excellency and glory that there is in God to know much of God in his own essence and being and elevates the sould to converse with God in a higher way abundantly then reason can doe though it is true a great deal of God is understood by reason And then by faith the soul comes to know what riches there are in these excellent and glorious things of God It first sees them in God and then after that it sees this God to be infinitely willing to communicate and let out himself to his creature And then by faith the soul converseth with the deep and glorious councels of God between himself and his Son It sees into the great designe God had in sending his Son into the world for the working and bringing to passe those high and glorious intentions he had in communicating himself to the children of men through a mediator Again faith converseth with the great things of the covenant of grace and there sees into those unsearchable riches as the Apostle speaks that have no footsteps in the creature so the word signifies we cannot see them by reason or the creature A speciall object faith works upon is the covenant of grace in the Gospell and it sees the riches that are revealed there And faith receives the testimony of the holy Ghost the holy Ghost is appointed by the Father and the Son to witnesse these great things to manifest to the soul the deep things of God those things that are but meer notions otherwise to the heart of a man the spirit of God discovers these to the soul and so faith working upon these objects and closing with them as the proper spheare for it to move in it makes all those glorious things that are revealed concerning the happinesse of those that God intends eternall good unto substantiall and reall to the soul such things as the soul can build upon and dare venture its self and its eternall estate upon and we had need have a good foundation in those things we are content to venture our eternall estate upon and because it must be the work of faith when God intends to save the soul to have such apprehensions of the Gospell as to be willing to venture its eternall condition upon it therefore it had need have a sure foundation and hence faith is the substance of things hoped for and gives a reall being unto these things And as it makes them reall and substantiall so there is another thing included in this word It makes them present though they are but things hoped for yet by faith they have a present subsistence to the soul they are lookt upon by faith as now subsisting though in themselves they doe not faith partakes much of the nature of God it hath a kinde of omnipotent power in it out of nothing to create something there are many excellent works of faith and amongst the rest this is a speciall one to give a being to that which in itself hath none to make it for the present a substantiall reall being to the soul the work of faith in this kinde is very observable for evill things that are very high faith can make them at a mighty distance and for good things that are never so far off faith can make them to be as present to it Observe what the Scripture speakes of it this way first for evils that are very nigh and encompasse us round about when we are in the midst of them faith can put the evill at a distance as Psalm 91. 7. A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand but it shall not come nigh thee not come nigh thee If he had said it shall not be upon thee it had been somewhat but to say it shall not come nigh thee this is a strange kinde of expression how could it be said not to come nigh him when thousands fell on the both hands and he was in the midst of it it was by faith faith put that at a distance which was just upon him The strength of reason will help one when the plague is a great way off then a man thinks I am safe enough because farre enough from it but suppose the plague come into thy house into thy chamber now to believe a promise it shall not come nigh thee here is a mighty work of faith faith puts evils present at a farre distance And then on the other side for good things that are absent a great way off faith can make them as if they were really subsisting therefore Heb. 11. 13. It is said of the Fathers that they saw the promises afarre off and embraced them the word in the originall is saluted the promises now friends when they salute must be nigh one another their faith made the promises which were a great way off to be with them as if present therefore it is said of Abraham that he saw Christs day and rejoyced and the Scripture speaks of taking hold of eternall life and that we doe by faith and of being in heaven receiving the end of your faith T is not you shall receive but now you are receiving Psalm 108. 7. 8. God hath spoken in his holinesse I will rejoyce I will divide Sechem c. Gilead is mine Manasseth is mine marke is mine he presently concludes as if the thing were already done for it was so by faith faith gives a present subsistence to things Reason it self hath a great deale of power to make things that are future to be as present both in evill things and in good In evill things a man that is a contemplative man and hath a wicked heart he will fetch the sweetnesse of his lust and sinne which is a great way off and make it as present by mediation and roling it up and down in his thoughts in a way of discourse and so acts his sinne contemplatively though he may be in hell before he act it really Now as reason and discourse can fetch in a lust and make it as if it were present so reason can goe a great way in making a future good thing as if it were present And this is the difference between a rationall creature and a sensuall a sensuall creature is only for the things that are before it but now reason can fetch things that are absent and make them as present and in regard of this God hath a mighty advantage of mankinde either for the bringing of his wrath upon them or for bestowing happinesse upon them as you can fetch in your lusts that are absent and make them as present to you in your thoughts by the work and discourse of reason so by the worke of this faculty God can make evils and plagues though future yet to be as present with you And in this respect the wofull evill of those that perish eternally may be set out dreadfully namely thus they being reasonable creatures by the work of their reason they may fetch in all the
