that he should be opp essâ—â— and afflicted and brought as a lamb to the slaughter that he should be numbred amongâ—t the transgressours and that he should die and be buried make his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death all which are clearly fulfille in him and the clearing of his Sufferings whereof we spoke before clears this that not only he suffered but that he was brought so low in suffering 2 For the ground of his Sufferings its â—aid to be the sins of his own Elect He bare our griefs and carried our sorrows he was wounded for our transgrâ—ssions and bruised for our iniquities there was no guile found in his mouth the greatest enemies of our Lord could impute nothing to him Pilat was forced to say that he found no fault in him all which shew that it was for the Transgressions of his People that he suffered 3. As for Mens little esteem of him it is also very clear for He was despised and rejected of men we hid as it were our faces from him He was despised and we esteemed him not the World thought little of him and we that are elect thought but little of him and what is more clear in the Gospel then this where it is told that he was reproached buffeted spitted on despised they criâ—d away with him crucifie him He trusted in God let him deliver him but God hath forsaken him 4. As for the Promises made to him He shall see his seed he shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands He shâ—ll see of the travel of his soul and be satisfied and by his knowledge shall many be justified c. what mean all these but that he shall die and rise again and have many Converts that God's work shall thrive well in his hand and that he shall have a glorious Kingdom and many Subjects which is caâ—led afterward his having a portion with the great and his dividing of the sooil with the strong All this was accompl shed in Christ when after his Resurrectâ—on many were win and brought in by the Gospel to believe on him and though Jews and eathens concurred and conspired to cuâ— off all Christians yet his Kingdom spread and hath continued these sixteen hundred years and above 5. As for the effects that followed on his Sufferings or the influence they have on the elect People of God as mâ—ny Converts as have been and are in the World as many Witnesses are there that he is the Messiah every converted pardoned and reconciled Soul seals this truth Hence 1 John 5.7 8 it is said There are three that bear witness in heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one and there are three that bear witness on earth the Spirit in his efficacy the Water in the sanctifying vertue of it in changing and cleansing his People and the Blood in the satifying and justifying vertue of it and these three agree and concur in one even this one to wit that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and then it follows He that believeth hath the witness in himself because he hath gotten Pardon through him and therefore can set to his Seal to this truth and say truly Christ is the Messiah The Use is To exhort you to acquaint your selves with these things that serve to confirm this truth the book of the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistle to the Hebrews are much spâ—nt upon it even to hold out and to prove Christ Jesus to be the true Messiah and Saviour of his People If this be not made sure and sicker we have an unstable ground for our Faith and though it be sure in it self yet so long as it is not so to us we want the consolation of it and there is a twofold prejudice that cometh through Folks want of thorow clearness in and assurance of this truth 1. To the generality of Hearers there is this prejudice that they are so careless and little solicitous to rest on him And as it made the Jews to râ—ject him who to this day stumbâ—e at him on this same very ground that they know him not to be the Messiah the Christ of God in whom is accomplished all that was spoken of the Messiah to Christians not being through in it they do not rest on him nor close with him as the true Messiah 2. There is a prejudice also from it to Believers who having only a glimring light of Christs being the Messiah come short of thar consolation that they might hâ—ve if they were through in the Fâ—ith oâ— it there is this great evil among Christians that they study not to be solidly clear and through in this point to that if they were puâ— to reason and debate with a Jew if there were not a witness within themsâ—lves of it the truth of the Faith of many would be exceedingly shaken 2. From this That he never speaks of Christs Sufferings but he makes applicâ—tion of them he carried our Griefs he was wounded for our Transgressions c. Observe That Believers would look on Christs Sufferings as undergone for them and in their rooms and place We cleared before 1. That Christ suffâ—red for some peculiarly and not for all And 2. Thâ—t Believers would endeavour the clearing of their own interest in his Sufferings and that they have a right to them Now we shortly add this 3d. of kin to the former That B lievers and such as are fled to Christ for refuge would look on his Suffâ—rings as come under for them and these same Scriptures which we cited to confirm these will confirm this The reason why we would have you confirmed in this is Because 1 It is only this that will make you suitably thankful it is this which is a notable ground of that Song of Praise Rev. 1.4 To him that hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood c. 2. This is a ground of true solid and strong consolation even to be comforted in the applicative Faith of Christs purchase 3. It is the Lords allowance on his People which they should reverently and thankfully make use of even to look on Jesus Christ as wounded pierced and lifted up on the Cross for them and by doing this according to his allowance there is a paved way made for application of all the benefites of his purchase 3. From the scope looking on the words as spoken to remove the scandal of the Cross Observe which may be a reason of the former that folk will never take up Christ rightly in his sufferings except they take him up as suffering for them and in their room This look of Christ leads 1. To take up much of the glory of grace and condescending love to sinners 2. It leads to take up Christs faithfulness that came to the world on sinners errand according to the ancient transaction in the Covenant of Redemption as he is brougbt in
think we must report can we report any other way then it is with you Shall we or dare we say that such a Man was a fine civil Man and that therefore he will not be reckoned with though he believed not in Christ No no but this must be the report that such a Man and such a kind of Men though Christ was long wooing them would not embrace Him though He invited them to the Wedding yet they would not come nay they mocked and spurned at it they trode the Blood of the Covenant under Foot and counted God a Liar in all His Offers and said by their Practice that they should be happy though they took not this way many of you who would not take it well if we should speak this to you in particular will find it to be a Truth one day And if ye shall say What would we be at The answer is at hand Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and ye shall be saved This is the End of the Gospel and the mean of your Happiness it 's the great and the main thing that we call for which if it be not obtained the ground of the Complaint will continue And do you think this any strange hard or uncouth thing that when we bring to you the Offer of Christ in the Gospel we bid you receive it and flee in to Him to hide you from the Wrath to come and yet this is all we seek of you it 's neither your Shame nor your Skaith that we seek but that ye may take with your Sin that ye may judge and condemn your selves that your Mouth may be stopped before God and that ye may flee to Jesus Christ in earnest and close with Him on His own Terms As therefore ye would prevent the greatly aggravated Sin to wit sinning against the Gospel and the Complaint of the Ministers thereof against you and the terrible Vengeance of the Mediator Kiss the Son cast open the everlasting Doors of your Hearts and let the Gospel and Christ the King of Glory have access We pray you stand not in the way of your own Happiness refuse not to do Him that much pleasure and satisfaction for all the travel of His Soul as to give Him your Souls to be saved Now God Himself keep you from this Folly and Soul-destroying madness SERMON X. ISAIAH LIII I Who hath believed our report And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed WE have spoken somewhat these days past to sundry Doctrines from this part of the Verse and particularly of the sad Complaint which Isaiah hath in his own name and in the name of all the Ministers of the Gospel that the savoury Report concerning Jesus Christ is not received and that though Life and Salvation through Him be offered to many yet there are but few scarce here one and there one that do embrace it this is the sad result Lord who hath believed our report Words that being spoken by such a Prophet and so often mentioned in the New-Testament may and should as often as we speak hear or reâ—d them put both Ministers and People to a holy demur and to look what becomes of all our Preaching and Hearing when this was all the Fruit even of Isaiah's Preaching as to the greatest part of his Hearers Ere we leave this part of the Verse it will not be unmeet that we speak a little to these three First To what may be the Causes why when the Gospel is powerfully Preached there are so few Believers Secondly How it comes to pass seeing so few Believe that generally so many think they Believe and so few suspect their own Faith And Thirdly To the necessity that lyes on the Hearers of the Gospel to enquire at and try themselves concerning their Faith and to have some solid Satisfaction in it Although we mention no particular Doctrines now yet considering the Doctrines we spoke to before these things will not be unsuitable to them nor impertinent to you For the first The Causes why so few believe the Gospel we cleared to you already That generally the powerful Preaching of the Gospel hath been with little Fruit so that Isaiah hath this sad Complaint Lord who hath believed our report and our Lord Jesus hath it also on the matter Mat. 11.7 We have piped to