two terms yours and Gods that were not Christ in the middle they would never come together Yea but Christs coming between and joyning them together then all are yours because yee are Christs and Christ is Gods so that we may take the intent of the Holy Ghost here in this similitude though it be too low for the great mystery we are about to expresse Conceive God the father as the fountaine of all good and Christ as it were the Cisterne and then from him pipes conveiged to every believer and faith that sucks at the mouth of every pipe and drawes from God but it comes from God through Christ The Father he fills the Son with all good and so it comes from the Father through the Son by faith unto the soul of every beliver we have a notable expression further of this mystery in the Epistle to the Ephes in the second and third Chapters in Chapter 2. vers 12 having told them that they had been without hope and without God in the world but saith he vers 13. Ye who sometimes were farre off are made nigh by the blood of Christ It is by the blood of Christ that you have any thing to doe with God but especially in Ephes 3. 12. In whom we have boldenesse and accesse with confidence by the faith of him in whom in Christ we come to have boldnesse and accesse boldnesse the word signifies liberty of speech that we can come with liberty of speech before God and we have accesse Manudction we are led by the hand of Christ to the father there is no coming to the father but by Christ and Christ he takes a believer by the hand and leads him to the father and so he comes to have boldnesse as if a Traytor should be banished the Court and afterward the Prince should be a meanes of his reconciliation with the King and comes and takes the Traytor by the hand and sayes to him come I will lead you in my hand to my father and though you have provoked him yet being in my hand you need not be afraid but may goe to him with boldnesse and confidence Just the meaning of the Text here In Christ we have boldnesse and accesse with confidence and although before there was a dreadfull breach between the father and us yet being led by the hand of Christ there is accesse and freedome of speech for us well the truth is cleare enough in the whole tenour of the Gospell If you would know now how it comes to passe that though God be in himselfe the fountaine of all goodnesse and infinite mercy that yet there is such a stoppage as it were that there is not one drop of this mercy can be communicated to the children of men but this way that although we have to deal with God who in his owne nature is infinitely mercifull yet such is the case with man and such are the termes between God and man that there is not I say one drop of this infinite ocean can be expected to come for ever from God but onely this way It comes to passe thus First because of the breach of the first covenant that God made with mankinde for onely men and Angels the humane and angelical nature are capable of a covenant with God to speak of a covenant properly and because they are capable of this way of Gods proceeding with them God would goe according to the nature of his creature and therefore at first makes a covenant with them and intended to convey and communicate his goodnesse to them by that convenant now this covenant being broken and so there being a breach between God and man there is a stoppage made by vertue of that breach So that there is no good now to be had by vertue of the first covenant and unlessse there be a second there can be no good at all expected the first being broken and we being lost by that And further there is such an infinite distance between God and us that there can be no coming together and that not so much in regard of Gods excellency in himselfe and our meanesse that we are such poor low creatures as in regard of the infinitenesse of his holinesse and our uncleanesse and sinfulnesse this makes the distance Besides there is the strength of the law the curse of the law is upon every soul naturally and that stops there was never vessel stopt closer to be kept from having a drop of liquor poured into it then the curse of the law is close upon every soul to keep mercy from it so farre as God looks upon it meerly in its naturals and not through his Son Then there are the cryes of infinite Justice against men which must have satisfaction and till Justice be satisfied mercy stirres not unlesse it be in a way of providing satisfaction unto Justice so that put these together the breach of the first covenant the distance between God and man in regard of Gods holinesse and mans sinfulnesse the power of the curse of the law upon man and the cryes of divine Justice that will never be quiet till it hath received satisfaction these things being rightly apprehended we may come to see that we are farre off from receiving mercy from God though he be an infinite fountaine of mercy except there be some strange way of conveying it to us We know according to Gods dealing with the fallen Angels there is no way of conveying mercy to them but they are left to perish for ever if the thousands of Angels that fell from God should be thousands of thousands of yeares crying out for mercy they could not obtain one drop why because there is no mediator between God and them and it would have been our case with them had there not been a mediator between God and us Many thinke if they are sensible of their sinnes and can believe that God is infinitely mercifull they shall do well enough but I must tell you that though there be infinite mercy in God yet if thou hast no interest in Christ thou mayest be undone for ever But how is Christ all in all to us in Gods communication of good to us The first ground of all is the covenant that God the Father made with his Son from all eternity Therefore in Titus 1. 2. the Apostle speakes of the promise that was before the world began Now this promise can be meant onely of that covenant that past between the Father and the Son and therefore sayes the Apostle in 1 Cor. 2. 9. 10. Eye hath not seen nor eare heard neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them which love him but the spirit which searcheth all things yea the deep things of God he hath revealed them unto us that is the spirit of God in the Gospel discovers what were the eternal thoughts and purposes of God concerning us and what the transactions were between the Father and the
excellency and glory that there is in God to know much of God in his own essence and being and elevates the sould to converse with God in a higher way abundantly then reason can doe though it is true a great deal of God is understood by reason And then by faith the soul comes to know what riches there are in these excellent and glorious things of God It first sees them in God and then after that it sees this God to be infinitely willing to communicate and let out himself to his creature And then by faith the soul converseth with the deep and glorious councels of God between himself and his Son It sees into the great designe God had in sending his Son into the world for the working and bringing to passe those high and glorious intentions he had in communicating himself to the children of men through a mediator Again faith converseth with the great things of the covenant of grace and there sees into those unsearchable riches as the Apostle speaks that have no footsteps in the creature so the word signifies we cannot see them by reason or the creature A speciall object faith works upon is the covenant of grace in the Gospell and it sees the riches that are revealed there And faith receives the testimony of the holy Ghost the holy Ghost is appointed by the Father and the Son to witnesse these great things to manifest to the soul the deep things of God those things that are but meer notions otherwise to the heart of a man the spirit of God discovers these to the soul and so faith working upon these objects and closing with them as