Lord Christ gave her Jesus saith unto her Woman beleeve me the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this Mountain nor yet at Hierusalem worship the Father Ye worship ye know not what we know what we worship for salvation is of the Iews But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and Truth for the Father seeketh such to wrship him God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in Truth The woman saith unto him I know that Messias cometh which is called Christ when he is come he will tell us all things Iesus saith unto her I that speak unto thee am he I conceive in this Answer the Lord Christ sheweth 1. That both the Iews and Samaritans were in an errour for it seemeth both of them thought that the Lord had confined his most solemn worship to one certain place throughout all ages as one party said at Mount Gerizim the other at Hierusalem and that the Ceremonies and Sacrifices there used should be alwaies continued Bus the Lord Christ told the woman that God had not limited himself to either of these places and that the time was now at hand when it should be as free to worship God in any other place as in either of these 2. He passeth sentence for the Iews against the Samaritans in this Controversie So far as concerned the present state of things saith he ye scil ye Samaritans worship ye know not what We scil we Iews know what we worship for salvation is of the Iews Ye Samaritans do ye know not what in your worshipping ye know not God aright ye have no warrant from his word either for your Temple once standing on this Mount or for limiting the worship of God to this place or for the way of worship Ye blindly follow the groundless Traditions of your Fathers But we know what we worship we follow the directions of God himself delivered by Moses and the Prophets both for the place and manner of Gods worship for salvation is of the Iews They are the Church of God to whom God hath committed his oracles teaching the way of Salvation and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ the Saviour of the world was to come 3. He confirmeth and amplifieth the first part of his Answer shewing that the Lord in a short time would set up a more spiritual way of worship in his Church more sutable to his spiritual Nature to which these carnal ordinances and Ceremonial ordinances should give place Secondly I Answer affirmatively that the doctrine of the Gospel and in particular this Gospel-doctrine of free justification through the righteousness of Christ doth establish the Ceremonial Law For 1. Then is a thing established when it attaineth its proper end Now by the Gospel the Law of Ceremonies attained its proper end For 1. The end of it was to be a School-master to bring men to Christ. Circumcision sealed the righteousness of faith which Circumcision it self could not give but was to be found in Christ it taught men to look after the Circumcision of the heart which was to be had in Christ alone by union with him by faith and partaking of his spirit The Passeover pointed out unto them Christ the Lamb of God without spot which taketh away the sins of the world The Sacrifices directed them to Christ the perfect Sacrifice The blood of the Sacrifices led them to the sprinkling of the blood of Christ which alone was sufficient to take away sin Now these and other Ceremonies attained their end in Christ and in the justification of sinners through the blood death satisfaction righteousness of Christ apprehended and applied by faith according to the doctrine of the Gospel and so this Law of Ceremonies was established and the validity of it declared But on the other side they that pretend so much zeal for Circumcision and other Ceremonies of the Law making it a part of the matter of their justification and resting in the bare outward observance as pleasing to the Lord in it self did cross the main end of the Ceremonial Law and propose such false ends as were impossible to be attained Secondly The doctrine of the Gospel making Christ the end of the Law for righteousness in whom wisdom righteousness sanctification redemption and salvation alone is to be had sheweth that the Ceremonial Ordinances were no empty shadowes and vain appearances like those of the Heathen but significant signs and Types full of deep Mysteries of exceeding great weight and importance pointing at the person of the Lord Jesus his office his actings his sufferings and the fruits and benefits of these whereas they that so stiffely opposed the strict observation of the Ceremonies of the Law against the doctrine of Christ delivered in the Gospel what did they make of them but begerly elements empty appearances without fruit use or profit So that the Preachers of the Gospel did honour the Ceremonial Law though they took away the observation of them by declaring the substance whereof they were shadowes and the observers of the Ceremonies in the times of the Gospel did greatly disparage them Thirdly The doctrine of the Gospel doth still establish the Ceremonial Law as an illustration of the mystery of Christ in the Gospel and sheweth that great use may still be made of them that way for the Ceremonies were as it were visible Prophesies of Christ and the things of Christ. And as Prophesies are dark before they are fulfilled but clear after they are accomplished and do much illustrate the events so these Ceremonies were obscure resemblances of Christ but now since what they signified is fulfilled the comparing the Types with the Antitypes giveth much light The Use which I intend to make of this point is to compare some of the principal Ceremonies of the old Testament with the Mysteries of the Gospel that so we may more clearly see how they are established by Christ and that we may improve them for our edification And first to begin with the Sacraments of the Ceremonial Law and there in 1. Circumcision The institution of this Sacrament is laid down Genesis the sevententh saith the Lord to Abraham This is my Covenant which ye shall keep between me and you and thy seed after thee every man child among you shall be Circumcised and ye shall Circumcise the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be a token of the Covenant betwixt me and you And elsewhere Moses saith to the people of Israel Circumcise the foreskin of your heart and be no more stiffe-necked This sheweth that the Circumcision of the flesh directed them to the inward Circumcision of the heart the mortification of sinful lusts inordinate affections and all sorts of corruptions To which agreeth that of the Apostle Circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not
him who is invisible and so despising earthly things Labour for union with Christ that partaking of his Spirit ye may partake of his holiness and graces and so of his beauty and glory Holiness beautifieth and adorneth the soul and ptepareth it for perfection of heavenly beauty and glory whereas sin doth both defile and disfigure the soul filling it with deformity This being noted in general I intend to mention some few of the particulars First The two precious stones upon the two shoulders of the Ephod or Priestly Robe wherein were ingraven the Names of the twelve tribes of Israel six in one stone and six in the other so that the high-priest bare their Names upon his two shoulders 1. This may note unto us the support which the Lord giveth unto his Church and to all the living members of it He beareth them as it were upon his shoulders Hence it is that his little flock hath been preserved in the midst of so many wolves from age to age Vpon this rock I will build my Church aud the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it What a blessed priviledge have they that are in Christ being built upon him as a rock immoveable and upheld by him born upon his shoulders who is their eternal high-priest 2. See how precious the people of Christ are in his account as if their names were engraven in precious stones and set in ouches or bosses of Gold 2. The breast-plate of Iudgement in which was to be set four rows of precious stones three in a row in all twelve stones of several kinds and in these again were ingraven the twelve names of the twelve Tribes of Israel and so Aaron was to bear the Names of the Children of Israel in the breast-plate of judgment upon his heart when he went into the holy place for a memorial before the Lord continually 1. See the tender love and affection which the Lord Christ hath toward his people he beareth them upon his breast upon his heart continually he shall feed his flock like a shepherd he shall gather the Lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom next his heart and therefore it seemeth the Church prayes to Christ set me as a seal upon thine heart that tender love which moved him to let out his heart blood for their redemption is still so powerful and prevailing with him that he beareth them upon his heart in heaven 2. Ought not Christians then to bear Christ upon their hearts to entertain him to dwell in their hearts by faith to cleave unto him in love and walk in him following the guidance of his spirit 3. Christ this eternal high-priest beareth the Names of his people upon his breast-plate or heart now that he is in heaven before his Father for a memorial before his face continually I conceive this noteth Christ his intercession for his people He presenteth their names before his Father in Heaven as the High-priest did in the holy place on the earth which was a figure of Heaven Blessed are they whose Names God the Father readeth engraven upon the breast-plate written upon the heart of his beloved Son in whom he is well-pleased What is there that such may not obtain of the Father through the Son And how should all labour to give in their names and to give up their hearts to Christ that he may bear their names upon his heart for a memorial before the face of God continually Thirdly Vpon the hemme of the High-priests Robe were placed golden Bells and Pomegranates that his sound might be heard when he went in unto the holy place before the Lord and when he came out so the Lord Christ entring in to the most holy place in heaven after his death and resurrection maketh a most sweet and pleasing sound in the ears of his Father far beyond that of golden bells his mediation and intercession in behalf of his people grounded upon the merit of his death sacrifice and satisfaction maketh heavenly melody before his Father Jesus the mediator of the new Covenant and the blood of sprinking which speaketh better things than the blood of Abel And these Pomegranates may well resemble the sweet savour of Christs sacrifice Again Aarons bells were heard to sound not only when he went in to the holy place but also when he came out Now although the Lord Christ as he is man continueth within the most holy place not made with hands and doth not come out again yet he sent down his spirit upon his Apostles soon after and caused these golden bells to give a most pleasant sound throughout the several Quarters of the world publishing the glad tidings of pardon and salvation through Christ to the comfort and refreshing of many thousand souls and the precious promises of the Gospel published in the name of Christ were as Pomegranats that yeilded a pleasant smell to the reviving of many fainting hearts and drooping spirits Had we circumcised hearts and ears gracious spirits heavenly affections how pleasant would the sound of the Gospel preached how sweet would the promises of it be unto us Fourthly The Lord gave this Command Thou shalt make a plate of pure Gold and grave upon it like the engravings of a fignet Holiness to the Lord and this golden plate was put on the forefront of the Mitre and so to be worne on the forehead of the High-priest that he might bear the iniquity of the holy things which the Children of Israel should hallow in all their holy gifts and it was to be always upon his forehead that they might be accepted before the Lord. The Inscription I suppose may be read either Holiness to the Lord or the Holiness of the Lord. 1. Here see how the Lord Christ whose holiness and righteousness is of infinite worth and value the holiness and righteousness of Iehovah of him who is very God taketh away the iniquities and pollutions of the duties services spiritual sacrifices offered by his people Aaron did bear these but in a figure and in a way of representation Christ did really bear them and his holiness and righteousness of Jehovah is imputed to them and is alone sufficient to take away all their uncleanness and to procure acceptance for them How should Christians be humbled that such is the corruption of their natures and imperfection of their graces that the best of their services the holiest of their offerings have such iniquity cleaving to them that they need the imputation of Christs righteousness to cover them And again this may comfort them that are in Christ and are sincere in their services and stir them up to thankfulness that such a precious remedy is provided them in this case even the Holiness of Jehovah 2. This golden plate with this Inscription on the forehead of the High-priest may intimate unto us that God the