you and ye have not danced we have mourned to you and ye have not lamented and in the same express words John 12.38 And when it is so with sweet Isaiah in the Old Testament and with our blessed Lord in the New that spoke with such Power and Authority ye may see there is reason for us to enquire into the Causes why it is that so few Believe In speaking to which 1. We intend not to touch on all the Reasons that may be gathered together of Peoples not profiting under the Gospel but of these that ye have most reason to look to and that are most obstructive of Faith in you 2. Though we might speak of Reasons on the side of them that speak to you for who is sufficient for these things and we shall not deny but we have culpable accession to your Unfruitfulness yet it were not much to your edifying to insist on these 3. Neither will we speak to these soveraign Causes on God's part who in His Holy Justice gives up People to Unfruitfulness when they receive not the Truth in Love Neither 4ly Shall we insist on these Causes that may arise from the Devil who waits on wherever the Word is preached to mar the Fruit of it as we may see Mat. 13.19 the evil Spirits like as many Crows when the Seed of the Word is sowen waiting on to pick it up and ye would know that ye never come to hear the Word but there are as it were Flocks of Devils attending you Hence it is that some are rocked and lulled asleep some have their Minds filled with worldly Thoughts some forget all that they Hear ere they go out of Doors thus it is with many Hearers of this Gospel their Hearts are trode upon as the Way-side by Devils and Foul-Spirits that never a word takes impression on them and though ye may think such expressions uncouth-like and strange yet they are sadly true Satan waited on when Christ preached and sure he will scar no more to do so at our Preaching than he did at His if he stood at Joshua's right Hand to resist him he will no doubt be at ours But we say we will not insist on these But 5ly We shall speak a little to these Causes that are common in you which ye your selves mâ—ght know if ye would observe them and we would exhort you to take notice of them when we tell you of them First Then we offer or rather assert this for a Cause The want of serious minding the great concernment of the work of your Salvation and that this preached Gospel is the Word of the Lord by which ye must be saved Alace
God which should come into the world The 5th place is that of John 20.28 where when Christ bids Thomas reach hither his hand and put it into his side his glory shines so full in his face that he cryes out My Lord and my God and his faith is summed up and compended in that The last place that we shall name is that of Acts 8.37 and it s the Eunuchs confession I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God which is the sum of his faith The 4th and last way of confirmation of this great truth is drawen from the worship which is due unto him and hath been given unto him He is the object of Faith John 14.11 ye believe in God believe also in me He is the object of Prayer Acts 7.59 They stoned Stephen calling upon God saying Lord Jesus receive my spirit and frequently else-where in Scripture he is prayed unto though these two are not too curiously to be separated Use 1. The first Use serves to strengthen your Faith in this that our Lord Jesus Christ who suffered for sinners and is made offer of to them in the Gospel is God equal with the Father and so he is to be closed with and rested on as the brightness of the Fathers glory the reason why we would have you confirmed in the Faith of this is not small for its a most necessary thing and without the faith of it all the work of our salvation will hang louse neither can we have any claim to Eternal Life and therefore we desire you particularly who are ignorant Hearers and who have the name of Christ often in your mouths and yet know not what he is to know remember and believe that he that is the son of Mary is also the eternal son of God being God before he was incarnate and before the World was made and the Maker of all that was made Use 2. The second Use serves to let you know That though it be a most necessary thing to be confirmed in the faith of this Truth that Christ is God yet it 's a greater difficulty to believe and be perswaded of it then the most part take it to be many sad proofs whereof we have in Folks words and moe in their practice Flesh and blood saith Christ Matth. 16. hath not revealed this unto thee It 's a wonder whence many Folks faith comes who never found any the least difficulty in this and it 's a wonder that so few are through in the faith of it so that if they were called and put to it they durst not swear that he is God yea if we would look in a little further we would find that the faith of this is but scarce amongst us not to speak of the gross ignorance of many who will say when asked that he is not equal with the Father or that he was made God and other such like expressions will they have that are abominable to be once named amongst Christians Folks through their ignorance falling into damnable Heresies on the matter and yet not knowing that they do so As if our blessed Lord were a made god and not the same God with the Father For the proving of him to be God proves him to be the same God there being but one God Ye would consider for convincing you that it is thus with many of you 1. The little fear that is in men and women of the Majesty of Christ as God they durst not walk with so little fear of him if they believed indeed that he were God What made the Jews with the Scribes and Pharisees to spit upon him and despise him But because they wanted the Faith of his Godhead And have not ye the same nature in you Ye live in a place where the Faith of Christs Godhead is professed and is not questioned but your practice sayes to beholders that ye believe it not because ye fear him not 2. That your souls do so little welcome the offer of the Gospel that tells that ye believe him not to be God 3. That ye do not place your happiness in Believing on him and in the way of holiness ye say in effect wherefore serves Christ ye care not for him Hence it is that so many live contentedly without him and are not sollicitous about the enjoying of him 4. Even in Believers there is much unbelief of this truth which is sadly evidenced by this that they do not so bless themselves in him and that they do not so reckon themselves to have come well to and to be made up in him as David doth Psal 16. Where he saith and holily glorieth The lines are fallen unto me in a pleasant place c. And by the frequent discouragement that is incident to Believers as if Christ had not the guiding of them and of what concerns them or could not guide all well enough for their good If he were believed to be God it would quash temptations banish discouragement comfort under crosses sweeten every condition induce to holiness restrain from sin And in a word it cannot be told what is in the bosome of this one truth when solidly believed For what can possibly be wanting to the Believer in him that is God He hath the fulness of the Godhead to supply what ever they want and sustains the relation of a Husband to the Believer to make it forth-coming And he is furnished with suitable qualifications to make the application thereof What then could be wanting if this were thorowly believed that he is God Let me say it to you the Faith of this would provoke to more holiness and to study more the power then the profession of Religion and would help to live a more comfortable life in every condition SERMON XXX ISAIAH LIII VIII Vers 8. He was taken from prison and from judgement and who shall declare his generation For he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people was he stricken THese words are a proof of that which we discoursed in the Lecture concerning Christs wonderful love to his pâ—ople Then which no man hath greater that a man should lay down his life for his friend But he hath commedned his love to us in that while we were yet enemies he died for us This is the great commendation of Christ's love and what will he refuse to his people who in his love hath come this length to them In the former part of this verse we shew that there was a hint given of Christ's Exaltation of the Exaltation and Glory of the Mediator following on the back of his lowest sufferings An ineffable and inexpressible Glory which the Prophet rather passeth with a sort of non-plussing silence then insisteth in the declaration of it Who shall declare his generation We come now to the last part of the words For he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people was he stricken They are added
1 Cor. 3.10 I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon but let every man take heed how he buildeth for other foundation can no man lay then that which is laid which is Jesus Christ importing that all Preaching should be squared to and made to agree with this Ground-stone 3. He standeth as the great End of Preaching not onely that Hearers may have Him known in their Judgments but may have Him high in their Hearts and Affections 2 Cor. 3.4 We preach not our selves that is not onely do we not preach our selves as the Subject but we preach not our selves as the end of our Preaching our scope is not to be great or much thought of but our end in Preaching is to make Christ great 4. He standeth in relation to Preaching as He is the Power and Life of Preaching without whom no Preaching can be effectual no Soul can be captivate and brought in to Him hence 1 Cor. 1.23 he sayeth We preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block they cannot abide to hear him and to the Greeks foolishness but to them that are saved the power of God and the wisdom of God Use 1. For Ministers which we shall forbear insisting on onely 1. Were Christ the subject and substance of our Report were we more in holding out Him it 's like it might go better with us 2. There is need of warriness that the Report we make suit well the Foundation And 3. the neglect of this may be the cause of much powerless Preaching because Christ is not so preached as the subject-matter and end of Preaching many Truths are alace spoken without respect to this end or but with little respect to it Uses particular for you that are Hearers are these 1 If this be the great subject of Ministers Preaching and