as parly with them about any termes of peace and that God for one sin in Adam should condemne all mankinde you all grant this in the general yea further that God the Father should deal so with his own Son the Son of his love as to make him a curse for man and should lay the weight of his wrath upon him so as to make him sweat drops of bloud and to cry out My God my God why hast thou for saken me if you had never heard of such a thing this would seem as hard as any thing we have spoken of Now before we come to speak of the other let that which hath been said teach us that surely then all men in their natural condition are in a hard case as the Israelites when the bondage they were in under Pharoah encreased upon them the Text sayes they saw themselves in an evil case O that upon the hearing of these things you would learne to see what you are out of Christ that you would see your selves in an evil case in a sad and dangerous condition Secondly if this be the case that every soul naturally is under such a bondage to the law then the saving of a soul is a great and a mighty work yea such a work that God must make heaven and earth to move to save a soul and to deliver it from the bondage of sin the reason why people doe so slight this great work of salvation and mediation by Christ is because they know not their bondage Vnderstand but this bondage aright what it is to be under the law I have not told you all this while of the condemnation of the law or the curse of the law I have onely set out to you the bondage of the rigour of the law and by this you will see it is a great work to save a soul Thirdly you may see by this how that vaine plea of carnal hearts comes to nothing what will you trust now to your good meanings good desires and good intentions and you will mourne and grieve because you are no better and you will doe what you can for God t is true these are good things but are these the things you rest in for standing before God if they be certainly you know not the termes you stand in to God nor what your bondage is Fourthly if God reveales himself to a man only by the law it is impossible but the soul of that man must flye off from him and look upon God and his law as enemies to him unlesse it were revealed together with the Gospel Which is that I am now to tell you of even that liberty we have by the Gospel Therefore then for the liberty of the Gospel it is a precious liberty wherein the treasury of the mystery of grace is laid up it is the onely ground of support to our souls and Saint Paul that was the great instrument of God in opening the doctrine of the liberty of the Gospel sets it down in all his Epistles and in many places elegantly and in one Text wherein is some difficulty In Gal. 4. from verse 21 and so forward Tell me ye that desire to be under the law doe ye not heare the law for it is written that Abraham had two sons the one by a bond-maid the other by a free woman but he who was of the bond-woman was borne after the flesh but be of the free-woman was by promise which things are an allegory for these are the two covenants the one from the mount Sinai which gendereth to bondage which is Agar for this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children but Jerusalem which is above is free which is the mother of us all for it is written rejoyce thou barren that bearest not breake forth and cry thou that travellest not for the desolate hath many more children then she which hath an husband The Text seemes at the reading of it to be somewhat obscure and yet doth most excellently set out this doctrine I am now upon of bondage under the law and liberty under the Gospel the allegory you see is from the two sons Abraham had one Son by a bond-maid another by a free woman It is an allegory sayes the Apostle and it signifies the two covenants the covenant of workes and the covenant of grace the covenant of workes that was from mount Sinai there was the law revealed which is Agar for this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia I remember Luther sayes that Agar in the Arabian tongue is as much as mount Sinai they call it so in the Arabian tongue and so the Apostle alludes to it therefore the law that is of Agar that tends onely to bondage Agars posterity were Gentiles and in bondage and were not to have the priviledge of the Sons of the free woman therefore all those that have to deal with God in the covenant of workes are bond-men and are not to have the priviledge of the children of the free woman of the children of God Well This Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her childron he sets out the estate of the Church of the Jewes the Jerusalem that now is to be an estate of bondage in comparison of the Church of the Gospel because they had so little knowledge of the Gospel but were in bondage unto the law and knew little else but the law But Jerusalem which is above that is the state of the Church under the new Testament is above in regard of the Gospel which is free and is the mother of us all the Church of God under the Gospel is the Jerusalem which is above but now it is written rejoyce thou barren that bearest not break forth and cry thou that travellest not for the desolate hath many more children then she which hath an husband That is those that acknowledge the doctrine of the liberty of the Gospel at first are but as desolate as the barren woman before it be revealed as Sarah was barren for a while but afterward she had a childe so the doctrine of the liberty of the Gospel is but as a barren thing for a while till people are acquainted with it and we that are Ministers of the Gospel it is our worke to beget children to Christ If we should be legall and preach onely the law we should beget children to bondage to Agar but this is our chiefe work to beget children to the free woman to beget children to the free grace of God in Christ And O that I could beget one childe to this free woman I cannot think but that there may be many here that are children of Agar that it may be have had terrours and feares in their consciences and yet are but children of the bond-woman still Now it is the Gospell that proclaimes the Trumpet of Jubile to those that are under bondage therefore
