and not destroy the Sinner and be as glorious in forgiving as in punishing To him the satisfaction was made and by him accepted Heb. 10.7 And hence the Sinner is not free as soon as the satisfaction was made but it's when and on what terms the Law-giver and Sponsor would adjust yea and the release comes to the Sinner as a forgiving Act. Exh. Adore the Wisdom and Grace of God Oh! what Grace that would transfer the punishment What Wisdom that contrived a way to place it so that God should be satisfied and yet his Grace be free The Sinner saved and yet not tempted to Rebel The Sufferer repaid in Glory suited to what he did and endured The Redeemed kept Humble as Pardoned tho' the Pardon was granted on a valuable Price The Gift so bestowed as to exert Authority and necessitate Diligence And yet nothing done on the Receivers part to purchase the Gift or to Rob Grace of its Glory it s comprehensively expressed Eph. 1.7 8. In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sin according to the riches of his grace wherein he hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence 5 Prop. The righteousness of Christ in all respects is perfect and compleat yet Christ's Righteousness is variously denominated from those different respects However variously we conceive thereof it s every way perfect it 's chargeable with no defect nor subject to any challenge 1. It 's perfect if you consider it as a meer conformity to the preceptive part of the Moral Law in which respect it 's the same as Holiness He was holy harmless and undefiled separate from sinners Heb. 7.26 He was habitually Holy above Adam yea above Angels none so full of grace and truth as he Joh. 1.14 No Mind so filled with light in actu primo even from the very â—â—nning no Heart so inlaid with the Divine Image and enflamed with Love as his he had the Spirit without measure Ioh. 3.34 He had no taint of evil in his Constitution in the Womb he was that Holy thing Luk. 2.35 And when the Tempter assaulted him with the most Skilful violence he had nothing in him Ioh. 14.30 He super-eminently obeyed to an Iota all that was required of him or competent to his Person and this without any defect in the manner and to the utmost extent of the Precept Thus compleatly Holy was Christ which Holiness went into the matter of his Righteousness and is often called so he gave God his utmost due as a Holy Law-giver 2. It was a perfect Righteousness as the performed condition of the Reward promised him in the Covenant of Redemption Whatever was promised to Christ either for himself or Members was promised upon certain conditions some of which were a due undergoing of the bitterest Sufferings threatned in the Law of Works others were included in that of his Active Obedience A Penal Sanction in case of his failure had no room in the Law of Mediation because of the impossibility of his Non-performance and therefore a right to Impunity is of as little concern but Christ's Active and Passive Obedience became formally a compleat Righteousness as what he did and suffered was an exact fulfilling of the condition of the Reward in the Sanction He took our Nature he made his Soul an Offering for Sin he Honouâ— the Law he Glorified God he did all the â—â—rk which was given him to do and drunk the Dregs of the Cup which was appointed him to Drink He fulfilled all Righteousness Mat. 3.15 Even all that for which he was to be Exalted or his Seed made Happy nothing was omitted by him or abated to him 3. This Righteousness of Christ as the performed condition of the Reward was a Federal Righteousness above what was to be Man's Righteousness by the Law of Works which could not be but that the conditions consented to by Christ in the Covenant of Redemption were other and greater than what were required of Adam by the Covenant of Works I shall give you a few of many instances of Conditions appointed to Christ in the Covenant of Redemption above what the Law of Works required The Law of Works did not require the Person Obeying or Suffering to be the Eternal Son of God in our Nature but the Covenant of Redemption required this should I Name no more this would fully prove the point But I add The Law of Works did not exact an Obedience above what Innocent Adam was able to perform but the Covenant of Redemption did this And Christ so obeyed in our Nature not needlessly as must fill the Angels with admiration to see themselves outdone The Covenant of Works did not exact Punishment even to Death from the same Person as still yielded perfect Obedience but the Covenant of Redemption did this The Law of Works did not require or appoint a vicarious Punishment or Obedience from a Sponsor for others but limited both to the Persons originally subject to the Law whereas the Covenant of Redemption appointed this The Law of Works did not command the Sufferings of any as a Reconciling Propitiation but the Law of Mediation did this My reason for that is The Law of Works did by its Threats