that which ye should hear most gladly and if this be most profitable for you we may be particular in some few Directions to you which will be as so many branches of the Use And first of all Truths that People would welcome and study they would welcome and study these that concern Christ and the Covenant of Grace most as foundation-Foundation-truths and seek to have them backed by the Spirit we are affrayed there is a fault among Christians that most plain and substantial Truths are not so heeded but somethings that may further folk in their Light or tickle their Affections or answer a Case are almost only sought after which things it 's true are good but if the plain and substantial Truths of the Gospel were more studied and made use of they have in them that which would answer all Cases It 's a sore matter when folks are more taken up with Notions and Speculations then with these Soul-saving Truths as that Christ was born that he was a true Man that he was and is King Priest and Prophet of His Church c. and that other things are heard with more greediness But if these be the great subject of Ministers Preaching it should be your great study to know Christ in His Person Natures Offices and Covenant what He is to you and what is your duty to Him and how you should walk in Him and with Him this was Paul's aim I count saith he all things loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings c. Phil. 3.8 9 10. It 's my design as if he had said not onely to make Him known but to know Him my self there is little Faith in Christ and distinctness in use making of His Offices and folks take but little pains to know these things Therefore on the one side let me exhort you to make this more the subject of your enquiry and on the other side take it for your reproof that there is such a readiness to snuff when plain Truths are insisted on or when they are not followed in some uncouth or strange way which sayes we are exceeding unthankful to God for giving us the best things to speak hear and think of 2. Think much of the Preaching of Christ and to have Ministers to preach of Him He is the best News and God hath sent Ministers on this errand to make them known to you had He sent them to tell you all the secret things to come that are in God's purpose and all the hid works of Nature it had not been compareable to these News what would ye have been O what would Sabbath-days and Week-days your lying down and rising up your living and dying been if these News had not been ye should have had a sinful and sad life and a most comfortless and terrible death therefore think this Gospel a thing of more worth then ye do and count their feet beautiful on the Mountains that bring these News and glad Tydings as it is Isa 52. that good Report of making Peace betwixt God and Sinners should be most thought of and prized and counted a greater favour then we use to count it 3. By this ye may know who thrives and profites best under the Gospel even these that learn most of Christ which consists not in telling over words But first in actual improving of Him as it is Eph. 3.20 Ye have not so learned Christ but so as to improve what is in Him 2. In an experimental finding of these effects in us that are spoken of to come by Christ which is that the Apostle meaneth Phil. 3.10 That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings that I may be conformable to his death I am affrayed that of the many that hear this Gospel there are but few that know Christ this way But if He be the great thing that should he preached by us and that ye should learn 1. What is the reason that so many should be ignorant of Him that the most part look rather like Tâ—â—ks and Pagans then like Christians God help us what shall we say of the condition of the most part of People when the preaching of the Gospel has not gained this much ground on us as to make us know Christ in His Person Natures Offices our need of Him and the use we should make of Him But 2. If we will try how he is improven it is to be feared there be far fewer that know hâ—m in this respect do not many Men live as if they had never heard tell of Him Though they hear that pardon of Sin is to be gotten through Him and that vertue to subdue Sin must flow from Him yet they live as if no such thing were in Him If your Consciences were posed besides the evidences that are in your practice this would be found to be a sad truth And 3. If we will yet try further what experience folk have of Christ what vertue they find flowing from His Resurrection what fellowship there is in His Sufferings what conformity
which may be gathered from Heb. 4.1 that stout confidence that thinks it's impossible to miss the Promises is a suspect and dangerous Faith not to be loved it 's a much better Faith that fears then that Faith that 's more stout except there be a sweet mixture of holy stoutness and fear together It 's said Heb. 11.7 that by Faith Noah being moved with fear prepared an Ark c. Noah had the Faith of God's Promise that he should be keeped free from being drowned by the Deluge with the rest of the World and yet he was mourning and trembling in preparing the Ark If there were much Faith among you it would make many of you more holily feared then ye are Love not that Faith the worse that ye never hear a threatning but ye tremble at it and are touched by it in the quick 2. It 's a good token of Saving Faith when it hath a discovery and holy suspition of Unbelief wairing on it so that the Person dare not so lippen and trust his own Faith as not to dread Unbelief and to tell Christ of it There is a poor Man that comes to Christ Mat. 9.23 24. to whom the Lord faith If thou canst believe or canst thou believe yes Lord says he I believe help thou mine unbelief there was some Faith in him but there was also Unbelief mixed with it his Unbelief was so great that it was almost like to drown his Faith but he puts it in Christ's hand and will neither deny his Faith nor his Unbelief but puts the matter sincerely over upon Christ to strengthen his Faith and to amend and help his Unbelief It 's a suspect Faith that 's at the top of Perfection at the very first and ere ever ye wot There are some serious Souls that think because they have some Unbelief that therefore they have no Faith at all but true Faith is such a Faith that is by and beside suspected and feared or seen Unbelief That Faith is surest where Folk fear and suspect Unbelief and see it and when they are weighted with their Unbelief and cry out under it and make their Unbelief an errand to Christ it 's a token there is Faith there 3. The third Character is That it will have with it a sticking to Christ and a fear to presume in sticking to Him There will be two things striving together an eagerness to be at Him and a fear that they be found presumptuous in medling with Him and an holy trembling to think on it yet notwithstanding it must and will be adventured upon the Woman spoken of Mark 5.28 lays this reckoning with her self If I can but touch his cloathes I shall be whole and she not only believeth this to be truth but crouds and thrimbles in to be at him yet vers 33. when she comes before Christ she trembles as if she had been taken in a fault not having dared to come openly to Him but behind him she behoved to have a touch of him but she durst not in a manner own and avouch her doing of it till she be unavoidably put to it It 's a suspect and unsound Faith that never trembled at minting to Believe there is reason to be jealous that Faith not to be of the right stamp that never walked under the impression of the great distance between Christ and the Person the sense whereof is the thing that makes the trembling I say not desperation nor any utter distrust of Christ's kindness but trembling arising from the consideration of the great distance and disproportion that 's between Him and the Person Faith holds the Sinner a going to Christ and the sense of its own sinfulness and worthlesness keeps him under holy fear and in the exercise of Humility Paul once thought himself a jolly man as we may see Rom. 7.9 but when he was brought to believe in Christ he sees that he was a dead and undone man before I give you these three marks of a true Faith from that Chapter 1. It discovers to a Man his former Sinfulness and particularly his former Self-conceit Pride and Presumption I was saith Paul alive without the Law once c. a man living upon the thoughts of his own Holiness but when the Law came I died he fell quite from these high thoughts A second Mark is A greater restlesness of the Body of Death it becoming in some respect worse Company more fretful and strugling more then ever it did before Sin revived saith Paul though he had no more Corruption in him then he had before but it wakened and bestirred it self more I dare say that though there be not so much Corruption in a Believer as there is in a natural Man yet it strugleth much more and is more painful and disquieting to the Believer and breeds him a greate dale more trouble for says the Apostle on the matter when God graciously poured Light and Life into me Sin took that occasion to grow angry and to be enraged that such a neighbour was brought in beside it it could not endure that as an unruly and currish Dog barks most bitterly when an honest Guest comes to the House so doth Corruption bark and make more noise then it did before when Grace takes place in the Soul There are some that trow they have the more Faith because they feel no Corruption stir in them and there are others that think they have no Faith at all because they feel Corruption strâ—gling more and growing more troublesome to them but the stirring and strugling of Corruption if Folk be indeed burdened and affected and afflicted with it will rather prove their having of Faith then their wanting of it Love that Faith well that puts and keeps Folk bickerring to say so in the Fight with the Body of Death for though this be not good in it self that Corruption stirreth yet Sin is of that sinful nature that it flies always more in their face that look God and Heaven-wards then of others that are sleeping securely under its Dominion A third Mark is When the Soul hath never Peace in any of its Conflicts or Combats with Corruption but when it resolves in Faith exercised on Jesus Christ as it was with Paul in that Chapter after his Conversion That is a sound Faith that only makes Peace at first by Christ but that cannot to say so fight one fair stroke in the Spiritual Warfare nor look Corruption in the face nor promise to it self an outgate from any assault of the Enemy but by Faith in Jesus Christ as it was with the Apostle who toward the end of that Chapter lamentably crys O! wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death yet immediatly subjoyns Faiths triumphing in Christ I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord he belike before his Conversion thought he could do well enough all alone but it is not so now when he can do nothing without Christ especially in this sore