any flee from sin and not rather add sin to sin doing evil that good may come that Gods grace may be the more manifested to his glory The Apostle rejecteth these with detestation shewing that notwithstanding all their perverse cavils they shall find God a severe judge and that their damnation is just for it doth no way lessen the guilt of sin that God getteth glory by it for sin in its own nature tendeth to the darkning of Gods Glory and men by sinning dishonour God but such is the infinite perfection of God that as he commanded the light to shine out of darkness though darkness be contrary to the light so he can work good and get himself glory out of the evil of sin which in it self tendeth to rob him of his glory So in the sixth Chapter of this Epistle shall we continue in sin that grace may abound The Apostle had shewed before that all had sinned in Adam besides the guilt of their own actual sins yea even such as lived before the Law was given by Moses and that by the publishing of the Law sin abounded the guilt of sin increased but then withal he added that where sin abounded grace did much more abound the free love and favour of God was gloriously manifested in pardoning sin thus heightned and aggravated by the express Law and in freely justifying sinners condemned by the written Law Hence this Question or Objection to which the Apostle answers with detestation as before and withal sheweth that they who are justified by the righteousness of Christ have received the Spirit and so dye to sin and live to righteousness and are engaged hereunto by their Baptisme and therefore it is in vain for any to hope for justification and pardon of sin through Christ who yeild themselves up to the service of sin So verse 14th he saith to Believers Ye are not under the Law but under Grace Hence again a Question or Objection of corrupt nature or carnal reason What then Shall we sin because we are not under the Law but under Grace May we not therefore sin securely if we be free from the Law if the Law have no power nor authority over us to condemn us The Apostle answereth this after his usual manner with detestation and then more fully Know ye not that to whom ye yeild your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness They that are justâ—fied by Christ and freed from the curse the condemnation and rigour of the Law are the Members of Christ and servants of righteousness but they that sin securely upon a conceit that they are freed from the Law are indeed the servants of sin and this service of sin tendeth to everlasting death The Reason of this in general is the contrariety of mans nature unto God and his Truth since the fall since the Image of God was defaced and the Nature of man corrupted by sin so that the powers of the soul thus degenerated are become cross and opposite unto the counsel and truth of God They are of the world therefore speak they of the world and the world heareth them we are of God he that knoweth God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us hereby know we the spirit of Truth and the spirit of Error all of us are naturally of the world and all remain so unless the Lord do effectually by his grace call them out of the world and so their worldly minds and hearts are unsutable and opposite unto the mind and truth of God More particularly 1. Ignorance is a great cause why men deprave the Scriptures and pervert the Truths of God the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not All are naturally darkness and therefore full of contrariety to the light and truth of God ye were sometimes darkness saith the Apostle to those that then were light in the Lord the best of those whom God hath savingly inlightned by his spirit were sometimes darkness Lye not one to another seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the Image of him that created him They that are regenerated are renewed as in other regards so in knowledge This sheweth that the old man is possessed with darkness Corrupt Nature is void of saving knowledge and therefore in that condition men are apt to put light for darkness and darkness for light The Sadduces that denied that great Mystery of the Resurrection of the body I conceive were much pleased with an Argument whereby they hoped to non-plus the Lord Jesus Christ they seemed not directly to deny the Resurrection but only to desire a Resolution in a difficult case concerning â—a woman that had seven husbands out-liv'd them all The Question was which of those seven should enjoy her for his wife at the Resurrection but the Lord Christ telleth them they shewed gross ignorance in that wherein they thought themselves veâ—y acute saith he Ye do err not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God and first sheweth them how by the Almighty power of God the bodies of the Saints at the Resurrection should be so wonderfully transformed and glorified that they should not need nor desire marriage or other things of the like natrue no more then the Angels do which are Spirits and have no bodies then he proveth by the Scripture that the dead shall rise Now this ignorance is more or less gross in several persons some that are not so grossely ignorant as others yet being weak in knowledge and judgement are apt to miscarry in this kind First by misunderstanding some Texts or passages of holy Scripture so it seemeth the Saints at Thessalonica mistook what the Apostle had written to them in his former Epistle when speaking of the last day he saith This we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the Trumpet of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Air. Where twice he speaketh of himself if we look on the bare words as if he should live to the end of the world as if Christ should come in glory before Paul should leave this world I conceive he spake by way of supposition that if he and other Believers then living should remain to the last day then they should be thus translated to Glory and as he saith elsewhere they should not dye but should be changed and this he might do to teach others by his example to live in a continual expectation
dye to sin to mortifie their members which are upon the earth to live to righteousness to walk in newness of life Thirdly the pride of corrupt Nature is very contrary to the Gospel which teacheth to be poor in spirit to empty our selves of all self-sufficiency to go out of our selves to become fools that we may be wise to be less than nothing in our own eyes to receive all of meer grace the free love and favour of God to present our selves in anothers garment before God in the righteousness of Christ for the covering of our shame and cloathing of our nakedness to look for no acceptance of any service but by anothers worthiness the merit of Christ. Fourthly corrupt and inordinate self-love may move men to reject or corrupt the Truths of the Gospel which teacheth self denyal and the renouncing of all that is dear unto us so far as it standeth in opposition against Christ Then saith Iesus unto his Disciples If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me The Gospel striketh at the right eye at the heart and root of the most beloved lusts How then will self-love rise up against it Fifty inordinate love of the world of things below being deeply rooted in corrupt Nature raiseth rebellion against the Gospel and moveth men either to reject or corrupt the Truths revealed in it Felix trembled at Pauls discourse and commanded him away the young man went away sorrowful when Christ required him to fell all and give to the poor and follow him in hope of treasures in Heaven The Pharises who were covetous when they heard Christ speak against that sin deâ—ided him Love not the world neither the things that are in the world if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him So if any man love the world inordinately the love of the Truth is not in him for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world The Use of this may be First to teach us to see and bewayle the corruption of our nature and withal to make us sensible how dangerous it is to continue in our natural estate destitute of the spirit of Christ Our corrupt nature is apt to corrupt and deny the precious Truths of the Gospel it were a dangerous and malignant disease of the body that should turn the best physick into poyson and either cast it out of the stomach as soon as it is taken in or grow worse by occasion of the remedy Our natures are wholly overspread with the deadly disease of sin and corruption and there is no part â—ound in them as the Apostle saith I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing He had much good in him through grace a great measure of the spirit of Christ but in his flesh so far as he was carnal so far as he was not renewed by the holy Ghost â—o far there was no good thing dwelling in him which sheweth that in them which are not regenerate there is nothing spiritually good nothing suitable and pleasing to God Whence these two great evils follow First an inclination to reject the Remedyâ— like a corrupt Stomack that gives no entertainment to the Physick leaveth it no time to work the cure but presently casteth it out So do many in the state of corrupt Nature they hear the Truths of the Gospel which the Lord hath appoynted as preâ—ious Remedies against that disease and reject them cast them up again either denying them in the secret thoughts not believing them or not seriously minding or regarding them So the Apostle told the unbelieving Iews it was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you but seeing ye put it from you and judge your selves unworthy of everlasting life Lo we turn to the Gentiles He charged them for putting the word of God from them The Apostle had put the word of God home to them and they put it from them thus it is with many The Gospel is tendered to them as necessary physick sent down from Heaven and ministred to them by the Preachers of the word but they put it from them either they do not take it down or presently cast it up again Secondly there is an inclination in corrupt Nature to corrupt the Truths of the Gospel and to make them occasions of increasing the disease and so to make the Gospel to become the servant of death unto death Corrupt Nature is apt to make both the law and the Gospel occasions of increasing these diseases of the soul concerning the Law the Apostle saith when we were in the flesh the motions of sin which were by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death This explaineth afterwards as in other passages wherefore the Law is holy and the Commandment holy and just and good the Law is perfectly holy and just and good and therefore cannot be properly the cause of any thing sinful and unholy Was that then which is good made death unto me God forbid But sin that it might appear sin working death in me by that which is good that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful such is the malignity of corrupt Nature that it worketh evil out of good and maketh the pure and holy Law of God an occasion of sin the more sin is forbidden reproved threatned condemned by the Law the more vehemently is the corruption of nature carried after sin So for the Gospel the Apostle Peter saith that Christ preached in the Gospel is to them that are disobedient a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence when to them which stumble at the word being disobedient whereunto also they were appointed They stumble and take offence because they like not those terms upon which Christ is offered to them in the Gospel How dangerous is it then to continue in this estate of corrupt nature How earnest should poor souls be with the Lord to deliver them The body is in a sad estate when all both food and physick increaseth some deadly disease in it The word and Gospel of God is both food and physick and corrupt Nature is apt to make it an occasion to increase sin and aggravate condemnation Cry mightily to the Lord to work a through cure upon your souls to change and renew your natures to send his spirit along with his word that it may overpower the diseases of your souls and be unto you the favour of life unto life Secondly This may teach us not to think it strange that so many pretious Truths of the Gospel are denyed and rejected in these days so many parts of Scripture abused with false interpretations and corrupt glosses so many errors and lyes maintained instead of Truths Corrupt nature