the proper spheare for it to move in it makes all those glorious things that are revealed concerning the happinesse of those that God intends eternall good unto substantiall and reall to the soul such things as the soul can build upon and dare venture its self and its eternall estate upon and we had need have a good foundation in those things we are content to venture our eternall estate upon and because it must be the work of faith when God intends to save the soul to have such apprehensions of the Gospell as to be willing to venture its eternall condition upon it therefore it had need have a sure foundation and hence faith is the substance of things hoped for and gives a reall being unto these things And as it makes them reall and substantiall so there is another thing included in this word It makes them present though they are but things hoped for yet by faith they have a present subsistence to the soul they are lookt upon by faith as now subsisting though in themselves they doe not faith partakes much of the nature of God it hath a kinde of omnipotent power in it out of nothing to create something there are many excellent works of faith and amongst the rest this is a speciall one to give a being to that which in itself hath none to make it for the present a substantiall reall being to the soul the work of faith in this kinde is very observable for evill things that are very high faith can make them at a mighty distance and for good things that are never so far off faith can make them to be as present to it Observe what the Scripture speakes of it this way first for evils that are very nigh and encompasse us round about when we are in the midst of them faith can put the evill at a distance as Psalm 91. 7. A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand but it shall not come nigh thee not come nigh thee If he had said it shall not be upon thee it had been somewhat but to say it shall not come nigh thee this is a strange kinde of expression how could it be said not to come nigh him when thousands fell on the both hands and he was in the midst of it it was by faith faith put that at a distance which was just upon him The strength of reason will help one when the plague is a great way off then a man thinks I am safe enough because farre enough from it but suppose the plague come into thy house into thy chamber now to believe a promise it shall not come nigh thee here is a mighty work of faith faith puts evils present at a farre distance And then on the other side for good things that are absent a great way off faith can make them as if they were really subsisting therefore Heb. 11. 13. It is said of the Fathers that they saw the promises afarre off and embraced them the word in the originall is saluted the promises now friends when they salute must be nigh one another their faith made the promises which were a great way off to be with them as if present therefore it is said of Abraham that he saw Christs day and rejoyced and the Scripture speaks of taking hold of eternall life and that we doe by faith and of being in heaven receiving the end of your faith T is not you shall receive but now you are receiving Psalm 108. 7. 8. God hath spoken in his holinesse I will rejoyce I will divide Sechem c. Gilead is mine Manasseth is mine marke is mine he presently concludes as if the thing were already done for it was so by faith faith gives a present subsistence to things Reason it self hath a great deale of power to make things that are future to be as present both in evill things and in good In evill things a man that is a contemplative man and hath a wicked heart he will fetch the sweetnesse of his lust and sinne which is a great way off and make it as present by mediation and roling it up and down in his thoughts in a way of discourse and so acts his sinne contemplatively though he may be in hell before he act it really Now as reason and discourse can fetch in a lust and make it as if it were present so reason can goe a great way in making a future good thing as if it were present And this is the difference between a rationall creature and a sensuall a sensuall creature is only for the things that are before it but now reason can fetch things that are absent and make them as present and in regard of this God hath a mighty advantage of mankinde either for the bringing of his wrath upon them or for bestowing happinesse upon them as you can fetch in your lusts that are absent and make them as present to you in your thoughts by the work and discourse of reason so by the worke of this faculty God can make evils and plagues though future yet to be as present with you And in this respect the wofull evill of those that perish eternally may be set out dreadfully namely thus they being reasonable creatures by the work of their reason they may fetch in all the
people from Egypt and carrying of them through the Red-sea And this song is the most ancient song that ever was in the world it is the first in Scripture and we know of no Author before Moses those that were skilfull in the way of Poetry were many hundred yeares after Moses It is a spirituall and most excellent song the stile of it is full of Elegancy the matter of exceeding variety it is Eucharisticall Triumphant Propheticall and 't is pitty we have not such an excellent song as this is turned into Meeter to be sung in our Congregations And it is a most delightfull song and therefore you shall observe when God promised a great mercy to his people in which they should exceedingly rejoyce he hath reference to this song Hosea 2. 15. And I will give her Vineyards from thence and the valley of Achor for a doore of hope and she shall sing there as in the dayes of her youth and as in the day when she came up out of the Land of Egypt When God intended any great mercy to his people he would have them sing according to this song of Moses So then if God be in a way of mercy if he be opening a doore of hope to us you see how seasonable this song is And 't is a Typicall song as of the deliverance of Gods people out of Egypt so a Type of the deliverance of Gods people from the bondage of Antichrist therefore it is very observable that this song was to be sung againe when the people of God should be delivered from Antichrist In Revel 15. and the beginning you may see Gods judgements upon Antichrist and in vers 3. it is said they sing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb saying Great and marvellous are thy workes Lord God almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints By this you may see that God would shew us that the bondage under Antichrist is like the bondage in Egypt and therefore Rome is called Egypt in the Revelations because when we shall be delivred from Antichristian bondage we shall renew this song of Moses So that if we now expect deliverance from bondage under Antichrist it is good for us to acquaint our selves with this song because it is that which shall be sung over againe when the bondage of Antichrist is removed It is a miraculous song according to the opinion of Austin he brings in this song as one of the miracles that is that God did at the same time by the spirit inspire all the people of Israel that they sung together one and the same song and therefore it was miraculous true if it had been so but the Scripture is not cleere in that But we leave generalls and come to the words though there be many excellent things in the Chapter to make way to that I have read yet because I would not be hindered I will come instantly to the words which are as it were a recapitulation of all containing the substance of all as if he had said I have spoken of many particulars that God doth for his people but there is none like unto the Lord who is glorious in holinesse fearefull in praises doing wonders There are four things you see then wherein the name of God is advanced here First there is none like the Lord Secondly glorious in holinesse Thirdly fearefull in praises Fourthly doing wonders I confesse when my thoughts were first to speake upon this Text I intended onely the third particular the opening of that Title of God fearefull in praises we finde not any such Title that I know of in all the book of God but onely in this place but because I saw there was much of God in the two former therefore I thought it might be usefull to shew you what there is of God in them and was unwilling to passe them by For the two first then who is like to thee O Lord amongst the Gods who is like unto thee glorious in holinesse who is like to thee this you see is put by way of interrogation now interrogations in Scripture are especially brought in two wayes First by way of admiration Secondly by way of negation Sometimes by way of admiration Isaiah 63. 