removing a main obstruction that hinders your Faith and that is the undervaluing of him For if undervaluing of him be the great cause of unbelief and that which mainly obstructs Faith then the esteeming of him from a due impression of his worth must be a great mean of and help to Faith and the more he be esteemed of the more will he be believed on It hath an attractive vertue to draw sinners to love him a screwing vertue to screw up the affections towards him and withal a fixing and establishing vertue to settle and stay the Soul upon him by believing the soul that from the right impression of his worth esteems of him knows that it may lippen to him for he is holy and true And hence it is that the great thing that believers take to ground their prayers upon is some excellency in God some one or other of his Titles and Attributes upon which they fix to bear them up under and against any difficulty that presseth hard upon them This fixes also their hope and expectation of attaining of any good thing that they want through him And therefore upon the one side we would commend to you the study of Christ's worth and upon the other an high estimation of him as that which will fix your Faith and Love and Hope on him This we see to be in a high degree in Paul Philip. 3. I account all things saith he to be but loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of him and his transcendent worth ye would not think it lost labour to read and study these places of Scripture that shew what our Lord Jesus is in his Person Nature and Offices that ye may have the Faith of his God-head fixed and may be clear as to the excelling fulness that is in him as namely that of Isai 9.6 To us a Child is born to us a Son is given the government shall be upon his shoulders and his Name shall be called Wonderful Counsellour the Mighty God the Everlasting Father the Prince of Peace of whose Kingdom and Government there shall be no end And to study his excellent Properties his Eternity Omnipotency Faithfulness Mercy c. common to him with the Father and Holy Ghost and the excellent qualifications that as Mediator he is replenished with being full of grace and truth and in all things having the preheminency See Col. 1. John 1.14 and Heb. 1.2 3. c. The reason why we press you to this is not only that ye may have more clear Theory and Contemplation But also and mainly that your affections may be delighted in him and that your Faith may without hink or hesitation come to give him credit Ignorance of Christ breeds disestimation and disestimation makes you not to give him credit and thus ye are kept at a distance from him There is no study more pleasant more precious and more profitable There is here then a task for you that ask what ye shall do even to read and study the excellency of Jesus Christ and to labour to have it well fixed in the imagination of the thoughts of your hearts It will give you notable direction what to do even that which is well-pleasing to God and may be very profitable to you through his blessing Use 5. See here the great necessity and conveniency of studying the disestimation of Christ that is in us as well as of studying the worth that is in him and what he hath out of love suffered for us These two are put together in the Text it being needful for us to be as well acquainted with the one as with the other We shall give you this use in two short Doctrines The 1. whereof is That it is a necessary duty for the hearers of the Gospel to study throughly and to be convinced of and clear in their disestimation of Christ as well as of his worth and excellency because it maketh up repentance and maketh it flow and thorowly humbleth the sinner when he findeth this desperat wickedness and perversness to be in himself and maketh him kindly to loath and abhor himself and unless this desperat wickedness be seen and felt that great and bitter mourning spoken of Zech. 12.10 will never flow forth The 2. is That where folk have any just estimation of Christ and of his worth and are sensible of the evil of unbelief there will also be some sense of the sin of undervaluing of him and the more sense they have of the evil of unbelief they will be the more sensible of their undervaluing of him And will with the Prophet here cry out He was despised and we esteemed him not And from both these ye may see the necessity of studying to find out this corruption the search and discovery whereof will in-sight you in the evil and perversness of your nature and so deeply humble you and also serve highly to commend Christ and his Grace to you and without the discovery of this corruption it 's impossible ever to be humble thorowly or to have right thoughts of Christ and of his Grace Use 6. It serves to let us see the necessity of believing in Christ and of the imploying of him because there is no other way to be free of the challenges of misprising and not esteeming of him but by receiving of him and believing on him A 7th Use may be added and it 's this That the moe there be that despise Christ and the greater difficulty there be in believing on him the more reason have they to be thankful that he graciously works any suitable estimation of himself in and brings them to believe on him These who have gotten any glimpse of his Glory which hath lifted him high in their estimation to the drawing forth of their faith and love after him would praise him for it It 's he and only he that opened your eyes to see him and gave you that estimation of him and circumcised your hearts to love him let him therefore have all the praise and glory of it This is the Word of God and himself bless it to you through Jesus Christ SERMON XIX ISAIAH LIII IV V. Vers 4. Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we did esteem him stricken smitten of God and afflicted Vers 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed THis is a most wonderful Subject that the Prophet is here discoursing of even that which concerneth the sufferings of our blessed Lord Jesus by way of prediction several hundreds of years before his Incarnation It was much that he was to be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief But this was more that he was despised and we esteemed him not There is wonderful grace upon the one side that our Lord became so very low and wonderful contempt and enmity on the other side that we despised him and
rich man nor to the wise man c. God hath not choâ—en many of these as is clear 1 Cor. 1.26 buâ— say to the righteous or holy man it shall be weâ—l with him and is herâ— any thing that should have so much influence on men and take them so much up as how to be well in the close Folk may have a fighting life of it here and may suffer much and be under reproach for a time as Christ was but if thou be holy ere thy Body be laid in the Grave it shall be well with thy Soul And as for all who have chosen the way of Holiness we are allowed to say this to you that it shall be well with you at death and after death at Judgment and even for evermore To them saith the Apostle Rom. 2.9 who by patient continuance in well-doingr seek for glory and honour and immortality eternal life O how many great and good things are abiding all the honest-hearted Students of Holiness Eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor heart conceived what they are 3ly It 's ground of expostulation with them that neglect and slight Holiness As it will be well with the Righteous or Holy so they shall have a miserable and desperate lot of it who either despise or neglect Holiness Wo to the wicked saith Isaiah 3 1â— it shall be ill with him Some of you may think that ye are rich and honourable are well cloathed fit in fine Houses and have richly covered Tables when poor Bodies are keeped at the door and are destitute of these things and are ready to bless your selves as being well though ye care not for nor seek after Holiness but wo unto you for ye must die and go to the bottomleâ—s Pit and there ye will not get so much as a drop of water to cool your Tongues in these tormenting Flames neither your Riches nor Honours nor Pleasures will hold off the heat and fury of the vengeance of God nor in the â—eâ—st ease you in your exâ—ream pain but as it is Rom. 2.9 Indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish four sore words wiâ—l be upon every soul of man that doeth evil O dâ— ye believe this â—'s the truth of God and a very plain truth and we are perswaded none of you will dare downright to deny it Holiness will have a sweet and comfortable close and the neglect of it will have fearful effâ—cts following on it what is the reason then that Holiness is so little thought of aâ—d followed do ye believe that ye will die and think ye ever to come to Judgment or to hear that word Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you for I was hungry and ye fed me naked and ye cloathed me c. O what will become of many of you when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels iâ—flaming fire to render vengeance to all them who know not God and who obey not the Gospel and will say to you Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels for when I was hungry ye fed me not c. this is I grant a general truth yet if it be not received we know not what truth will be received and if it were received the practice of Holiness would be more studied there would be less Sin and more Prayer Reading Meditation more seeking after Knowledge and more watchfulness and tenderness in Folks Conversation always in this the Lord shews the connexion that is betwixt Holiness and Hâ—ppiness and hâ—re ye have the copy and pattern of an examplary walk 3ly From this that the holiâ—ess and blamâ—nleâ—eâ—s of Christ here spoken of is marked in him as peculiar to him for it fits him to be a High Priâ—st and proves that only he