Law it was not restrain'd to himself but is the Sin of the common nature Adam broke the first link in the chain whereby Mankind was united to God and all the other parts which depended upon it are necessarily separated from him From hence the Scripture saith that by Nature we are Children of wrath that is liable to punishment and that hath relation to guilt And of this we have convincing Experience in the common Evils which afflict Mankind before the commission of any actual Sin The Cries of Infants who are only eloquent to grief but dumb to all things els discover that Miseries attend them The Tears which are born with their Eyes signifie they are come into a state of Sorrow How many Troops of Deadly Diseases are ready to seize on them immediatly after their Entrance into the World So that 't is apparent God deals with Man as an enemy and therefore guilty of some great crime from his Birth The Ignorance of this made the Heathens accuse Nature and blaspheme God under that mask as less kind and indulgent to Man than to the Creatures below him They are not under so hard a Law of coming into the world They are presently instructed to Swim to Fly to Run for their preservation They are cloathed by Nature and their Habits grow in proportion with their Bodies some with Feathers some with Wool others with Scales which are both Habit and Armour But Man who is alone sensible of shame is born naked and though of a more delicate temper is more exposed to injuries by distemper'd Seasons and utterly unable to repel or avoid the evils that encompass him Now the account the Scripture gives of Original Sin silences all these complaints Man is a Ttransgressor from the Womb and how can he expect a favourable Reception into the Empire of an offended God Briefly Sometimes Death enters into the retirements of Nature and changes the Womb into a Grave which proves that assoon as we partake of the human Nature we are guilty of the Sin that is common to it For the wages of Sin is Death Adam in his innocent state had the Priviledges of Immortality but by him Sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men as a just Sentence upon the guilty for that all men have sinned 2. An Hereditary Corruption is transmitted to all that naturally descend from him If Adam had continued in his Obedience the spiritual as well as the natural Life had been conveighed to his Children but for his Rebellion he lost his primitive rectitude and contracted an universal Corruption which he derives to all his Posterity And as in a Disease there is the defect of Health and a distemper of the humours that affects the Body so in the depravation of Nature there is not the meer want of holiness but a strong proclivity to sin This privation of original Righteousness considerd as a Sin is naturally from Adam the principle of lapsed and corrupt Nature But as a punishment 't is meritoriously from him and falls under the ordination of Divine Justice Man â—ast it away and God righteously refuses to restore it 'T is a sollicitous impertinency to enquire nâ—cely about the manner of conveying this universal Corruption For the bare knowledg oâ— it is ineffectual to the cure And what greater folly than to make our own evils the object of simple Speculation I shall consider only that general account of it which is set down in the Scripture 'T is the universal and unchangable Law of Nature that every thing produce its like not only in regard of the same nature that is propagated from one individual to another without a change of the species but in respect of the qualities with which that nature is eminently affected This is visible in the several kinds of Creatures in the world they all preserve the nature of the principle from whence they are derived and retain the vein of their original the quality of their extraction Thus our Saviour tells us that the fruit partakes of the rottenness of the tree and whatever is born of the flesh is flesh The title of Flesh doth not signifie the material part of our humanity but the Corruption of Sin with which the whole nature is infected This is evident by the description the Apostle gives of it That the flesh is not subject to the Law of God and that which aggravates the evil is that it can't be Sinful Corruption is exprest by this title partly in regard it is transmitted by the way of carnal propagation Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in Sin did my mother conceive me And partly in regard 't is exercised by the carnal members This Corruption is a poison so subtile that it pierces into all the powers of the Soul so contagious that it infects all the Actions so obstinate that only Omnipotent Grace can heal it More particularly 1. 'T is an innate Habit not meerly acquir'd by Imitation The root of bitterness is planted in the Humane Nature and produces its fruits in the various seasons of Life No age is free from its working Every imagination of the thoughts of Mans heart are only evil and continually evil We see this verified in Children when the most early acts of their Reason and the first instances of their apprehension are in Sin If we ascend higher and consider Man in his Infant-state the vicious inclinations which appear in the Cradle the violent motions of anger which disturbs Sucklings their endeavour to exercise a weak revenge on those that displease them convince us that the Corruption is natural and proceeds from an infected Original 2. As 't is Natural so Universal Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean That is How can a Righteous person be born of a Sinner The Answer is peremptory Not one The Fountain was poison'd in Adam and all the Streams partake of the infection All that are derived from him in a natural way and have a relation to him as their common father are sharers in this depravation What difference soever there is in their Climates Colours and external conditions of life yet the blood from whence they spring taints them all 3. Corrupt Nature is pregnant with the seeds of all Sin although they do not shoot forth together And for this several accounts may be given 1. Although all Sins agree in their cause and end yet some are contrary in their exercise 2. The humane spirit is not capable of many Passions in their height at the same time and 't is the art of our spiritual Enemies to suit their Temptations to the capacity of Man 3. As the same Poison produces different effects in different Bodies according to those various Humours which are predominant in them so the same Corruption of Nature works variously according to the different tempers of Men. For although the conception of Sin depends immediatly upon
all understanding Agents first propound an end and then choose the means for the obtaining of it And the more perfect the Understanding is the more excellent is the end it designs and the more fit and convenient are the means it makes use of for the acquiring it Now when God whose Understanding is infinite and in comparison of whom the most prudent and advised are but as dark shadows when he determines to work especially in a most glorious manner the end and the means are equally admirable First The end is of the highest Consequence Were it some low inconsiderable thing it were unworthy one thought of God for the effecting it To be curious in the contriving how to accomplish that which is of no importance exposes to a just imputation of Folly But when the most excellent Good is the end and the difficulties which hinder the obtaining of it are insuperable to a finite understanding it then becomes the only wise God to discover the Divinity of his Wisdom in making a way where he finds none And such was the end of God in the work of our Redemption This was declar'd by the Angels who were sent Ambassadors extraordinary to bring tidings of peace to the world They praised God saying Glory to God in the highest and on Earth Peace good Will towards men The supreme End is his own Glory and in order to it the Salvation of Man hath the nature and respect of a medium The subordinate is the Recovery of the world from its lapsed and wretched state 1. The supreme End is the Glory of God This signifies principally his internal and essential Glory and that consists in the Perfections of his Nature which can never be fully conceived by the Angels but overwhelm by their excellent greatness all created Understandings But the Glory that results from Gods works is properly intended in the present Argument and implies 2. The manifestation whereby he is pleased to represent Himself in the exercise of his Attributes As the Divine Nature is the primary and compleat Object of his Love so he takes delight in those Actions wherein the image and brightness of his own vertues appear Now in all the works of God there is an evidence of his Excellencies But as some Stars shine with a different glory so there are some noble effects wherein the Divine Attributes are so conspicuous that in compare with them the rest of Godâ—s works are but obscure expressions of his Greatness The principal are Creation and Redemption The Heavens declare the glory of God and the Firmament his handy-work And when God surveyed the whole Creation and saw that all which he had made was good He ordain'd a Sabbath to signifie the content and satisfaction he had in the discovery of his eternal Perfections therein But especially his Glory is most resplendent in the Work of Redemption wherein more of the Divine Attributes are exercisâ—d than in the Creation and in a more glorious manner 'T is here that Wisdom Goodness Justice Holiness and Power are united in their highest degree and exaltation Upon this account the Apostle useth that expression The glorious Gospel of the Blessed God It being the clearest revelation of his excellent Attributes the unspotted mirrour wherein the great and wonderful effects of the Deity are set forth 3. The Praise and Thanksgiving that ariseth from the discovery of his Perfections by reasonable Creatures who consider and acknowledg them When there is a solemn veneration of his excellencies and the most ardent affections to Him for the communication of his goodness Thus in Gods account Whoso offers praise glorifies him An eminent example of this is set down in Job 38.7 when at the birth of the World The Morning Stars sang together and all the Sons of God shouted for joy And at its new Birth they descend and make his praise glorious in a triumphant Song It will be the eternal exercise of the Saints in Heaven where they more fully understand the Mystery of our Redemption and consider every circumstance that may adde a lustre to it to ascribe Blessing Honour Glory and Power to him that sits on the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever Secondly The subordinate End is the restoring of Man And this is inviolably joyn'd with the other 'T is exprest by Peace on earth and good will towards men Sin had broke that sacred Alliance which was between God and Man and exposed him to his just displeasure A misery inconceivable And what is more becoming God who is the Father of Mercies than to glorifie his dear Attribute and that which in a peculiar manner characterises his Nature by the Salvation of the miserable What is more honourable to Him than by his Almighty Mercy to raise so many Monuments from the dust wherein his Goodness may live and reign for ever Now for the accomplishing of these excellent Ends the Divine Wisdom pitcht upon those means which were most fit and congruous which I shall distinctly consider The Misery of faln Man consisted in the Corruption of his nature by Sin and the Punishment that ensues And his Happiness is in the restoring him to his primitive Holiness and in Reconciliation to God and the full fruition of him The way to effect this was beyond the compass of any created Understanding That God who is rich in Goodness should be favourable to the Angels who serve him in perfect Purity we may easily conceive for although they do not merit his favour yet they never provokt his Anger And 't is impossible but that he should love the Image of his Holiness wherever it shines Or suppose an innocent creature in Misery the Divine Mercy would speedily excite his power to rescue it For God is Love to all his Creatures as such till some extrinsecal cause intervenes which God hates more than he loves the Creature and that is Sin which alone stops the effusion of his Goodness and opens a wide passage for wrath to fall upon the guilty But how to save the Creature that is undone by its own choice and is as sinful as miserable will pose the wisdom of the world Heaven it self seem'd to be divided Mercy enclin'd to save but Justice interpos'd for satisfaction Mercy regarded Man with respect to his misery and the pleas of it are Shall the Almighty build to ruine Shall the most excellent creature in the lower world perish the fault not being solely his Shall the enemy triumph for ever and raise his Trophies from the Works of the most High Shall the reasonable Creature lose the fruition of God and God the subjection and service of the Creature and all Mankind be made in vain Justice consider'd Man as guilty of a transcendent Crime and 't is its nature to render to every one what is due now the wages of Sin is Death and shall not the Judg of all the world do right All the the other
nor of Adam's Subjection to it But when that which in it self was indifferent became unlawful meerly by the Will of God and when the Command had no other excellency but to make his Authority more sacred this was a confining of Man's liberty and to abstain was pure Obedience Besides The restraint was from that which was very grateful and alluring to both the parts of Mans compounded Nature The Sensitive Appetite is strongly excited by the Lust of the Eye and this fruit being beautiful to the sight the forbearance was an excellent exercise of vertue in keeping the lower appetite in obedience Again The desire of Knowledg is extremely quick and earnest and in appearance most worthy of the rational Nature Nullus animo suavior cibus 'T is the most high and luscious food of the Soul Now the Tree of Knowledg was forbidden So that the observance of the Law was the more eminent in keeping the intellectual Appetite in Mediocrity In short God required Obedience as a Sacrifice For the Prohibition being in a matter of natural Pleasure and a curb to Curiosity which is the Lust and Concupiscence of the Mind after things conceal'd by a reverent regard to it Man presented his Soul and Body to God as a living Sacrifice which was his reasonable service CHAP. II. Mans Natural state was mutable The Devil moved by hatred and envy attempts to seduce him The Temptation was suitable to Mans compounded Nature The Woman being deceived perswades her Husband The quality of the first Sin Many were combin'd in it 'T was perfectly voluntary Man had Power to stand The Devil could only allure not compel him His Understanding and Will the causes of his Fall The punishment was of the same date with his Sin He forfeited his Righteousness and Felicity The loss of original Righteousness as it signifies the purity and liberty of the Soul The torment of Conscience that was consequent to Sin A whole Army of Evils enter with it into the World MAN was created perfectly holy but in a natural therefore mutable state He was invested with power to prevent his Falling yet under a possibility of it He was compleat in his own order but receptive of sinful impressions An invincible Perseverance in Holiness belongs to a supernatural state 't is the priviledg of Grace and exceeds the design of the first Creation The rebellious Spirits who by a furious ambition had raised a war in Heaven and were fallen from their obedience and glory designed to corrupt Man and to make him a companion with them in their revolt The most subtile amongst them sets about this work urged by two strong passions Hatred and Envy 1. By Hatred For being under a final and irrevocable Doom he lookt on God as an irreconcileable enemy And not being able to injure his Essence he struck at his Image As the fury of some beasts discharges it self upon the Picture of a Man He singled out Adam as the mark of his malice that by seducing him from his Duty he might defeat God's design which was to be honoured by Mans free obedience and so obscure his Glory as if He had made Man in vain 2. He was sollicited by Envy the first native of Hell For having lost the favour of God and being cast out of Heaven the Region of Joy and Blessedness the sight of Adam's Felicity exasperated his Grief That Man who by the condition of his nature was below him should be Prince of the world whilst he was a Prisoner under those chains which restrain'd him and tormented him the power and wrath of God this made his state more intollerable His torment was incapable of allay but by rendering man as miserable as himself And as hatred excited his envy so envy inflam'd his hatred and both joyn'd in mischief And thus pusht on his Subtilty being equal to his Malice he contrives a Temptation which might be most taking and dangerous to Man in his raised and happy state He attempts him with art by propounding the lure of Knowledg and Pleasure to inveigle the Spiritual and Sensitive Appetites at once And that he might the better succeed he addresses to the Woman the weakest and most liable to seduction He hides himself in the body of a Serpent which before Sin was not terrible unto her And by this instrument insinuates his Temptation He first allures with the hopes of impunity Ye shall not die then he promiseth an universal knowledg of good and evil By these pretences he ruin'd innocence it self For the Woman deceived by those specious Allectives swallowed the poison of the Serpent and having tasted Death she perswaded her Husband by the same motives to despise the Law of their Creator Thus Sin enter'd and brought confusion into the World For the moral Harmony of the World consisting in the just subordination of the several ranks of beings to one another and of all to God When Man who was placed next to God broke the Union his Fall brought a desperate disorder into God's Government And although the matter of the Offence seems small yet the Disobedience was infinitely great it being the transgression of that command which was given to be the instance and real proof of Mans subjection to God Totam legem violavit in illo legalis obedientiae praecepto The Honour and Majesty of the whole Law was violated in the breach of that symbolical Precept 'T was a direct and formal Rebellion a publick and universal renouncing of Obedience Many Sins were combin'd in that single act 1. Infidelity This was the first step to ruine It appears by the order of the Temptation 't was first said by the Devil Ye shall not die to weaken their Faith then ye shall be like gods to flatter their ambition The fear of Death would have contrould the efficacy of all his Arguments till that restraint was broke he could fasten nothing upon them This account the Apostle gives of the Fall The woman being deceiv'd was in the transgression As Obedience is the effect of Faith so Disobedience of Infidelity And as Faith comes by hearing the Word of God so Infidelity by listening to the words of the Devil From the deception of the Mind proceeded the depravation of the Will the intemperance of the Appetite and the defection of the whole Man Thus as the natural so the spiritual Death made its first entrance by the Eye And this Infidelity is extremely aggravated as it implies an accusation of God both of envy and falshood 1. Of Envy As if he had deni'd them the perfections becoming the humane Nature and they might ascend to a higher Orb than that wherein they were placed by eating the forbidden fruit And what greater disparagement could there be of the Divine Goodness than to suspect the Deity of such a low and base Passion which is the special character of the Angels of Darkness And 't was equally injurious to the honour of God's Truth