1. Who is this that cometh from Edom with died garments from Bozrah Many others we might name by way of admiration and by way of negation you know there are hundreds of examples and both these we are to understand here in the Text First by way of admiration who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the Gods c. The spirit of Moses and the people being struck with astonishment at the glory of God now manifested by the great workes he did they â—â—mire and say who is like unto thee O Lord and then by way of negation who is like unto thee O Lord that is there is none like unto thee that is the first expression of the glory of God the lifting up of the name of God above all things whatsoever there is none like to God And God doth much glory in this expression of his glory that there is none like to him we have it very often in Scripture 1 Chron. 17. 20. O Lord there is none like thee neither is there any God besides thee according to all that we have heard with our eares So in Psalm 86. 8. Among the Gods there is none like unto thee O Lord and Psalm 89. 6. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord we might name divers other places where God glories much in this expression of his glory and the people of God have gloried much in it and there is great cause they should doe so It is said of the godly Machabees that at first by reason their name was an offence meeting with this sentence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the Gods and being much taken with it they wrote the first Hebrew Letter of every word in this sentence in their ensignes of warre and carried them about with them and upon this ground they were called the Machabees glorying in this Title of God who is like unto thee And upon this ground the Holy Ghost concludes that all should honour and glorifie God because there is none like unto him Psal 86. 8. Among the Gods there is none like unto thee O Lord neither are there any works like unto thy works Mark what followes in 9. 10. 11. 12. verses All Nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord and shall glorifie thy name for thou art great and doest wondrous things for thou art God alone teach me thy way O Lord I will walke in thy truth unite my heart to feare thy name I will praise thee O Lord my God with all my heart and I will glorifie thy Name for evermore Thus you see how the
so between man and man how should it doe so much more between us and Christ who is indeed the husband of his Church and through whom the fulnesse of God is let out unto his people O how deare and precious therefore ought he to be unto us Fourthly is Christ all in all then if we have an interest in him it should satisfie and content us though we have nothing or be nothing in our selves Why because if we have Christ we have all though thou wantest parts friends estate outward comforts yet know Christ is to be thy all and is not he enough as he said am not I better to thee then ten sons so sayes Christ to the soul what doest thou want thou wantest this comfort and the other comfort but am not I all in all to thee and better then all yea be willing to be made nothing for all is made up in Christ Again it should have put us upon this to be willing to give up all we have to Christ alas our all is but a poor all yet give it to Christ our parts estates interest names let Christ have all because he is our all And let him be the rule of our prizing all things so farre as we see any thing of Christ prize it sutably as t is reported of Master Bucer if he could see any thing of Christ in any man or woman though they were never so poor and meane his heart would close with them And t is said of Austin that before his conversion he took great delight in reading of Cicero's workes but afterward sayes he I finde not the name Christ in all Cicero and that took off his heart from him so in all thou doest enjoy look how much thou seest of Christ in it so farre let thy delight and esteem be carried out towards it and no farther Again with what mighty intention of spirit should the heart be put forth toward Jesus Christ above all things what though God give thee an estate and honour in the world if thou hast not Christ thou hast nothing thou hast not that that makes way for thee to eternity Therefore be not satisfied with any thing without Christ As Abraham sayes What wilt thou give me Lord seeing I goe childlesse So say thou Lord thou hast given me a portion in the world thou hast given me credit and repute amongst men but Lord what is all this to me if I goe Christlesse and have not him that is the conveyance of grace unto my soul that is all in all O Lord thou hast this day taught me that such is the distance and breach betweene thee and me that unlesse it be made up through a mediator I must eternally perish therefore give me Christ whatever thou denyest me O satisfie not your selves with any thing without Christ Many hypocrites they satisfie themselves with gifts if they have gifts then they are contented Consider that parable in the Gospell Matth. 13. 45 46. The merchant-man sought after goodly pearles but when he had found the pearle of price then be went and sold all that be had and bought it Now gifts and parts and other atchievements are these goodly pearles I but Christ he is the pearle of price therefore whatever thou hast be willing to part with it for him if God have discovered to thee the pearle of price let no goodly pearles satisfie thee Many souls perish eternally because they are satisfied with goodly pearles and doe not endeavour to obtaine this pearle of price Againe the application should further have been to have endeavoured to work this upon you that in your seeking after God you would be sure to take Christ along with you I will give you onely this note if it were your last time to pray to God and your everlasting estate did depend upon Gods mercy should you now seek God never so earnestly yet if it were onely in a naturall way as your creator your condition would be very dreadfull and you would perish eternally If God should lay any of you upon your sick beds or death beds and you should cry to God mercy mercy Lord be sure you take Christ along with you and look upon God through Christ or else all your cryes will be to no purpose It is a speech of Luther that God lookt upon out of Christ is most dreadfull and terrible and it argues a great deal of ignorance in us when we think we can goe to God and shall finde mercy with him without considering him as a God that will be reconciled to us only through his Son To conclude all as Christ sayes If I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me so this is the work of our Ministry we have spent time amongst you that we might labour to lift up Christ to you and O that God would be pleased to draw all your souls to him This Sermon was preacht March 28. 1641. HEBR. II. V. I. Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen April 25. 