this was one of the last acts of Moses his life for the Lord said unto him avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites afterwards shalt thou be gathered unto thy people it was a work fit for him to do when he was ready to leave the world How odious were those Prophets of Baal to that zealous Prophet Elijah Saith he take the Prophets of Baal let not one of them escape and they took them and Elijah brought them down to the brook Chishon and slew them there Micaiah shewed his detestation of those lyes spoken by the false prophets when he told the King now therefore behold the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy Prophets The like may be shewed of the Prophet Ieremiah how he abhorred the lyes of those false Prophets Hananiah Ahab Zedekiah and Shemajah but I come to the Examples of the New Testament And first to begin with Iohn Baptist who came to prepare the way of the Lord with what zeal did he detest the corruption of doctrine brought in by the Pharises and Sadduces When he saw many of them come to his Baptisme he said unto them O generation of Vipers Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come But above all take the blessed Example of the Lord Jesus Christ with what heavenly zeal did he manifest his detestation of the false doctrine taught by the Scribes and Pharises Thus have ye made the Commandment of God of none effect by your tradition And he gave his Disciples this Caveat Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharises and of the Sadduces which is meant of their corrupt doctrine How sharply doth he reprove them and how many woes doth he denounce against them He calleth such Wolves Theeves and Robbers And the Apostles and servants of the Lord Jesus Christ being led by the spirit of Christ did abundantly discover how exceedingly they detested and abhorred Heresies and falsâ— doctrines The Apostle Peter inveigheth with much vehemency against false Teachers calleth their corrupt doctrines damnable heresies whereby they denyed the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction He terms their ways pernicious and shews how they make merchandise of souls He calleth them pernicious self-wilâ—ed and such as are not afraid to speak evil of dignities wells without water speaking greaâ— swelling words of vanity with divers other expressions St. Iude agreeth with St. Peter and among other passages compareth false Teachers to Cain Balaam Core The Apostle Iohn calleth them Antichrists adversaries to Christ and false Prophets They are called deceivers yea it is said ver 10 11. If there come any unto you and bring not thiâ— doctrine receive him not into your house neitheâ— bid him God speed for he that biddeth him Goâ— speed is partaker of his evil deeds In the Revelations written by St. Iohn the Angel oâ— Minister of the Church at Ephesus is commended for hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans Pergamus is threatned because in that Church was found those that held the doctrine of Balaam and of the Nicolaitans and therefore t is added Repent or else I will comâ— unto thee quickly and will fight against theâ— with the sword of my mouth Thiatira is blamed for suffering the woman Iezabel which called her self a Prophetess to teach and seduce A great part of this book declareth the wickedness of the Whore of Babylon the Antichristian popish faction the mischief they do the Judgements of God hanging over them and how odious their false doctâ—ines and false worship is to God and his people The Apostle St. Paul as he laboured and wrote more than the rest so he is very plentiful in declaring his detestation of false doctrines and false teachers In his Epistle to the Romans â—he earnestly exhorteth the Saints I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them for they that are such serve not the Lord Iesus Christ but their own belly and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple He speaketh of those that cause divisions contrary to â—ound doctrine not of those that oppose false doctrine and corrupt customes whereupon sometimes divisions may follow through obâ—tinacy of those that resist the truth How largely doth he declare against that fundamental errour of them that denyed the resurrection He calleth them corrupt teachers false apostles deceitful workers transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ Ministers of Satan and imitating their Master transforming themselves into the Ministers of righteousness as he being the Prince of darkness transformeth himself into an Angel of light How sharp and severe is he this way in the Epistle to the Galatians Though we or an Angel from heaven preach any other Gosâ—el unto you than that which ye have received let him be accursed As we said before so say I now again if any man preach any other Gospel unto you than that ye have received let him be accursed Yea he spared not that great Apostle Peter but withstood him to the face and gave him a publick reproofe because he did but warpe a little and by withdrawing from the believing Gentils for fear of offending the Iews gave occasion to men to question the doctrine of free justificâ—tâ—on through the righteousness of Christ alone and to think that circumcision and the ceremonies of the Law were necessâ—ry to justification Again saith he O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that yâ— should not obey the truth shewing that tâ— be led by â—alse teachers is to be befooled and bewitched Corrupts teachers bewitch and make fools of their followers Again saith he I would they were even cut off that troublâ— you He calleth false teachers dogs evil workers the Concision and sheweth that such are apt to beguile others with enticing words and to spoil them through Philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ intruding into those things which they have not seen vainly puffed up by their fleshly minds How notably doth he set forth Antichrist and his followers speaking of a grand apostacy and general falâ—ing away and calleth the head of it the man of sin the Son of perâ—ition who opposeth and exalteth himself c. He calleth the mystery of Antichrist the mystery of Iniquity He calleth him that wicked one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying the lawless one a term exactly agreeing to the Pope who trampleth upon the laws of Christ at his pleasure and exalteth his own Laws He sheweth that his coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish c. He sheweth that to fall into Heresie is to make shipwrack of faith
be truly godly and not abhor false doctrines which are such a fruitful spawn of a venemous Issue Many flying serpents being hatched of one Cockatrice egg Fiftly Errours are apt to overgrow the Truth as Tares and other weeds are ready to overcome the corn And that 1. by corrupting one doctrine of the Gospel after another And 2. by oppressing and persecuting the sincere professors and Preachers of the Truth It seemeth the errours and corruptions of Popery were first winked at being taken up by particular persons not generally owned then they became more general and overbore the truth then they were armed with power and so opposed and persecuted the sincere maintainers of the truth The Arian Heresie at first was kept under at length prevailed so as to raise most bloody persecutions against the Truth The outrages of the Anabaptists and sueâ—â— as pretended to Revelations how notoriouâ— were they when once they got a head at Munster in Germany But our age seemeth to exceed former times in this kind that errours and heresies among us have been armed almost at their first appearance It would appear a strange Monster if a child should bâ— born in armour such a monster if I mistake not I have read of born in Germany about the time of the late wars Is it not prodigious to see armed monsters born amongst us errours and heresies with swords by their sides Pistolls Muskets Pikes â—n their hands at their first coming into the world almost Who knoweth the dismaâ— events and mischief such things presage if the Lord Christ who is the Truth and whose name is the word of God should for our unworthiness forbear to ride forth on his white horse conquering and to conquer But what gracious heart doth not both abhor and tremble at those things that tend to the suppressing of the Truth and rooting out of those that are of the Truth and for the Truth Sixthly Errours aud Heresies are apt to spread far and wide in a short time from a person to a family from the family to a Neighbourhood then over a Province or Country then over a Nation then from Nation to Nation and so over the world Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth The Arian Heresie being a little spark at first in Egypt in a short time did spread over Asia and Africk and took hold of divers parts of Europe for the devil himself hath declared it that his business is to go to and fro in the earth and to walk up and down in it and he is very swift in his motion and active in his work and who that hath any zeal for Christ doth not abhor such a growing evil such a spreading mischief Seventhly Errours and Heresies are apt to draw poor souls from the means of grace They are deadly diseases and withal of such a cursed nature that they take off the heart from the remedy They cause people to withdraw from those assemblies where the truths of God are taught and the unsoundness of such errours is laid open And then it is as the Devil would have it when he can so bewitch poor souls as to make them drink down deadly poyson and then refuse to take a purge But as this is pleasing to Satan so how grievous is it to them that tender the good of poor souls to see them dangerously sick and altogether unwilling to be healed or come near the means of the cure Eightly Heresies and false doctrines make woful rents and divisions in the Church The Church is one body under one head the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle speaking to the Church says now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular Christ is the head of the Church and he is the Saviour of the body and therefore the Apostle exceedingly presseth the members of the Church to endeavour to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace heaping up arguments of unity Saith he there is 1. one Body 2. one Spirit 3. one Hâ—pe 4. one Lord. 5. one Faith 6. one Baptisme 7. one God and Father of all Shall the members of one body fight each against other Is it not monstrous for them that should be quickned with one spirit to strive against each other as if they were acted by contrary spirits Shall they that 〈◊〉 called to one hope be at defiance among themâ—selves Can the Servants of one Lord beaâ— arms against each other and one party noâ— fight against the Lord himself by contending with their fellow Servants Shall those that are called to the profession of one faith embrace contrary beliefs Is it not odious to see those that were washed in one laver of Baptisme cast dirt upon each other or stain their hands yea their consciences with the blood of each other Is it not horrid to see the children of one heavenly Father or such as profess themselves to be so to hate and destroy their brethren Now how clearly doth Scripture witness how sadly doth experience prove that errours and heresies make woful rents and divisions In one of those places formerly mentioned saith the Apostle I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause diâ—visions and offences contrary to the doctrine which we have learned and avoid them by teaching contrary to sound doctrine dangerous divisions are caused and great offences given What a grievous rent was likely to have been made in the Primitive Church by them which would have perswaded the believing Gentiles that Circumcision was necessary to Salvation had not the Apostles and Elders meeting together in a Synod at Hierusalem carefully suppressed this errour at the first appearing of it It is said Paul aud Barnabas had no small dissention and disputation with them that taught this false doctrine In the Synod it self there was much disputing In the Epistle directed by the Synod to the Churches of the Gentiles it is said We have heard that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words subverting your Souls saying ye must be circumcised and keep the Law scil of Ceremonies to whom we gave no such Commandment And although this Errour was for the present much restrained yet how did it break out again afterward among the Galatians And therefore the Apostle calleth these false teachers the Concision instead of the Circumcision Cum ecclesiam conscinderent lacerarent seeing they did as it were cut and tear in pieces the Church of Christ with their false doctrine or as another saith he called them the Concision tum quod ecclesiam pravo dogmate scinderent tum quod simplciores a Christo abscinderent because by their corrupt opinion they did both cut asunder the unity of the Church and cut off the weaker sort from Christ. But if we should speak of the Rents that were in the Church by Errours and Heresies mentioned in the Ecclesiastical Histories it would amount to a large Volumn What a rent was like to be made in the
divisions and stirs and contentions followed by accident not from the Nature of the doctrine delivered by Christ and his Apostles But 1. From the malice of Satan 2. From the Corruption Blindness Perverseness of mens Spirits First From the malice of Satan who looked upon the powerful preaching of Christ his Gospel as an Engine of battery planted against his strong-holds He being the Prince of darkness extreamly hateth the Light and therefore whereas he possessed all in peace before when the light of the Gospel breaketh forth he betaketh himself to his arms standeth upon his guard striveth to keep possession of the hearts and souls of men Yea he is not content to make a defensive War only but rageth and laboureth to put out the light stirreth up his instruments to oppose and persecute those that receive the love of the Truth and give up their names and hearts to Christ. Secondly The Corruption of mans Nature the blindness and perverseness of their spirits is a cause of theâ—e divisions and commotions Their ignorance errours lusts sinful courses are reproved by the word yea others receiving and obeying it is a condemning of their unbelief impenitency disobedience and therefore they are easily perswaded by Satan to oppose and persecute the Truth and them that embrace it So that it is from the malignity of their hearts that divisions follow I may add yet a third cause Thirdly And that is the weakness of some who for the main do embrace and love the Truth but for want of more clear and solid judgements do differ and dissent in things of lesâ— moment whereupon follow estrangements and too much alienation of affection And aâ— Satan and the world took occasion to stir up contention and cause division upon occasion of Christ his coming and preaching so also upon the publishing of the Gospel by hiâ— Apostles and by consequent by other faithful Preachers of the Truth Paul and Barnabas at Iconium so spake that a great multitude both of the Iews and also of the Greekâ— believed Here was the proper effect oâ— Christs spirit working in the Gospel preached it made peace between God and men and united Iews and Gentiles together who werâ— odious to each other Now see also the effect of Satans malice and the perverseness oâ— unbelievers in taking occasion hence to cause divisions But the unbelieving Iews stirred uâ— the Gentiles and made their minds evil