could sweare by no greater he sware by himselfe so I may say when God could sweare by no excellency above this he swares by his holinesse Again God glories in heaven it selfe as the habitation of his holinesse heaven is the habitation of Gods glory there God lets out his glory fully but what is that glory why the top of all is the holinesse of God Isaiah 63. 15. Looke downe from heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holinesse and thy glory yea the throne of God is Gods holinesse Psal 47. 8. God sitteth upon the throne of his holinesse you know Kings upon their thrones are exalted and lifted up so is God lifted up upon the throne of his holinesse Solomon he made himselfe a throne of Ivory and overlaid it with the best gold 1 Kings 10. 18. But the throne of God is a throne of holinesse a throne of bright shining holinesse Again when God reloyces in his people he doth it as they are a holy people Deut. 7. 6. For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himselfe above all the people that are upon the face of the earth Yea further you shall finde that this attribute of holinesse is more especially ascribed to the third person in the Trinity God the Father is a holy God the Son he is the holy one of God but the Holy ghost hath his name from Holinesse and t is very observable that all the three persons challenge an equall share in the working of holinesse in the creature it being such a part of Gods glory that all the three persons work it wheresoever it is as the Father he is a Sanctifier Jude speaks of the work of sanctification wrought by God the Father in the first verse of his Epistle To them that are sanctified by God the Father And then for the Son Eph. 5. 25 26. Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himselfe for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word Christ he gives himselfe for his Church to what end Not that he might bring it to Heaven onely but that he might sanctifie it also and then the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 6. 11. And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God So that all the three persons come in for a share in this work this is the glorious work of Father Son and Holy ghost But yet further for the demonstration of it holinesse must needs be the glory of God because it is the highest perfection and rectitude of an Intelligent free Agent An Intelligent free Agent is the highest being of all and holinesse is the rectitude of that being and therefore must needs be glorious Hence it is that grace is called Gods image because it is that which represents God in his highest excellency for that is properly an Image of another thing that sets it out in the excellency of it if it doe it onely in a common and generall way it is not an Image of it And then in Scripture holinesse is called the beauty of God Psalm 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that I will seeke after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple Now what is Gods beauty but the beauty of holinesse the holinesse of God appearing in his Ordinances and his worship is the luster and beauty of the infinite glory of God as Psalm 110. 3. the Ordinances are called the beauty of holinesse Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power in the beauties of holinesse c. Yea holinesse some seeds of it the very Image of it onely in the creature is called the glory of God Rom. 3. 23. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God the very beginnings of the work of holiness in the hearts of Saints is called the glory of God much more then the infinite holinesse of Gods own nature Further it is holinesse that puts a luster upon all the other attributes of God and makes them glorious and honourable Psalm 111. 9. Holy and reverend is his name the name of God is therefore reverend because holy so take all the height of excellencies that are in God yet if they be such as you can conceive them separated from his holinesse they doe not make his name reverend and this shewes how infinitely it concernes us to labour after holinesse if all the excellencies of God cannot make his name reverend being separated from holinesse then let the creature have what excellency it wil for parts for estate for dignity and honour in the world take away holiness you cannot say reverend is his name but holy and reverend is his name so it is said of God his name is reverend because holy Again Gods name is glorious by holinesse because it is the speciall end of all his works to advance holinesse a workman when he drawes a worke he shewes Art in the beginning of it but when he comes to the top of it there he shewes the excellency of his workmanship 't is so with God God will be honoured in all his workes of creation and providence but now come to the height and pitch of all and 't is that he might be honoured as a holy God and that he might have a holy people to honour him here and to all eternity I say holinesse is that which God aymed at in creating of heaven and earth 't is that which God aymes at in all the wayes of his providence It is the great businesse for which the son of God came into the world that he might redeem to himselfe a people to serve him in holinesse 't is the end of the great councell of God from all eternity yea and that he might manifest the beauty of his own holinesse in those two great attributes Mercy and Justice which are the branches of his holinesse that he might make them shine to all eternity this is that God aymes at therefore holinesse must needes be the glory of Gods name Now a little for the third but what is the reason that this Title is given to God here in this Song of Moses glorious in holinesse the reason is this to shew that the infinite excellency of Gods power is such that it is without any mixture of the least evill in the exercise of it here was an act of mighty power put forth and God was infinitely holy in this act of his power It is otherwise with men observe the difference between God and man It is a very hard thing for a man to doe great things and to manifest great power without a mixture of evill as 't is with the waters while