could be the Priest that â—uited and became us anâ— that no other could do our turn as the Apostle râ—asons Heb 7 26 27 28. For the law maketh men priests that have infirmity but the word of â—he oath which was since the law maketh the son who is consecrated for evermore From this I say Obseâ—ve That all men even the most holy except Christ who was both God and Man a e sinful and not one of them sinless while living here on earth and the reâ—son is becâ—uâ—e 〈◊〉 any were sinless then this that is said here would not be peculiar to our Lord Jesus Christ that He diâ— no violence neither was there deceit â—n his mouth This being a singular character of our High Priâ—st that none of his Types could clâ—â—m to it exclusively agreeth to him so as it agreeth to none other The Scripture is full to this purpose in asserting that not only all mâ—n are sinnâ—rs as considered in theiâ— naturâ—l condition but that even Bâ—lieveâ— are sinful in part for the same Apostle John that saiâ—h 1 Epist 1.3 Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ saith also vers 8. If we say we have no siâ— we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us and vers 10. If we say that we have not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in us and 1 Kings 8.46 and Eccles 7.20 There is no man that doth good and sinneth not plainly insinuating that all have need of an Intercessouâ— We shall not insist in this only from these words compared with the scope making it peculiar to Christ to be without sin and implying that none other are so we would consider the necessity of its being so 1. For differencing and separating of Jesus Christ from all others by putting this dâ—gnity on him of being holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners this is his prerogative and badge of honour above others 2. It 's necessary for this end to demonstrate the need that there is of his offering himself a Sacrifice for sinners and that it was not for himself but for sinners that he offered up himself and that there is a continual necessity of making use of that Sacrifice for if there were not a continuance of sin in part while Believers are out of Heaven there would be no need of this part of Christs office if we were holy and harmless our selves we needed not such an High Priest Use 1. To establish us in the faith of this Truth That among all men there is none that were true men except Christ that is without sin sin is still abiding in them while in this world of none of them all it can be said that they have done no violence neither is there any deceit in their mouth none of them could ever say since Adam fell the prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me yea this is a special qualification of Christ Jesus for his Priest-hood that he was without sin and behoved to be so I am not pleading that sinners should take a liberty to sin because there is no perfection to be win at in this life God
in some inconsiderable persons venting these things when the great Patrons and Authors of them lye derned and hid And it is observable which we have heard of late that some Ring-leaders in this time have declared themselves expresly for Popery Though we have reason to bless God that the people in this place are kept free of these things yet this truth is worthy the vindicating and the hazard and danger is to be guarded against by all of us when this foul Spirit is driving so hard and prevailing with some to publish abroad this errour in Papers And so seeking to draw people into the snare Lay down but these two Principles both now maintained that they that have Faith have no sin and that they that want Grace should not pray what would they turn to and resolve in Satan's design in this is doubtless to make all untender and it is both sad and strange that it is not seen and observed What a terrour and torrure would it be to an exercised and tender Christian and how would it put his Conscience on the wrack to say to him What a Faith is this of yours that cannot keep you altogether from sin and that cannot quite overcome the world God be blessed that hath given poor Believers other and better grounds in the Gospel by which to judge of their Faith so that they may own their Faith as found though they have a mixture of unbelief with it and yet unbelief is alwayes a sin and may say with that poor man Lord I believe help thou my unbelief 4ly Observe That to the making up of a perfect holy walk there is a necessity both of holiness in practice and of foundness in judgement that no deceit or guilt be in the mouth and that no violence be in the bands And this is needful to be taken notice of because many have an aptitude to think that folks may be truly holy be of what opinion judgement and perswasion they will As if God had left the mind of man to be a bare empty Table or Board that he might Write on it what-ever he liked or pleased But our Lord is vindicated here from the scandal of corrupt Doctrine as well as from scandals in his practice And therefore as we would say on the one hand to you who are sound in your judgement and hate errour that if ye be gross and untender in your practice the soundness of your judgement will not prove you to be holy So upon the other side we would say that though it were possible ye could be sinless in your practice if ye take a latitude and liberty as to your judgement to be corrupt and to vent what ye please ye will never get Gods approbation as being holy persons therefore let both be joyned together soundness in Judgement and tenderness in Practice God give the right use of these things SERMON XXXV ISAIAH LIII IX X. Vers 9. And he made his Grave with the Wicked and with the Rich in his death because he had done no violence neither was any deceit in his mouth Vers 10. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him He hath put him to grief When thou shalt make his Soul an offering for sin He shall see his seed He shall prolong his dayes And the the pleâ—sure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand WE were speaking somewhat the last day of our Lord Jesus His Innocency which is here compended and summed up in these two 1. That there was no violence in his hands 2. That there was no deceit in his mouth however he was accounted of among Men and by them numbred among transgressours yet he was so in very deed and before God The Prophet proceeds and answers an objection How came He then to Suffer if He was so innocent especially His Sufferings being ordered by God Who is said to give His Grave with the wicked He answers the Objection and removes the Offence by giving three Grounds for this v. 10. Yet it pâ—eased the Lord to bruise Him He hath put Him to grief This is the first Reason and it is taken from the Fountain whence His Sufferings proceeded Gods good Plâ—asure graciously ordered it so It was the good pleasure of Jehovah that so it should be The second Reason is taken from the Nature or End of His Sufferings in these Words when thou shalt make His Soul an offering for sin Though he suffered before Men as a sinner yet before God it was an Offering for sin To satisfie for and to remove the sins of His Elect People The word may be either When thou or when he shall make His Soul an offering for sin But both come to one thing which is this That His sufferings were not such as befell other Men nay nor such as befell innocent Men but they were ordered on an higher design and for an higâ—er End even to be a Satisfaction for Sinners and to make way for their Freedom A 3. Reason is this as His Sufferings flowed from God's good Pleasure and were a satisfaction for the sins of His Elect People so it hath notable and noble effects And there are Three mentioned here 1. He shall see His seed He shall have a numerous Off-spring many that shall hold Eternal Lâ—fe of Him Men by their suffering of death are incapacitate to increase their off-spring but this is a quickning Suffering and Death that hath a numerous off-spring 2. He shall prolong His dayes Which seems to be another paradox For Mens dayes are shortned by their Sufferings and Death But though He be dead and buried yet he shal Rise again and Ascend and sit down on the right-hand of the Father and live for ever to make Intercession for his People A 3. Effect which is the upshot of all The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand God hath designed Him for a Work which is the great Work of Redemption even the bringing of many Sons to glory This is the Will of Him that sent Him that He should give Eternal Life to as many as should believe on Him And this is called God's good pleasure which shall thrive and prosper in His hand He shall pull many Captives from the Devil and set many Prisoners free He shal by His Sufferings overcome the Devil Death and the Grave and all Enemies and shall gather the Sons of God together from the four Corners of the Earth and that Work shall not misgive nor be frustrated but thrive in His hand So then in this Text we have much of the Gospel compended in few Words We shal speak a little to one Observation more from the close of the 9. v. Where Christ Jesus His Sinlesness and Innocency is holden out in these two There was no violence in his hands no sinfull practice in Him And there was no deceit in his mouth Which looks not only to His sinless carriage before Men and so sayes that He was no Liar nor Dissembler in His Dealing and
