eye fast on one thing but another as glorious comes to be presented Brethren what a blessed thing is it to live in God to be viewing the mysteries of godlinesse Seeing God himselfe is laid out before your eye as in manifold manifestations of his own glory Saints may do nothing else but ravish their hearts with the diversity of heavenly light which breakes forth from the bosome of God One would thinke there needed no other mystery to take up the thoughts of a Saint but this that the blessed God is manifested in flesh Who is able to reach the fulnesse of this discovery But yet you have another mystery as great and amazing springs out before your eyes to astonish you that this God was justified in spirit The first respects his humiliation in our flesh The other the beginning of his exaltation and yet these are only various expressions of Jesus Christ our Mediatour There was two great things to be done for the salvation of sinners Satisfaction and Justification God now in regard of these two considerations manifests himselfe as in two form as First in flesh as abased and humbled that in our own nature he might satisfie for our sins and lay a ground-worke of eternall communion with us and then as a testimony of the reality of this satisfaction he was justified by or in the spirit So that you have Christ set out in these two considerations as standing in our own flesh to beare the guilt and charge the misery and punishment of our sins and as discharged and justified from all these by the spirit There be these things to be opened 1. What it is to justifie 2. What meant by spirit 3. How God is said to be justified in spirit For the first to justifie or to be justified are words though commonly spoken yet much mistaken Bellarmine and the Jesuits take it ever in a Physicall sence for the infusing habituall principles of grace in the heart and so make it all one with Sanctification that so by that they might have a way of setting up their own righteousnesse equall with if not above the righteousnesse of Christ and yet it is not to be denied but sometimes this word signifies to make just But the common and usuall signification is first to pronounce or declare one just So Luke 16.15 Wisdome is justified of her children that is all the sons of wisdome will vindicate her from all the false aspersions cast on her by the sons of folly in the world and pronounce her righteous that there are the issues of life in her waies That thou mayest be justified by thy sayings Rom. 3.4 that is declared to be just So in Mat. 12. saith Christ out of thy words thou shalt be justified or condemned that is pronounced just according as thy words are good Secondly It is taken sensu forensi in a legall sense for the acquitting or absolving a Malefactor from the guilt and punishment of the Law Esa 5.23 he which justifies the wicked and condemns the righteous is an abomination to the Lord speaking of the Rulers and these which sit in judgement that is he which laies guilt on an honest man but acquits a wicked man How is a man said to be justified this way 1. When as he is falsely accused and is declared by the Judge not to have done the fact but to be righteous then he is justified from that act 2. When a man is really accused and yet for and in consideration of some other thing is acquitted and absolved from the guilt and punishment of that which was laid to him then he is said to be justified also For the second thing what is meant by Spirit This word is likewise taken divers waies in Scripture Sometimes for the soule and life of a man Into thy hands I commend my spirit Psal 31. Christ cried and gave up his spirit Mat. 27. that is his life departed from him But especially it is taken these foure waies 1. For the whole divine Nature or the God-head God is a spirit that is the Nature of God is spirituall unknown to flesh 2. It is sometimes taken for the divine Nature of Christ so the Lord is that spirit that is Jesus Christ is that spirit which is opposed to all the outward and fleshly ordinances of the Law 3. It is taken for the Holy Ghost or third person of the Trinity as distinct from the Father and the Sonne There be three that beare witnesse in Heaven the Father the VVord and the Spirit 1 John 5. It is the spirit which beares witnesse for he is truth I will send the Comforter even the spirit of truth Iohn 14. And I will pray the Father for it Iohn 3. 4. Taken for the product or work of the Spirit what is borne of the Spirit is Spirit that is of the same Nature with the Spirit it selfe So that now for God to be justified in the Spirit is not meant as if he had any righteousnesse infused in him which he had not before but that he was justified that is declared to be righteous one who had no sin neither was guile found in his mouth and that he was absolved from all that charge of the guilt and punishment of sin which was laid upon him and one who had finished his course and done his worke compleatly both satisfyed the law and the justice of God and that in or by the Spirit that is his God-head or by the vertue and merit of his divine Nature which made all he did efficacious and satisfactory the Spirit it selfe bearing witnesse of it and fully