1641. IN the latter end of the former chapter the Apostle exhorts to perseverance and shewes the great evill and danger of drawing back Now to the end this evill might be Prevented he shewes what it is that will deliver us from it Whatever others doe or whatever temptations or afflictions we meet withall to draw us back yet still the just shall live by faith Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen In this Chapter therefore he falls upon this argument to wit the opening of the doctrine and practice of faith And the words read are an excellent description of faith not an exact definition of it It is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen The substance the word in the originall is very full the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it hath many significations the fundamentall the foundation of things hoped for the subsistence the substantiality of things hoped for those things that in themselves have no reall present subsistence to us but are things to come and hoped for yet faith gives them a present reall substantiall being to us The substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen The word translated evidence is a Logicall terme and signifieth such a kinde of conviction as is by way of dispute and cleare demonstration so as it must needs compell one to yield unto it that is the propriety of the word that although the objects of faith are things not seen either by the eye of sense or by the eye of reason yet faith brings such a light with it and makes them so demonstratively cleare that it even forceth the soul to a beliefe of them so that it hath the fullest conviction of them that possibly can be Two things then you finde are here said of faith First that it gives a substantiall reall present being to things hoped for And secondly that it is the
hope for great and glorious things as I gave you a hint of them Now let faith be exercised and strengthened in these things if all those blessed things we spak of were present to the soul O how would our hearts be above the creature how should we look upon all things here below as dung filth drosse how would our thoughts be raised in the admiration of spirituall and heavenly things how would our spirits be taken up in wondering at the glory of God that appeares in these things how would our hearts be enflamed with love to God! how would our conversations be in heaven for the present what heavenly thoughts and heavenly affections would be in us in all our wayes and how would we venture to goe through fire and water for God! to doe any thing suffer any thing be any thing for God And did our faith make such glorious things as these reall and substantial to us how substantial would our duties and services be Why is it then that our duties have so much vanity in them are so empty having nothing but circumstance in them certainly brethren if our faith gives a subsistance to such blessed glorious things of eternal life it will likewise give a subsistance to all our duties and services that we shall not tender to God empty and dead services Consider this you who though you dare not omit duties yet what empty duties doe you tender to God your works should be the works of faith and faith should give them a subsistance as well as it gives your hopes therefore satisfie not your selves with that faith that will not give a subsistance to your duties and doe not think it will give a subsistance to such glorious things we speak of Thus much of the first particular Faith is the substance of things hoped for I would faine speak a little of the second It is the evidence of things not seen There are two things here First that the things of grace spiritual and heavenly things are things not seen And secondly that faith gives an evidence to those things First that grace spirituall and heavenly things are things not seen The Apostle sayes Gal. 5. 19. 22. the works of the flesh are manifest but when he comes to the workes of the spirit he sayes the workes of the spirit are these he doth not say they are manifest for indeed they are things that are not seen though t is true the operations of them appear yet there is no externall work of grace but an hypocrite may doe it therefore the workes of the spirit cannot be said to be seen either by the eye of sense or reason And then for the things of heaven sayes the Apostle 2 Cor. 2. 18. While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporall but the things which are not seen are eternall I might here discover to you how it comes to passe that spirituall and heavenly things are not seen unto sense and reason Many arguments I thought to have given to discover this I must but cull out two or three particulars The riches of a Christian in spirituall and heavenly things are like the riches of the Sea it may be outwardly you see nothing but hideous waves and a great deal of filth I but the riches are at the bottome and the riches of the earth are within and hidden they doe not appear so the riches and treasures of a Christian are things not seen they are things that are in the very bosome of God in the very heart of God Now as no man knowes the things of a man but the spirit of man so no man knowes the things of God but the spirit of God and him to whom God doth reveal them And then they are things that are beyond the principles of reason they are too high and so too glorious for such a faculty as reason is if an object be too glorious for sense it destroyes the sense so these objects are too high for reason and and therefore cannot be seen by reason And the blindnesse of man naturally is such that he cannot see these things And chiefly God so orders things in his providence that he goeth a quite contrary way as to sense and reason to that which he hath promised I say it is the way of God to hide his glorious excellencies by seeming to goe in the wayes of his providence directly crosse to what he hath promised we might shew how God hath hid from sense and reason his mercy to his own people that of Abraham is considerable there were two promises God made to Abraham the one of going out of his own country and carrying him to a land flowing with milk and honey the other that he would make his seed as the stars of heaven for multitude and that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed Mark now if Abraham had not had something to evidence that which was not seen he could never have seen the faithfulnesse of God in these promises for when he was gone out of his own country he comes to Ganaan the country promised but as soon as he was there he was ready to starve and was faine to flye to Egypt and if he had not had faith he would have fallen off and have been ready to turne back againe And then for the second promise That in his seed all the Nations of the earth should be blessed Abraham goeth on seaventy yeares and his wife had no childe and it ceased to be with her after the manner of women she was old and Abrahams body dead and after he had a child he must kill him and being saved Isaac must be forty yeares before he is married and when he is married he must have no childe in twenty yeares and in the first hundred and fifty yeares after the promise there was but seaventy of all his seed yet this was the promise that in his seed all the Nations of the earth should be blessed thus God seemes to goe crosse to what he promised We might instance also in Jacob God commands Jacob to returne from Laban and after that mark how God followes him First his uncle Laban followes him with thoughts to slay him Secondly In his Journey his wives nurse dyeth Thirdly his wife dyes Fourthly Dinay is ravished Fifthly his two Sons Simeon and Levy commit that villany that makes him stink in the nostrils of the people of the land Sixtly Esau comes to destroy him and all this in that journey that God commanded Jacob to take Now if Jacob had not had faith to look through these to the things that might encourage him in his way to things not seen it had been impossible he should have gone on So when God brings Israel to Canaan you know what a way they goe about through the wildernesse when they were come to Canaan a land flowing with milk and hony God
