large to be written out Ambrose expounds it The Law saith he of the Spirit of Life it is the very Law of Faith * Chrysostome distinguishes much to the same purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost in loc The Law of Moses was a Spiritual Law because it forbad Sin but it was not the Law of the Spirit of Life because it could not remit Sin and so quicken the dead But this Law of Faith is the Law of the Spirit of Life because it doth not onely restrain Sin but it also restores from death c. This Law in Christ Jesus that is by Faith doth free the Believer from the Law of Sin and Death The Law of Sin is that which dwells in the members which persuades to that which is contrary to the Will of God the Law of Death is the Law of Moses because it kills Sinners And no wonder that this Law should be the Law of Death when the Gospel is to some the savour of death unto death and so he goes on in the further explication of it Amongst modern Interpreters Pareus follows this Exposition making the Law of the Spirit of life to be the Doctrine of the Gospel and the Law of sin and death to be the Law of Moses The Gospel saith he is the Law of the Spirit because 't is attended with the conveyance of the Spirit the Law of Moses was spiritual but not the Law of the Spirit because it did not convey the Spirit And that was the Law of Sin because it discovered sin irritated sin made sin to be sin and of Death too because it had a killing virtue in it 2 Cor. 3.6 The letter killeth but the spirit giveth life Thus Pareus who after he had laid down and opened his Opinion thus concludes With submission to other mens judgments I judge this to be the most plain and genuine meaning of this place This way very many * Lex Spirituâ— c. est doctrina Evangehi fide apprehensa Osiand Fortasse legem Mose intelligit per legem peccati mortis à quâ etiam lege liberati sumus in vulgato Jesu Christi Evangelio Massus Utraque est Spiritus Sancti ut actoris utraqne est Spiritus nostri directivaâ— sed haec est Spiritus Sancti quatenus est vivificator noster in Jesu Christo c. Cajetan Legem peccati vocat literam Legis quae peccatum excitare solet damnationem revelare Vatabl. Opponitur haec Lex Spiritus Legi Mosaicae Crell Posset etiam per Legem peccati mortis intelligi Lex Mosis c. Perer. Vide Lud. de Dieu in loc Baldwin Dr. Hammond in Paraphr Others go either as to the whole or as to the most considerable part of it But neither shall I close with this Interpretation and that for two Reasons I. Because though the Gospel may very well be stiled the Law of the Spirit of life yet it sounds somewhat harsh to call the Mosaical Law God's own Law the Law of sin and death There is I grant something of truth in it and it may admit of a very fair and sound explication but then there must be a great deal of stating and limitation and cautioning before you can come at it And therefore many * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrysost Legem peccati mortis non ausim cum quibusdam accipere pro Lege Dei c. Quamvis enim peccatum augendo mortem generet Paulus tamen ab hâc invidiâ consultò supra deflexit Calvin His verbis non significatur Lex Mosaica c. Pet. Mart. Expositors do not approve of the application of this title to the Mosaical Law Nay our Apostle himself warns us against it whose way and custome it was whenever he had touch'd upon any thing which might seem to reflect any disparagement upon the Law presently to subjoin something for the vindication of its honour Rom. 7.7 What shall we say then is the law sin God forbid when the commandment came sin reviv'd and I dy'd and the commandment which was ordained to life I found to be unto death c. yet saith he the law is holy and the commandment holy and just and good was then that which was good made death to me God forbid but sin that it might appear sin working death in me by that which is good that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful No man did ever depress the Law more than Paul did in the matter of Justification yet in other respects none did ever more vindicate and exalt it Well! this is one Reason why I shall not fall in with this Sense A Second is this because the Apostle here is not treating of the Law-state or Gospel-state or of the Covenant-aà ministration proper to either but he is more closely treating of the State of Nature and of Grace of freedome from Condemnation by the taking away of sins power and guilt in pursuance of which he pitches upon Sanctification by the Spirit and Satisfaction by the Son And therefore though the Former Notion may be taken in yet certainly that which directly falls in with the Latter as that Sense will which I shall presently give must be most agreeable to the Apostles Scope in this place 3. Thirdly by the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus Some understand nothing but the very Spirit of Christ Jesus They make the Law of the Spirit to be the very Spirit it self and nothing more thus * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost Theophyl Oâ—cumen Theodor. say the same Lex Spiritus i. e. Lex quae est Spiritus Aquin. Chrysostome and his Followers This is a very good foundation to build upon but yet without some further addition it will not so fully reach that special matter in the Words which hath a great weight and emphasis in it 4. Fourthly therefore Others do interpret them not onely as pointing to Gods Spirit but to make it the more express they consider the Spirit of God as renewing as regenerating as working the new and heavenly life in the Soul with great power and efficacy The Spirit is stiled the Spirit of life both as he is a living Spirit himself and also as he is a quickening Spirit to the Creature as he makes Sinners who were * Eph. 2.1 dead in trespasses and sins to live by working Grace and Regeneration in them and so life thereby But what is the Law of the Spirit of Life why 't is the mighty power of the regenerating Spirit put forth upon men in order to the freeing of them from the power and dominion of sin There are I know sundry other explications given of it (a) Lex-Spiritus vitae una eademque est quae Lex Dei sicut una eademque est Lex peccati mortis Nihil damnationis erit his qui Lege peccati quae est Lex mortis liberantur Legi Dei quae est Lex
oneness of Essence with God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 10.30 I and my Father are one Hence he is stil'd the image the essential and substantial image of God Col. 1.15 Heb. 1.3 This was that great Truth which the Nicene Fathers asserted and maintain'd with such renowned courage and zeal But I will but touch upon this Head because 't is the same with the former that is more comprehensive but in its main import it perfectly agrees with this 3. Christ is the Co-eternal Son of God the Father They were both of the same standing if I may with reverence so express it both from everlasting Christ was eternally a Son there never was any time when he was otherwise or when he began so to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Ancients used to express it If the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Najanz Orat. 35. tom 1. pag. 563. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Epiph. adv Haeres lib. 2. tom 2. p. 796. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Id. p. 794. Father was eternal and always a Father then the Son was eternal and alwayes a Son for Relatives must be simultaneous This was that which greatly troubled and vexed Arius so often to hear the Orthodox speaking of semper Pater semper Filius simul Pater simul Filius I say this offended him very much as appears by what he himself wrote in his Letter to Eusebius but the thing is never the less true because he was offended at it The Scriptures are very plain concerning Christ's eternity and eternal generation some of which have been already cited take a few more Rev. 1.8 I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending saith the Lord which is and which was and which is to come the Almighty Rev. 2.8 These things saith the First and the Last which was dead and is alive As soon as the Apostle had spoken of Christ's Sonship Heb. 1.5 presently he falls upon his eternity Vers 8. Vnto the Son he saith Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever Thus I have shown in what respects Christ is stiled God's own Son and how far those are grounded upon the * He that would see the Texts which have been cited and divers Others opened and improved in reference to Christ's Sonship as it hath been stated let him read Zanch. de Tribus Elohim Lib. 4. Cap. 6. c. p. 125. c. Word of truth But all this being vehemently deny'd and opposed by Some and it highly concerning us truly to apprehend and firmly to believe a Thing of so high a Nature upon these considerations I judge that it will not be enough barely to assert the Truth but it will be necessary also to hear what Opposers say against it and how they endeavour to undermine it give me leave therefore to spend some time about that Christ's Natural and Eternal Sonship vindicated against the Opposers of it I think I may confidently and warrantably affirm that amongst all the Articles of Faith which make up the Christian Religion not any One of them ever met with so much Opposition and was the ground of so many and so fierce Disputes as this great Article which refers to the Godhead of Christ and to his being the Natural and Essential Son of God They who know any thing of what hath pass'd in former Times in the matters of Religion know what Contests there were about it in the first Ages of the Church In the very infancy of the Gospel Satan stirred up Some as * Of whom Ignatius is conceived to speak when he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they made the Son to be of another and different Essence from the Father and so the Father from the Son so the expression is usually opened Ep. ad Trallian p. 69. Edit Vsser Ebion Cerinthus c. to oppose it for it being the great fort and bulwark of Christianity he would be sure first to make his batteries against it But things never came to their full height till about 300 years after Christ when †Vide Hist Trip. Lib. 1. Cap. 12 13. Arius and his Party with great zeal such as it was set themselves against it boldly denying Christ to be God or the eternal Son of God After a long flux of time these Controversies were pretty well compos'd yea the Church had in a great measure after its sharp Conflicts gained the belief of this fundamental Truth and was in the quiet possession of it till in these latter Ages that unhappy SOCINVS came upon the stage and he muddy'd the waters again reviv'd the old Arrian Heresies which seem'd to be dead and rotten and did with no less boldness and more subtilty veterem serram reciprocare With * Socinus contra Wiekum Lib. Suasor Animadv in Assert Posnan Smalcius de verâ Divinit Jesu Christi Refut Franz Contra Smiglet Crellius de uno Deo Patre Slichting contra Meisner Ostorod contra Tradel Enjedinus Catech. Racov. de Pers Christi cap. 1. Him and his Followers all of which do unanimously agree in their denial of Christ's Sonship in that sense wherein it hath been opened we now have to do the difference 'twixt them and us stands thus they agree with us that Christ is the Son of God but as to the nature quality manner foundation of his Sonship there they differ from us We say he is the proper natural Son of God they make him in effect no better than an improper allusive Metaphorical Son of God we say he is the eternal Son of God they say he is only so in time The Socinian false Grounds of Christ's Sonship refuted and the true Ground thereof established We say he is the Son of God by eternal Generation and thereupon called God's own Son they say he 's God's own Son upon other Grounds and Causes which what they are we are now to enquire after and whether they be true and consonant to the Word This is a work which hath been done over and over by many by Some in our own language yet the Subject in hand necessarily leads me also to speak something to it The First false Ground propounded 1. First they affirm that Christ is God's own Son in respect of his miraculous Conception and production in the womb of the Virgin by the holy Ghost For the proof of which they alledge Luke 1.35 The Angel answered and said unto her The holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee Therefore also that Holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God That refuted and 't is proved that Christ is not God's own Son in respect of his miraculous Conception Here the Defenders of the Truth take notice of the Adversaries fallacious and fraudulent dealing which indeed is very gross for the greatest of them sometimes seem to grant that Christ is the Natural and
Essential Son of God 't is the very Title which they prefix before some of their Treatises in which One would think that they did concur with us holding the same thing which we do and giving the same honour and respect to Christ which we do when in truth there 's no such thing they do but speak fraudulently according to the custom of their * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. See much of the fraud of the Arrians in this in Epiphan adv Haeres lib. 2. tom 2. p. 738 Of them Hilarius speaks to the same purpose Tribuunt Christo Dei nomen quia hoc hominibus sit tributum Fatentur Dei verè Filium quia Sacramento Baptismi verè Dei Filius unusquisque perficitur Ante tempora saecula confitentur quod de Angelis Diabolis non est negandum Ita Domino Christo sola illa tribuuntur quae sunt vel Angelorum propria vel nostra Caeterum quod Deo Christo legitimum verum est Christus Deus verus i.e. eadem esse Filii quae Patris Divinitas denegatur Contra Auxent Mediolan old Predecessors for here 's the Fallacy they me an by all this nothing more than that Christ was the Son of God in regard of his wonderful Conception and Nativity by the Virgin Mary But to pass by their frauds let us come to the thing We say Christ's filiation or Sonship was grounded upon something of a far higher nature than this that he was the Son of God antecedently to it even from all eternity they ground his Sonship upon it only making it but then to commence when he was begotten by the holy Ghost conceived and born by the Virgin Against which dangerous Opinion we argue thus 1. If Christ's Sonship did result from this as the true and proper ground of it then the * Vide Stegm Photin Dip. 16. p. 180. Arnold Catech Racov. major p. 176. Holy Ghost the third Person should rather be intituled the Father of Christ than the First Person because that effect which was the foundation of Christ's Sonship was more immediately produced by him than by the First Person But this is notoriously false for all along in the whole current of the Word Christ is brought in as the Son of the Father and as standing in this relation to the Father and not to the Spirit 2. Christ himself never resolves his Sonship into his miraculous Conception or Birth You find him sometimes professedly treating upon it and giving the world ' an account about it what doth he then ground it upon why he carry's it up to his doing what the Father did Joh. 5.19 to his quickning whom he will even as the Father doth Joh. 5.21 to his having life in himself as the Father hath life in himself Joh. 5.26 to his being one with the Father Joh. 10.30 to his being in the Father and his Father in him Joh. 10.38 He doth not at all mention his miraculous Conception which in all probability he would have done if that had been the proper Ground of his Sonship but he insists altogether upon things tending to the proof of his participating of his Fathers Nature and Essence and by them he designs to make out his Sonship yea and that it was such a Sonship as did render him equal with his Father but this he could not have done either with truth or evidence had he been only the Son of God upon what is here pretended 3. Though Christ's Conception and temporal Generation was very wonderful yet that did but reach to his Flesh or Humane Nature and there terminate Now the Scripture doth not place his great Sonship in his Humane but in his Divine Nature therefore as to that it speaks him to be the * Qui factus est ex semine David secundum carnem hic erit Homo Filius Hominis qui declarandus est Filius Dei secundum Spiritum Sanctificationis hic erit Deus sermo Dei Filius Tertul. adv Praxean Torquetur frustra locus Luc. 1.35 c. A nuda enim conceptione nativitate Carnis ex Virgine manavit non Filii Dei sed Filii hominis appellatio Quod verò Angelus porrò affirmat illud est hâc Filiatione non obstante etiam vocandum Filium Dei adhibitâ exactè particulâ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad conciliandam utramque Filii Hominis Filii Dei uni Christo tribuendam appellationem per communicationem idiomatum c. Cloppenb Ant. Smalc p. 71. Son and Seed of David or the Son of Man in contradistinction to his being the Son of God And his Sonship to God cannot be grounded upon that which was the ground of his Sonship to Man for where the Sonships are so different they must needs have different Grounds and foundations Pray let these two Texts be well weighed and they will sufficiently prove what I say Rom. 1.3.4 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the Son of God with Power according to the Spirit of Holiness by the resurrection from the Dead Rom. 9.5 Whose are the Fathers and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came who is over all God blessed for ever The sum of all Christ hath two Natures according to which two Natures he hath two distinct Sonships he is the Son of God and he is the Son of Man these different Sonships must have different causes grounds therefore his Conception upon which he was the Son of Man cannot make him also to be the Son of God 4. As to the Text alledg'd by our Adversaries to prove their Opinion there 's a double Answer commonly given to it 1. The particle therefore in it is not causal but illative 'T is not brought in as signifying the Ground of Christ's Sonship but as a note of inference wherein something is inferr'd from what went before The Angel had told Mary that the Holy Ghost should come upon her and the power of the Highest should overshadow her and then adds therefore also the Holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God therefore what may be the force of this word in this place 't is a meer deduction drawn from the premises to this effect Since such a thing shall be done by the Holy Ghost therefore according to what was prophesied Christ shall be called the Son of God The words plainly refer to the prophesie Isa 7 14. Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call his name Immanuel The Evangelist brings them in expresly in that reference Matth. 1.21 22 23. And she shall bring forth a Son and thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet saying Behold a
SEVERAL SERMONS Preach'd on the whole EIGHTH CHAPTER OF THE EPISTLE to the ROMANS EIGHTEEN OF WHICH Preach'd on the FIRST SECOND THIRD FOVRTH VERSES are here Published WHEREIN The Saints Exemption from Condemnation the Mystical Vnion the Spiritual Life the Dominion of Sin and the Spirits agency in freeing from it the Law 's inability to justifie and save Christ's Mission Eternal Sonship Incarnation his being an Expiatory Sacrifice Fulfilling the Laws righteousness which is imputed to Believers are opened confirmed vindicated and applied BY THO. JACOMB D. D. The FIRST VOLUME of the FIRST PART Hoc mihi concedetur nihil unquam fuisse inter homines tam absolutum in quo vel expoliendo vel ornando vel illustrando non fieret locus sequentium industriae Calvin in Ep. ad Gryn London Printed by W. Godbid and are to be Sold by M. Pitt at the White-Hart in Little-Britain and R. Chiswel at the Rose and Crown and J. Robinson at the Golden Lion in St. Pauls Church yard 1672. To the Right Honourable ELIZABETH CONVNTESSE DOWAGER OF EXETER My Ever Honoured LADY MADAM ALthough I know before hand how the prefixing of your Name upon this account will be resented by your Ladyship yet I am by so many Reasons thereunto oblig'd that I must venture to do it and cast my self upon your Goodness for my pardon This Volume of Sermons which is but a Forerunner to Two or Three more I presume therefore humbly to dedicate to your Honour which though in it self and in your Ladyships esteem it be a very insignificative thing yet however 't is a declaration to the World that I am sensible of my vast obligations to You and that I would catch at every thing wherein I might testifie how much I am beholden to you And I hope you will not be offended with me for the doing of that which all who know my Circumstances would have wondred if I had omitted Surely Madam those extraordinary Favours which for above Twenty Years you have been pleas'd to confer upon me and mine deserve over and over all those little expressions of humble Respect and Gratitude which I can possibly make This Dedication therefore being design'd for those Ends I beseech you that you will please to put a favourable interpretation upon it But besides this your Ladyship may upon several Considerations claim a special interest in this Work if there be any thing of good either in it or by it One of which I shall not conceal the rest I must When I had finish'd my Preaching on the Chapter which I have gone over You was pleas'd to desire me and your Desires are and ought to be Commands to me to publish to the World what I had done in a private Auditory which desire of Yours in concurrence with my own hopes of doing some good did very much prevail with me to engage in this difficult and painful Undertaking which was before as much besides my intention as against my inclination So that Madam you are in a special manner to be own'd in what is here done and the truth is if any benefit shall thereby accrue to any it must under God upon several accounts in a great measure be ascribed to your Honour you having been so instrumental in the promoting thereof Madam that which once was preached to your Ear is now presented to your Eye and it is my hope and shall be my prayer that those heavenly Truths which in the Hearing of them were not unto you as well as others without some considerable efficacy and sweetness may not in the Reading of them be unto you less efficacious and sweet The Chapter opened is a Summary of Evangelical Duty and Comfort through the rich Grace of God you are in a very eminent manner a performer of the One and through the same Grace of God you are also a partaker of the Other and shall I trust grow up daily yet more and more to an higher participation of it I cannot wish you to be more holy than to do what is here enjoyned nor more happy than to possess what is here promised It pleases the Merciful God the soveraign disposer of Life and Death in whose hands Yours and all our times are as yet to continue you in the land of the living When many very many of your dear Relations are taken away and are not you your Self are yet spared with a small number of Survivors I beseech you give me leave if you do not give it me I must take it to pray for the long continuance of this mercy that your days may still be prolonged on earth and that you may arrive at a far greater Age than what as yet you have arrived at You are impatient I fear a little too much to be gone partly from the dread you have of the infirmities which attend old age and your weariness of the world and partly from the pantings of your Soul to be with Christ and in the possessing of the heavenly Glory But good Madam I beseech you not too much haste no not for Heaven it-self you 'l have it never the sooner for that He that hath determin'd your Days and Months and hath allotted you such Work to do in your Generation will have you let your own thoughts and desires be what they will live out that time and finish that work which he hath set you be entreated therefore quietly and chearfully to wait all the days of your appointed time till your change shall come Heaven will be the same twenty years hence that now it is and the longer you are kept out of it upon the doing of Gods work the better it will be to you at last 'T is one of the highest degrees of grace that here a Saint is capable of to be sure of Heaven and yet in order to service to be willing for a time to be kept out of Heaven here was the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theodoret. heighth of Pauls grace and the excellency of his Spirit Philip. 1.23 24 25. For I am in a straight betwixt two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you And having this confidence I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith 'T is a Saying of * Ingentis animi est alienâ causâ ad vitam reverti Seneca It argues a great and generous mind for one to be willing for the sake of another to return to life again surely that Christian discovers true greatness of Spirit who for the good of Others is willing to continue in this Life and to be kept out of that which is far better Madam your Serviceableness is known to all but to your Self many have cause to bless God for the good which they reap by your means who can speak that which 't is not convenient for me to write it will be