denounce Vengeance against Sin But this was not by a Precept upon Obedience whereto the Sufferer could Merit Peace and Reconciliation whereas the Law of Mediation appointed Christs Death for a Propitiatory Offering and in Dying he yielded the highest Act of Obedience to a Precept Ioh. 14.31 And this to make Reconciliation Heb. 2.17 Col. 1.20 The Covenant of Works did as a condition of Impunity and Reward injoin Obedience to no Law but that which Adam was under viz. the Law of Works and the Positive one Prohibiting the Eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil But the Covenant of Redemption required Obedience to the Ceremonial Law c. The Law of Works appointed no more Obedience than Governing Justice as such had suited to the Rewards of that Covenant But as the Covenant of Redemption had far higher Rewards so it ordained suitable conditions The Law of Works appointed no Obedience after Sin as a Meritorious condition of obtaining forfeited Benefits but the Covenant of Redemption did this We may easily perceive that the conditions prescribed to our Redeemer much differ'd from those the Law of Works required and since Christ fulfilled all these his federal Righteousness exceeds that which the Law of Works prescribed If you ask why Christ's Righteousness must thus exceed what the Law of Works ordained I Answer It 's because it's a greater thing to Redeem an Offender than to continue an Innocent Persons Right to Impunity And it 's more to Purchase greater Blessings for one that hath forfeited all good than it is to continue lesser Blessings tho' with some addition to one that hath not forfeited Yea and Reconciliation is more difficult than maintaining Peace before any Enmity 4. Christs Righteousness was perfect as it was his
wherein I except my self Mr. M. hath done more to favour Socinianism than all those whom he accuseth 1. By calling such Semisocinians whose doctrin and Principles will approve themselves to most Men to be Orthodox Many will abate their prejudice against the real Socinian as not being so bad as the word imported 2. He falls in wholly with the Socinians in denying Christ's Incarnation to be a part of his Humiliation and deprives us of the force of one of the greatest Texts for the Deity of Christ Phil. 2.6 7. 3. He supports the Socinian Cause and one of their strongest Topicks against the Satisfaction of Christ by speaking still of God as a Creditor Sin as a Debt the Law as a Money Bond Christ as a Money Surety whereas all our Divines find it impossible to defend that Doctrin without denying this Metaphor and therefore plead that God is to be considered as a Rector Sin a Crime Sinners Criminals Christ a Sponsor in consistency with his being Redeemer Mediatour Saviour Sacrifice and Priest c. For if Sin were a Money Debt why could not God forgive it without Satisfaction as well as other Creditors do c. 4. He grants the absurdity in the sense objected by the Socinians and still opposed by our Divines viz. That we are as Righteous as Christ in equality Turretin Instit Theol. p. 714 715. proves that licet c. though we are justified by Christ's Righteousness imputed non sequitur nos non minus justos esse quam Christum it doth not follow that we are no less Righteous than Christ So doth Dr. Owen of Iustif. p. 509 510. All our celebrated Opposers of Socinianism do the same Mr. M. may say as well of these as he doth of us for denying it as they do They have a heart-hatred of standing in the Righteousness of Christ. 5. The Socinians have their whole Cause favoured against the Deity of Christ or at least the Arrians by what he asserts concerning the Person of the Son of God He makes him such a God as was capable of a real Glory to be added to him that as God he might be under God's frowns and displeasure might quit and forgo the actual enjoyment of that Love Glory and Inheritance which as Son of God he was entitled to and possessed of before his Incarnation not in a way of manifestation nor as to his Humane Nature but in reality and as to his Divine Nature in which alone he acted before his Incarnation a God capable of an acquired Right superadded to his natural Right to those very Riches Love and Glory which he enjoyed before he was Son of Man And also that the Humane Nature belongs to the Constitution of the Person of the Son of God as it is now p. 8. c. Are not these bold Strokes which I have before fully proved to be his Assertions Though Charity binds me to acknowledge that I think he designeth not to oppose the Eternal Deity of the Son of God by Assertions so unsuitable to the Divine Essence and so mistaketh what God is rather than who he is 6. I might add he blasts all the opposition made by our best Authors against Socinianism by branding even them as Semisocinians To say nothing of his representing the Doctrin of imputed Righteousness in a manner not defensible and tempting to most Mens being Socinians unless they have a better Notion of it Few will believe that