in holy Ministrations as also in miraculous Operations 2 Kings 5. 10 14. and also it had a sound of Perfection in it as witnessing the Perfection of the Creatures made in six Days before so that there was no need of any more to be done See the Assemblies Annotations upon the place So then by the Priest's sprinkling of the Oil seven times before the Lord denoted that the Work was perfectly done which Action of the Priest teacheth us thus much if we consider him as a Type of Christ in the Cleansing of his spiritual Lepers That as Jesus Christ hath undertook to go thorow with the Work of the Elects Justification and Sanctification so by his sprinkling of the Oil seven times before the Lord which he did in the Person of the Levitical Priest it was to assure his Father for his Satisfaction and to assure his People for their Consolation that the Work of their Justification and Sanctification is compleat and perfectly done according to his last Words when he suffered upon the Cross John 19. 30. then he said It is finished From whence we may observe this Note of Observation Doct. That Jesus Christ a Believer's High-Priest hath perfectly finished and compleated the Work of their Justification and Sanctification before the Lord. The Truth of this Observation is attested both by himself and his Father also First By Christ himself John 17. 4. I have glorified thee on the Earth I have finished the Work which thou gavest me to do Now the great Work which the Father gave his Son to do and finish was the Work of the Justification and Sanctification of the Elect Isa 42. 1 2 3. Behold my Servant whom I uphold my Elect in whom my Soul delighteth I have put my Spirit upon him and he shâ—â—â— bring forth Judgment to the Gentiles 2dly This Truth is also witnessed unto by the Father as well as by the Son Isa 53. 10 11. He shall prolong his Days and the Pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his Hands he shall see of the Travel of his Soul and be satisfied That is the Father shall see his Son's Work finished to his full Contentment Reason Now the Reason of the Point is this Because Christ was God as well as Man and because he is so therefore he wanteth no Sufficiency to accomplish whatever he takes in hand nor never yet did he begin any Work but he always finish'd it before he left it He made the Heavens and the Earth and he did it compleatly he made Man upon the Earth and made a perfect Piece of him and when he had finished his whole Work he beheld it and it was very good good for Matter and good for the Form of it and the ending of it was a glorious Work Psal 19. 1. hence saith Moses Deut. 32. 4. His Work is perfect So that this is the Reason that a Believer's Justification and Sanctification is so compleat and perfect it is because it was carried on by Jesus Christ who is very God as well as very Man and there is nothing too hard for the Lord. And so we come to Application Vse Let this serve for Comfort to the doubting People of God who are very apt to be dejected and cast down in their Spirits their Doubt is not so much whether Christ were able to finish the Work of Justification and Sanctification for them that 's put beyond Question with them but their Trouble ariseth from their Darkness as to their Interest in this Justification and the Littleness if they have any at all of the Grace of Sanctification First As to their Darkness about their Interest in this Justification many there are because they cannot read the Lines of their Justification upon the Book of their own Consciences are apt to fear whether it were ever written for them upon the Book of Christ's Records in Heaven There be three things which makes some Christians to doubt about their Interest in their Justification 1st A sight of old Sins upon the Book of their Consciences 2dly A natural Proneness to commit new Sins 3dly A want of Skill to distinguish between the old Reckoning as it stands upon the Book of God's Accounts and as it stands upon the Memory and Conscience of the Soul First of all The sight of old Sins as they stand upon the Book of their Consciences They think because the sense of Sin remains upon their Consciences uncancelled therefore the guilt of Sin must needs remain upon the Book of God above unpardoned Ans But this doth not always follow but rather the contrary For where Sin is unpardoned there the Heart as to the sense of it is mostly hardned Look over all the Justified Men which you can find in Scripture and you will find none more under the Conscience of Sin than those who were truly Pardoned and Justified from their Sins as David though Nathan told him that his Sin was pardoned yet how did the sense of it bleed in his Conscience Psal 51. 2 3. Wash me throughly from my Iniquity and cleanse me from my Sin for I acknowledge my Transgressions and my Sin is ever before me The like we find in Job though God himself testified of him that he was a pardoned Man one that feared God and eschewed Evil yet how did Job charge home the Guilt of Sin upon his own Conscience Job 13. 23. How many are my Iniquities and Sins make me to know my Transgression and my Sin So good Heman Psal 88. 