God hath sent forth the SPIRIT of his SON into your hearts crying Abba Father Gal. 4 3 4 5 6. It is by Christ's coming that we are freed from that external fleshly way of serving God in a worldly Sanctuary and by carnal Ordinances It was almost impossible whilst it was the duty of the people of God to worship God with so much ceremonial service but they should dote too much upon those externals of worship But saith our Saviour â—he hour cometh and NOW is that is in the dayes of the Gospel that neither in this Mountain nor at Jerusalem shall men worship the Father but in spirit and truth John 6.21.23 and the reason was this for that Christ was the substance of those shadows which therefore vanished at his coming The truth is the great thing that we have to mind as Christians is the knowledge of Christ the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. And I have often thought that they who would study the Gospel aright should endeavour to find out what there is peculiar in the Gospel above whatever was before revealed for they shall find that in the Gospel there is the hidden wisdom of God revealed such mysteries of wisdom as were before hidden from ages and generations and I believe there is no greater prejudice to the advance of knowledge in Theology or the knowledge of God than that it is so generally presumed yea and assertedthat there is nothing in a manner new in the Go spel neither precepts nor promises but that the Faith of the Saints in all ages was the same that it is now onely they appreheuded the same things somewhat more obscurely then we do and so for the Precepts that they were always the same Now this presumption will unavoidably hinder all further enquiry and the New-Testament shall signifie no more to us then the old will do and so we shall necessarily put our selves again under the Legal instead of the Evangelical Administration serving God in the OLDNESS OF THE LETTER which is the Law and not in the NEWNESS OF THE SPIRIT which is the Gospel Rom. 7.6 Whereas to any diligent and unprejudiced enquirer it will appear that there are a thousand new things in the Gospel and all of them referring more or less to Christ I shall give but two Scriptures for this and so come to the application of the character The first is this in Col. 1.26 27. I am made a Minister saith the Apostle to fulfil the Word of God even the Mystery which hath been hid FROM AGES AND GENEEATIONS but NOW IS MADE MANIFEST TO HIS SAINTS to whom God would make known the riches of this Mystery amongst the Gentiles which is CHRIST IN YOU the hope of Glory Christ is all the Mystery all the mysterious things of the Gospel are to be more or less referred to Christ The second Scripture is Eph 3. of which I might transcribe more then half the chapter see ver 9. To make all men see what is the fellowship of the Mysterie which from the beginning of the world hath been HID IN GOD See Marlorat in loc who CREATED ALL THINGS BY JESUS CHRIST This saith Calvin Non tam de prima creatione interpretari libet quam de instauratione spirituali circumstantia enim loci postulat ut de renovatione intelligamus quae continetur in beneficio redemptionis That is This creation of all things by Jesus Christ is not so much to be understood of the first creation of the world as of the instauration and renovation or new Gospel-state of things into which God hath put them by Jesus Christ So the next verse unavoidably carries the sense ver 10 11. To the intent that NOW unto the Principalities and Powers in heavenly places MIGHT BE MADE KNOWN by the Church the manifold wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose which he PURPOSED IN CHRIST JESUS our Lord What did not the Angels know the Mysteries of the first creation till the dayes of the Gospel Oâ— are they instructed by the Church in the Mysteries of the first Creation Are Christians as such so great natural Philosophers as that Angels may come and learn of them The sense therefore is plainly thus That in the dayes of the Gospel there is a quite new Model and new constitution of things by vertue of the Mediatorial Kingdom which Jesus Christ hath received of his Father and much of this the Angels learn from the Church Who therefore but a rank Legallist will study Jesus Christ I come now to the application of the Character The application of the Character first to the discovery of partial Legality And here I shall somewhat alter my method which I used in the application of the other Characters for here I shall begin with the discovery of partial Legality which may be found in the Saints from this Character and afterwards come to predominant Legality from it First of all then Is our New-Testament-Faith to act so much upon Jesus Christ yea upon him immediately for all things for pardon for strength of Grace for temporal deliverances c Then these Saints are much too blame and greatly guilty of Legality that go to God without Christ in any measure If men go to God in the daves of the Gospel and where the Gospel hath been preached 〈◊〉 for I have to do with none other at this time I say if such men go to God without Christ altogether they are not Saints at all cannot be Saints of these I shall speak â—non But there are a generation of Saints and perhaps the greatest number who do truly believe in Christ that yet go to God without Christ in a great measure they are Christians Doctrinally but yet they are not well versed nor practised enough in treating with Christ and with God through Christ but make their immediate applications to God almost in every prayer in every act of Faith they cannot speak in a Gospel Dialect but are as if they were still living in the daies of the Old Testament where that a man feared and believed in God was his great character of Saintship Nay I would adventure to make this censure of hundreds of Christians that are good and holy men that were it not for the doctrine of satisfaction to the Justice of God which hath an hold upon them they do not discover wherein they have any need or use of Jesus Christ at all either as King or Prophet of his people though indeed they wil consent unto all these things when they are preached therefore in charity must be conceived to have that respect unto Christ which is necessary even in these particulars also I think many Ministers are greatly to blame who are otherwise good men in that they preach no more of Christ unto their people That this is Legality where it is found I think there is no need of further proof this character sufficiently
