shall please to enable to believe so that the efficacy of the one is necessary and the efficacy of the other to wit the death of the second Adam voluntarily and wholy at Gods pleasure and so argueth nothing against the sense and meaning which I give of my Text every one onely to meane some By this other Texts which in the letter sound as this that I have mentioned and as the Text which I am upon doth are to be expounded God is in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe that is some of all sorts Jews and Gentiles who are given to Christ from eternity Christ is to manifest the purpose of God from eternity to these to die for them to call them to justifie them sanctifie them and glorifie them and to none else but put for their stumbling and their fall and of this no reason to be given but Gods wil having such an absolute power over the creature as the potter over the clay nor wil he beare the striving of man in dispute to any further medium then his wil. Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth c. Finally all may be resumed and rendered for the opening of this clause in other words to the same effect To turn every one of you i. who are by the purpose of God to be turned and so the expression not stricty noting the universality of persons to be turned but the strict propriety of Christ in this worke of turning soules to God Christ is to turne every one that is to be turned this Christ which you so despise and so little esteeme not a soule amongst you can be turned and saved from your sinne but by him Thus doe many of the learned read and render these words and thus doth Christ himselfe open that place Isa 54.13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord c. i. all which are taught are taught by him and can by none else come to learne unto life Thus doth Christ explaine this place of the Prophet as appeares by his words Iohn 6.44 45. No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him and I will raise him up at the last day as it is written in the Prophets and they shall be all taught of God i. all that are taught are taught of God and none else can learn this mystery of comming to Christ and believing on him but such as are taught of God So that this clause of my Text being thus opened the poynt you see to be stood upon naturally ariseth to be this Doct. That it is Christs proper work to turn sinners from their sinnes a businesse devolved by joynt consent upon him the Father and the holy Spirit working in and by him and no otherwaies to this great end the conversion and salvation of man The Scriptures which concurre to this truth are many Isa 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meeke he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound c. This place confirmes the point and also what I have before said that Christ is not sent to turne all but a generation of sinners which are turning the meeke and broken in heart i. such as are self condemned and lie under the bleeding sence of their own wretched condition prickt at heart with the sting of sinne which may be and yet in no actuall state of grace to be Physician to these sick wounded bleeding and dying ones is Christs proper place and employment To this may be added Acts 5.31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and forgivenesse of sinner The like Scripture is 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithfull saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chiefe 'T is Christs proper worke you see and his alone to turn and save sinners from their sinnes The type of this read Rom. 9.10 When Rehecca also concerved by one even by our father Isaac But one in the bed to wit Jesus Christ by whom the holy seed is begotten Christ casts that immortall seed into her wombe by which the generation of the new creature is made and none but he he begets brings forth and breeds up hence called the authour and finisher of our faith and faith is called conversion because indeed it is the formality of it Jesus said unto them except you be converted and become as a little child yee shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heaven And then in the following words saith Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me Matth. 18.6 What he cals conversion before Here he cals faith because faith indeed is conversion the soule crediting Christ in what the word saith of him and so resigning it selfe wholly to him to be ruled by him and by his will and not any longer by his own lusts and sinnes and this is the turning of the soule from sinne which my Text here speaks of There are severall things in faith to understand to credit to submit and simply to submit to submit as a childe who doth not contend or dispute but saith in his heart my father bids be doe thus and this is enough and all these Christ workes in the soule and none else Christ enlightens the soule shines into the heart and makes it see what had never been told ef Isa 52.15 Christ meekens and humbles the soule pricks the heart le ts out all those corrupt things which swel and pusse up the spirit against God Christ takes off headinesse rashnesse and bows the heart to hearken consider and then workes to wil perswades Iaphet O that I had a dwelling in the tents of Shem that I could believe on Jesus Christ Who is he Lord that I might believe on him and then workes to doe to trust in him to deny all and follow him and now is the soule turned from its sinnes But this is but in part This state of soule is called a heart after Gods own one in this world as Christ which is not strictly to be taken as if any whilst in this world were so pure and unmixed in affection and action as Christ so separated from sinne in his nature and life in this world as he was but it meaneth what a converted man is in his intention in his endeavour and in Gods acceptation The heart truely turned to God aimes and intends a course and motion in this world exactly like Christ hath respect to all Christs commandements without distinction of Great and little as the Pharisees and hypocrites were wont to make loves all and would with all his heart all his waies were so direct as to keepe all Gods statutes to this height is his aime his desire
