Christs death hath abolished all Ordinances of the Law which were of Gods ordaining much more the Ordinances of men in the worship of God this is a bondage under Ceremonies but Christs death hath made it voide therefore let us say with david Psalmes 53.7.8 Oh that the Salvation of Israel were come out of Sion when God bringeth back the captivity of his people Jacob shall rejoyce and Israel shall be glad Vse 3. Is it so that Christ hath delivered you from the bondage of sinne and hath set thee at liberty this must still further instruct thee that thou art not to live to thy selfe or to thine own lusts For the grace of God that bringeth salvation unto all men hath appeared and teacheth us that we should deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and that wee should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world And in the 14. verse Who gave himselfe for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purge from us sinne to bee a peculiar people unto him zealous of good works Rom. 13.11 12 13 14 And that knowing the time that now is it is high time to awake out of sleep for now is our salvation neerer then when we believed The night is farre spent the day is at hand let us therefore cast off the works of darknesse and put on the Armour of light We that professe Religion we that have given our names to Jesus Christ and are brought to beleeve in Jesus let us walke as in the day not in riotting and drunkennesse not in chambring and wantonnesse not in strife and envying but put yee on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof Hast thou Christ for thy Way to thy Father hast thou faith Then shew thy faith by thy works Art thou Christs free man and hast thou the Spirit of God If thou hast then thou hast the fruits of the Spirit and the fruits of the Spirit are Gal. 5.22 23 24. Love Joy Peace Long-suffering Gentlenesse Godlinesse Faith Meeknesse Temperance against such there is no Law And they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts If we live in the Spirit let us walke in the Spirit So hee that is in Christ is a new creature Old things are passed away and all things are become new Old Drunkennesse old Swearing old Uncleannesse 1 Pet. 4.1 â— 3 All these are not the fruits of the spirit but contrariwise these are the fruits of the flesh and tend to death which things are to be done away in those that are become new and are to live no longer to the lusts of the flesh but to the will of God who hath redeemed us from this bondage and set us from thraldome to liberty to serve him in newnesse of life Now in the next place I will shew you what kind of Liberty or Way he is for us and to us to the Father that Christ is so our liberty that he is the way from the Father to the Soule and from the soule to the Father though Christ hath satisfied the justice of God for us and so hath made a way for us to the Father yet we cannot goe to the Father till Christ comes to us The Reason is because there is no light in us by nature Christ must come and set up a light in the soule and then in that light we shall see light Psal 36.9 Christ must come to us before we can come to him he must come and knock at the doore of our souls as in Eph. 5.14 Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead Christ shall give thee light Thus must Christ come and awaken us this is the way of Christ to to the soule this is the liberty we have by Christ to take away our darknesse and to give us light 2. By nature we are all dead and this is the way of Christ to quicken the soule so the soule being brought out from that sleep of death doth begin to look up after Christ and to take Christ for its way to the Father Thus the soule makes Christ a way whereby it doth suck comfort from the Father Thus Christ is the way for the soul to have acceptance with the Father if we obtain any thing of the Father it must be in and by and through Jesus Christ We must not in our own names or in the name of Saints or Angels but in the name of Christ Then whatsoever we shall ask in faith in the sons Name hee will give it us Joh. 16.23 So you see what kind of way Christ is to us to give us life and to give us light and so sets at liberty from the bondage of darknesse and death and therefore having done these things for us hee would have us stand fast in that liberty wherein he hath made us free 3. Therefore Christ is so our Liberty that there is no coming to the Father but by him This will appeare to be true if we consider the present estate and condition that every man is in by nature All men have sinned and come short of the glory of God that is we come short of heaven We are by nature the children of Wrath Ephes 2.3 This is true God made man in a good condition but man hath sinned and so hath lost his first estate hee was made perfect and was to have lived for ever but now hee must not eat of that tree of life God hath sent him forth from the Garden of Eden So hee drove out the man and placed at the East end of the Garden a Cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the Tree of life Gen. 3.24 Now here came in mans misery hee is cast out from God and without the mercy of God he must die unto all eternity Here is now no coming to the Father but by Christ no coming to have an onenesse with God without Christ man must perish without Christ man must die unto all eternity Rom. 5.12 Wherefore as by one man sin entred into the world and death by sin death passed upon all men for that all men have sinned The Divell hath deceived Eve he said unto the woman Yee shall not surely dye But we see man shall die and man doth die and man is cast out of the presence of God and there is no coming to the Father but by Christ he is the Way the Truth and the Life Joh. 14.6 Now concerning mans fall it is irrecoverable If man should have lived 10000. yeares and been thinking how to find out a way to the Father he could not find out a way as in Acts 4.12 There is now no other name under Heaven whereby we can be saved bue onely by Jesus Christ Had not Christ been our way we had perished and remained under the bondage of wrath Galat. 3.23 Before Faith came we were kept under the Law and so we were in bondage shut
