakned but turn'd against it selfe and acting contrary to its owne principles As to see light thinks descend and heavy ascend and that against its nature Selfe is the predominant principle of the world it rules like the sole Monarch and there is no absolute Monarch but selfe it rules in the most noble naturall breasts and is that which is founded in the nature of things But now when a man beleeves he goes directly against naturall selfe he saith he is nothing nor can doe nothing
but his inside blessed 2. Externally he was notwithstanding all the visible actings of him in the world and the misapprehensions of wicked men yet the spirit did still justify him and cleer him and declare him to be righteous Two things were laid on Christ which he had need to be justified from 1. The false aspersions which the world laid on him they lookt on him as a deceiver a friend of Publicans and Sinners one which blasphemed when he said he was the sonne of God one which had a Devill and wrought all his miracles by the Devill 2. The state he stood in under our sins have had the guilt and the punishment of them laid on him whereby he stood as a visible malefactor and under the visible sentence of condemnation For Christ was really charg'd with the satisfaction of our sins and was liable to all that the Law could say to us for them Now he had need to be justified from this by having an acquittance and absolution by the spirit of God Now in both these wayes may Christ be said to be justified 1. He was justified in the spirit from all those wicked imputations his enemies laid on him none were accounted of so vile as Jesus Christ all the reproaches that could be invented were laid on him they called him a Devill commonly Now see how he was justified in the spirit that is first how cleer he was within in his spirit no guile was found in his mouth 2. By his Godhead what bright sparklings of God was in the face of Jesus Christ to the conviction of his enemies many times when they came to catch him they were catch'd by the beauty of his glory and faine to confesse he was a righteous one and that never any spake or acted like him in all that ever he did in the acts of his humiliation he was justified in it God clearing it up that he was the true Messias and Saviour of the world when he was borne wise men came by the spirit to see him and worship him when he was baptized the spirit came downe visibly on him and proclaim'd from Heaven that he was the beloved Son of God with him he was infinitely well pleased Nay come to the uttermost degree of his humiliation when he hung on the Crosse between two thieves by his spirit he converted one of them and made them acknowledge he was the righteous man and they only the sinners In a word what ever he did or spoke the spirit did act it in him and justified him in it I speak not of myselfe but God testifyes of me Iohn 6. He was begotten in the wombe by the spirit led up and downe in the spirit offer'd up by the eternall spirit raised from the dead by the spirit That place in the Romans 1.3 cleers up this He was declared to be the Sonne of God with power by the spirit of holinesse in his Resurrection It is a place which answers this He was of the seed of David as concerning the flesh but declared to be the Sonne of God in the spirit when he did rise againe as much as to say he was God manifest in flesh that is in weakness and yet he was justified by the spirit of holinesse to be the sonne of God Christ would often call himselfe the son of God and for that he was called a blasphemer and for that they sought to put him to death as if they had said we will try that thou canst not dye if thou be the Son of God And so when he was put to death they were confirmed that he was a deceiver But now when he rose againe of himselfe then he was declared with power to be the son of God that is justifyed by the spirit of holinesse or the holy spirit that spirit did declare that he was full of holinesse But this was the least part of Christ's justification 2. Christ stood under the charge of all the sins of the Elect as a common person and so was by God himselfe condemned he bore our sins on the Tree in his owne body that is was really charged with the guilt and the punishment of it and though he was not guilty of any sinne yet was punished as the greatest malefactor standing as our surety Christ may seem to be condemned even by God himselfe and he must come off cleer or else lye under the punishment of it for ever for once the charge was laid on Christ the law looks to him Now Christ that was thus visibly condemned he is justified in the spirit not only that he was appointed to satisfie but that he had satisfied and took away these sins and it was reason that if God did charge him with the debt of our sins that after he had paid it he should be acquitted and declared just and the Justifyer of these for whom we undertook Now this is the great meaning of this phrase that whereas Christ was manifest as God in our flesh and so stood under the guilt of our sins he was justified in his spirit and cleered by God that he had fully satisfied him That whereas God was manifested in flesh that is as the Apostle saith Rom. 8. To condeme sin in the flesh that same God-man was also justified in the spirit that is freely and fully acquitted by his God-head from all these sins and so taken up into glory And Christ himselfe in a Prophesie when he was to dye and be judged as a condemned man he comforts himselfe with the thoughts of this He is neer that justifies me who shall condemne Esa 50.8 9. So likewise the Apostle speaking of Christs Resurrection he was put to death in the flesh but quickned in or by the spirit 1 Pet. 3.18 a place fully paralell unto this Paul saith he was justified in the spirit and Peter that he was quickned in the spirit both meane one and the same thing viz. that new life which Christ had from the dead when he left all our sins behind him and rose againe and by spirit is meant his God-head or divine nature whereby he was both raised from the grave and the guilt of sin together he was quickned and justified as a Malefactor by an absolution receives a new life after the sentence of death and this worke of justifying Christ is especially laid on Christs resurrection who when he dyed was as a condemned man but when he rose againe appeares as a righteous man which had finished his worke For justification implies and supposeth a former guilt laid to ones charge of which he is acquitted There was reason that if Christ bore our sins and stood as one condemned having done away sin should likewise be justified from the guilt of what was laid on him and be pronounced righteous Christ was under the greatest attainder that ever man was he stood publikely charged with the guilt of a world of sins and if he had not been justified by the spirit he had still laine under the