where I set my Name at the first and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel Now did God destroy his people at Shiloh for their wickedness the place where God set his Name at the first and cannot he deal as severely with a second place Therefore saith God except ye repent and amend your ways I will do unto this House as I did to Shiloh and I will destroy you as I did my people at Shiloh for all your Temple But here we see how men may dote upon a Temple so as to think themselves secure from God's Judgments though they themselves are ful of wickedness Whysomewhat like this are our people ready to do tho God forbid there should be such a gross thing found amongst us in the dayes of the Gospel as this of the Jews was yet how do many dote upon Churches and consecrated places crying as it were The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord and that after our blessed Saviour hath told us as much as this in my apprehension that one place is no holier then another neither Jerusalem nor Mount Gerizim but men should worship the Father in spirit and truth and in every place saith the Apostle perhaps we might gloss in every place alike men should lift up holy hands without wrath or doubting and yet how are some apt to think that if they pray in a Church though the Assembly be not there that a prayer in a Church is far more acceptable then in their Closet at home Not as if I did not far more prefer publick Worship then private or secret devotion or that I were against a convenient decent Meeting-place Again The Iews gloried in ceremonious services how did this Jewish Legal Carnal righteousness please pride it self in the ceremonial service of Sacrifices and the like but never look at the heart Isa 1.11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to me saith the Lord I am full of Burn â—fferings of Rams and the fat of fed Beasts I delight not in the blood of Bullocks or of Lambs or of He-Goats Ver. 13. Bring no more vain Oblations incense is an abomination unto me the new Moons and Sabbaths I cannot away with Not as if all these things were at this time unlawful for they were their duty but here you see they were abundant in these and failed in matters of common honesty and justice as we may see ver 15 16 17. Your hands are full of blood wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do well seek judgement relieve the oppressedâ— judge the fatherless plead for the Widow These things they ought to have done and not to leave the other undone and when ye have done these things saith the Lord Come now and let us reason together though your sins be as Scarlet they shall be white as Snow c. ver 18. Here was Gospel that if they would mind the true reformation of their hearts and lives they might expect the pardon of their sins but these Legal Jews they never mind this inward holiness no nor common honesty and yet make no question but they shall make God amends very wel by keeping Festivals New-Moons Sabbaths days of solemn Assemblies and by Sacrifices of Rams Lambs Bullocks He-Goats as if God were fed with the blood and fat of these beasts and were migtihly attoned by incense sweet perfumes See Psal 50. from 7. to 14. as if then he must needs smel a savour of rest in all that they did And the Gal. we find were come to this Gal. 3.10 Ye observe days and months times and years that is Jewish Feasts I am afraid of you lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain When they once came to observe them there was a great deal of danger and cause for the Apostles sear that they would rest in the observance of them for that this was the reason why they took to observing of them when it was not now any longer the Jews duty so much as to observe them because of their inclination to a Covenant of Works which chiefly expresseth it self in an external service So likewise the Colossians amongst whom the same pestilent Law-Preachers had been they were ensnared to the making conscience of dayes Sabbaths and new Moons and also in the business of meats that some were clean and others unclean which was once the Jews duty to observe insomuch that Peter tells the Lord he had been so strict in the business hitherto that nothing common or unclean meaning of the flesh of unclean Beasts and Fowls had entred into his mouth Acts 11.6.8 But now was not only not their duty any longer but at least to the Gentiles a sin to make any conscience in it for that they could hardly begin such a thing at such a time upon the inticement of false Teachers for none else perswaded the Gentiles to it but from an evil inclination of swerving from the pure Gospel which they had received from the Apostles unto a Covenant of Works thus served out to them by their false Teachers And it argues almost as ill a disposition in the Galatians and Colossians but to take up these things as their duty as it did in the Jews to place so much in them when they were their duty Let no man judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of an holy-day or of the new Moon or of the Sabbath-dayes which are a shadow of things to come but the body is of Christ Col. 2.14 16 17. These things when they were in use and were mens duties were at best but shadows and yet these shadows did men exceedingly glory in and preferred them before true holiness and the spiritual Worship of God yea they thought verily that whilest they did observe these things they might commit all manner of Villanies and yet escape the judgement of God Yea they thought they were delivered to do all sorts of abominations as it is in Jer 7.10 The Apostle finds out such a generation of Jews in his time Rom. 2. from the 17. to the 25. Behold thon art called a Jew and restest in the Law a full expression I think of one that seeks Justification by the Law and makest thy boast of God and knowest his will And the Apostle proceeds to describe a great Lawyer indeed one that thought himself sit to be a Guide of the blind a Light of them that walk in darkness an instructer of the foolish a teacher of babes and one that had the form of knowledge and of the truth in the Law Yet what kind of man is he for his Morals Why he is a Thief an Adulterer a Sacrilegious person what not ver 21 22. Thou therefore which teachest another teachest thou not thy self thou that preachest a man should not steal dost thou steal Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery dost
Doctrine then that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Spiritual Wickedness which so much haunteth it especially in the practique of it I mean the Spirit that so violently and this so generally tempteth and importuneth men to take somewhat from the Law for the relief of Christ in his great work of Justification as if in this case also it were true that two are better then one This Spirit I believe was never more narrowly sifted or more closely pursued then here He is detected by certain signs and symptomes lurking in several forms and shapes at the root of the hearts and minds of men yea it is here shewed that there are few or none so purely distinctly and sixedly Evangelical in their notion of Justification but some grudgings at least of Legalism hang upon them as if they durst not entrust themselves or their souls in the hand of the Grace or Promise of God in Christ without some encouragement from Moses But the comfort is that every touch or tincture of this bewitching Spirit is not exclusive from the blessing of Justification a truth well stated in the Discourse before thee The reason or occasion rather why this Epilectical Distemper of falling upon the Law in the high concernment of Justification is so Epidemical amongst the children of men seems to be the most transcendent brightness of the glory of the Grace of God in his terms or way of Justification which exceeding