Father his infinite merits to plead with him for supply of all grace and mercy to us and thus he comes to be an infinite way of conveyance of good to the souls of his people and so to be all and in all to them both here and eternally that is the third particular how Christ comes to be the way of conveyance But now the fourth and that is to instance in some speciall things we have from God and to manifest that Christ is all in all in those things As now first in the point of justification and the pardon of our sinnes the acceptation of us as righteous that is the great thing we stand in need of from God Christ is all in all to us here this is the tenour of the Gospell Rom. 3. 24. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ Luther hath this expression concerning justification sayes he in the point of justification there Christ and faith must be onely put together they must be alone and nothing else with them but in our conversation there indeed comes in good workes just as it is between the bridegroom and the bride the bridegroom and the bride are alone in the bride chamber but when they goe abroad there they have their traine and servants attending them so he compares justification to the bride chamber none but Christ and faith must be there but when they come abroad in their conversation then all other graces attend them and good workes come in but Christ is all in all here First It is not all we have done no nor all that we can possibly doe that can be our justification You will say true we have for the present done but little I but suppose any of you should doe your utmost in any particular that God requires you will say I hope if I doe what I can God will accept it of me no you mistake exceedingly if you thinke so people are very apt to look upon God as if the termes between God and them were no other then thus God he is a pittifull and a mercifull God and 't is true we are weak and can doe but little but yet doing what we are able God he will accept the will for the deed no God accepts not the will for the deed in point of justification It is true in those that are already justified God in the performance of duty accepts the will for the deed so as to take delight in them but in point of justification as to pardon of sinne and acceptation to righteousnesse there he must have perfect obedience and though we endeavour never so much yet unlesse we can bring God a perfect righteousnesse we are undone for ever yea woe to Abraham and woe to Isaac and woe to Jacob and woe to David and Daniel and to all the Prophets and Apostles notwithstanding all their righteousnesse if they had not had a righteousnesse beyond what was in themselves If they had not had a perfect righteousnesse to tender to their Father they had been utterly lost for ever therefore it is not for thee to rest upon this that thou doest what thou canst and hast good wishes and desires and the like for were all the righteousnesse of all the righteous men that ever were in the world in one man it would not be sufficient for his justification I but it may be you will say true I can doe but little of my self but if God enable me then he will accept of me Nay further it is not what God enables thee to doe that can be the formallity of thy justification such are the termes between God and thee that there is nothing thou canst doe of thy self or canst be enabled to doe that is accepted of him for thy righteousnesse to eternall life But it may be said it is true though God should enable me yet there may be imperfections but God is mercifull and will passe them by therefore I adde another consideration that it is not onely what thou canst do or canst be enabled to doe but 't is not Gods mercy added if barely considered as the mercy of God as a creator to his creature and not under this consideration through Christ and accepting a righteousnesse beyond thy own that can eke out thy justification This is a great mistake many think that that which they have in themselves and what they are able to doe is but little but when they have done something if God will come then and adde his mercy to it that they think will eke it out no it is not that and mercy together that is thy justification I say mercy out of this notion we are speaking of And that you may understand it yet more clearly consider it thus the work of Gods mercy in justification it is not of this use that it should be our justification or should eke out what we are wanting in for our justification but the work of Gods mercy in justifying a soul is to take him off from himselfe to unbottome him and to make him see and be sensible of his own unrighteousnesse and uncleanesse this is a great and mighty work of Gods mercy I remember Luther sayes of himselfe that while he was a Papist he was not obedient out of worldly respects for a livelyhood and the like but he did what he did out of conscience and yet sayes he afterward after he knew God in Christ That which I counted gain was losse unto me He did not think it enough to do what he did out of conscience and that Gods mercy should make up the rest no he was taken off of that way 'T is not the work of mercy to do this but to discover to the soul a righteousnesse of a higher nature even of the mediator God and man and to enable the soul by faith to tender up that righteousnesse to God the father for satisfaction this is the worke of Gods mercy in point of justification The mistake of the way of Gods mercy having an influence into our justification is a very dangerous mistake and we had need be very wary in this great point of justification for all depends upon it I remember Luther in this sayes he it is an easie matter to say we close with Gods grace and the righteousnesse of Christ alone in the point of justification till the soul be brought to a conflict and then 't is the hardest thing in the world to doe it and the people of God have found it so in the time of trouble of conscience that 's the first that Christ is all in all in point of justification Secondly he is all in all in point of adoption so sayes the Scripture Gal. 3. 26. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus and Chapter 4. v. 4. 5. But when the fulnesse of the time was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the