upon and sent to Sea again upon a Voyage far more tedious and dangerous than the former This is my case when I had but just set my foot on land and was got off from one Service which was enough painful and troublesome by the over-ruling Providence of God I was commanded to Sea again and put upon another Service far more difficult and dangerous than the former But I must be at his dispose who may command me whither and about what he pleases and it becomes me with all alacrity to go whithersoever he bids me go and to do whatsoever he bids me do § 6. When I had finished my Sermons on the whole Chapter several Friends importun'd me to print them whose importunity though I could not well withstand yet surely had there been nothing more than that I had not been drawn thereby to undertake such a task as I now have And the truth is when I consider my great averseness to Printing the vastness and difficulty of the present Work my great unfitness for it as upon other accounts so in respect of my bodily infirmities which daily grow upon me my sluggish melancholly temper the many divertisements I meet with by other employments I say when I consider these things I cannot but stand and wonder how I came to be thus engag'd I must upon the whole matter resolve it mainly into the overpow'ring all-determining Will of God and conclude he had appointed and cut out this Work for me and would have me do it I write not this I can appeal to the Searcher of hearts to heighten my fitness for this service or the worth of any thing that I have done but only that I may declare the true Ground of my engaging in the present business duly acknowledge God in such an enterprise as this is and also that I may animate my Faith and Hope in Him for Assitance and Success as knowing that what he calls unto he will carry through and what is of him shall be blessed by him § 7. As soon as my Preaching-work was off of my hands after a very short respit I set upon this of Printing wherein what progress I have made this Volume which I publish as a prodromus to what is yet to come will manifest It contains what I preach'd upon the four first Verses Some I assure my self will be surpriz'd and think it strange that so few Verses should make a Volume of this bulk and bigness but I would desire these before they judge to cast their eye upon the various Heads discussed therein to weigh the great latitude and importance of those Heads and I hope they will then be satisfied that in the due handling of so many and so material things less could not well be spoken I did indeed design at first to have gone much farther but afterwards I saw the work growing so much upon me these Verses were as much as I could grasp in one Book And the Apostle ending with them the first part of his Discourse viz the confirmation of the Predicate in the Proposition there is no condemnation c. I thought without any unhandsome disjoining of the Words I might there break off What comes after in the following Verses wherein there is the illustration of the Subject who walk not after the flesh c. shall next be insisted upon if God permit § 8. When I say that what I preach'd is here published I would not be misunderstood as if I had not varied in the Latter from the Former for I acknowledge I have varied very much and that too not only in Words and Expressions but in several places even in the very Method and Matter Which alterations proceeded not only from my infelicity that I cannot twice do the same thing in the same way but also because I found upon the review of what I had done Second thoughts to be necessary Add to this too there must be a difference when we have to do with the Ear and when with the Eye for that Style and Method yea and Matter too which is proper for the one is not always so for the other I hope therefore none will be severe against me because of these Variations but if any will be so let them be sure that they themselves do wear but the same cloaths abroad which they do at home which I think few do § 9. The Matter in the First and Second Verses being comparatively more plain and practical in going over them I have to the best of my remembrance varied but little but in the Third and Fourth Verses where the Matter is more deep and Controversal there I have varied much more They point me to Christs Natural Sonship Incarnation Sacrifice for sin c. which excellent Heads I did not pass over in Preaching without some considerable enlargement upon them but had I then so fully handled them as here I do I should but have tir'd and perplex'd the generality of private Auditors and scarce have edified them Indeed these are Points especially if largely and throughly discuss'd much more proper for a Reader whose thoughts may dwell upon them he having them fixed before him than for an Hearer who through the constant succession of new matter the slowness of understanding the weakness of memory is not so able to take them in or to judge a-right of them Upon this Consideration I have here added and inserted many things which then I omitted hoping that as what I then spake was not too little for Hearers so that what I now write will not be too much for Readers § 10. Reader I hope in the perusal of this Book thou wilt find that things of a practical nature such as concern Faith holy Walking deliverance from Sins dominion and the like have far the greatest room in it yet I am not asham'd to own that there are in it several things of another nature I mean Controversial which I neither could nor in truth did desire to avoid As to Controversies more nice and curious than necessary and profitable none delights in them less than my self who would love to walk in the midst ' of briars and thorns that hath pleasant meadows or gardens to walk in much less d◠I delight to trouble weak Christians with knotty and polemick matters But the Controversies which I handle are of such weight and importance unto which too the Texts I open did so unavoidably lead me that I knew not without falshood to my Trust as a Minister of the Gospel how to shun them Shall the Natures Offices Sonship Incarnation Sacrisice c. of our dearest Lord and Saviour be assaulted by daring Enemies and shall not we especially when they lie in our way defend and vindicate them And are these the great things upon which the Salvation and Happiness of Believers do depend and shall not they understand how Adversaries attempt to undermine them yea so to be able to answer such Gainsayers as that they may stand
would not for some considerations put him to death 1 Kings 2.26 so here the highest in Grace have that in them which renders them worthy of Condemnation but yet they being in Christ and thereupon sin not being imputed they shall not actually be condemned This is the true and genuine sense of the words There is therefore now no Condemnation to them c. and thus our (a) Non dicit non esse pecâ—atum c. sed remitti propter Eidem in Christum Melanct. in Dispos Orat. ad Ep. ad Rom. p. 18. Credentibus nulla est Condemnatio non per se quidem sed ex accidenti h. e. ex Dei misericordiâ non imputantis eis peccata ad condemnationem Parens in Resp ad Dub. 1. Notandum est quod non dicit Nihil condemnabile aut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non dicit in Christianis nihil esse amplius peccatorum c. sed esse illos condemnationi quae peccato competit exemptos Habent quidem Sancti reliquias peccati verù extra condemnationem sunt proptet Gratiam Christi c. Museul Protestant Expositors open them wherein their Opinions are so far from being ex Orco excitatae fetch'd from Hell as (b) Disput 1. in Cap. 8. ad Rom. Pererius with virulency and malice truly ex Orco excitata is pleased to say that they are from Heaven from the God of truth and fully consonant to the Word of truth 3. I premise Thirdly That 't is Gods Condemnation onely from which such as are in Christ are exempted the Universal Negative No Condemnation reaches no further than the supream final irreversible condemnatory Sentence of the great God As to this all in Christ are safe but there is other Condemnation which they do lye under Take a threefold instance of this 1. Men condemn them I mean the wicked who are and always have been condemners of the righteous The Saints as assessors with Christ shall * 1 Cor. 6.2 judge the world hereafter and the world will be judging the Saints here the Saints condemn Sinners by their holy conversation as 't is said of Noah * Heb. 11.7 He prepared an Ark by which he condemned the World and they will be condemning the Saints in that false judgement those sharp censures which they are pleased to pass upon them What more common than for the Godly to have their persons practises strict walking condemned by a mistaken and malicious World O they are Hypocrites factious * Ezra 4.15 seditious turbulent * 1 Kings 18.17 troublers of Kingdoms unnecessarily scrupulous proud selfish false covetous and indeed what not Sometimes the Condemnation is only Verbal going no further than bitter words wherein their names are aspersed the innocency of their persons sullied the goodness of their Cause blackened Sometimes it rises higher men condemn Gods people even to the taking away of their Lives as Jam. 5.6 You have condemned and killed the just c. this is the condemning of the soul of the poor Psal 109. ult though possibly there may be something more in this expression than striking at the bare natural Life for such is the inveterate malice of the wicked against the godly that they will be condemning of them even as to their final and everlasting state they condemn the Soul of the poor even to Hell it self thus the condemned world is a condemning world But yet God condemns not neither here nor hereafter all this is but mans day and * 1 Cor. 4.3 mans judgment the righteous God judges otherwise of his people He 's so far from condemning them that he will openly vindicate them against all the groundless accusations and condemnations of their enemies 'T was Davids Prayer to God Let my sentence come forth from thy presence Psal 17.2 q. d. Lord man doth thus and thus pass sentence upon my person cause actions but Lord do thou thy self pass sentence upon me that I am sure will be as just and righteous as the sentence of my enemies is false and malicious and do not keep thy Sentence about me to thy self but let it come forth from thy presence that the world may see and know what I am and what thoughts thou hast of me 'T is a very gracious promise that in Psal 37.32.33 The wicked watcheth the righteous and seeketh to slay him the Lord will not leave him in his hand nor condemn him when he is judged i. e. though man condemn God will not He will not always let such as are upright with him lie under the worlds Condemnation he will clear up their innocency as the light of the noon-day probably he may do this for them here but certainly he will do it at the Great day and certainly too which is more close to my business though men are very free in their condemning of them as to their present concerns yet God will not condemn them as to their State for eternity 2. Sometimes Conscience condemns them For this Conscience bears the place and office of a Judge in the Soul and therefore it will be passing Sentence with respect to mens state and actions and its Sentence often is in a condemnatory way If our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God 1 Joh. 3.21 I and 't is so even with Gods own Children upon the commission of some great sin or under some great darkness of spirit in time of conviction or desertion O how forward is Conscience then to condemn and to give in sad judgment upon them And truly a condemning Conscience is a very dreadful thing be they Saints or Sinners who lie under it they will all find it to be bad enough 't is a little Hell or an anticipation of Hell there 's no pain in the body comparable to the torment of a condemning Conscience a man had better be condemned of all the World than of his own Conscience Yet the people of God have this to comfort them though Conscience condemns below yet God doth not condemn above To the wicked 't is a condemning Conscience and a condemning God too O there 's the very height of misery to the Godly 't is sometimes a condemning Conscience but never a condemning God even when that speaks nothing but Guilt and wrath then God designs nothing but Grace and mercy The inferior Judge condemns in the Court below but the supream Judge acquits and justifies in the Court above 3. Satan too he will be condemning such as are in Christ He 's a proud Creature and loves to be upon the Bench and to assume that Authority and judicial Power which doth not belong to him O it greatly pleases him to be judging of the spiritual and eternal state of Believers he that is but Gods Executioner he 'le take upon him to be a Judge And as his Pride puts him upon judging so his malice puts him upon condemning there 's not an upright person in
the world upon whom he either doth not or would not pronounce a black Sentence of Condemnation He 's condemned himself and he 's altogether for the condemning of others too Especially when he meets with a poor troubled Soul how doth he bestir himself with his dreadful judgings to discourage and overwhelm that Soul What thou a Child of God no thou art a Child of Wrath what thou look for Salvation no Hell and Damnation shall be thy portion forever what thou pretend to Grace no there 's not one dram of true Grace in thee thou art an Hypocrite a Cast-away one that must perish forever The * Ex enditur interdum Condemnandi verbum etiam ad Accusatorem ut idem sit quod reum peragere vel efficere ut quis damnetur Calepin Ego hoc uno crimine illum condemnem necesse est Cic. in Ver. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutarch in Vit. Caes word Condemn in Classical Authors Greek and Latin signifies to accuse also the Devil is a great accuser he accused Job to God he is stiled the Accuser of the Brethren Rev. 12.10 but this will not satisfie him he must condemn too in the higher and stricter notion of the word he is for absolute decisive irrepealable judgment upon and against the repenting sinner but God will not let him proceed so far this is his own Prerogative and he will keep it to himself Well! condemn he doth and very busie he is in special to condemn those who belong to Christ where God condemns least there Satan condemns most but his condemnation signifies nothing for God condemns not Who will regard the condemnatory Sentence of the Jaylor if he stand acquitted by the Judge so here But I am too long uon this Head You see here is a great deal of Condemnation yet the No Condemnation in the Text is true for though Men and Conscience and Satan condemn yet God condemns not and 't is his Condemnation onely which is here denied 4. Fourthly The Particle Now is to be taken notice of there is therefore Now no Condemnation c. * Magnum est pondus particulae Universalitèr negantis Adverbii praesentis Temporis à Syro interprete malè praetermissi Beza looks upon this as so emphatical that he blames the Syriac Translation for the omitting it what then is the import and significancy of it in this place Answ I suppose the Apostle doth not intend by it to point to any Circumstance of Time as namely the present time of Life or the present time of the Gospel * Dicit nunc ut intelligamus quod de praesentis vitae statu loquitur ne intelligeres quod ratione status futurae beatitudinis excludit omnem damnationem Cajetan applies it to the present time of Life the Apostle saith he says Now that we may understand that he speaks of the present Life and that we may not think that he excludes all Condemnation only in respect of the state of the future blessedness Then the meaning must be this that the Saints are secure against Condemnation not only when they shall actually be instated in the Heavenly Blessedness or only upon the account of that blessed estate but even here whilst they are but in the way and with respect to the present state of Grace now there is no Condemnation to them There is a truth in this interpretation yet I shall not close with it Others apply it to the Time of the Gospel Now that is when Christ is come Now when the Gospel-Dispensation takes place and the Gospel-Grace is advanced Now there is no Condemnation A great truth but it must be taken with some caution or else it may be the occasion of a great and dangerous Error What is there no Condemnation now in the times of the Gospel yes surely there is yea the highest and sorest Condemnation is now under the Gospel * Joh. 3.19 This is the Condemnation c. by way of Eminency No Condemnation like to Gospel Condemnation this is double Condemnation as the Prophet imprecates double destruction Jer. 17.18 And again was there no exemption from this till the time of the Gospel doth the Apostle by this Particle confine and limit this Priviledge to those only who now live under the Gospel God forbid Believers under the Law were justified and saved as well as Believers now under the Gospel the Scriptures are exceeding clear in this matter 'T is therefore a false and venomous Gloss which a great * Nunc i. e. his temporibus opponit haec tempora allati publicati Evangelii anteactis temportibus praesertim sub Lege quibus omnes in Commune loquendo damnationi subjecti erant Nunc autem multis hominibus nulla est damnatio si omnes vellent nulla esset omnibus Slichting in loc Socinian gives upon the words he brings in Paul aâ—setâ—ing the times of the Gospel against the times of the Law under which he saith all speaking of them in common were lyable to damnation but now under the Gospel to many there 's no damnation and if all would there should be none to any Here 's a complication of Errours but I must not engage in the refuting of them To many now there 's no Damnation and was it not so even under the Law O let us neither make the time of the Law worse than indeed it was nor the time of the Gospel better than indeed it is there was salvation then and there is damnation now In short with Pareus I make this Now to be only particula 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Causal Particle 't is as much as cùm haec ita sint since things are so as the Apostle had made out in his preceding Discourse there is now or upon all this no Condemnation c. 'T is the very basis or foundation upon which all is bottomed the therefore in the Text points to this now and derives all its strength from it the Apostle crowds the force of all that he had said by way of Argument into this little word and lays the whole stress of his Conclusion upon it There is Now no Condemnation c. 5. Fifthly we read it No Condemnation the Original will bear it if we read it Not one Condemnation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such is the Grace of God to Believers and such is their safety in their justified estate that there is no Condemnation no not so much as one Condemnation to be passed upon them Suppose a condemnatory Sentence for every sin I 'm sure every sin deserves such a Sentence and in point of merit 't is so many sins so many condemnations yet the Pardon being plenary and full every way adequate to the sinners guilt the exemption of the pardoned person from condemnation must be plenary and full too so that if there be not one sin unpardoned there is not one condemnation to be feared Jer.