condition but if you will goe on in the way that God is beginning with you in stirring your consciences if you will continue you shall come to know more then yet you know Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free and then in vers 33. say they we are Abrahams seed and were never in bondage to any man how sayest thou ye shall be made free See here they begin to snarle againe Master Calvin I remember thinks that these are the words rather of some other of the Jewes that were present then of those that are said before to believe but others think it may be understood even of those that are said to believe for though they did begin to assent to the doctrine of Christ and were very much convinced yet there was still abundance of frowardnesse perversnesse and crookednesse in their spirits so that they begin againe to wrangle with Christ especially when he doth but intimate to them any thing of their bondage It is a usual thing for many people that have some stirrings of conscience and some beginnings of the working of Gods spirit in them and it may be saving ones too yet to continue a long time in much frowardnesse and perversnesse of spirit if they be opposed in their way Therefore say they doe you speak to us of bondage and tells us of freedome why We were never in bondage to any vers 33. What never in bondage to any were not the Jewes in bondage to the Babylonians when in captivity to them and were they not at this very time in bondage to the Romans and yet we were never in bondage thus carnall hearts till grace fully subdue them are very loth to know their wretched condition they love not to heare of any thing that discovers to them the misery that they are in they were never in bondage they say but yet Christ pittyeth them he did not take advantage to fling away presently because he saw them continue still in their perversnesse and snarling at what he spake but tells them what bondage he meant As if he should say the truth is though you think your selves free yet there is a bondage that you are in and such a bondage that none can deliver you but the Son of God alone If the Son therefore shall make you free you shall be free indeed Thus we come to the words of the Text. These words you see then hold forth unto us the blessed liberty of the Gospel that freedome that believers have by Christ I come then presently to the maine doctrinal conclusion which is this There is a blessed liberty that Christians enjoy by Christ and only by him This doctrine of Christian liberty that is enjoyed by Christ is a Treasury of abundance of admirable consolation and much of the mystery of the Gospell is contained in this doctrine I should enlarge my discourse too farre and seek to gripe too much should I think to give you but a view of this doctrine in all the points of it If we should intend to handle it at large I should shew to you 1. What that is that Christ doth set believers free from 2. The priviledges of this freedome they have by Christ 3. The Subject of it who it is that hath this freedome 4. By whom it comes how it is by the Son and onely by him 5. The price and purchase of this freedome 6. The interest that believers have in this freedome how they come to be enfranchised and to have interest in it And 7. the application of it But should I goe this way to work it is but little I should be able to doe therefore I will not graspe so much I intend therefore to handle but one speciall thing in this our freedome by Christ If I should shew to you first of all what we are freed from then there is the freedome from the law the freedome from the power of sinne the freedome from the bondage of feare the freedome from an accusing conscience the freedome from slavishnesse in the performance of holy duties we are set at liberty in holy duties the freedome from death and the evill of that the freedome from the slavery of the devill and the freedome from the ceremonial law but neither must we seek to gripe all these particulars to shew you our freedome in these I shall onely pitch upon one and that is our freedome from the law If the Son therefore shall make you free ye shall be free indeed The doctrine of freedome from the law is the subject that we are to handle at this time and when I speak of freedome from the law I meane not freedome from obedience to the law t is an erronious conceit to think we are freed from obedience to the law and it is a conceit too meane and absurd for us to spend time about it now that have so little and having to deal in a matter of so great consequence as we have for what is the law but the image of God the very beame of the wisdome and holinesse of God himself if you look at it as requiring obedience and for any to say we should be freed from obedience to the law is as much as to say we should be freed from the image of God from the beame of the wisdome and holinesse of God himself therefore we will spend no time about that but when I speak of freedome from the law I mean freedome from the rigour of the law from the condemning sentence of the law in which all the rigour of it appeares Wherefore then it is necessary first to give you a view of the bondage that we are all in under the law unlesse delivered by Christ And then Secondly I shall endeavour to open to you wherein the liberty of the Gospell doth consist that Christ hath purchased for us These two things brethren have in them the chiefe doctrine of divinity and except you be well instructed and setled in these two you cannot know aright any point of religion For the first I will be but briefe in that though there be many particulars in it for it is the second I chiefly intend And for a preparation to this first this I shall tell you before hand that I shall name many things unto you that will seem exceeding hard but yet take this consideration along that although the things I name to you appeare never so hard yet they are but in order to that which I shall afterward deliver to you that shall have much comfort and peace in it If I tell you any thing of your bondage it is onely to this end that you may know the blessednesse of your freedome and liberty Wherefore then for the rigour of the law that you may know what you are freed from you must know what this is and what you are all under by nature as considered out of Christ for so the holy Ghost expresseth our subjection to the law he saith we are
the cords of love 2. Cor. 5. 20. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ stead be ye reconciled to God and Philip. 2. 1. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfill ye my joy c. The Gospel comes not as the law upon mount Sinai with thunder and lightning and darknesse but it comes in a milde and gentle way and by that allures and draws the soul unto it self and that is the sixt joyful sound The seventh joyful sound of the Gospel is that the Gospel and liberty of it comes as gently so with abundance of life and strength together with it it comes as the spirit is and where the spirit is there is power as the Apostle speakes I remember Luther hath this note upon Rom. 8. sayes he the law is a spiritual law because it is the law of God but it is not the law of the spirit of life t is the law of the Gospel that brings the spirit of power and life along with it there goes a vertue together with the commands of the Gospel to strengthen the sould to obedience And the Gospel gives grace and strength beyond what Adam had two wayes the grace that Adam had was onely a power to doe but there was not the will and the deed given but the grace of the Gospel it gives both the power and the will and the deed The eight joyful sound of the Gospel is that tender pity and compassion that is in God to those that are made free by it This is the difference between the sins of those that are under the law and those under the Gospel the sins of those under the law makes them hated by God but the sins of those that are under the Gospel makes them pityed by God The ninth joyful sound is this the Gospel hath a mighty efficacy to melt the heart and to resolve it into sorrow and mourning such mourning that is one of the most acceptable things to God in the world the law I told you accepts not of repentance I but the Gospel doth the teares of repentance that come from believers next to the blood of Jesus Christ are the most precious things in the world I say next to the drops of the blood of Christ the drops of thy teares coming from Evangelical repentance are most acceptable unto God That is the ninth joyful sound Tenthly another is this the Gospel it comes with healing as it hath a melting power so it hath a healing power Christ is described to come with healing in his wings water makes the lime burne the more but oyle which provokes other things to burne quenches that so it is with the oyle of the Gospel Christ was annointed for this purpose to heal thee and to quench thy lust and corruptions In Isai 57. 