affected against the Brethren It seemeth these mischievous persons then began to kindle the fire of contention in the breasts of ignorant persons but it did not presently flame out And therefore in the third verse we find that these faithful servants of Christ went on in their work without interruption Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord which gave testimony to the word of his Grace and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands But at length this fire of Hell that lay smothered under the ashes brake forth the multitude of the City was divided and part held with the Iews and part with the Apostles and an assault was made both of the Gentiles and Iews People and Rulers to use them despitefully and stone them so that the Apostles fled and preached the Gospel elsewhere Here it is as clear as the Sun that the unbelievers and enemies of the Truth were the cause of this division If we should trace the Apostle Paul in his travels from place to place where shall we find a place free from divisions not caused by his preaching but following occasionally from his preaching Satan and his Agents kindling the coals of contention The Apostle could not bring men to Christ by his Ministry but he must of necessity wrest them out of the power of Satan and call them from the course of the world and thereupon Satan and the world were enraged and so contentions and divisions followed Second Caution The use of this may be First To teach us more seriously to lay to heart and bewayle the great and lamentable inundation and overflowing of Errours and Heresies among us Saith Iohn I beheld and heard an Angel flying through the midst of Heaven saying with a loud Voice Woe Woe Woe to the inhabitants of the Earth by reason of the other voices of the Trumpet of the three Angels which are yet to sound Before we may read of seven Angels with their seven Trumpets now after four of them had sounded and sad consequents followed here is a solemn preparation made against the sounding of the three last It seemeth the reasoâ— is because the calamities following should be more grievous than the former and accordingly an Angel flying through the midst of Heaven denounceth three woes to the Inhabiters of the Earth It is supposed this Angel was Gregory 1. Bishop of Rome said to fly through the midst of Heaven or the middle space between Heaven and Earth because on the one side he came nearer the heavenly purity of doctrine and worship than his Successors but was yet far below that heavenly purity of the primitive and Apostolical times and so declining toward the earth according to the corrupt times wherein he lived who by foretelling that the King of Pride was at hand Antichrist was at hand with an army of Priests follow-him gave warning of these woes approaching Soon after this warning given the fifth Angel sounded which is the first of the three woe-bringing Trumpets as they may be called and the first consequent following is thus expressed And I saw a Star fall from Heaven unto the Earth and to him was given the key of the bottomless Pit It is conceived that this Star noteth out both the Pope in the West and that false Prophet Mahomet in the East who though they differed far from each other in their particular way of acting yet they both promoted the main design of the Prince of darkness and therefore may well be represented by one Star falling from Heaven and said to have the Key of the bottomless Pit They fell from Heaven from the heavenly purity of the true Church often called Heaven in this Book About three years after the death of Gregory his Successor Boniface the third received of Phocas the perfidious Emperor who murdered his Master Mauritius the Emperor with his children the Title of Universal Bishop and so a vast power to work mischief in the Church which accordingly was put in execution as it followeth And he opened the bottomless-pit and there arose a smoak out of the Pit as a smoak of a great furnace and the Sun and the Air were darkned by reason of the smoak of the Pit The smoak of errours and superstitions like a most loathsom fogg came out of the bottomless pit darkning the light of the truth and blinding the eyes of men the efficacy of errour and strong delusion bewitching multitudes of poor souls Besides this out of the smoak came locusts upon the earth huge multitudes of Monks and Fryers
of men but of God The same Apostle saith that Abraham received the sign of Circumcision and seal of the righteousness of faith These Scriptures compared together shew that Circumcision did seal the Covenant of Grace between God and his people on the one side confirming the promises of God to them as a seal added to the blood of his Covenant on the other side engaging them to answer the ends of the Covenant by Circumcising their hearts mortifying their corruptions and forsaking their sins The sum of Gods promises sealed by the Sacrament of Circumcision is delivered in these words I will establish my Covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting Covenant to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee I conceive this conteineth as much as all the promises of the Gospel For what is there in all the promises concerning pardon of sin justification adoption the graces of Sanctification the comforts and joyes of the holy Ghost Communion with God strength against temptation protection against the assaults of Satan and the world hearing and answering of prayers support under afflictions victory over death everlasting life and salvation and other promises and priviledges granted to Believers in the Gospel I say what is there in all these which is not comprehended in this promise I will be their God God is all sufficient he is all in all and when he giveth himself he giveth all good things and blessings and this was sealed by Circumcision Now this promise and Covenant is fulfilled in Christ for out of Christ men and women are both strangers and Enemies to God and have no interest in him The Lord is so far from being their God that he is their Enemy saith the Apostle When we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son The best of men and women are in a state of enmity with God until they are reconciled by Christ. And that Covenant sealed by Circumcision wherein the Lord promised to be the God of Abraham and of his seed was the same for substance with that where he saith I will bless thee and make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing and I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed I conceive the promise of Christ is twice included here when it is said I will make thee a blessing and again in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed Abraham was made a blessing and the Nations and families of the Earth were blessed in him in this regard because Christ according to the flesh or humane nature was to issue out of his loynes according to that in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed that is in Christ. So that Abraham found that in Christ which was sealed to him by Circumcision Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness and he received the sign of Circumcision a seal of the righteousness of faith which he had yet being uncircumcised Circumcision attained its end in Christ and he was the substance of this shadow in him believers are reconciled to God and he becometh their God and they are made his people being justified by his righteousness and by his spirit they are circumcised in heart their corruptions are mortified and their body of sin destroyed which is an evidence of their union with Christ and justification by him and this may move us to labour to be found in Christ that we may be circumcised in heart that the power of sin may be killed in us that we may be conformed unto his death our sinful lusts and affections being crucified by virtue of his death on the Cross that so as the Apostle saith we may be circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the Circumcision of Christ. 2. In as much as circumcision was a seal of that Covenant whereby God gave himself to his people to be their God in Christ and a seal of the righteousness of saith and so of the pardon of sin and justification through the righteousness of Christ apprehended by faith It is clear that all the Arguments of the Anabaptists fall to the ground which they build either upon the pretended difference of Baptisme and circumcision or of the Covenants sealed by them or upon the incapacitie of Infants for it is evident that the same Covenant which is confirmed by Baptisme was also sealed by circumcision and if Infants under the old Testament were capable of circumcision how are they made uncapable of Baptism under the Gospel And accordingly you may observe how the Apostle compareth baptisme and circumcision together and sheweth how the latter cometh in place of the former for having warned believers not to hearken to those who would bring them in bondage unto Iewish Ceremonies he telleth them ye are compleat in hi scil in Christ aâ—d so need not to observe those shadows of the Law in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. So that they have the same circumcision in Christ w ch their Fathers had under the Law and therefore needed not the outward circumcision But lest any should think thus our faith under the Gospel needeth outward helps to confirm it as well as theirs under the old Testament he addeth these words ver 12 Buried with him in baptisme wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from the dead as if he had said instead of Circumcision ye have the Sacrament of baptisme signifying the same thing and sealing the Covenant of grace and righteousness of faith Secondly The other Sacrament was that of the Passeover this was instituted by the Lord while Israel was in Egypt and was first celebrated that same night that they came out of that house of Bondage The sum of the ordinance was this that every family should chuse a Lamb a male of the first year without blemish they were to separate it from the rest of the flock on the tenth day of the Month setting apart four days until the fourteenth day at even when it was to be killed they were to take of the blood and strike it upon the two side-posts and on the upper door-posts of the houses wherein the Lambs was to be eaten and the same night they were commanded to eat the flesh of the Lamb roasted with fire and with unleavened bread and bitter herbs but if any family were too little for a Lamb it was to joyne with the next and they were to eat it in hast with their loines girded their shoes on their feet and their staffe in their hand as men prepared to travel
so the people of God had need every day morning and evening to flee to Christ and to apply his sacrifice and satisfaction to themselves and through him to seek pardon of God for their dayly sins and infirmities every day sprinkling the blood of Christ the Lamb of God upon their souls 2. This may stir up Christians dayly to offer up a morning evening sacrifice to the Lord in confession of sins prayers praises thanksgivings We read of special blessings which the Lord vouchsafed at those times The King of Iudah Israel and Edom with their Army were in danger to perish for want of water and in this great distress they had recourse to the Prophet Elisha now it is said ver 20 and it came to pass in the morning when the meat-offering was offered that behold there came water by the way of Edom and the country was filled with water So Danâ—ul having prayed with much importunity for the Church which was then in captivity saith the man Gabriel to wit the Angel Gabriel in the likeness of a man being caused to fly swiftly touched him about the time of the evening oblation and so as it followeth there opened the counsels of God unto him according to his request I conceive it is very probable that the people of Israel in their several houses did use to pour out their prayers to God about the time of the morning and evening sacrifices and that Daniel and others of the godly when they were in captivity did observe those times though then the Temple was destroyed and the daily sacrifice interrupted A second sort of Sacrifices were sin offerings this kind of offering is called in the Hebrew expresly Sin because in a typical or figurative way the guilt or sin of him for whom the sacrifice was offered was laid upon the creature sacrificed So the Apostle sheweth that God hath made him scil Christ to be â—in for us who knew no sin that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him The sin-offering called sin figured the imputation of mens sin to Christ who had no sin of his own bnt voluntarily took upon him the guilt of mens sins as a surety taketh upon him anothers debt 1. See here how exceedingly the Son of God abased himself for sinners as to stand under the guilt of numberless sins If we consider the infinite holiness glory and Majesty of Christ is it not evident that this degree of humiliation and abasement passeth all understanding Admire therefore his infinite love and unconceivable goodness which moved him hereunto Learn highly to exalt and honour him 2. See here the baseness of sin which thâ— abased the Son of God when he took the guilâ— of it upon him out of compassion to sinnerâ— No outward estate condition calling imployment doth so abase any as the least sin doth in the Lord his account and yet hoâ— vain is the corrupt heart of man in being ashamed of many other things more thâ— of sin yea how many are there that arâ— ashamed of holiâ—ess and ready to glory iâ— sin 3. If Christ did thus abase himself for thâ— sins of others as to be made a sin-offering or to be made sin by imputation How shoulâ— we take shame to our