the sin offering is appointed it is the same Word that 's here intimating that that Sin-offering was designed to bear their sin They shall lay their hands on the Sin or Sin-offering because the Sacrificed Beast was Typically to have the Peoples sins imputed to it though properly no mans fin is imputed to any but to Christ This is also clear if we compare Psal 40.6 with Heb. 10.5 6. That which in the Psalm is rendered Sin-offering in the Original is Sin but the Apostle Heb. 10. hath it sacrifice for sin and it is the same Word which he hath 2 Cor. 5. ult He was made sin for us that is an offering for sin by which we may see the unwarrantableness of some Mens accounting Christ to be formally a Sinner because He is called Sin and because our Sin is said to be laid on Him which in Scripture Phrase is as much as His being a Sacrifice for sin in the room of Sinners 3. His soul may be taken either simply for He shall be an offering for sin the Soul being often taken for the whole Person or it may be taken more properly to relate to His Sufferings called the travel of his soul Vers 11. however it is the Person the Man Christ Soul and Bodie that is the Sacrifice and more especially His Soul as the Wrath of God was on it and when He suffered His Soul did undergo that Wrath as well as His Back was given to the Smiter and His Cheecks to them that plucked off the Hair 4. There are two Words furder which we would hint at in the Exposition for clearing of Christ's being called an offering for sin 1. We would put a difference between the Offerings and Sacrifices which were for Sin under the Law and this Offering which is applyed to Christ The Apostle sayes Heb. 10. That it was impossible that the blood of bullocks and of goats could take away sin They were not properly Sin-offerings but as they were Types of that Offering which was to come and so when Christ is called an Offering He is differenced from all the Offerings that were offered before Him by Priests on Earth In this That His Offering oâ— Sacrifice takes away Sin by vertue of it self according to the Covenant But these Offerings of of those Priests that were under the Law as is clear Heb. 9.13 Took not away sin by themselves but only in so far as Christ who was Typifyed by them was made use of and from this we may see it clear 1. That it was by the Blood of Christ that the Fathers under the Law had their sin pardoned and that the Pardon of sin was to them an effect of this Offering as well as unto us 2. That all these Sacrifices and Offerings under the Law were Types of this one Offering and not that one Anniversarie Sacrifice only which was offered once a Year by the High Priest which we the rather hint at because both these are by Socinus that enemie of Christ's Satisfaction controverted he aiming thereby to draw Souls from leaâ—ning to this Offering 2. What we speak of Christ's Sacrifice relates to that which He performed on Earth though He be yet a Priest and lives for ever to make intercession for us yet this Offering respects that which He offered while He was here in the World and especially that which He offered on the Cross as it is said Eph. 5.2 He hath loved us and given himself for us an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour and Heb. 10.12 This man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sat down on the right hand of God and by His Sacrifice once offered up before He went into the most Holy He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified which is also a Truth controverted by that same enemy Soncinus the clearing of it serves not only to open up the meaning of this place but to let us see the effecacy of Christs Sufferings and the nature of them that in them especially His Offering as it brings Pardon of sin and Peace with God does consist so then the meaning of the place is in short That though our Lord Jesus had no sin yet it pleased God in His Counsell to appoint Him to Suffer and that His Sufferingt should be an Offering for the sin of others More particularly If it be asked what is meaned by this an offering for sin we shall clear it from the Type and 1. It is here supponed that there is sin on the Person and that wrath due for sin is to be removed 2. It is supposed that there is an inability in the Person to remove the sin and yet a necessity to have it removed or else he must suffer 3. There is supposed the interveening or coming of something in the place of that Person that is guilty of sin and lyable to wrath 4. There is supposed the acceptation of that which interveeneth by God the Partie offended and so it presupposeth a Covenant whereby the Lord hath condescended to accept of that offering Take it in the Sin-offering goat the Scape-goat Levit. 16. A vive Type of Christ when He is brought into the Congregation 1. The Priest must put his hands upon him and confess the sins and transgressions of the People over him which signified their acknowledgement of their sins and a lyableness to suffering because of them 2. It supposed their proposing of that Goâ—t as a Sacrifice to bear their sins and to take them on him Therefore it was said The Priest shall put the iniquities of the People upon him 3. The one of these Goats was to be sent away into the Wilderness and the other was to be killed and generally all the Sin-offerings were to be killed So that no Remission of sins was without Blood and they came in the room of the Sinners bearing as it were their sin and their punishment And 4. It is to be an atonement to wit a Typical Atonement by this means the People were to have access to Ecclesiastical Priviledges but they could not purifie the Conscience except Christ were made use of who was the true atonement then as He is now still for sin and by vertue of His Sacrifice according to the Covenant they were to deall for the pardon of the sins born by Him We come now to Observe somethings from the Words and 1. It is supponed here that even the Elect and consequently all others are by their sin lyable to God's Judgement and obnoxious to His wrath there were no need of a Sin-offering if this were not The name that Christ gets here supposes that there was Sin and that there was wrath for Sin lying at the door of all Men since Man fell and brake God's Command all Men are before God like Isaac lying before his Father ready to be killed his Father having his hand stretched out with the knif ready to take away his Life And our Lord Jesus is as the Ram
ye improved not for God It 's a sore matter that we should Preach and ye should hear these general Truths of the Gospel from day to day and that yet they do not sink into your hearts Ye will not readily denâ— that there is a day of Reckoning coming and that it will be a great favour to be commended of Him in that day and yet how few do by their Practice evidence that they lay weight on it It 's very sad that Religion should be so triffled in Many of you will come to the Church and seem there and in your other carriage as if ye were going to Heaven when in the mean time ye have few serious thoughts either of Heaven or of Hell But in that Day wherein ye shall stand trembling before His Tribunal and shall there receive the Sentence of an evil and sloathfull Servant ye will find to your cost That there was weight in these Truths that now ye take but little notice of 4ly In General Observe That it 's Singular Proper and Peculiar to Our Lord Jesus to be Gods Approven Servant so as to be without all ground of Challenge in the Discharge of His Duty and Trust and indeed there is no Righteous Servant in this sense but He only who according to the very Rigor of the Law was such the Law could not charge Him with any the least violation of it or want of Conformity unto it For He fulfilled all righteousness We spoke to this on v. 9. and shall not now insist on it Only it 's a sore matter that this Truth should be called in question and called an untruth in these dayes and that Men should say that this Designation and Title is not proper to Christ but that it 's common to all true Christians as if they were all free of Sin and that not by the imputation of Christs Righteousness to them but by their own doing of Righteousness Lord save us what a high injury is this to the Son of God And what gross ignorance is here of the corruption of Mans Nature which in the best and holiest of meer Men is never in this Life finally expelled as the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament most convincingly clear and what a wronging is this of the Truth of God which holds forth Our Lord Jesus as singled out to be and who is designed by this Name The Lords righteous servant Now if there were any moe properly so called we could not say that it were meant of Him But it 's not very profitable to insist in speaking of these Dottages and Foolries But to come more particularly to the benefits that flow from and come by this Righteous servant and from the service intrusted to Him and so faithfully managed and discharged by Him By his knowledge saith Jehovah shall he justifie many That is His Service is to absolve Sinners and set them free from the guilt of Sin and from the Curse that Naturally they are under and lyable to Looking on these Words in the Connexion with the former we shall Oâ—serve Three or Four things ere we come to the more closs and particular Consideration of the Words in themselves The 1. of which is this That the Justifying of many Sinners even of all the Elect is the speciall Trust committed by Jehovah to the Mediator It is in this especially wherein His Service consists Would ye then know what is the imployment of this Righteous Servant It is even this He shall justifie many He shall procure their Absolution from the Guilt of Sin and from the Curse of God and shall set them free from the Judgement which the Law hath against them whereby they are oblidged to the Curse for disobedience thereunto This we may consider 1. As it relates to God and so it imports that the justification of a Sinner is very acceptable to Him For it is that for which He hath given a Commission to the Mediator and what He hath Commissioned Him in the performance of it must needs be acceptable to Him Therefore that which is here called the Lords Service is called The Lords pleasure v. 10. To wit to see a poor Sinner brought in by the Mediator and on the accompt of His Satisfaction Justified He is pleased with and takes it well 2. It may be considered as it looks to the Mediator And so it speaks out the Mediators Design and Work it 's that wherein He is imployed and with which He is taken up even to get Elect Sinners brought from under the Curse of God and freely Justified through Himself So that if ye would know what is the Sum and Effect of Christs Errand and Work in the World here it is He came to save sinners as it is 1 Tim. 1.15 He came to seek and save that which was lost To bring home the lost sheep on His shoulder to seek and find the lost Groat to reclaim Prodigals As it is Luke 15. This is His Meat and His Drink His Work and Businesse as Himself sayes John 4.34 My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work And Luke 2. Know ye not that I must be about my Fathers business Which is to rescue poor Sinners from the Devil and to ingage them to God that their Sins may be Pardoned 3. It imports the Mediators Meetnesse for this Service that He is Furnished Fitted and Qualified for as well as taken up with the Justifying of Sinners and setting them free before the Throne of God He hath a full Purse to speak so to pay their Debt Therefore Revel 3.19 He bids Sinners Come and buy of him eye-salve gold and white rayment He hath Eye-salve for the Blind Gold to Inrich the Poor Garments for the Naked and in a Word every thing that is needfull for Sinners It is comfortable to hear that Christ is a Servant But to hear that this is His Service to Justifie Sinners and that He is so well fitted for it makes it so much the more comfortable And were we suitably sensible of Sin and did we throughly believe this Truth our hearts would Laugh within us as Abraham's once did to know that this was given to Christ in Commission to Justifie Sinners and that He is so well fitted for this Businesse that He is Commissioned about and imployed in especially now when He is so bussie about His Work and Imployment for though He be ascended on high yet He hath received gifts for and given them to men even for the rebellious that God the Lord might dwell among them As it is Psal 68. compared with Ephes 4. This is the End of the Ministry and Ordinances even to further this Work of the Justification of Sinners that by acknowledging and making Use of Christ this Work may be brought about and this Effect made to follow this is the End of Fasts and Communions even to Arrest perishing Sinners a while to Tryst and Treat with Him about the concerns of their