15. I am afflicted and ready to Die while I suffer thy Terrours I am Distracted So that this should rather be thy Cordial than a Corrosive to thee that with those good Men the sense of Sin is made to visit thy Conscience A sense of Sin is necessary to help on Repentance Repentance is the Fruit of a justified State Rom. 8. 30. Moreover whom he did Predestinate them he also Called that is by Repentance and whom he Called them he also Justified Secondly A second Ground of doubting in Christians about their Justification ariseth from their Proneness in Nature to commit new Sins Certainly saith a doubting Soul if I were ever Justified from the Guilt of my Sins I should never be so apt to commit Sin as I do Ans It is one thing to have the guilt of Sin acquitted to the Soul and another thing to have the filth of Sin removed out of the Soul the one belongs to Christ's Justifying and the latter to Christ's Sanctifying Grace the Act of Christ's Justifying of the Soul is done at once upon the very Act of the Soul 's believing Acts 13. 39. By him all that do Believe are Justified from all things from which ye could not be Justified by the Law of Moses But the Act of Christ's Sanctifying a Soul is done by degrees and is a Work of Time so that a Soul may be fully Justified from all his Sins and yet the Nature very prone to commit it Paul had no cause to doubt of
or have to boast of yet you may read under all his highest Attainments what a humbling Consideration this was to him that he still had the remainders of his Leprosie upon him Isai 6. 5. Then said I Wo is me for I am undone because I am a Man of unclean Lips and I dwell in the midst of a People of unclean Lips And as this was Matter of Humiliation to that Prophet so should it be to every one else for if a corporal Leprosie be so debasing a thing much more must a spiritual Leprosie be so because the more spiritual an Evil is the more vile and debasing Oh! how Humble should the Thoughts of this make us under our greatest Enjoyments and Attainments in this Life PART II. Thus having spoken to the Disease we next come to speak of the Remedy against it ABout which we may note these three things First There was something to be done by the Leper himself in order to his Cleansing Secondly You have the Person noted by whom the Cure was to be wrought Thirdly You have the Means noted also which was to be used in order to the Cure of the Leper First of all we are to consider what was to be done by the Leper himself in order to his Cure which hath two things in it First He was to go or be brought to the Priest that his Disease might be discovered and lookt into Secondly And if it proved to be the Leprosie then was he to go out of the Camp and be separated from the People First of all He was to go or be brought to the Priest that his Disease might be discovered and lookt into in order to his Recovery Levit. 13. 2. When a Man which shall have in the Skin of his Flesh a Swelling or a Scab or a white Spot in the Skin of his Flesh if it be like the Plague of Leprosie then shall he be brought to the Priest Now the Levitical Priest who was to be the Instrument of this corporal Cure was a Type of Jesus Christ our Gospel High-Priest who alone can heal the spiritual Leprosie of our polluted and defiled Natures and indeed one great part of the Apostle's Work in his Epistle to the Hebrews is to shew the Levitical Priesthood typical of the Priest-hood of Christ not only in the Work of offering Gifts and Sacrifices for the People but also in that compassionating Care that Christ should exercise over his Members in healing and helping them under their Infirmities Heb. 5. 1 2. From whence we shall raise this Observation Doct. That if any have a desire to be healed of their 〈◊〉 Leprosies and Soul-pollutions they must come on be brought to Jesus Christ. Where could the Isâ—â—â—lites go or unto whom could they repair for healing Help against their corporall Leprosies but unto their Levitical Priests Had they â—ayelled through the whole Would for a Cure they could not imagin to obtain it from the Hands of any whom God had not appointed to administer it but God never appointed any but their Priests to be the Instruments in this Work and none but them therefore to neglect the Use of them was to abide still under the power of their Leprosies So in the case of our spiritual Leprosies it is only Jesus Christ which God hath appointed to administer Health and Healing against it it is he alone that is the anointed High-Priest to deal with our Soul-pollution in order to the removing of it Heb. 2. 17 18. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his Brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful High-Priest in things pertaining to God to make Reconciliation for the Sins of the People For in that himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to Succoâ—â— them that are tempted Acts 4. 12. Neither is there Salvation in any other for there is no other Name under Heaven given amongst Men whereby we must be saÌ„ved So that if we seek to this High-Priest for a Cure of our Soul-pollution we need not doubt of healing Grace to our effectual Recovery because he is able to save them to the uttermost which come unto God by him Heb. 7. 