selves and be exceedingly humbled and abased for our own sins As David I have sinned greatly in that I haâ— done I have done very foolishly And 〈◊〉 I abhor my self and repent in dust 〈◊〉 ashes 2. The blood of the sin-offering was to sprinkled seven times before the Lord and seâ— is noted for a number of perfection The Souâ— and Consciences of sinners are so deeply slaâ—ned and defiled with sin that they neeâ— much purging How often should we laboâ— by â—aith to sprinkle the blood of Christ upon our souls and to apply it to our selves This blood of the sin-offering was to bâ— sprinkled seven times before the vail of 〈◊〉 holy place so it is the blood of Christ 〈◊〉 maketh way for believers to the mercy-seat which their sins had shut up against theâ— Having therefore Brethren boldness to enteâ— into the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh and having an high-priest over the house of God let us draw near with a true â—eart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience and our bodies washed with pure water with hearts and souls sprinkled with the blood of Christ by faith and so purged from the guilt of sin and bodies washed with pure water being baptized outwardly and inwardly with water and the sanctifying graces of the holy spirit 3. Some of the blood was to be put upon the horns of the sweet incense Altar scil the Golden Altar so Christians are to ground their faith and confidence in offering up the Incense of prayer upon the blood and Mediation of Christ having no hope of acceptance but only through him and his satisfaction and intercession The Golden Altar being a type of Christ as he intercedeth for his people The blood of the sin-offering put upon this Altar may intimate unto us that Christ intercedeth with his Father and pleadeth for his people by presenting to him his blood the merit of his death and fulness of his satisfaction which he underwent not for himself who had no need but for them 4. The fat of the Inwards Kidneys c. were to be burned upon the Altar The fat may signifie carnal security senselessness and sottishness in heavenly and spiritual things Make the heart of this people sat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes and the Kidneys and fat upon them may signifie fleshly lusts and therefore as these things were consumed by fire upon the Altar so let Christians earnestly pray and labour for more and more of the spirit of Christ to consume and burn up their earthly and carnal affections and sinful lusts And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Sion and he that remaineth in Ierusalem shall be called holy even every one that is written among the living in Hierusalem when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the Daughters of Sion and shall have purged the blood of Hierusalem from the midst thereof by the Spirit of Iudgement and by the spirit of burning 5. The skin of the Bullock for the sin-offering and all his flesh with his head and with his leggs and his inwards and his dung even the whole Bullock was to be carried without the Camp where the Ashes were poured and there to be burnt and as this was to be done without the Camp while they were in the Wilderness as they were when these things were written so it seemeth after they were settled in Canaan it was done without the City The Apostle giveth us
the interpretation of this Mystery For the bodyes of those beasts whose blood is brought into the Sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burnt without the Camp wherefore Iesus also that he might sanctifie the people with his own blood suffered without the Gate And he bearing his Cross went forth unto a place called the place of a Skull which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha It seemeth this was a loathsome place without the City where they executed the vilest offenders and so at that time there were two malefactours Crucified with the Lord Jesus Christ one at each hand A place of a skul where there were it is likely many skuls and bones of such as had been there put to death even as the sin-offering was burnt at the place where the ashes were poured out First Here we have an other evidence of the wonderful abasement of the Lord of glory thrust out of the Camp out of the City as an outcast as an unclean and cursed thing so extreamly was he vilified whom all the Angels of God worship and to whom every knee must bow of those in heaven c And therefore let us make the same use of it as was formerly hinted Secondly In particular let us make the use of it which the Apostle points us to Let us go forth therefore unto him without the Camp bearing his reproach Both Iews and Gentiles conspired together in Crucifying the Lord Christ and therefore Believers must go out of the Iews Camp and out of the worlds Camp bearing the reproach of Christ they must not joyn with the obstinate Iews in observing legal Ceremonies nor be conformed to the world but labour to be conformed to a crucified Saviour and be content to endure scorn reproach persecution for Christ following the Lamb whithersoever he goeth Many will seem to close with Christ if they can find him in the Camp if they can enjoy their credit their favour with the world their earthly interests But how few will go forth to him out of the Camp bearing his reproach so as to be rejected by the world and dealt with as outcasts and the off scouring of all things For saith the Apostle here have we no continuing City but we seek one to come If Christ suffered without the Gate of the City let us not be so affected as if this world were the place of our rest Let us not mind earthly things let us have our conversation in Heaven labouring to make sure of our interest in that everlasting inheritance Let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us of entring into his rest any of you should seem to come short of it The Apostle urgeth from this Type of the sin-offering that they which would still rest in the observation of Iewish Ceremonies had no right in Christ We have an Altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the Tabernacle for the bodies c. as before The bodies of the sin-offerings were burnt without the Camp and so the Priest did eat no part of their flesh whereby was signified that they who would feed upon Christ and partake of the benefit of his sacrifice must leave the Tabernacle or Temple Priesthood Sacrifices Ceremonies of the Law now that Christ hath suffered for thus are all established by Christ not so as to be observed much less to be rested in but so as to attain their end in Christ in whom it appeareth that they are no empty shadowes but lively types of great and weighty Mysteries whereof also they are useful illustrations Thirdly I proceed to somewhat of meat-offerings It seemeth these were sometimes offered by themselves and sometimes joyned with other sacrifices as they were offered by themselves we have them set down Lev. 2. The original word is taken for a gift or present so these meat-offerings were to be given and presented to the Lord and this offering was to be fine flower of the purest part of the wheat and so it is conceived to signifie the perfect purity of Christ offering himself to God for his people resembled by pure flower without any mixture of bran The Lord Christ is brought in speaking to his Father Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not but a body hast thou prepared me in burnt offerings and Sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure Then said I Loe I come in the volumn of the book it is written of me to do thy will O God I conceive here those three sorts of sacrifices are mentioned burnt-offerings sin-offerings and meat-offerings none of these could satisfie the justice of God for the sins of men and therefore he prepared or fitted a body for his Son an humane nature fitted to suffer for the sins of men a pure humane nature as the pure flower of wheat by the miraculous operation of the holy Ghost This humane nature united in one person with the Son of God was sufficient to make full satisfaction to the infinite justice of God which all the sacrifices of the Law could not do In respect of his body or humane nature he was fitted for a sacrifice in respect of his God-head he was an all sufficient sacrifice of infinite value Labour then to lay hold on Christ by faith and to turn to the Lord by repentance that ye may have interest in this most pretious offering this compleat and most perfect sacrifice every way fitted for this use for as Christ is the only Son of God he is most nigh unto the Father the same God with the Father and infinitely beloved of the Father of infinite worth and excellency and so able to make full satisfaction to his justice As he is the Son of man so he is nigh unto men their Brother one of the seed of that woman who was the Mother of all living one of the same nature and so of a nature fit to suffer and therefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him 2. This meat offering of fine flower seemeth also to signifie the offering up of believers to Christ because the members are to be conformed to their head They shall bring all your Brethren for an offering to the Lord out of all Nations The word there translated offering is the same that elsewhere is rendred meat-offering Suitable whereunto is that of the Apostle saith he that I should be the Minister of Iesus Christ to the Gentiles ministring the Gospel of God that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable being sanctified by the holy Ghost Although the Gentiles were prophane Idolaters and defiled with manifold abominations and so fitly resembled by the beasts that were unclean under the Law yet the Apostle preaching the Gospel to them and the holy spirit of Christ working in and with his Ministry upon their souls were renewed cleansed sanctified and so presented as an acceptable offering to the Lord 1. Let all Christians pray
for the Success of the Gospel in all places particularly in the place where they live that those that are unclean may become an acceptable offering unto the Lord being sanctified by the holy Ghost Is it not much to be lamented that where there are many people living under the Gospel the Lord should have so few offerings that so few shloud give clear evidence that they are as fine flower sifted from the bran of their natural corruption and so fit to be presented as meat-offerings to the Lord and how restless should each particular soul be until 't is thus sifted and sanctified by the holy spirit that it may be a holy offering unto the Lord. 2. Oyl was to be poured upon the fine flower This may signifie the annointing of Christ concerning whom it is said God even thy God hath annointed thee with the Oyle of gladness above thy fellows Those pretious graces of the spirit poured forth abundantly upon Christ were resembled by oyle and therefore it is said of him He is full of grace and Truth and of his fulness have all we received and grace for grace He hath an overflowing fulness of this heavenly oyl of these spiritual graces enough for all that are united to him for God giveth not the fpirit by measure unto him Let all be stirred up to come to Christ and turn unto him that they may receive of his fulness grace for grace They that are wholly empty of saving grace may receive from him they that have some beginnings may receive increase from him Is it not want of exercising faith upon Christ and keeping close to him that maketh Christians so defective in grace It is said the pretious ointment upon the head of Aaron the High-priest went down to the skirts of his garment The unconceivable fullness of grace poured upon Christ the eternal High-priest is ready to distill upon his members if they be not wanting to themselves 3. There was also frankincense put upon this meat-offering so the Lord Christ gave himself for his people an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling favour and God the Father proclaimed from heaven concerning him This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased The sweet odour and savour of Christs sacrifice is so pleasing unto the Father that he is appealed toward all that are truly united to Christ and reconciled to him by Christ and this also maketh the services of such well-pleasing to the Lord the sweet savour of Christ his Sacrifice perfumeth their offerings 4. An handful of this meat-offering was to be burnt upon the Altar as a memorial and the rest belonged to the Priests the Sons of Aaron 1. The memorial may signifie that the Lord is moved to remember his Covenant of grace by the merit of Christ his sacrifice Not that the Lord is subject to forgetfulness or needeth to be put in remembrance but it is spoken after the manner of men and to help the weak faith of his people and therefore they may assure themselves that the Lord will ever be mindful of his Covenant and shew himself faithful in his promises Again in a Secondary way it may be a ground of much comfort to the people of God in respect of their duties and services which they offer up to God by Christ in sincerity The Lord will have them in remembrance the Lord hear thee in the day of trouble remember all thine offerings So the Angel told Cornelius Thy Prayers and thine Alms are come up for a memorial before the Lord. 5. The remnant of the meat offering was to be Aarons and his Sons who were Priests of the Lord. The Apostle inspired and directed by the holy Spirit argueth thus from hence Do ye not know that those which minister about holy things live of the things of the Temple and they which wait on the Altar are partakers with the Altar Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel They that did service at the Altar under the old Testament did partake