on before there is a consequent guilt and torment attends it Adam whilst obedient enjoyed peace with God a sweet serenity of mind a divine calm in the Conscience and full satisfaction in himself But after his Sin he trembled at God's Voice and was tormented at his Presence I heard thy voice and was afraid saith guilty Adam He lookt on God as angry and arm'd against him ready to execute the severe Sentence Conscience began an early Hell within him Paradise with all its Pleasures could not secure him from that sting in his Breast and that sharpen'd by the hand of God What confusion of Thoughts what a combat of Passions was he in when the Temptation which deceived him vanisht and his spirit recovered out of the surprise and took a clear view of his guilt in its true horrour what indignation did it kindle in his Breast How did Shame Sorrow Revenge Despair those secret executioners torment his spirit The intelligent Nature his peculiar excellency above the brutes arm'd misery against him and put a keener edge to it 1. By reflecting upon the foolish exchange he made of God himself for the fruit of a tree That so slender a Temptation should cheat him of his Blessedness His present misery is aggravated by the sad comparison of it with his primitive Felicity Nothing remains of his first Innocence but the vexatious regret of having lost it 2. By the foresight of the Death he deserved The conscience of his Crimes rackt his Soul with the certain and fearful expectation of judgment Besides the inward torment of his Mind he was expos'd to all miseries from without Sin having made a breach into the World the whole Army of Evils enter'd with it the Curse extends it self to the whole Creation For the World being made for Man the place of his residence in his punishment it hath felt the effects of God's displeasure The whole course of Nature is set on fire Whereas a general Peace and amicable Correspondence was establisht between Heaven and Earth whilst all were united in subjection to the Creator Sin that broke the first Union between God and Man hath ruin'd the second As in a State when one part of the Subjects fall from their Obedience the rest which are constant in their Duty break with the Rebels and make war upon them till they return to their Allegiance So universal Nature was arm'd against rebellious Man and had destroyed him without the merciful interposition of God The Angels with flaming Swords expell'd him from Paradise The Beasts who were all innocent whilst Man remained innocent they espouse Gods interest and are ready to revenge the quarrel of their Creator The insensible Creation which at first was altogether beneficial to Man is become hurtful The Heavens somtimes are hardened as Brass in a long obstinate serenity Sometimes are dissolved in a Deluge of rain The earth is barren and unfaithful to the Sower it brings forth Thorns and Thistles instead of Bread In short Man is an enemy to Man When there were but two Brothers to divide the World the one stain'd his hand in the Blood of the other And since the Progeny of Adam is increast into vast Societies all the disasters of the world as Famine Pestilence Deluges the fury of Beasts have not been so destructive of Mankind as the sole malignity of Man against those that partake of the humane Nature To conclude Who can make a list of the evils to which the Body is liable by the disagreeing Elements that compose it The fatal Seeds of Corruption are bred in it self 'T is a prey to all Diseases from the torturing Stone to the dying Consumption It feels the strokes of Death a thousand times before it can die once At last Life is swallowed up of Death And if Death were a deliverance from miseries it would lessen its terror but 't is the consummation of all The first Death transmits to the second As the Body dies by the Souls forsaking it so the Soul by separation from God its true Life dies to its Well-being and Happiness for ever CHAP. III. All Mankind is involv'd in Adam's guilt and under the penal consequences that follow upon it Adam the natural and moral Principle of Mankind An hereditary Corruption is transmitted to all that are propagated from him The account the Scripture gives of the Conveiance of it 'T is an innate Habit. T is universal Corrupt Nature contains the seeds of all Sins though they do not shoot forth together 'T is voluntary and culpable The permission of the Fall is suitable to the Wisdom Holiness and Goodness of God The imputation of Adam's Sin to his Posterity is consistent with God's Justice THe Rebellion of the First Man against the great Creator was a Sin of universal efficacy that derives a guilt and stain to Mankind in all Ages of the World The account the Scripture gives of it is grounded on the relation which all men have to Adam as their natural and moral Principle 1. Their Natural God created one Man in the beginning from whom all others derive their beings And that the unity might be the more entire he form'd of him that aid which was necessary for the communicating his kind to the world He made of one Blood all Nations of Men to dwell on the face of the earth And as the whole race of Mankind was virtually in Adam's Loins so it was presumed to give virtual consent to what he did The Angels were created immediatly and distinctly without dependance upon one another as to their Original therefore when a great number revolted from God the rest were not complicated in their Sin and Ruine But when the first Man who was the Father of Mankind sinn'd there was a Conspiracy of all the Sons of Adam in that Rebellion and not one Subject left in his Obedience 2. He was the moral Principle of Mankind In the first Treaty between God and Man Adam was consider'd not as a single person but as caput gentis and contracted for all his desccndants by ordinary generation His Person was the Fountain of theirs and his Will the representative of theirs From hence his vast Progeny became a party in the Covenant and had a title to the benefits contain'd in it upon his Obedience and was liable to the Curse upon his violation of it Upon this ground the Apostle institutes a parallel between Adam and Christ. That as by one Mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of One many were made righteous As Christ in his Death on the Cross did not suffer as a private person but as a surety and sponsor representing the whole Church according to the testimony of Scripture If one died for all then all were dead so the first Adam who was the figure of him that was to come in his Disobedience was esteem'd a publick Person representing the whole race of Mankind and by a just
makes us guilty of his Death And when he shall come in his Glory and be visible to all that Pierced Him what Vengence will be the portion of those who despised the Majesty of his Person the mystery of his Compassions and Sufferings Those that lived and dyed in the darkness of Heathenism shall have a cooler Climate in Hell then those who neglect the great Salvation CHAP. XII Divine Justice concurs with Mercy in the work of our Redemption The Reasons why we are Redeemed by the Satisfaction of Justice are specified to declare Gods hatred of Sin to vindicate the honour of the Law to prevent the secure commission of Sin These Ends are obtained in the Death of Christ. The reality of the Satisfaction made to Divine Justice considered The requisites in order to it The appointment of God who in this transaction is to be considered not as a Judg that is Minister of the Law but as Governour His right of Jurisdiction to relax the Law as to the execution of it His Will declared to accept of the compensation made The consent of our Redeemer was necessary He must be perfectly Holy He must be God and Man THe Deity in it self is Simple and Pure without mixture or variety The Scripture ascribes Attributes to God for our clearer understanding And those as essential in Him are simply one They are distinguish'd only with respect to the diverse objects on which they are terminated and the different effects that proceed from them The two great Attributes which are exercised towards reasonable Creatures in their lapsed state are Mercy and Justice these admirably concur in the work of our Redemption Although God spared guilty Man for the honour of his Mercy yet He spared not his own Son who became a Surety for the offender but delivered Him up to a cruel Death for the glory of his Justice For the clearer understanding of this three things are to be considered 1. The Reasons why we are redeemed by the Satisfaction of Justice 2. The Reality of the Satisfaction made by our Redeemer 3. The compleatness and perfection of it Concerning the first there are three different Opinions among those who acknowledge the reality of Satisfaction 1. That 't is not possible that Sin should be pardoned without Satisfaction For Justice being a natural and necessary excellency in God hath an unchangable respect to the qualities which are in the Creatures That as the Divine Goodness is necessarily exercised towards a Creature perfectly holy so Justice is in punishing the guilty unless a Satisfaction intervene And if it be not possible considering the perfection of the Deity that Holiness should be unrewarded far less can it be that Sin should be unpunisht since the exercise of Justice upon which Punishment depends is more necessary than that of Goodness which is the cause of Remuneration For the Rewards which Bounty dispenses are pure Favours whereas the Punishments which Justice inflicts are due In short Since Justice is a Perfection 't is in God in a supreme degree and being infinite 't is inflexible This Opinion is asserted by several Divines of eminent Learning The Second Opinion is That God by his Absolute Dominion and Prerogative might have releas'd the Sinner from Punishment without any Satisfaction For as by his Sovereignty He transfer'd the Punishment from the guilty to the innocent so He might have forgiven Sin if no Redeemer had interposed From hence it follows that the Death of Christ for the Expiation of Sin was necessary only with respect to the Divine Decree 3. The Third Opinion is That considering God in this transaction as qualified with the Office of Supreme Judg and Governor of the World who hath given just Laws to direct his Creatures in their Obedience and to be the rule of his proceedings with them as to Rewards and Punishments He hath so far restrain'd the exercise of his Power that upon the breach of the Law either it must be executed upon the Sinner or if extraordinarily dispenst with it must be upon such terms as may secure the Ends of Government and those are His own Honour and publick Order and the Benefit of those that are governed And upon these accounts 't was requisite supposing the merciful design of God to pardon Sin that his Righteousness should be declared in the Sufferings of Christ. I will distinctly open this In the Law the Sovereignty and Holiness of God eminently appear And there are two things in all Sins which expose the Offender justly to Punishment 1. A Contempt of God's Sovereignty and in that respect there is a kind of equality between them He that offends in one is guilty of all they being ratified by the same Authority And from hence 't is that Guilt is the natural Passion of Sin that alwaies adheres to it For as God hath a Judicial Power to inflict Punishment upon the Disobedient by vertue of his Soveraignty so the desert of Punishment arises from the despising it in the violation of his Commands 2. In every Sin there is a contrariety to Gods Holiness And in this the natural turpitude of Sin consists which is receptive of degrees From hence arises Gods hatred of Sin which is as essential as his Love to Himself the infinite Purity and Rectitude of his Nature infers the most perfect abhorrence of whatever is opposite to it The righteous Lord loves righteousness but the wicked his soul hates Now the Justice of God is founded in his Sovereignty and his Holiness and the reason why 't is exercised against Sin is not an arbitrary Constitution but his Holy Nature to which Sin is repugnant These things being premised it follows That God in the relation of a Governor is Protector of those Sacred Laws which are to direct the Reasonable Creature And as 't was most reasonable that in the first giving the Law He should lay the strongest restraint upon Man for preventing Sin by the threatning of Death the greatest evil in it self and in the estimation of Mankind so 't is most congruous to Reason when the command was broke by Mans Rebellion that the Penalty should be inflicted either on his Person according to the immediate intent of the Law or something equivalent should be done that the Majesty and Purity of God might appear in his Justice and there might be a visible discovery of the value He puts on Obedience The life of the Law depends upon the execution of it for impunity extenuates Sin in the account of Men and incourages to the free commission of it If Pardon be easily obtained Sin wil be easily committed The first temptation was prevalent by this perswasion that no punishment would follow Besides if upon the bold violation of the Law no punishment were inflicted not only the glory of God's Holiness would be obscured as if He did not love Righteousness and hate Sin but suffered the contempt of the one and the commission of the other without controul but it
would either reflect upon His Wisdom as if He had not upon just reason establisht an alliance between the Offence and the Penalty or upon His Power as if He were not able to vindicate the Rights of Heaven And after His giving a Law and declaring the according to the tenor of it He would dispense Rewards and Punishments if Sin were unrevenged it would lessen the sacredness of his Truth in the esteem of Men. So that the Law and Lawgiver would be exposed to contempt By all which it appears that the Honour of God was infinitely concerned in His requiring satisfaction for the breach of his Laws Temporal Magistrates are bound to execute wise and equal Laws for the preservation of publick order and civil societies 'T is true there be some cases wherein the Lawgiver may be forced to dispense with the Law as when the sparing of an offender is more advantage to the State than his punishment Besides there is a superior Tribunal to which great Offenders are obnoxious and good Magistrates when through weakness they are fain to spare the guilty refer them to God's Judgment But 't is otherwise in the Divine Government For God is infinitely free from any necessity of Compliance There is no exigency of Government that requires that any Offenders should escape his Severity Neither is there any Justice above his which might exact Satisfaction of them Besides the Majesty of his Laws is more Sacred than of those which preserve Earthly States and ought to be more inviolable The sum is to declare Godâ—s hatred of Sin which is essential to his nature to preserve the honour of the Law which otherwise would be securely despised to prevent sin by keeping up in Men an holy fear to offend God which should be an eternal respect of the rational Creature to Him 't was most fit that the presumptuous breach of Gods Command should not be unpunished Now when the Son of God was made a Sacrifice for Sin and by a bloody Death made expiation of it the World is convinced how infinitely hateful Sin is to him the dignity of the Law is maintained and Sin is most effectually discouraged There is the same terror though not the same rigor as if all mankind had been finally condemned Thus it appears how becoming God it was to accomplish our Salvation in such a manner that Justice and Mercy are revealed in their most noble and eminent effects and operations 2. The reality of the satisfaction made to Divine Justice is next to be proved This is the center and heart of the Christian Religion from whence all vital and comforting influences are derived and for the opening of it I will first consider the requisites in order to it which are 1. The Appointment of God whose Power and Will are to be considered in this transaction 1. His Power for 't is an act of supremacy to admit that the sufferings of another should be effectual to redeem the offender God doth not in this affair sustain the Person of a Judge that is the Minister of the Law and cannot free the guilty by transferring the punishment on another but is to be considered as Governour who may by pure Jurisdiction dispense in the execution of the Law upon those considerations which fully answer the ends of Government The Law is not executed according to the Letter of it for then no sinner can be saved but repenting Believers are free from condemnation Nor is it abrogated for then no obligation remains as to the duty or penalty of it but Men are still bound to obey it and impenitent Infidels are still under the Curse The Wrath of God abides upon them But 't is relaxt as to the punishment by the merciful condescension of the Lawgiver Some Laws are not capable of relaxation in their own nature because there is included moral iniquity in the relaxation As the commands to love God and obey Conscience can never lose their binding force 'T is an universal rule that suffers no exception God cannot deny himself therefore he can never allow sin that directly opposes the perfections of His Nature Besides some Laws cannot be relaxt ex hypothesi upon the account of the Divine Decree which makes them irrevocable as that all who die in their impenitency shall be damned Now there was no express sign annext to the Sanction of the original Law to intimate that it should be unalterable as to the letter of it The threatning declared the desert of Sin in the Offender and the right of punishing in the Superior but 't is so to be understood as not to frustrate the power of the Law-giver to relax the punishment upon wise and just reasons The Law did neither propound nor exclude this expedient for judging without passion against the Sinner it is satisfied with the punishment of the Crime For 't is not the evil of the sufferer that is primarily designed by the Law but the preservation of publick order for the honour of the Lawgiver and the benefit of those that are subjects So that the relaxing the punishment as to the person of the Sinner by compensation fully answers the intent of the Law 2. As by the right of Jurisdiction God might relax the Law and appoint a Mediatour to interpose by way of Ransom so he hath declared his will to accept of Him The Law in strictness obliged the Sinning person to suffer so that he might have refused any other Satisfaction Therefore the whole Work of our Redemption is referred to His Will as the primary cause Our Saviour was sent into the World by the order of God He was sealed that is authorised for that great Work by commission from Him He was called to His Office by the voice of his Father from heaven Thou art my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased God anointed him with the Holyâ—Ghost and with Power which signifies as the enduing of Him with the Graces of the Spirit so the investing Him in the dignity of Mediator as Kings Priests and Prophets were And both were necessary for his Graces without his Office are unprofitable to us and His Office without His capacity of no advantage In short the Apostle observes this as the peculiar excellency of the New Covenant and the foundation of our hopes that the Mediatour was constituted by a solemn Oath The Lord hath sworn and will not repent thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec 2. The Consent of our Redeemer was necessary that he might by Sufferings satisfie for us For being the Lord from Heaven there was no Superiour Authority to command or Power to compel him 'T is true having become our Surety 't was necessary He should be accountable to the Law But the first undertaking was most free When one hath entred into Bonds to pay the Debt of an insolvent person he must give satisfaction but 't is an act of liberty and choice to make himself liable Our
manner He is called a Lamb in the notion of a Sacrifice The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world A Lamb was used in the Expiation of moral and legal Impurities He is called our Passover that was sacrificed for us The Paschal Lamb in its first Institution had an expiatory efficacy for God by looking on that Blood averted the destruction from the Israelites which seized on the Egyptians This was the reason of the Prohibition that none should go out of the house till the Morning lest they should be struck by the destroying Angel Not but that the Angel could distinguish the Israelites from the Egyptians abroa◠but 't was typical to shew their security was in being under the guard of the Lambs Blood which was shed to spare theirs Thus the Apostle Peter tells us We are redeemed by the Blood of the pure and perfect Lamb. And he was represented by the red Heifer whose ashes were the chief ingredient in the water of Purification For if the Blood of Bulls and Goats and the ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the Flesh How much more shall the Blood of Christ purge the Conscience Especially the Anniversary Sacrifice which was the Abridgment and Recapitulation of all the rest had an eminent respect to Christ The whole Epistle to the Hebrews is tinctured with this divine Doctrine Secondly The Effects of Christs Death are infinitely more excellent than those that proceeded from Levitical Sacrifices The Law had a shadow of good things to come But the real Virtue and Efficacy is only found in Christ. 1. The Aversion of Gods Wrath is ascribed to his Death according to the Words of the Apostle Whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood to declare his Righteousness for the Remission of Sins that are past through the forbearance of God to declare I say at this time his Righteousness that he might be Just and the justifier of him that believed in Jesus A Propitiation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Title of the Mercy-Seat partly in regard it cover'd the Tables of the Law which were broke by us to signifie that by Him Pardon is procur'd for us and principally because God was rendred Propitious by the sprinkling the Blood of the Sacrifice on it and exhibited himself there as on a Throne of Grace favourable t◠his people For this Reason he gives the name of the Figure to Christ for he alone answers the Charge of the Law and interposes between Justice and our Guilt and by his own Blood hath reconciled God to us Now the design of God in this appointment was to declare his Righteousness that is that Glorious Attribute that inclines him to punish Sinners For in the Legal Propitiations although the guilt of Men was publickly declared in the Death of the Sacrifices yet the Justice of God did not fully appear since he accepted the Life of a Beast in Compensation for the Life of a Man but in the Death of Christ he hath given the most clear Demonstration of his Justice a sufficient Example of his Hatred to Sin Condemning it and Revenging himself upon it in the Person of his beloved Son that the whole World may acknowledge 't was not from any Inadvertency but meerly by the Dispensation of his Wisdom and Goodness that he forbore so long And by the Death of Christ he hath declared that Glorious Mystery which no created Understanding could ever have conceived that he is inflexibly just and will not suffer sin to pass unpunish'd and that he justifies those who are guilty in themselves if by a purifying Faith they receive Christ for Pardon The same Apostle tells us that Christ hath given himself for us an Offering and a Sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour Eph. 5.2 He is qualified as a Priest whose Office it was to present to God an offering for Appeasing his Anger He gave himself the Oblation that is added to his Death gives the compleat Formality of a Sacrifice to it for 't is the Priest gives being to the Sacrifice and the effect of it is to be a sweet smelling savour to God that is to conciliate his Favour to us The same phrase is applyed to the Sin-Offering under the Law We may observe that upon this account our Reconciliation to God is attributed to the Death of Christ in distinction from his Glorified Life For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his Life And the same Apostle tells us that God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself not imputing their trespasses unto them we pray you therefore in Christs stead be reconciled to God A double Reconciliation is mentioned that of God to Men and of Men to God the first is the ground of the Apostle's exhortation the latter the effect of it The first was obtained by the Death of Christ who by imputation had our guilt transferred upon Him and consequently our punishment and in consideration of it God who is Just and Holy is willing to pardon penitent Believers The latter is by the powerful working of the Spirit who assures Men that are guilty and therefore suspicious and fearful of God's anger that he is most willing to pardon them upon their repentance since he hath in such an admirable manner found out the means to satisfie his Justice 2. The true expiation of sin is the effect of Christs Death He is called the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the World Now sin may be taken away in two manners First by removing its guilt and exempting the Person that committed it from Death and when this is effected by enduring the punishment that was due to sin 't is properly expiation Secondly By healing the corrupt inclinations of the Heart from whence actual sins proceed 'T is true our Redeemer takes away sin in both these respects he delivers from the Damnation and Dominion of it for he is made of God our Righteousness and Sanctfication But the first sense is only convenient here for 't is evident that the Lamb took away sin that is the guilt of it by dying instead of the sinner and had no effect for the destroying the malignant habits of sin in those who offered them It appears further that this Divine Lamb hath taken away the guilt of our sins in that He bore them in his own Body on the Tree For the native force of the word signifies not only to take away but to carry and bear which applyed to sin is nothing else but to suffer the penalty of it And 't is to be observed when Cleansing Purifying and Washing are attributed to the Blood of Christ they have an immediat respect to the guilt of sin and declare its efficacy to take off the obligation to punishment Thus 't