discharging him from what was laid upon him For these words as one saith to be brought in answer to an objection which might be made on this that Christ was God manifest in flesh that is humbled and abased or else he could not have suffered why hence the world thought he was a deceiver that he was not such a one as he pretended took upon him as a malefactor and used him so why but he was not so for though he was manifested in that base and low way and so united and clouded in flesh yet he was justifyed in the spirit they saw not that inward glory and power which was in Christ's Nature but what ever men esteemed of him yet the spirit it selfe justified him But seeing this is so great a mystery set in the second ranck of the deep things of God we had need look more narrowly into it and see what the Scripture saith concerning this how Jesus Christ may be said to be justified This is to be premised in generall that it is spoken in opposition to his humiliation or manifestation in flesh for in that he seemed to be condemned to walke up and downe as a sinner one which was the shame of the world and therefore he is said to be justified in the spirit that is 1. Internally what ever he was without yet within he had a spirit of glory his outside was meane
the Scripture but is matter enough for a whole Age to Comment upon so that thou needest not leave old principles for new discoveries for in them thou mayest find successive sweetnesse The Apostle in the 2 Colossians v. 2. speakes of a full assurance of understanding which the Saints may come unto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is the same with what the Text saith To be so fully assured in our understandings of all the truths of the Gospell that nothing can shake us To have all things so demonstrative and cleare and our judgements so convinced and setled in them that we may see round about all the objections that can be made of them Doubting in judgement makes doubting in conscience and Faith As your principles are so your practise will be therefore you had need have them cleare The holding of some things are so odious that a Saint should not answer them but contemne them So Paul when this objection came in that we might sinne because grace abounded Rom. 6.1 What doth he stand to confute it no he will not honour it with an answer but abominates the thoughts of it God forbid saith he To conclude this with a ground of comfort to all Saints Your salvation is without controversie the grounds of your eternall peace are not to be so much as questioned All things are carryed on in a mystery yet so sure as that it is death to question them You may as well doubt whether there be a God as doubt whether the everlasting foundation of your peace can be removed There is nothing for you to doe in this but to believe as these things in themselves are past dispute so doe you believe that they may be without doubt to you Get your assurances as unquestionable as Gods foundation for that stands sure and hath an eternall seal unto it put your propriety in this mystery out of dispute that you may be able to say without all controversy this mystery is in me and as God was manifest in flesh and I may not doubt it so God is manifest in me and I dare not deny it Art thou in Iesus Christ who is the summe of this great mystery why then let Devills and men question thy salvation it cannot hinder thy comfort Beloved get things at such a passe in your soules that all things are beyond dispute in your hearts either concerning the principles or the application of them to your conscience that you may come to the full assurance of Understanding in the mysteries of the Gospell not to doubt of the truth of them so come to the full assurance of Faith not to question your part in them That as this is sure that Christ is so you may be as sure that you are in Christ God hath not left the things of salvation the great truths of his Gospell to be judged by the pur-blind eye of a probable judgement but by the cleer and open eye of Faith And though they seem to lye never so contrary to the received principles of reason yet if they have God's stampe they must be beleeved by our Faith If we may but guesse and conjecture at things of the Gospell what a miserable condition were we in what a disparagement to the divine light of Truth that it is not so demonstrative and fit for knowledge as the maximes of Nature Indeed as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 2.8 The naturall man with all his accomplisht parts and light of reason cannot perceive the things of God the utmost of his knowledge is but conjecturall and common he sees not into the nature of these truths But the poorest soule which hath the least beame of supernaturall light in his Understanding beholds such infallible cleernesse in the mind of God that his whole soule fals down before the manifestation of it Ob. But can a soule be as much without controversy and doubt of his own salvation and of his being wrapt up in in that Mystery as he is of the truth of the things themselves Sol. I answer Yes the same that reveales the one reveales the other the same un-erring spirit that revealed the mystery in it selfe reveales it to the soule