with the Altar as here in the meat offerings the Altar had part and they that waited on the Altar had part So the Apostle shews that it is the Lords own ordinance that they that preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel They therefore that oppose the maâ—ntenance of the preachers of the Gospel do resist the ordinance of God and presumptuously oppose his supream authority 6 The meat offering was to be seasoned with salt Yea it seemeth this was to be used not only in this case but also generally in all Sacrifices for so it is said Every oblation of this meat offering shalt thou season with salt neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the Covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat-offering With all thy offerings thou shalt offer salt 1. Salt consumeth crude and raw humours and preserveth from putrefaction and rottenness so Christ by his spirit seasoneth the souls of true believers and worketh out the natural corrupt distempers of their hearts and where the spirit of Christ is wanting men are left to the bent of their own spirits How wofully are they filled with corruption and rottenness and therefore it is said Have salt in your selves get the graces of the spirit to season your hearts 2. Salt maketh things savory and of good relish How unsavory and loathsome is a carnal unregenerate soul in Gods account that savoureth not the things of Christ his spirit for they that are after the flesh do mind or savour the things of the flesh They are loathsome and unsavory unto the Lord they have not salt in themselves But they that are after the spirit do mind or savour the things of the spirit they have salt in themselves though not of themselves they have it of Christ yet they have it in themselves 3. Salt when it meeteth with sores causeth smart The grace of the spirit and the word of grace in which the spirit worketh seemeth smarting to corrupt hearts yea to gracious hearts so far as they have corruptions remaining in them but they that will present themselves living holy acceptable sacrifices to God through Christ must be willing to be salted with the grace of Christ his spirit and with the word of grace though the flesh smart For every one shall be salted with fire and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt Every one that will be acceptable to God must be salted with fire the power of Christs spirit as a fire from heaven to consume the dross of their lusts and to refine their souls And every sacrifice c. Every one that will be a pleasing sacrifice to God must be salted with this salt of the sanctuary He must have the graces of Christ to mortifie his corruptions and to cause him to savour the things that be
for thy righteousness for thou art a stiff-necked people it was not because of the greatness of thy Nation or the multitude of thy people The Lord did not set his love upon and chuse you because you were more in number then any people for ye were the fewest of all people but because the Lord loved you c. It was a pure act of grace and work of Gods free love towards Israel and therefore the Apostle as one transported with admiration of that which he could not comprehend breaketh out into this exclamation O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out 2. Let us magnifie the goodness of God towards the Nations of the world in these latter days that he hath sent his only begotten Son into the world manifested in the flesh to break down the partition-wall that was between Iew and Gentile that as now that difference between several sorts of beasts c. is taken away so that they are not opposed to each other as legally clean and unclean as they were under the Law of Ceremonies so the difference between Israel and other Nations is now also abolished and it is as free for an people as for the posterity of Abraham to partake of the Covenant of grace in Church-priviledges both was declared to Peter by a vision and a voice from Heaven for Cornelius an Heathen Captain being directed by an Angel to send for Peter the Lord prepared this Apostle for the journey by casting him into a trance and causing him to see Heaven opened and a certain vessel descending unto him as it had been a great sheet wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts and wild-beasts and creeping things and Fowls of the Air and there came a voice to him Rise Peter kill and eat but Peter said not so Lord for I have never eaten any thing common or unclean And the voice spake unto him again the second timeâ— what God hath cleansed that call not thou common Now when Peter came to Cornelius and his company He said unto them ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Iew to keep company or come unto one of another Nation but God hath shewed me that I should not call any common or unclean The Lord spake of beasts c. Peter rightly applyeth it to men so that the Lord Christ took away the difference of clean and unclean that was under the Ceremonial Law both between men of several Nations and between other Creatures How should we in particular stir up our selves to be thankful to the Lord that he hath reserved us for these times wherein it is as free for us descended from Heathen Ancestors to partake of the Priviledges of God his Covenant as for the people of Israel yea when the Israelites being natural branches are cut off through unbelief we may be grafted in by faith Let us take heed then least our unbelief impenitency security deprive us of this blessed priviledge for though none now are unclean in respect of the Nation whereof they are more then others yet all are unclean in the sight of God who remain dead in trespasses and sins out of Christ whose Natures are not renewed and cleansed from their filthiness 3. Observe with thankfulness the liberal use of the Creatures which God hath given to his people now under the new Testament through Christ above that which he allowed the people of Israel under the old Testament for now every Creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving Nothing that is wholesome for mans body is to be refused as unlawful and so the same Apostle saith All things are lawful for me viz. all sorts of meats for of such things he speaketh in that place and therefore whereas blood in particular was forbidden under the old Testament it is now lawful But it hath been objected that blood was forbidden upon a moral reason taken from the Nature of the the thing forbidden because the blood is called the life of the Creature For answer I conceive this is no moral reason but a natural reason implying a mystery scil to shew that men should abhor cruelty and bloodshed and so I suppose if we did throughly understand the Natures of all the Creatures which the Israelites were forbidden to eat there might be some natural reason given for it comprehending the Mystery Again it seemeth there was also a farther Mystery in the prohibition of blood for eating of blood and fat are both forbidden together scil such fat as used to be sacrificed because the blood and fat were both in a peculiar manner to be offered unto God The blood poured forth signified the taking away the guilt of sin by the death of Christ and shedding of his blood The burning of the fat it seemeth signified the mortification of sin by the spirit of Christ and so they might be forbidden both the eating the blood and fat to teach all not to take to themselves the honour either of their justification or of their sanctification but to ascribe it wholly unto Christ. But it may be said that blood was forbidden after Christ his death and resurrection by the Apostles and Elders in the Synod of Ierusalem I Answer It was but a temporary decree imposed upon the believing Gentiles that they might not give offence to weak believers among the Iews who were not yet clearly satisfied about the abolishing of legal Ceremonies and the extent of that Christian liberty which Christ had given them Secondly An other Ceremonial observance was the keeping of their solemn festivals 1. In general These feasts may intimate unto Christians that gound and matter of joy which true believers have through Christ and accordingly that duty of holy rejoycing in Christ which they are called unto so the Angels said unto the Shepherds Fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be unto all people for unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. And the Apostle saith We are the Circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Iesus This is that spiritual feast which the Lord promised In this mountain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things a feast of wines on the lees of fat things full of marrow of wines on the lees well refined 2. In special there were three solemne feasts which they were commanded to observe every year 1. The Feast of unleavened bread which was annexed to the Passeover of this somewhat hath been formerly spoken 2. The feast of Harvest which was called the feast of weeks it seemeth because it was as it were a week of weeks after that other feast of
the way of the Lord make his paths strait Yea the Lord Christ himself in his own person sounded this Silver Trumpet From that time Iesus began to preach and to say Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand He who gave himself for a sacrifice and poured forth his blood to make atonement and reconciliation between God and sinners did preach repentance to them to prepare them for atonement and reconciliation It is very lamentable to consider how many live under the sound of the Silver Trumpet many years and yet are not prepared for atonement and reconciliation to God through Christ nor brought to the beginnings of sound and saving repentance but either are secure careless dead-hearted minding earthly things or resting in outward performances or openly profane and wicked Oh how dreadful will the sound of that Trumpet be at the last day for the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the voice of the Arch-Angel and with the Trumpet of God I say how dreadful shall the sound of that Trumpet be to such who go on hardning their hearts in security and impenitency against the sound of the Silver Trumpet of the Gospel 2. The day of atonement and humiliation was about four or five days before the feast of Tabernacles wherein they were to rejoyce before the Lord so sincere humiliation and repentance make way for sound spiritual joy Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted godly sorrow maketh way for heavenly rejoycing But when a man goeth on to glut himself with the pleasures of sins or earthly contents not afflicting his soul for sin he hath no part in this spiritual feast to such belongs that sad threatning Wo unto you that laugh now for ye shall mourn and weep Fifthly Consider their manifold washings with water in divers Cases to purifie themselves from legal uncleannesses Ceremonial pollutions as when any was cleansed from the Leprosie he was to be sprinkled with water mingled with blood seven times and afterwards to wash both his cloaths and his body in water so they that had running issues when they were cleansed from them were commanded to wash their cloaths and their bodies in water and so in divers other Cases Now the Apostle Iohn proves that the Lord Jesus is The Christ thus This is he that came by water and blood even Iesus Christ nâ—â— by water only but by water and blood and iâ— is the spirit that beareth witness because the spirit is Truth whereas there was great use of water and blood in the Law of Ceremonies the blood of the 〈◊〉 and the water many wayes used for cleansing and purifying it sheweth that all these things were accomplished in Christ and attained their end in him he performed and fulfilled what was signified and typified both by water and blood His blood was shed as the blood of the most perfect sacrifice to take away the guilt of sin and to justifie sinners and save them from condemnation and the sanctifying spirit and grace of Christ cleansing his people from the filth of sin washing their hearts from wickedness and making them holy as he is holy and therefore he addeth ver 8 there are three that bear witness in earth the spirit the water and the blood And ver 10 He that believeth hath the witness in himself He that savingly believeth in Christ being united to him by faith hath this threefold witness in himself the spirit of Christ witnessing with his spirit that he is in Christ reconciled to God by Christ an adopted child and Heir of God through Christ the only begotten Son of God and Heir of all things the blood of Christ cleansing his Conscience from the guilt of sin the grace of Christ resembled by water sanctifying him and conforming him to Christ in holiness so that such an one hath an evidence in his own soul both that Jesus is the very Christ and that he is his Christ for he findeth that Christ hath fulfilled that in and upon his soul which was figured by the blood and water under the Law of Ceremonies This is a blessed and most precious priviledge which all that are under the Gospel should labour with all diligence to make their own Oh what an happiness is it for Christians to have this threefold witness in themselves In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established Here are three witnesses beyond exception A Christian having this threesold witness in himself in the poorest outward estate is richer and happier then all the treasures of the earth and all the Kingdoms of the world can make him but how few are they that have any other witness of their interest in Christ but their own fancy how few do seriously and diligently seek for any other In that great and last day how will ye stand in the presence of God when numberless sins are charged upon you Will ye say Christ hath satisfied for your sins what shall this profit you unless ye be united unto Christ Will ye plead that ye believe in Christ and so are made one with him where is your witness Oh take heed of appearing before the all-seeing God without a witness And therefore I beseech you consider seriously of your condition and rest not till ye are in Christ and until he come into your souls both by water and blood and give you the witness of his spirit 2. Those frequent washings under the Law of Ceremonies may stir up Christians to frequent endeavours dayly to purifie themselves as Christ is pure to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God to draw cleansing and sanctifying virtue from Christ more and more by faith They were to wash their bodies and cloaths to be sprinkled with water seven times There is a fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness a fountain of most precious blood and water of most Soveraign virtue the sufferings of Christ and the grace of God are to wash away the guilt of sin and the uncleanness and pollution of sin Do not forsake your own mercies and neglect so great salvation It is sad that when such a precious fountain is opened so few are washed and cleansed Thus much concerning the Ceremonial Law to shew how and in what respects it is established by the doctrine of the Gospel CHAP. VII THere are two other Laws mentioned by the Apostle in the former part of this Epistle by neither of which men can be justified in the sight of God One is the Law of Nature the other is the Moral Law written and delivered in the Scriptures It was needful for the Apostle to speak distinctly of both these For 1. His great design was to make known the only way whereby men might be justified and accepted as righteous in the sight of God the righteous judge of all the world that so they might be everlastingly blessed and