in this oeconomy of our Mediator his Humiliation was the cause of his Exaltation upon a double account 1. As the Death of Christ was an expression of such humility such admirable Obedience to God such Divine Love to Men that it was perfectly pleasing to his Father and his Power being equal to his Love he infinitely rewarded it 2. The Death of Christ was for Satisfaction to Justice and when he had done that Work he was to enter into rest It behoved Christ to Suffer and enter into Glory 'T is true Divine Honour was due to him upon another title as the Son of God but the receiving of it was deferr'd by dispensation for a time First He must redeem us and then Reign The Scripture is very clear in referring his actual possession of Glory as the just consequent to his compleat expiation of sin When by himself He had purged our sins He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high And after he had made one Sacrifice for sins for ever sate down on the right hand of God And not only the Will of the Father but the nature of the thing it self required this way of proceeding For Jesus Christ by voluntary susception undertaking to satisfie the Law for us as he was obliged to suffer what was necessary in order to our Redemption so 't was reasonable after Justice was satisfied that the humane nature should be freed from its infirmities and the Glory of his Divine be so conspicuous that every tongue should confess that Jesus who was despised on Earth is supreme Lord The Apostle sums up all together in that triumphant challeng Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect 'T is God that justifies who is he that condemneth 'T is Christ that died yea rather is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us 3. The excellent benefits which God reconciled bestows upon us are the effects and evidences of the compleatness of Christs Satisfaction And these are pardon of Sin Grace and Glory The Apostle tells us that the Law made nothing perfect all its Sacrifices and Ceremonies could not expiate the guilt nor cleanse the stain of sin nor open Heaven for us which three are requisit to our perfection But Christ by one Offering hath perfected for ever them that are Sanctified By him we obtain full Justification Renovation and Communion with God therefore his Sacrifice the Meritorious cause of procuring them must be perfect 1. Our Justification is the effect of his Death for the obligation of the Law is made void by it God forgives us our Trespasses blotting out the hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us and took it out of the way nailing it to his Cross. The terms are used that are proper to the cancelling a civil Bond. The killing letter of the Law is abolisht by the Blood of the Cross the Nails and the Spear have rent it in pieces to signifie that its condemning power is taken away Now the infinite vertue of his Death in taking away the guilt of sin will more fully appear if we consider 1. That it hath procured Pardon for sins committed in all ages of the World Without the intervention of a Sacrifice God would not Pardon and the most costly that were offered up by sinners were of no value to make compensation to Justice but the Blood of Christ was the only propitiation for sins committed before his comming The Apostle tells us He was not obliged to offer himself often as the High-Priest entered into the Holy place every year with the Blood of others but now once in the end of the World hath he appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself The direct sense of the Words is that the virtue of his Sacrifice extended it self to all times for otherwise in regard Men have always needed propitiation He must have Suffered often since the Creation of the World And if it be askt how His Death had a saving influence before He actually Suffered the answer is clear We must consider the Death of Christ not as a Natural but Moral cause 't is not as a Medicine that heals but as a Ransom that frees a Captive Natural Causes operate nothing before their real existence but 't is not necessary that moral Causes should have an actual being 't is sufficient that they shall be and that the person with whom they are effectual accept the Promise As a Captive is releast upon assurance given that he will send his ransom though 't is not actually deposited Thus the death of Christ was available to purchase pardon for Believers before his coming for he interposed as their Surety and God to whom all things are present knew the accomplishment of it in the appointed time He is therefore call'd the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world not only in respect of God's Decree but his Efficacy The salvation we derive from him was ever in him He appeared under the Empire of Augustus and dyed under Tyberius but he was a Redeemer in all ages otherwise the comparison were not just that as by Adam all die so by Christ all are made alive 'T is true under the old Testament they had not a clear knowledg of him yet they enjoyed the benefit of his unvaluable Sufferings For the medium by which the benefits our Redeemer purchased are conveyed to Men is not the exact knowledg of what he did and suffered but sincere Faith in the Promise of God Now the Divine Revelation being the rule and measure of Faith such a degree was sufficient to Salvation as answered the general discovery of Grace Believers depended upon God's goodness to pardon them in such a way as was honourable to his Justice They had some general Knowledge that the Messiah should come and bring Salvation Abraham rejoiced to see the day of Christ Moses valued the Afflictions of Christ more than the Treasures of Aegypt And Believers in general are described to be waiters for the Consolation of Israel In short the Jewish and Christian Church are essentially one they differ no more than the morning and Evening Star which is the same but is diversly called from its appearance before the Sun-rising or after its setting So our Faith respects a Saviour that is past theirs respected Him as to come Besides The saving vertue of his Death as it reaches to all former so to all succeeding Ages He is the same yesterday to day and for ever not only in respect of his Person but his Office The vertue of the Legal Sacrifices expired with the Offering upon a new sin they were repeated Their imperfection is argued from their repetition But the precious Oblation of Christ hath an everlasting efficacy to obtain full Pardon for Believers His Blood is as powerful to propitiate God as if it were this day shed upon the Cross. He is able to save
internal Malignity of Sin abstracted from its dreadful effects is most worthy of our hatred For 't is in its own nature direct enmity against God and obscures the Glory of all his Attributes 'T is the violation of his Majesty who is the universal Sovereign of Heaven and Earth A contrariety to his Holiness which shines forth in his Law A despising his Goodness the atractive to Obedience The contempt of his Omniscience which sees every sin when 't is commited The slighting of his terrible Justice and Power as if the Sinner could secure himself from his Indignation A denial of his Truth as if the threatning were a vain terror to scare Men from sin And all this done voluntarily to please an irregular corrupt Appetite by a despicable Creature who absolutely depends upon God for his being and happiness These Considerations seriously pondered are most proper to discover the extremity of its evil But sensible demonstrations are most powerful to convince and affect us and those are taken from the fearful Punishments that are inflicted for Sin Now the Torments of Hell which are the just and full recompence of Sin are not sensible till they are inevitable And temporal Judgments cannot fully declare the infinite Displeasure of God against the wilful contempt of his Authority But in the Sufferings of Christ 't is exprest to the utmost If Justice it self had rent the Heavens and come down in the most visible Terrour to revenge the Rebellions of Men it could never have made stronger impressions upon us than the Death of Christ duely considered The Destruction of the World by Water the miraculous burning of Sodom and Gomorrah by showers of Fire and all other the most terrible Judgments do not afford such a sensible instruction of the evil of Sin If we regard the Dignity of his Person and the depth of his Sufferings He is an unparallel'd example of Gods Indignation for the breach of his Holy Law For He that was the Son of God and the Lord of Glory was made a Man of Sorrowes He endured Derision Scourgings Stripes and at last a cruel and cursed Death The Holy of Holies was crucified between two Thieves By how much the Life of Christ was more precious than the lives of all men so much in his Death doth the wrath of God appear more fully against Sin than it would in the destruction of the whole world of Sinners And His Spiritual Sufferings infinitely exceeded all His Corporeal The Impressions of Wrath that were inflicted by Gods immediate Hand upon his Soul forced from him those strong Cries that moved all the powers of Heaven and Earth with Compassion If the curtain were drawn aside and we should look into the Chambers of Death where Sinners lie down in Sorrow for ever and hear the woful expressions and deep Complaints of the Damned with what horrour and distraction they speak of their torments we could not have a fuller testimony of God's Infinite displeasure against sin than in the Anguish and Agonies of our Redeemer For whatever His Sufferings were in kind yet in their degree and measure they were equally terrible with those that condemned Sinners endure Now how is it possible that Rational Agents should freely in the open light for perishing vanities dare to commit sin Can they avoid or endure the Wrath of an Incensed God If God spared not his Son when he came in the similitude of sinful flesh how shall Sinners who are deeply and universally defiled escape Can they fortifie themselves against the Supreme Judge Can they encounter with the fury of the Almighty the apprehensions of which made the Soul of Christ heavy unto Death Have they patience to bear that for ever which was to Christ who had the strength of the Deity to support him intolerable for a few hours If it were so with the green Tree what will become of the dry when exposed to the fiery Tryal If he that was Holy and Innocent suffered so dreadfully what must they expect who add impenitency to their guilt and live in the bold commission of Sin without reflection and remorse What prodigious Madness is it to drink iniquity like water as a harmless thing when 't is a poison so deadly that the least drop of it brings certain ruine What desperate Folly to have slight apprehensions of that which is attended with the first and second Death Nothing but unreasonable Infidelity and Inconsideration can make men venturous to provoke the living God who is infinitely sensible of their Sins and who both can and will punish them by Torments extreme and eternal 2. The strictness of Divine Justice appears that required Satisfaction equivalent to the desert of sin The natural Notion of the Deity as the Governour of the World instructed the Heathens That the transgression of his Laws was worthy of Death This proves that the obligation to punishment doth not arise from the mere will of God which is only discovered by Revelation but is founded in the nature of things and by its own light is manifested to reasonable creatures From hence they inferred That it was not becoming the Divine nature as qualified with the relation of Supreme Ruler to pardon Sin without Satisfaction This appears by the Sacrifices and Ceremonies the Religions and Expiations which were performed by the most ignorant Nations And although they infinitely abused themselves in the conceit they had of their pretended efficacy and vertue yet the universal consent of Mankind in the belief that Satisfaction was necessary declares it to be true This as other natural Doctrines is more fully revealed by Scripture Under the Law without shedding of blood there was no remission not that common Blood could make Satisfaction for Sin but God commanded there should be a visible mark of its necessity in the Worship offer'd to him and a prefiguration that it should be accomplisht by a Sacrifice eternally efficacious And the Oeconomy of our Salvation clearly proves that to preserve the honour of Gods Government Sin must be punisht that Sinners might be pardoned For nothing was more repugnant to the Will of God absolutely considered than the Death of his Beloved Son and the natural Will of Christ was averse from it What then moved that Infinite Wisdome which wills nothing but what is perfectly reasonable to ordain that event Why should it take so great a circuit if the way was so short that by pure Favour without Satisfaction Sin might have been pardoned Our Saviour declares the necessity of his suffering Death supposing the merciful Will of his Father to save us when He saith That as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of man be lifted up that whosoever believes in him should not perish 'T is true Since God had foretold and prefigured his Death by the oracles and actions under the Law it necessarily came to pass But to consider things exactly the unchangeable truth of Types and Prophesies is not
Persecutors he had certainly obtained it He tells his Disciples that upon his request his Father would send twelve Legions of Angels for his rescue But he resigned the whole Power of his Will to his Fathers not my will but thy will be done was his Voice at his privat Passion in the Garden He submitted the act and exercise of his will not what I will but what thou wilt he saith in another Evangelist he yielded not only the faculty and exercise of his will to do what God enjoyned but in that manner which was pleasing to Him Not as I will but as thou wilt he expresses in the words of a third Now what is there in Heaven or Earth that can move our Wills to entire Obedience if this marvellous Pattern doth not affect us Let the same Mind be in you that was in Christ saith the Apostle How glorious is it to do what he did and what a reproach to decline what he suffer'd who had the Holiness of God to give excellency to the Action and the infirmity of Man to endure the sharpness of the Passion 3. Love to Mankind is exprest by our Saviour in a peculiar manner For although God is Infinitely Good to us yet he doth not prefer the happiness of Man before his own Blessedness The Salvation of the whole World were not to be purchas'd with the least diminution of the Divine Felicity But the Son of God suffer'd the extremest Evil to procure the most sovereign Good for us who were in Rebellion against his Laws and Empire Briefly The Life of Christ contains all our Duties towards God and Man exprest in the most perfect manner or Motives to perform them We may clearly see in his deportment innocent Wisdom prudent Simplicity compassionate Zeal perfect Patience the courage of Faith the joy of Hope the tenderness and care of Love incomparable Meekness Modesty Humility and Purity He spent the night in Communion with God and the day in Charity to Men. He perfectly hated Sin and equally loved Souls The nearest and readiest way to Perfection is a serious regard to his Precedent For the causes of all Sin are either the desire of what he despised or the fear of what He suffer'd He voluntarily deprived himself to Riches Honours Pleasures to render them contemptible and endured outrages of all sorts the contradiction of Sinners and the sharpest Sufferings to make them tolerable He ascended Mount Calvary to his Cross before he ascended from Mount Olivet to his Throne He was naked before He was cloathed with Light and crowned with thorns before with Glory And thus he powerfully teaches us to follow his steps who suffered for us If a Physician of great esteem in a Disease takes a bitter Potion it would perswade those who are in the same danger to use the same Remedy Since the Son of God to purchase our Happiness denied himself the enjoyment of worldly delights and endured the worst of temporal Evils nothing can be more effectual to convince us that the Pleasures of the world are not considerable as to our last end and that present Afflictions are so far from being inconsistent with our supreme Blessedness that they prepare us for it In short His excellent Example not only enlightens our Minds to discover our Duty but inables and excites to perform it As the Eye in beholding visible objects receives their Image so by contemplating the Graces that are conspicuous in our Redeemer we derive a similitude from them We all saith the Apostle with open face beholding as in a glass the Glory of the Lord that is by viewing in the Gospel the Life of Christ which was glorious in Holiness We are changed into the same Image from â—lory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord that is gradually fashioned in Grace according to his likeness And what can more powerfully move and perswade us to Holiness than to consider the President that Christ hath set before us For how honourable is it to be like the Son of God By conformity to Christ we partake of the Divine Perfections The King of Heaven will acknowledge us for his Children when we bear the resemblance of our elder Brother Besides the motive of Honour Love doth strongly incline to follow Holiness in imitation of our Redeemer This is one difference between Knowledge and Love the understanding draws the object to it self and transforms it into its own likeness Thus material objects have an immaterial existence in the mind when it contemplates them But Love goes forth to the object loved the Soul is more where it loves than where it lives that is there is more of its intellectual presence its thoughts and desires and it always affects a resemblance to it Thus Love humbled God and made him like to us in Nature and Love exalts Man by making him like to God in Holiness for it excites us to imitate and express in our actions the Vertues of him who hath called us to his Kingdom and Glory 3. In order to the restoring of Holiness to lapsed Man the Lord Christ purchas'd and conveys the Spirit to them A state of Sin includes a total privation of Holiness and an active contrariety against it The Sinner is dead as to the Spiritual Life and aâ—â—â—nable to revive himself as a carcase is to break the gates of Death and return to the light of the world but he lives to the Sensual Life and expresses a constant opposition to the Law of God He is without strength as to his Duty not able to conceive an holy thought or to excite a sincere and ardent desire towards Divine things but hath strong inclinations of Will and great Power for that which is evil Now to restore Spiritual Life to the dead Soul and to conquer the living enmity that is in it against Holiness no less than the Divine Power was requisite And the effecting this is peculiarly attributed to the Spirit Our Saviour tells Nicodemus Except a man be born of water and of the Holy Ghost he cannot see the Kingdom of God And the Apostle saith That according to his Mercy He saves us by the washing of Regeneration and by the renewing of the Holy Ghost As in the Creation where all the Persons concurr'd 't was the motion of the Spirit that conveyed the Life of Nature So in the Renovation of the World where they all cooperate 't is the powerful working of the Spirit that produces the Life of Grace He visits us in the grave and inspires the breath and flame of Heaven to animate and warm our dead hearts 'T was requisite not only that the Word should take Flesh but that Flesh should receive the Spirit to quicken and enable it to perform the acts of the Divine Life 'T is for this reason the third Person is frequently stiled in Scripture the Holy Spirit That Title hath not an immediate respect to his Nature but to the Operations which are assign'd to