we did legally do and suffer what Christ did that we are as Righteous as Christ and that the Gospel enjoineth no Duty as a Condition on us for obtaining the blessed Effects of Christ's Merits which be the only ground of his quarreling thus hotly with us Men of his suspicious temper will judge he designeth to favour Socinianism by calling us Semisocinians 12. Mr. M. Attempts to instruct us how to Preach but with an evil insinuation and in some things very contrary to Apostolical Preaching Thus your Teachers should instruct and lead you This is the Apostles direction to Titus that he should teach them that have believed to be careful to maintain good works not to teach and press sinners in their Vnbelief to fall to doing of good works first and overlook believing wholly or to postpone it after them p. 69. Repl. 1. Which teacher of his Hearers doth teach any to postpone Faith or overlook it wholly or delay it at all If by Believing he means a due accepting of a whole Christ yea do not they direct them to expect all from God through Christ and look to Christ as he in whom all fulness is But our Author is one of them who think Christ is never Preached unless his Name be mentioned and that as a Priest too His revealed Truths and enjoined Laws c. are not Preaching Christ. 2. But may one call Sinners to no Duty till they are Believers Must they not be prest to examin themselves pray read the Word hear it Preached fear God teach their Families love their Wives meditate consider strive with their Hearts resist Temptations believe the Scriptures nor relieve the Poor till they be Believers Peter was to learn of our Author to Preach for though he knew Simon Magus to be in the gall of bitterness yet he bids him then repent of this thy wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee Acts 9.22 perhaps he 'll say he believed true in such a manner as I fear some that pretend high to Faith exceed not Paul gives such an account of much of his Ministry at first to Jews and Gentiles Acts 26.20 That they should repent and turn unto God and do works meet for Repentance the Baptist was an ill Teacher and Christ's Sermon on the Mount Mat. 5. and Paul's at Lystra Acts 14.15 16. needed Mr. M's direction Paul saith to unbelievers We are Men of like Passions with you thus far he 'll agree and Preach unto you that you should turn from these vanities unto the living God that made Heaven and Earth c. a good Work is pressed before they believed Here Mr. M. would have told him you Paul should not teach thus But what are his Reasons 1. They that believed in God should be charged to excel in good works therefore they that believe not in Christ should not be pressed to endeavour to set upon doing any good Work Hos. 5. 4. They must not so much as frame their doings to turn unto the Lord. 2. A few words after through Faith that Righteousness will be upon you and being upon you it will produce good Works Here it seems as I have oft heard it urged Ministers should not urge you nor you strive and labour after good Works this Righteousness will produce them but are all that I hope have Faith so abundant therein as not to need Spurs Do all that pretend to it shew that they have it by it's Fruits and how can we know them And is its being upon us the
89.19 There 's a way to rescue us out of the Pit wherein is no Water Zech. 9.11 and to release us from that Slavery which as to any thing in our power or purchase must have Eternally continued But what comfort doth it Minister to Sinners That the Gospel Proclaims a way to be made Righteous on its terms a way to be made Obedient to those terms and a certainty that many of us Apostates Forlorn Wretches shall infallibly be made Righteous in that way Nor doth it a little contribute to our Joy that it is by Christ's Obedience all this is effected this gives the strongest security and must infer the benefits to be exceeding glorious when the Price is so invaluable which was paid by him who is Wisdom it self Yea we since Christ's Resurrection have the advantage above the Old Testament Saints that we know more oâ— the Obedience and the Person rendring it than they did yea and that is finished Even all is actually done by him which the offended Law-giver exacted as Satisfactory for the Injury done to governing Justice by Sin or meritorious of our Blessedness and of our right to all saving Benefits Well might the Angel be the Herald of such News as Luke 2.10 11. I bring you good tidings of great Ioy which shall be to all People for unto you is born this Day a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. Should I insist on every part of the Doctrine the Discourses would exceed the number I intend I shall therefore confine my self to what naturally fall under these Enquiries 1 Q. What is the Obedience of Christ by which many shall be made Righteous 2 Q. What is it to be made Righteous by the Obedience of Christ 1 Q. What is the Obedience of Christ by which many shall be made