25. Thus as Jesus Christ is our only High-Priest appointed and anoâ—â—ed of God for Soul-cure so it is our coming to him which gives us the Benefit in order to our Recovery the reason is because our coming to him is made the Condition of it Matt. 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that Labour and are heavy Laden and I will give you Rest. Isai 55. 1. Ho every one that thirsteth let him come to the Waters He that is a Thrist let him come and he that will let him come and take of the Waters of Life freely Rev. 22. 17. Thus you see though Christ our High-Priest be every way qualified and appointed by his Father for our Healing who hath said of Christ I have laid help upon one that is Mighty yet still it is our coming to Christ for help which effects the Cure in us Mark the leprous Person was to be brought to the Priest Leo. 13. 45. and thou must be brought to Christ or thou must endure thy Leprosie for ever and so I come to make some Application upon this particular Point Vse This informs then whence it is and why it is that we have so many spiritual Lepers amongst us so many Men and Women who live in their Sins walk after the Flesh taking pleasure in Iniquity fulfilling the Desire of their fleshly Minds and are still wandring after the Course of this World yielding up of themselves to the Government of the Prince of the power of the Air the Spirit that works in the Hearts of the Children of Disobedience The reason lieth here they come not to the Priest for a Cure they make no use of Jesus Christ for healing Grace there is a deep Fountain opened to the House of David and to the Inhabitants of Jerusalem for Sin and Vncleanness Zech. 13. 1. but they will make no use of it which Fountain being the free Grace of God running forth through the Merit of Christ's Blood publishing itself to our Souls by the preaching of the Word and Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ this Grace and freely profered Mercy they neglect slight and contemn which is the only ordinary Means of their Cleansing and Healing now of these Christ-slighting and Graceundervaluing Souls there are two sorts First Those who wilfully resufe and slight the Means of their Cleansing which is the Ministry of the Word of such we read in John 5. 40. They would not come to Christ that they might have Life that is as you read in John 6. 66. They went back from Christ that is they turned their Backs upon the Ministry of Christ for 't is said they walked no more with him and Solomon tells you That such as refuse Instruction despise their own Souls Prov. 15. 32. Thus through the pride and haughtiness of their Hearts they ssight
as soon as the Priest could apply each one after the other the Bloud applied first and then the Oil next From hence we may observe this Point of Doctrine Doct. That when Christ doth Justifie a Soul by his Bloud the same doth he Sanctifie by the Oil of his Grace Look through the whole Book of God and you will find nothing more a truth than this nor can you read of one Person therein who is recorded for a justified Man by the Bloud of Christ but you shall find it affirmed of him that he was a sanctified Man by the Oil of Christ's Grace besides How fully doth the Word speak out the Truth of the thing itself Rom. 8. 30. Moreover whom he did Predestinate them he also Called 1 Pet. 1. 2. Elect according to the Fore-knowledge of God through the Sanctification of the Spirit 1 John 5. 6 7 8. This is he that came by Water and Bloud even Jesus Christ not by Water only but by Water and Bloud for there are three that bear Record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one and there are three that bear Witness in Earth the Spirit the Water and Bloud and these three agree in one 2 Thess 2. 13. Because God hath from the beginning chosen you to Salvation thro Sanctification and Belief of the Truth And so we come to the Reason of the Point Reason Now the Reason why where Christ Justifies by his Bloud there he Sanctifies by his Spirit is that the Justified might be made meet and fit Temples for himself to live in here and also that they may be filled and made meet to dwell with him hereafter First Christ must dwell in his People here in this Life Ephes 3. 17. That Christ may dwell in your Hearts by Faith 1 Cor. 6. 19. Know ye not that your Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own Thus as Christ fits the Souls of his People by Grace and Sanctification as Temples for himself to dwell in here so also by the same means doth he prepare them that they may be Company meet to dwell with him in Glory hereafter 2 Thess 2. 14. Whereunto he hath called you by our Gospel to the obtaining of the Glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Col. 1. 12. Who hath made you meet to be Partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light Now it 's only Sanctification that can fit prepare and qualifie the Soul as a Habitation fit for Christ to take up his Residence in while in this Life and it is nothing short of true Sanctification which can prepare the Soul to live in Glory with Christ when this Life is over Acts 15. 9. Purifying their Hearts by Faith And without Holiness no Man shall see the Lord Heb. 12. 