Man 1. He must be God that he might deliver his Counsels with more authority and efficacy than any meer Creature could He must be a Teacher sent from Heaven that reveals to us the Will of God concerning the way thither and the certainty and excellency of that state Now Christ is the original of all Wisdom 't is not said the Word of the Lord came to Him as to the Prophets He is the Fountain of all Sacred Knowledg The Son came from the Bosom of the Father the Seat of his Counsels and Compassions to reveal those Secrets which were concealed from the Angels in that Light which is inaccessible And 't is God alone can teach the Heart and convince the Conscience so as to produce a saving Belief of the Heavenly Doctrine and a delight in the discovery and a resolution to follow it wherever it directs 2. 'T was fit he should be Man that he might be familiarly conversant with us and conveigh the Counsels of God in such a way as Man could receive All saving Truth comes from God and it follows by just consequence that the nearer he is to us the better we are like to be instructed Now there are two things which render sinful man incapable of immediate converse with God 1. The Infirmity of his Nature 2. The Guilt that cleavâ—s to him First The Infirmity of Man's Nature cannot endure the Glory of God's appearance When the Law was delivered on Mount Sinai the Israelites were under great terrors at the Sights and Prodigies which accompanied the Divine Presence and they desired that God would speak to them no more in his Majesty and Greatness lest they should die There is such a disproportion between our meaness and his excellencies that Daniel though a Favourite of Heaven yet his Comliness was turn'd into corruption at the sight of a Vision And the beloved Disciple fell down as dead at the appearance of Christ in his Glory When the Eye gazes on the Sun 't is more tormented with the brightness than pleased with the beauty of it But when the beams are transmitted through a coloured medium they are more temperate and sweetned to the sight The Eternal Word is cloathed with a robe of Light which the more bright it is the less visible it renders him to mortal eyes but the incarnate Word is eclipsed and allayed by a vail of flesh and so made accessible to us God out of a tender respect to our frailty and fears promised to raise up a Prophet cloathed in our nature that we might comfortably and quietly receive his Instructions 2. Guilt makes us fearful of his Presence The approach of God awakens the Conscience which is his spy in our bosoms and causes a dreadful apparition of Sin in its view When one beam of Christs Divinity broke forth in the miraculous draught of fishes Peter cries out Depart from me for I am a sinful man O Lord. Holiness arm'd with terrors strikes a Sinner into consternation Now when the Mind is shaken with a storm of fear it cannot calmly attend to the counsels of Wisdom But the Son of God appearing in our Nature to expiate Sin and appease Divine Justice we are encouraged to draw near to him and sit at his feet to hear the words of eternal Life Thus God complied with our necessity that with a freer dispensation we might receive the counsels of our Saviour 3. He is qualified for his Kingly Office by the Union of the two Natures in him He must be God to conquer Satan and convert the World As eminent an act of Power was necessary to redeem as to create For although the Supreme Judge was to be satisfied by humble Sufferings yet Satan who usurpt the Right of God for Man had no power to alienate himself was to be subdued having no just title he was to be cast out by power And no less than the Divine Power could accomplish our victorious rescue from him In his love he pitied us and his holy Arm got him the victory He is the Author of eternal Salvation which no inferiour agent could ever accomplish 'T is God alone can overcome Death and him that had the power of Death and bring us safely to Felicity Besides our King must be Man that by the excellency of his Example He might lead us in the way of Life The most rational Method to reform the World is not only to enact Laws to be the Rule of vertuous Actions but for Lawgivers to make Vertue honourable and imitable by their own practice And to encourage us in the holy War against our enemies visible and invisible 't was congruous that the Prince of our Salvation should take the Humane Nature and submit to the inconveniences of our warfaring state As Kings when they design a glorious Conquest go forth in Person and willingly endure the hardships of a military condition to animate their Armies The Apostle tells us that it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons to Glory to make the Captain of their Salvation perfect through Sufferings God the great Designer of all things foreseeing the Sufferings to which the Godly would be exposed in the World ordained it as most convenient that the Author of their Deliverance should by Sufferings obtain the Reward that by his example he might strengthen and deliver those that suffer to the end Again the Son of God enter'd into our Family and is not ashamed to call us brethren to make his Scepter amiable to us He exerciseth his Dominion with a natural and sensible touch of pity he pardons our failings and puts a value on our sincere though mean Services as an honour done to him Briefly In him there is a combination of Power and Love The Power of the Deity with the tenderness and clemency of the Humane Nature He is the mighty God and Prince of peace He is a King just and powerful against our enemies but mild and gentle to his People He is willing to remove from us all the evils we cannot endure our Sins and Sorrows and able to convey to us all the Blessings we are capable to enjoy In all his Glory He remembers that he is our Saviour At the Day of Judgment when He shall come with a train of mighty Angels He will be as tender of Man as when He suffered on the Cross. And from hence we may discover the excellency of God's contrivance in uniting the Divine and Humane Nature in our Redeemer that He might have ability and affection to qualifie him for that great and blessed Work Thirdly The Divine Wisdome appears in the designation of the Person For God resolving to save Man in a way that is honourable to his Justice it was expedient a Person in the Blessed Trinity should be put into a state of subjection to endure the punishment due to Sin But it
Poison which required such a dreadful Cure And the benefit we receive in so costly a way is justly magnified by us Now what is more apt to inflame our love to God than the admirable expression of his Love to us in that with the most precious Blood he ransom'd us from Hell How doth it endear Obedience that God hath sacrificed his Son to keep us from acts of hostility So that the Grace of the Gospel is so far from indulging Sin that it gives the most deadly wound to it Especially when the tenour of the new Covenant is That the Condemned Creature in order to receiving Pardon and the Benefits that are purchased must receive the Benefactor with the most intire consent for his Prince and Saviour The Law of Faith requires us to submit to his Scepter as well as to depend upon his Sacrifice The Gospel is a conditional Act of Oblivion that none may venture to sin upon confidence of Pardon And since the occasion of the Fall was from a conceit that Man could better his estate by complying with the Tempter and obtain a more desirable Happiness in the Creature than in the Favour of God his Recovery is by revealing to him wherein true Blessedness consists and giving him an assurance that he may obtain it For Man will never subject himself to God as his Highest Lord till he looks on him as his last End and Soveraign Good Now the Gospel offers to us the most effectual means to convince Man of the folly of his choice in making the Creature his Happiness For the Son of God who was Heir of all things when He came into the world was in the perpetual exercise of Self-denial He lived a despised Life and died an ignominious Death to discover to us That as the miseries of this Life can't make us miserable so the good things of it can't make us happy Besides how is it possible that the wretched enjoyment of this World should be the Blessedness for which He spent his Sweat his Tears his Blood The rich price he laid down doth most powerfully convince us That our Felicity is infinitely more valuable than all earthly things and can be no less than the fruition of God himself Thus the Divine Wisdom hath so ordered the way of our Salvation that as Mercy and Justice in God so Holiness and Comfort may be perfectly united in the reasonable Creature CHAP. VI. Practical Inferences A superlative degree of Praise and Thankfulness due to God for the revelation of the Gospel 'T is not discovered by the Creation 'T is above the reach of Natural Reason The Heathen World is intirely ignorant of it 'T is pure Grace that distinguishes one Nation from another in sending the Gospel Evangelical Knowledg deserves our most serious study The Gospel exceeds all contemplative and practick Sciences Contemplative in the greatness of its object and the certainty of its principle Practick in the excellency of its End and the efficacy of the Means 1. WHat a Superlative degree of Praise and Thankfulness is due to God for revealing his eternal and compassionate Counsel in order to our Salvation The Fall of Man was so wounding and deadly that only an Infinite Understanding could find out the means for his Recovery And if that Mercy which mov'd the Lord to ordain the Remedy had not discover'd it a thick cloud of Despair had cover'd Mankind being for ever unable to conceive the way of our Redemption 'T is a Mystery which eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor â—ath entred into the heart of man to conceive All Humane Knowledg is acquir'd by two sorts of Faculties the external and internal Of the first Sight and Hearing are the most spiritual and convey the knowledge of the most worthy objects They are the Senses of Discipline the other three or immerst in matter and are incapable to make such clear discoveries Besides those impressions that are made on the senses we may form some Ideas in the imagination upon which the mind reflecting may argue and discourse Thus far the light and vigour of the understanding can only go So that the Apostle declares that the whole plot of the Gospel was without the compass of our most searching faculties this will be evident by considering 1. There was no discovery of it in the Creation the Voice of the Heavens instruct us concerning the being of God but not in the secrets of his Will The oeconomy of Mans Redemption is the merciful design of God which hath no connection with the existence of the creatures but depends only upon his good pleasure 'T is as impossible to read the Divine Decrees in the Volume of the World as for the eye to discover a sound which hath neither Figure Colour nor visible motion Besides the Glorious Nature of God in three Persons which is the foundation of this Mysterious Mercy is not made known by the visible frame of the Universe 'T is true in all External Works the three Persons are equally concerned being of one Essence they are of one Efficacy and the Essential perfections of the Deity as they concur so they are evident in the production of all things The first motive is Goodness that which orders and directs is Wisdom that which executes is Power And the several ranks of Creatures according to their state reflect an honour on their Author Things endued with life declare him to be the fountain of Life and intellectual creatures represent him to be the Father of Lights But the personal being as Personal operating nothing out of the Divine Nature there is no resemblance in the World that expresses the Distinction Propriety and Singularity of the Persons so as to discover them to the humane understanding Those deeper Mysteries of the Deity are only made known by the Word of God 2. 'T is above the strain and reach of natural Reason to attain to the knowledge of it There are seminal sparks of the Law in the heart of Man some common principles of Piety Justice and Charity without which the World would soon disband and fall into confusion but there is not the least presumption or conjecture of the contrivance of the Gospel Though misery sharpens the mind and makes it more ingenious to find out wayes of Deliverance yet here Reason was utterly at a loss How could it ever enter into the thoughts of the Israelites that by erecting a Brazen Serpent on a Pole and looking towards it the wounds made by the Fiery Serpents should be healed And how could guilty Man find out a way to satisfie Infinite Justice by the Sufferings of a Mediator and to heal the wounded spirit by believing on him The most inquiring Reason could never have thought of the Wonders of the Incarnation that a Virgin should conceive and a God be born nor of the Death of the Prince of Life and the Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord of Glory We may see how impossible it is for
that are made he hath upon the compleating our Redemtion by the rising of Christ from the Dead made the First-Day Sacred for his Service and Praise there being the clearest illustration of his Perfections in that Blessed Work God is more pleased in the contemplation of the new World than of the old The latter by its extraordinary Magnificence hath lessen'd the dignity of the former as the greater Light obscures the less Therefore the Sabbath is changed into the Lords-Day And what a just reproach is it to Man that he should be inobservant and unaffected with this glorious Mercy wherein he may alwaies find new cause of Admiration O Lord how great are thy Works and thy Thoughts how deep a brutish man knoweth not neither doth a fool understand this The admiring of any other thing in comparison of this Mystery is the effect of Inconsideration or Infidelity 2. It produces the most sincere and lasting pleasure As the taste is to meat to allure us to feed for the support of our bodies that is delight to Knowledge to excite the mind to seek after it But it s vast capacity can never be satisfied with the knowledge of inferior things The pleasure is more in the acquisition than in the possession of it For the mind is diverted in the search but having attained to that knowledge which cannot fill the rational appetite 't is disgusted with the fruits of its travel and seeks some other object to relieve its langour From hence it is that variety is the spring of delight and pleasure is the product of novelty We find the pleasure of the first taste in learning something new is alwayes most sensible The most elegant compositions and excellent discourses which ravisht at the first reading yet repeated often are nauseous and irksome The exercise of the mind on an object fully known is unprofitable and therefore tedious whereas by turning the thoughts on something else it may acquire new knowledge But the Apostle tells us that the Mystery of our Redemption contains all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge to intimate their excellence and abundance the unsearchable riches of Grace are laid up in it There is infinite variety and perpetual matter for the inquiry of the most excellent understanding no created reason is able to reach its height or sound its depths by the continual study and increase in the knowledge of it the mind enjoys a persevering pleasure that far exceeds the short vehemence of sensual delights 2. It excels other Sciences in the certainty of its Principle which is divine Revelation Humane Sciences are built upon uncertain maximes which being admitted with precipitation and not confirm'd by sufficient Experiments the Mind can never fully acquiesce in them Those Doctrines which were esteemed in one Age the vanity of them is discovered in another Modern Philosophy discards the Antient. But the Doctrine of Salvation is the Word of Truth its original is from Heaven it bears the characters and marks of its Divine descent 'T is confirmed by the Demonstration of the Spirit and of Power 'T is alwaies the same unchangeable as God the Author and Christ the Object of it who is the same yesterday to day and for ever And the knowledg which the sincere and enlightned Mind hath of it is not uncertain opinion but a clear solid and firm apprehension 'T is a Contemplation of the Glory of God with open face This appears by the effects it produces in those that have received the true tincture of it in their Souls they despise all things which carnal Men admire in comparison of this inestimable Treasure 2. The Doctrine of the Gospel exceeds all practic Sciences in the excellency of its end and the efficacy of the means to obtain it The end of it is The Supreme Happiness of Man the restoring of him to the Innocence and Excellency of his first state And the means are appointed by infinite Wisdom so that the most insuperable obstacles are removed and these are the Justice of God that condemns the guilty and that strong and obstinate aversion which is in corrupted man from true Felicity Here is a Mediator reveal'd who is able to save to the uttermost who hath quencht the Wrath of God by the Blood of his Divine Sacrifice who hath expiated Sin by the value of his Death and purifies the Soul by the vertue of his Life that it may consent to its own Salvation No less than a Divine Power could perform this work From hence the superlative excellency of Evangelical Knowledg doth arise all other Knowledg is unprofitable without it and that alone can make us perfectly blessed This is Life eternal to know thee and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent I will briefly consider how ineffectual all other Knowledge is whether Natural Political or Moral to recover us from our Misery The most exact insight into Natural things leaves the Mind blind and poor ignorant of Happiness and the way to it Solomon who had an extraordinary measure of Natural Knowledg and was able to set a just price upon it tels us that the increase of knowledg was attended with proportionable degrees of sorrow For the more a man knows the more he discerns the insufficiency of that knowledg to supply his defects and satisfie his desires He was therefore weary of his Wisdom as well as of his Folly The Devils know more than the profoundest Philosophers yet their Knowledge doth not alleviate their Torments 'T is so far from directing how to escape misery that it will more expose to it by enlarging the Faculties and making them more capable of Torment 'T is the observation of St. Ambrose that when God discovered the Creation of the World to Moses He did not inform him of the greatness of the Heavens the number of the Stars their Aspects and Influences whether they derive their light from the Sun or have it inherent in their own bodies from whence Eclipses are caused how the Rainbow is painted how the Winds fly in the Air or the causes of the ebbing and flowing of the Sea but so much as might be a foundation of Faith and Obedience and left the rest Quasi marcescentis sapientiae vanitates as the vanities of perishing wisdom The most knowing Philosopher though encompast with these sparks yet if ignorant of the Redeemer shall lie down in sorrow for ever And as natural so political Knowledge in order to the governing of Kingdoms and States hath no power to confer happiness upon man It concerns not his main interest 't is terminated within the compass of this short life and provides not for Death and Eternity The Wisdom of the World is folly in a disguise a specious Ignorance which although it may secure the temporal state yet it leaves us naked and exposed to Spiritual enemies which war against the Soul And all the moral knowledg which is treasur'd up in the Books of the Heathens
our eyes from it to vanity Here the complaint is more just Ad sapientiam quis accedit quis dignam judicat nisi quam in transitu noverit we content our selves with slight and transient glances but do not seriously and fixedly consider this blessed design of God upon which the beginning of our happiness in this and the perfection of it in the next life is built Let us provoke our selves by the example of the Angels who are not concern'd in this Redemption as man is for they continued in their fidelity to their Creator and were alwayes happy in his favour and where there is no alienation between parties reconcilement is unnecessary yet they are Students with us in the same Book and unite all their powers in the contemplation of this mystery they are represented stooping to pry into these secrets to signifie their delight in what they know and their desire to advance in the knowledge of them With what intention then should we study the Gospel who are the Subject and end of it CHAP. VII The simple Speculation of the Gospel not sufficient without a real Belief and Cordial Acceptance The Reasons why the Jews and Gentiles conspir'd in the contempt of it How just it is to resign up the Understanding to Revelation God knows his own Nature and Will and cannot deceive us We must believe the things that are clearly revealed though we do not understand the manner of their existence Although they are attended with seeming contradictions No Article of Faith is really repugnant to Reason We must distinguish between things incomprehensible and inconceivable Between corrupt and right Reason How Reason is subservient to Faith Humility and Holiness qualifie for the belief of the Gospel-mysteries A naked belief of Supernatural Truths is unprofitable for Salvation An effectual Assent that prevails upon the Will and renders the whole Man obsequious is due to the quality of the Gospel-Revelation THe simple Speculation of this glorious Mystery will be of no profit without a real belief of it and a cordial acceptance of Salvation upon the terms which the Divine Wisdom prescribes The Gospel requires the Obedience of the Understanding and of the Will unless it obtains a full possession of the Soul there is no saving efficacy derived from it And such is the sublimity and purity of the Object that till Reason is sanctified and subdued it cannot sincerely entertain it I will therefore distinctly consider the opposition which carnal Reason hath made against it and shew how just it is that the Humane Understanding should with reverence yield up it self to the Word of God that reveals this great Mystery to us The Apostle tells us that Jews and Gentiles conspired in the contempt of the Gospel Reason cannot hear without great astonishment for the appearing contradiction between the terms that God should be made Man and the Eternal die The Jews esteem'd it an intolerable Blasphemy and without any Process of Law were ready to stone the Lord Jesus That being a man he should make himself equal with God And they upbraided him in his Sufferings that he could not save himself If he be the King of Israel let him come down from the Cross and we will believe on him The Gentiles despised the Gospel as an absurd ill-contrived Fable For what in appearance is more unbecoming God and injurious to his Perfections than to take the frail garment of Flesh to be torn and trampled on Their natural Knowledg of the Deity enclin'd them to think the Incarnation impossible There is no resemblance of it in the whole compass of Nature For natural Union supposes the parts incompleat and capable of Perfection by their joyning together But that a Being infinitly perfect should assume by personal Union a nature inferiour to it self the Heathens lookt on it as a Fable forg'd according to the model of the fictions concerning Danae and Antiope And the Doctrine of our Saviours Death on the Cross they rejected as an impiety contumelious to God They judged it inconsistent with the Majesty and Happiness of the Deity to ascribe to Him that which is the punishment of the most guilty and miserable In the account of carnal Reason they thought more worthily of God by denying that of Him which is only due to the worst of men Celsus who with as much Subtilty as Malice urges all that with any appearance could be objected against our Saviour principally insists on his Poverty and Sufferings the Meanness and Misery of his condition in the world 'T was fit saith he that the Son of God should appear as the Sun which renders it self conspicuous by its own light But the Gospel having declared the Word to be the Son of God relates that he was a man of Sorrows that had no power to defend himself and was deserted by his Father and Followers scourged with Rods and shamefully executed He could not reconcile so many things that seem'd utterly incompatible as Sovereignty and Servitude Innocence and Punishment the lowest of humane Miseries Death with the highest of divine Honours Adoration Briefly Nothing was more contrary to Flesh and Blood than to believe that person to be the Redeemer of the World who did not rescue himself from his Enemies and to expect Immortality from him that was overcome by Death Now the Causes of this Infidelity are 1. The Darkness of the Mind which is so corrupted by Original Pravity that it cannot behold Heavenly Mysteries in their proper light so as to acquiesce in the truth of them The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him and he cannot know them because they are spiritually discerned There is no proportion between the Natural Understanding and Supernatural Truths For although the rational Soul is a Spirit as 't is distinguisht from corporeal Beings yet till 't is purged from Errour and vitious Affections it can never discover the Divinity of things Spiritual so as to embrace them with certainty and delight As there must be a Spirit of Revelation to unvail the object so of Wisdom to enlighten the eye that it may be prepar'd for the reception of it As Heaven is only seen by its own Light So Christ is by his own Spirit Divine Objects and Faith that discerns them are of the same original and of the same quality The natural Understanding as the effects declare is like the Funeral Lamps which by the Antients were put into Sepulchers to guard the ashes of their dead Friends which shine so long as they are kept close a thick moist vapour feeding them and repairing what was consum'd but in opening the Sepulchres and exposing them to the free air they presently faint and expire Thus natural Reason whilst conversant in things below and watching with the dead that is in the Phrase of the Antients studying the Books of Men who have left the world it discovers