Christ being your head why do you not live under more constant more free and full derivations from him Why is not this Union improved as a standing cordial in and against those faintings and despondencies of Spirit which sometimes you lye under why is not this more pleaded with God in the midst of sad thoughts and misgivings of heart many other things might be instanc'd in 'T is too much a truth all other Vnions are better improved than this great Mystical Vnion with Christ the branch makes the best of the root and draws from it as though it would exhaust all its life and vertue O that we could carry it so to Jesus Christ even to draw from him as though we would draw him dry if such a thing was possible We say in Philosophy * Unumquodque quò propâ—ùs accedit Causae primae eò abundantiùs recipit the nearer any thing comes to the first Cause the more abundantly it doth receive from it as the nearer a thing is to the Sun the more it doth participate of its light and heat now you Believers are very nigh to Christ * Coloss 1.19 in whom all fulness dwells you are even in him O what full supplies of Grace should you be fetching from him upon all occasions why should they want or what should they want who are not only at the fountain but in it 5. Such as are in Christ must be very humble To be humble Christians your Vnion is very high but your Spirits should be very low High alliances are apt to puff men up you are highly allied indeed Christ is your Head your Husband your Brother he and you are * Heb. 2.11 all of one yet be not proud When the Apostle was speaking of the ingrafting of the Gentile-believers into Christ he adds Others by unbelief are broken off you stand by Faith be not high minded but fear Rom. 11.20 the same I say to you O ascribe nothing to your selves do not entertain or give way to any self-exalting thoughts never think you can subsist by your selves live under a constant sense of your dependance upon Christ let there not be a thought in you that Christ is in the least beholden to you 't is the root which bears you you do not bear the root Rom. 11.18 You are one with Christ yet you come infinitely short of him he is in you yet above you 't would be pride of the first magnitude to equalize your selves with him Especially never think that because of this Union you can merit any thing of God The Papists would fain prove the Saints meriting in what they do from their Union with Christ but 't is a weak proving of it and our Divines give a good reason against it because the Vnion betwixt Christ and Believers is only mystical and not personal now 't is the personal Vnion only that is the ground of merit O * Luke 17.10 when you have done all say you are unprofitable How unprofitable then are you when you do so little nay when you do nothing at all as you ought to do 6. Be very holy They who are joyned to such an head To be holy how should they live what holiness can be high enough for such an Vnion Will you pretend to be in Christ and yet live in Sin will you dishonour Christ your head by a loose vain unholy unsuitable conversation How should they * 1 Pet. 2.9 shew forth the vertues of Christ who are the members of Christ Methinks this Union with him should greatly sharpen the Soul against Sin and cause it to repel all temptations and sollicitations thereunto with an holy detestation as he once did * Gen. 39.9 How shall I do this great wickedness and sin against God what I a member of Christ one with Christ shall I do so and so As for Others who belong to a degenerate root they will bring forth degenerate fruit but I who am ingrafted into so noble so excellent a stock shall I bring forth no better fruit This precious Soul which was so immediately created by God and is so immediately united to Christ shall that be prostituted to Sin and Sathan This Body too hath its share in this Union and shall I take the members of Christ and make them the members of an Harlot 1 Cor. 6.15 Surely such who are one with Christ should in all things be like to Christ where there is union and communion there should be conformity Christians if you live as Others do you will make the world to question whether there be such a thing as union with Christ or at least to think but meanly of it O therefore as you have received Christ so walk ye in him Col. 2.7 'T is Obedience and holy walking which must evidence your union to others to your selves 1 Joh. 3.4 He that keepeth his commandements dwelleth in him and he in him and hereby we know that he abideth in us by the spirit which he hath given us And the Union it self calls for it 1 Joh. 2.6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked O how should they live who live in Christ and * Gal. 2.20 To be heavenly minded he in them 7. Are you in Christ then be heavenly minded Such as are in him should be much with him in the heavenliness of their thoughts and affections Our Vnion is with our Lord in Heaven and our * Phil. 3.20 conversation should be with him in heaven also our * Col. 3.1 head is there and our * Matth. 6.21 treasure is there should not our hearts be there also what a contradiction is an earthly conversation to the heavenly union how sad a thing is it that a Believer who is so near to Christ should yet live at so great a distance from him and carry it as though he was rather in the world than in Christ Jesus If thou beest glewed to Christ do not live as one who is glewed to the world 8. Be fruitful and very fruitful To be fruitful he that abideth in me bringeth forth much fruit Joh. 15.4 Christ saith it is so sure I am it should be so If you be branches ingrafted into Christ there 's a special obligation lying upon you to be very fruitful for else you will disparage your root and also frustrate the expectations of him who lays out much cost upon you in order to your fruitfulness The Husbandman God the Father looks for much fruit from such as you and if you do not answer his expectations hee 'l purge you that is hee 'l lay some sharp afflictions upon you and thereby make you to bring forth more fruit He will not take you away as he doth those who are only externally in Christ or cast you out for the fire but hee 'l afflict you to some purpose This is our Saviours own awakening Doctrine Joh. 15.2 The promise is Psal 92.13
to God daily for help against it well God will not lay particular failings thus circumstantiated to your charge The Damsel under the Law that was ravished if she cry'd out for help and did not consent to the fact was to be acquitted Deut. 22.25 so you do to God under the assaults of the Flesh and so God will do to you True sin is sin though it hath not full and deliberate consent but God is so gracious that where that is not he will not impute it I have also told you that you must distinguish betwixt (c) Non dicitur vivere secâ—ndum Carnem qui Spiritum ducem sequitur etiamsi aliquando extra viam vestigium ponat Justin lapses into sin and walking in sin thou sometimes fallest by the Flesh but yet thou doest not walk after the Flesh where the fleshly act especially if it be gross is not repeated where the Soul resists it where there is a rising again by repentance deep humiliation for for what is past and all diligent circumspection and stedfast resolation in God's strength for the time to come there 't is but a lapse and not a walking This I hope is your case and if so then what you alledge against your selves will not amount to make you walkers after the Flesh And as to the positive part the walking after the Spirit though you come short as to degrees and are not so rais'd in the spiritual life as you ought yet in such a measure which God accepts you do live it The Spirit is your Principle your Guide spiritual objects have your affections the Heart inclines and bends chiefly to that which is good your great end is to enjoy and glorifie God O be of good comfort this is walking after the Spirit You are imperfect in it yet sincere you aim at more than what you can as yet arrive at God accepts of you and will deal with you as persons really ingrafted into Christ your holy walking discovers your Vnion and your Vnion secures your Non-condemnation What have you to do but to beg of God that he will yet guide you and more and more fix and stablish you in this your spiritual walking He that knows the goodness of your Way knows also the weakness of your Graces O pray much for strengthening Grace that you may stedfastly continue in your holy course to the end Psal 17.5 Hold up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not Psal 119.117 Hold thou me up and I shall be safe and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually So much for the Application of this Point Two things should therein have been further spoken to but now must be omitted namely 1. To vindicate the true Notion of the Spiritual Life against all the false MONASTICK glosses and interpretations which Some do put upon it 2. To answer those usual and common Objections which too many do raise against it But the due handling of these two Heads would take me up some considerable time and they will in the following Verses again offer themselves and I fear I have already been too long upon this Verse therefore at present I shall not meddle with them I have done with the First Verse There is therefore now no Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit ROM 8.2 For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death CHAP. IV. Of the Sinners being made free by the power of the Spirit from the power of Sin and Death Of the Connexion of this Verse with the Former Some bring in the Words by way of Prolepsis The proper import of the Particle For cleared and made good against the Papists In the Words something imply'd something express'd All reduc'd to three Heads A gracious Deliverance the Subject the Author of that deliverance What Sin is here mainly intended How far the being made free from it doth reach Whether it points to the Guilt or Power of Sin What is meant by the Law of Sin Of deliverance from the Law of Sin and Death Paul instances in himself as the Subject of it How that is to be taken Why he speaks in the Singular Number The Law of the Spirit c. opened A Fourfold Exposition of the Words What that is which is in Christ Jesus is it the Life or the Spirit or the Law of the Spirit In the close one Truth briefly handled That the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Life How or in what respects he is so Some short Application made thereof The Connexion of this Verse with the Former THe Apostle having in the former Verse more succinctly laid down that great Truth upon which he designed to build his following discourse he here in this Verse falls upon the amplifying and enlarging of himself about it and all that he says from this Verse to the Seventeenth is but by way of amplification upon what he had more concisely said in the First 'T is obvious at the first view that this Verse doth not onely immediately follow but that in its Matter it is link'd and imbodied with the Former the particle For plainly shows that 't is brought in to prove or to explain something there asserred For the Law of the Spirit c. Now the Apostle having there 1. propounded the happy state of persons in Christ and 2. having describ'd and characteriz'd those persons a Question here doth arise Which of these Two doth he in this Verse design to prove or open I say to prove or open for the Words may come in by way of illustration as well as by way of proof or argumentation For answer to which I see nothing of reason why * Hinc utrumque depender quod Versu praecedenti statuit Prius c. Lud. de Dieâ— both may not be taken in the Words will bear a fair reference both to the One and to the Other too 1. First as to the Priviledge He had said there is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus now this being the great prop or pillar of the Believers faith and hope he will therefore fasten it sure he is not satisfied barely to affirm it but hee 'l confirm and make it good and also show how 't is brought about For the Proof of it he first brings this Argument They who are freed from the Law of Sin and Death to them there is no condemnation But such who are in Christ are thus freed from the Law of Sin and Death Ergo c. All the difficulty lying in the Minor Proposition he shewes how this freedom from the Law of Sin and Death is effected and as to that he saith 't is by the Law of the Spirit of Life Which being done in this method in and for Believers they are in no danger of condemnation For the explication of it if you take the Words in that notion the Apostle
put forth its power and strength in him namely thus 1. it did strongly excite impell and draw him to what was evil so Rom. 7.15 That which I do I allow not what I hate that do I V. 17. It is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me V. 19. the evil which I would not that I do V. 23. I see another law in my members c. 2. it did strongly oppose resist hinder him as to what was good V. 15. what I would that do I not V. 18. To will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I find not for the good that I would I do not V. 21. I find then a Law that when I would do good evil is present with me Thus Sin acted in Paul in whom its power and strength was much broken and thus it doth in a much higher degree act in the Vnregenerate in whom it is in its full strength and vigour 1. Sin in such exerts its power in its vehement urging and impelling of them to what is evil I say to what is evil for indeed all its impulsions are to that Sin is for nothing but Sin Sin in the Habit is altogether for Sin in the Act Indwelling Sin is wholly for dwelling in Sin it bends and works entirely that way urget ad Peccata Peccatum And no wonder that it so doth since the principle always moves and excites to those acts which are consentaneous to it self therefore Sin agreeing with Sin the sinful Nature solely stirs up a person to that which is sinful And how entire restless unwearied impetuous is it in this the truth is though there was no Devil to tempt the graceless Sinner yet that Law of Sin which is in himself would be enough to make him sin in a great measure as he doth as to many Men and many Sins of those men 't is but the Devils over-eagerness which puts him upon tempting of them for without that the thing would be done to his hand as dry wood would burn without blowing Corrupt Nature is continually egging solliciting exciting the unsanctified man to what is evil 't will not let him alone day or night unless he gratifie it and its motions are so urgent and violent that he poor creature either cannot or will not make any considerable resistance What an instance was Amnon of this he was under the Law of Sin it had such a power and Soveraignty over him and was so impetuous in its workings in him that he walked sadly pined away fell down-right sick and all because he knew not how to satisfie that Lust which wrought so strongly in him towards his own Sister read 2 Sam. 13.2 c. So Ahab Sin put him upon the coveting of Naboths Vineyard and this it did with such violence that he would eat no bread because he could not have his will 1 Kings 21.5 Solomon tells us of some who sleep not except they have done mischief and their sleep is taken away unless they cause some to fall Prov. 4.16 O the Law of Sin it sollicits to this and that evil and its sollicitations thereunto are so pressing and earnest that it will receive no repulse yea the Sinner is so over-powered that he is even carried away with it like an empty Vessel in a fierce and rapid stream In whatever point the Wind stands it blows so fiercely so strongly that there 's no standing against it I mean whatever the Lust be in which the Sin of Nature vents it self whether Vncleanness or Ambition or Coveteousness or what you will that comes with such a force and violence upon the natural man that he falls before it and yields to it We speak much in another sense of the Law of Nature truely the grand Law of Nature as depraved is to command and incline men to sin against God and this it must needs do with a mighty power and efficacy in those in whom 't is wholly depraved 2. Secondly this Law of Sin shews it self in its opposing and hindring of what is good 'T is a Law which always runs counter to Gods Law it will be sure to further what that forbids and to hinder what that commands for it always sets it self in a direct opposition thereunto Doth that call for such and such Duties are there some Convictions upon the Sinners Conscience about them doth he begin a little to incline to what is good how doth Sin now bestir it self to make head in the Soul against these convictions and good inclinations how doth it endeavour to nip the blossoms to stifle and smother the initial propensions to what is good to kill the Infant in the Cradle as Herod would have done with Christ to make all Conceptions in order to Obedience and Holiness to prove abortive There is in Sin a fixed rooted aversation to whatever is holy and spiritual which it puts forth to its utmost wherever 't is upon the throne it doth not onely work a loathness to duty but a loathing of duty it countermands where 't is in its full power all the motions and excitations of the blessed Spirit thereunto O sometimes the Spirit comes to a man and says thou hast neglected prayer hitherto 't is high time now to set upon it thus long thou hast liv'd and all this time thou hast not minded the reading of the Scriptures the hearing of the Word preached c. come now let them be minded all thy days thou hast been a stranger to holiness now be holy thou hast been a despiser of Christ hitherto now love fear receive honour him thus the good Spirit would draw on the Sinner to what is good Well! is indwelling Sin quiet now O no! it puts forth it self with its greatest vigour and strength in opposition to the breathings of the good Spirit it saith Sinner let Word and Spirit say what they will do thou hold on thy course keep on thy way God is merciful fear it not Duty is burdensome meddle not with it what need is there of all this praying hearing believing repenting holy walking c. These are the bold oppositions and subtil insinuations of Sin against what is good set forth by the lustings of the Flesh against the Spirit Gal. 5.17 these are its cursed renitencies and reluctancies against duty Now till the regenerating Spirit comes with his victorious grace to conquer them the Sinner is wholly under their power so that they do most effectually and prevailingly keep him off from what is good You have it exemplified in the Young-man Matth. 19.22 in Felix Acts 24.25 and in several others This is the very Case of men before Conversion whether you consider the Law of Sin as it puts forth it self with respect to Evil or with respect to Good the Unconverted are under it it hurries them on to what is wicked and as powerfully holds them off from what is holy in both respects they are entirely under the command of it as a Law
or the stone to descend I have told you and there is too much of truth in it that the great Law of Nature it being considered as depraved is to sin against God This Law of sin is written in the heart and that gives a mighty power and efficacy to it and must needs strongly incline a person to comply with it as God when he would have men readily and effectually to close with his Will * Jer. 31.33 he writes his Law in their heart and that being done they cannot but do what that Law enjoyns just so it is with Sinners in reference to the Law of Sin upon the writing of it in their hearts These things being considered and put together what 's the reason that there is no more sin in the world God knows there is too much of it the Law of Sin is too prevalent in the hearts and lives of the most but yet I say what is the reason that there is no more of it for certainly this Law of Sin leads the Unregenerate to do more evil than what many yea any of them do Doubtless there are divers who are fully under Sins power who yet are kept from many external gross acts of it and are not altogether so bad as it and Satan would have them to be Sometimes it breaks forth in this or that unconverted person but why doth it not do the same in every such person and sometimes too it breaks forth in this or that act but why doth it not so do in every act yea in the grossest acts whence is it that every unconverted man is not a Cain a Judas a Nero c. the Law of Sin inclining him to all this wickedness I answer the reason why it is not so is wholly grounded upon the restraining grace of God It pleases God for the Good of the World of humane Society especially for the good of his own people to keep in and bound that wicked nature which is in wicked men that it shall not in all such at all times in all acts proper to it vent it self as it pleases And was it not for this mighty restraint which God in his Providence lays upon Sin and Sinners there would be no living in the world there would be nothing but killing and slaying and stealing c. and in a word the perpetration of all villanies imaginable Was it not for this whither would not the Law of Sin carry men they being under the full dominion of it what would they stick at ô but God restrains them he lets out so much of their corruptions as may be to his own glory and the residuum or overplus he keeps in according to that of the Psalmist Psal 76.10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee the remainer of wrath shalt thou restrain How necessary therefore is restraining grace 't is necessary in respect of the good much more in respect of the bad even they do need it for themselves but these much more for others Ravenous and fierce Creatures must be kept in chains or else they would worry and tear all that should come within their reach if God had not Devils and Men in chains they would be so exorbitant that the world could not long subsist blessed be God for restraining mercy And how doth this also hold forth the mighty power of this mercy when Sin lords it at such a rate in the hearts of men hath such an absolute power over them◠doth so impetuously urge them to all kinds and degrees of evil that yet they should be so bounded and limited that some Order and Decorum should be kept up in the world ô the power of restraining providence 'T is like the Fires not burning into which the Three Children were cast or like the Lions not tearing of Daniel when he was in the very midst of them which certainly proceeded from the mighty restraint which God laid upon the One and upon the Other in the suspending and hindring of them in their natural operations 't is no less power that which God puts forth in the restraining of mens sinful Natures that they do not so fiercely break forth in all wicked acts as otherwise they would And if this be so admirable in the restraining of Men how much more admirable is it in the restraining of Devils their power rage malice wickedness is greater by much than that in men ô therefore why do not they do all the mischief they could and would why do not they destroy and worry all before them especially as to the Saints whom they most hate why do they not tear them in pieces every day why no thank to themselves they cannot do it because God restrains them binds and bounds them as he pleases here 's the great demonstration of the power of restraining Grace 2. Secondly it shows us also the necessity power and efficacy of Renewing Grace There 's more in this Grace than in the former in restraining grace Sin is a little curb'd and kept in but yet it retains its inward strength and power as 't was with Sampson when he was onely bound or as 't is with fierce Creatures when they are in cages or chains but in renewing grace Sin is subdued conquered much weakened in its strength divested of its former absolute power not onely kept in but brought under and the Soul brought over to the will and command of God Now this being effected in and by renewing grace 't is evident that there is a mighty power and efficacy in that Grace for that which frees from so great a power as that of Sin before Conversion must needs have a great power it it If renewing grace was a weak thing or did act in a weak manner it could never do what it doth was there not the Law of the Spirit in it the Law of Sin would be too hard for it 'T is not to be imagin'd that Sin will ever be persuaded to resign or tamely to quit its power and dominion which it so dearly loves and so fiercely contends for no it must be forc'd to this and plainly overpower'd or else 't will keep what it hath therefore in regeneration God comes with that effectual almighty grace which shall infallibly pull Sin off from the throne let it do its worst with that power which all the power of Sin cannot withstand and so the work is done As you see in the case of Peter that I may open it by an allusion you read Acts 12.5 c. how he was kept in prison bound with two chains the Keepers before the door kept the prison besides he had Souldiers by him and he sleeping betwixt them one would think that now Herod had him fast enough and yet Peter is brought out how why the Angel of the Lord comes in the strength of God awakens him bids him arise makes his chains fall off from him breaks open the prison doors and so sets him free The like you read of Paul and