14. The second Reason of the Point is this because all those which are Christ's justified Ones are ordained thereby to bring forth Fruit to God this is what our Saviour told his Disciples That the reason why his Father elected them by his Grace and why himself redeemed them by his Bloud and justified them by his Obedience all this was that they might bring forth holy Fruit to God Ephes 2. 10. For ye are his Workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good Works which God hath before ordained that we should Walk in them Ephes 1. 4. According as he hath chosen us in him before the Foundation of the World that we should be Holy and without Blame before him in Love John 15. 16. Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth Fruit and your Fruit should remain Now this Fruitfulness can never be brought forth without Grace and Sanctification be first poured forth upon the Heart for whatever the Fruit be that is brought forth it can be of no other kind than the Root is from whence it springs if the Root be but Nature's Qualification take it in its highest Flourish yet the Fruit which springs from it is but Rottenness and Hypocrisie in the sight of God The best that is spoken of the Fruit which the Children of Nature do bring forth in the Eyes of God is what you have recorded in Deut. 32. 32 33. For their Vine is as the Vine of Sodom and of the Fields of Gamorrah their Grapes are Grapes of Gallâ— their Clusters are bitter their Wine is the Poison of Dragons and the cruel Venome of Asps So that where the Oil of Grace is not the Root there the best of our Obedience will not pass for Fruit in God's Eyes Matt. 7. 18. A good Tree cannot bring forth evil Fruit neither can a corrupt Tree bring forth good Fruit. Therefore the Root must be Grace and Sanctification or the Fruit will meet with no less than final Rejection Let it be the greatest of Self-denial Patience Temperance Self-mortification Meekness Works of Charity Prayer with the performance of any other Duties done in the Worship of God if it flows not from the Root of true Grace and Sanctification in the Heart all is abominable in the Sight of God Prov. 21. 27. The Sacrifices of the Wicked is Abomination how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked Mind Vse This shews us then how much they are mistaken about their eternal State who think they are Justified by Christ's Bloud and yet were never Sanctified by his Spirit How many Thousands are there of these living in a Gospel-professing Kingdom which are held under the Power of this Soul-damning Delusion who will not believe but they are Justified in the sight of God though they were never yet Sanctified in the fight of Men They are just like a company of Drunkards who dreamed that they were all Feasting in a Royal Palace but when they awoke they found themselves made fast with their Feet in the Stocks Of such a sort of Dreamers James speaks Jam. 2. 18. Yea a Man may say Thou hast Faith and I have Works shew me thy Faith without thy Works and I will shew thee my Faith by my Works Thou believest there is one God thou doest well the Devils also believe and tremble But wilt thou know O vain Man that Faith without Works is dead Oh never think that the Bloud of Atonement hath been shed for thee if the Oil of Sanctification hath not been poured forth upon thee The second Use is to instruct us how to attain to some hopeful Assurance of our Justification which is by a Trial made of our Sanctification I know that it is much a Query amongst the doubting part of Christians Oh How shall we do to know whether we be in a Justified State and Condition Answ Look into your Hearts and search whether the Oil of Grace be infused into it Grace changeth the Heart Ezek. 36. 26. Grace reneweth the Heart Titus 3. 5. Grace regenerateth the Heart John 3. 3. Grace turns
out the Dust that they scraped off without the City into an unclean place Which leads us to the second General namely To the Remedy it self about which we may observe these things First The Healer or the Person healing and that was the Priest Ver. 36. Secondly We are next to observe what was to be done by the Priest in order to the Healing of the leprous House where first he was to scrape off that part of the Wall which was infected Secondly If that would not do then was he to take out the infected Stones and to place other Stones in the room of the former Ver. 40 41 42. Which leads us to the last thing viz. If nothing of all this Means used will prove healing to the House then was the Priest to break down the House the Stones thereof the Timber thereof and the Mortar thereof and carry it out of the City into an unclean place Ver. 45. But first of all we are to take notice of the Person who was the Healer and that was the Priest Ver. 36. 37. The Priest shall go into the House and shall look on the Plague Which Priest in this Work was a Tipe of Christ who is our great Gospel High-Priest whose Office it is to heal his Gospel-houses of their spiritual Leprosies which they are subject unto whilst in this World From whence we may observe this Note Doct. That Jesus Christ is the great Healer of all the spiritual Leprosies Pollutions and Defilements which happens to his Churches in this Life Jer. 3. 