of God's Love is in the Sufferings of Christ. The description of them with respect to his Soul and Body The Sufferings of his Soul set forth from the Causes of his Grief The Disposition of Christ and the Design of God in afflicting Him The sorrows of his forsaken state All comforting Influences were suspended but without prejudice to the Personal Union or the perfection of his Grace or the Love of his Father towards Him The Death of the Cross considered with respect to the Ignominy and Torment that concurr'd in it The Love of the Father and of Christ amplified upon the account of his enduring it THe next Circumstance to be considered in the Divine Mercy is the degree of it And this is described by the Apostle in all the dimensions which can signifie its greatness He prays for the Ephesians that they may be able to comprehend with all Saints the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of God in Christ which passes knowledge No language is sufficient to express it if our hearts were as large as the Sand on the Sea-shore yet they were too straight to comprehend it But although we cannot arrive to the perfect knowledg of this excellent Love yet 't is our duty to study it with the greatest application of mind for our happiness depends upon it and so far we may understand as to inflame our hearts with a superlative Affection to God And the full discovery which here we desire and search after in the future state shall be obtained by the presence and light of our Redeemer Now the greatness of the Divine Love in our Redemption appears 1. By reflecting on the mighty Evils from which we are freed 2. The means by which our Redemption is accomplisht 3. That excellent State to which we are advanced by our Redeemer 1. If we reflect upon the horrour of our natural state it will exceedingly heighten the mercy that delivered us This I have in part opened before therefore I will be the shorter in describing it Man by his rebellion had forfeited Gods favour and the honour and happiness he injoyed in Paradise And as there is no middle state between Sovereignty and misery he that falls from the Throne stops not till he comes to the bottom so when Man fell from God and the dignity of his innocent state he became extreamly miserable He is under the servitude of sin the tyranny of Satan the bondage of the Law and the empire of Death 1. Man is a captive to sin He is fallen from the hand of his counsel under the power of his passions Love Hatred Ambition Envy Fear Sorrow and all the other stinging Affections of which is true what the Historian speaks of the several kinds of Serpents in Africa Quantus nomiuum tantus mortium numerus exercise a tyranny over him And if no man can serve two Masters as the Oracle of Truth tells us how wretched is the slavery of Man whose passions are so opposit that in obeying one he cannot escape the lash of many imperious Masters He is possest with a Legion of impure lusts And as the Demoniac in the Gospel was sometimes cast into the fire and sometimes into the water so is he hurried by the fury of contrary passions This servitude to sin is in all respects compleat For those who serve are either born servants or bought with a price or made captives by force and sin hath all these kinds of title to man He is conceived and born in sin he is sold under sin and sells himself to do evil As that which is sold passes into the possession of the buyer so the sinner exchanging himself for the pleasures of sin is under its power Original sin took possession of our nature and actual of our lives He is the servant of corruption by yeilding to it for of whom a man is overcome of the same he is brought in bondage The condition of the most wretched bond-â—lave is more sweet and less servile than that of a sinner For the severest tyranny is exercised only upon the body the soul remains free in the midst of chains but the power of sin oppresses the Soul the most noble part and defaces the bright character of the Deity that was stampt upon its visage The worst slavery is terminated with this present life In the grave the Prisoners rest together they hear not the voice of the Oppressor The small and the great are there and the Servant is free from his Master But there is no exemption from this servitude by death it extends its self to Eternity 2. Man since his fall is under the tyranny of Satan who is call'd the God of this World and is more absolute then all temporal Princes his dominion being over the will He overcame man in Paradise and by the right of War he rules over him The soul is kept in his bondage by subtile Chains of which the spiritual nature is capable The understanding is captivated by ignorance and errors the will by inordinate dangerous lusts the memory by the images of sinful pleasures those mortal visions which inchant the soul and make it not desirous of liberty Never did cruel Pirat so incompassionately urge his Slaves to ply their Oares in charging or flying from an enemy as Satan incites those who are his captives to do his will And can there be a more afflicting calamity then to be the slave of ones enemy especially if base and cruel This is the condition of man he is a captive to the Devil who was a Liar and a Murderer from the beginning He is under the rage of that bloody Tyrant whose ambition was to render Man as miserable as himself who in triumph upbraids him for his folly and adds derision to his Cruelty 3. Fallen Man is under the Curse and Terrors of the Law For being guilty he is justly exposed to the punishment threatned against transgressours without the allowance of repentance to obtain pardon And Conscience which is the Ecchâ— of the Law in his bosom repeats the dreadful sentence This is an Acouser which none can silence a Judge that none can decline and from hence it is that Men all their life are subject to bondage being obnoxious to the wrath of God which the awakened Conscience fearfully sets before them This complicated Servitude of a Sinner the Scripture represents under great variety of Similitudes that the defects of one may be supplied by another Every Sinner is a Servant now a Servant by flight may recover his Liberty But he is not only a Servant but a Captive in chains A Captive may be freed by laying down a Ransom but the Sinner is not only a Captive but deeply in debt Every Debtor is not miserable by his own fault it may be his Infelicity not his Crime that he is poor but the Sinner is guilty of the highest offence A guilty Person may enjoy
his Health but the Sinner is sick of a deadly Disease an incurable wound He that is sick and wounded may send for the Physician in order to his Recovery But the Sinner is in a deep sleep He that is asleep may awake But the Sinner is in a state of Death which implies not only a Cessation from all vital Actions but an absolute disability to perform them The Understanding is disabled for any Spiritual Perception the Will for any Holy Inclinations the whole Man is disabled for the sense of his wretched state This is the spiritual Death which justly exposes the Sinner to Death temporal and eternal 4. Every Man as descending from Adam is born a Sacrifice to Death His condition in this world is so wretched and unworthy the original excellency of his Nature that it deserves not the name of Life 'T is a continual exercise of sinful Actions dishonourable to God and damning to himself and after the succession of a few Years in the defilements of Sin and the accidents of this frail state in doing and suffering evil Man comes to his fatal Period and falls into the bottomless Pit the place of Pollutions and Horrors of Sin and Torments 'T is there That the wrath of God abides on him and who knows the power of his wrath According to his fear so is his wrath Fear is an unbounded Passion and can extend it self to the apprehension of such Torments which no finite Power can inflict But the Wrath of God exceeds the most jealous fears of the guilty Conscience It proceeds from infinite Justice and is executed by Almighty Power and contains eminently all kinds of evils A Lake of flaming Brimstone and whatever is most dreadful to Sense is but an imperfect Allusion to represent it And how great is that Love which pitied rescued us from Sin and Hell This Saving Mercy is set out for its tenderness and vehemence by the commotion of the bowels at the sight of one in misery especially the working of the Mother's when any evil befals her Children Such an inward deep resentment of our distress was in the Father of Mercies When we were in our blood He said to us Live And that which further discovers the eminent degree of his Love is that He might have been unconcerned with our Distress and left us under despair of Deliverance There is a Compassion which ariseth from Self-love when the sight of anothers Misery surprises us and affects us in such a manner as to disturb our Repose and imbitter our Joy by considering our liableness to the same troubles and from hence we are enclin'd to help them And there is a Compassion that proceeds from pure love to the miserable when the Person that expresses it is above all the assaults of evil and incapable of all Affections that might lessen his Felicity and yet applies himself to relieve the afflicted and such was Gods towards Man If it had been a tollerable Evil under which we were faln the Mercy that recovered us had been less For Benefits are valued by the necessity of the receiver But Man was disinherited of Paradise an Heir of Hell his Misery was inconceivably great Now the measure of God's Love is proportionable to the Misery from whence we are redeemed If there had been any possible Remedy for us in Nature our engagements had not been so great But only He that created us by his Power could restore us by his Love Briefly it magnifies the Divine Compassion that our Deliverance is full and intire It had been admirable Favour to have mitigated our Misery but we have perfect Redemption sweetned by the remembrance of those dreadful evils that opprest us As the three Hebrew Martyrs came unhurt out of the fiery Furnace The hair of their heads were not singed nor their coats changed nor the smell of the fire had passed on them So the Saints above have no marks of Sin or Misery remaining upon them not the least spot or wrinkle to blast their Beauty nor the least trouble to diminish their Blessedness but for ever possess the Fulness of Joy and Glory a pure and triumphant Felicity 2. The Greatness of the Divine Love towards faln Man appears in the means by which our Redemption is accomplisht And those are the Incarnation and Sufferings of the Son of God The Incarnation manifests this Love upon a double account 1. In regard of the essential condition of the nature he assum'd 2. It s Servile state and meanness 1. The essential condition of the humane nature assum'd by our Redeemer discovers his transcendent Love to us For what proportion is there between God and Man Infinite and Finite are not terms that admit comparison as Greater and Less but are distant as All and Nothing The whole World before him is but as the drop of the Bucket that hath scarce weight to fall and the small dust of the Ballance that is not of such moment as to turn the scales 't is as nothing and counted less then nothing and vanity The Deity in its own nature includes Independence and Sovereignty To be a Creature implys dependence and subjection The Angelical Nature is infinitely inferior to the Divine and Man is lower then the Angels yet the Word was made Flesh. Add to this he was not made as Adam in the perfection of his nature and beginning the first step of his life in the full exercise of Reason and Dominion over the Creatures but he came into the World by the way of a natural birth and dependance upon a mortal Creature The Eternal Wisdom of the Father stoopt to a state of infancy which is most distant from that of Wisdom wherein though the Life yet the Light of the reasonable Soul is not visible the mighty God to a condition of indigence and infirmity The Lord of Nature submitted to the Laws of it Admirable Love wherein God seemed to forget his own Greatness and the meanness of the Creature This is more indeared to us by considering 2. The Servile state of the Nature be assumed An account of this we have in the Words of the Apostle Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ who being in the form of God that is injoying the Divine Nature with all its Glory eternally and invariably As to be in the form of a King signifies not only to be a King but to have all the conspicuous marks of Royalty the Crown Scepter Throne the Guards and State of a King Thus our Saviour possest that Glory that is truly Divine before he took our nature The Angels adored him in Heaven and by him Princes reigned on the Earth 'T is added he thought it no robbery to be equal with God that is being the essential Image of the Father he had a rightful possession of all his perfections Yet he made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was
His enjoyment was rais'd above what the most glorious Spirits are capable of All his Faculties were pure and vigorous never blunted with Sin and intimately united to the Deity How cutting then was it to his Soul to be suspended from the perfect vision of God To be divorc'd as it were from himself and to lose that Paradise He alwaies had within Him If all the Angels of Light were at once depriv'd of their glory the loss were not equal to this dreadful eclipse of the Sun of Righteousness As if all the Stars were extinguisht the darkness would not be so terrible as if the Sun the fountain of light were put out Whatever his Sufferings were in kind yet in degree they were answerable to the full and just desert of Sin and surpast the power of the Humane or Angelical Nature to endure In short His Sorrows were only equall'd by that Love which procured them And as the Sufferings infflicted by the hand of God so the Evils He endured from men declare the infiniteness of our Redeemers Love to us For the further discovery of it 't is necessary to reflect upon his Death which is set down by the Apostle as the lowest degree of his Humiliation in which the succession of all his Bodily Sufferings is included it being the complement of all And if we consider the quality of it the Goodness of our Redeemer will be more visible in his voluntary submission to it Two Circumstances make the kind of death which is to be suffered very terrible to us Ignominy and Torment and they eminently concur in the Death of the Cross. 1. The greatest Ignominy attended it and that in the account of God and Men. As honour is in honorante it depends upon the esteem of others so infamy consists in judgment of others Now in the acount of the World every Death inflicted for a Crime is attended with disgrace But that receives its degrees from the manner of it To be executed privately is a favour but to be made a spectacle to the multitude encreases the dishonour of one that suffers When Death is speedily inflicted the sence of shame is presently past but to be exposed to publick view for many Hours as a Malefactor whilst the Beholders detest the Crime and abhor the Punishment is an heavy aggravation of it Beheading which is suddenly dispatcht by a Sword a military Instrument and therefore more honourable was a Priviledg But to hang on the Cross was the most conspicuous mark of the publick Justice and Displeasure a special Infamy was concomitant with it Among the Jews hanging on a Tree was branded with the Curse Therefore God commanded that the bodies of those that were hanged on a tree should be taken down in the Evening that the Land might not be defiled with a Curse And the judgment of other Nations was answerable for it was only inflicted on the most infamous Offenders as Fugitives Slaves Thieves and Traitors such whom the lowness of their Quality or the height of their Crimes rendred unworthy of any respect Hence 't is that Cicero to aggravate the Cruelty of Verres in crucifying a Roman Citizen calls it an unnamed wickedness No Eloquence could equal the evil of it 2. The pain of that Death was extreme The Hands and Feet those parts wherein the complexion of the Nerves meet and are of exquisite Sence were nailed Crucified persons suffered a slow Death but quick Torments They felt themselves die Therefore in pity the Soldiers broke their Legs to put a period to their Misery And to compleat their Punishment they were judg'd unworthy of Burial the last consolation of the dead they were deprived of Repose in the bosom of the Earth our common Mother and exposed as a prey to Birds and Beasts Now the Son of God endured no gentler or nobler Death than that of the Cross. His pure and gracious Hands which were never stretcht out but to do good were pierced and those Feet which bore the Redeemer of the World and for which the Waters had a reverence were nail'd His Body the precious workmanship of the Holy Ghost the Temple of the Deity was destroyed He that is the Glory of Heaven was made the scorn of the Earth The King of Kings was crucified between two Thieves in Jerusalem at their Sacred Feast in the face of the World His naked Body was exposed on the Cross for three Hours only covered with a Veil of Darkness This was such a stupendious submission of the Son of God that his Death astonisht the Universe in another manner than his Birth and Life his Resurrection and Ascension Universal Nature relented at his last Sufferings The Sun was struck with horrour and withdrew its light it did not appear crown'd with beams when the Creator was with thorns The Earth trembled and the Rocks rent the most insensible creatures sympathis'd with Him and 't is in this we have the most visible instance of Divine Love to us The Scripture distinctly represents the Love of God in giving his Son and the Love of Christ in giving Himself to die for Man and both require our deepest consideration The Father exprest such an excess of Love that our Saviour himself speaks of it with admiration God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting Life If Abraham's resolution to offer his son was in the judgment of God a convincing Evidence of his Affection how much more is the actual sacrificing of Christ the strongest proof of God's Love to us For God had a higher Title to Isaac than Abraham had The Father of Spirits hath a nearer claim than the Fathers of the Flesh. Abraham's readiness to offer up his son was Obedience to a Command not his own choice 't was rather an act of Justice than Love by which he render'd to God what was his own But God Spared not his own Son in whom he had an Eternal Right And He was not only free from Obligation but not sued to for our Salvation in that wonderful way For what Love of Men or of the most charitable Spirits in Heaven could have conceived such a thought that the Son of God should die for our Redemption It had been an impious Blasphemy to have desired it so that Christ is the most absolute gift of God to us Besides The love of Abraham is to be measured by the Reasons that might excite it For according to the amiableness of the object so much greater is the love that gives it Many endearing cirumstances made Isaac the joy of his father yet at the best he was an imprafect mortal creature so that but a moderate affection was regularly due to him Whereas our Redeemer was not a meer Man or an Angel but God's only begotten Son which Title signifies his unity with him in his state and perfections and according to the Excellency of his Nature such