brightness doth so praestringere oculos dazle the weak eye of their Reason and Understanding that they are very hardly able to look stedfastly upon it without some refraction or allay as it is said that the Children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance but were afraid to come nigh him yea Aaron himself was afraid until he had put a covering oâ— Veil upon his face that is I conteive not such a covering which did altogether hide or keep from their sight the lustre or shining of his face but which only did as it were correct the disproportion of it to their sight and reduce it to a temper or degree passable with it and pleasing to it Exod. 34 30.33 c. with 2 Cor. 3 7.13 To bring forth the mind of God concerning justification in respect of the absolute freeness and non-deâ—endency of it upon the Laâ— into a clear convincing and satisfactory light is I conceive the highest service that can lightly be performed to the Christian world He that is well grounded and rooted in the knowledge hereof and also understands in any good measure the weight and worth of a justified estate stands upon ground of the greatest advantage to anticipate his future equality with the holy Angells as well in holiness as in happiness and joy For I believe that the Grace of God in Justification thoroughly apprehended and seriously believed is of too strong an eng agement yea too soveraignly enclining unto holiness to be readily or easily turned into wantonness But I keep thee too long in the Porch for in the House thou wilt find many more pleasant things for in matters of spiritual concernment all profitable things are to be counted pleasant then I have all this while acquainted thee with There are divers choice strains of Spiritual Discourse with several lights set up in many dark places of Scripture which I have not set down in my Inventory For I judge it more honourable to the Author yea and to his friend also that was willing to serve his pen with a few lines of good will that his Treatise be found above his Preface rather then beneath it My desire and design in this my Anteloquium was not so much to raise as to encourage thy expectation To wish thee as much Christian satisfaction and contentment iâ— the perusal of the Treatise as my self received by the Author imparting some of the Contents unto me would be to wish thee liberally The blessing of him that justifieth the ungodly and yet is just in so doing be upon thee and upon all thy Conscientious labours and applications unto him in the use of all means which he hath sealed for the saving of thy soul and when thou shalt be full of comfort and peace forget not him who remembreth thee at the Throne of Grace and resteth Thy Christian Friend that hath but one heart for thee and himself J. G. ERRATA PAg. 3. lin 10. read times p. 5. l. 7. r. Gal. 2.16 p. 8 l. 26. leave out and then the Law must justifie him pag. 9. lin last r. Joh. 8.7 p. 10. l. 26. r. us by p. 11. l. 16. leave our therefore p. 21. l. 27. r. Covenant p. 22. l. 12. r. Rom. 10.5 p. 23. l. 20. r. serveth p. 53. l. 11. r. this ibid. lin 33. r. Ordinances p. 58. l. 1. r. Commentators p. 63. l. 7. r. makes p. 67. l. last r. and thou p. 81. l. 7. r. we are p. 86. l. 8. r. Epaphras ult r. from the 15 to the 19. p. 87. l. 31. r. have thought p. 90. l last r. take p. 92. l. 26. r. no good p. 103. l. 1. r. wonder p. 115. l. 1. r. own p. 124. l. 19. r. Iustice p. 135. l. last r. thou set p 137. 1. 31. leave out they p. 139. l. 20. r. none p. 180. l. last r. spirit for call p. 192. last 5 lines to be left out p. 194. l. 9. r. same time p. 1â—5 l 9. r. hands lin 21. r. honest p. 197. l. 16. 1. cruelties p. 200. l. 26. r. so farr lin lastr self p. 202. l. 9. r. legality p. 210. l. 23. r. how Ahab p. 231. l. 14. 1. and. l. 25 r. discourse l. 31. r. Pharisce 232. l. 15. r. certainly p 258. l. 17. r. neglect to study p. 239. l. 3. r. Christ p. 243. l. last r. terminated p. 244 l 8. r. from p. 310. l. 5. for Christ read sin p. 321. l. 1. r. saith p. 323. marg r inference from it p. 341. l. 15. r. that p. 345. l. 19. r. fundamental p. 349. l. 34. r. thy Of Justification JUstification may be considered as an Act of God upon the Creature The deâ—â—nicion or description of Iustification or as a state of the Creature resulting from that act As God's act it is God's reckoning or reputing a man just and righteous As the Creatures state it is his being reckoned and standing for just and righteous in the sight of God That this is a Scripture-desinition or description may appear from Rom. 2.13 For not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified Where to be just before God and to be justified is all one therefore Justification is a man's being just before God reckoned reputed by God so to be Another place that proves this description you have Gal. 3.11 But that no man is justifyed by the Law in the sight of God is evident for the just shall live by Faith The
will not like this neither and it is because it is the duty of the Creature to serve its Creator whether he promiseth any reward or no. Now this will not look neither like a Gospel-principle being the very Law of Creation Well then what principles will they suggest for Gospel-principles Why such as these Love and Ingenuity and Gratitude and apprehending an excellency in the wayes of God Now I confess these are good principles and these are right Gospel-principles the fruit of the Spirit is love And we love him because he loved us first 1 John 4.19 which is gratitude Shall we continue in sin because we are not under the Law but under Grace and that so Grace may abound God forbid This were highly disingenuons Rom. 6.1.15 And in keeping thy Commandments there is great reward Psal 19.11 There is a sight of the excellency of the precept But pray observe that where nobleness and ingenuity is the onely Principle of Actions there is no necessity for any thing to be done at all for actions of nobleness and ingenuity and gratitude come under no Law but are left free to the Agent to do or not to do only that hereby as he doth them or not the Agent will discover whether he be of an unworthy Spirit or no. And thus these men have brought things to a fair pass that God is to be served under the Gospel onely upon courtesie so that any that will may slip their neck out of Christs yoke and their back from under his burthen or else they must acknowledge that men ought to serve God because there is a MUST upon it 't is our duty as Creatures if we will not there is an Hell to punish but to encourage you in it if you will there is an Heaven to reward And what if a Legal Spirit go to work with these principles ONELY as indeed I think he hath no other and that he may have all these in a degree viz. the sense of his Obligation as a Creature the fear of Hell and some general hope of Heaven I say What if he may have all these principles are they evertheless good or unsuitable to the Gospel because he useth them If he used them to good ends or used them aright they would do him good as well as they do others good the reason why these do him no good is for that in the use of the same principles in the general which a good man may