up to sin untill Faith came So I say had not Christ been our way to the Father wee had been miserable we had still remained in bondage under wrath But Christ is the way from wrath Rom. 5.9 Much more being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him There is no cendemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8.12 For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sinne and death But had not Christ been our way we had remained as I said before under wrath without any hope of recovery This caused the Attributes of God to be set on work to deliver us from this bondage For man having eaten of the forbidden fruit God had said In the day thou catest thereof thou shalt die Then the Justice of God stept in and said Justice must be satisfied But the Mercy of God not willing that man should perish Mercy stept in and said O let not man perish whom thou hast taken so great pains to make him for thine own glory all things for his use Then spake the Truth of God and said If man doth not die Truth will be at an end For Gods Truth hath said In the day that man doth eat thereof man shal die So that Truth silenced Mercy Then spake the Wisdom of God Is there no way to find out how Man may bee delivered and that Justice may bee satisfied Mercy may have his request and Truth may be satisfied So Wisdom said Man sinned in the flesh and if man suffered in the flesh then Iustice would bee satisfied Mercy would have his request and Truth would be performed And Wisdome then finds out a way how that Christ should take flesh upon him and so suffer in the flesh and then the satisfaction of Gods justice was fulfilled in Christ as though man had perished and so the Attributes of God were all satisfied And all this sets forth the great love of God unto us in stooping so low and taking off from us the bondage that we were inslaved with and having done this for us by the shedding of his blood therefore he biddeth us to Stand fast in the liberty wherewith he hath made us free and not to entangle our selves again with the yoak of bondage Having now shewed you what kinde of way Christ is I shall now come to shew you that he is the Onely Way For there is no name under heaven that wee can be saved by but onely by the Name of Jesus Heb. 10.4 For it is not possible that the blood of Bulls and of Goats should take away sins Wherefore when he cometh into the world he saith Sacrifices and offerings thou wouldest not but a body hast thou prepared mee hee is the Onely way there is none with him Esay 63.3 He hath troden the Wine-presse alone and of the people there was none with him So he hath born our sinnes alone there is none with him Matth. 1.21 And she shall bring forth a Son and thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins So againe The Son of man is come to seeke and to save that which was lost he doth seeke and in seeking he doth finde them it is he alone there is none with him he is that good Samaritan that had compassion on us and bound up our wounds powring in oyle and wine there is none that can cure that wound of sin but he alone there is none that can comfort nor refresh the hearts of his people but he alone Christ is the onely way none can take away sins but he the Priests nor their sacrifice could not save the people as you may see Heb. 10.1 and so forward They were to looke to Jesus Christ Now Christ is the high-priest he is able to save them from their sins to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them Heb. 10.25 so it is he that doth it and no other it is he that sets us at Liberty and therefore we ought to stand fast in that Liberty Christ is so our Liberty that he is our way from a state of sin and wrath to a state of grace and glory there is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit for the Law of the spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made us free from the Law of sin and death Rom. 8.2 that man that hath Christ for his way to the Father stands in the sight of God as having no fault at all in him the Kings Daughter is all glorious within her Cloathing is of gold Christ hath put a comlinesse upon her and so she is beutifull in the sight of God Canticles 4.7 thou art all faire my love there is no spot in thee Come from Lebanon with me my spouse with me from Lebanon thou hast ravished my heart my sister my spouse thou hast revished my heart with one of thine eyes with one chaine of thy neck thus God sets forth the Beauty and the comlinesse of those who have Christ for their Liberty and way to the Father saith he fair is thy love my spouse how much better is thy love then wine and so all along he shewes the beuty of the Church and lookes upon her without spot he likens her to a frultfull garden and a spring and a fountaine and fruitfull plants All these names set forth the gloriousnesse of the Saints of God thus set at Liberty by Christ And now it remaines further to prove that the people of God are without spotâ— I shall shew that all their sins are done away by Christ he hath borne upon his body the iniquities of us all and so we remaine without spot behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world that is the sins of those that are sanctified by him and so in Gods account are without spot Christ gave himselfe for his Church that he might sanctifie and cleanse it and that he might present it to himselfe a glorious Church not having spot or wrincle not any such thing but that it should be holy and without blame even as he is holy Ephes 5.27 so you may see that that man which is not in bondage under the Law and Ceremonies and humane Ordinances but hath Christ for his Liberty and way to the Father stands in the sight of God as I said before without spot and so is made free indeed Iohn 8 36. If the Son shall make you free then you shall be free indeed without any contradiction who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen it is he and he alone that justifies and who shall condemn them now this is true the Saints are made free Christ hath taken away all our sins and our sins shall not be laid to our charge we read of the scape-Goate in Leu. 16.21.22 that Aron