came to seize upon him though by one word he could have commanded Legions of Angels for his rescue yet he yeilded up himself to their Cruelty 'T was not any defect of power but the strength of his Love that made him to suffer He was willing to be Crucified that we might be Glorified our Redemption was sweeter to him than Death was bitter by which it was to be obtained 'T was excellently said by Pherecides that God transformed himself into Love when he made the World but with greater reason 't is said by the Apostle God is Love when he redeemed it 'T was Love that by a miraculous condescension took our Nature accomplishing the desire of the mystical Spouse Let him kiss me with the kisses of his Mouth 'T was Love that stoop't to the form of a Servant and led a poor despised life here below 'T was Love that endur'd a Death neither easie nor honourable but most unworthy the glory of the Divine and the innocency of the Humane nature Love chose to die on the Cross that we might live in Heaven rather than to enjoy that blessedness and leave Mankind in misery CHAP. X. Divine Mercy is magnified in the excellency of the state to which Man is advanced He is inricht with higher Prerogatives under a better Covenant entitled to a more glorious Reward than Adam at first enjoyed The Humane Nature is personally united to the Son of God Believers are spiritually united to Christ. The Gospel is a better Covenant than that of the Law It admits of Repentance and Reconciliation after Sin It accepts of Sincerity instead of Perfection It affords supernatural Assistance to Believers whereby they shall be victorious over all opposition in their way to Heaven The difference between the Grace of the Creator and that of the Redeemer The stability of the New-Covenant is built on the Love of God which is unchangeable and the Operations of his Spirit that are effectual The mutability and weakness of the Humane Will and the strength of Temptations shall not frustrate the merciful Design of God in regard of his Elect. The glorious Reward of the Gospel exceeds the Primitive Felicity of Adam in the place of it the highest Heaven Adam's life was attended with innocent Infirmities from which the glorified Life is entirely exempt The Felicity of Heaven exceeds the first in the manner degrees and continuance of the fruition THe Third Consideration which makes the Love of God so admirable to lapsed Man is the excellency of that state to which he is advanc'd by the Redeemer To be only exempted from Death is a great favour The grace of a Prince is eminent in releasing a condemned Person from the punishment of the Law This is sufficient for the Mercy of Man but not for the Love of God He pardons and prefers the guilty He rescues us from Hell and raises us to Glory He bestows Eternity upon those who were unworthy of Life The excellency of our condition under the Gospel will be set off by comparing it with that of innocent Man in Paradise 'T is true he was then in a state of Holiness and Honour and in perfect possession of that Blessedness which was suitable to his Nature yet in many respects our last state transcends our first and redeeming Love exceeds creating If Man had been only restor'd to his forfeited Rights to the enjoyment of the same Happiness which was lost his first state were most desirable And it had been greater Goodness to have preserv'd him innocent than to recover him from ruine As he that preserves his Friend from falling into the hands of the Enemy by interposing between him and danger in the midst of the Combat delivers him in a more noble manner than by paying a Ransom for him after many daies spent in woful Captivity And that Physician is more excellent in his Art who prevents Diseases and keeps the Body in health and vigour than another that expels them by sharp Remedies But the Grace of the Gospel hath so much mended our condition that if it were offer'd to our choice either to enjoy the innocent state of Adam or the renewed by Christ it were folly like that of our first Parents to prefer the former before the latter The Jubilee of the Law restor'd to the same Inheritance but the Jubilee of the Gospel gives us the Investiture of that which is transcendently better than what we at first possest Since The Day-spring from on High hath visited us in tender mercy we are enricht with higher Prerogatives and are under a better Covenant and entitled to a more glorious Reward than was due to Man by the Law of his Creation First The Humane Nature is raised to an higher degree of Honour than if Man had continued in his Innocent state 1. By its intimate Union with the Son of God He assum'd it as the fit Instrument of our Redemption and preferr'd it before the Angelical which surpast Man 's in his Primitive State The Fulness of the God-thead dwells in our Redeemer bodily From hence it is that the Angels descended to pay Him homage at his Birth and attended his Majesty in his disguise The Son of Man hath those Titles which are above the Dignity of any meer Creature He is King of the Church and Judg of the World he exercises Divine Power and receives Divine Praise Briefly The humane Nature in our Redeemer is an associate with the Divine and being made a little lower then the Angles for a time is now advanced far above all Principalities and Powers 2. In all those who are partakers of Grace and Glory by the Lord Jesus Adam was the Son of God by Creation but to be joyned to Christ as our head by a union so intimate that he lives in us and counts himself incompleat without us and by that union to be adopted into the line of Heaven and thereby to have an interest in the exceeding great and precious promises of the Gospel to be constituted Heirs of God and coheirs with Christ are such discoveries of the dignity of our supernatural state that the lowest Believer is advanced above Adam in all his honour Nay the Angels though superior to Man in the excellency of their nature yet are accidently lower by the honour of our alliance Their King is our Brother And this relative dignity which seems to eclipse their Glory might excite their envy but such an ingenuous goodness dwells in those pure and blessed Spirits that they rejoyce in our restoration and advancement To this I shall add that as the Son of God hath a special relation to Man so the most tender affections for him To illustrate this by a sensible instance Angels and Men are as two different Nations in Language and Customs but under the same Empire and if a Prince that commands two Nations should employ one for the safety and prosperity of the other it were an Argument of special
O Lord God and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto and this was yet a small thing in thy sight O Lord God but thou hast spoken of thy Servants house for a great while to come and is this the manner of Man O Lord God if such humble and thankful acknowledgments were due for the Scepter of Israel what is for the Crown of Heaven and and that procured for us by the sufferings of the Son of God Briefly Goodness is the foundation of Glory therefore the most solemn and affectionate Praise is to be rendered for transcendent Goodness The consent of Heaven and Earth is in ascribing blessing and honour and glory to him that sits on the Throne and the Lamb for ever 2. The Love of God discovered in our Redemption is the most powerful persuasive to Repentance For the discovery of this we must consider that real Repentance is the consequent of Faith and always in proportion to it Therefore the Law which represents to us the Divine Purity and Justice without any allay of Mercy can never work true Repentance in a Sinner When Conscience is under the strong conviction of guilt and of Gods Justice as implacable it causes a dreadful flight from him and a retchless neglect of means Despair hardens Neither is the discovery of God in Nature prevailing over the impenitent Hearts of men 'T is true the visible frame of the World and the continual benefits of Providence instruct Men in those prime Truths the Being and Bounty of God to those that serve Him and invite them to their Duty God never left himself without a witness in any age His Goodness is design'd To lead men to Repentance And the Apostle aggravates the obstinacy of Men that render'd that method entirely fruitless But the Declaration of Gods Goodness in the Gospel is infinitely more clear and powerful than the silent revelation by the works of Creation and Providence For although the Patience and general Goodness of God offered some intimations that he is placable yet not a sufficient support for a guilty and jealous Creature to rely on The natural notion of Gods Justice is so deeply rooted in the Humane Soul that till He is pleased to proclaim an Act of Grace and Pardon on the conditions of Faith and Repentance 't is hardly possible that convinced Sinners should apprehend Him otherwise than an Enemy and that all the common Benefits they enjoy are but Provisions allowed in the interval between the Sentence pronounc'd by the Law and the Execution of it at Death Therefore God to overcome our fears and to melt us into a compliance hath given in the Scripture the highest assurance of his willingness to receive all relenting and returning Sinners He interposes the most solemn Oath to remove our suspicions As I live saith the Lord I delight not in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live And have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die saith the Lord God And not that he should return from his ways and live The majesty and ardency of the Expressions testifie the truth and vehemency of his desire so far as the Excellency of his Nature is capable to feel our Affections And the Reason of it is clear for the Conversion of a Sinner implies a thorough change in the Will and Affections from Sin to Grace and that is infinitely pleasing to Gods Holiness and the giving of Life to the converted is most suitable to his Mercy The Angels who are infinitly inferiour to Him in Goodness rejoyce in the Repentance and Salvation of Men Much more God doth There is an eminent difference between his inclinations to exercise Mercy and Justice He uses expressions of regret when He is constrained to punish O that my People had hearkned to me and Israel had walked in my wayes And how shall I give thee up Ephraim how shall I deliver thee Israel mine heart is turned within me As a merciful Judg that pities the Man when he condemns the Malefactor But He dispenses Acts of Grace with pleasure He pardons Iniquity and passes by transgressions because He delights in Mercy 'T is true when Sinners are finally obdurate God is pleased in their Ruine for the honour of his Justice yet t is not in such a manner as in their Conversion and Life He doth not invite Sinners to transgress that He may condemn them He is not pleased when they give occasion for the exercise of his Anger And above all we have the clearest and surest discovery of pardoning Mercy in the Death of Christ. For what stronger evidence can there be of God's readiness to pardon than sending his Son into the World to be a Sacrifice for Sin that Mercy without prejudice to his other Perfections might upon our Repentance forgive us And what more rational argument is there and more congruous to the Breast of a Man to work in him a serious grief and hearty detestation of Sin not only as a cursed thing but as 't is contrary to the Divine Will than the belief that God in whose Power alone it is to pardon Sinners is most desirous to pardon them if they will return to Obedience The Prodigal in his extream distress resolved to go to his Father with penitential acknowledgments and submission and to use the words of a devout Writer His guilty Conscience as desperate asks him Qua spe with what hope He replies to himself Illa qua Pater est Ego perdidi quod erat filii ille quod patris est nâ—n amisit Though I have neglected the duty and lost the confidence of a Son he hath not lost the compassion of a Father That Parable represents Man in his degenerate forlorn state and that the Divine Goodness is the Motive that prevails upon him to return to his duty 3. The transcendent Love that God hath exprest in our Redemption by Christ should kindle in us a reciprocal affection to him For what is more natural than that one flame should produce another We love him because he loved us first The original of our Love to God is from the evidence of his to us this alone can strongly and sweetly draw the heart to him 'T is true the divine excellencies as they deserve a superlative esteem so the highest affection but the bare contemplation of them is ineffectual to fire the Heart with a zealous Love to God For Man in his Corrupt state hath a Diabolical Seed in him he is inclined not only to Sensuality which is an implicit hatred of God for an eager Appetite to those things which God forbids and a fixed Aversation from what He commands are the Natural effects of Hatred But to malignity and direct hatred against God He is an enemy in his mind through wicked Works and this enmity ariseth from the consideration of Gods Justice and the effects of it Man cannot Sin and be
Saviour tells us It behoved Christ to suffer he doth not say that the Son of God should suffer but that Christ. This Title signifies the same Person in substance but not in the same respect and consideration Christ is the Second Person cloathed with our Nature There was no necessity that obliged God to appoint his Son or the Son to accept the Office of Mediator But when the Eternal Son had undertook that charge and was made Christ that is assumed our Nature in order to redeem us 't was necessary that He should suffer Besides His Consent was necessary upon another account For the Satisfaction doth not arise meerly from the Dignity of his Person but from the Law of substitution whereby He put himself in our stead and voluntarily obliged Himself to suffer the Punishment due to us The efficacy of his Death is by vertue of the Contract between the Father and Him of which there could be no cause but pure Mercy and His voluntary Condescension Now the Scripture declares the willingness of Christ particularly at his entrance into the World and at his Death Upon His comming into the World He begins his Life by the internal Oblation of Himself to his Father Sacrifice and Offering thou didst not desire mine ears hast thou opened that is He entirely resigned himself to be Gods Servant Burnt-Offering and Sin-Offering hast thou not required Then said I Lo I come in the volume of thy book 't is written of me I delight to do thy will O my God yea thy Law is within my heart He saw the Divine Decree and embrac'd it the Law was in his Heart and fully possest all his Thoughts and Affections and had a commanding influence upon his Life And his Willingness was fully exprest by Him when He approacht to His last Sufferings For although He declin'd Death as Man having natural and innocent desires of Self-Preservation yet as Mediator he readily submitted to it Not my Will but thine be done was his voice in the Garden And this argued the compleatness and fixedness of his Will that notwithstanding his aversation from Death absolutely considered yet with an unabated election He still chose it as the means of our Salvation No involuntary Constraint was laid upon him to force him to that submission But the sole causes of it were his free Compliance with his Fathers Will and his tender Compassion towards Men. He saith I have power to lay down my life and power to take it up this command I received of my Father In his Death Obedience and Sacrifice were united The Typical Sacrifices were led to the Altar but the Lamb of God presented Himself 't is said He gave himself for us to signifie his willingness in dying Now the Freeness of our Redeemer in dying for us qualified his Sufferings to be meritorious The Apostle tells us that By the obedience of one many are made righteous that is By his voluntary Sufferings we are justified for without his Consent his Death could not have the respect of a punishment for our Sins No Man can be compelled to pay anothers Debt unless he make himself Surety for it Briefly The Appointment of God and the Undertaking of Christ to redeem us from the Curse of the Law by his suffering it are the Foundation of the New-Testament 3. He that interpos'd as Mediator must be perfectly Holy otherwise he had been liable to Justice for his own Sin And guilty Blood is impure and corrupt apter to stain by its effusion and sprinkling than to purge away Sin The Apostle joins these two as inseparable He appeared to take away Sin and in Him is no sin The Priesthood under the Law was imperfect as for other reasons so for the sins of the Priests Aaron the first and chief of the Levitical Order was guilty of gross Idolatry so that Reconciliation could not be obtained by their Ministry For how can one Captive ransom another or Sin expiate Sin But our Mediator was absolutely innocent without the least tincture of Sin original or actual He was conceived in a miraculous manner infinitely distant from all the impurities of the earth That which is produced in an ordinary way receives its propriety from second Causes and contracts the defilement that cleaves to the whole species Whatever is born of blood and the will of the flesh that is form'd of the substance of the Flesh and by the sensual Appetite is defiled but though He was form'd of the substance of the Virgin yet by vertue of an Heavenly Principle according to the words of the Angel to her The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee therefore also that Holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God He came in the appearance only of sinful flesh As the Brazen Serpent had the figure and not the poison of the fiery Serpent He was without actual Sin He foil'd the Tempter in all his arts and methods wherewith he tried Him He resisted the Lust of the Flesh by refusing to make the stones Bread to asswage his Hunger and the Lust of the Eyes in despising the Kingdoms of the World with all their Treasures and the Pride of Life when he would not throw himself down that by the interposing of Angels for His rescue there might be a visible proof that He was the Son of God The Accuser himself confest Him to be the Holy One of God he found no corruption within Him and could draw nothing out of him Judas that betrayed him and Pilate that condemned him acknowledged his Innocence He perfectly fulfill'd the Law and did alwaies what pleased his Father In the midst of his Sufferings no irregular motion disturbed his Soul but He alwaies exprest the highest Reverence to God and incredible Charity to Men. He was compared to a Lamb for his Passion and his Patience that quietly dies at the foot of the Altar Besides We may consider in our Mediator not only a perfect freedom from Sin but an impossibility that he should be toucht by it The Angelical Nature was liable to folly but the Humane Nature by its intimate and unchangeable Union with the Divine is establisht above all possibility of Falling The Deity is Holiness 〈◊〉 self and by its personal presence is a greater preservative from sin than either the vision of God in Heaven or the most permanent habit of Grace Our Saviour tells us the Son can do nothing of himself but according to the pattern the Father sets him Now the perfect Holiness of our Redeemer hath a special efficacy in making his Death to be the expiation of Sin as the Scripture frequently declares For such an high Priest became us who is holy harmless undefiled and separate from sinners And he that knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him We are Redeemed not