under it Rom. 6. 14. Now ye are not under the law there was a time when they were under the law first then the rigour of the law is in this it requires hard things of those that are under it I shall shew you afterward how the things are not so to those that are set free by Christ but to those that are under the law it is a hard yoke it requires hard things things that are crosse and contrary to the hearts and dispositions of all that are under it things between which and their hearts there is an enmity and antipathy Now to require such things as one hath 〈◊〉 â—inde to but are quite contrary to ones nature and that ones nature hath an antipathy against this is very tedious and yet such are all the duties of the law to those that are in bondage to it Secondly the law requires not onely hard but impossible things impossible to be performed by those that are under it the law it is a yoke that neither we nor our fathers were able to bear Acts 15. 10. but that you wil say is meant of the ceremoniall law I but there is more in it then so for do but consider the occasion of that speech it was upon this ground there were some that came from the Church of Jerusalem to the Church of Antioch and they troubled the disciples there with two doctrines the doctrine of the necessity of the ceremoniall law and the doctrine of being justified by the law now this Church of Antioch sends to the Church of Jerusalem to be satisfied about both these questions and that which is spoken is spoken concerning them both not onely the ceremonial law was that whereby they lookt for justification but the morrall law too and both were a yoke that neither they nor their fathers were able to bear and the rather it must be meant of both because in the very next words we finde it opposed to the grace of Christ in vers 11. But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved even as they As if he should say you must not think to be saved by the law but by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ Now the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is opposed to our justification by obedience to the morrall law as well as to the ceremonial so that the morral law is a yoke that neither we nor our fathers were able to beare It requires of us such things as are impossible to be done by those that are under it We must not dispute now how this can be or the justice of it that will fall in afterward And then thirdly the law exacts all of us under the condition of perfection the law accepts of nothing but that which is compleat and absolutely perfect every way both in regard of the principle from whence and the manner how and the rule by which and end to which it requires absolute perfection Fourthly the law accepts of 〈…〉 it must have it done in our own persons like a severe creditor that will be paid to the utmost farthing and by our selves I say the law in it self considered lookes for a perfect righteousnesse of our own persons or else it condemnes us this is the righteousnesse of the law That he that doth the things therein contained shall live by them Rom. 10. 5. He that doth there must be doing and that by himself personally or not at at all But it may be though there be much required yet upon some endeavours there may be some remission In the fift place therefore such is the rigour and severity of the law that let us endeavour never so much to obey it yet all our endeavours are rejected if they come not up to perfect obedience T is a vaine plea of many people to say they doe what they can and desire well and endeavour well It is true this is somewhat to those that are children and have freedome by Christ as you shall heare by and by but to those that are under the law endeavours to obey though never so strong if the work be not done are not accepted by God Sixthly the law requires constancy in all these suppose we could obey the law or goe on very farre in many things yet such are the termes between God and us as we are under the law that if we were able to obey the law in every thing as long as we live till the very last moment and should offend but in any one particular at the last moment were it not for this freedome we have by this Son we were utterly undone for ever you may see by the way still as you goe of what infinite concernment our freedome by Christ is You must look to your selves how you get deliverance by Christ for certainly this is your condition as long as you are under the law Seaventhly the law exacts the obedience it requires exceeding rigorously in a way of violence upon all that are under it it comes roughly upon them as Pharoahs task-masters it requires the work and lookes not at strength strength or no strength the work is required and required with exceeding rigour with dreadful threatning if it be not performed therefore it is the law was delivered in so dreadfull a manner with thundering and lightning and earthquakes and fire so that it made even Moses himself to shake and tremble at the manner of delivering it and in Deut. 33. 2. it is called a fiery law it came with mighty rigour that is the seaventh Eighthly there is this rigour in the law too that upon any breach of it in the least thing it doth by the severity of it break the soule so that it doth utterly disinable it for ever performing any obedience to it again there is such hardness in the covenant of the Law the Law is like an Iron or Brazen wall that upon any breach of it the soule is but as an earthen vessell that dashes against it and is broken in pieces so that there must be a creating power to make it whole again consider I beseech you I say this is the condition of the Covenant of workes which was made with us in Adam which is now the covenant of the Law that upon any one breach by the severity of it it breaks the soule so that it doth utterly difinable it for keeping it again it roots out all the principles whereby the soule should be enabled to obey again sinnes against the Gospel do not do so as you shall heare hereafter And this is the very ground why upon the first sinne of Adam we were all gone and so were the Angels upon their sinne because they had to deale with God onely in a covenant of works But if upon the breach of the Law we come to have all principles rooted out by which we should keep it afterward it will we hope pitty us and not exact obedience from us Therefore in the ninth place