dye Rom. 5.12 Wherefore as by one man Sin entred into the world and Death by Sin even so Death passed upon all men for that all have sinned Ver. 17. For if by one mans offence Death reigned by one c. here 's Death and the Law of Death too by Sin it hath got a power over men so as to reign over them Had there been no Sin there had been no Death if man had continued in his sinless and innocent state he might have been * Vide Grot. de Sat. c. 1. p. 18. mortal i. e. under a posse mori he being but a Creature and made up of contrary principles but he had not actually dyed much less had he been under a necessity of dying if he had not sinn'd Death did not come into the world upon Gods meer dominion and Soveraignty or meerly upon the frailty of the humane Nature as Pelagians of old and (a) Mors non erat poena vel effectus transgressionis Adami sed conditionis naturalis consequens Socin de Statu primi hominis Vide Praelect Cap. 1. contra Paccium Cap. 5. Socinians of late assert but as the (b) Calov Soc. Prost p. 250. Hoorn Soc. conf vol. 1 l. 3. c. 4. p. 583 c. Franz Scho Sacr. Disp 1. p. 7. fruit and punnishment of Sin Immortality was a part of (c) Molin Enod Grav Qu. de statu Innoc. Tract 3. p. 62. Gerhard Loc. Com. de Imag c. t. 1. c. 4. p. 199. Zâ—â—em de Imag. c. c. 8. Art 2. Moretâ—n's threefold state of man p. 1. c. 2. p. 35. Gods Image at first imprinted upon man that image being defac'd mortality took place You know in Gods dealing with our first Parents how he back'd his Command or Prohibition with the threatning of death Gen. 2.17 Of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye they disobeyed this most equitable Commandment and thereby brought death both upon themselves Gen. 3.19 and also upon all their posterity Besides the guilt of this Sin made over to all mankind by imputation there is mens personal sin habitual and actual which renders them yet more obnoxious unto death and that too not onely to temporal but also to eternal death Rom. 6.21 the end of those things is death v. 23. the wages of sin is death The Apostle in James 1.14.15 treats of the first and last of Sin shows where it begins and where it ends sets down its rise progress and final issue But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed Then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and sin when it is finished it bringeth forth death Sin is the issue of Lust and Death is the issue of Sin So that our Apostle here in the Text might upon very good grounds link and couple Sin and Death Where 't is the Law of Sin there 't is the Law of Death 2. Observe that 't is the Law of Sin and the Law of Death which is here coupled together so that where 't is the Law of Sin there and there only 't is the Law of Death When Sin is reigning and commanding then 't is ruining and condemning 't is the power of Sin that exposes to the power of death Rom. 6.16 Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness 'T is true every sin in its own nature deserves death the Scripture knows no such thing as venial sin it being judge all and every sin is mortal indeed as to event the Apostle saith there is a Sin not unto death 1 Joh. 5.17 but as to merit every Sin be it what it will deserves death Yet God is so gracious as that Sin shall not condemn and end in death where it doth not command 'Pray mark it how in the words the Law of the Spirit is join'd with Life and the Law of Sin with Death as where the power of the Spirit is there is Life so where the power of Sin is there is Death I know the Death in the latter Clause doth not carry a direct opposition to the Life in the former for the Life there referring to Grace and Regeneration and not to Glory hereafter the Death which refers to eternal Condemnation and the misery of the future state cannot be look'd upon as directly opposite to that Life yet there is a truth in the Parallel As upon the Law of the Spirit there is Life spiritual and eternal so upon the Law of Sin there is ' Death spiritual and eternal too Further I know there is a great disparity betwixt the Spirits working Life and Sins working Death the Law of the Spirit works Life in the way of proper Efficiency and Causality the Law of Sin works Death only in a final consequential meritorious way yet here also we may speak by way of Parallel as the power of the Spirit works Life in its way so the power of Sin works Death too in its way That which I drive at is very plain if I be so happy as to express my self clearly about it Regenerate persons are made free from the Law of Death 3. Observe that such who are brought under the power of the regenerating Spirit they are made free from the Law of Death This was Paul's happiness here laid down and 't is the same to all that are regenerate the proof of which I need not insist upon for this deliverance undeniably follows from the former they who are made free from the Law of Sin by that Grace are also made free from the Law of Death it being the Law of Sin which subjects the Creature to the Law of Death The power or right of Death stands or falls by the power of Sin so that if the person be freed from the latter as you have heard every regenerate person is it certainly follows in the course and methods of Gods Grace that every such person shall be freed from the former too for the Law of Death is penal or the effect of the Law of Sin now take away the Cause and the Effect ceases Quest How is this to be understood But a little explication will be necessary How may Regenerate Persons be said to be made free from the Law of Death For answer to this Answ you know Death is either temporal or eternal I do not instance in spiritual Death because though 't is very true that the Saints upon the Law of the Spirit are made free from this Death yet I conceive that is not so much intended here the former lies in the separation of the Soul from the Body for a time the latter in the everlasting separation of both Soul and Body from the love and favour and presence of God This separation from God is
ire Cypr. fear it For to you 't will come without a sting and you know the Serpent that hath lost its sting may hiss but cannot hurt 't is in it self an enemy and the * 1 Cor. 15.26 last enemy but to you 't is an harmless because a conquer'd enemy it may seem to threaten the greatest evil but in truth it shall do you the greatest good But here lies your main happiness you are wholly exempted from eternal death the second death you shall dye but once and then live with God forever 'T is this second death that makes the first to be so formidable for a man to dye that he may live that 's not at all dreadful but to dye here in order to a worser death hereafter there 's the thing which is only dreadful When death is but an inlet to eternal life a departure to be * Phill. 1.23 with Christ when there 's no condemnation to follow after it you may and you should meet it with joy and holy triumph And know that to you it shall not be bare freedome from eternal death but it shall also be the possession of eternal life there 's very much in the privative part of the mercy but when the positive part too is joined with it how high doth it rise ô admire and adore the Grace of God! The least of your sins deserves death the best of your duties doth not deserve life and yet you are freed from that which you so much deserve and shall be put into the possession of that which you so little deserve here 's the riches of the grace of God towards you Sin and Death are the two * Peccatum mors sunt duae partes adaequatae humanae miseriae nam in culpâ poenâ tota miseria hominis consistit Streso comprehensive evils all evil is summ'd up in and under them but you are freed from both what reason have you to rejoice and to admire the Lords boundless goodness ô the damned in hell who are under this death and feel it what would they give to be freed from it You through the merit of Christ and the power of the Spirit are made free from it therefore you should first be very thankeful and then very chearful What great things hath the gracious God done for you he hath delivered you from the Rule of sin whilst you live from the hurt of death when you dye have not you abundant cause of blessing and rejoicing 'T will not be long before this Death will look you in the face and lay its cold hands upon you 't is every minute making its nearer approaches to you by every breath you draw it gets ground upon you well be not troubled at this you know the worst on 't 't is death but not damnation 't is the parting of the Soul from the Body but no parting of the Soul from God 't is but dying temporally that you may live eternally how great is your happiness proportionable to which how great should your thankefulness and holy joy be So much for this Verse ROM 8.3 4. For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit CHAP. IX Of the Laws inability to justify save High and glorious Matter contained in these two Verses Of their Coherence with what went before The difference amongst Expositors about that The General sense and meaning of the Words The various Readings and Explications of them They are divided into Five Parts There 's a Complication in them of the several Causes of the Sinners Justification and Salvation The First Branch of the Text insisted upon What the Law c. Four things observed in it Of its Literal Exposition What is here meant by Law What that was which the Law could not do How 't is said to be weak What the Flesh is by which 't is weakened The whole matter drawn into one Observation Of the Special matter of the Laws impotency as it refers to Justification and Salvation Three Grounds or Demonstrations of its impotency 1. It requires more than what the fal'n Creature can perform 2. It doth not give what the fal'n Creature needs 3. It cannot make reparation for what the fal'n Creature bath done Use 1. To humble us because we have a Nature in us by which Gods own Law is thus weakened where some thing is said against the Power of Nature Use 2. First To vindicate the Honor of the Law notwithstanding the Weakness charg'd upon it Secondly The Laws Obligation not to be cast off because of this Thirdly Nor yet is it to be look'd upon as altogether weak or useless Use 3. To take men off from expecting Righteousness and Life from and by the Law Use 4. To stir up Believers to adore the Love and Mercy of God in sending his Son when the Law was under an utter inability to justifie and save High and glorious things contained in these Verses OUr Apostle here Eagle-like soar's aloft and rises up in his discourse to the most sublime truths of the Gospel These two Verses set things before us so high and glorious as may fill Heaven and Earth Angels and Men with amazement and astonishment Here 's the whole Gospel sum'd up in a few words contracted and brought into a narrow compass here 's in one view Man undone and Man recover'd the depths of the Creatures misery and the heights of Gods Mercy in a short abridgement Here 's Gods sending his Son which surely was the greatest thing that ever he did it being the highest contrivance of his infinite Wisdom and the highest product of his infinite Love Here 's this Son sent in our flesh the first and the great Mystery of the Gospel for it comes in the front of the Gospel-Mysteries 1 Tim. 3.16 Here 's sin condemn'd and the Sinner acquitted the Law represented as impossible for us to keep yet fulfilled for us in a most strange and wonderful manner as Christ hath done and suffered that for us which we were utterly unable to do and suffer our selves O the * Eph. 3.18 bredths lengths depths heights of the Wisdom Mercy Justice Holiness of God! for all these several Attributes in what is here set forth do concur and shine forth in their greatest lustre Who can hear or read these two Verses with due consideration and not be in a divine transport and extasie for the truth is whatever is short of the most raised workings in the Soul is too low for the glorious things here spoken of The Coherence of them with what goes before We must first enquire into their Coherence or Connexion with what goes before They are a further proof or confirmation of the main Proposition laid down in the first
Love to come and to do as he did Sending is an authoritative act amongst men 't was so in God towards Christ the Father did not proceed with him in a way of meer offer or bare proposal or intreaty but in a way of authority he laid his injunction upon him to assume flesh and in that flesh to make satisfaction Therefore when Christ entred upon this work speaking to his Father he saith * Heb. 10.7 Lo I come in the volume of the book it is written of me to do thy will O God And when he was discoursing of laying down his Life he adds * Joh. 10.18 This commandment have I received of my Father the Apostle also tells us that * Phil. 2.8 he became obedient unto death even the death of the cross which obedience necessarily supposes a command And Christ was under a command in reference to his incarnation as well as to his death and passion for indeed without that there could have been none of this therefore the Text saith God sent him in the likeness c. that is God ordered him to take our flesh This Sending then of Christ was the Father's authoritative calling of him to the Office and Work of a Redeemer which Call was also back'd with positive and peremptory commands as to the management of both in respect of which God is said to send him for mittere Deus dicitur ubi mandata dat as Grotius glosses upon it And the truth is Christ in the management of the whole work of our Redemption was under acted by and according to his Fathers comuand whereupon God calls him his Servant Isa 42.1 Isa 53.11 and Christ himself speaking to his Father sayes Joh. 17.4 I have glorified thee on the earth I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do mark that which thou gavest me to do intimating that all his Work was cut out for him by the will of his Father So Joh. 4.34 Jesus saith unto them my meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work Joh. 6.38 I came down from heaven not to do mine own will but the will of him that sent me upon this account therefore Christ may well be said to be sent by the Father In Scripture 't is sometimes God gave him and sometimes God sent him Christ was given in respect of the freeness of the Grace of God towards us and he was sent in respect of the Father's authority over himself 5. Fifthly take one thing more God's Sending of Christ imports his trusting of him with his great designs this comes in too if not directly yet at leastwise collaterally or concomitantly In all sending there is trust when we send a person about our affairs we repose a trust in him that he will be faithful in the management of our concerns God sent Christ that is he put a great trust into his hands 'T is as if the Father had said My Son here 's a great work to be done a work upon which my glory doth infinitely depend all now lies at the stake as this is mannag'd it will be well or ill with Souls Well I 'le send thee I 'le put all into thy hands venture all with thee I know thou wilt be faithful to secure my Glory and to promote the good of Souls I 'le trust thee and none but thee with such great things as these are this I say is imply'd in God's sending of Christ And now by all put together you see how or in what respects Christ was sent and sent by God the Father you may both to strengthen what hath been said and also further to clear it up take his own parallel Joh. 20.21 As my Father hath sent me even so I send you So that look what Christ's sending of the Apostles was in reference to their Office the same was God's sending of Christ in reference to his Office How then did he send them why 1. he designed chose selected them to and for the work of the Ministry 2. He qualified and fitted them for that work 3. He authorized them by his special Commissian to undertake it 4. He sent them out authoritatively to preach the Gospel and laid his commands upon them so to do 5. He reposed a special Trust in them that they would be faithful Just thus allowing for the preheminence of the Person and of his Office did God send Christ which fully agrees with the particulars that have been insisted upon And as to the Apostles Christ had said the same before to his Father Joh. 17.18 As thou hast sent me into the world even so have I also sent them into the world not that there was a * Vocula 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non omnimodam paritatem sed aliquam convenientiam indicat Nam ab alio alio modo alio fine Christus missus est quam Apostoli◠Bisterf contra Crellium Lib. 1. Sec. 2 cap. 31. parity or perfect equality betwixt the one and the other only an harmony and great agreement So much for the first thing the opening the nature of the Act. How is Christs being sent consistent with his equality to his Father I proceed to the Second to answer an Objection or to remove a difficulty which here lies before us That which hath been spoken seems to derogate from the greatness and glory of Christ's Person For did God thus send him surely then as some argue he is a Person inferiour to the Father this sending seems to be inconsistent with his equality to his Father if he was sent and thus sent doth not that speak his inferiority to that God who sent him and by consequence that he is not God thus the Socinians argue from it and this is One of those Heads from which they fetch their Arguments against Christ's Deity For the explaining of the Thing and the answering of the Adversary Divines commonly lay down two things about it 1. That Sending doth not alwayes imply inferiority or inequality * See Mr. Perkins on Cal 4.4 p. 271. For Persons who are equal upon mutual consent may send each the other and if the Person sent doth freely concur and consent with the Person sending there 's no impeachment or intrenchment then upon the equality betwixt them And thus it was between God the Father and Christ had he been sent meerly from the Will of the Father whether he Himself would or no then indeed the Case had differ'd and the Objection would have carry'd strength in it but it was quite otherwise For Christ readily consented to and perfectly concurred with the Father and he was as willing to be sent as the Father was to send him Lo I come to do thy Will O God When the Master sends the Servant he goes because he must but when the Father sends the Son he goes readily because his Will falls in with his Father's Will he obeys not upon necessity but upon choice and consent So
improvement of it Was Christ sent and did God thus send him what doth this great act of God call for from us I 'le tell you in a few things 1. It calls upon us greatly to admire God Use 1. God to be admired for his sending of Christ O how should all our souls be drawn forth and elevated in the adoring of God for his sending of Christ What rich Mines of Grace have we in these few words God sent his own Son Here 's the greatest thing that ever God did or ever will do 't was much that he should make a World but what 's the making of a World to the sending of a Son The Apostle in the Text seems to ascend step by step and to crowd together variety of great and glorious things that he might the more heighten God's Love and draw up the hearts of Believers to the admiration of it For 1. here is Sending 2. God sending 3. God sending a Son 4. His own Son 5. The sending of this Son in our flesh Yea 6. in the likeness of sinful flesh Yea 7. in that Flesh to offer up himself as a Sacrifice for sin 8. Doing this for this End that sin might be condemned and that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us 9. Doing this too when the Sinners Case was desperate as to the Law is not here maguum in parvo and doth not the Apostle thrust things together heaping one thing upon another that he might the better set off and aggrandize the Love of God There 's enough in any One of them to make you stand and wonder but when you have them conjunct and all set before you in their proper emphasis and import how should you be affected and wrought upon to admire the Grace of God! The truth is take all together and you have here a representation of that Low Mercy Goodness which was too great and bigg for any but a God If you read no further than the Law could not do in that it was weak through the Flesh there man is utterly lost but if you go on to God 's sending of his Son c. there the day of Salvation begins to dawn there 's an effectual remedy for a desperate malady now the case is altered O let the blessed God be therefore for ever magnify'd and adored 2. More particularly The Love of God the Father to be admired this calls upon you to admire the Love of God the Father and alwayes to entertain good thoughts of him they are distinct Heads however let me put them together I would not too curiously divide or distinguish betwixt the Sacred Persons in their several Acts much less would I set them in competition or prefer one before another as if we were more beholden to the One than to the Other As they center in the same common Essence 't is the same Love and the same gracious actings in all but yet they being personally distinct and they having those acts which are proper to them as so distinguished so they have their special and peculiar Love And 't is very good for us to understand what is immediately done by the Father what by the Son what by the Spirit which we must the rather endeavour after because the Scripture usually I do not say alwayes apply's this effect to the First that to the Second and another to the Third Person I am at present only to speak to the acts of the Father wherein he hath display'd that Love which is proper to him which if you please to look into as the Scripture sets them forth you will find your selves under a strong obligation to admire him as personally so considered For 'pray observe who did from all eternity predestinate elect choose you was it not God the Father Predestinating Love is the Father's Love Eph. 1.3 4 5. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world c. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will After this came Redeeming Love and had the Father no hand in that Love nay had not He the first and the chief hand therein For did not he find out the ransom Job 33.24 I have found a ransom did not he contrive and lay the whole model and platform of Redemption in his eternal purpose and ordination therefore 't is said Isa 53.10 The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand that great Work resolves it self into the Will and pleasure of the Father as the first and principal Cause of it Christ as Mediator is brought in but as subordinate to him as being but the ministerial and executive agent in redemption for 't is but in his hands that the pleasure of the Lord should prosper Who chose sent called Christ to that Work and fitted him for it but the Father as you have heard So also who assisted and strengthened him in it but the Father Isa 42.1 Behold my servant whom I uphold of which upholding and strengthening Grace by the Father Christ assured himself beforehand as you read Isa 50. 7 9. and it was accordingly made good to him as you read Matth. 4.11 Luke 22.43 Then again who rewarded Christ when he had finished his Work but the Father therefore to him Christ pray'd for this Joh. 17.4 5. I have glorified thee on the earth I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do And now O Father glorifie thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was And now Christ hath made the purchase who doth authoritatively collate upon persons the blessings purchased but the Father Rom. 8.33 It is God that justifieth 2 Cor. 5.18 All things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ c. Luke 12.32 Fear not little flock it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom Who is it that works in Sinners their meetness for heaven but the Father Col. 1.12 Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Who is it that reveals the great mysteries of the Gospel but the Father Matth. 11.25 I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes Who bestows and gives the Spirit but the Father Joh. 14.16 I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the Spirit of Truth And to shut up this who secures and keeps in a state of grace but the Father Joh. 10.29 My Father which gave them me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's band Now Christians may