and the same closeth with the light of the one as with the other why may not a soule be assured that what the Holy Ghost hath written in his heart is as certaine as what he hath writ in the word Doubtlesse the worke of the spirit in the fleshly tables of our heart is as certaine and I may have as sure knowledge of it as of the writing in Tables of stone or in paper for the Mistery of God in the heart is but a transcript of what is in the word yea doubtlesse it is more glorious then the bare expression of the mystery in words What makes the soule be fully perswaded that this in the Bible is the word of God that these truths are certaine but because of that light and demonstration of the spirit which accompanies it every one sees not that infallible glory and beauty in these things only takes them up in a generall and customary notion but in the Saints they know it is so as they know that snow is white and the same light and power of the spirit assures their soules that what is written in their hearts is as absolute an undenyable truth The inequality of light from the spirit causeth the inequality of knowledge and assurance concerning them both And the Apopostle speaks as confidently of his own salvation as he speaks of the Truth of the Gospell we know that if this earthly house c. 2 Cor. 5.1 And we know we are of God though all the world lyes in wickednesse And there is a full assurance of Faith as of understanding Oh look therefore to come into an unquestionable condition once thou hast it demonstrative that thou art in Christ take heed of questioning it As every word which God hath spoken shall not passe away unfulfilled so every worke which God hath wrought in thee shall be perfected God giving the same assurance to thy spirit as he doth to his owne Truth SERMON II. 1 TIM 3.16 And without controversie great is the mystery of godlinesse c. IN these words there is a full and summary comprehension of the deepest divine truths that ever came out of Gods heart and a seale of confirmation added to the assurance of them they are not things which hang on uncertaine grounds but have such demonstrations within themselves that they are without all controversy confest absolutely by al Saints not but that some doe deny them but that in themselves they are to be beleeved by the Saints There is no place in all the Scripture that in one verse doth Epitomize all Divinity as this that I may call it a Map of both worlds wherein at once you may behold all that which would cost you all your life to travell over and see in the fulnesse of its Glory All Divinity may be reduced to
things so let him be the full and compleat subject of your Faith and Love and Joyes and Delights the more you see him the more your hearts will be lost in love to him you may see every day new mysteries of Love and Beauty in Jesus Christ new depths of wisdome and fulnesse Oh how could the Apostle choose when he thought of Christ but break out as he did Let them be Anathema Maranatha that love not the Lord Jesus Cursed for ever be those soules that cannot love such a Christ there can be no curse too dreadfull But so much only in the generall which yet is worth your observation The particulars in themselves are so glorious as they dazle my eyes something might be said of them but the depth and glory of them can never be exprest To begin with the first God manifest in flesh This is the bottome of all the mysteries in the Gospell every word speaks Paradoxes God manifested is wonderfull for no man ever saw God at any time But God manifested in flesh that is a contradiction it is more absurd to nature then to say a spirit is flesh God hath gone beyond us exceedingly in the work of our own salvation yet because that the thing is made known we must pry into the mystery of it and of all the mysteries in the Gospell this is the first and greatest the foundation of all the rest In the opening of it we must observe 1. What is meant by God 2. What by God manifested 3. What by flesh and the manifestation in flesh 4. How God hath manifested himselfe in flesh 5. The eminency of this manifestation above all other 6. The mystery of all this For the first By God is not meant God essentially the very God-head indefinitely but God personally in such a person though the whole god-head be included yet it is manifested but in one Person to wit the second Person Jesus Christ because all actions are done by Persons not by Natures Therefore this is a manifestation of God in his owne Son God's essence was never manifested no man ever saw God only the onely begotten Son He that came out of his bosome to reveale him And this is none other but an exact description of Christ which is God manifest in the flesh Now secondly by God is not barely meant an apparition of God in flesh which he meant to lay downe againe upon an occasion but as the word signifies passively conspicuus factus est in carne is made known and cleer to us in flesh This manifestation notes not a transcient shew of God to us but a cleer and constant demonstration of God and the only great and glorious first way of the manifesting God unto us as the word signifies a making of a thing to shine as the Sun to our eyes that