18. we have an excellent promise vers 17. He went on frowardly in the way of his heart marke what followes I have seen his wayes and I will heal him The eleventh joyful sound is that now being set at liberty by Christ though thou doest sin not onely against the law but against the Gospel thy sins against the Gospel shall not have power to root out any habits of grace but still the grace of the Gospel will uphold the habits of grace in thy soul It is otherwise with the law for one offence against the law doth not onely root out the habit that is contrary to that offence but all other habits also but the grace of the Gospel is such that the habits of grace within us are not touched The twelfth joyful sound is this the Gospel is so full of grace that it takes advantage of our misery this is a good argument of the tenour of the Gospel Pardon my sin O Lord for it is great strange argument of a childe of the bond-woman but a good argument of a childe of the free-woman and t is Gods argument Gen. 8. 21. I will not destroy the world againe for the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth Thirteenthly Another joyful sound of the Gospel is this the Gospel proclaimes this liberty to us that all that is required of us may be done and accepted by and from another namely Christ Fourteenthly Further the grace of the Gospel shewes a way wherein God shall have all the wrong made him up that ever thy sins did him for suppose the Gospel had proclaimed that God were willing to pardon this were not enough as long as God stood wronged but now the Gospel doth not onely proclaime to thee that God is content to forgive thee all thy sins but it tells thee of a way how God shall have all the wrong made up that ever thou hast done him and this Son that sets thee at liberty hath undertaken it and hath done it Fifteenthly And then another joyful sound of the Gospel is this That there is a most absolute perfect righteousnesse made over to us the righteousnesse of the Son of God is thine made over to thee to be presented before the Father for thee Sixteenthly yet further there is this joyful sound of the Gospel It proclaimes admirable promises glorious and high things even the infinite Treasures of Gods grace the Son is come from the bosome of the Father and hath opened the treasures of the grace of God and hath discovered those things that were kept secret from the foundations of the world Seventeenthly And yet there is one thing more that is necessary for the full consolation of the liberty of the Gospel and this blessed Jubile that it may make a Jubile indeed in thy heart and that is this that such is the covenant of the Gospel and Christ hath so undertaken for thee that it shall never be forfeited this is the full rich and glorious grace of the Gospel that now Christ hath undertaken and engaged himself to the Father and the Father hath promised and hath engaged his own truth and mercy and faithfulnesse that this covenant shall never be forfeited yea the very condition of the covenant that is required of thee is that which Christ hath undertaken to the Father to performe in thee If perseverance be a spiritual blessing it is part of the purchase of Christ and must stand and therefore peace be to thee thou art in such a condition as thou canst not forfeit and breake the covenant the marriage covenant between thee and thy Saviour can never be dissolved I should now have shewn you a little more the blessednesse of this liberty that all this grace comes in and by the Son not from the bounty of God in general but in a higher way by the Son of God we come to be set at liberty by being made one with him who is God and man the heire of all things and so are made co-heires with him But
Son in reference to man-kind before the world was The covenant now being between the Father and the Son and the Father requiring in this Covenant satisfaction to infinite divine justice Christ he yeilds to this And therefore in the second place Christ he actually comes to be the way of conveyance by taking our nature upon him and so makes us reconcilable to God by taking humane nature into such a neer union to the divine nature to the second person in the Trinity so as that there should be but one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but one person in them both that there should be a personall union which is the great mystery of the Gospell There are two great mysteries in the Gospell the one that there should be divers persons in one nature and this is the mystery of the Trinity the other that there should be divers natures in one person and this is the mystery of the hypostaticall union of our nature with Christ So that Christ taking mans nature into such a neer union to himselfe it was a mighty preparative for God to have thoughts of peace toward humane nature rather then to the Angels and it was one part of his humility and therefore hath a meritorious efficiency in this worke of reconciling God to man But this was not sufficient Therefore in the third place Christ was content now to come into the world and be made the head of a second covenant between God and mankinde to performe what ever God the Father should require for the satisfaction of divine Justice so that look as Adam by being the head of the first covenant was the meanes of conveying all evill to us so Christ by being the head of the second covenant is the meanes of conveying all good to us by his subjecting to this we come to receive all grace and mercy from God And it could not have been otherwise for though God would have thought of a second covenant yet if he had left it to us to have performed the termes of it we should assoon have broken that as we did the first but Christ undertaking to be the head of the second covenant and performing whatever the Father required in it by his perfect obedience to the law and satisfaction to divine Justice divine Justice had nothing to lay to the charge of those that Christ undertook to satisfie for This was a mighty way of Gods letting out his grace and mercy to the souls of believers for what is it that stops the current of his mercy 't is the curse of the law and cryes of divine Justice but now Christ undertaking to undergoe that curse and to satisfie divine Justice God hath as much honour now by his suffering as he had dishonour by mans sinning so that mans sinne is made up in this and that is it Justice requires I have had dishonour by sinne sayes Justice I must have this dishonour made up by suffering and so much suffering as in which I must have as much honour as I had before dishonour in sinning These are the conditions upon which God will be reconciled to man and upon no other I beseech you consider this and herein you will see an infinite necessity of Christ God is with us upon these termes sayes God you have sinned against me and dishonoured me how doe you think to be delivered why Lord thou art mercifull I sayes God but I am resolved upon this I will have as much honour by suffering