vers 20. Because by the Law is the knowledge of sinne i. e. A strict and impartiall view of the Law in its latitude and spirituall significancy and comparing of our Lives with it is so farre from discovering the Rectitude of our Nature and Actions that it rather serves to manifest the Obliquity and sinfullness of them both And therefore there must be some other expedient found out to Acquit or Justifie men in the sight of God vers 27. than an appeal unto the Law of Works and that is the Law of Faith as the Apostle speaks The Righteousness of God i. e. which avails before God vers 22. and is accepted by him is by Faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe for there is no difference For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God whereby is meant either the Graces which God requires or the Happiness which he promises Men were not of themselves able to perform the one and therefore had no Right or Title unto the other whereupon it follows that all such as are Justified are Justified Freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in or by Jesus This Doctrine which doth so levell the Pride of man by putting his Salvation quite out of himself and therein is utterly contradictory to humane conception the Apostle foresaw would meet with great opposition and therefore that he might Assert and Clear this Fundamentall Truth from all possibility of Cavill he urges and answers three of the main Objections which either are or can be alleaged against it Object 1 The first Objection is taken from the Example of Abraham concerning whom the common opinion of the Jews was that he was Justified by Works which they gathered from Gods renewing his Blessing upon him after his signall obedience in attempting to offer his sonne For now I know Gen. 22.12 saith God that thou fearest God seeing thou hast not withheld thy sonne thine onely sonne from me And again Because thou hast done this thing vers 16 17. and hast not withheld thy sonne thine onely sonne In blessing I will bless thee Whereupon the Apostle James seems clearly to Affirm that Abraham was justified by his Works in that Question Was not Abraham our Father Justified by Works when he had offered Isaac his sonne upon the Altar To this Instance Answ the Apostle answers by directly denying that Abraham was Justified by Works for proof of which he quotes a place out of the Old Testament Gen. 13.6 That Abraham believed in God and it i. e. that Faith of his was imputed to him for Righteousness Which was spoken of Abraham long before he had received Circumcision and done that Signall and Heroick Action by which the Sincerity and Truth of his Faith was evidenced So that the Apostle James words cannot be understood as if he intended to decide whether Faith or Works did Justifie but onely that he determins what kind of Faith it was which Justified viz. not a Naked and Barren but an Effectuall and Working Faith And that Abrahams was such a kind of Faith he manifested afterwards in undertaking so Perillous and Dangerous a Task meerly in obedience to Gods Command From whence it follows that if Abraham who is stiled the Friend of God did attain to the esteem of being reputed Righteous before God meerly upon the account of his Faith then all others whose highest commendation is onely to be the Followers and Imitators of Abraham have no other way of obteining True Righteousness but by treading in the same footsteps of Faith which the Patriark Abraham walked in as the Apostle concludes Rom. 4.23 24. It was not written for him i. e. for Abraham alone that it was imputed to him But to us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the Dead Object 2 The second Objection against this Doctrine is taken from that seeming Absurdity and Contradiction which would follow should men think of being saved by the Righteousness of another For as every man is to be condemned onely for his own sinnes so it seems to be most Just and Equall that every man should be saved onely for his own Righteousness according to the Reasoning of God himself who doth not onely say that the Wickedness of the Wicked Ezek. 18.20 but likewise that the Righteousness of the Righteous shall be upon him Answ 2. To this Objection the Apostle excellently answers throughout the whole fifth Chapter of this Epistle by drawing a parallel between Adam and Christ who were the two great Heads and Representatives of all Mankind in their severall Estates Now if it shall appear that Adam destroyed his Race by the Imputation of his sinne then it cannot be Unreasonable to believe that Christ may save his Race by the Imputation of his Righteousness But that Adam destroyed his Race by the Imputation of his sinne appears clearly from hence in that Death which is the Wages of sinne vers 14. doth actually ceaze those who never Actually sinned and therefore could be but liable to it onely upon the Account of Transmitted Derivative and