Gospel And because this is it that great part of the Christian World hath been deluded with though it be in those dayes little thought of by many and because it is not one single Error but as it were a Chain of very Momentuous and Fundamentall Errors We shall insist â— little in laying it out before you and ye would not so much look on it as a controversal or meerly speculative as a grosly practicall Error and such as is naturally rooted in all Men ye would also look upon it with holy fear and jealousie over your selves left inadvertantly ye slide into it and withall ye would look on it and make use of it as a Motive to provoke you to love the Truth the more and to be as I said the more thankful to God who hath fred you from that dark heavy and comfortlesse way of Justification by Works which is now impossible It may be that this Error of Papists will not be thought much of by some when they hear that they speak of Justification by Christ and by His merits and by Faith as well as we Protestants do But it 's the more dangerous that they do so And therefore ere I shew you their way of Justification and the inconsistancy of it with the Gospel I would have you to advert to these Three things 1. That in this matter of Justification though Papists acknowledge the name yet they do not acknowledge the thing it self and so upon the matter the Controversie is not so much what Justification is as whether there be such a thing as Justification at all taking it to be a thing distinct from Sanctification and Regeneration which they in effect deny For if the Form Constitute Justification and if to them the Form of Justification be the infusing of habitual Grace in the Soul then it 's nothing different from Regeneration and Sanctification and therefore when they speak of Justification they speak of it in this sense For a Justified Person to them is a Man renewed and made Holy even as to califie or heat water is to make that hot which before was cold so Justification to them is to make a sinful Person Just because of inherent Righteousnesse in himself 2. When they speak of Justification they make of a two-fold Justification The 1. whereof is that which they call the Justification of a wicked Person or of an unrenewed man when Grace is at first infused into him which they grant a man cannot of himself condignâ—y merit The 2d is of a man growing or increasing in Grace when he attains to more Grace and to more Gâ—ory Grace and Glory being of the same Nature wherein they and we do not differ And to this Second Justification they make necessary a Mans proper merit of Works for they say that the first Justification will not do a mans turn who is come to age though to a child it be sufficient because their attaining of Glory who are at Age is the proper hire of their Works which supposes Holinesse And therefore when they say that Christs merit procures Justification their meaning is that it procures the First Justification but not the Second That is in effect to say that it buyes habitual Grace as a Stock to a Man wherewith he may Trade but when they come to speak of Hâ—aven and Glory which is obtained as they say by the Second Justification that is come at by the Man 's own trading with that Stock of habitual Grace And so the Mans Trading or Trâ—ffiquing with his Stock comes in as that â—bich procures wines and merits the Prize 3. Though they use the same names that we use as of Faith and Pardone or Remission of sin yet there is very great difâ—erence betwixt them and us as to the thing for they count nothing to be Faith but Historical Faith which the Devils have and for Remission of Sin They divide and distinguish betwixt the removing or remission of the blot of Sin and the removing or remission of the punishment of Sin And they say that in the First Justification the Blot of Sin is expelled by the â—â—â—fusing of habitual Grace even as Darkness is expelled by the coming in of Light but as to the Punishment of Sin they leave a Man to satisfie in part for himself after his Justification Now as we said Because there is not one Error or two here but a Concatenation or Chain of many Errors Therefore for further clearing of the Truth and discovering of these Errors Ye would consider That when the question is proposed this is the great state of it what that is on which a Sinner may ground his Peace before the Tribunal of God Justice as a solid Defencâ— to answer all the Challenges of the Law and whereupon he may expect to be Absolved and admitted to Heaven They say that it 's inherent Holiness wherewith a Mans Soul is Sanctified Renewed and made conform to the Image of God which say they is oâ— that nature that it cannot but make the Person acceptable to God so that in coming before Gods Tribunal of Justice he hath in himself wherewith to answer all his Challenges or all the Challenges that the Law can bring against his inward and habitual Grace and Sanctification It is true they grant that God works this Grace in them and that Men are not naturally born with it And that Christs merit procures the bestowing of this Grace but yet they say though a Man do not merit this fiâ—st Grace yet he must dispose himself for it by the exercise of his Free Will Faith Alms-deeds and the like and that so he makes himself congruously meet for and capable of Sanctification and habitual Grâ—ce without which God does not bestow it And if we look to the Instrumental Cause they take in the Sacraments of Baptisme Pennance and extream Unction as means whereby God works that Grace and that as they say by the very work wrought if he be a Man come to Age and if there be not opportunity of getting the â—acrament he hath it in his Vow which comes in place of the Sâ—crament by which mâ—ans they have these Two effects The Fiâ—st is a positive bringing in of Grâ—ce into the Soul The Second is privative whereby the Blot or Spot of Sin as H aâ— expells Cold or Light expells Dâ—rkness And this they call Remission of Sin when Grace shuts and drives it ouâ— so that the Soul is not polluted with it And because all this takes in but the guilt of Sin which they say is removed in the First Justification They have a Second Justification whereby they say that the punishment of Sin is removed and whereby they merit Glory And here came in their Dotations Fastings Pilgrimages Perigrinations c. Whereby they make amends to God and because they cannot win to make a full amends here They have their Purgatory and Soul-masses And so they have not only God to Satisfie for the wrongs which they have
to take Christs Righteousnesse and the pardon of Sin through Him freely and what matter of boasting I pray is here none at all Thus this Doctrine contributes both to make these who are seeking pardon and these who have gotten pardon humble Where is boasting then sayes the Apostle it is excluded by what law by the law of works no but by the law of faith as it is Rom. 3.17 The believing Sinner does nothing and hath done nothing towards the procuring of His own Justification but gets all freely We can never think nor speak aright of Justification but it layes our vain humour and stops the mouth from boasting while it saith What hast thou O! man but what thou hast received and if thou hast received it why dost thou boast as if thou hadst not received it We shall close and shut up the whole of this Doctrine by proposing some few considerations as conclusions from it 1. See here a necessity of being acquainted with the Truths of the Gospel and with this Truth in particular concerning Justification whereof alace many are very ignorant seing there are so many wayes to go wrong and so many do go wrong about it we had need to be the more clear in the right way If there were more knowledge of this and of other Truths we might speak and hear with more profite and if ye did not please your selves with meer and airy notions but sought to be settled in what ye hear of other Truths and of this in particular it would contribute much to your peace and rid you of many doubts and difficulties A 2d Consideration is That there is much need to walk in holy fear in studying this and other Truths there are so many wayes to err and a wrong step here is very dangerous It were exceeding profitable to be more in the study of Justification that is of the very marrow of the Gospel and is deservedly accounted to be articulus stantis aut cadentis ecclesiae but ye would come to it in fear being jealous of your own ignorance and shallownesse of capacity rightly to take it up especially when new questions are rising and started concerning it And as Paul and David studied this way and held it forth to others as the way whereby they went to heaven and whereby others must come to it So we commend it to you to follow them A 3d. Consideration is If Faith be so necessary to Justification as without it ye cannot be Justified is there not reason that ye should study to be distinct and clear that ye have Faith and that ye are indeed Believers This is one of the great Uses of all this Doctrine If