did lay the sins of the children of Israel upon the head of the Goate and the Goate shall beare upon him all their iniquities into a land not inhabited This scape-Goate was a tipe of Christ Christ is come and hath borne away all our sins and so hath made us free and without spot he hath satisfied the Justice of God for all our sins and so as we are considered in Christ we are without spot and so we are lovely in his sight as in Rom. 3.24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sins that is past through the forbearance of God to declare I say at this time his righteousnesse that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus Now who can say that the Saints of God are not justified Rom. 6.18 Being then made free from sin ye became the Servants of righteousnesse unto God for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5.21 And so you see that that man which hath Christ for his way to the Father stands in the sight of God as having no fault at all in him to the praise of the glory of his grace be it and thus you see it is through him alone that we are set free and are delivered from bondage to stand fast in the Liberty wherewith he hath made us free Is it so that Christ is so our Liberty and so our way that there is no coming to the Father but by him is it so that there is no way to be compleatly happy compleatly to be justified as I said before this doth hold out unto all men that there is a necessity that they all take Christ for the way to the Father there is no other way to the Father but by Christ now not to have Christ is to perish he that hath not Christ for his Liberty and free passe will be bid to stand he will be shut out of the presence of the Father there is some that shall see Abram Isaack and Jacob and all the prophets and yet themselves shut out it is a dangerous thing to reject Christ not to believe in Christ this is the condemnation because ye believe not because ye do not take Christ for your Liberty and way and let passe to the Father that man which hath not Christ for his Liberty and way to the Father is under the law and so is under a curse that is unlesse thou canst keepe the Law for not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified as you may see Rom. 2.13 Now if thou hast not Christ for thy way to the Father thou must keepe the Law or else thou wilt be condemned by the Law Gal. 5.18 if ye be led by the Spirit ye are not under the Law that is if you have Christ for your Liberty and way to the Father if you do believe in Jesus Christ then you are not under the Law Rom. 10.4 Christ is the end of the Law for righteousnesse unto every one that believeth so then he that believeth not is yet in bondage under the Law and so is under a curse cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the booke of the Law to do them But no man can keepe the Law therefore no man can be justified by the Law this is evident this is true Gal. 3.11 therefore I say that there is a necessity that thou shouldest take Christ for thy Liberty to the Father therefore I intreate thee to forsake all other wayes to come to Jesus Christ and take him for thy way do not deceive thy selfe leane not on thy one righteousnesse for that will deceive thee that man which presumes to go to God by his own righteousnesse that way is too broad to leade to the Father Mat. 7.14 wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth unto destruction and many there be that go in thereat the way of a mans own righteousnesse is the broad way to destruction do not think to come before God in thy own righteousnesse for that is as filthy rags and as a menstruous cloth thou must deny thyne own duties and put no worth in them thou must not think to be justified by thy prayers were thy prayers crucified for thee I know they were not then I must tell thee that it was one that was crucified that did satisfie the justice of God that was Jesus Christ and thou must of necessity forsake all other wayes and take Christ for thy way as I said before if thou lookest after any other way or usest any other meanes for thy free passe to the Father thou wilt not come into the presence of thy Father for the Father will not allow of any tickets unlesse his Sons hand be unto their passe all other tickets be unlawfull therefore I pray you to looke into the third of Iohn 14. And as Moses lifted up the Serpent into the wildernes Even so must the Son of man be lifted up how was the Serpent lifted up Numb 21.9 2 Kings 18.4 And Moses made a Serpent of Brasse and put it upon a pole and it came to passe that if a Serpent had bitten any man when he beheld the Serpent of Brasse he lived the Brasen Serpent is a type of Christ There is one thing which I would have you take notice of in this brasen Serpent when he was lifted up to the people if they did use any other meanes then to looke upon it they did perish So Jesus Christ being the true Brasen Serpent is lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life for this was the end why God gave his Son that poore lost undone creatures might not perish but whosoever seekes after any other meanes then Christ shall perish Even as those perished as lookt on any other meanes besides the Brasen Serpent And yet me thinks I hear many say with the young man in the Gospel what shall we do to be saved oh how faine would they be doing of somthing to helpe to save themselves but I tell thee that thou canst do nothing in it it is all done already he hath troden the wine-presse alone and of the people there was none with him that did any thing in it therefore thou must take Christ for thy whole Saviour therefore if any will go to God they must deny themselves and take Christ to be the onely way to the Father do not thinke to be justified by thine own righteousnesse which is of the Law For Paul saith by the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the Law is the knowledge of sin that is all thou canst