Imputed sinne as he Argues Death reigned from Adam to Moses even over those that had not sinned after the similitude of Adams Transgression i. e. over Infants From whence he inferres As by one mans disobedience Many i. e. All who descend from him by Naturall Generation were made sinners so by the obedience of one man Many i. e. all who are related to him by Faith and supernaturall Regeneration shall be made Righteous Nay by how much Christ is a greater Person than Adam the one being formed from Earth the other 1 Cor. 15.47 being the Lord from Heaven by so much shall the Obedience and Righteousness of that One more avail to Save than the Unrighteousness and Sinne of the other did to Destroy And this the Apostle clears in two Particulars 1. In Extent of the Pardon which is to many sinnes whereas the Condemnation was onely for One. For saith he the Judgment or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Guilt was by one i. e. Offence to Condemnation but the free-gift is of many Offences vers 16. unto Justification In Adam one sinne and that of the lesser sort stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a slip or so was sufficient to undoe a World But in Christ Many sins how aggravated and circumstanced soever shall not be sufficient to destroy one Soul 2. In the Excellence of the purchase Adam by his Sinne purchased Death and Damnation which is like a Motion down-hill very Naturall and easie to be conceived For that a Creature should die that a Sinner should be sentenced may without any Difficulty be imagined But Christ purchased Life Eternall which is like a Motion up-hill very Hard and exceeding Difficult to be comprehended From whence the Apostle concludes that where Sinne i. e. the Guilt or Demerit of Adams Sinne
more I will not say Meritorious but Pleasing and Acceptable is our Obedience Having thus dispatched that Observation which the Objection in my Text did lead me to I come now to the Doctrine which I first raised and which takes in the whole Scope and Design of the Apostles arguing viz. That the Best and most Effectuall Way to mortifie the power of Indwelling Sinue is rightly to consider how Free Absolute and Unconditionall Gods Grace is in pardoning it In which there are these three Points to be explained 1º That Gods Grace in pardoning Sinne is Absolute Free and Unconditionall Observ 2 2º That A Considerate and fixed Belief of this is the best way to mortifie the Power of Indwelling Sinne. 3c That A Believer must never think he hath arrived to the Truth of his Profession till Sinne is mortified in him or in the Apostles words Till he is dead to Sinne. Doct. 1 The first Point is That Gods Grace in pardoning Sinne is Absolute Free and Unconditionall I mean respecting nothing in requiring nothing from the creature as that which may merit and deserve such Favour Thus all the Promises run I will take them saith God speaking of the New Covenant or Gospell-Times to be my People and I will be their God Jer. 31.33 For I will Forgive their Iniquities and I will remember their Sinnes no more So speaking of the same Covenant by the Prophet Ezekiell Ezek. 36.25 I will saith he sprinkle clean water upon you and from all your Filthiness will I cleanse you Which gracious Promise least it should seem to respect any thing in them as meritoriously exciting it God doth expresly premise I doe not this for your sake vers 22. O house of Israel but for my holy Names sake And again concludes it thus Not for your sakes doe I this vers 32. saith the Lord God be it known unto you Therefore in that Form of Words which God prescribes unto Returning Backsliders he commands them to say Hos 14.2 Lord take away all Iniquity and receive us graciously To which God presently replies vers 4. I will heal their Backslidings I will love them Freely But besides what may be deduced from the whole Tenour and Current of Scripture-Promises this will yet farther appear from these three Considerations Reason 1 First From the Nature of God who pardons Sinne who cannot be moved or altered by any condition in the Creature since he himself is the sole Author and Bestower of whatever good condition the Creature is able to perform For according to the Question of the Apostle Paul Rom. 11.33 Who hath first given unto him and it shall be recompenced to him again or as the words are in Job from whence the Apostle took them Job 41.11 Who hath prevented me sc by doing for me that I should repay him Hereby intimating that none hath or is able so to doe any thing for God as that he should thereby challenge any thing from him by way of Recompence As the words following in that place imply For whatever is under the whole Heaven is mine When therefore the Holy Men doe begge pardon of Sinne their finall resort is to Gods Mercy or Power as Moses when he intercedes for Israel And now let the Power of my Lord be great Numb 14.17 according as thou hast spoken saying the