as I had dishonour by sinning And Lord what would have become of us if we had been left to make up this breach This is the very reason why the damned in hell are there eternally because they are there upon these termes sayes God I am infinite and I am dishonoured and there they must lye till I have as much honour by their suffering as I had dishonour by their sinning Now after they have been there thousands of thousands of yeares still the honour of God calls for more and therefore they must lye there for ever But now Christ who is the great Saviour he comes and entering into covenant with God and fulfilling that covenant he layes downe God such a price that God shall have as much honour in his suffering for sinne as he had dishonour before in the committing of sinne Now this being done the current of mercy being unstopt and the passages of it opened and God being infinite in grace and mercy in himselfe what a glorious way is made for the streames of his mercy to issue and flow forth to the children of men And take in this one particular more and then we shall have done with this head In this we may see that God in forgiving of sinne and shewing mercy to sinfull creatures is just and goes in a way of Justice as well as in a way of mercy therefore that Text Rom. 3. 25. 26. is very observable a Text that Luther for a while was exceedingly troubled about the meaning of it Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his bloud to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sinnes that are 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 This was that which troubled Luther so much that God should declare his righteousnesse in the remission of sinnes that God declares his mercy every one knowes but that God declares his righteousnesse and that Christ is set to be a propitiation that God might declare his righteousnesse this may seem strange and then the Holy Ghost repeats it To declare I say his righteousnesse as if he should say consider that God in the pardoning of sinne doth not onely manifest his grace and mercy but declares his righteousnesse That he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus Not mercifull but just thus wee see what way Christ takes to be the meanes of conveying Gods goodnesse to us by performing the covenant and so satisfying divine Justice Lastly he is the way of conveying good to us as by his satisfaction so by his intercession for he is now and shall for ever be at the right hand of the Father in glory making intercession for his people that is continually presenting before his Father the worke of his mediation his merits what he hath done and suffered and as it were pleading with his Father for the conveyance of all needfull mercy and good unto the souls and bodies of his people whom he hath redeemed As if he should every moment eternally speake thus to the Father Father behold here is my bloud my merits my death all my sufferings the worke of my humiliation it is for these yea for this poor soul and for that poor soul particularly for know that Christ thinks not only of the lumpe of believers in the generall but particularly of every believer and is continually presenting before the
cut then thou art gone for ever For after death comes judgement In the meditation of this point me thinks I cannot but look upon God as beholding all the children of men in their fallen lost sinful and miserable estate with pity and compassion saying poor creatures they have sinned against me and have made themselves liable to eternal wrath which they understand not which they are not able to beare well a little time I will grant unto them to sue out their pardon and to come in and make up their peace with me and I will give them meanes for that end but let them look to themselves for according to the improvement of the time that I now give them so shall it be with them to all eternity if they neglect it they are gone for ever mercy then shall doe them no good so that the tenour upon which we all hold our lives it is no other then as a malefactor condemned to dye who hath granted to him through the favour of the Prince a little time of reprieval and some intimation withal given of a possibility in that time to sue out his pardon and according as he spends that time so it shall be with him for life or death Thus I say we all hold our lives we are all condemned before the Lord onely God hath out of his infinite grace provided a way and meanes of salvation for the children of men and gives us a little time we know not how long whether two or three dayes but as long as we live to look about us to provide for the making of our peace with him and if that be neglected all is gone and we are undone for ever great things then doe depend upon this uncertaine small time of our lives It is reported of Alexander that when he went against any City he did use to set up a lampe burning and would make proclamation that whosoever came in while this lampe was burning should finde favour and have his life but whosoever staid till this lampe was out he was but a dead man and must expect no mercy brethren know that God hath set up a lampe and our life is this lampe and God proclames Whosoever comes in while this lampe is burning shall finde mercy but if you stay till the lampe be out there is nothing but eternal misery to be expected Now this lampe of your lives may not onely goe out upon the consumption of the oyle but it may be put out by accidental meanes and if this lampe be once out and your work not done you are lost for ever We read 1 Kings 6. 7. that when Solomon was preparing the Temple he made all things so ready before hand that there was no noise of axe or hammer heard there Whosoever God intendeth for a living stone in the glorious Temple of Heaven he squares and fits them here there is no noyse of repentance and sorrow for sin after this life what is to be done must be done here nothing will doe it hereafter Whatsoever thou hast to doe doe it with all thy might for there is no work nor device nos knowledge nor wisdome in the grave whòther thou goest Eccles 9. 10. and Chapter 11. vers 3. In the place where the tree falleth there it lyeth Which way thou fallest when thou dyest that way thou shalt lie eternally if Godward then God is thine for ever if sinward then misery and destruction is thine for ever Eccles 12 7. Then shall the dust returne to the earth as it was and the spirit shall returne unto God who gave it The souls of wicked men doe returne to God that gave them as well as the souls of the godly that is they doe presently returne to God to receive the sentence of their eternal doome from him and to be stated in their everlasting condition there is a mighty change in the soul immediately after it is departed from the body and is brought to stand before the glorious God to be stated in its eternal condition There are twelve houres in the day sayes Christ wherein a man may worke but the night comes when no man can work John 9. 4. The time of this life is thy working time I but the night is coming and then no man can work Revel 6. 8. And I looked and behold a pale horse and his name that sat on him was death and hell followed him Hell immediately followes death where death surprizeth any in their natural condition that have not finished the work of making their peace with God 2 Cor. 5. 