to this Punishment The Death which the Law threatned for Sin was to be accompanied with Dishonour and Pain And he suffered the Death of the Cross to which a special Curse was annext And this was not onely in respect of the Judgment of Men before whom a Crucified person was made a Spectacle of publick Vengeance for his Crimes but in respect of Gods declaration concerning it The Jews were commanded that none should hang on a Tree longer then the Evening lest the Holy Land should be profaned by that which was an express mark of Gods Curse Now the legal Curse was a Typical signification of the real that should be suffered by our Redeemer Besides his Death was attended with exquisite pains he suffer'd variety of torments by the scourges the thorns the nails that pierc'd his Hands and Feet the least vital but most sensible parts He refused the Wine mix'd with Myrrh that was given to stupifie the senses for the design of his Passion requir'd that he should have the quickest sense of his Sufferings which were the Punishment of Sin And his inward Sorrows were equivalent to the pains of loss and sense that are due to Sinners 'T is true there are circumstances in the Sufferings of the damn'd as Blaspemy Rage Impotent fierceness of mind which are not appointed by the Law but are accidental arising from the perversness of their Spirits For the punishment of the Law is a Physical evil but these are Moral and that punishment is inflicted by the Judge but these are onely from the guilty Sufferers Now to these he was not possibly liable Besides the Death that the Sinner ought to Suffer is Eternal attended with despair and the intolerable anguish of Conscience Now our Redeemer having no real Guilt was not liable to the worm of Conscience and his Temporary Sufferings were equivalent to the Eternal upon the account of his Divine Person so that he was not capable of Despair But he endur'd the unknown terrours of the second Death so far as was consistent with the Perfection of his Nature The anguish of his Soul was not meerly from sympathy with his Body but immediately from Divine Displeasure It pleased the Lord to bruise him this principally respects the Impressions of Wrath made upon his inward Man Had the Cup he fear'd been onely Death with the bitter ingredients of dishonour and pain many have drank it with more appearing resolution The Martyrs endured more cruel torments without complaint nay in their sharpest conflicts have exprest a triumphant joy Whereas our Redeemer was under all the innocent degrees of fear and sorrow at the approach of his Sufferings From whence was the difference Had Christ less Courage He was the Fountain of their Fortitude the difference was not in the disposition of the Patients but in the Nature of the Sufferings He endured that which is infinitely more terrible than all outward torments The Light of Joy that always shined in his Soul a sweet Image of Heaven was then totally eclips'd God the Fountain of Compassion restrain'd himself his Father appear'd a severe inexorable Judge and dealt with him not as his Son but our Surety Under all the Cruelties exercis'd by men the Lamb of God open'd not his mouth but when the Father of Mercies and the God of all Consolations forsook him then he broke forth into a mournful complaint Now by this account of Christs Sufferings from Scripture 't is evident they were truly penal for they were inflicted for Sin by the Supreme Judg and were equivalent to the Sentence of the Law And the benefit we receive upon their account proves that they are satisfaction to Divine Justice for we are exempted from Punishment by his Submission to it He freed us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us The Chastisements of our Peace was upon him by whose stripes we are healed So that his Death being the Meritorious Cause of freeing the Guilty is properly Satisfaction Before I proceed to the second Consideration of Christs Death I will briefly answer the Objection of the Socinians viz. That 't is a Violation of Justice to transfer the Punishment from one to another so that the Righteous God could not Punish his innocent Son for our Sins Now to show the invalidity of this Pretence we must consider 1. That Justice is not an irregular appetite of Vengeance arising from Hatred that cannot be satisfied but with the Destruction of the Guilty It preserves Right with pure Affections and is content when the Injury is repair'd from whomsoever satisfaction comes 2. Though an innocent person can't suffer as innocent without Injustice yet he may voluntarily contract an Obligation which will expose him to deserved sufferings The Wisdom and Justice of all Nations agree in punishing one for anothers fault where consent is preceding as in the case of Hostages And although it is Essential to the Nature of Punishment to be inflicted for Sin yet not on the Person of the Sinner for in Conspectu fori the Sinner and Surety are one 3. That exchange is not allowed in Criminal Causes where the Guilty ought to suffer in Person 't is not from any Injustice in the Nature of the thing for then it would not be allowed in Civil but there are special Reasons why an Innocent Person is not ordinarily admitted to suffer for an offender 1. No man hath absolute Power over his own life 'T is a depositum consigned to him for a time and must be preserv'd till God or the Publick good calls for it 2. The Publick would suffer prejudice by the loss of a good Subject Therefore the Rule of the Law is just Non auditur perire volens The desire of one that devotes himself to ruine is not to be heard And the guilty person who is spared might grow worse by impunity and cause great disorders by his evil example But these considerations are of no force in the case of our Saviour For 1. He had full Power to dispose of his life I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again this Commandment have I received of my Father He declares his Power as God that his life intirely depended on his will to preserve it or part with it and his subjection as Mediator to the order of his Father 2. Our Saviour could not finally Perish 'T was not possible he should be held under the power of Death Otherwise it had been against the Laws of reason that the precious should for ever suffer for the vile Better ten thousand Worlds had been lost than that the Holy One of God should perish He saved us through his Sufferings though as by fire and had a glorious reward in the issue 3. There is an infinite good redounds from his Sufferings for Sinners are exempted from Death and the preservation of the guilty is for the glory of Gods government for those who are redeemed by his Death
to perpetuity all that shall address to God by Him Since He ever lives to make Intercession The Pardon that He once purchased shall ever be applied to contrite Believers The Covenant that was sealed with his Blood is eternal and the Mercies contained in it 2. The perfection of his Sacrifice is evident by its expiating universally the guilt of all transgressions 'T is true Sins in their own nature are different some have a crimson guilt attending them and accordingly Conscience should be affected But the Grace of the Gospel makes no difference The Apostle tells us that the Blood of Christ cleanseth from all sins Whatever the kinds degrees and circumstances are As the Deluge overflowed the highest Mountains as well as the least Hill so pardoning Mercy covers Sins of the first magnitude as well as the smallest Under the Law one Sacrifice could expiate but one Offence though but against a carnal Commandment but this one washes away the guilt of all Sins against the Moral Law And in that Dispensation no Sacrifices were instituted for Idolatry Adultery Murder and other Crimes which were certainly punisht with Death But under the Gospel Sins of what quality soever if repented of are pardoned The Apostle having reckoned up Idolaters Adulterers and many other notorious Sinners that shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven tells the Corinthians that such were some of them but they were sanctified and justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 'T is true Those who sin against the Holy Ghost are excepted from Pardon But the Reason is Because the Death of Christ was not appointed for the Expiation of it And there being no Sacrifice there is no Satisfaction and consequently no Pardon The Wisdome and Justice of God requires this Severity against them For if he that despised Moses Law died without Mercy of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy who hath troden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite to the Spirit of Grace that is They renounce their Redeemer as if he were not the Son of God and virtually consent to the cruel Sentence past against Him as if he had blasphemed when He declared Himself to be so and thereby out sin his Sufferings How reasonable is it they should be for ever deprived of the Benefits who obstinately reject the Means that purchased them 2. The Death of Christ hath procured Grace for Men. We made a Forfeiture of our Original Holiness and were righteously deprived of it And till Divine Justice was appeased all influences of Grace were suspended Now the Death of Christ opened Heaven and brought down the Spirit who is the Principle of Renovation in us The world lay in wickedness as a Carcass in the grave insensible of its horror and corruption The Holy Spirit hath inspired it with a new life and by a marvellous change hath caused Purity to succeed Pollution 3. The receiving Believers into Heaven is a convincing proof of the all-sufficiency of his Sacrifice For Justice will not permit that Glory and Immortality which are the Priviledges of the Righteous should be given to guilty defiled Creatures Therefore our Saviour's first and greatest work was to remove the bar that excluded us from the place of Felicity 'T is more difficult to justifie a Sinner than to glorifie a Saint The Goodness of God inclines Him to bestow Happiness on those who are not obnoxious to the Law but his Justice was to be aton'd by Sufferings Now what stronger Argument can there be that God is infinitely pleased with what His Son hath done and suffered for his People than the taking of them into his Presence to see his Glory The Apostle sets down this order in the work of our Redemption That Christ being made perfect by Sufferings that is having consummated that part of his Office which respected the expiation of Sin He became the Author of eternal Salvation to all that obey him To sum up all 't is observable that the Scripture attributes to the Death of Christ not only Satisfaction whereby we are redeemed from Punishment but such a redundant Merit as purchases for us Adoption and all the glorious Prerogatives of the Children of God Upon these accounts his Blood hath a double Efficacy As the Blood of the Covenant it procured our peace as the Blood of the Testament it conveyes to us a Title to Heaven it self according to that of St. Paul we have boldness to enter into the Holiest by his Blood I will remove two slender prejudices against this Doctrine 1. That Repentance and Faith are required in order to the partaking of the precious benefits which Christ hath purchased doth not lessen the Merit of his Death and the compleatness of the Satisfaction made to God by it For we must consider There is a great difference between the payment of that the Law requires by the Debtor and the payment of that which was not in the original Obligation by another in his stead Upon the payment of the first actual freedom immediately follows If a Debtor pays the sum he ows or a Criminal endure the punishment of the Law they are actually discharged and never liable to be sued or suffer again But when the same that the Law requires is not paid but something else by another the release of the guilty is suspended upon those condâ—tions which he that freely makes satisfaction 〈◊〉 the Governour who by favour accepts it are â—â—eased to appoint Now 't is thus in the transaction of our Redemption Christ laid down his Life for us and this was not the very thing in strict sense that the Law required For according to the threatning the Soul that sins shall die the Delinquent in his own person was to suffer the penalty and there was no necessity natural or moral that obliged God to admit of his Satisfaction for our discharge If the Law had exprest that the sinner or his surety should suffer there had been no need of a better Covenant But in this the Grace of God so illustrously appears that by his appointment the punishment of the guilty was transfer'd to the Innocent who voluntarily undertook for them In this respect God truly pardons sin though he received intire Satisfaction for he might in right have refused it Now these things being supposed although the Blood of Christ was a price so precious that it can only be valued by God that received it and might worthily have redeemed a thousand Worlds yet the effects of it are to be dispensed according to the Eternal Covenant between the Father and the Son and the tenor of it is revealed in the Gospel viz. that Repentance and Faith are the conditions upon which the obtaining pardon of sin and all the blessings which are the consequents of it depends thus Christ who makes Satisfaction and God that accepts
David with respect to Solomon If he commit Iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the childaen of men that is Chastise him moderately For in the stile of the Scripture as things are magnified by the Epithet Divine or of God as the Cedars of God that is very tall And Nineve is called The City of God that is very great So to signifie things that are in a mediocrity the Scripture uses the Epithet humane or of Men And according to the Rule of Opposition the Rod of God is an extraordinary Affliction which destroys the Sinner 't is such a Punishment as a man can neither inflict nor endure But the Rod of Men is a moderate Correction that doth not exceed the strength of the Patient But every purely vindictive Punishment which the Law pronounces is in proportion to the nature of the Crime not the strength of the Criminal 3. They are distinguisht by the intention and end of God in inflicting them 1. In Chastisements God primarily designs the Profit of his People That they may be partakers of his Holiness When they are secure and carnal He awakens Conscience by the sharp voice of the Rod to reflect upon Sin to make them observant for the future to render their Affections more indifferent to the World and stronger towards Heaven The Apostle expresses the nature of Chastisements When we are judged we are instructed by the Lord They are more lively Lessons than those which are by the Word alone and make a deeper impression upon the heart David acknowledges Before he was afflicted he went astray but now have I kept thy words Corrupt Nature makes Gods Favours pernicious but his Grace makes our Punishments profitable Briefly They are not satisfactions for what is past but admonitions for the time to come But purely vindictive Judgments are not inflicted for the reformation of an Offender but to preserve the honour of the Sovereign and Publick Order and to make compensation for the breach of the Law If any advantage accrue to the Offender 't is accidental and besides the intention of the Judg. 2. The end of chastisements upon Believers is to prevent their final destruction When we are Judged we are Chastened of the Lord that we may not be condemned with the World And this sweetens and allays all their Sufferings As the Psalmist declares Let the Righteous smite me and it shall be a kindness let him reprove me it shall be an excellent oile which shall not break my head But the Vindictive Punishment of a Malefactor is not to prevent his condemnation for Death is sometimes the Sentence In this respect the temporal evils that befal the Wicked and the Godly though materially the same yet legally differ For to the Wicked they are as so many earnests of the compleat payment they shall make to Justice in another World the beginnings of Eternal Sorrows but to the Godly they are in order to their Salvation They are as the Red-Sea through which the Israelites past to the Land of Promise but the Egyptians were drowned in it Briefly their Sufferings differ as much in their issue as the Kingdoms of Heaven and of Hell 2. That Death remains to Believers doth not lessen the perfection of Christs Satisfaction 'T is true considered absolutely 't is the revenge of the Law for sin and the greatest temporal evil so that it may seem strange that those who are Redeemed by an Alsufficient ransom should pay this Tribute to the King of Terrors But the nature of it is changed 't is a Curse to the wicked inflicted for Satisfaction to Justice but a Priviledge to Believers As God appointing the Rainbow to be the Sign of his Covenant that he would drown the World no more ordain'd the same Waters to be the token of his Mercy which were the instrument of his Justice Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord. And the Psalmist tells us that precious in the sight of the Lord is the Death of his Saints Christ hath taken away what is truly destructive in it 'T is continued for their advantage 1. Corruption hath so depraved the sensitive appetite that during our natural state we are not intirely freed from it but Death that destroyes the natural frame of the Body puts an end to sin And in this respect there is a great difference between the Death of Christ and of Believers the end of his was to remove the guilt of sin of theirs to extinguish the reliques of it 2. 'T is a delivery from Temporal evils and an entrance into Glory Death and Despair seize on the Wicked at once but the Righteous hath hope in his Death 3. The Grave shall give up its spoils at the last It retains the Body for a time not to destroy but purifie it Our Saviour tells us that whoever believes on him shall not see death for he will raise them up at the last day He that dies a Man shall revive an Angel cloathed with Light and Immortality I will conclude this argument with the words of St. Austin Ablato criminis nexu relicta est mors Nunc vero majore mirabiliore gratia Salvatoris in usus justitiae peccati poena est conversa tum enim dictum est Homini morieris si peccaveris nunc dictum est Martyri morere ne pecces Et sic per ineffabilem Dei misericordiam ipsa poena vitiorum transit in arma virtutis fit justi meritum etiam supplicium peccatoris Although the Guilt of Sin is removed yet death remains But by the admirable Grace of the Redeemer the punishment of sin is made an advantage to Holiness The Law threatned Man with Death if he sinned the Gospel commands a Martyr to die that he may not sin And thus by the unspeakable Mercy of God the punishment of Vice becomes the security of Virtue and that which was revenged upon the sinner gives to the Righteous a title to a glorious reward CHAP. XV. Inferences In the Death of Christ there is the clearest discovery of the evil of sin The strictness of divine Justice is most visible in it The consideration of the ends of Christs Death takes off the scandal of the Cross and changes the offence into admiration The Satisfaction of Justice by Christs Sufferings affords the strongest assurance that God is ready to pardon sinners The absolute necessity of complying with the terms of the Gospel for Justification There are but two wayes of appearing before the supreme Judge either in Innocence or by the Righteousness of Christ The Causes why men reject Christ are a legal temper that is natural to them and the predominant love of sin The unavoidable misery of all that will not submit to our Saviour 1. FRom hence we may discover most clearly the evil of Sin which no Sacrifice could expiate but the Blood of the Son of God 'T is true the
a Dream is slight and vanishing so the uncertain expectation of felicity did but lightly touch their Spirits Briefly they had no true Knowledge nor firm Belief of Eternal Blessedness in the Vision of God nor of the endless Torments in Hell and wanting those great Principles from whence the Rules and Power to live in a holy manner are derived they fell short of that Purity which is a necessary qualification to prepare Men for Heaven They were in a confused labyrinth without true Light or Guide intangled with miserable Errours and stumbled every step whilst they sought after Happiness But the Lord Christ hath instructed the World concerning those invisible future Recompences He hath expresly threaten'd what-ever is to be feared by Man as a rational or sensible Creature the Worm that never dies and the Fire that shall never be quencht in case of Disobedience and he hath promised what-ever is to be hoped for in case of Obedience The Wrath of God is revealed from Heaven in the Gospel against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of Men. And our Saviour hath brought Light and Immortality to light He hath declared the nature and quality of Eternal Life that it consists in the most perfect acts of our raised and most receptive Faculties upon the most excellent objects That it contains perfect Holiness and pure Felicity being for ever distant from the infirmities and defilements of our mortal state He hath revealed as the quality so the extent of it relating to the Body as well as the Soul Whereas the Philosophers of all sorts the Academicks Stoicks Peripateticks Epicureans labouring with all the force of their understanding formed a Felicity according to their Fancies which was either wholly Sensual or else but for half of man For of the Resurrection and consequently the Immortality of the Body not the least notice for many Ages ever arrived to them Our Saviour who alone had the words of eternal life hath promised a Happiness that respects entire man The Soul and the Body which are his essential parts shall be united and endued with all the glorious qualities becoming the Sons of God And of all this he hath given to the world the highest assurance For he verified his Doctrine by his own Example rising from the Grave and appearing to his Apostles crown'd with Immortality and visibly ascending before them to Heaven Since there is no greater Paradox to Reason than the Resurrection which seem'd utterly incredible to men and not to be the object of a rational desire God by raising him from the Grave hath given the most convincing Argument that our Redeemer was sent from him to acquaint the World with the future state Thus the Apostle speaks to the Athenians The times of ignorance God winked at but now commandeth all men eve ry where to repent because he hath appointed a day wherein he will judg the World in righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all Men in that he hath raised him from the dead Jesus Christ who was attested from Heaven to be the Son of God by that great and powerful Act declared the Recompences that shall attend Men after Death Therefore a full and perfect assent is due to his Testimony Hell with all its Dread and Terror is not a Picture drawn by fancy to affright the World but is reveal'd by him whose Words shall remain when Heaven and Earth shall pass away The Heavenly Glories are not the Visions of a contemplative person that have no existence but are great Realities promised by him who as he died to purchase so he rose to witness the Truth of them And to bring these Great Things that are separate and distant from this present state nearer to us He sometimes causes Hell to rise up from beneath and flash in the face of secure sinners that they may break off their Sins by Repentance and sometimes he opens Heaven from above the Paradise of true delights and sends down of the precious fruits of the Sun of the precious things of the lasting Hills that by the sight of their Beauty and the taste of their sweetness we may for ever abhor the pleasures of Sin By the frequent and sensible experience of the truth of the Gospel in its Threatnings and Promises innumerable persons have been converted from Sin to Holiness from Earth to Heaven from Vanity to Eternity 3. Love is a prevalent affection stronger than Death and Kindness is the greatest endearment of Love Now the Lord Jesus exprest such admirable Love to us that being duly considered it cannot but inspire us with Love to him again and with a grateful desire to please him in all things He descended from Heaven to Earth and delivered himself to a shameful Death that He might redeem us from all Iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works And what Argument is more powerful to cause in us a serious hatred of Sin than the Consideration of what Christ hath suffer'd to free us from the punishment and power of it If a Man for his Crimes were condemned to the Gallyes and a Friend of his who had been extremely injur'd by him should ransom him by a great sum when the guilty person is restor'd to liberty will he not blush for shame at the memory of what he hath done But how much more if his Friend would suffer for him the pains and infamy of his slavery if any spark of Humanity remain in him can he ever delight himself in those Actions which made such a benefit necessary to him And is it possible for a Christian to live in those Sins for which Christ died Will not Love cause an humble Fear lest he should frustrate the great Design and make void the most blessed effect of his terrible Sufferings why did he Redeem us with so excellent a price from our cruel Bondage but to restore us to his free service why did he vindicate us from the power of the Usurper to whom we were captives but to make us Subjects to our Natural Prince Why did he purifie us with his most precious Blood from our deadly Defilements but that we might be intirely consecrated to his Glory and be fervent in good works What can work upon an ingenious Person more than sense of Kindness What can oblige more strongly to duty than Gratieude What more powerful attractive to Obedinnce than Love This pure Love confirms the Glorified Saints for ever in Holiness For they are not Holy to obtain Heaven because they are possest of it nor to preserve their Blessedness because they are past all hazard of losing it but from the most lively and permanent sense of their Obligations because they have obtained that incomparable Felicity by a Gift never to be reverst and by a Mercy transcendently great And the same Love to God that is in the Saints above in the highest degree of perfection and makes them for