attaine unto by the Law thou maist know thy selfe to be a sinner by it and so be under a curse but if thou meane to have life I told thee where it is to be had thou must deny thy selfe and take Christ for thy way to the Father though thou maist go to hell by the deeds yet if thou go to Heaven thou must go by Christ though the way to Hell be broad yet the way to Heaven is streight Mat. 7.14 that is so streight that there is no entring but by Jesus Christ so then it must not be by thy duties nor by performances nor by thine own righteousnesse our Saviour Christ did speake of some in his time Mat. 7.22 many will say Lord Lord unto me in that day have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out divills and in thy name have done many wonderfull works yet Christ will not own them Christ will looke upon thy righteousnesse as filthy rags as a poluted cloath Esa 4 5.24 so Salomon saith I saw a righteous man perish in his righteousnesse Now for a man to thinke to go to the Father by his own righteousnesse it is to perish and to fall short of Heaven and that Paul did know full well for saith he I desire not to be found in mine own righteousnesse which is of the Law but the righteousnesse which is of faith of Jesus Christ so then it is plaine that it is Christ alone that takes us from Bondage and thraldome and sets us at Liberty and then causes us to stand fast in that Liberty whereby he hath made us free Againe I will shew you what kind of Liberty Christ is to the Saints first he is a free way to the Saints they may goe boldly and freely to the Father by Jesus Christ Paul goeth boldly to God being confident that God would heare his prayers Heb. 4.16 Let us come with boldnesse before the Throne of Grace that we may obtaine mercy and finde grace in time of need so Christ saith come and take of the water of life freely there is benefit by having Christ for thy way he will give thee living water whosoever shall drink of the water which I shall give him shall never be more athirst but the water that I shall give him shall be in him as a well of water springing up unto everlasting life John 4.14 so you see Christ is a free way and a refreshing way and therefore behold with joy may you draw water out of the well of salvation Esa 12.3 Secondly Christ is a free way to all commers he is a way for drunkards and for swearers and for uncleane persons and for the ungodly Rom. 5.8 thus God commendeth his love to us in that while we were sinners Christ died for us Christ died for sinners there is not a barr set up against any person whatsoever though thou art a grievous sinner yet if thou canst believe that Christ died for thee he is as free a way for thee as for any other for what saith the Scripture Abraham believed God and it was accounted unto him for righteousnesse Rom. 4.5 but to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is accounted to him for righteousnesse for if thou canst believe in Jesus Christ and if the free grace of Christ doth out-bid all thy lusts then Christ is thy way to the Father Rom. 5.6 do not say thou art a great sinner and therefore keepe of from God do not deprive thy selfe of Christ for Christ died for the ungodly Rom. 5.6 thou shalt not be condemned if thou do believe this is that which is required of thee by Jesus Christ that is to believe Zack 13.1 there is a fountaine opened for sin and for uncleannesse that is there is a way opened for the worst of sinners to come to God by Christ those that do come unto him he will in no wise cast of and if thou do come he will make thee cleane Christ will sprinkle cleane water upon thee and thou shalt be cleane therefore do not trouble thy selfe so much with the greatnesse of thy sins that they should be any barr in thy way to hinder thee from comming to Christ this is needlesse we have seene as great sinners as thou come to Christ Even such as crucified him yet Peter said unto them repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins Act. 2.38 What greater sins then these they did despise Jesus Christ they did spet upon him and put him to death what greater sin is there then this to put to death the Son of God yet saith he repent so say I though thy sins be great yet if thou repent and believe thou maist have Christ for thy Liberty and thy way to leade thee to the Father for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God 1 Tim. 2.4 for there is one God and one Mediator betweene God and man the man Christ Jesus so large is the call of Christ that he invites all to come to him and all that do believe in him shall be saved be their sins never so great O com to the Lord Jesus though thy sins be as Scarlet they shall be as white as Snow though they be as red as Crimson they shall be as Wool but some may object and say from 1 Tim. 4.2 that there is power in man to believe and be saved if they will but I deny that I deny that there is ability in any man by nature to believe Phil. 2.13 for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure Rom. 8.16 it is not in him that runeth but in God that sheweth mercy as I said before so I say still that Christ most be our Liberty and way and let passe to the Father and he it is alone that delivereth us from the bondage of the Law from the bondage of corruption from the bondage of Ceremonies from the bondage of humane Ordinances which is the bondage of the Conscience under Tyranny Col. 2.20 you shall finde that the Spirit of God doth by Paul blast all those services at one breath intended by men and imposed of necessity upon the conscience in useing those prayers which the service of God anulleth the Apostle calls all such will worship as you may see Col. 2.23 though they pretended humility in all these inovations of men pretended to be loving and hamble yet all this worship is a will worship devised by man becoms a snare to Gods people and then againe this is that our Saviour Christ expresly condemns Mat. 15.9 it is a vaine worship Esa 1. and what is the reason of this what is the ground of all this but because their feare towards me was taught by the precepts of men Esa 29.13 this is the very ground why the service devised by men is a bondage before God and as nothing but meere hypocrisy