use A Legallist hath always these three gross defects that undo him Three ruining defects in the service of a Legallist First though the hope of Heaven in general as a place of happiness may somewhat quicken him in what he doth yet he hath no true notion or apprehension of Heaven that the happiness of it consists chiefly in likeness to God in holiness which if it were his notion of Heaven he could not find in his heart to desire it much less to endeavour after it The second gross defect is this All the endeavours that he makes to please God in one thing or in another as I have instanced in several wayes never reach to a thorough heart-work whereas that is the chief thing that God looks after because he is a Spirit the Father of Spirits And the lastthing is this That yet for all this slightiness hypocrifie of a Legal Spirit the very rule that he proceeds by in his expectations of his Reward is That God is bound to give it him as having well deserved it at his hands Now what though a Legallist may make use of the same principles that an Evangelical Spirit doth unsuccessfully yet what should hinder but the Evangelical Worshipper may use the same principles rightly and with acceptation from God May not a good thing be abused or not rightly used And doth this destroy the nature of it Let us now a little examine the word Mercenary because indeed it sounds harshly as if it were a low principle for a Christran to act towards God by and then we will see briefly what other Principles there are in conjunction with it in every true Saint of God The word Mercenary founds so ill meerly from the common usage of it not so much from the Etymology or native signification the Natural signification of it is when any one acts for wages or for a reward the use of it is when a man that is engaged to do courtifies or at least stands not in any need to receive courtesies will yet do no good turns for any without a good reward in his hand or well assured to him nay perhaps will do any mischief if he may be well rewarded so that Mercenariness is a Vice alwaies contrary to Nobleness that is more free to do than receive courtesies and often contrary to justice but now this Mercenariness especially as contrary to nobleness is a Vice onely or chiefly amongst equals and those that stand not in need of one another as for those that are far inferiour it is pride with them to be unwilling to receive courresies or rewards for wherefore are any advanced in place but that they may do good to those that are below them 'T is no dishonour at all for a poor man that wants bread to hire our his labour for a reward nor for a child that is bound to do what his facher commands to be encouraged by any reward that his father proposeth to any action Now let us apply these things to the bufiness before us and we shall see how ill or how well Mercenariness becomes us in our service of God First of all we are not here to consider the Saints as doing evill things for a reward that is the worst Mercenariness of all no but they serve God for a reward Now wherein can the sordidness of this Spirit lye is it that we need not to receive courtesies at the hands of God or that we cannot endure to receive a courtesie which we know we are not able to requite Such a struin of nobleness there is sometimes found amongst men out if we should aim at such a strain of nobleness with God How will such men ever offer to receive heaven especially when they did not work for it which makes it far more obliging Truely in my minde it is very high pride for a poor creature that is poor and blind and naked and in want of all things that when God offers to supply his poverty to cure his blindness to cover his nakedness he shall not be exceedingly over-joyed at it and seeing that these supplies are of this nature that they cannot be compleatly obtained till we come to heaven nor yet certainly obtained except we persevere whilest we are here to labour after them it seems a strange wantonness to me that men should not labor and own it that they do labour for them as the command is No fault in labouring for the reward except it be for the reward of a debt Labour for
lose heaven or be cast into hell methinks it is a piece of self-hatred or at least too high a breach upon that innate principle of self-love which God hath planted in the soul And certainly that instance of love in our Saviour his dying for us which yet was the highest instance in the world of regular love was not of such a kind as this for he did not dye for us to remain accursed but under-went the curse that so he might procure the blessing for his people yea and for himself Hebr. 12.2 Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross and despised the shame But in the third place not to undertake to censure Saint Paul especially in such an action where if there was an error it was onely in excess of love to men's souls and high nobleness and generosity I may safely adde this that I prosess I cannot see how his action or that of Moses are imitable by us for I know not by what rule we are obliged or so much as permitted to do any such action though some would perswade us that we are obliged to be content to be damned that God may be glorified thus far I shall go with them That it is every ones duty to be so humble as to think that if God cast us into hell he doth us no wrong But I cannot go so far in compliaure with their fantasticall expressions of love and submission to God and designs for his glory as to say that if God may be glorified in my destruction I am content c. Alas What good can my destruction do to God Or what glory can God have in destroying me if I walk sincerely with him and therefore these are but foolish suppositions and idle offers which perhaps some good people may make much-like those in another case of enjoying communion with God they will say If God were in Hell his Presence would make Hell to be Heaven and they had rather be in Hell with God than in Heaven without him People had better shew their love to God and their humility in those actions and duties which he calls them unto then in such suppositions and fantastical expressions and imaginations as these That is the third observation I see not how this action of Moses or St. Paul are imitable by us 4. Neither were they in constant practice by themselves or at least they were not the onely principles which they acted by for Moses I have proved already that he had respect to the recompence of reward and that encouraged him in doing and suffering for God And as for St. Paul we find him pressing towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus and exhorting others so to do Phil. 3.14 15. And though I doubt not but St. Paul did preach the Gospel willingly yet he tells us that he did not preach meerly as a free-will-offering to God but there was a necessity upon him he MUST do it Though I preach the Gospel saith he yet I have nothing to glory of as if I had done a thing that I was not bound to do for necessity is Iaid upon me a dispensation is committed to me yea wo is unto me if I preach not the Gospel 1 Cor. 9.11 And so we find in the same chap. ver 24. this advice So run