all debts and demands whatsoever he can make in order to us according to that of the Apostle Who shall his any thing to the charge of Gods elect it is God that justifieth who is he that condemnes it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God Rom. 8 33 34. Christ being risen and come before his father spotlesse as having done all things intrusted well his father is forced to justifie him and so all the elect in him hence when any layeth charge and challenge to us whether Satan sinne or conscience this obligation is upon God by Christs resurrection to stand up acquit and justifie us who is greater then all that can condemn us yea greater then our own conscience in his justification of us as he is greater then our owne concience in his condemnation of us and this is that which over beareth and over-ruleth all which would overbeare our spirit and our peace This is the life of that Scripture also 1 Cor. 15.7 If Christ be not risen your faith is vain ye are yet in your sinnes Which Scripture sheweth where sinners should take hold to justification in Christ as risen and justified in our person faith should particularly make application of this that I am justified in him and so all my sinnes done away in his acquittance and justification Christ being risen and justified I am justified in him this is the proper motion and exercise of faith in this point I know that my Redeemer lives Jeb takes particular hold of the resurrection of Christ i hold in his own behalfe that he should live also by him And this opens that difficult place of Scripture Rom. 10.9 If thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved i. that Christ is risen and acquitted as personating thee The words doe not mean a historicall faith the believing of such a history but an applicatory faith as I mentioned and he that doth thus believe is indeed saved and delivered from the bond and condemnation of his sinnes This will be better strengthened and evidenced by referring it to proper examples Abraham believed in God that quickned the dead saith the Apostle which points first at Isaac and in him to Christ Now what was Abrahams faith in God concerning Isaac meerly that God would raise him and put life againe into him c No his faith was that God would quicken him from the dead and give him again into his bosome to be his heire and his Isaac his laughter joy glory and crown of his family and this sheweth how he believed in Christ whom Isaac typisied that God would quicken him from the dead for him that he would raise Christ and give him into his bosome to be his heire his Isaac his laughter and joy that God would take Christ from the grave and acquit him and Abraham in him or else Abrahams faith in that mystery of Isaac would have been imputed to him for righteousnesse He against hope believed in hope so should we against all that sence Satan can say about our sinnes still believe in God that quickneth the dead that God hath raised and acquitted Christ and therefore me being personated in him And this was Iohs faith concerning Christs resurrection he was not meerly historicall in this point but evangelicall and applicatory as plainly appeareth by his words I know that my Redeemer lives that God quickneth my Isaac from the dead whom I shall see for my self As we are delivered from the guilt of sinne by this that Christ is risen so from the power of sinne Rom. 8.11 therefore is this point I am upon Canaan milke and honey to all the people of God He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken our mortall bodies by his Spirit which dwels in us therefore are we debtors not to the flesh to fulsill the lusts thereof but to this quickning spirit by which the deeds of the body are mortified The rising of the Sunne of righteousnesse is in the little world as the rising of the naturall Sunne in the great world that which makes all rise open and revive with it infuseth vigor warmth spirit which makes all the creation renew and give forth fresh glory and verue still And this is the meaning and opening of the Prophet Malachy who useth this very metaphor To you which feare my name shall the Sunne of righteousnesse arise with healing in his wings and ye shall goe forth and grow up as calves of the stall That Christ is risen shall be to all you that feare Gods name to your diseased infirme ungrowing spirituall condition as the rising of the Sunne upon a debile body that which shall send forth a power spirit and vigor into your soules which shall heale all your diseases and make you full of spirit and springing abundantly Nature is excited by the rising of the Sunne and strengthened to bud blossome and beare Paul was well aware of the great benefit of this point I am now upon as appeareth by his high expression of this matter And what is the excellent greatnesse of his power to us ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him on his right hand Ephes 1.19 20. You which believe have advantage by the resurrection of Christ to pray for and expect such a power as is exceeding great to work in your soules for the subduing of your sinnes and quickning of you to all good as wrought in Christ when raised and then surely the power of God wrought in height in Christ if ever so farre forth as finite States are capable of the operation of such an infinite power and vertue which is a foundation of singular consolation in order to all our present weaknesse deadnesse and unheavenlinesse and all this vertue promised to be given to such as feare him Such a Sun-shine upon thee O poore Christian Christ being risen as thou art not aware of what glory and vertue healing and growth it will raise thee to Such a Sunne is risen upon thee which will make thee rise and shine every day more and more unto the perfect day which will make thee perfect to every good work to doe his will Now the God of peace which brought again from the dead our Lord Iesus make you perfect in every good work to doe his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight I may adde yet one thing more as consolatory Christ being risen the people of God are delivered not onely from sinne but also from the rigor of duty and obedience Christ being risen that body which he had here is changed and in that sense put away and Christ married to another to a glorisied body and the laying down of this tabernacle and betaking by his resurrection