which might be as useful in order to Information as the two Former were in order to Exhortation and Consolation Something hath been spoke for the opening of the Nature and Grounds of Christ's being sent but as to the determination or close application of that to his Person wherein we have to do with Jews and Infidels little hath been spoken I mean in that way and method which is proper to those Opposers of Christ and Christianity Here therefore I should lay down and make good these two Propositions 1. That that Jesus in whom we Christians believe even He who was born of the Virgin Mary suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buried and rose again c. I say this Jesus was the very Person whom God sent and consequently that he was the Shiloh or Messias prophesied of 2. That this Jesus was so sent by God to be the true and only Messiah as that besides and after him no other Person is to be expected in that nature or quality to be sent by God Now though these be two as weighty and as Fundamental Truths to us Christians as Christians as any whatsoever and though I could not hope to reach the great Enemies of the Gospel so as to fasten any conviction upon them yet probably I might in the pursuing of this Argument reach some weak Christians so as to confirm stablish them in the belief of these great Truths yet I shall not at present engage in the discussing of these two Propositions First because in so great Points 't is better to say nothing then not to speak fully and throughly to them which if I could other Discouragements being removed hope to do yet here in this place without making the Work in hand too vast and big to be sure I could not Secondly because however pertinent this Undertaking might be to some other Texts to that which I am upon it would not be so pertinent where the Apostles drift and design is not so much in opposition to Jews and Infidels to assert that Christ was the very Person sent of God as to assign for the Comfort of Believers the Way and Course which God took to bring about their Salvation when upon the terms of the Law it was impossible namely he sent his own Son c The Text therefore not tying me to it I may wave it I shall have work enough to go over what the proper and immediate Sense of the Contents of this Chapter will lead me to and therefore I may well cut off what is of a more remote and forraign Consideration So that this shall suffice for the First Observation Christ was sent and sent by God the Father ROM 8.3 God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh c. CHAP. XI Of Christ's being the Natural and Eternal Son of God The Second Observation spoken to Of Christ's being God's Son How his Sonship is attested in Scripture Of his being God's own Son That opened as he is considered both relatively and absolutely That He is the Natural Son of God coaequal coessential coaeternal with the Father is asserted and proved by sundry Scriptures The true Notion and Ground of Christ's Sonship vindicated against the Socinians Where 't is made good against them that He is not the Son of God 1. in respect of his miraculous Conception Nor 2. of his extraordinary Sanctification Nor 3. of his Resurrection Nor 4. of the Dignity and Advancement of his Person Nor 5. of the Father's Special Love to him Nor 6. of Adoption Nor 7. of his Likeness to God But he is the Son of God in respect of his participation of his Father's Essence and of his eternal Generation Some Others besides Socinians somewhat concern'd in this Controversie Of the different communication of the Divine Essence from the Father to the Son and to the Holy Ghost Use 1. In which by way of Inferenee 't is shown 1. That Christ is God 2. That he is a very great and glorious Person 3. That the work of Redemption was an high and costly Work Use 2. Christians from hence are exhorted 1. To study Christ in this Relation as God's own Son Some Directions given about that 2. To believe him and on him as Such 3. To honour and adore Christ 4. To admire the greatness of God's Love Use 3. To draw forth the Comfort wrapp'd up in this Relation of Christ I Proceed to the Third General observed in the Words 2. Observ Christ God's Son and his own Son the Description of the Person sent he is described by his near and special Relation to God as being God's own Son From whence the Second Observation will be this That the Lord Jesus the Person sent by God as you have heard was his Son yea his own Son 1 Joh. 4.14 We have seen and do testifie that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world Here Two things are to be spoken to 1. Christ was God's Son 2. He was God's own Son 1. First Christ was God's Son He was truly the Son of man but not only the Son of man for he was also the Son of God and he was as truly the latter as the former In reference to his Humane Nature he is stiled the * Gen. 3.15 Seed of the Woman the †Gal. 3.16 Seed of Abraham the ‖ Matth. 1.1 Son of David the * Isa 11.1 Jer. 23.5 6. Zech. 6.12 branch of the root of Jesse the Son of man in reference to his Divine Nature he is stiled the Son of God This Relative Appellation or Title is so frequently apply'd to Christ that if I should cite the several Texts where it occurs I must transcribe a great part of the New Testament Several attestations of Christ's Sonship Yet it will not be amiss to take notice of the several attestations there upon record to this great Truth As that of John Baptist Joh. 1.34 I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God That of Nathanael Joh. 1.49 Rabbi thou art the Son of God That of Peter Matth. 16.16 Thou art Christ the Son of the living God That of the Centurion Matth. 27.54 Truly this was the Son of God That of the Eunuch Acts 8.37 I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God That of Martha Joh. 11.27 Yea Lord I believe that thou art the Christ the Son of God which should come into the world The Devils themselves witnessed to it Matth. 8.29 they cryed out saying What have we to do with thee Jesus thou Son of God Mark 3.11 Vnclean Spirits when they saw him fell down before him and cryed saying Thou art the Son of God Christ himself even when he was speaking to God the Father often asserted and pleaded his Sonship And the Father himself in a most solemn and open manner attested it First at Christ's Baptism Matt. 3.17 Lo a voice from heaven saying This is my beloved Son in whom I
am well pleased and then at his Transfiguration Matth. 17.5 Behold a voice out of the cloud which said This is my beloved Son The Apostle 1 Joh. 5.7 8. speaks of the Witness of Heaven and of Earth 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 and the Water and the Blood and these three agree in one Now what is the thing which they bear witness to 't is Christ's Sonship for that is instanc'd in as to the First and Supream Witness Vers 9. If we receive the witness of men the witness of God is greater For this is the witness of God which he hath testified af his Son You see how fully this Truth is attested and how abundantly God was pleas'd to clear it up in the first promulgation of the Gospel it being the great thing necessary to be known and believed Indeed the Jews as to the Body of them had a vail before their eyes so that they could not discern this near relation of Christ to God they saw the Son of man but they did not see the Son of God they went no higher than * Matth. 13.55 56. Is not this the Carpenters Son is not his mother called Mary and his brethren James and Joses and Simon and Judas and his sisters are they not all with us * Joh. 6.42 Is not this Jesus the Son of Joseph whose Father and Mother we know how is it then that he saith I came down from heaven Nay when Christ plainly and boldly told them that he was the Son of God they could not bear it Joh. 10.33 For a good work we stone thee not but for blasphemy and because that thou being a man makest thy self God you may know what they meant by this by Christ's reply Vers 36. Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world Thou blasphemest because I said I am the Son of God Nay they were so offended at it that for this very thing they took away his life Joh. 19.7 The Jews answered him we have a Law and by our Law he ought to die because he made himself the Son of God You have a full account of it Mark 14.61 to 65. Again the High Priest asked him and said unto him Art thou the Christ the Son of the Blessed And Jesus said I am c. Then the High Priest rent his cloaths and said What need we any further witnesses Ye have heard the blasphemy what think ye and they all condemned him to be guilty of death Thus the eyes of that people were then and O that they were not so still so blinded that they could not perceive Christ to be the Son of God but the Lord hath given sufficient evidence thereof to all who do not willfully shut their eyes upon the light 'T is a Truth out of all question to us who are called Christians yet about the Nature and Manner of Christ's Sonship there are some unhappy Controversies rais'd amongst us 2. Secondly Christ was God's own Son so 't is here signanter God sending hîs own Son I have told you in the Original 't is * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Son of himself or his ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 proper Son as 't is Vers 32. God is Christ's proper Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 5.18 and Christ here is God's proper Son 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is not barely a Son but a Son in a special and peculiar manner God's own Son This being a Truth of very high import a most Fundamental Point I will endeavour first to explain and prove it and then to vindicate and make good its true and genuine Notion against Opposers Our Lord Jesus Christ is God's own Son whether you consider him comparatively and relatively I mean How Christ is God's own Son in reference to other Sons or absolutely as he is in Himself abstractly considered from all Other Sons God hath three sorts of Sons By Creation by Grace by Nature 1. Consider him Comparatively And so he is thus stiled to difference or distinguish him from all Other Sons For God hath three sorts of Sons 1. Some are so by Creation or in respect of their immediate Creation by God so the Angels are the Sons of God of whom Divines commonly interpret those passages in Job Chap. 1.6 There was a day when the Sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord Chap. 38.7 When the morning Stars sang together and all the Sons of God shouted for joy So Adam upon this account he being immediately made by God is called the Son of God Luke 3.38 2. Some are the Sons of God by Grace viz. the Grace of Regeneration and Adoption thus Believers are the Sons of God as they are spiritually begotten of him and adopted by him Joh. 1.12 13. As many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God c. which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Jam. 1.18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth c. Gal. 4.3 To redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of Sons Eph. 1.5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of Chrildren by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will Rom. 8.14 As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God Gal. 3.26 Ye are all the Children of God by Faith in Christ Jesus 1 Joh. 5.1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him Then 3. in contradistinction to these there is God's own Son or his Son by Nature one that is a Son of another rank and Order than the former in this respect God hath but One Son namely Christ True Believers are his Sons which speaks the exuberancy of Divine Love towards them * 1 Joh. 3.1 â—â— Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sons of God! therefore Christ owns them for his Brethren Heb. 2.11 Both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren and Vers 17. In all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren But yet they are not Sons as Christ is his Sonship and theirs are of a very different nature differing no less than specifically Upon which account he sometimes appropriates the paternal relation in God unto himself Luke 10.22 All things are delivered to me of my Father c. Joh. 14.2 In my Fathers house are many mansions And elsewhere he distinguishes 'twixt God as being his Father and as being the Father of Believers Joh. 20.17 Go to
my brethren and say unto them I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God where he plainly makes a difference for he doth not say I ascend to our Father as though He and They had one and the same common interest in this near relation to God as he teaches us to say Our Father because we all stand upon the same foot and bottom of Filiation but he saith I ascend to my Father and your Father thereby intimating that there was a difference betwixt God's being a Father to him and a Father to them And so indeed there is a vast one for he is the Father of Christ by * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyrill Hieros Nature and by eternal generation but he is the Father of Saints only by Grace by Adoption and Regeneration which also are not eternal but accomplished in time Thus in this comparative notion Christ may be called God's own Son 2. Consider him absolutely and abstractly from all Other Sons so he is God's own proper Son It will be ask'd how or wherein That I may a little insist upon the explication of this sublime Mystery I answer Christ is God's own Son not only as God hath a special interest or propriety in him as Believers are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ's own Joh. 13.1 nor only as Christ is the Son of no other Father but of God as the * Proprius Dei Filius jure optimo dicitur proptereà quod non sit alienus nec cujuspiam alterius c. Slichting Socinians would turn off the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for so the Saints themselves may be called God's own Sons they being Sons as to their spiritual Sonship by and from God the Father only there must be therefore something higher than this intended in this glorious Title of God's own Son What may that be Answ that Christ was and is God's Natural and Essential Son that he was in a peculiar manner begotten of him and from him in his eternal Generation that he did participate of the Fathers own Nature and Essence that he was a Son coequal co-essential co-eternal with God the Father To draw all into as narrow a compass as may be Our Lord Jesus is God's own Son as God the Father did from all eternity in an ineffable manner beget him in his own Divine Essence So that it points to two things to his being eternally begotten to his being begotten in the Divine Essence As to the latter I chuse to express it so because 't is more safe if not more true to say that the Son was begotten in that Essence rather than out of it And Some who endeavour to open these profound Mysteries tell us that here we are not to consider Christ essentially as he is God but Personally as the Divine Essence subsists in him as the Second Person In the First consideration as he was God he had the Divine Essence in and of himself and so he could not be begotten to it for he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God from himself though * Amongst Others see Armin Declarat Sent. p. 100 c. Resp ad Artic. p. 131. Some who yet were no Arrians do not agree to this In the Second notion as he was God personally considered or as he was the Second Person and the Son so he was of the Father and not of himself for though he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God of himself yet he was not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Son of himself The usual language of the Ancients was God of God very God of very God c. and this was very true but then you must take it as spoken of God * Christus non est Filius Essentiae sed Personae non Dei Essentiae sed Dei Patris Genitus enim est non essentiatus ergo non suae Essentiae vel sui Filius Est Filius unius veri Dei vid. Patris non Divinae in Patre Essentiae c. Hoorneb Socin Conf. Lib. 1. ca. 1. p. 36 Cum dicitur quod Filius est à Patre novimus ex ipsis Fidei principiis hoc ita esse explicandum ut Filius sit à Patre quoad Personalitatem nimirum secundum quod est Filius non quoad Deitatem secundum quod est Deus Siquidem cum Deitas Filii sit una illa simplex ipsissima Patris Deitas ab alio esse non possit nam Filius juste 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicitur Cum idcò in Symbolo Nicaeno de Christo occurrit quod sit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hoc sensu Catholico intelligendum est ut sit Deus de Deo non quoad Deitatem Essentiam sed potius quoad Personalitatem subsistentiam c. Barlow Exercit. 5. p. 107. c. The Son in respect of his Person is of the Father but in respect of his Godhead he is of none The Son of God considered as he is a Son is of the Father God of very God But considered as he is God he is God of himself because the Godhead of the Son is not begotten more than the Godhead of the Father Perkins on Gal. p. 271. See Cheyn Trin-unity p. 134. Personally considered with respect both to the Person begotting and the Person begotten for in the Sacred Persons Essence doth not beget Essence but Person begets Person as 't is * Alting Theol. Probl. Loc. 30. Probl. 32. 34. usually express'd I fear these things may be too high for our weak capacities that they do but darken rather than illustrate the Sonship of Christ yet Divines know not how to speak more plainly concerning these Mysteries Well! I for my part will not venture too far into these great depths that Christ is the Son of God yea thus the Son of God as hath been laid down is evident enough but he that will engage in a curious inquisition into all Particulars resulting from or referring to Christ's Natural and Eternal Sonship will find at last he attempted that which was infinitely too high for him Christ's Natural and Eternal Sonship proved by Scripture Contenting our selves therefore with this more General Explication of it and not launching out too far into Particulars that we may be the more firmly rooted in the belief of this great Article of the Christian Faith viz. that Christ is the natural and eternally begotten Son of God and therefore called his own Son it will be necessary for us to look into the Word of Truth to see what Foundation we have there for this our belief For it would be equally dangerous for us to believe it if the Word doth not affirm it as not to believe it if the Word doth affirm it because we cannot fathom several things in it by the plummet of Reason I shall desire you therefore to weigh the following Scriptures Joh. 7.29 I know him for I am from him and he hath sent me They are
Christ now when the time of his humiliation is over and when he appears in all things like himself as the Son of God in his greatest glory The Third Inference that the Work of Redemption was a very great Work 3. Thirdly was Christ God's own Son I infer certainly then the work of Redemption was a very great work for God sent his own Son about it and therefore surely 't was no ordinary or common thing Alwayes the greater the Person is who is imployed in the work the greater is that work 't is thus from the wisdom of a Man much more shall it be thus from the wisdom of a God Kings do not use to send their Sons upon mean and petty services but only upon such as are high and weighty and can it be imagined that ever God would have sent his own Son into the world to redeem Sinners if this had not been a work very high and great in his eye Indeed this makes Redemption to be the greatest work that ever was done by God himself the making of the World was a great thing but God never sent his Son about that that was dispatch'd by a word he did but speak the word and it was done Works of Providence are very great but there 's no sending of a Son about them but when Redemption-work was to come upon the stage in order to that Christ God's own Son must come from heaven and be incarnate and do and die and all was necessary for the accomplishing of that O how great a work was this So much for the First Vse by way of Inference Use 2. For Exhortation 1. Branch of the Exhortation to study Christ as the proper Son of God 2. Secondly was Christ God's own Son let me from hence urge a few things upon you 1. Study Christ much in this relation that you may know him as the proper natural essential Son of God The knowledge of Christ in whatever notion you consider him is very pretious it was so to Paul who * 1 Cor. 2.2 determined not to know any thing save Jesus Christ c. and †Phil. 3.8 who counted all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus but to know him as he stands in this near relation to God as God's own Son O this is precious knowledge indeed Now Sirs you have heard much of him read much of him but do you know him and know him as the eternal only-begotten Son of God This is that Truth upon which all Religion depends in which you have the very heart and spirit of the Gospel upon which the whole stress of your happiness is laid 't is one of the most fundamental Articles of the Christian Faith and yet will you be ignorant of it You all have some general knowledge of it and you all profess to believe it 't is a part of your Creed but do you distinctly and clearly know alwayes allowing for the mysteriousness of the Object and the dimness of your Facultys how Christ is the Son of God how his Sonship was brought about and wherein it lies that he is God's natural Son begotten by him from all eternity in a most mysterious and admirable manner do you understand any thing about this * Cognoscere quando Filius Dei primùm extiterit utrum ex ipsius Patris essentiâ necne genitus fuerit non est necessarium creditu ad salutem Socin Solut. Scrupul resp ad Scrup. 1. So Episcopius Iust Theol. lib. 4. cap. 34. per totum Some tell us that the knowledge and belief of Christ's Sonship according to the particulars wherein it hath been opened not necessary to Salvation I 'le not engage in this Controversie wherein Some do as much affirm as Others deny but this I say it being so momentous a Truth in it self and the Scriptures speaking so much of it and giving so much light about it 't is of great Concern to all who live under Gospel-revelation to endeavour to know as much of it as the height of the thing and the lowness of their capacities will admit of Directions in the studying of Christ as the Son of God And because I would hope that there are Some here whose thoughts are taken up about it and who desire to arrive at a fuller knowledge of it therefore to such I would commend three things by way of Direction 1. In all your enquiries and searchings into Christ's Sonship especially into the Ground and Mode of it viz. eternal Generation be sure you keep within the bounds of sobriety I mean this take heed that in this deep Mystery you * 1 Cor. 4.6 be not wise above what is written that you do not therein consult your own purblind and carnal reason but Scripture-revelation altogether Pray study it but in so doing do not * Quaero abs te quando vel quomodo Filium putas esse generatum mihi enim impossibile est Generationis scire secretum mens deficit vox silet non mea tantum sed Angelorum supra potestates supra Angelos supra Cherubin supra Seraphin supra omnem sensum est c. Tu ergo ori manum admove scrutari non licet superna mysteria Licet scire quod natus sit non licet discutere quomodo natus sit Illud mihi negare non hoc quaerere metus est Ineffabilis enim est illa Generatio Ambros de Fide Cap. 5. Si Christus dâ—xit senescire de die illâ horâ sed solum Patrem quanto minùs possumus nos scire quomodo genitus sit Filius ex Patre Non debere igitur nos crubescere fateri neminem hunc modum nosse sed solum illum qui genuit eum qui genitus est Iren. lib. 2. cap. 48. Quomodo Deus Pater genuerit Filium nolo discutias nec te curiosiùs inseras in profundi hujus arcanum Cyprian in Symbol 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epiph. adv Haeres lib. 2. tom 2. p. 739. The Mystery of Mysteries which corrupt and wanton Reason derides but prudent Faith admires and adores Cheyn Trin-unity p. 190. pry too far into those secrets which God hath lock'd up from you content your selves with what he hath reveal'd in his Word and stay there 'T is both sinful and also dangerous for poor shallow Creatures to venture too far into these depths where if they once lose their bottom the written Word they drown themselves presently there 's no clue but that to guide us in this labyrinth That Christ is the Son of God is very clear that he is the Son of God by eternal Generation is very clear but will you be inquisitive further to know what this Generation is what can your Reason the Scripture being silent about it say of that O go not too far there Humane Reason consider'd as meerly natural is a very incompetent judge of this divine and sublime mystery a mystery to