10. We must all appeare before the judgement seat of Christ to receive according to what we have done in the flesh whether it be good or bad It is not according to what we doe afterwards but according to what we have done here in the flesh so it must be with us for ever There can be no repenting no believing after this life body and soul being parted the whole man is not capable of a work of God upon it And besides immediately after death God takes all meanes away you shall never heare Sermon more never have admonition more never have good connsel more never have any working of Gods spirit more to draw you soules to Christ And not onely so but God then withdrawes himself so fully in regard of all the common workes of his spirit that there is a kinde of stating the soul in sin which yet cannot so properly in regard of God be said to be sin as evil so that it shall be impossible for thee to doe any thing but sin as the Saints though while they live here they have many lusts and corruptions in them yet immediately after death their souls are so fully possessed of the spirit that then they cannot sin so on the contrary though wicked men while they live here have divers common gifts of Gods spirit and many restraints upon them yet immediately after death they are so fully separated from God and God so fully withdraws himself from them that it is impossible for them to doe any thing else but sin and rebell against God and blaspheme him to his face There was in Adam in innocency a possibility not to have sinned there is in us while we live in this world an impossibility but that we should sin but in the world to come there is in the Saints an impossibility that ever they should sin and look how the impossibility is on the one hand with the Saints so is the impossibility directly contrary on the other hand with the wicked therefore the wicked must needs be stated in an everlasting evil condition There is no more possibility for the damned souls in hell ever to doe any thing but to blaspheme God then there is a possibility for the Saints in heaven ever to sin against God And yet further at the great day Christ gives up the kingdome to the Father and then there will be another manner of administration then before
Christ will not then be exercised in the work of his mediatorship to mediate any further for those for whom he did not mediate in this life And presently after the separation of the soul from the body the spirit of God wholly departes from the soul and the wrath of God is let out so fully into it that it breaks the soul and fills up every faculty of it so that it is impossible in regard of the strong current of divine wrath that carries the soul along with it that ever it should be exercised to all eternity any one moment in any thing but onely in bearing of torment and divine wrath As the Saints shall be filled up with the presence of God and carried on with such a strong current of divine mercy that it shall be impossible that their souls should ever to all eternity be exercised in any other thing but in the enjoyment of God and living to his praise so on the quite contrary is it with the wicked therefore after death there is a stating of both I will enlarge my self no further in the opening of this point but come presently to apply it for this point is applicatory rather then doctrinal and I shall content my self with three or foure branches of application and so conclude In the first place hence we may see what cause we have to blesse God for the continuance of our lives especially any that are here this day that have not throughly made their peace with God that are not upon certaine and infallible termes in this great businesse of providing for their eternal estates If there remaines but any doubt in thy heart concerning thy eternal condition and if the feares of eternity have been upon thy spirit thou Wilt from this point that hath been thus briefly spoken to see cause to blesse God with thy face up on the ground adoring the riches of his grace that thou art alive this day why because thy life it is the time of making up thy peace with God it is the time of providing for thy eternal condition if thy life be at an end and this work not done then all is gone then judgement comes and thou wilt be infallibly and unalterably stated in a lost and undone condition O therefore it s well that thou art alive this day if a man have a great businesse to doe that concernes his whole estate or life and it must be done in a very little time O what a favour would he count it to have his time lengthned out though but a little because his businesse is of great weight and he thinkes with himself if I miscarry in it I am lost and undone for ever so all those that have ever had serious apprehensions of the infinite consequence of what depends upon their lives here they cannot but sit downe and blesse God for lengthening out their lives for the time of this life is a happy time it is a day of grace a day of salvation O how happy would those poor creatures upon whom this judgement is past that are stated in their eternal condition think themselves if they might have but one day wherein it might be said there is a possibility for them to make provision for themselves concerning their eternal estate As they were not long since so art thou now and therefore know how to prize thy life O the lives of men and women especially such as have not yet done that great work are worth a thousand thousand worlds I remember I have heard of a speech of a great Gentleman who being very sick and Physitians telling him that there was no way for him but death O sayes he that I might live though it were but as a Toad and indeed what man or woman is there that hath not got a thorough and Scripture-assurance of this great work that their peace is made up with God but may upon very good ground if sicknesse be upon them desire to live though but as a Toad because such great things depend upon their lives here in this world Brethren doe but say this to your own hearts upon serious meditation of this that I am now speaking of What if God should come now to this Congregation and say to every one of you Well now the time that I have given you to provide for your eternal estate is at an end if you have done your work well and good you shall be saved and possesse eternal glory but you must be cast according to that which is now done I feare if such a message should come from heaven to many of us it would make our hearts to ake within us and we should cry out O Lord give me a little space before I goe hence and be no more seen O that I might yet have a little more time Suppose God had taken you away when he took away such a kinsman or kinswoman of yours such a neighbour or friend and death had come then and judgement had then been past upon you which way doe you thinke you must have been cast cannot some of you remember that if God had taken you away at such a time or when such a one dyed you were then in such a case that you have cause to think you had been certainly stated in a condition of eternal misery therefore blesse God that you are alive at this day to heare of such a doctrine as this is that so long as you live God gives you time to provide for your eternal estate Psalm 78. 38. the Text sayes God did not stirre up all his anger but called back his wrath when sicknesse comes upon men and women some part of Gods anger is let out I but if God had let out his anger but a little more what would have become of you you had been gone one stroake more had cast you for ever I but God was pleased to call back his anger and did not stirre up all his wrath O blesse God for sparing you at such a time for certainly had you died then your condition had been as irrecoverable as the Devells themselves now t is a day of grace now you have the voyce of the Gospel and the glad tidings of salvation sounding in your eares but then you had been past the time of grace past praying and past repenting now that you are not past this day you are to prize your lives And brethren know wherein consists the worth of your lives and the continuance of them there is a horrible impudence in some men they would faine have their lives lengthened to have their lusts more satisfied did God give thee thy life for this end no the end why thou shouldst desire to live is that thou mayest have further time to make provision for that which is of such infinite consequence which if it be not done it had been better for thee to have been a Toad or Serpent or the vilest creature that ever lived O that we had hearts to give God