perisheth but for that which endureth to everlasting life which the sonne of man shall give unto you for him hath God the Father sealed Iohn 6.27 i. poured grace into his lips all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge Collof 2.3 and maintained this full unction in its full vigor to be present and equall alwaies alike for quicknesse of understanding and aptnesse to action and to successe of action in all his undertakings which broad seale of Heaven God did put upon Christ with as great delight as this state of worth and so sent him in all fulnesse of endowments and with all fulnesse of content and triumph See all these Isa 42.1 Behold my servant whom I uphold mine elect in whom my soule delighteth I have put my Spirit upon him he shall bring forth judgement to the Centiles Here is Christs Oyle and his fresh Oyle as the Psalmist hath the expression to wit Christs unction and his upholding in this unction to be equall in vigor at all times unto all actions which differenceth his unction from ours for even a gracious heart amongst us is very unequall in his abilities and performances one day strong another day weake one day wise and another day and in another thing a beast and thirdly here is the delight of the father in sealing the sonne with this broad and beautifull seale which is all the glory of his fathers house cast upon him for what more could be done for Christ to make him an effectuall and honourable Saviour And withall you have in this one verse one thing more a pregnant proofe of this seale he shall bring forth judgement to the Gentiles this expression could not possibly follow at this height if Christs seale had not such glorious things in it as I have told you if his unction were not upheld at this height to be equall in his motion unto all undertakings the necessary certainty of his productions would faile or at least be in danger so to doe that one could not with that freedome and boldnesse as here God doth say this of Christ behold he shall doe this and he shall doe that A like place for this great point see Isa 45.13 I have raised him up in righteousnesse and I will direct all his waies here is Christs fresh Oyle and I will direct all his waies we though the people of God and sealed to in our measure yet in many of our waies are left of God unto our selves Christ is in all his waies directed by his father the dew of his youth is alwaies youthfull alwaies under a full sayle of assistance of the Spirit that is upon him and so alwaies equally able to any worke in our behalfe or else this could not follow in the verse at this heighth which it doth he shall build my City and he shall let goe my captives c. A like place to both these as a glorious type of this glorious truth is in Psal 89.20 21 22 23 c. I have found David my servant with my holy Oyle have I anoynted him then observe in the next verse his fresh Oyle and in what height of expression it is expressed With whom my hand shall be established mine arme also shall strengthen him the enemy shall not exact upon him I will beat down his foes before his face and plague them that hate him c. I humbly conceive the glory of Christs unction to be here gloriously shadowed with whom Gods hand was established and by which made to all things invisible as David to some things visible still prosperous and carrying all before him as one and the same at the day of death for vigor and strength unto war as when he first tooke the field Thus sent Christ is able certainly able to blesse which is the next word to be opened Sent him to blesse you c. i. to restore the ruined condition of man Bana which signifies to build is used by way of metaphor in the Old Testament to signifie to blesse to note what properly it is for Christ to blesse man to build up his ruined state 〈◊〉 pull down all old pieces and 〈◊〉 and build up all from the ground new not to leave this worke of pulling down old and rotten remainders til all be down and not ceasing building until all be made new as right and tight as beautifull and glorious as at first and more bigger roomes bigger lights better situation and out-let Elephas supposing Ioh to be like an old house rotten and ruinous outward and inward observe what he saith if thou return to the Almighty thou shalt be built up or blessed thou shalt put away iniquity farre from thy Tabernacle But what blessednesse is is mentioned in the following words namely to have our sinnes pardoned and our hearts changed which doe inseparably goe together and therefore one put to comprehend both as here To turn every one of you from your iniquities The generality of the Jewes conversion is twice spoken of in one chapter Rom. 11.26 And so all Israel shall be saved as it is written There shall come out of Sion a deliverer and shall turn away ungodlinesse from Jacob V. 32. for God hath concluded them a◠〈◊〉 unbeliefe that he might have meâ—…â—…n all O the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God c. Of which language the Prophets in the old Testament are full And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sinne no more Ier. 31.34 And yet this conversion when it shall be accomplished will not be so generall as strictly and individually to involve all for many of the Jewes after these promises are accomplished notwithstanding the glorious testimony God shall then give of his Sonne shal remaine in their unbeliefe and rejection of him as appeares by these Scriptures compared together Dan. 12.1 2. And there shall be a time of troubles such as never was and at that time thy people shall be delivered every one that shall be found written in the book and many of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt To which adde V. 10. Many shall be purified and made white and tried but the wicked shall doe wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand but the wise shall understand The Scripture cals the comming in of the Jewes a resurrection so doth the Prophet here but this resurrection will be but partiall Many of them which sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake and many shall be purified and made white not all but every one that is found written in the book that is the election of God will distinguish and carry it still even then when they shall come in most plenty