Lord is long suffering and of great Mercy forgiving Iniquity and Transgression And so he goes on Forgive I pray thee the Iniquity of this People according to the greatness of thy Mercy Mic. 7.18.19 So the Prophet Micah Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth Iniquity and passeth by the Transgression of the Remnant of his Heritage because he delighteth in Mercy Whereas did consideration of any thing in the Creature move God to shew Compassion Forgiveness from him would no longer be Grace but Debt and God in pardoning Sinne would not exert an act of Power but an act of Justice and Men might challenge not onely Pardon of Sinne but likewise Heaven it self as a Reward of their Performances Which is quite contrary to the whole Current of Scripture and to all those Conceptions which the Majesty and Greatness of God together with the Vileness and Despicable meanness of the Creature must needs enforce upon all Rationall and Considerate Men. Since therefore the Promises of God run Absolutely since the Nature of God is Inalterably i. e. Freely Gracious they neither consult Gods Honour nor the Comfort of doubting Christians who interpose the Clog of any preceding Condition They are very unfaithfull Embassadours to the King of Heaven who streighten their Commission and speak Peace and Pardon in Terms less generall than they have received Reason 2 Secondly This will appear yet farther from Consideration of the Price which was paid for Sinne. For though God pardons sinne Freely in reference to us since we neither did nor could deserve it yet it was not Free in reference to our Surety by Christ this was dearly bought and whatever we enjoy thereof was first sealed and comes down streaming to us in the Blood of the Mediator Now to know the Greatness of the Price the best way will be to consider the Greatness of the Person who paid it Joh. 1. In the beginning of Johns Gospell we read of one whom he there stiles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Reason or the Eternall spring of Wisdome of him it is said that he was with God nay that he was God and as God did make the World If we look a little farther we shall find that this very Person this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. became Flesh or frail Man and laying aside the Glory of his Divinity for a time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tabernacled or pitched his Tent among the sonnes of Men. It was this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this assumed Nature of his which he sacrificed as a Victim to appease his Fathers Anger and to expiate the sinnes of the world according as he speaks himself The Bread that I will give you Joh. 6.51 is my Flesh or my Humane Nature which I will give for the Life of the World Where by World is not nor cannot be meant the Generality of Man-kind of which the greatest part perish which could not possibly be had Christ actually shed his Blood for them but as our Saviour explains himself in another place Joh. 10. c. 11. v. 52. His Sheep or the Generality of Believers scattered throughout the world so that the word World is of the same Extent with the word Many Mat. 20.28 which our Saviour else-where useth As in Matthew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 26.28 the Sonne of Man came to give his life a Ransome for or in stead of many And afterward This is the Blood of the New Covenant which was shed for Many for Remission of Sinnes That we may know the inestimable value of this Blood it is called
bringing any to the Knowledg of Christ 2 Cor. 4.6 God saith he that commanded Light to shine out of Darkness hath shone into our Hearts to give unto us the Knowledg of his Glory in the Face of Christ So in the New Testament when our Saviour commanded the Sea to be still the Blind to See the Dead to Rise c. there was no Ability in those Creature to Obey his Commands but his Command going out with Divine Authority gave unto them Power so when the Ministers of the Gospell command Sinners to Believe and to Repent the word goes out in the Name and in the Strength of God and whereever it is effectuall it conveighs that Power which was not there before And this is it which makes Preaching necessary unto the worlds end because the Spirit of God doth cooperate with it as the Apostle hath it when he commands a Minister to be Meek and ready to Teach even those that set themselves to oppose the Truth if saith he 2 Tim. 2.24 peradventure God will give them Repentance We Preach to and Pray for Sinners onely with a Peradventure perhaps God may work some good by us but if God doth not work our Words cannot and the Sinner himself will not Vse This may serve to teach all those who begin to be troubled for their past Sinnes which way they must take to arrive unto Comfort and satisfaction There are some Ignorant and Unskilfull Physicians of the Soul who prescribe Fasting Pennance Uneasie Postures of