Righteous A. All that Christ did or suffered in Obedience to the Will of God for the Salvation of Sinners either in a way of Satisfaction or Merit It 's sum'd up in the Solemn Prayer for Believers Iohn 17.4 I have glorified thee on Earth I have finished the Work thou gavest me to do The Words indeed have the same anticipation as is in the Lord's Supper this is my Body broken for you thô he was not actually Crucified So here I have finished the Work i.e. I am just upon it and all was performed in a way of Obediential Subjection q.d. It 's what thou gavest me to do for the Display of thy Glory obscur'd by Sin and the maintaining that Glory in all the Blessings thy goodness inclined thee to bestow on Sinners The Word in my Text expressing Obedience is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and exactly answers to those Words of Christs Isa. 50.56 He hath opened mine Ear and I waâ— not Rebellious neither turned aâ—ay my Back I gave my Back to the Smiters I shall reduce to a few Propositions what I think Explicative of this point 1 Pro. God is essentially just Ps. 5.4 5. He hath no pleasure in Wickedness Jer. 51.56 Nah. 2.3 From the Essential Justice of God it is that there are Laws of Nature as well as Positive Laws Here the first necessity of Satisfaction for Sin or the certain punishment of Sinners have their rise thô it s ratified by the Veracity of God when threatnings are promulgated by him God admits no Violation hereof in any of his Ordinations but accommodates them thereto and provides for the Glory thereof in all the Revelations of his Will and Dispensations of his Providence 2 Pro. God was pleased eminently to reveal the Glory of his Governing Justice in the Covenant of Works with Innocent Man It 's true his Holiness appeared in the precept as a rule of maâ—ners and it was of goodness that God would expresly Covenant with Man by promising any reward for Obedience and encrease his Defence against Sin by pronouncing the threatning He might have left Man to that meer Light which Nature afforded and proceeded only according to that absolute Dominion which he had over Man as his Creatour and Owner But it pleased God to take on him the relation of a Governor to which he had a right from his Dominion As a Governor he Enacts the Law of Works and displays his Justice in Constituting the rule whereby he would Reward and Punish Justice held the Ballance in adjusting the Threatning and Reward or this Constitution were not a Law of Works but a Law of Grace yea Obedient Man had not been rewarded for his Obedience but for somewhat else which is contrary to Rom. 10. â— Moses describeth the Righteousness which is of the Law that the Man that doth these things shall live by them where he infers that a Man's Obedience had been his right to Life to which add Rom. 4.4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of Grace but of Debt The Reward would not only have been sure from the truth of God which Gospel Blessings are but due from the Covenant as formally Legal it was to be a Reward strictly Legal as being proportioned and connected by governing Justice which adjudged the Duty to be done would honour Justice and answer the ends of Government to the proportion of the Reward which was promised for that duty Were it not thus Governing Justice had no concern in the Law of Works as to the premiant part of the Sanction but must be confined to the punitive part alone It must adjust the Threatned Evil in case of Sin but not the Reward in case of Obedience Had Justice been so unconcerned in the rewards Divine goodness might even in that Law of Works have promised the Reward without requiring any duty as the Condition and consequently there were no absolute necessity of Christs's meriting glory for us his meer atonement for Sin being as much as would answer Governing Justice which did not adjust the reward but the threatning against Sin only whereas the reward was inserted and proportioned of meer free goodness This would also weaken the main argument for the necessity of the imputation of Christ's Active Obedience for our title to Glory for if Governing Justice made not Man's Obedience a meriting condition of Glory but that the Reward was of meer Grace in that Constitution It 's no Violation of Justice that we have Glory as pardoned Sinners thô Obedience be not imputed to us Let us then entertain thoughts of the Law becoming that account The Law is holy just and good Holy in its precepts and prohibitions Just in its Sanction and good in its use and tendency 3 Pro. Man by Sin injur'd the Relative or Reputative glory of Governing Justice and casâ— contempt on God's Government and thereby became Subject to the Câ—â—se forfeited all right to the Reward yea became utterly incapable of recovering that right by the Covenantâ— of Works Rom. 25 â— 8. Iudgment cam on all Men to Condemâ—â—on and Rom. 3.20.23 All 〈◊〉 sinned and â—â—me shoâ— of the glory of Godâ— Yea Rom. 5 12â— Dâ—atâ— passed 〈◊〉 all Men