and endeavour for this he prayes sighes groans and in this heavenly industry continueth runnes and is not weary that if by any meanes he might attaine the resurrection from the dead and this in Gods acceptation is a heart as Gods own and holy as he is holy and turned and separated from sinne as he If this be properly Christs work to turne you from your sinne Vse know upon whose shoulders God hath placed your hardest work ye that are the people of God and expect that he will goe thorough with it The hardest worke of a Christian is to turn from his sinne and beares more upon him then any thing 't is true that many things goe ill but this goeth most to my heart that sinne cleaves so fast unto me saith a good soule Why Christ will doe that wherein thy difficulty lies he will subdue thine iniquities and east thy sinne into the depth of the Sea Mica 7.19 he will break every bond and remove every weight which presseth down greater is he that is in you then the greatest corruption that is in you the grace of Christ is sufficient to withstand what intices and to destroy what intices for this cause is Christ manifested to withstand yea to destroy the works of the Divell Christ doth turn us from corruption to destroy it The covenant is that Christ shall set in our heart as a resiner and purifier of Silver and shall purifie thee as they doe those mettles that thou mayst offer an offering in righteousnesse a pleasant offering and this being the covenant every thing shall conduce to this fruit the turning thy heart from thy sinne i. the purging and refining of it instructions corrections I will turn mine hand upon thee and purely purge away thy drosse saith the Lord therefore surely this hard worke will be down Goliah will be slaine and a little thing shall doe it If Christ be long ere he doe a necessary work it is probable that he will doe it very remarkably with some pibble of the brook with some Jaw-bone thrown by will he smite to death at once heaps upon heaps all that hath smote to death the peace and comfort of thy soule so long not by might or by strength doth Christ doe this that thine eye may be much sixed upon but by a still blow within by his Spirit shall be the death of that which hath been the death of thy life hitherto If Christ worke all our workes in us surely this work which is all the turning of the heart from sinne he will not leave undone he will purely purge thy soule renew a right spirit within thee and thy very fall shall conduce unto such a resurrection If this be the work of Christ to turn sinner from their sinnes then when Christ is about this work doe not hinder him he stands at the doore and knocks yea more calls To you O men I call whoso is simple let him turn in hither yea points this is the way walk in it nay and blocks up all other waies sometimes crosses and punishes the man in other courses hedges him up that he cannot finde his way convinces salts the soule with fire makes the mans own heart condemne him all this speakes Christ about his worke to turn thee from thy sinne and indeed if thou sinde these things Christ is at his worke hard O take heed of opposing and contradicting his glorious worke T is ordinary with men when conscience begins to awake and to smite when the Spirit begins to stirre to quench and stisle those things with more excesse of sinning to stop their eares when the call of Christ begins to sound loud in their conscience and so pâ—â—cke and pierce and bring sinne to remembrance why thou that thus doest art in league with sinne and death thou wilt not be turned from thy sinne therefore thou shalt die â—…rein and thou shalt know in death that 〈◊〉 was nigh thee and this will aggravate thy doom that the kingdom of God came so nigh thee I was travelling with thee Christ will say and thou couldst not beare the pangs of the birth I was lancing thy wound and thou couldst not endure it I would have healed thee and then thine iniquity broke out then thou ragedst when I set thy sinnes in order before thee and hadst rather be kild thy self then that I should kill thy sin If this be the work of Christ to turn sinners from their sinnes let not Christ want worke present your conditions unto him and desire him to undertake them Labour not for the meat which perisheth but for that which endures to eve lasting life which the sonne of man shall give unto you for him hath the Father sealed Joh. 6.22 That this is Christs work should be made a ground of faith to us in going to him for he is under the Law of his place faithfull in all things to him that appointed him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non non ejiciam saith the original and sealed him therefore he saith He that comes to him be will in no wise cast out Joh. 6.37 And hence that of the Apostle This is a faithfull saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ came to save sinners the chiefe of sinners Let this point be of all acceptation unto you you that have slaine Christ and your own soules yet think what Christ is made unto you he is made to make you to new make you who have marred your selves and waites thus to be gracious his meat and drinke is to be pulling such brands out of the fire and to quench them before they be quite burnt Christ is able to subdue all things to himself as willing You have done thus thus saith God yet be not desperate I Sam. 12 20. so say I to you great sinners Finally when I say this is the proper worke of Christ to turn people from their sinnes it is not to be understood as if we should not be instrumentall in his hand the effecting of this worke is indeed upon one but the means in and by which he doth this beares upon many shoulders Magistrates Ministers yea every one that is turned is by the law of that very condition as converted to labour to convert others and as advantages are more so to be more instrumentall this way generall calling and particular calling both sometimes engage this way Offices in government have this scope to beare up God and to beat down that and be a terror to that which would deface him God hath a double power by which he doth his great workes in this world one secret and invisible in which he alone is of which see Gen. 1.4 And God saw the Light that it was good and God divided between the light and between the darknesse Since this act of separation light will not have communion with darknesse being parted they constantly keepe apart oppose and continually conflict and expell each other and this is by a secret power