blame of all and been liable to the execution of all this in his own soule therefore though he was manifest in flesh as one condemned in that flesh yet the power of his Godhead raised him up from under the power of death and declared him as a righteous person one that was accepted for and that had compleatly satisfied for poore sinners And as at first conversion we passe from death to life that is from an estate of death and condemnation to an estate of life and justification So did Christ at his Resurrection from an estate of death and guilt which was laid on him to an estate of life and glory and justification from sin for had there been any sin unsatisfied for he could not have been justified Use 1. Is to informe us of the greatnesse of this mystery that God should be justified in spirit That God should manifest himselfe is a wonder and especially in flesh But that we should be justified that implies a guilt some default and doubtlesse this is one of the wonderfullest discoveries of his love to soules How can God be said to be justified who can imagine any evill in the Almighty who finds folly in the Angels they are not able to justifie themselves in his sight but the mysterie is in this that God himselfe which was in our flesh which is none other then Christ he is also justified for us God in our flesh takes upon him the charge of our debts and by his owne spirit justifies himselfe Oh how are poor soules raised at these expressions All the works of our salvation are done by God himselfe he taking that on him and acting over that in the person of his Sonne which must be particularly done in them Two things was to be done to save us Satisfaction and Justification payment of debt and discharge of bonds VVhy now God comes in our Nature and is both punished and justified as if he had done the offence not we God is justified instead of us and dyes when it was our condition let our hearts not be commonly affected with this mystery 2. Vse This mystery raiseth againe from the dead the hopes and joyes of poor soules and in the midst of all their sins and apprehension of wrath gives the strongest ground for Faith in their justification VVhy was God or God in Christ justified he had no need of such an act in himselfe no guile was ever found in his mouth he was a Lambe without spot but all this is to denote what God was for us that he might be to us All the acts that were to be done on us and to us were first done to God in our Nature acted on Jesus Christ and he was but an image of what is to be personally done to us yea whatever consideration he passed under it was as in our stead and we are to reckon our selves as sharers with him yea as really partakers with him as if we had acted it in our own persons When he dyed he stood under an act of attainder for sin he acted nor was capable of none but only stood there for us and our very sins on the Crosse were crucified with Christ and satisfied for by him as if we had paid the utmost farthing with our owne hands so when he was justified by the spirit we were justified He was justified as a common person in the room of all the Elect as he died as a common person for their sins In these two expressions you have all the mystery of Redemption and the reconciliation of sinners to God 1. God was manifest in flesh to bear our sins and to be abased and humbled for them whereby he might satisfie himselfe and then in the token of acquittance and absolution of us from all these sins he is justified in spirit and all the objections of unbeliefe are answered in this Saith the soule how shall my sins be satisfied for why God is manifest in flesh for that end to lay downe an infinite price to his justice But how shall I know that my sins are taken away and that I am justified from them why that God was justified in spirit that is the spirit which speaks nothing but truth and who knowes all things did publickly declare that there was a compleat righteousnesse obtained for sinners and did pronounce it to Christ as in the name of all the Elect. It is worthy further search into this what Christs being justified in the spirit amounts unto for the comfort of poor soules in regard of their justification that so we may all see what full and plenteous redemption there is in Jesus Christ and what matter of holy triumph we have in regard of our own justification First that Jesus Christ should be justified and that for us or in our name as the Atturney takes up the bond in Court for his Client it is as good in Law as if the party himselfe were there to recieve the verdict and see the act inrolled And observe it was more for Christ to be justified a harder thing then for us for he had the sins of the whole world of the Elect upon him and yet Christ beleeved his justification in that former place Esa 50. he is neer that justifies me Well mayest thou beleeve the particular justification of thy person seeing Christ was justified for thee before hand he was that great surety that stood bound to pay thy debts and he was publiquely acquitted for thee And this is certaine that Christ being justified at that moment all the Elect were virtually and really justified in him that act of God which pass'd on him was drawne up in the name of all you and when you beleeve this Indenture is showne unto your hearts But secondly in that he was justified in the spirit our comfort is raised higher for it was not an ordinary acquittance which was given Christ in our name but what was drawne up by the spirit of truth who can speak nothing but truth God himselfe justified himselfe in our Nature by his owne spirit such an infallible witnesse cannot be questioned And though by spirit be meant his God-head in generall yet it is specially meant of that person which is the spirit Therefore the Apostle Iohn Iohn 1.5 6 7 8 9 10. reduceth all to this that it was the spirit that beares witnesse to this that life is in Iesus Christ Christ came by water and blood saith he but Christ is the spirit that beares witnesse to this There were two things which did justifie Christ and both done by the spirit his resurrection and ascension into Heaven in that he rose againe it was cleer that he was justified for else he could not have risen if he had not satisfied the bands of Death would have held him fast in the Grave but that he can raise from the dead he was declared to be the sonne of God with power but still by the holy spirit Rom. 1.3 And in that he by the spirit was