convinceth every man of what he seeth And this not only as a glimpse of God which was very glorious and so away but as the cleerest and richest way of discovery that ever was or should be in this world But thirdly VVhat this flesh should be is a mystery Flesh is taken severall ways in Scripture First For sinne and its sinfull Nature we have See the lusts of the flesh that cannot be here meant God hath made no appearance of himselfe in sin Secondly Flesh taken for our humane Nature All flesh have corrupted their waies Gen. 6. That is all men their Natures are defiled So Rom. 7. in my flesh dwels no good thing that is in my Nature either in soule or body or both Thirdly Flesh is commonly taken for the weaknesse and infirmities of that Nature All flesh is grasse and the glory of it as the flower 1 Pet. 1. And the Holy Ghost speaking of the Aegyptian Horses tels you that they are flesh and not spirit it is weak and not strong So that Fourthly How hath God manifested himselfe in flesh not in the first sence but the two latter in appearing in our Nature in taking our infirmities and weaknesse sutable unto that Nature sin still excepted And what is here called the manifestation of God in flesh is in other Scriptures parallell explain'd As he is said to be Immanuell God with us Mat. 2. How can that be but only because of being in the same common Nature with us It is said the word was made flesh and dwelt among us 1 John 14. it is the same phrase with this for the word was God v. 1. And yet it was made flesh not that there was any transmutation of God into flesh that was blasphemy but only by reason of the union of flesh to him who was God This is farther exprest in the Apostle to the Hebrews Heb. 2.16 He took not on him the Nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He assumed not to himselfe that is God did manifest himselfe or appeared in any Angelicall Nature but in the Nature of men And was made in all things like unto us sin only excepted There is another cleer place Phil. 2.6 7 8. Which the Apostle urgeth about the manner of this discovery that Christ though he were in the forme of God and thought it no robbery that is did God no wrong to say he was equall with him yet assumed or took on him or appeared in the forme or the likenesse of a servant it is our Nature which was in subjection and servitude unto God So that now this manifestation of God in flesh is no other then God in the second person assuming to himselfe the humane Nature and so revealing himselfe to men sutably to their condition and this is Christ This manifestation is an effect of Gods assumption of our Nature so that this expression literally imports 1. The assuming of our Nature and the union with God God taking up us to himselfe as one in our common Nature 2. The full discovery of God to us in our owne Nature God acting forth his glory in our owne flesh And al this is stil but to denote out Christ who is the person set forth in the Gospell who was with God and was God and dwelt among us as the Apostle saith that is took up his Tabernacle of flesh in our Nature thereby to converse with us Yet many would faine wrest this Scripture from the person of Christ for some of the old Interpreters as Beza observes leave out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and put in only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod manifestè est omit God and put in which mystery manifested in flesh thereby to take off the glory of Christs as God Erasm by flesh here he understands the whole world and by manifestation the Gospell intimating that this is the mystery that God should be manifested to the world but that is contrary unto this place for he afterwards speaks of the Preaching of it to the Gentiles that is to the whole world It is doubtlesse meant of God as in our Nature making up the person of Jesus
carried up unto his Fathers glory and sat downe at the right hand of God It cleerly did shew he was accepted and freed by God from that which was laid on him Therefore Christ saith that this shall be one of the great things which the spirit shall convince the world of viz. Of righteousnesse because I go to my Father Ioh. 16. That is that there is a compleat righteousnesse obtained and justification or else I had never been admitted into my Fathers presence and all this acted by the spirit And as a further evidence of this as soon as ever he was ascended he powrs down the spirit as a flood on his Apostles and the Saints with them and to demonstrate that he was not only accepted in his owne person and he personally justified in him and now grace and life must necessarily run out upon them In all these acts Christ was justified in the the spirit for the comfort of beleevers Acts 2. 