and save undone Sinners if send he will why did he not send an Angel or a body of Angels to try their skill and see what they could do nay why did he not send an Angel as he once did with a * Gen. 3.24 flaming Sword in his hand to keep off Sinners from the tree of life O this did not comport with his gracious designs though it did too well with the Creatures merit therefore he would not do it no his own Son shall be pitch'd upon he 's the Person whom God will send And his End in sending this Son was as gracious as the Person whom he sent was glorious surely here was Love great Love great even to the degree of infiniteness Millions of Angels were nothing to one Son to one such Son the nearer the relation was 'twixt God and Christ the greater was the affection shown to us Christ God's own Son his first born his only begotten Son the Son of his Love who lay in his bosome had been his delight from everlasting for him to be sent to recover and save Man vile sinful wicked undone man the Son to be imploy'd for the Servant the Slave the Enemy O astonishing mercy O admirable goodness and condescension How may we here cry out Lord * Psal 8.4 Psal 144.3 what is man that thou art thus mindful of him and the †Joh. 3.16 Son of man that thou makest this account of him Here was God's so loving of the world so as can never be express'd he so loved the world as that he gave his only begotten Son c. So loved the world what is there in this so why so inexpressibly so unconceivably Joh. 4.9 10. In this was manifested the love of God towards us because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him Herein is Love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins God own'd it as a great discovery of Abraham's Love to him when upon his command he was willing to offer up his only begotten Son but alas how infinitely short did that come of his own Love in his sending and parting with his only begotten Son for the good of Sinners here he intended to give out the highest manifestation of his Grace and he hath done it to purpose The * Isa 1.2 heavens and the earth were once called upon to be filled with astonishment because of the ingratitude of a sinful people may not now Heaven and Earth Angels and Men all Creatures whatsoever be called upon to be filled with astonishment because of the stupendious Love of God O Christians what influence hath this upon your dull and sluggish hearts what are you made of that you are no more in the sense of it drawn out in the blessing loving admiring of God Pray if there be any holy ingenuity in you take some pains with your selves that you may be much more affected with it and give not over till you have such thoughts and affections upon God's sending his own Son raised in you as may in some measure answer to those thoughts and affections which you shall have about it when you shall be in Heaven Use 3. For Comfort from Christ's Sonship So much for Exhortation the third and last Vse shall be for Comfort and surely here is ground of strong Consolation to Believers that which may highly conduce to the furthering of their joy and the strengthning of their faith You who are such study this Sonship of Christ dwell upon it often in your most serious thoughts make the best of it and then tell me whether you do not find that solid Support and Comfort from it which you desire and need Shall I broach this full Vessel and draw out a little of that heart-chearing liquour which is in it then know that 1. As Christ is the Son of God so are you When I say SO are you you must understand me of the Verity not of the Kind or Manner of the Sonship you are not Sons as Christ is viz. by eternal Generation yet Sons you are in another way viz. by regeneration and adoption and though herein you come short of Christ you being but adopted Sons and he the natural Son yet as you are but such there is greater glory put upon you than if you were descended from or adopted by the greatest Monarch of the World May not this be matter of great comfort to you to consider that whatever Christ is that you are according to your capacity and necessary subordination to him that all that Grace which fell upon him falls upon you likewise and yet so it is is he the anointed of God so are you is he a Son so are you is he the beloved of God so are you is he the Heir of God so are you in these respects also 't is * Joh. 1.16 Grace for Grace I am upon your Sonship in conformity to Christ's Sonship the truth of which you have no reason to question since the procuring of this for you was one thing that God in special aimed at in the sending of his Great Son into the world Gal. 4.4 5. When the fulness of time was come God sent forth his Son c. that we might receive the adoption of Sons and therefore in this relation Christ takes you in with himself Joh. 20.17 Go to my brethren and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and your Father and to my God and your God 2. You may now upon this confidently expect the bestowing of all good For Christ being God's own Son and he having given him to you what can come after that can be too great or too good for him to give to you what will God now deny after the gift of such a Son He * Rom. 8.32 that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Saints let this be thought of as all blessings come to you from God as he is the God and Father of Christ for 't is * Eph. 1.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ so all blessings are assur'd to you from this relative consideration of God viz. as he is first the God and Father of Christ and then in him your God and Father too 3. You may he sure that there is an infinite value worth and efficacy in Christ's Obedience and that he was a person able to accomplish your Redemption Christ being such a Son this speaks him to be a Person of great dignity that dignity of his Person gives the highest assurance to Faith both that he was every way able to go through what he undertook and also that there must be an infinite Virtue and Merit in what ever he did or suffered What can be so
hard as that the power of the Son of God cannot effect it and what can be so high as that the Obedience of the Son of God cannot merit it Had Christ been only the Son of Man then indeed Faith could not have bore up with such confidence but he being the Son of God also and having the Nature Essence Attributes of God how may Faith triumph as to the efficacy and meritoriousness of his obedience 'T was the blood of God which he shed Acts 20.28 O what a greatness and * Superest ut poena illa Fidejussoris nostri pretio dignitate atque merito foret infinita id quod allter fieri non potuit quam si Persona patiens foret ipsa infinita Nam ut Pèccati c. Vid. Thes Salmur de Christo Mediat parte 1. th 13. p. 246. infiniteness of Merit must needs result from the greatness and infiniteness of such a Person Heb. 9.13 14. If the blood of Bulls and of Goats and the ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the Flesh How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your Conscience from dead works to serve the Living God 4. You may go boldly to the throne of Grace upon all occasions For you have God's own Son to lead you thither and to make way for you and not only so but this own Son improves all his interest in and with the Father for your good why are you afraid to go to God Heb. 4.14 16. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest that is passed into the heavens Jesus the Son of God c. let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need 5. You need not in the least question the prevalency of Christ's intercession Doth Christ intercede and shall he not prevail will not the Father hear such a Son Suppose he may deny you which he will not yet surely he will not deny his own and onely Son Christ upon this relation may ask any thing and he shall have it mark the connexion Psal 2.7 I will declare the decree the Lord hath said unto me thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee what follows now upon this why Vers 8. Ask of me and I shall give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession God thinks nothing too much for this Son when he asks it of him and 't is the same when he asks for you as when he asks for himself therefore fear not but that your Prayers shall be graciously answered Christ himself interceding for you when the Kings own Son carrys the Petition doubtless it shall be granted 6. This is the Person to whom you are mystically united and therefore his Glory and Greatness reflects a Glory and Greatness upon you You are in Christ not only as he is the Son of Man but as he is the Son of God also for the Vnion is terminated not in this or that Nature but in the whole Person the Apostle therefore takes special notice of this 1 Joh. 5.20 We know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ O to be in this Son there 's the glory and safety of a believer I have done with this high and most Evangelical Truth The Lord Jesus is God's own Son upon which I have been somewhat large partly because of the excellency of the Argument it self and partly because of the great opposition made against it 2 Joh. 3. Grace be with you mercy and peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of the Father in truth and love ROM 8.3 c. In the likeness of sinful Flesh CHAP. XII Of Christ's Incarnation and abasement in Flesh A Fourth General in the Words handled Why the Apostle is so express in the further adding of these Words to the former Five things laid down for the explication of them Flesh not taken here in the same sense with Flesh in what went before A double Synecdoche in the word Flesh Christ did not bring Flesh from Heaven with him but assum'd it here on Earth His sending in Flesh was not his taking a meer humane shape c. Likeness to be joyn'd not with Flesh but with sinful Flesh Two Propositions rais'd from the Words Of the First that Christ was sent in Flesh What his sending in Flesh imports this opened more strictly and more largely Of Marcion and Others who denied the verity of Christ's Incarnation and Body That proved as to both as also the verity of his whole Manhood Of his having a true Soul Of his submitting to the common adjuncts and infirmities of Flesh How the Humane Nature in Christ and in us differ His Incarnation not impossible not incredible The Reasons of it 1. That the Old-Testament Prophecies Promises Types might thereby receive their accomplishment 2. That Christ might be qualified for his Office as Mediator and the work of Redemption 3. Because it was the fittest and the best way in order to the redeeming of man Seven Propositions laid down for the due stating and opening of Christ's Incarnation As 1. That Christ who before was the eternal Son of God and had a praevious existence was made Flesh this made good against the SOCINIANS 2. That the Second Person only was incarnate 3. That this was not done till the fulness of time 4. That 't was not the divine Essence absolutely considered which assumed Flesh but that Essence considered as subsisting in the Second Person 5. That the Nature assuming was the Divine Nature 6. That the Humane Nature was so assum'd as to subsist in the Divine and that both of these Natures make but one Person where the Hypostatical Union is opened and prov'd 7. 'T is probable that if Adam had not fallen Christ had not been sent in the Flesh Of the Second Proposition That Christ was sent in the likeness yet but in the likeness of sinful Flesh Of the Sanctity of Christ's Humane Nature The Grounds thereof Use 1. To inform 1. Of the excellency of the Gospel and of the Christian Religion As also 2. Of the excellency of Christ's Flesh or Manhood Use 2. Wherein several Duty 's are urged upon Christians as namely 1. To give a full and firm assent to the Truth of Christ's Incarnation and also firmly to adhere to Christ as having assumed our Flesh where something is spoken against those who make little of a Christ in Flesh but are all for a Christ within 2. To be much in the study and contemplation of Christ incarnate 3. To adore the Mystery it self and also the Father and the Son in the Mystery 4. To endeavour after the powerful influence of it
to the utmost of its capacity having nothing in its several faculties but truth in the Vnderstanding holy conformity in the Will heavenliness in the affections I say represent to your selves in your thoughts such a Soul and then think what an excellent Soul would that be just such a Soul is in Christ Indeed if we consider these constitutive parts of Christ's Manhood as they stand apart and by themselves they are excellent to a very high degree but if we go further and consider them in the Hypostatick Vnion then we are at a mighty loss and cannot conceive what a glory is by that conferr'd upon them As suppose a Pearl was put into a glass of Chrystal that would put a great radiancy upon it but what if the Sun it self could be put into this glass how radiant then would it be So here the Lord Christ having so precious a Soul dwelling in his Flesh even that if there was nothing more must make it very glorious but when the Godhead it self dwells in it how unspeakable must its glory and splendor needs be Leaving the parts let me speak to the whole the whole humane nature in Christ is transcendently excellent If the essential and eternal Son of God will so far condescend as to assume Man's Nature certainly in him the Manhood must have all that dignity glory perfection that ever it was capable of and surely never was the Humane Nature so advanc'd as in Christ If you consider it as 't is in us so it hath its worth and excellency for man is yet a glorious creature though 't is too true by the loss of God's image he hath lost very much of his glory As he was at first created in the state of innocency he was high indeed by the Fall the case is sadly altered the Humane Nature now is exceedingly debas'd and depress'd but yet even in its ruins as 't was with old Carthage it may be seen what once it was much is lost and the best is lost but all is not lost the glory of the Saint is gone but the glory of the Man in a great measure yet remains He is yet as to his natural composition and indowments very excellent the top of the whole creation God's * Vid. Nyssen de Hom. opif. c. 3. p. 51. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euryphamus in Stobae Ser. c1 p. 556. Theophrastus calls him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as though God in him would vye with and out-vye all that he had done besides in the whole visible creation See Weems's Portrait p. 60 61. master-piece and highest workmanship endowed with a body curiously wrought with a Soul of divine original excellent in its being and operations And besides this which is general it pleases God in some to restore the Humane Nature in part to what it lost in Adam's fall to advance it again by Grace and Regeneration yea to take it up to heaven to the vision and fruition of himself And now 't is at its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here 's its non-ultra its highest advancement 't is not capable as in us of higher exaltation that what it hath by Grace and Glory This dignity and glory the Humane Nature hath in us but yet as 't is so subjected take it even at its highest elevation it comes infinitely short of the dignity and excellency of the Humane Nature of Christ the reason is because in it there 's all that hath been spoken in an eminent manner and besides which is higher than all the former it is taken into a near conjunction with the Divine Nature How glorious must that Manhood be which subsists in the Godhead and hath no subsistence but in that The nearer the Vnion is with that the greater is the perfection and glory of that which is admitted into that union And hence it is that there is such a fulness of Grace in Christ as Man over and above what is in the best of men that he is * Psal 45.7 anointed with the oyl of gladness above his fellows that his Manhood bears a part in the mediatory Office that 't is to be worshipped with Divine Worship as hath been proved before I say all this belongs to it by vertue of the Hypostatical Vnion from which in all things it derives super-excellent Glory And yet I must tell you this Humane Nature as high as 't is is the lowest thing in Christ that which is the highest in us is but the lowest in him Supremum infimi infimum supremi as Man he 's glorious but what is he then as God! What a Person is Christ take him altogether O let him be adored and reverenced by you as Man but especially as he is God-man So much for Information Use 2. Exhortation to several Dutys 2. Secondly was Christ sent in flesh hence ariseth matter of Exhortation to several Duties 1. I would exhort you to give a full and firm assent to the truth of Christ's incarnation To give a full and firm assent to the truth of Christ's Incarnation as also firmly to adhere to Christ as sent in flesh Here are two things which Iâ—le speak to apart First see that you give a full and firm assent to the truth of Christ's Incarnation 'T is a thing which the Scripture layes a great stress upon 1 Joh. 4.3 Every Spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God and this is that spirit of Antichrist whereof you have heard that it should come and even now is it in the world 2 Joh. 7. Many deceivers are entred into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh this is a deceiver and an Antichrist It seems the Incarnation of Christ met with early opposition his flesh was no sooner translated to Heaven but 't was deny'd on Earth this Apostle therefore who in his Gospel had been a great asserter of it in his Epistles will be also a zealous defender of it and see how warm he was upon it the denyal of Christ's coming and of his coming in the flesh for there lies the main emphasis he carries as high as Antichristianism and sets no lower a brand upon it Antichristianism doth not only lie in the opposing of Christ in his Offices which is the latter and modern Antichristianism but also in the opposing of him in his Natures as God and Man which was the first and ancient Antichristianism to deny Christ's Manhood and assuming flesh this is down-right Antichristian the very spirit of Antichrist if the Apostle here may be believed Now there 's a twofold denial of this one open express direct the other * Non attendamus ad linguam sed ad facta si enim omnes interrogantur omnes uno ore confitentur Jesum esse Christum quiescat paululum lingua vitam interroga Aug. in Ep. Joh. Tract 3. implicit virtual interpretative the former I hope is very rare the latter I fear is too common he