that ye may obtain which argues that the obtaining the prize not onely may be but ought to be in our eyes and ver 27. he tells us of himself that he kept under his body and brought it into subjection lest himself should be a cast-away So that you see besides these high Principles of nobleness ingenuity gratitude which are all good and excellent yet there are other principles that are good and commendable yea Evangelical * When I say they are Evangelical Principles I mean they are either so properly or by way of reduction to confonary with â—vangelical Principles properly so called they are at least allowed if not brought to light onely by the Gospel such as these that it is our duty and that else there is a wo pronounced against us that we may obtain the prize that we may not be cast-aways I shall just give a brief account of the order of principles in a Christians acting for God as I apprehend them to lie and then shew why this of mercenariness cannot be made a Character of a Legal Spirie and then come to give some more true Scripture-Characters The order of principles in every Saints heart in his acting for God The 3. first Now I suppose that the order of Principles in every Saints heart is this 1. He considers himself a Creature and so bound to obey his Creator and since God hath alwayes proposed some reward to the keeping and threatning to the breach of his Law therefore these three principles may go hand in hand together and these are the first Principles that any is to begin with in serving God Now I think there is no exceeding in any one of these Principles a man cannot be too sensible of his obligation as a Creature to serve his Creator a man cannot be too sensible of the greatness of the reward nor of the danger of Hell yet I think every Christian hath somewhat more to move him in his service to God then barely these three Principles as for instance some such as I have named love to God gratitude yea many times nobleness of heart We love God saith the Apostle speaking in the name of all the Saints because he loved us first c. and these further Principles seem to follow in this order from the first that when I am thoroughly convinced that it is my duty to live to God when I consider what danger I avoid in it what good I obtain by it I am engaged to love that God Then Love who takes such care of his Creatures that he would not have them perish nay that he would not have them do their duty for nought here is now another Principle a Principle of Love beyond the three first Principles Again I consider the greatness of the reward the richness of the grace in providing it by the gift of Christ the Fathers giving him and his giving himself the sending the Spirit into our hearts to perswade us and win upon us to accept of this grace all the care that the Lord takes about us and hereby I am yet more and more engaged to love and gratitude Aster that nobleness One may easily be here set all in a flame of love not counting his life dear for such a God for such a Saviour if there be the least spark of Nobleness in one's natural spirit it will enflame the whole soul to do some excellent service for God not as the Legallist doth supposing that hereby he shall oblige God and that perhaps onely in some fantastical service as rich sacrifices or multitudes of superstitious observations but the
spirit of bondage again to fear but ye have received the spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father which I shall make bold to Paraphrase thus Ye have not now under the Gospel received the spirit of Bondage again as ye did under the Law for some of these Romans to whom he writes were Jews but ye have received the spirit of Adoption whereby both you and I for the person is changed and all Gospel-Saints cry Abba Father The Law SO FAR as it did reign over the spirits of good people in the days of the Old-Testament brought them under a spirit of Bondage SO FAR and therefore the veâ— same Saints that now were under a Spirit of Adoption by the Gospel yet had been under â— spirit of Bondage in the times of the Law in a great measure unless we will make the person YEE to signifie specifically not numericall that is of Saints like them of the same Nation in times past and not of those very Saints iâ— person to whom he writes but which way sâ—â—ver understood it asserts that the Saints of Goâ— in the times of the Old Testament were in 〈◊〉 great measureunder a spirit of bondage through the darkness of the Dispensation which argues that for those that were under the Law wholly they were certainly under a severe Bondage from the Law and so that this may very well be made a Character of a Legal spirit I am not ignorant that there is another interpretation given of this Scripture by some yet very agreeable with this that I here give viz. That in every work of conversion there is a legal conviction which they call a Spirit of Bondage which goes before faith and that after a man hath truely believed he never receives or returns to a spirit of Bondage again But I think this is not the genuine interpretation onely it may be allowed for true in a great measure and I might borrow strength from it for my present purpose for that this spirit of Bondage in this interpretation is the effect or the work of the Law only but of this the Reader may see more in the 41. page of the foregoing discourse I come now to shew what a spirit of Bondage is now this discovers it self in the very name Bondage or Slavery as also by its opposition to a spirit of Adoption or Son-ship they that are under it serve not God as children serve a father but as slaves serve a cruel master again it is notified to us by the inseparable companion of this spirit and that is fear Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that which is here called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in the 2 Tim. 1.7 called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a spirit of fear God hath not given to us saith the Apostle that is under the Gospel a spirit of fear but of power of love and of a sound minde A Gospel spirit is a spirit of love a Legal spirit is a spirit of fear I shall give onely one Scripture more for this that is 1 John 4.17 18 19. Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of judgement because as he is saith the Apostle so are we in this world There is no fear in love but perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath torment he that seareth is not made perfect in love We love him because he first loved us Here I collect and argue We that is We Saints converted by the Gospel have all of us a principle of Love which is quite contrary to that of fear We shall have boldness in the day of Judgement and this we have some fore-tasts of in this world for that spirit which is opposed to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a spirit of Bondage to fear is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a spirit of Love and Son-ship or Adoption which hath an holy boldness in it Hebr. 4.16 and teacheth us to call God Father But on the contrary the Legal spirit hath no such boldness in the presence of God but is alwaies silled with a tormenting fear and horrour at the thoughts of God even as the Devils are in a great degree who believe and tremble and as Cain was who when he could have no rest in his spirit went forth from the presence of the Lord which he could not endure and fell to building a city in probability to drown the noise of his Conscience which else would still have rung in his ears and allarm'd him with this dreadful sentence My punishment is greater than I can beâ—â— or my sin is greater than can be forgiven Perfect love casteth out fear then such as is the proportion aâ—â— degree of Love to God to such proportion and degree 〈◊〉 the tormenting fear of God abated Yet here I must needs acquaint the Reader that there is another exposition of this Text which I think is very allowable if not more genuine than the former that is that perfect love to God casteth out all anxious and solicitous fear of suffering and persecution for God's Cause I shall transcribe somwhat of Dr. Hammond upon the place ver 17. Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of Judgement because as he is so are we in this world which he first thus translates In this the love with us is perfected that we have boldness and then paraphraseth thus In this the perfection of that love which is to be found in a Christian consists that in a time of danger when we are brought before Judges and may probably lose our lives for confessing of Christ then we retain courage and cheerfulness and confess him willingly that we behave our selves in this world as Christ did when he was here that is lay down our lives in testification of the truth ver 18. there is no fear in love that is saith he such love as this which was in Christ hath no fear in it Christ ventured and under-went the utmost even death it self for us I need transcribe no more But yet I think I may argue strongly even from this Exposition that which I aim at viz. that a Gospel-spirit is free from slavish fear of God at least in a great measure for still the love spoken of in this text it is love to God this love to God is a great Gospel-principle as appears in the text Now can any bear a great love to any person and yet have a slavish fear a tormenting fear of that person at the same time For my part I think love and fear with respect to the same person are very near as opposite as love and hatred and a tormenting slavish fear of any person cannot long be without a great degree of hatred Is it not a famous question in the Politiques concerning the security of a Prince An praestat timeri quam diligi Whether it be more safe for a Prince to be loved or feared of his Subjects
grounds and reasons of fleshly considence and boasting that he could shew for himself If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might boast in the flesh I MORE Now if there had been any goodness in that way of a Pharisaical righteousuess which S Paul with his utmost zeal pursued after cectainly he must have fonnd it But as soon as ever the Lord was pleased to call him by his grace and to REVEAL HIS SON IN HIM Gal. 1.15 16 he casts away all his riches and treasures of a legal righteousness as dross dung and dog's-meat not fit for children to feed upon and what is it that he embraceth what is it that can thus metamorphose and transpose him what doth he see what hath he espied in the Gospel Why it is Christ a single Christ He sells all that he had to buy this Pearle and thinks himself made for ever if he can but compass such a purchase Yea doubtless saith he I count all these but dung that I may WIN Christ or gain Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ Phil. 3.9 So we have seen the metamorphosis the transformation of this man his leaving all his Pharisaical Legal Righteousness for a single Christ we will see a little further what use he makes of Christ now that he hath chosen him and thus centred his soul upon him Why he will needs know more of him I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord Phil. 3.8 and saies he I count them but dung that I may win Christ and that I may know him ver 8.10 There are indeed all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hid in him as St. Paul tells us Col. 2.3 and therefore well might he press after the knowledge of him Again he will love him If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be accursed 1 Cor. 16. ver 22. He will believe in him I would be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through THE FAITH OF CHRIST Lastly he will make his glorying and boast of him and that is the highest honour we can do to God for men glory in that which they account their excellency yea St. Paul chooseth out that in Christ to glory in which is most contemptible in the eyes of the world and that is the cross of Christ which shews what an high esteem he had of him God forbid saith he that I should glory in any thing save in the cross of Christ Gal. 6.14 And though the blind world could see nothing in this Cross that they should rejoice or glory in yet St. Paul saw these great things in the Cross of Christ that upon it he vanquished Principalities and Powers Col. 2.15 that he removed all that from off us that was contrary to us nailing it to his cross so that he might well say as he doth Gal 2.19 I through the Law am dead to the Law that I might live to God that is through what the Law hath done to my Saviour it hath nothing to do with me I am dead to it and that is dead to me Again see another great efficacy that St. Paul espyed in the Cross of Christ and that was that it helped him to conquer the World God forbid that I should glory in any thing save in the Cross of Christ by which the world is crucified to me and I unto the world No wouder therefore if he chuseth the cross of Christ to glory in Once more we find him in another Scripture chusing his infirmities to glory in 2 Cor. 12.5 6 7 8 9 10. I take pleasure in insirmities in reproaches in necessities in persecution in distresses for Christ's sake And what is the reason why not onely for that these are a part of Christ's Cross but because when these things did press him down then did the arm of Christ support him and the Power of Christ rest upon him Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the POWER OF CHRIST MAY REST UPON ME for when I am weak then am I strong that is with the strength which is in Christ Jesus and therefore hedoth not only desire that he himself might thus know love believe and glory in Jesus Christ but he begs for others that they might have a Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of Christ Eph. 1.16 17. It were almost an infinite Work to trace St Paul in all the ways of his treating Christ and using of him take therefore one place for all Gal. 2.20 I am crucified with Christ saith he nevertheless I live that is one Riddle I live yet not I there is another Riddle But whence arise these Mysteries Why from his conversing with and possessing of Christ I live but saith he 't is not I any longer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh the whole of my life it is by the faith of the Son of God that is Faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Paul is dead he lives no longer