own bottoms Israel which followed after the Law of righteousness hath not attained to the Law of righteousness Wherefore Because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the Law Those Israelites that were zealous of the Law and sought to be justified by it while they were not in Christ their zeal was not according to knowledge and they might take a great deal of pains and use earnest endeavours to attain Righteousness to approve themselves just in the sight of God but all was in vain they attained not to such a Righteousness as could bear them out in the sight of God the righteous Judge of all the world They were like men that run very swiftly but run quite out of the way and never come near the mark But some may say Our case is not like that of the unbelieving Israelites for we look for justification forgiveness of sin and salvation by Jesus Christ. I Answer It is not the hearing of Christ preached nor an historical faith believing that none can be justified but by the righteousness of Christ no nor a conceipt that we are justified by him that makes your case differ in the main from that of unbelieving Israelites ye have some Notions which they had not but ye are in the same state wherein they were i. e. ye are out of Christ and therefore while ye content your selves with this condition your endeavours after righteousness are like those that run out of the way And therefore in the second place See your extream need of the Lord Iesus and go out of your selves flee to him and give your souls no rest untill ye are found in him Consider as ye cannot be justified by your own righteousness or works done in obedience to the Law whether ye look upon your selves as ye are in your selves or upon the purity perfection and severity of the Law or upon the infinite justice holiness or majesty of God so on the contrary Christ and none but Christ is able to justifie you by his righteousness in all these respects 1. He is a Lamb without spot and blemish and that from the first moment of his conception So the Angel said to Ioseph Thou Son of David fear not to take unto thee Mary thy Wife for that which is conceived in her is of the holy Ghost the blessed Spirit framing a body for Christ in the womb of a Virgin free from all stain of sin There was never any thing in him contrary to the perfect purity of the Law no inclination to evil Saith he The Prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me Satan could find nothing of his in Christ to fasten upon no sinful infirmities or Corruption in the least degree and therefore in respect of Christ himself he could have no power by his instruments to take away his life but in regard of the sins of others which he took upon himself and for which he voluntarily gave himself an offering and a sacrifice 2. If we look to the Law Christ hath that in him which is wanting in us he answereth the exactest Purity and highest perfection of the Law He was perfect in Love That which we have Psal. 40. is applied to Christ by the Apostle Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire mine ears hast thou opened burnt offering and sin-offering hast thou not required then said I Lo I come in the volumn of the Book it is written of me I delight to do thy will O my God yea thy Law is within my heart his heart was filled with the love of God and full of the Law of God he was freely ready to do or suffer any thing for his Fathers glory As the Law is holy so he is the holy and the just one As the Law is spiritual so he was annointed with the holy Ghost He received the spirit not by measure He is a quickning spirit As the Law is a perfect rule of Righteousness so Christ fulfilled all Righteousness 3. He endured the uttermost rigour and severity of the Law He bare the penalty of it Cursed is euery one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them Then it followeth Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us for it is written Cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree The Curse of the Law is enough to swallow up all the guilty souls in the world and to keep them under for ever but Christ bare this Curse and overcame it he payed the uttermost farthing that was due to the justice of God for the sins of his people he fully discharged all those vast summs wherein they were indebted Saith the Apostle Christ hath loved us and given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor Christ through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God What tongues of men or Angels are able to declare the weight and worth of that which is noted in this expression That Christ gave himself an offering and sacrifice for sins What could the extreamest severity of the Law require more than this when the Son of God gave himself to satisfie it 4. He is every way able and fit to stand before the infinite justice purity holiness Majesty of God he is the express Image of his Fathers person and the brightness of his glory and he is able to bear the brightness of his glory Of him the Father witnessed This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased He being in the form of God thought it no robbery to be equal with God He being God and man as he was man did undergo the penalty and Curse of the Law and by the power of his Godhead overcame it and being God and man he is able to bear the brightness of his Fathers glorious Majesty and to stand before his perfect justice saith the Scripture When he had by himself purged our sin he sate down on the right hand of the Majesty on high Now then in as much as the Lord Christ is every way a compleat and most perfect Saviour Labour out of a deep sense of your lost condition in your selves and your extream need of him his satisfaction and righteousness to go out of your selves to break off your sins by repentance to flee to Christ to close with him by faith unfeigned that being found in him his righteousness may be imputed to you of God and accounted yours and ye may be accepted through him Be exceedingly earnest with the Lord to work in you that pretious faith of his elect Cry unto him to stretch out his hand to put forth the divine power of his spirit and grace to draw you effectually that you may come to Christ and being cloathed with his righteousness ye may not be found naked but the shame of your sins may be
which Believers are accepted as righteous with God so saith is that grace whereby it is applied to the soul the Father of the distressed child cryed out and said with tears Lord I believe help mine unbelief and the Apostles said unto the Lord Increase our Faith Pray earnestly for faith and for strength and increase of Faith that ye may be established in the faith and confirmed in the assurance of your interest in Christ and his perfect righteousness this is the Sheild which quenched the fiery darts of the Devil What may Christians expect that the Devil should rather aim at than the destroying or weakning of their faith to divide them from Christ to dissolve the marriage bond between him and them to strip them of their wedding garment the robe of Christ's Righteousness And what should Christians endeavour more than the strengthning of their faith Fifthly Let all that are in Christ justified by the Righteousness of Christ labour to walk as becometh those that are partakers of so rich a blessing This was one great end of Christ his coming into the world and performing this glorious work of Redemption that he would grant unto us That we being delivered out of the hand of our Enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life and therefore the Apostle having spoken at large of this doctrine of justification by faith in Christ his Righteousness exhorteth Believers thus I beseech you therefore Brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies as a Sacrifice living holy acceptable unto God c. of him are ye in Christ Iesus who of God is made unto us wisdom righteousness and sanctification and redemption those to whom Christ is made righteousness for their justification to them he is made sanctification conforming them to himself in holiness Justification and Sanctification are 1. Distinct. 2. Unseparable neither to be confounded together nor separated from each other They are distinct Sanctification is no cause nor part of justification No man is justified for his holiness but only for the righteousness of Christ. On the other side sanctification and holiness is unseparably joyned with justification whosoever is justified is also sanctified when sin is forgiven it is also mortified Do not flatter your selves with a perswasion of the pardon of your sins and the justification of your persons while ye want the beginning of sanctification Saith the Apostle Ye are washed ye are sanctified ye are justified in the name of the Lord Iesus and by the spirit of our God All that are washed from the guilt of sin in the name of Christ and by the virtue of his blood being made partakers of righteousness unto justification are also washed by his sanctifying spirit and grace from the filth and pollution of sin and made partakers of his holiness In the next place we have the fourth particular That the Lord Iesus Christ established the Law by making it a rule of obedience to his people 1. Christ made the Law a rule of obedience to his people 2. Hereby he established the Law 1. Concerning the former the Lord Christ saith Think not that I am come to destroy the Law and the Prophets I am not come to destroy but to fulfill for verily I say unto you till Heaven and Earth pass one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law till all be fulfilled the Law is established as a perpetual rule to direct Christians in the ordering of themselves all the powers of their souls affections of their hearts their thoughts words and actions and therefore Christ himself in divers passages following presseth not only the outward but also the inward observation of the Law a certain man asked Christ this question Which is the great Commandment in the Law Iesus said unto him Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind This is the first and great Commandment and the second is like unto it Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self on these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets I conceive the Lord Christ in this answer doth clearly confirm the Law as a Rule of obedience by his Authority 1. He doth as it were open the bowels of the Law and discover the soul and spirit of it shewing that it consisteth in two things 1. Intire and perfect love to God 2. As subordinate hereunto sincere love to our Neighbour 1. Because all things commanded in the Law are either love to God and man or such things as love supposeth as the knowledge of God or such affections thoughts words actions as accompany or flow from love 2. All sins of omission or commission towards God or man are either want of love or such as proceed from the want of love Now in that Christ doth so highly extol these two Commandments which comprehend the substance of the Law he established the Law as a rule of obedience for his people Secondly In this speech he had respect not only to the ten Commandments delivered Exod. 20. but also to the doctrine of the Prophets throughout the old Testament saying On these two c. The Prophets opening and enlarging in particulars what is generally comprized in the ten Commandments and if we compare this with what we had before where he saith he came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets we may gather that he established the Law delivered by Moses and expounded by the Prophets as a Rule of obedience to his people Again how frequently doth the spirit of Christ in his Apostles establish the Law as a rule of obedience for his people What are those things which the Apostles by the Authority of Christ and his Name require of Christians but things commanded in the Law And what are those sins which they call upon Christians to shun but sins forbidden in the Law Let Love be without dissimulation abhor that which is evil cleave to that which is good c. What multitudes of instances might be given in this kind and therefore saith the Apostle The end of the Commandments is Charity out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of faith unfeigned These are things required in the Law The grace of God which bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world The Gospel and word of grace which Christ hath revealed to the world and confirmed by his death teacheth those things which are the substance of the Law and therefore Christ hath established the Law for a Rule by which his people are to act and walk As he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation because it is written be ye holy for I am holy The spirit of Christ in the