pleased with him It is said that Christ entred into heaven there to appeare before God for us As a confident Debtor who hath paid the Creditor comes into the Court and askes who hath any thing to say to him he owed no man a farthing all is paid let the Law take its course So did Christ he entred into heaven as one asking justice what will you have more for poore sinners here I am if the Law hath any thing to say to these soules which I have dyed for have not I given satisfaction to the utmost I here appeare to answer in their behalfe who cannot speake for themselves Justice is silent gives the acquittance and God sets Christ down at his right hand no place no honour and advancement is too good for him who hath purchased so much So that now a poore soule by faith may see a discharge indeed of all sin do but thinke that Christ is taken up into glory and there cannot remaine a thought that any sin is unsatisfied for God is pleased so as that nothing but glory is to be expected 3. This imports a new designe to be acted in heaven for us he is taken up into glory that he may act gloriously the second part of our happinesse he acted one part in flesh in the habit of a begger cloathed with rags He is now gone to act the person of a Prince in robes of glory and all this to mannage our salvation in the richest way that can be he is now gone to follow his bloud and to get all into his own hands that he may make ready mansions of glory for us Two great things Christ acts for us now in glory which is of exceeding consequence to the salvation of our soules First He is in place of an Advocate for us Heb. 7.25 he lives to intercede for us he is alwaies begging of favour and love for us he lies there to stop whatever plea may be brought in against us by the Devill or the Law So that no sin can come in to make plea there but Christ answers it with his old satisfaction he is there to get out fresh pardons for new sins Secondly He is the great provider and caterer for us against we come there he is laying up a store and stock of glory for us he went before to take up Gods heart for us and now is drawing out the riches of love from him and laying it in banke for us therefore the Apostle saith My God shall supply your wants according to his riches in glory now he is in glory he intimating that Christs riches lye in glory now he hath the possession of them all And this is that which thirdly is here so great a part of the Mystery of Godlinesse that God who was manifested in flesh should be received up into glory he who dwelt in glory and was nothing but glory should yet be represented as at a distance from glory and said to be received into it but especially the mystery lies in this That Christ went not up as a single person but taken up as a common person carrying all the Elect with him whatever was to be done on us was done representatively and vertually on Christ as in our nature he dyed as a common person and was justified as a common person and so now he is received up into glory he went not up alone but though it is meant properly of his person yet vertually and mystically it is meant of all the Saints they were all taken up with Jesus Christ into glory not that they are so actually but mystically as in Christ their head And this is the designe God comming downe to us to bring us up to himselfe letting aside his glory from whence we were departed and then taking it up againe and us with him It is no mystery for Christ as God to be in glory so he cannot be said to be received into it for he never was without it but it is meant of his humane nature Neither was Christs humane nature received up for it selfe but as it was a figure of us Christs person was the great modell and first draught of all that shall be done to his body the Saints therefore he is said to be the Captaine of our salvation that leads us all on and our forerunner into heaven he breakes the clouds first appeares first before God and is glorified then we follow Christ wears the Crown in heaven as our King and he is united and married to God as our Proxy This is the mystery poore sinners taken into glory with Jesus Christ God himselfe in our owne nature is gone into glory for us Christ is not only gone to heaven to prepare a place for us Joh. 14. but sits in heaven in our roome and God looks on him as the great Picture of all that body and delights himselfe in seeing them all glorified as in him And even the Saints now are said to sit downe with Christ already Eph. 2. in supercoelestibus in heavenly places in supercoelestiall places And as though now we be the Sons of God we know not what we shall be when we come to glory but that we shall be like Christ so though we know Christ is gone up to glory yet what new mystery he acts there and how he acts out our salvation as in glory we know not untill we be actually taken up into the same glory we have but hints of that transaction Vse 1. What a stately Tower have we erected for to see heaven on What a faire prospect have we of the heavenly state of blessed soules Faith may stand on this mount and see it selfe in glory it is like some optique glasses which bring in all which is done without in the streets into one roome this expression opens heaven to every beleever and so fully that he cannot but see glory Is Christ received up into glory What is this but the investing all Saints with the same priviledge your faith is led up very high to take in glory it selfe Faith stands very lofty when it may both see earth and heaven at once all that God hath acted for it here and all that he will act in heaven Faith should eye Christ as far as he goes if he be ascended so should faith if he go into glory so should you also by beleeving Jesus Christ is lifted up thus that we might be drawn after him it is a great encouragement to us to think that Christ was dead for our sins and is risen againe as our justification But much more that Christ is gone into glory and hath carried all our names with him into the Fathers bosome beleevers should look on Christ under a twofold notion 1. As one from whom all their happinesse comes as a head ordained on purpose to convey life and influence unto the soule one who is filled with all fulnesse to fill them 2. As the plat-forme and idea of what they shall be and this is a