but Christ lives in Paul if you will and then no wonder St. Paul can do all things as he tells us he can when such a person lives in him Phil. 4.12 13. I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to the hungry both to abound and to suffer need I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me Thus the whole of a Christians lise when he is like himself is a life of Faith upon Christ immediately his Flesh and Blood is his food his Grace and Spirit is his strength the living of Christ in him which is a Mystical expression is his life For you are dead and YOUR LIFE IS HID WITH CHRIST in God Col. 3.3 That Christian therefore that is not intimately acquainted with Christ is so far legal The truth of this assertion is clear from this example for that as soon as ever St. Paul had Christ revealed in him he left all his legal righteousness and fastned upon Christ altogether in this manner which we have partly declared And indeed this is the Character of Characters all the other Characters before given signifie but little without this It is by means of Christs coming that we call God Father that we are freed from that slavish fear of God which even the Saints of the Old-Testament were under in a great measure the Heir before was kept in fear but when the fulness of the time was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sons and because ye are Sons
Spirit of Christ being throughly convinced of the righteousness of the Law the truth of its threatning the Nature and Offices Sufficiency and Excellency of Jesus Christ his free offer to all that will accept of him for their Lord and Saviour doth hereupon believe the truth of this Gospel and accept of Christ as his only Lord and Saviour to bring him to God his chiefest good and doth accordingly rest on him as his Saviour and SINCERELY though imperfectly OBEY him as his Lord FORGIVING OYHERS LOVING HIS PEOPLE BEARING WHAT SUFFERINGS ARE IMPOSED c. and all this sincerely and to the end This is part of his desinition of Faith Again Mr. Baxter in another place pag. 238. Thesis 62. according to this definition of Faith tells us That Faith may be called the onely condition of the New-Covenant for two reasons 1. Because it is the principal condition and the other but the less principal and so as an whole Countrey hath ost its Name from a chief City so may the conditions of this Covenant from Faith 2. Because all the rest are reducible to it either being presupposed as necessary antecedents or means or contained in it as its parts properties or modifications or else implyed as its immediate product or necessary subservient means or consequents And so full to the same purpose Thesis 73. pag. 280. Thus we see by Scripture and according to the opinion of a very learned and good man that Faith is not onely the first Grace in order but a very operative Grace and was in its own nature exceedingly sitted for that service which God hath in much Wisdom and Prudence appointed it unto But thirdly 〈…〉 there is yet a more proper reason then either of these why Faith should be chosen for this uses and that is for that Faith is a self-emrying Grace to live by Faith is to live purely in dependance upon God and Christ for every thing and what fitter instrument or condition of Justification could be chosen after the fall of man when it was most reasonable that if God would save a man he should have all the glory Doth not the Apostle insist mightily upon this both in his Doctrine and particular practice Justification now saith he is not of works lest any man should boast Eph. 2.9 But by Grace are ye saved through Faith So Nom. 3.27 Where is boasting then it is excluded By what Law Of works Nay but by the Law of Faith This is St. Paul's Doctrine Then for his practice For my part saith he I am crucified with Christ I am a poor dead thing Nevertheless I live yet not I or no longer I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but Christ liveth in me and the life that I live is by Faith in Christ Gal. 2.20 Now that St. Paul is come to live the life of Faith he is nothing Christ is all he is dead and liveth not Christ onely liveth in him So that you see Faith besides all its other excellencies hath a peculiar fitness for this service of justifying a sinner and yet notwithstanding all these excellent qualities that are to be found in Faith it could not have justified without a Divine ordination and appointment Now for any to say as some do that Love justifies as much as Faith nay that God doth rather approve of a man for his Love then for his Faith is methinks very bold and unscriptural Divinity I shall onely adde a word of testimony out of Mr. Baxter to this last particular and so conclude the question and all the questions which I have to propose about Justification Pag. 231. of his Aphorisms he hath these words If God had seen meet to have stamped any thing else to pass for Justification it would have passed currantly yet take this Faith is even to our own apprehension the most apt and suitable condition that GOD COULD have chosen for as far as we can reach to know there cannot be a more apt or rational condition pag. 232. This is the most self-denying and Christ-advancing Work Nothing could be more proportionable to our poverty who have nothing to buy with than thus freely to receive c. I have now done with all the Questions which I thought any ways necessary to be spoken to for the more particular and distinct unfolding of the Doctrine of Justification and I might here shut up the Discourse with the Uses of the whole But before I come to the Uses I judge it convenient to add somewhat by way of Appendix concerning the means or way how Justification came to be transferred from the Law to the Gospel or from Works to Faith for that I have acknowledged that Works and the Law were the first natural way of justifying men but now that it is altogether brought about by Grace and Faith That which I have to say I shall introduce with this objection If we were all born under the Law Object and bound to obey it to a tittle upon which obedience it should have justified us but upon the least breach was armed with this threatning That we should dye the death and that we have all broken it how comes it to pass that we are not all the Laws Captives and Prisoners and condemned by it How came there such easie gracious terms to be offered us for our justification as Faith and sincere obedience that these shall be accepted instead of perfect unerring obedience How will this way be for the honor of God's veracity in the threatning or his holiness to take imperfect sinful creatures into favour Now in answer to this objection I shall not need to meddle with that question Answ whether it were inconsistent with the natural Justice or Holiness of God considered as antecedent to his threatning or Decree of punishing sinners with death for him to have pardoned sinners by an absolute Power and Soveraign Grace and so to have received them into favour upon their repentance without the intervention of a Saviour But in the first place seeing there was adecree passed In the day that thon eatest thou shalt dye the death Gen. 2.17 I see not how it was consistent with the veracity of God to remit the sinner without any consideration at all without a very considerable fulfilling of this threatning 2dly The threatning therefore was fulfilled these several ways 1. Upon man himself in a great measure for that presently upon man's fall insued his mortality and all the inconveniences and troubles which we meet with in the World which are the fore-runners and causes of our dissolution But secondly and especially the great God in infinite Wisdom and Mercy provided a Saviour one mighty to save that should come into the world in the fulness of time about the 4000th year of the World the World being to last but perhaps 7000. years in all and free us that were born under the Law and by our sins made obnoxious to the curse of it from the curse and power of the Law