magnificent noble and so it is used in many places thou art magnificent and noble in thy holinesse Brethren it is the greatest magnificence the greatest nobility and height of spirit that can be to be holy God himselfe is a magnificent God and he is ennobled by his holinesse this sets out the excellency of holinesse Againe glorious in holinesse it is rendred by some glorious in holy things that is glorious in thy holy Angels glorious in thy holy Saints glorious in thy holy word glorious in thy holy Ordinances glorious in thy holy worship God indeed is very glorious in his Angels and in his Saints and in his word and in his worship and in his Ordinances but we will take the words as you have them here glorious in holinesse And for the explication of the glory of God in this Title there are these three things to be done First to shew you a little what holinesse in God is Secondly I shall open unto you how God is said to be glorious in holinesse And then Thirdly I shall shew you why God hath this Title given him here in this place why he is rather said here to be glorious in holinesse then glorious in power for it was an act of power rather that God did put forth in the destruction of the Egyptians and deliverance of his people For the first what is holinesse in God we understand this as generally we doe almost all things of God rather by way of negation then otherwise rather by what it is not then by what it is therefore we use to say that Gods holinesse is that whereby his nature is free from all kinde of mixture and from the least soil and filth of sinne therefore God is called light because light is so pure a creature and so free from any mixture of pollution that it can be amongst filthy things without any defilement of it selfe so God can worke with sinne it selfe and yet without any defilement of his nature but besides this negation if you would know somewhat positively what the holinesse of God is I would describe it briefly to you thus It is the infinite rectitude and perfection of the will of God especially whereby he doth will and worke all things sutable to the infinite excellency of his own being the excellency of God is the highest and therefore the rule of all excellency and the will of God being alwayes sutable to his owne infinite excellency and impossible to vary in the least from it therefore his will is the rule of all holinesse Let us consider it a little by looking into the holinesse of the creature and by that we shall see somewhat of the holinesse of God for as we cannot see the glory of the Sun by looking directly upon it it being too bright an object for us but by the reflection of its beames in the water we may behold its glory so the holinesse of God is too bright to be beheld in it selfe we cannot behold the infinite purity and holinesse of God immediately but by looking upon the holinesse of the creature which is as it were the reflection of Gods holinesse upon it and a ray and beam of it we may come to see somewhat of the holinesse of God Now the holinesse of a creature is this the separation of it from common things to a holy use or the dedication of a creature in some immediate manner to God for the lifting up of the name of God the holinesse of the Saints is this the separation of their spirits from all common things to God as the highest and last end And when they are able to worke to God as the utmost end and to will that they doe in order to God as the last end and so as is sutable to God as the highest end that is the holinesse of their wills so it is in Gods holinesse Gods holinesse is a dedication as it were of God to himselfe that is God being of and from himselfe and himselfe being his own last end he gives up himselfe unto himselfe and wills himselfe as the highest and utmost end and so wills all things in order to himselfe as the last and highest end this is the holinesse of God and the image of this holinesse is that stampe and worke of grace that is upon the creature when the creature is enabled to will God as the highest end and all things in subordination to him the creature is then said to be holy because it hath a stampe of God upon it this is Gods holinesse But glorious in holinesse how is God glorious in holinesse God is glorious in all his attributes and workes and the truth is there is not one thing in God more glorious then another every attribute of God being in it selfe equally glorious but in regard of manifestation and according to our apprehension so one thing appeares more glorious then another and God is pleased to speak to us according to our apprehensions therefore you may see how the Saints doe especially glory in God as a holy God looking upon him as a holy God they doe exceedingly rejoyce and glory in him therefore sayes the Psalmist Psal 99. 3. Let them praise thy great and terrible name for it is holy and verse 5. Exalt ye the Lord our God and worship at his foot-stool for he is holy and again verse 9. exalt the Lord our God and worship at his hily hill for the Lord our God is holy Thus the people of God look upon God in his holinesse as the speciall ground of his praise and exaltation yea the Angels themselves in heaven look upon God in his holinesse and especially exalt him from thence Isaiah 6. 3. the Cherubims and Seraphines cry three times holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts You never finde any of Gods attributes mentioned so three times together though it is true God is infinite in power and in wisedome as well as in holinesse yet you never finde in Scripture that God is said to be wise wise wise or almighty almighty almighty but holy holy holy three times together and as the Angels of Heaven adore God especially for his holinesse so the Church of God Rev. 4. 8. cryes out holy holy holy Lord God almighty shewing the blessed condition of the Church of God when it shall be hereafter more sanctified and God shall dwell amongst them they shall exceedingly then adore God in his holinesse above any other attribute yea God himselfe seemes to glory in his holinesse above any other attribute therefore when God would lift up himselfe in his glory and give you the highest expression of himselfe he doth it in this as he is holy Isaiah 57. 15. For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity whose name is holy When God would lift up himselfe it is in this whose name is holy and so when God would sweare by himselfe Amos 4. 2. he sweares by his holinesse Now as the Scripture sayes when God