Apostle alledgeth the very word of the Law as ratified by the Authority of Christ as a rule of holiness to which his people must conform their hearts and lives But it may be Objected that divers passages of the new Testament make against this such as these The Law is not made for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient And the Apostle saith to them that are in Christ Ye are not under the Law but under grace God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law to redeem them that are under the Law Fo Answer to thesâ— things consider That the Law may be considered two wayes 1. As a Covenant of works severely requiring full and exact obedience and perfect righteousness upon pain of the Curse and so Believers being in Christ are not under the Law but under grace The Lord hath reconciled them to himself in Christ received them into a Covenant of grace discharged them of the curse of the Law and sentence of condemnation justified and accepted them as righteous through the righteousness of Christ given them access to his mercy seat so that the Law is not made for a righteous man as a covenant of works Believers are not to be judged according to the rigour and severity of the Law nor subject to the curse or condemnation of the Law and therefore the Apostle saith Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us but the lawless and disobedient natural persons being out of Christ and standing upon their own bottom and so being to answer the justice of God upon their own account are under the Law as a Covenant of works and subject to the malediction Curse and condemnation of the Law Secondly The Law may be considered as a Rule of life as a direction to true Believers guiding them in the wayes of God teaching them how they ought to walk and to please God how to walk answerably to his saving mercies and spiritual blessings communicated to them in Christ and in this regard the Law is established by Christ for the use of his people and so I conceive in this sense the Law is so far from being a Covenant of works that it becometh a part of the Covenant of grace or a Rule subservient to the Gospel So the Apostle telleth the believing Thessalonians Ye know what Commandments we gave you by the Lord Iesus the Commandments which he delivered to them were given by the Lord Jesus in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ by vertue of his Authority and Commission received from him Now what Commandments were these Even the same that are delivered in the Law in some of which the Apostle giveth instance First in general This is the will of God even your sanctification that ye should be sanctified and so conformed to the Law of God in all things Then in special That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour not in the lusts of Concupiscence c. In a word the Law is of use both unto them that are out of Christ and to them that are in Christ To the former it discovereth the contrariety of their Natures hearts and lives to the mind and will of God their utter disability to fulfill the Law and thereupon makes known unto them their woful estate that they lye open to the wrath and Curse of God and the danger of everlasting condemnation and so the Law may be of use 1. To take down the natural pride that is in men and women to cause them to see their own vileness and lost condition to renounce all confidence in their own imaginary righteousness to abase themselves to the dust before the Lord For by the Law is the knowledge of sin Secondly The Law may be of use to such to drive them out of themselves to seek after the remedy to cause them to flee to Christ that they may be washed in his blood from all their sins justified by his perfect righteousness and so redeemed from the Curse of the Law and delivered from the wrath to come 2. To true Believers the Law may be useful 1. To humble them and make them poor in spirit and low in their own eyes And that 1. In respect of their state by Nature 2. In respect of their present condition now that they are renewed by grace In the former respect they may see in the glass of the pure and holy Law of God the woful deformities and blemishes of their souls as they were of themselves their numberless omissions and commissions and being inlightned by the spirit of Christ these things are the more manifest to them Secondly In respect of their present condition as they are renewed by grace though they have the spirit of Christ conforming them in some degree to the Law yet by comparing both the frame of their souls and their thoughts words actings conversations with the pure and spiritual Law of God they find themselves far short of the mark and that they need daily renewed acts of grace and free pardon from the mercy seat Secondly The Law is of use to direct them to shew them what frame of spirit what wayes are pleasing to the Lord who is the Law-giver and Author of the Law 3. The Law is useful to Believers to quicken them and stir them up more and more to purge themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit to cleanse their hearts from those corruptions which are contrary to the Law and to labour after an increase and growth in all holy and sanctifying graces and to strive after farther perfection saith the Apostle Brethren I count not my self to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus It seemeth the Apostle notwithstanding that great measure of the spirit of Christ which he had received and the great improvement made of his Talents the eminent services done to the Church yet looked upon the mark as being far before him a great way beyond him that is that he was far short of the perfection of holiness and righteousness which the Law required and therefore he did reach forth and press forward with all his might When the best Christians find how far they fall short of that height of perfection which the Law calleth for scil to love the Lord their God with all the heart and all the mind and all the soul and all the might c. May not this be a powerful motive to quicken them to use all holy endeavours for the perfecting of holiness in the fear of God Secondly The Lord Christ by making the Law a rule of life and holy obedience for his people hath established the Law It is true he hath redeemed sincere Believers from
Churches by Victor Bishop of Rome about the year 198 about a business of small moment scil the time of keeping Easter inclining to excommunicate many famous Churches of Asia dissenting from him had not some more moderate men especially Irenaeus Bishop of Lions restrained his rashness though agreeing with him about the thing in controversie What worse divisions were made by the abominable Heresie of the Maniche's in Iudea Egypt Greece Thrace Spain and other places But as the blasphemous Heresie of Arius was raised in a time when the Church was free from heathen persecutors so what dismal Rents and divisions did it make in the Church when there were Bishops against Bishops Churches against Churches Councels against Councels So the Macedonians Nestorians Eutichians Monothelites and others how sadly did they tear the Church in pieces That false and proud tenent of the Papists making the Pope the universal Bishop and head of the whole Church what a breach hath it made between the Eastern and Western Churches for many hundred years and what is the reason that there is no reconciliation made all this while between them and the Protestants but because they remain so obstinate in their errours Heresies and Idolatries against the manifest light of the holy Scriptures The stiffeness of those that are called Lutherans in adhering to their corrupt opinions hath made a miserable and lasting breach amongst the Protestant Churches But though we should not look either far back or far off for examples in this kind our own Land and our present times may afford us more then enough Have we not breach upon breach divisions and subdivisions many rending themselves from our Churches and then again making new rents among themselves and yet when there is an opportunity to act mischief against the truth and the Preachers and Professors of it they can make truce with each other for a time and conspire together to carry on wretched designs as the Pharises and Sadduces as also Herod and Pilate did against Christ. But here I think it needful to put in a caution or two First some are apt to lay the blame of these divisions upon those that maintain sound doctrine either when they labour to revive the truth after it hath been kept under by old errours and corrupt customes or to defend it against new heresies and attempts of Seducers When men see them constant and inflexible that they will not suffer themselves to be bowed and biassed according to the crooked fancies of those that are Seducers or seduced how ready are they to condemn them for Schismaticks froward men enemies of peace But this is a dangerous mistake and a very great injury to them that stand for the truth and to the truth it self For 1. The people and Ministers of Christ are bound to stand fast in the Truth against all opposition and contradiction So the Apostle sheweth that one end why Christ ascending into Heaven gave gifts unto men Ministers and ministerial abilities was that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lye in wait to deceive but speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things who is the head even Christ. Buy the Truth and sell it not The peace of the Church is greatly to be esteemed and endeavoured yet we must not sell the Truth to buy peace Iude accounted it needful for him to write unto the people of God and exhrrt them that thoy should earnesty contend for the faith scil the truth or doctrine of faith which was once delivered unto the Saints for saith he there are certain men crept in unawares c. The Apostle Paul gives a strict charge to Timothy hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and Love which is in Christ Iesus Hold it fast whatsoever means are used to wrest it from thee that good thing which was committed to thee keep by the holy Ghost which dwelleth in us Then he addeth this thou knowest that all they which are in Asia be carried away from me I conceive the word all is not to be taken universally here for all absolutely but indefinitely for the generality of those in Asia the lesser and therefore Timothy being left at Ephesus a chiefe City of Asia was likely to meet with many Adversaries and much contention in holding fast the form of sound words yet the Apostle would not dispense with him in this case he must stick close to the Truth So he telleth Titus that a Minister must hold fast the faithful word as he hath been taught that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince the gainsayers for there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers especially they of the Circumcision whose mouthes must be stopped c. And then he addeth wherefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith Is it not very likely that contentions and divisions would follow hereupon Secondly Therefore consider that when contentions and divisions follow upon the faithful preaching professing maintaining of the Truth or the right administration of holy Ordinances the fault is in those that will not indure sound doctrine but take offence when none is given either because their errours are confuted or their sinful practices reproved If divisions and contentions follow upon the publishing and asserting the Counsel of God they are the cause of it who resist the Truth for was not this the case of our Lord Jesus Christ himself and his Apostles Many of the people when they heard Christ said Of a truth this is the Prophet others said this is the Christ but some said shall Christ come out of Galilee c. so there was a division among the people because of him There was a division therefore again among the Iews because of these sayings and many of them said he hath a Devil and is mad Why hear ye him Others said these are not the words of him that hath a Devil Can a Devil open the eyes of the blind Yea the Lord Christ forewarned his Disciples Think not that I am come to send peace on the Earth I am not come to send peace but a sword or as it is in Luke division For I am come to set a man at variance against his Father and the Daughter against her Mother and the Daughter in Law against the Mother in Law and a mans foes shall be they of his own houshold Christ is the Prince of peace and his Gospel is the Gospel of peace and the proper end of his coming in the flesh and the great business that he undertook was to make peace between God and men and so by consequent between men and men and this design took effect accordingly in those that savingly received Christ and his Gospel and yeilded up their hearts to him but