Now this being the great means of transferring Justification from the Law to Faith I shall a little insist upon the Explication of it That which I have to say upon it will be contained in these two assertions 1. That Christ in his own person here upon earth undertook the Law and answered it in all that it had to say against us And whereas it was a killing letter he took out this condemning power of it for all believers 2. That this was done by Christ for all ages of the Church and so it was and is the great foundation of that Justification by faith which the Apostle Paul contends to have been in all ages before the Law under the Law and in the dayes of the Gospel to the end of the world so that the way of Justification by faith comes in kindly and in a comely manner without any neglect or violation of the Law I begin with the first assertion That Christ in his own person here upon earth undertook and answered the Law The first assertion That Christ undertook answered the law for us c. Now to prove and illustrate this assertion it will be usefull to us 1. To consider in what condition the Lord Christ found us when he came into the world as a Saviour We were therefore all of us Jewes and Gentiles We were all under the law when Christ came to save us prisoners to the Law I shall give the account of this in the Apostle's expressions which are somewhat mystical to which I hope I shall adde some light by laying them together and comparing them one with another Before Christ came and before faith came and so at the time when Christ came when faith came in the doctrinal discovery or at any time doth come to us in the hearty closing with it We were kept under the Law Gal. 3.23 the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law had set a guard upon us and as it follows we were shut up unto the faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we were all shut up as so many prisoners unto the Law and under its guard and custody and in Rom. 7.6 speaking of the Law the Apostle saith We were held by it that being dead that is the Law wherein we were HELD or by which we were detained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For though these places in the Galatians and Romanes may referr to the different dispensations of the Old Testament and New that before the dayes of the Gospel when faith came to be preached men were under a legal dispensation they were kept under the Law and shut up to the faith that was to be revealed yet I dare affirm that there is a deeper meaning then that at least a deeper truth then that if not in those places which is this That till Christ and the way of Justification by faith be made known to the soul the soul must needs be under a legal frame â—f heart towards God under fear and bondage â—ay and a further sense then this yet and that â—s this That till the virtue of the blood of Christ â—e applyed to the soul till actual Justification â—y or upon faith every man lies under the curse â—nd threatning and wrath of the Law the Law â—ath taken hold of us all an evident signe of â—hich is this That death hath passed upon all and â—hat is the reason why for that all have sinned â—om 5.12 And if any could plead exemption from this abnoxiousness to the Law it must be either the â—â—ntiles that had not the Law as the expression is â—â—m 2.14 that is had not the Law given to â—â—em or those that lived before the Law was â—ven by Moses now neither of these can plead â—is exemption therefore all mankinde were â—ptives to the Law when Christ undertook the â—ork of Redemption or rather until the desigâ—ation of Christ by the Father to this work For the first viz. the Gentiles the Apostle tells us that he had proved them under sin which is the transgression of the Law therefore under the Law and their thoughts within them did accuse for their breach of the Law which was written in their hearts Rom. 2.14 Neither were they free from this arrest of the Law who lived before the delivery of the Law by Moses for the Apostle tells us plainly Rom. 5.13 That untill the Law sin was in the world that is from Adam till the time that the Law was solemnly given by Moses sin was in the world now sin is the transgression of the Law and accordingly as sin was in the world all that space of time from Adam to Moses so Death reigned from Adam to Moses Now we know that death 〈◊〉 the wages of sin and the strength of sin is the Law 1 Cor. 15.56 Sin could never have brought in death but by the Law which bindes sin upon the sinner and with sin the punishment due to it therefore all that space of time from Adaâ— to Moses sin and death being in the world 〈◊〉 they were to be sure there was the Law in its power energy it was there in effect as sure 〈◊〉 it was in the hearts consciences of Heathens and the Grave was the Law 's Prison Death it's Arrest Sin it 's great Charge and Accusation by and upon which Death entred Sin entred in the world and death by sin upon the threatningâ— the Law Rom. 5.12 This was the state and condition therefore that Christ found us in wâ— were all under the Law as Prisoners and Captives therefore when the Father sent fort Christ upon the work of Redemption it is saâ— Gal. 4.4 God sent forth his Son made of a woman mâ—â— under the Law to redeem them that were under 〈◊〉 Law This was written to the Galatians who were Gentiles That we putting himself and the Galatians together might receive the adoption of Sons therefore the Gentiles were under the Law when Christ was sent forth for their redemption And our Saviour tells us what he was commissionated to by his Father Luke 4.18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted to preach DELIVERANCE TO THE CAPTIVES and recovering of sight to the blinde to set at liberty them that are bruised or bound as it is in Isai 61.1 to preach the acceptable year of the Lord that is the Year of Jubilee when all servants were set free thus Christ's coming was to proclaim a Year of Jubilee to the whole world that the Law 's Captives should be delivered and those that served God under the tyranny of the Law might receive a spirit of Adoption So now thus farr we are gone in our proof of the first assertion that when Christ came as a Saviour and Redeemer of his people he found them all under the Law as the lawfull Captives and Prisoners unto it by reason of their sins which were