they run shallow they may run clearely but when once the waters rise and overflow they run muddy and usually there is a great deale of filth comes in with great streames so though in common and ordinary workes we doe not manifest our uncleannesse yet 't is seldome when we ayme to doe great things but we manifest a great deale of filthinesse but it is otherwise with God God is great in power and in that keeps the glory of his holinesse And God manifested here the greatnesse of his wrath upon his enemies and yet the glory of his holinesse too It is a very hard thing for men to doe so let men have their anger stirr'd a little O how much filth doe they presently discover how many have we that all the while they are pleased are exceeding meeke and loving but let any thing stirre their passion and O what a great deale of filth appeares like a pond that is full of mud at the bottome and cleare at top but stirre it a little and then it s nothing but filth A father or a mother cannot tell how to be displeased with a childe or correct it but abundance of corruption comes with that anger and so a governour a servant Who can execute Justice upon others but there will be much of self self-ends and self-interest but now here is the glory of God that when he manifesteth his wrath though it be sore wrath yet he is glorious in holinesse in great wrath he is infinitely powerfull in his wrath and in the execution of his Judgements and yet infinite in holinesse too therefore the vials of Gods wrath are said to be of gold which is the purest mettall so is God in the executing of his Judgements O let us labour to imitate God in this thou that hast a passionate spirit and art soon provoked and discoverest abundance of filthinesse see how unlike thou art unto God though thou shouldest be displeased with that which is sinfull and mayst correct thy children and servants yet be sure to keep that which is the beauty of all in thy correcting of others and that is holinesse Againe this Title is given to God here because in this great worke of his he did manifest his faithfulnesse in fulfilling of his promises to his people many promises God had made to his Church for their preservation and deliverance and God in this worke of his did fulfill these promises now Gods faithfulnesse is a branch of his holinesse therefore because he manifested his faithfulnesse in this worke Moses and the people extoll his name by this Title glorious in holinesse It is observable and it is of great use to us that Gods faithfulnesse is a branch of his holinesse if you compare two Scriptures you will finde it so Isaiah 55. 3. sayes God I will make an everlasting covenant with you even the sure mercies of David and this Scripture is quoted Acts 13. 34. I will give you the sure mercies of David so we read it but in the originall it is the holy and faithfull things of David so that when God comes to shew mercy according to his word he doth manifest the glory of his holinesse and it is of admirable use to Gods people to strengthen their faith You have heard that the glory of God is his holinesse now one part of this holinesse is his faithfulnesse in fulfilling his promises to his people therefore it concernes God as he loves his own glory to be faithfull in fulfilling of his promises and God lookes at it as his glory to doe it thy comforts are deere to thee and thy preservation is deere to thee but Gods glory is dearer to him yea Gods glory is dearer to him then thy soul or thy eternall estate can be to thee and the top of Gods glory is his holinesse and his holinesse consists in this in one thing his faithfulnesse in his promises Now for the application of this first hence you may observe whether ever you understood God aright or no let me put this question to you what is that excellency of God that your soul closeth with we speak much of Gods excellency and we all say we love God and delight in God and blesse God but now what is it in God that drawes thy heart so to him and causeth thy soul to love thy God and to blesse thy God and to delight in thy God as thou sayest since the time that ever thou knewest him what is it that God will shew mercy to thee and pardon thy sinne and save thy soul and bring thee to heaven these are things indeed that we are to love and blesse God for but there must be more it is the very person of God himselfe that our hearts must be taken with and it must be the person of God in his excellency and what is that his holinesse therefore hath ever the luster of the infinite holinesse of God shined upon thy heart and drawne thy heart to God and caused thee to stand and adore him and admire him and hath thy heart leaped upon the sight of the brightnesse of his holinesse and doest thou therefore love him if so thou knowest God aright and thy heart hath been aright drawn to him sayes David Psalm 119. 140. thy word is very pure therefore thy servant loves it Canst thou say so O Lord thou art pure thou art holy therefore doth thy servant love thee and thy word is holy and thy worship is holy and thy servants are holy and thy Ordinances are holy and therefore doth thy servant love all these for if the beauty of Gods holinesse be that which drawes thy heart forth in love unto God then proportionably it will be the beauty of holinesse in all holy things that will draw thy heart to love and delight in them then thou wilt looke upon his Saints as glorious in holinesse and upon his worship and word and Ordinances as glorious in holinesse and so thy heart will be drawn unto them Psalm 33. 21. you shall see there how the Saints of God did rejoyce in the Lord and had their hearts drawn to him because of his holinesse for our hearts shall rejoyce in him because we have trusted in his holy name the trusting in Gods holy name is that which makes our hearts rejoyce in him But Secondly hence the people of God should exceedingly comfort themselves in God in that they have to deal with him as a holy God that though they meet with much unholinesse in the spirits of men with whom they doe converse yet there is in God nothing but holinesse yea the very beauty and glory of holinesse Brethren it is a delightfull thing yea a rare and a blessed thing to meet with a friend that hath a cleane and a pure heart that hath no mixture in him that is holy in his ends and aymes and that hath a spirit free from guile O what rejoycing is there when one friend that hath a heart pure and cleane
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
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
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