22. Return ye back-sliding Children and I will heal your Back-slidings Exod. 15. 26. I am the Lord that healeth thee 2 Chron. 30. 22. The Lord hearkned to Hezekiah and healed the People First He healeth his Churches of the Guilt of Sin by the sprinkling of his Bloud upon them 1 John 1. 7. The Bloud of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all Sin Secondly He healeth them of the Prevalency of Sin Rom. 6. 14. Thirdly He healeth them of the Fruits and Effects of Sin as first he healeth his Churches of their erronious Doctrine Prov. 8. 20. Isa 42. 16 with Chap. 29. 24. Fourthly He healeth his Churches of their Lukewarmness Mal. 4. 2. Fifthly He healeth them of their Barrenness and Unfruitfulness under the Means of Grace which consists of his Word of Instruction and Rod of Correction Hos 14. 4 5 6 Ver. Sixthly Christ healeth his Churches of their Divisions and that unhappy contentious Spirit which the Devil is always kindling amongst them Isa 11. 13. Seventhly Are the Churches of Christ sometimes torn and rent to pieces with Errour and violent Persecution Christ will have his time when to heal his Churches of all these Rents and Wounds which they have suffered for his Name and Glory in this World Ezek. 34. 16. In a word he hath not only Healing in himself for his Churches who is their Tree of Life for that purpose but the Leaves which hang about him brings Health and Healing to the Nations of the Earth Rev. 22. 2. because where-ever he goeth he carrieth Healing in his Wings Mal. 42. 2. And so we come to the Application 1st Vse Is this so that Jesus Christ is the great Healer of the spiritual Leprosies of his Churches this serves to inform them then where to go and unto whom to repair for spiritual Healing when their spiritual Leprosies do at any time break out upon them You have seen that it was the Levitical Priest which was appointed to heal the leprous House under the Old Testament so it is Jesus Christ our Gospel-Priest and only him which is appointed to heal the spiritual Houses of the Lord under the New Testament and as God the Father appointed him to this Healing Work so did he fit him with all unspeakable Accomplishments for it Isa 61. 1. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good Tydings to the Meek he hath sent me to bind up the broken Hearted and to proclaim Liberty to the Captives and to open the Prison-doors to them that are bound And saith John The Fulness of Grace is in him John 1. 16. not only a fulness of Grace but a fulness of Grace and Truth too Ver. 17. Certainly we do but run from the Living to the Dead when we go for a Cure of Church-pollution to any means primarily but Christ in this case Yet how common is it to hear some Christians relieving their dying Hopes under Church-decays and Disorders in looking to some outward Means for help at this side Christ Oh their great Hopes have been that the King or such and such a Parliament Synod or Convocation would set things in better order and give us a Cure to all our Church-devisions and Distempers But alas Princes Parliaments Synods and Counsels may pity but little profit the Churches under their spiritual Maladies but to cure them they cannot because the Gilead-balm which should do the Work they have not with them Constantine the Great laboured as much to heal the Churches of the Arian Heresie as ever did any Emperour but he found it a Task for no earthly King to perform Oh! no it was only Christ that was appointed and fitted for this Work it is Christ and not Man that hath the Honour to be the Repairer of Zion's Breaches and of raising up the decayed Tabernacles of David it 's none but he that can close up the Breaches of his divided People Amos 9. 11. At that Day I will raise up the Tabernacle of David that is fallen down and clâ—se up the Breaches thereof and I will raise up his Ruins and I will build as in the days of old Hence then we need not wonder at so many sick and sore Churches which we hear and see to be in the World some almost over-spread with the Leprose of Superstition others sick with a proud haughty Spirit ruling with Rigour over the Consciences of their Brethren others again full of the boils and botches of Prophaneness others blister'd all over with the sores of a contentious and dividing Spirit the Cause of all this even from whence these Maladies do arise lieth here viz. These leprous Churches either labour not for Healing at all or seek not to the true and right Physician for help they seek not to Christ but to Creatures for a Cure their Help standeth not in the Name of the Lord but rather in the Name of worldly Powers in Synods Convocations and Parliaments and if their Help and Succour come not in this way to them they will seek it no where else or if they do it shall not be to Christ But whenever or where-ever we hope to see such Churches in a better Condition without the use of better Mâ—ans then the most have hitherto used in the neglect of Christ you may plainly see what the Portion is which such Churches may expect at Christ's Hands Jer. 17. 5 6. 2d Vse Let what hath been said perswade the