there be no way but Faith and if in studying this one way many go wrong then as ye would make your calling and election sure study to make this sure by puting your selves to the tryal if ye be taking this way as the Apostle most pathetically exhorts 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves if ye be in the faith prove your own selves c. It 's truly matter of wonder to think how so many men and women are so soon satisfied in the matter of their believing which yet is so tickle and difficult a businesse we would have none to be jumbled and confounded about it who desire to be serious in the thing yet we would have all wakened and put to diligence many men have taken pains to be wrong in this matter of Justification and how few of you have taken pains to go right in it and how is it that many of you win so easily at it Seing the Apostle Rom. 9. calls it a stumbling stone to many and a rock of offence Surely 〈◊〉 it be so your coming at it by guess and ignoranly is to be suspected And therefore on this consideration ye would be awakened to put your selves more seriously to the study of it and to try your selves if ye be come well to it for it 's the special yea the only-ground of your peace before God There are many of you who in a manner think it impossible to miscarry in this For ye know that there is no way to be Justified but by Faith and yet if many of you were put to it ye know not the manner nor way how Faith Justifies which shews that it is not so easie a matter as ye take it to be A 4th Consideration is this That in speaking of Justification and Faith's peculiarnesse or peculiar way of concurring in it ye would beware of crying down Works as to their usefulness or necessity This was an error that soon entered in the Church as soon as Paul cleared and pressed the Doctrine of Justification by Faith some arose who as James shews in the 2d Chapter of his Epistle affirmed that Works were not needful but Faith would save them no sayes James that faith is dead and vain that wants works And therefore remember 1. That although we tell you that Works are not properly the condition of the Covenant of Grace yet we say that Faith and Works are never separat in a Justified Person sound Faith cannot but work and put on to the study of Holinesse 2. We say although Works concur not in the obtaining of pardon of Sin yet we say they are needful to Salvation and to folks entry in to Heaven For the Apostle saith Heb. 12.17 That without holiness none shall see the Lord Though it's Faith that makes our friendship yet it 's by holinesse that it 's entertained and it 's holinesse whereby our communion is keeped up with God Therefore Col. 1.12 We are said by it to be made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light For it transforms us to Gods Image 3. Works are necessary though not to procure our peace yet for the entertaining of our peace and except we have Works we cannot have a solid proof that our Justification by Faith is real and in this respect James sayes Chap. 2. that Abraham was Justified by Works That is by his Works he was declared to be a justified person As to the Justification of his person he was justified by Faith before Isaac was born but by his offering up of Isaac and other Fruits of his Faith he was declared and manifested to be a Justified man and made suitable to the Covenant that he was ingaged in with God Therefore as the sum of all be exhorted to study the exercise of Faith and Holinesse so as every one of them may have it 's own room and place for that will be your advantage and without this no other thing will advantage you Now God himself that calleth for both Sanctifie and enable us for both SERMON LXII ISAIAH LIII XI Vers 11. For he shall bear their iniquities IT 's a thing that can neither be easily believed nor yet understood how by Christs knowledge or by Faith in Him many shall be justified In these Words the Prophet adds a Reason that both confirms
were the practice of Believers dayly they would see a necessiâ—y of thinking much of him O! when will we be serious and constant in the use-making of this part of his Office 5. Because it may serve also for ground of conviction to many that are called Christians and who go through many cases and d ffiâ—ulties and yet know not what it is to acknowledge him in his intercession O! It 's a sad thing for folk to bear the name of Christians and yet if they want any good thing and can get it another way they neglect and misken him And if it be well with them and if they obtain what they would have they sacrifice to their own net and he is slâ—ghted The next thing in order is to remove some Objections and to answer some Questions conâ—erâ—ing this improvement of Christ intercession in the manner that we have spoken of And there will readily be store of them in our carnal minds Now for the removing of these Objâ—ctions or Doubts I shall lay down some grounds for direction that may answer any Doubt of that kind which may arise partly from the Doctrinal partly from the practical part of this Doctâ—â—â— It being a puzling piece of exercise to â—omâ— that they think they know not how to improve Christs Iâ—tercession or that they never did it aright or possibly both these maâ—â—e their exeâ—cise The 1. grounâ— I would lay down is this That ye would remember that there is an unsearchablenesse in this mystery of the God head in the mystery of Gods becoming man and in the mystery of the Mediator his takiâ—g on of these Offiâ—es to exercise them in our nature and in speaking or thinking of them there is a necessity to silence that which our curiosity would propose for Satisfaction about them as namely how there are or can be three Persons in the God head and yet but one God how one of these Persons can be man and how it is that by him we have access to God the Father Son and holy Ghost There is silence required in the how of these things which leads to the next derection 2. We would study Satisfaction in the matter of the truth it self rather then to be poring into the m nner or how of profound Mysteries especially such as concern the blessed God-head Which is higher then the heavens broader then the earth and deeper then the sea That is as we hinted before we would study rather to know that there is such a thing then how it is as in this particular we know that the Son of God became man took on our nature and in our nature died rose again ascended to heaven sat down on the right hand of God and makes Intercâ—ssion for us These are clear But if we ask how these things can be That God can be man and that two natures can be in one person and how God can interceed they are things much above our reach and not to properly the object of our Faith I say as to the how of them â—â—d our consolation lyes not so much in knowing how such a thing is as in knowing that it is and I make no question but there are many who pray in Faith because there is an Intercessour who if the question were asked how he performs that work They could not tell well if at all These that can tell most of it are very ignorant of it and can tell but little The Lord in his goodnesse hath so ordâ—red the matter that he hath given grounds for the Faith of his people to walk on in their duty but will not satisfy their curiosity and truly if we will seriously reflect we will find that these things which most readâ—ly vex us are questions about the manner and not abouâ— the matter of things we do not doubt that the Son of God is God that the holy Ghost is God and that he procâ—eâ—s from the Father and the Son that the second Person of the Trinity became Man c. But the perplexing question is how these things are or can be The Lord hath made it necessary to be believed that there is one God and three Persons in the God head but to be in reason satisfied as to the how or manner of their subsistance and operations that is not required as necessary So is it here in this matter of Christ's Intercession And therefore this second direction is that ye would study clearness in the grounds that ye are to go upon in the use-making of his Intercession but ye would not be curious in seeking satisfaction about the how or manner of it 3. In our addresses to God and in our improving of Christ's Intercession we would beware of imagining or framing in our imagination representations to our selves of him who is the object of our worship or of the manner of the Mediators Intercession as if we had seen him or heard him with our bodily eyes or ears a thing that sometimes is fashions and troublesome as well as it is sinful and which we are not called to yea if it were possible to attain to any representation of this kind yet it 's but a representation of our own forming and so a breach of the second Command And therefore in going to God through the Mediator never represent to your selves one party standing beside or by another For that is but a diverting of the Soul from the exercise of Faith on a purely spiritual and simple object and derogatory to the majesty of God and when ever such representations are made or rise in the imagination or in the mind God would be looked to for crushing of them It 's from this that many of our doubts and questions arise and there is no loosing of them but by â—he abandoning of them If there were a-possibility to conceive something like God yet the Lord abhorreth that and Deut. 4.15 and 12.30 All Similituds and Representations of God are discharged 4 In our addresses to God through the Mediator we would rest our Faith on what is revealed in the Word seeking rather to take up God and Christ â—s they are revealed in it then without the Word to seek Satisfaction to our curiosity we would from the Word study to take up the attributs of God his omniscience omnipotency omni presence wisdom grace and mercy purity and holinesse soveraignity and absolute dominion in guiding all and as being at such an infinit distance from and infinitly above all creatures that thereby a right impression of God may be wrought in the heart we would likewise study clearness in the promises and concerning Christ and his Offices And in applications to God we would fix our Faith on these known grounds believing we shall be heard and being quiet on that Moses Exod. 33. Is under a vehement longing to see God I beseech thee saith he shew me thy glory The Lord tells him that he cannot see it and live but he will make his goodness pass before him