1 2 3 4 5. Now how may your soules triumph and rejoyce in your justification in the thoughts of this that Christ yea God was justified for you and how ever you are in your selves yet you may be justified in the spirit beleevers have nothing to doe but to take out the personall assurance of this to their owne soules at that time when Christ was justified you were vertually so and yet but out of the particular discharge by the spirit to your hearts and your justification is compleat The great complaint of soules is in this that they are not justified in God's eyes But now we are not only acquitted by the spirit in our own hearts but God himselfe is justified in our Nature for us there is none to offend but God and none to be justified but sinners But now when God shall satisfie himselfe and justifie himselfe in our persons or in our stead what strong consolation have we God will not lay the payment on us but himselfe and he will justifie himselfe for us It was more for Christ to be justified then for any one of us for he had more laid on him then can be laid on us he standing not under the charge of one persons sins or many but of all the Elect and when he was justified a full discharge was given for all that he represented This is a mystery indeed God is offended and God takes that on himselfe in our Nature which lay on us and is justified for us When Christ was justified there was a publick record of it and now when we believe we goe but to that Court and take out the particular discharge to our own soules Christ receiv'd the first act on himselfe in our Name and it was as authentique as if it were formally done on our persons But when we believe it is done personally to us So that now beleevers you have nothing else to doe but apply that righteousnesse which issued forth from Christs justification and lay hold on it as your owne Goe to the Court and see your owne names in the Indenture and get out the coppy of it in your owne heart for there is a necessity if Christ be justified that we should be discharged therefore get holy and glorious triumphs in your heart over sin and Death in that Christ is not only dead but alive and that you are justified in him get out the speciall assurance of it by the spirit to the hearts 3 Vse If Christ were justified in the spirit Let it be your care to justifie Christ in your spirits God hath discharged him so doe you Q. How can we justify Christ you wil say S. VVhy when you believe what he hath done for you Christ hath done all things for you satisfyed wrath fulfilled the Law God hath acquitted him pronounced him just saith he is contented he can desire no more why now doe you justifie Christ in this by saying Amen in your owne Consciences to this Hath Christ dyed believe that your sins shall die Is he justified beleeve that so are you VVhen the surety hath paid the debt the principall as well as the creditor ought to give an acquittance Oh how are we to be blamed for our unbeliefe what aspersions doth it cast on Christ he hath done all things well but we say by unbeliefe he hath done nothing Unbeliefe professeth Christ is not dead or at least not risen the Law is still in force justice is not satisfied there is no justification procured Every doubt in a Saint casts a scandall on Christ God saw cause enough to justifie Christ even by his own spirit and to declare him in our names to be a righteous one and we in him but we see not cause to believe our owne justification or the remission of our sins what is it but to thinke that Christ is held under the paines of death hath not done any thing to purpose that the wrath of God is as open to destroy us as ever it was You keep Christ as it were in a prison and under condemnation when you believe not Oh soules will not you justifie Christ in all these glorious things he hath done for you Then you justifie Christ when you acknowledge him to be what he is made of God to you wisdome and righteousnesse sanctification and redemption I might goe torough all his Offices and Acts for us as then we justifie him in regard of his death when our hearts are satisfied with the offering up of himselfe and that satisfaction he hath made So in his resurrection when we believe we are freed from our sins our surety being risen for our justification so in regard of the whole worke of salvation we justifie Christ when we goe to him as a full and compleat Saviour having our conscience quieted by his righteousnesse and our hearts triumphing thorough his fulnesse Oh it is sad to see how Christ is crucified againe in our hearts thorough unbeliefe arraigned as a malefactor for this is certaine if there be not enough laid in for the satisfying and inriching of soules then Christ is not righteous and he is under condemnation How should we rejoyce to witnesse to Christ faithfulnesse and righteousnesse When we goe boldly to God by Christ then we acknowledge Christ to be a Mediator when we find the sence of our justification in our owne hearts then we acquit Christ and declare he was justified from our sins SERMON VII 1 TIM 3.16 Seene of Angels c. GReat mysteries have great admirers according as things are in themselves so they are adored Godlinesse is the greatest mystery that ever was it being made up of various workings of the glory of God and it hath the greatest and most glorious Creatures for to study it even the Angels themselves This is one of the particulars whereby the Holy Ghost sets forth the greatnesse of this mystery that it was seen of Angels The two former expressions set forth this mystery in its nature and essence under a twofold consideration of God as manifested in flesh and justified in spirit But