subdued and conquered all the powers of Hell held it out till all was finished all this was done in our flesh by Christ-Man though not as meer Man I say in our flesh for had it not been so * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrysost Haec erat Dei virtus in substantià pari perficere salutem Non enim magnum si Spiritus Dei Carnem remediaret sed si Caro consimilis peccatrici dum Caro est sed non peccati Tertull. adv Marcion l. 5. the thing had not been so great but that Christ in our very Nature and Flesh should be able to do such things there 's the wonder doubtless he must be assisted and strengthened by an higher Nature otherwise it could not have been thus Nay that Christ-Man should continue yet to do such strange and mighty things O stand and wonder at his Power 'T was the stone cut without hands by which you are to understand Christ in the miraculous production of his Humane Nature which smote the image c. Dan. 2.34 You read of one sitting upon the cloud like unto the Son of man having on his head a golden crown and in his hand a sharp sickle for the cutting down of his enemies Rev. 14.14 and the Son of man is brought before the ancient of dayes and there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom that all people nations and languages should serve him c. Dan. 7.13 14. Now that Christ in the Nature of Man should be thus exalted and also do such great and glorious things is not this wonderful Suppose you had seen * Exod. 2.3 Moses when a child in his Ark of bullrushes laid in the flags by the rivers brink and then afterwards had seen him when grown up in the head of the people of Israel as their ruler and deliverer as he is stiled Act. 7.35 subduing Pharaoh and all his Host would not this have struck you with admiration What then shall we say and think of Christ he that for some time was shut up in his Mothers womb lay as a weak infant on her lap suck'd at her breasts c. and when grown up suffer'd and dy'd upon the Cross this very Christ is the redeemer of the world the Saviour of man the King of all the earth the universal Conqueror over Devils and all Enemies whatsoever exalted far above principalities c. what shall we say to these things verily they command adoring silence and wonderment I have been very long yet not too long I hope upon this head when the Incarnation of the Son of God is before me than which there never was a greater thing to be wondred at could I say too much in order to the raising of your hearts to the highest adoration both of the thing and also of the persons concern'd in it what more proper and necessary to be urg'd upon such an Argument than such a frame of spirit Fourth Branch of the Exhortation To labour after the powerful influence of Christ's Incarnation upon Heart Life 4. Fourthly this great mystery of Christ's Incarnation must have some powerful influence upon your hearts and lives My Brethren 't is not enough to believe it to have an ineffective light in the head about it no nor sometimes to have the affections wrought upon in the admiration of it but this must be attended with deep impressions upon the heart and have a great efficacy upon the life The Apostle having spoke of the * 1 Tim. 3.16 mystery of Godliness presently he falls upon Christ's being manifested in the flesh as a great part of that mystery of Godliness and this in particular as well as the whole Gospel in General is set forth thereby because where 't is known and believ'd aright it doth very much conduce and operate to the promoting of Godliness St. John tells us 1 Joh. 4.2 Every Spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God is every Spirit that confesseth this of God yes so far as assent to the truth and a faithful profession of that truth will carry it But such as would be said to be of God in a more special and saving way they must not only assent and profess but they must live suitably to what they do so believe and profess this truth of Christ's being come in the flesh must have an efficacy upon them in what is practical and then they will be of God indeed A God incarnate is both the great incouragement to Faith and also the great incentive to Duty Should I here fall upon the several particulars which offer themselves and enlarge upon them I should too much trespass briefly therefore let me but touch upon six or seven things 1. Was Christ sent in flesh and do you know and believe it Christians upon this must be humble Oh how humble should you be What an argument is here from Christ's Incarnation for humility in his assuming flesh he hath set before you the highest the most glorious pattern of humility that ever was will you not follow it * Matth. 11.29 Learn of me for saith he I am meek and lowly he gave sufficient evidence of his lowliness in becoming Man now is it not better to learn of an humble God than of a proud man O Christian after such abasement of thy Lord and Saviour wilt thou be haughty and proud how unsuitable is a proud sinner to an humble Saviour What saith one more mysterious than God humbled more monstrous than man proud When ever pride self-conceitedness self-exalting begin to rise in the heart think of the humility of the Son of God how he emptied himself made himself of no reputation took upon him the form of a Servant c. and surely this will be an effectual Antidote against pride The Apostle when he would further lowliness of mind in the Philippians this is the consideration which he sets before them Phil. 2.3 6 7 c. * Diabolus superbus hominem superbientem perduxit ad mortem Christus humilis hominem obedientem reduxit ad vitam quia sicut ille clatus cecidit dejecit consentientem sic iste humiliatus surrexit erexit credentem August tem 3. p. 1051. We were undone by a proud Devil and a proud heart if ever we be sav'd it must be by an humble Saviour and an humble heart 2. Do not sin Partly Must not Sin that there may be in you as full a conformity to Christ as here you can come up to he took your Nature and sinn'd not therein you should be as like to him as ever you may Partly that Christ may have his end in his coming in the flesh for why did he so come but that he might destroy the works of the Devil 1 Joh. 3.8 that he might redeem you from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2.14 that you being delivered out
glorying who would take away from them the Manhood of Christ since as 't is truly said * Nullus potest eo capite gloriari in quo asserit Naturam suam non haberi Leo Epist 11. No man can glory in that head in which he believes there is not his own Nature And how injurious are the Saints unto themselves who do so little meditate upon improve and draw comfort from Christ in this consideration Wherein doth Christ's Incarnation afford matter of Comfort to Believers If it be ask'd What is there in a Christ incarnate for the strengthning of the Faith the heightning of the comfort of God's Children give me leave to answer this Question in several particulars 1. There 's this in it certainly this must be an effectual and the most effectual way imaginable for the promoting of God's glory and the Sinners good This an effectual way to promote God's glory and the good of Sinners If Christ become Man that must be a very proper and powerful Means in order to these ends for besides the greatness of the thing in it self if it shall please God out of his abundant mercy to propound to himself the bringing about of such things he out of his infinite Wisdom will be sure to pitch upon such means as shall certainly reach them and therefore he pitching upon this unquestionably it shall attain what it was designed for Is not this then ground of joy and a great support to faith to consider that there is a way and such a way way found out as shall infallibly and effectually promote your good 2. In this you have in high demonstration of his * Nihil tam necessarium fuit ad erigendam spem nostram quam ut demonstraretur nobis quantum nos diligeret Deus Quid vero isto indicio manifestius quam quod Dei Filius Naturae nostrae dignatus est inire consortium Aug. de Trin. l. 13. Love yea the highest that was possible The highest demonstration of God's Love for there was in it ultimus divini amoris conatus infinite Love it self could go no higher than a Christ in Flesh Now this Love of God is the strongest the most heart-reviving cordial that can be given to a gracious person and answerable to the degree of that so is the degree of his comfort for evermore where God displayes his highest Love there he hath the highest comfort You that are such do you desire an evidence of this and would that chear you here you have one the very highest that God could give viz. his sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh All the Promises are seal'd by this 3. By this as hath been already observed under a former head all the promises are seal'd confirm'd and ratify'd Christ's Incarnation was not only one of the promises it self yea the grand Old-Testament promise but it was the seal and confirmation of all the rest When God would give Ahaz a sign for the incouraging of his faith as to the making good of a particular mercy promis'd what was that sign why Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call his name Immanuel Isa 7.14 and so it is in all other respects The Promises indeed are confirmed several wayes but there is not any one thing which gives an higher confirmation to them than this Christ's being made Flesh What ever God hath promis'd 't is all sure now to be made good why because his great promise of the Incarnation of his Son than the which nothing could be more high and more improbable is exactly accomplished A Christ incarnate is Faith's highest security Saints you have no reason now to question either God's power for what cannot he do who can unite the Godhead and the Manhood what can be too hard for him who can make a Virgin to conceive or his mercy and willingness to do any thing for you for he that will send his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh what will he stick at what can come after that can be so great as that * Rom. 8.32 He that spared not his own Son how shall he not with him give us all things Well therefore might the Apostle say All the promises of God in him in Christ are yea and in him Amen c. 2 Cor. 1.20 A very great and precious Truth here lies before me All the great objects of the Christians Faith and Hope are by Christ's Incarnation made sure and credible This proved by Instancâ—s which there-I would fain speak more fully unto 't is this that all the excellent Objects of the Christians Faith and Hope are made credible nay sure and certain upon the Incarnation of the Son of God This I 'le endeavour to make out in some Instances As the Mystical Vnion 1. There 's first the mystical union betwixt Christ and Believers a very great mystery as you have heard Christ in believers and one with them what can be more wonderful yet 't is sure there is such a thing and we may be assured of it for 't is made credible and certain by that which I am upon The Hypostatical Vnion ascertains the Mystical Vnion the union of Persons is not so much as the Personal Vnion he that hath thus united our Manhood to his Godhead in one Person why may he not mystically unite our persons to his Person this latter union not being so high as the former As 't is said * Heb. 7 7. the less is blessed of the better so I may here say the less is confirmed by the greater if Christ had not come so near us in the taking of our Nature the mystical union might have been more doubtful but now there 's no room for doubting Observe that place Heb. 2.11 Both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one there 's the union in the same common Nature for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren there 's the near relation or the mystical union grounded upon the former Communion with God Christ's special presence the inhabitation of the Spirit 2. There 's Communion with God Christ's special presence in the Soul the inhabitation of the Spirit All very high and glorious things so high that the poor creature knows not how to believe them yet they also are very credible and certain upon Christ's Incarnation 'T is more for God to be made man then 't is for God to converse with man God manifested in the flesh is more than God manifesting himself to flesh Moreover Christ in our flesh laid the foundation of the Creatures Communion with God and removed that which hindred it namely distance and enmity these two stood in the sinners way as to this blessed communion but Christ removed them both and so brought it about 'T is observable the Apostle having spoken of the Incarnation of Christ 1 Joh. 1.1 2 3. presently he adds and truly our
we should have undergone vouchsafed to dye that we might not dye bare himself in his Soul and body as our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the punishment due to us here was substitution far above what was in the Law-sacrifices But this * De Servat p. 2. c. 4. passim In Praelect c. 18. with him concur Crellius Smalcius c. and all of that party SOCINVS and his Followers cannot indure to hear of O they rally all their force unite all their strength set themselves with all their might to oppose and beat down this great Truth there are but few of the Evangelical Mysteries which these pernicious Gospel-destroyers do not assault some way or other but as to that which is now before us Christ's suffering dying satisfying in our stead the summ of Gospel-revelation the great Article of the Christian Faith the main prop and foundation of the believers Hope this they make their fiercest assaults upon whatever stands if they may have their will this shall not But alas poor men when they have done their worst it will stand firm upon its sure basis as an eternal unmoveable Truth 't is so established in the Word and so rooted in the hearts of Christians that in spite of the most subtile and fierce oppositions of all gain-sayers it shall abide for ever Well! however let us see what ground we have for our belief of it and surely upon enquiry it will appear we have enough and enough If the Gospel be not clear in this 't is clear in nothing and blessed be the Lord who in a point of such vast importance to Souls hath given the world a revelation of it so plain and full Substitution in the case of the old Sacrifices is not so evidently held forth in the Law but substitution with respect to Christ and his Sacrifice is more evidently held forth in the Gospel Rom. 5.6 For when we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly Vers 8. But God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet Sinners Christ died for us 1 Pet. 3.18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins the just for the unjust 1 Pet. 4.1 Forasmuh then as Christ hath suffered for us in the Flesh c. 1 Pet. 2.21 because Christ also suffered for us c. Joh. 10.15 I lay down my life for the sheep Joh. 11.50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people and that the whole nation perish not Heb. 2.9 That he by the grace of God should taste death for every man 2 Cor. 5.14 15. if one died for all then were all dead And that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them and rose again In all these places the Preposition * Of this and the other Prepositions Grot. de Sat. c. 10. p. 3. c. 9. p. 115. Hoorneb p. 566 567 568. Calor p. 421. c. et p. 453. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used which though not alwayes yet most frequently notes substitution the doing or suffering of something by one in the stead and place of others see Rom. 9.3 2 Cor. 5.20 and so 't is all along here to be taken where it being used of Persons the nature of the matter spoken of the use of the word in parallel Texts as also in Greek Authors gives this sense the preference before any other But suppose this may be eluded the other Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 proves the thing undeniably Matth. 20.28 Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministred unto but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 2.6 Who gave himself a ransom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for all Christ did not barely deliver poor captive-Souls but he delivered them in the way of a ransom which ransom he paid down for them in their stead so as that what they themselves should have paid that he was pleas'd to pay for them This is and must be the sense and import of the word for every one knows that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Composition out of that I know it hath other senses see Heb. 12.2 1 Cor. 11.15 signifies but two things either * 1 Joh. 2.18 opposition and contrariety or substitution and †Rom. 12.17 Matth. 5.38 1 Pet. 3.9 Luk. 11.11 commutation so that the matter will come to this we must either carry it thus that Christ gave himself a ransom against Sinners than which nothing more absurd or else thus that he gave himself a ransom in the stead and place of Sinners than which nothing more true I might further prove it by 2 Cor. 5.21 He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him Gol. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us If he had not so been in his own person woe to poor Sinners they must then have ly'ne under it themselves to all eternity What a full and convincing Chapter is that of Isa 53. for the proof of that which I am upon 't would take up a great deal of time to go * This is done by very many Anti-Socinian Writers Particularly see Grot. de Sat. p. 11. c. O that he had not afterwards spoil'd in his Commentaries upon Isa 53. what he had before in this excellent Treatise so nervously and orthe doxly asserted but there he is as weak as here he is strong Dr. Owen against B. p. 499. c. his vindication of the true sense of it against Grotius p. 521. c. over it and to draw out the strength and emphasis of the several expressions in it I must not engage so far But surely the tongue of man could not utter nor the head of man invent any Words or Phrases more plain and apposite for the setting forth of Christ's substitution than what you have there the truth is its edge is every way as sharp against the SOCINIAN who denyes this as 't is against the JEW who denies Christ's Messiah-ship Vers 4. Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows c. Vers 5. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed Vers 6. The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all or the Lord hath made the iniquities of us all to meet on him Vers 7. He was oppressed he was afflicted c. or as the words are rendred by some it was * So the word Nagas is taken 2 King 23.35 Zech. 9.8 Significat aigere ad solutionem debiti Forer opprimi ad solvendum adigi ab exactore Morus in loc exacted and he answered Vers 8. For the transgression of my people was he stricken Vers 11. for he shall bear their iniquities Vers 12. and he
occur in Scripture 2 King 3.27 2 King 17.31 2 King 23.10 2 Chron. 28.3 Jer. 7.31 Jer. 19.5 Jer. 32.35 Psal 106.37 38. Levit. 18.21 Levit. 20.2 In other things the Heathens borrowed from the Jews in this the Jews from the Heathens Upon the whole then it appears that Scripture and Nature do both concur in that notion of expiatory Sacrifices which I have insisted upon and surely in the applying of it to Christ the grand expiatory Sacrifice the Gospel is exceeding clear So that when we assert his substitution in the stead of Sinners his dying for them his atoning God and expiating Sin by his death and blood we say nothing but what Jews and Heathens in their expiatory Sacrifices apprehended believed and acted upon They then who differ in these things as to the general nature use and end of such Sacrifices they differ not only from us but from all mankind of whom it might be expected they would better agree with Heathens since they do so ill agree with Christians Of the Second Enquiry when and where Christ was this expiatory Sacrifice I have dispatch'd the First Enquiry What a kind of Sacrifice Christ was the Second follows when and where he was such a Sacrifice To which I answer when he was here on earth and especially when he died upon the Cross then and there he was this expiatory Sacrifice All are not of my mind herein the Enemy who way-lays me in every step I take in these great Truths is upon me again and forces me to defend my self or rather the Truth I have laid down * Socin de Serv. p. 2. c. 12 15. Smale de Divin Christi c. 23. Gatech Racov. de Mun. Christi Sacerd. Quaest 2. He saith Christ's being thus a Sacrifice points to his being in Heaven and to what he there doth that his death here was but a preparation to his Sacrifice as there to be made or but an antecedent Condition to his having of power there to expiate sin with much more to that purpose Here then lies the difference between us and S we say Christ's being the expiatory Sacrifice belongs to that part of his Priestly-Office which he executed here upon earth they make it to refer to that part of his Priestly-Office which he now executes in Heaven we time it in Christ's dying upon the Cross they in his sitting upon the Throne Now that I may at once prove what is true and also confute what is false I argue thus 1. It appears that here Christ's Sacrifice was exhibited or that here he made his expiatory Offering because the Scripture speaks of it as a thing that is past and antecedent to his exaltation and glory and therefore it must be done here on earth and not in Heaven Eph. 5.2 and hath given himself for us an Offering a Sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour Heb. 1.3 when he had by himself purged our sins he sate down on the right hand of the Majesty on high mark it the Sacrifice-purgation or expiation of sin was over and done and then Christ's exaltation in Heaven followed after Heb. 9.12 Neither by the blood of Goats and Calves but by his own blood he entred in once into the holy place having obtained not to obtain eternal redemption for us Heb. 10.12 But this man after he had offered one Sacrifice for sins for ever sate down on the right hand of God he did not first sit down on the right hand of God and then offer up his Sacrifice for sins but he first offered and then he sat down on the right hand of God 2. When the Scripture speaks of Christ's expiation of sin by the Sacrifice of himself it speaks of it as a thing done but once therefore it must refer to his death which was but once not to his intercession or any other act in Heaven which is a * Heb. 7.25 continued repeated and reiterated act Heb. 9.26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself Vers 28. Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many Heb. 7.27 this he did once when he offered up himself Heb. 10.10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all Doth this once agree with any thing that he now doth in Heaven 3. If Christ had not dispatch'd his expiatory work at his death why did he then say * Joh. 19.30 It is finished if his expiating of sin was yet to come and to be done in Heaven how could he with truth have spoken these words that all was finished when the great thing was yet undone 4. That of the Apostle is pertinent to our purpose Heb. 10.5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world he saith Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not but a body hast thou prepared me c. wherefore did Christ come into the world why to be a Sacrifice and to do that which the old Sacrifices could not God was e'ene weary of them could no longer * Heb. 10.8 take pleasure in them he will have Christ the better Sacrifice to come into the world which accordingly he did I but what was the world into which he came surely it must be this lower world for it must be understood of that world into which he came to do the Will of God as appears Vers 7.9 now that was this World below rather than that above for where do we reade that Christ ascended into the upper World to do the Will of God especially this Will of God referring to his assuming a body and offering up that body Vers 5.10 these were things to be done only on this lower stage of earth whence then it follows that here his Sacrifice was made 5. There was as hath been observ'd to be an analogie and resemblance 'twixt Christ's Sacrifice and the Levitical Sacrifices and he was to expiate in that way wherein they did expiate but if you do not place his Sacrifice in his death where will that analogie be or how will he expiate in that way wherein they did What is there in Christ as in Heaven that carries any resemblance to the killing slaying shedding the blood offering of the Levitical Sacrifices There he sits in great glory puts forth his Regal power is Head of Church c. but what 's all this to suffering dying pouring out his blood wherein he was to answer to those Sacrifices Doth the Scripture lay so much upon his death and blood for expiation and yet shall that be done where there is none of these 'T will be said there 's this in Christ in Heaven to carry resemblance to the old Sacrifices their blood was carried by the High-Priest into the Holy of Holy's and there sprinkled by him towards the Mercy-seat upon which expiation and atonement followed now parallel to this Christ