Prayer and the like which are at the best but Bodily exercise 1 Tim. 4. which Profits little because it reacheth not to the Core of Sinne that lies within Such kind of Methods as these doe onely prune and lop the Branches of Corruption but leave the Root entire Men may in a needless Rigour starve their Bodies and all the while doe nothing else but feed their Pride My advice rather is to a disconsolate Sinner that he would presently lay hold upon his Pardon And my grounds for this Advice are these two Motive 1 1. Nothing doth more engage us in a Wilfull and Deliberate Course of Sinning than Despair of Pardon When once Cain cries out Gen. 4. that his Sinne was greater than could be forgiven the next News we hear of him is That he went out from the Presence of the Lord. Thus when God summoned the People by his Prophet Jeremy Jer. 18.12 to return from the Evill of their Wayes he brings them in saying There is no Hope and then it presently follows but we will walk in the Imagination of our own Hearts The Apostle Peter therefore exhorting those to whom he writes to make a Progress in Holiness by adding one Grace to another But he saith he who wants these things is blind 2 Pet. 1.9 forgetting that he was cleansed from his old sinnes thereby intimating that as Presumption begets Confidence so Despair begets Carelesness in Sinning As we read of some who have died for fear of Death so is it in this case when men dare so much wrong Gods goodness as to imagin that he will not make good his Promise to them though it runs Indefinitely they runne so farre in Sinne till at last they dare not think of Returning which seems to have been Davids case when he cries out Innumerable Evils have compassed me about mine Iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look up they are more than the hairs of my head therefore my heart faileth me While he stayed and forbore to pass the Ford which Mercy had shallowed for him his Sinnes like a Torrent began to overwhelme him with horror and amazement Motive 2 2. Pardon of Sinne for the time past and Power against Sinne for the time to come goe both together As when a Judge doth free a Prisoner at the same time he gives him Liberty he knocks off his Chains so when God intends to doe good unto a Sinner he never severs his Gifts but compleats the work of his Redemption by Purifying and strengthening Grace at the same time As he speaks by the Prophet Ezek. 36. I will sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean then he presently adds A new heart also will I give you and I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my wayes and you shall keep my Judgments and doe them And the reason of this is clear because when a Sinner hath once received his Pardon he may boldly goe to God and Christ and by Prayer engage their Power in his behalf but till then he is not able to doe any thing he cannot pray in Faith because he hath no Assurance that he shall be heard he cannot act in Faith because he hath no Promise that he shall be assisted but when once he hath taken what God offers he hath a certainty of both But some may object That were their Sinnes less Object then there was some Hope but their Sinnes have been so many and so strangely aggravated that they must needs sit down under the sorrow as being in an hopeless condition For answer I wish all those who make this Objection Answ as indeed none ever thinks of returning to God but he meets with this Lion in his way would seriously ask whether they find themselves as Willing to forsake their Sinnes as they pretend to be sorry for them And if they doe then let them consider these three things 1. The Latitude and Extent of Christs Death I doe not mean as to the Universality of the Persons for I find no ground for that but as to the Qualifications of those for whom Christ died And we shall find it was for Sinners for the Ungodly for Enemies Rom. 5.6 8 10 from whence a Repenting Sinner may thus argue If Christ died for Sinners then certainly he will not refuse me because I have been a Sinner If he died for Enemies then sure he will not cast me off if I am ready to lay down my Weapons and be reconciled unto him This was it which comforted Paul It is saith he a Faithfull saying 1 Tim. 1.15 that Christ came to die for Sinners among which I am chief he confesses as much Guilt as could possibly stick to him and yet takes comfort in that generall Truth that Christ came to die for Sinners And then proposes his own Example For this cause I obtained Mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting We must take heed how we frustrate the Grace of God for as the Apostle argues If Righteousness or Justification had been by the Law then had Christ died in vain So if Sinners who are desirous above all things to come unto Christ should therefore be driven out from him because they have been Sinners then would Christ have died in vain 2. Consider the Freeness and