of ignorance committed through incogitancy inadvertency humane infirmity but for great and grievous sins such as were committed against knowledge or willingly and willfully they did not free from their guilt the * Vid. Calov Socin proflig p. 625. Lubbert contra Socin Hoorneb Socin confut p. 602. Turretin de Sat. Christi p. 226. Stegm Photin p. 282. O. against B. p. 474. p 469. latter assert and defend the contrary And not without very good and weighty reasons for if we look into the annual expiatory Sacrifice we find that all sins were expiated by it Levit. 16.21 Aaron shall lay his hands upon the head of the live Goat and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sins putting them upon the head of the Goat c. And the Goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited 30. On that day shall the Priest make and atonement for you to cleanse you that ye may be clean from all your sin before the Lord. 34. And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year And as it was thus in the publick Sacrifices for all the people so also in the private Sacrifices for particular persons therefore as you reade of the * Of the difference of these two Chataath and Asham much is written Fagius makes the one to refer to sins of Omission the other to sins of Commission In Levit. 4 2 Others make the Asham to point to sins particularly enumerated Chataath to sins in the general See Dr. O. Exerc. 24. on the Heb. p. 317. Dr. Stillingst against Crellius p. 474. But the most distinguish them as one was for Sins of Ignorance the other for Sins knowingly and willingly committed Vid. Petit. Var. Lect. l. 2. c. 8. Saubert de Sacrif c. 3. p. 65. Chataath the Sin-offering which was appointed for Sins of Ignorance Levit. 4.2 13. 22. 27. so of the Asham the Trespass-offering which was appointed for sins committed knowingly and willingly such as were of a more high and hainous nature as falshood in the detaining of what was deposited lying violence perjury c. Levit. 6.2 3 c. were not these great and horrid sins and yet God appointed Sacrifices for the expiation of them Numb 5.6 When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit to do a trespass against the Lord and that person be guilty Then they shall confess their sin c. The Priest is said Heb. 5.1 to be ordained in things pertaining to God that he may offer both gifts and Sacrifices for sins 't is set down without any exception or limitation so Heb. 7.27 'T is true which the Adversaries make great use of the Apostle sets it forth by the errors of the people Heb. 9.7 Into the Second went the High Priest alone once every year not without blood which be offered for himself and for the errors of the people But then you must know that by these errors he means not only smaller sins but all whatsoever even such as were of a very crimson die And the Greek word * Acts 3.17 13.27 1 Tim. 1 13. 2 Pet. 2.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here rendred by errors with the Hebrew word †1 Sam. 26.21 Job 6.24 Psal 119.21 See Franz Schol. Sacrif Disp 6. th 60. Scagag do often point to great and grievous sins therefore why should we limit it to sins of a lower size and stature especially if we consider that in that Sacrifice to which the Apostle here plainly refers the expiation was general of all sins as you heard but now out of Levit. 16. And 't is very true too that for Sins which were committed with an high hand contumaciously in open defiance of God c. there he would not admit of a Sacrifice for the expiating of sins so circumstantiated Numb 15.27 c. If any Soul sin through ignorance then he shall bring a She-goat And the Priest shall make an atonement for the Soul that sinneth ignorantly when he sinneth by ignorance before the Lord to make an atonement for him c. But the Soul that doth ought presumptuously the same reproacheth the Lord and that soul shall be cut off from among his people because he hath despised the Word of the Lord that Soul shall utterly be cut off his iniquity shall be upon him Heb. 10.26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sins But a certain fearful looking for of Judgment c. But this doth not weaken the truth of what I have said viz. that even great offences were expiated by Sacrifices because they might be such and yet not come up to this sinning with an high hand and wilfully against the Lord and thereupon might be expiable Were there no sins of a middle nature 'twixt such as were of meer infirmity and such as were committed perversly and obstinately out of open contempt and defiance of God surely there were you have had instances of such and was there no expiation for such the contrary hath been prov'd To clear up this whole matter I would lay down three things 1. When we say that the Law-Sacrifices did take off the guilt of all sins yea of great sins we alwayes except such as God himself did except where he was pleas'd to make a limitation there we must do the same but not otherwise 2. 'T is evident that as to some sins God did make an exception For the case stood thus * See Grotius de Sat. Christi p. 122. it pleased the Lord to give excellent Laws to the people of Israel those Laws he back'd with a severe penalty that penalty was death which was due upon every violation of the Law it being so yet out of his great compassion he who being the Law-giver might therefore relax and alter his Laws and the penalties annexed to them as seem'd good to him would not proceed in the utmost rigour but he would graciously moderate and mitigate his threatnings And therefore though death was incur'd by every sin yet it shall not accordingly be inflicted but a substitution shall be admitted of the Beast shall die but the Sinner himself shall live Upon this God appointed Sacrifices wherein the punishment due to the Offender should be laid upon the thing sacrific'd and thereby his Sin expiated Well! but though he will be so gracious as thus to admit of the expiation of sin yet partly out of respect to his own honour and partly out of respect to the Jewish politie Civil and Ecclesiastical he will do this with some kind of restriction that is he will admit of Sacrifices for the expiating of some sins but not of all The Murderer was to die and no Sacrifice to be accepted of on his behalf Numb 35.30 31 32. with reference to
which some understand that of David Psal 51.16 Thou desirest not Sacrifice else would I give it c. so the Adulterer Levit. 20.10 the Idolater and so in several other cases Here now was a limitation set by God himself and therefore here could be no expiation in the external and ordinary way indeed upon repentance there might be the doing away of the moral guilt which made the offender lyable to God and to eternal death but as to political guilt which made the offender lyable to temporal death that if publick and known could not by Sacrifices be taken off when therefore you hear so much spoken of the virtue and efficacy of the old Sacrifices as expiatory you must alwayes understand it according to this stating of it 3. Those Sacrifices may be considered absolutely or relatively Absolutely and in themselves and so their expiation reached only to some sins and to the removal of some guilt viz. that which was ritual and ceremonial Relatively with respect to Christ who was typified by them and so by virtue of his great Sacrifice to come which they prefigur'd to persons duly qualified their expiation was general of all sins and of all guilt I mean of all moral guilt before God though not of all political guilt before Men But though there be this difficuly as to the type as to the antitype there 's none by Christ's offering up of himself to be sure all sins are expiated even the greatest are wash'd away by his blood none can stand before his infinite merit and satisfaction former Sacrifices were weak but Christ the grand Sacrifice he is strong * Heb. 7.25 able to save to the utmost all that come to God through him He is not only a Sin-offering to remove the guilt of lesser sins but a Trespass-offering to remove the guilt of the greatest sins therefore as he is set forth by the former in the Text so by the latter in Isa 53.10 Where final impenitency and unbelief do not hinder the death of Christ is sufficient to acquit from all guilt by it all who perform the Gospel-conditions have a full and universal discharge Application I have now gone through the several things necessary to be spoken unto for the explaining and confirming of the Point the Vse follows Vse 1. Of Information Was Christ a Sacrifice for sin and did he thereby condemn sin I shall from hence infer something 1. by way of Information 2. of Exhortation 3. of Consolation 1. Of the truth of Christ's Satisfaction First for Information and so this great Truth may be useful in the informing of our judgements in sundry particulars As 1. We learn from it the truth of Christ's satisfaction Here amongst many others is a very considerable Argument to prove that Christ did really satisfie Gods Justice for Mans sin which therefore all who write upon and for the verity of his Satisfaction do in special insist upon with great evidence and advantage to the Cause which they defend And indeed it carry's such light and conviction in it as that the grand Opposer of this Satisfaction was more troubled to get off from it than from any other Argument whatsoever for when he came to answer COVETVS arguing for it from the legal Sacrifices as prefiguring Christ he was forc'd to say c * Socin de Servat p. 2. c. 9. in quo major vis esse videtur in which head of Testimonies there seems to be greater strength than in any of the former And the annual great Expiation being urg'd as to that he saith ‖ Ibid. c. 12. difficilis sanè nodus solvendus restat one hard knot remains to be untyed 't was an hard knot indeed which he might endeavour to loose but could not The word Satisfaction 't is very true we have not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expressly * De Servat p. 3. c. 6. Ego quidem etiamsi non semel sed saepe id in sacris monumentis Scriptum extaret non idcirco tamen ita rem prorsus se habere crederem ut vos opinamini in so many letters and syllables in the whole Bible but the thing we have yea as to that the Scripture is so copious and full that 't is not in any one other thing more copious and full But suppose we had there the Word as well as the Thing what would that signifie to those with whom I have now to do when SOCINVS is so bold as to say For my part although I should find that meaning Christ's Satisfaction asserted in Scripture not once but often yet I should not therefore believe the thing to be as Dissenters do hold wherein he comes but little short of what his friend SMALCIUS dared to speak concerning the Incarnation of the Son of God of which you had an account before 'T is not for me here to launch out into that vast Controversie of Christ's satisfaction in the opening stating proving defending of which so many Volumes have been written I must confine my self to that one thing which lies before me And there 's enough in it to stablish you in the belief of what we contend for for was Christ truly and properly a Sacrifice for sin were our sins the meritorious cause of his sufferings did he put himself into the Sinners stead taking his guilt upon him and undergoing that punishment which he should have undergone did he die shed his blood that he might thereby atone God and expiate sin all of which have been proved out of the unerring Word and doth not all this amount to a demonstration of the truth of Christ's satisfying the Justice of God for Sin do we mean any thing by his Satisfaction but these things and are not they clear enough from Scripture-light The truth is all the other Arguments brought for the proof of Christ's Satisfaction I say all of them do either run into or fall under this one of his being a Sacrifice for sin If God would pardon sin be appeased towards the Creature c. absolutely and without the intervention of any Satisfaction why did he appoint Sacrifices under the Law why must so many Creatures die why must so much blood be spilt quorsum perditio haec he whose * Psal 145.9 tender mercies are over all his works who hath pity and goodness for all that he hath made would he unnecessarily or meerly to shew his absolute dominion have ordered so many Creatures to be killed slaughtered destroyed from day to day why did he so peremptorily stand upon this that †Heb. 9.22 without shedding of blood there should be no remission But I go higher if God had not required satisfaction why must * Si non fuisset peccatum non necesse fuerat Filium Dei agnum fieri necâ—opus fuerat â—um in carne positum jugulari sed mansisset hoc quod erat in principio Deus Verbum Verum quoniam introiit pecatum in mundum peccati autem
any one person who ever did so fulfil the Law I know some are mentioned but all that is said of them doth amount only to integrity of parts not to perfection of degrees to eminency in Grace and Obedience but not to Law-exactness to Evangelieal but not to legal perfection Obj. But doth God enjoyn the Creature that which is * Bellarm. de Lib. Arb. l. 5. c. 18. impossible Answ Just thus the PELAGIANS of old argued for the possibility of mens keeping the Law and †De Nat. Grat. c. 43. De Peccat Mer. Rem l. 2. c. 6 7 9. AVSTINE writing against them was fain again and again to answer this very Objection We say what is ‖ Vid. Chamier tom 3. l. 11. p. 328. Thes Sedan Vol. 1. p. 479. Pet. Martyr in loc Quanquam si quis rectē c. simply and absolutely impossible God doth not impose upon the Creature but what he himself hath made impossible voluntarily and by his own default that the great Law-giver may and doth impose This impossibility doth no way entrench upon the goodness of God because the Sinner hath contracted and wilfully brought it upon himself I hope the Creditor may demand his debt though the debtor cannot pay it if through sloth prodigality bad husbandry he hath disabled himself thereunto that 's the Sinners case with respect to perfect obedience to the Law God may demand his right though the Creature hath lost his power This Objection at the first hearing seems to have something in it and it is very plausible to put an ugliness upon the PROTESTANTS doctrine but when 't is look'd into and duly weighed there 's nothing at all of strength in it Others for brevity sake I must omit It appears then that the fulfilling of the Laws righteousness in this sense viz. of the Saints perfect and personal fulfilling thereof in themselves is not according to truth and therefore must be rejected Second Interpretation The Laws righteousness is fulfilled in Saints personally but not perfectly 2. Secondly 't is said that the Law is fulfilled in and by the Saints inherently and personally but not perfectly Thus some of our own Divines do expound the words they making them to refer to that Obedience which belongs to Sanctification and which sanctified persons in themselves come up unto who though in the high and rigid notion they do not fulfil the Law yet in a soft and mild notion * Lex data est ut gratia quaereretur gratia data est ut Lex impleretur August de Spir. Lit. l. 1. c. 19. they do There is a begun inchoate Obedience in them thereunto which is continued and carried on higher and higher till it be consummate they do not only love and like the Law and consent to it that 't is good but they obey it in part which though it be but in part yet they being sincere therein and desiring to arrive at what is perfect God accepts of them as though they did perfectly fulfil it thus Evangelically though not Legally the Laws righteousness is fulfilled in them 'T is not unusual in Scripture to set forth inchoate partial imperfect Obedience by the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 2.27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by Nature if it fulfil the Law judge thee c. Rom. 13.8 He that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law Vers 10. Love is the fulfilling of the Law Gal. 5.14 All the Law is fulfilled in one word even in this Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self Gal. 6.2 Bear ye one anothers burdens and so fulfil the Law of Christ Now in this sense the Saints in themselves in this life may be said to fulfil the Laws righteousness They who go this way differ in this * Id quod nonnulli de justificatione interpretantur c. ideoque de Sanctificatione vitae intelligitur Nam quod objici potest nos non esse perfectos ideoque c. illud non sequitur quia etsi legem non compleamus simpliciter ac simul complemus tamen secundum quid secundum omnia praecepta inchoatâ obedientiâ successive Gomar in loc Balduin Deodat c. Some interpret the words solely of inherent and personal Obedience †Pareus in Dub. p. 780. P. Martyr Others take in that also which is by imputation I cannot deny the truth of what is here said as to the thing but whether it be the proper interpretation of the Text that I question I think not My reasons why I so think are these 1. The Apostle speaking of that Obedience or fulfilling of the Law which was one of the great Ends of God in sending his Son it must be most proper here to understand that Obedience and that fulfilling of the Law which was first effected in the person of this Son and then made over to Believers by imputation 2. This Lawfulfilling coming in as the high product of the Love and Wisdom of God it may very probably be conjectured that if there be one fulfilling of the Law higher than another the highest here must be taken and therefore it must not be that which is but inchoate and imperfect in us but rather that which was compleat full perfect in Christ 3. Though the fulfilling of the Law be sometimes taken in that lower sense which hath been mentioned yet the Law-righteousness more usually notes that exact universal Obedience which the Law requires which notion therefore we may the rather be induced here to follow 4. The Interpretation given by these worthy persons will not so well suit with what the Apostle is now upon he is in short summing up the grand benefits that Saints have by Christ shewing how they are secured from Condemnation and restored to a state of happiness In order to which he first sets down the expiation of Sin the satisfaction of God's Justice c. which were done by Christ's Sacrifice or passive Obedience in dying Then he goes on to that which was further to be done the Holiness of God and of his Law must be satisfied also eternal Life must be merited now these must be done by Christ's active Obedience or fulfilling the Laws righteousness therefore that he adds that the righteousness of the Law c. Wherefore we must here understand Christ's Obedience as imputed not our own as inherent if that word be proper otherwise we shall leave out one of the great benefits which we have by Christ viz. that which results from his active Obedience and one of the wayes wherein he did promote our salvation whereas the Apostle designs to set down both distinctly Third Interpretation the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in Saints perfectly yet not personally but imputatively 3. Thirdly Others open it thus the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in Believers perfectly yet not personally but imputatively Their meaning is this the Lord Jesus in his own person whilst he was here on earth did fully obey
not the Apostle instance in that rather than in spiritual walking Answ * Etsi fides principalis conditio sit quia tamen interna est c. ideo addit illam externam de quâ nemo gloriari possit nisi se liabere foris demonstret Parâ—us because he is not here so much shewing how Christ's righteousness is imputed as who they are or how they carry it to whom 't is so imputed He that would have Christ's righteousness to be his must believe for that is the proper act in order thereunto but he that would know himself or would manifest to others that he is righteous in Christ's righteousness that must be brought about by the heavenliness of his conversation The Observation which lies plainly before us from these words is this That all such who have Christ's righteousness imputed to them they are not fleshly but spiritual walkers they do not live the carnal and sinful but the holy and the heavenly life Or thus None can warrantably pretend to an interest in Christ's Obedience active or passive but only such who in their course are acted by the Spirit and not by the Flesh But I shall not say any thing upon this Point both because this walking not after the flesh but after the Spirit hath been already fully opened and also because as to the inseparable connexion bewixt this imputation and this conversation I may hereafter have occasion to speak more conveniently to it when I shall have more room for it than here I have I will close all with a brief Survey of the Verses which I have gone over that we may the better understand the Apostle's method in them and also what progress we have made in the thing which he is upon He first layes down his main foundation in this Proposition There is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus Vers 1. Then he amplifies himself about this Proposition where 1. He characterises the proper Subject of the priviledge viz. of non-condemnation who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit this only he names in the general Vers 1. and 4 but then Vers 5. he falls upon a more full and particular illustration of it which he continues in several Verses The Second thing he doth about the Proposition is to prove the truth of the Praedicate that there is no condemnation c. And this he doth by these mediums They who are freed by the regenerating Spirit from the power of Sin and by Christ's death and Sacrifice from the guilt of Sin as also who have Christ's full Obedience and Satisfaction of the Law imputed to them to them there is no condemnation But thus it is with all in Christ Jesus by the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ they are freed from the Law of sin and death there 's deliverance from the power of Sin God by Christ's being a Sacrifice hath condemned Sin there 's deliverance from the guilt of Sin and the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in them there 's Christ's Obedience imputed to them upon all this it must needs follow that to them there is no condemnation which was the thing to be proved Now these being things of great weight and importance wherein the very vitals and Spirit of the Gospel do lie the due and distinct opening of them with other Truths interwoven in the words hath made this Volume grow to a far greater bigness than what I expected Wherein I have been unnecessarily prolix I humbly begge the Readers pardon but truly in speaking to the Saints exemption from Condemnation the mystical Vnion of Believers with Christ the Spiritual Life the Spirits agency in freeing Souls from the bondage of Sin the Laws inability to justifie and save Christ's Mission eternal Sonship Sacrifice active fulfilling the Law c. I say in these weighty and fundamental points so little understood by the most so much oppugned by Some I thought I could scarce say too much Yet if such who are judicious shall tell me this is a fault I 'le endeavour to mend it in what shall follow wishing that I could as easily mend other faults as that Well! I have begun and having so done I purpose with God's grace and leave to go on till I shall come to the end of this excellent Chapter with this proviso if I may have some encouragement that these past labours may in some measure be useful and profitable without that why should I proceed to trouble others and my self too The good Lord give a blessing to what is done and assist in what is yet further to be done FINIS The Index Directing to the principal Things insisted upon in this Book A. SVch as are in Christ must abide in him Page 73 Of Christ's Active Obedience Vide Obedience Particular Acts do not evidence the State but the general Course Page 92 Of Spiritual Affections Page 109 There is no Condemnation yet much Affliction to Believers Page 7 'T is Antichristianism directly or by Consequence to deny Christ's coming in Flesh Page 422 Of Atonement by Christ Page 498 B. Baptism alone not sufficient to prove Vnion with Christ Page 62 Fleshly Walking contrary to Baptismal Dedication Page 122 Being in Christ opened Page 42 Christ being sent by God that is a great engagement and encouragement also to Sinners to believe on him Page 310 c. How Sin exerts its power in and by the Body Page 183 The miserableness of the Sinners Bondage under Sin opened set forth Page 189 c. The proper and only Cause of Deliverance from Sins Bondage Page 242 c. C. Great Changes in the Godly with respect to their inward Comfort or Sorrow Page 5 The weakness of the Ceremonial-Law Page 262 Of Vnion with Christ Vide Vnion Of Christ's being sent by God the Father Vide Sending Of Christ's Sonship to God Vide Son Of Christ's Incarnation Vide Incarnation Of Christ's being a Sacrifice V. Sacrifice Of Christ's Obedience V. Obedience Christ's praeexistence before he was born of the Virgin proved Page 284. Christ is a Person Page 287 His Personal distinction from his Father proved Page 287 Christ's Godhead proved Page 349 His Manhood Vide Man The excellency of Christ's Priesthood and Sacrifice Page 539 Christ's fitness to be a Redeemer and to be sent by God opened in some particulars Page 299 Communion depends upon Vnion and follows upon it Page 69 84 Communion with God and Communications from him are made credible by Christ's Incarnation Page 444. Christ being Man must be compassionate Page 452 Concupiscence is Sin Page 8 No Condemnation to such as are in Christ Page 7 proved Page 20 Condemnation opened as to Word and Thing Page 17 It refers to Guilt and Punishment Page 18 There 's the Sentence and State of Condemnation Page 19 'T is Virtual or Actual ibid. There is matter of Condemnation in the Best Page 8 Condemnation by Men by Conscience by Satan Page 10 Condemnation under the