world When our Saviour was on the Earth the End of his Sermons as appears in the Gospel was to regulate the lives of Men to correct their vicious Passions rather than to explicate the greatest Mysteries Other Religions oblige their Disciples either to some external actions that have no moral worth in them so that 't is impossible for any one that is guided by Reason to be taken with such vanities Or they require things incommodious and burthensome The Priests of Baal cut themselves And among the Chineses though in great reputation for wisdome their Penitents expose themselves half naked to the injuries of the sharpest Weather with a double cruelty pleasure of the Devil who makes them freez here and expects they should burn for ever 'T is not the most strict observance of serious Trifles nor submitting to rigorous Austerities that ennobles the humane nature and commends us to God The most zealous performers of things indifferent and that chastise themselves with a bloody Discipline labour for nothing and may pass to Hell through Purgatory But the Religion of Christ reforms the Understanding and Will and all the actions depending on them It chases away Errour and Vice and Hatred and sheds abroad Light and Love Purity and Peace and forms on Earth a lively representation of that pure Society that is in Heaven The End of it is to render men like the Angels in Holiness that they may be so in Blessedness This will render it amiable to all that consider it without Passion And 't is worthy of observation that although many Heathens and Hereticks have contradicted other parts of the Christian Religion yet none have dar'd openly to condemn the Moral part of it The Effect of the Gospel hath been answerable to the Design One main difference between the old and new Law is that the old gave the knowledg of Rules without power to observe them the new that is attended with the Grace of Christ enables us by a holy Love to perform that which the other made men only to understand Of this we have the most sensible Evidence in the Primitive Church that was produc'd by the first beams of the Sun of Righteousness had received the first fruits of the Spirit What is more wonderful and worthy of God than that perfect Love which made all the first Believers to have one Heart and one Soul What greater contempt of the World can be imagined than the voluntary parting with all their Goods in consecrating them to God for the relief of the Poor And the Churches of the Gentiles while the Blood of Christ was warm and His Actions fresh in the memories of men were exemplary in Holiness They were as Stars shining in a perverse generation There was such a brightness in their Conversations that it pierc'd through the darkness of Paganisme and made a visible difference between them and all others Their words and actions were so full of zeal for the Glory of God of Chastity Temperance Justice Charity that the Heathens from the Holiness of their lives concluded the Holiness of their Law and that the Doctrine that produc'd such fruits could not be evil The first light that discovered the Truth of the Christian Faith to many was from the Graces and Vertues that appear'd in the Faithful The Purity of their Lives their Courage in Death were as powerful to convert the World as their Sermons Disputations and Miracles And those who were under such strong prejudices that they would not examine the Doctrine of the Gospel yet they could not but admire the Integrity and Innocency that was visible in the conversation of Christians They esteemâ—d their persons from the good qualities that were visible in them when they hated the Christian name for the conceal'd evil they unreasonably suspected to be under it This Tertullian excellently represents in his Apology The most part are so prejudic'd against the Name and are possest with such a blind hatred to it that they make it a matter of reproach even to those whom they otherwise esteem'd Caius they say is a good man he hath no fault but that he is a Christian. Thus the excellent Holiness of the Professors of the Gospel forc'd a veneration from their Enemies But we are fallen from Heaven and mixt with the dust Our conversation hath nothing singular in Holiness to distinguish us from the World The same corrupt Passions reign in Professors of Christianity as in those who are strangers from the Sacred Covenant If we compare our selves with the Primitive Church we must confess our unworthiness to be call'd their successors Sixteen hundred years are run out since the Son of God came down to sanctifie and save the World which are so many degrees whereby we are descended from the first Perfection We are more distant from them in Holiness than in Time So universal and great is the Corruption that 't is almost as difficult to revive the dying Faith of Christians and to reform their Lives according to the purity of their Profession as the Conversion of the World was from Heathenism to Christianity 'T is true In every Age there are some Examples of the Vertue of the Gospel that reflect an honour upon it And this last Age which we may call the Winter of the World in which the Holy Spirit hath foretold That the love of many shall grow cold by a marvellous Antiperistasis hath inflam'd the hearts of some excellent Saints towards God and Religion But the great number of the wicked and the progress of Sin in their Lives there is no measure of Tears sufficient to lament Fourthly I shall press Christians to walk as becomes the Gospel of Christ answerably to the Holiness and Purity of that Divine Institution and to those great and strict Obligations it laies upon us The Gospel requires an entire Holiness in all our Faculties an equal respect to all our Duties We are commanded to cleanse our selves from all pollutions of flesh and spirit to be holy in all manner of conversation We are enjoin'd To be perfecting Holiness in the fear of God To be holy as He that hath called us is Holy A certain measure of Faith and Love and Obedience a mediocrity in Vertue we must not content our selves with 'T is not a counsel of Perfection given only to some Christians of a peculiar order and elevation But the command of a Law that without exception binds all Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect The Gospel gives no Dispensation to any Person nor in any Duty The Doctrine that asserts there are some excellent works to which the lower sort of Christians is not obliged is equally pernicious both to those who do them by Presumption as if they were not due and were therefore meritorious and to those who neglect them by a blind Security as if they might be saved without striving to reach the highest degrees of Obedience 'T is a weak pretence that because the
consummate measure of Sanctification can only be attained in the next life therefore we should not endeavour after it here For by sincere and constant endeavours we make nearer approaches to it and according to the degrees of our progress such are those of our joy As Nature hath prescribed to all heavy Bodies their going to the Centre and although none comes to it and many are at a great distance from it yet the ordination of Nature is not in vain Because by virtue of it every heavy Body is alwaies tending thither in motion or inclination So although we cannot reach to compleat Holiness in this imperfect state yet 't is not in vain that the Gospel prescribes it and infuses into Christians those dispositions whereby they are gradually carried to the full accomplishment of it Not to arrive to Perfection is the weakness of the Flesh not to aspire after it is the fault of the Spirit To excite us it will be of moment to consider the great Obligations that the Gospel laies upon Christians to be holy By that Covenant the Holy God is pleased to take them into the Relation of his Children and as the nature of Sanctification so the motives of it are contained in that Title For so near an Alliance obliges them to a faithful observation of his Commands and to imitate him with the greatest care that the Vein of his Spirit and the Marks of his Blood may appear in all their actions Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin The allowed practice of it is inconsistent with the quality of a Son of God 't is contrary to the Grace of his Divine Birth Nay the omission of Good as well as the commission of Evil is inconsistent with that Relation 'T is for this reason that Holiness is so much the character of a true Christian that to be a Christian and a Saint are the same thing in the Writings of the Apostles That venerable Title obliges him to a higher practice of Vertue than ever the Pagans imagined He is far behind them if he do not surpass them and if he is surpassed by them he will be cloathed with shame Besides our Redeemer who hath a right to us by so many titles by his Divine and Humane Nature by his Life and Death by his Glory and Sufferings as He strictly commands us to be holy so he hath joyned Example to his Authority That we may walk as he walk'd and be as he was in the world St. Paul makes use of this consideration to restrain the Disciples of Christ from all Sin and to perswade them to universal Holiness After he had mentioned the disorders of the Gentiles to deter the Ephesians from the like he tells them But ye have not so learned Christ that is his rule and practice instructed them otherwise And when he commands the Romans To walk honestly as in the day not in rioting and drunkenness not in chambering and wantonness not in strife and envying he opposes to all these vices the pattern that Christ set before us But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. The expression intimates the Duty that as the Garment is commensurate to the Body so we are to imitate all the parts of his Holy Conversation 'T is no wonder that the Heathens gratified the inclinations of Lust or Rage when their Gods were represented acting in such a manner as to authorise their Vices Semina pene omnium scelerum à Diis suis peccantium turba collegit as Julius Firmicius justly reproaches them There was no Villany how notorious soever but had some Deity for its Protector They found in Heaven a Justification of all their crimes and became vicious by imitation For 't is very congruous for men to follow those whom they esteem to be perfect and to whom they think themselves accountable If they attribute to their Supreme God the Judg of the World Vices as Vertues What Vertues will there be to reward or Vices to punish in Men But for those that name the Name of Christ to continue in iniquity is the most unbecoming thing in the world For they live in the perfect contradiction of their Profession An unholy Christian is a real Apostate from Christ that retracts by his wickedness the Dedication that was made of him in his Baptism Although he doth not abjure our Saviour in words he denies him in his works A proud person renounces his Humility the revengful his Mercy the luke-warm his Zeal the unclean his Purity the covetous his Bounty and Compassion the hypocrite his Sincerity And can there be any thing more indecent and absurd than to pretend the relation and respect of Disciples to such an holy Master and yet by Disobedience to deny him When the bloody Spectacles of the Gladiators were first brought to Athens a Wise man cried out to the Masters of the Prizes That they should remove the Statue and Altar of Mercy out of the City there being such an incongruity between the Goddess they pretended to worship and that cruel Sacrifice of Men for the sport of the People It were more suitable for those who are not afraid to violate the most Holy Laws and to contradict the Pattern of Christ to leave their Profession and to take some other more complying with their Lusts. 'T is not the Title of a Christian that sanctifies those who pollute and defame it 'T is not wearing the Livery of Christ that can honour those who stain it by their filthiness but 't is an aggravation of their guilt 'T is an unconceivable indignity to our Saviour and revives the old calumnies of the Heathens as if the Gospel were a Sanctuary for Criminals when those that call him Lord do not what he commands them I know saith Christ the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews and are not but are the Synagogue of Satan Those that own the Profession of Christianity and live in unchristian Practices are baptised Pagans and in effect revile our Blessed Redeemer as if He had proclaim'd a licentious impunity for Sinners Such Wretches may deceive themselves with a pretence they believe in Christ and that visibly they declare their dependence on him but this pretence will be as unprofitable as 't is vain 'T is not the calling him Lord that will give them admission into the kingdom of heaven The naked name of a Christian cannot protect them from the wrath of God Tertullian smartly upbraids some in his time who were careless of the Dignity Purity of the Christian Profession in their Lives imagining that they might reverence God in their hearts without regarding him in their actions that they might Salvo metu fide peccare Sin without losing their fear of God and their Faith To refute this gross contradiction he propounds it in a sensible example Hoc est salva castitate matrimonium violare salva pietate parenti venenum temperare Thâ—s is the same thing
as to violate the Fidelity of Marriage without the wounding of Chastity or to poison a Parent without failing in the duty that is owing to them And to express his indignation he tells them Sic ergo ipsi salva venia in Gehennam detruduntur dum salvo metu peccant Let them expect that God will cast them into Hell without prejudice to their Pardon as they pretend to Sin without prejudice to the respect they bear him To sum up all Jesus Christ as by his Doctrine and Life he clearly discover'd our Duty so he offers to us the Aid of his Spirit for our assistance by which the Commands of the Gospel are not only possible but easy And to enforce our obligations he hath threatned such Vengeance to the rebellious and promised such a Reward to those that obey the Gospel that it is impossible we should not be deeply affected with them if we seriously believe them and He hath given such evidence of their truth that 't is impossible we should not believe them unless the God of this world hath blinded our minds 'T is matter therefore of just astonishment that Christians should not express the efficacy of the Gospel in their actions How can a reasonable Creature believe that eternal Damnation shall be the Punishment of Sin and yet live in the wilful practice of it The Historian speaking of Mushroms that somtimes prov'd deadly to whole Families asks with wonder What pleasure could allure them to eat such doubtful Meat Yet they may be so corrected as to become innocent But when 't is certain that the Pleasures of Sin are mortal Can any one be tempted by those attractives to venture on that which will undoubtedly bring Death to the Soul Let Sense itself be Judg and make the comparison between whatsoever the present Life can afford for delight in Sin and what the future Death will bring to torment it Let the Flesh see into what torments all its delights shall be changed and with what other fire than of impure Lust it shall burn for ever Besides We are encouraged to our Duty with the assurance of a Happiness so excellent that not only the enjoyment of it in the next World but the just expectation of it here makes us truly blessed If the Reward were small or the Promise uncertain there might be some pretence for our not performing the Conditions to obtain it but when the one is infinitely great and the other as true as the God of truth what more powerful motive can be conceiv'd to make us holy 'T is the Apostles chosen Argument that We should walk worthy of him who hath call'd us to his Kingdom and Glory The Heathens were in a great measure strangers to the Secrets of another World they had but a shadow of probability we have the Light of Truth brought down from Heaven by the Son of God that reveals to us a Blessedness that deserves our most ardent active Affections But if Men are not wrought on by natural Reason nor divine Faith if neither the Terrours of the Lord nor the blessed Hope can perswade them from Sin to Holiness their condition is irrecoverable In this the Rules of Natural and Spiritual Healing agree Where neither Corrosives nor Lenitives are successful we must use the Knife if cutting off be unprofitable we must fear the part if the Fire is ineffectual the Ulcer is incurable If the threatning of Hell-fire through Unbelief and Carelesness is not fear'd and hath no efficacy to correct and change Sinners what remains but to make a presage of eternal Death that will unavoidably and speedily seize on them And if so clear a discovery of the Heavenly Glory doth not produce in men a living Faith that works by Love and a lively Hope that purifies the Heart and Conversation what can be concluded but that they are wholly sensual and senseless and shall be for ever deprived of that Blessedness they now despise and neglect CHAP. XX. The Divine Power is admirably glorified in the Creation of the World in respect of the greatness of the effect and the manner of its production T is as evident in our Redemption The Principal Effects of it are considered The Incarnation of the Son of God is a work fully responsible to Omnipotence Our Redeemers Supernatural Conception by the Holy Ghost The Divine Power was eminently declared in the Miracles Jesus Christ wrought in the course of his Ministry His Miracles were the evidence of His Celestial Calling they were necessary for the conviction of the World their Nature considered The Divine Power was Glorified in making the Death of Christ Victorious over all our Spiritual Enemies The Resurrection of Christ the effect of Glorious Power The Reasons of it from the quality of his Person and the nature of his Office that he might dispense the Blessings he had purchased for Believers His Resurrection is the foundation of Faith It hath a threefold reference to his Person as the Son of God to his Death as an Alsufficient Sacrifice to his Promise of raising Believers at the last day THE Divine Power is admirably glorified in the Creation of the World not only in regard of the greatness of the Effect that comprehends the Heavens and Earth and all things in them but in regard of the marvelous way of its Production for He made the great Universe without the concurrence of any material cause from nothing For this reason the raising this glorious Fabrick is producâ—d as the distinctive character of the Deity from the troop of false gods The Psalmist declares The Lord is to be fearâ—d above all gods for all the gods of the Nations are Idols but the Lord made the Heavens And as He began the Creation by proceeding from nothing to real existence so in forming the other parts He drew them from infirm and indisposed matter as from a second nothing that all his Creatures might bear the real testimonies of Infinite Power Thus He commanded Light to arise out of Darkness and sensible Creatures from an insensible Element He created Man the accomplishment of all his Works from the lowest and grossest Element the Earth Now although at the first view we might conceive that the visible World is the greatest Miracle that ever God performed yet upon serious reflection we shall discover that the works of Grace are as wonderful as the works of Nature and that the Power of God is as evidently exprest in our Redemption as in the Creation For the fuller understanding of this I will consider some of the principal Effects of the Divine Power in order to our blessed Recovery 1. The Incarnation of the Son of God in accomplishing whereof such Power was exercis'd as no limited Understanding is able to comprehend The Word was made Flesh. This signifies the real Union between the Humane Nature and the Divine in our Redeemer Before his Incarnation he appeared in an humane form to the Patriarchs and
Christ so that without a sensible demonstration that that was the way wherein He would be served their prejudices had been invincible 2. The Gospel propounds Threatnings and Promises that regard a future state where no living Eye can see their effects so that without an extraordinary confirmation it was not likely that men should yield a firm assent to them If it be said Our Saviour did his Miracles only in Judea where very few of the Gentiles saw his Person or Works I answer His Miracles were primarily design'd for the conviction of the Jews and in a secondary intention to disarm Infidelity among the Gentiles Therefore the Testimony of them was conveyed by those who were Eye-witnesses and most worthy of credit and who did many great wonders in the Name of Christ to verifie the report of his famous Miracles and declare his Power and Divinity Of this more afterwards Now I will briefly consider the Miracles wrought by Christ that were the certain Signs of Gods favouring of him and made his Commission authentick Before his coming the hand of the Synagogue was dried up and impotent to produce Miracles The Holy Spirit was withdrawn and for the space of four hundred years no Prophet nor Worker of Wonders appeared John the Baptist though the Angel deputed to signifie the coming of Christ yet did no Miracles But our Saviour was invested with Power from above and performed many Their quality and number is considerable 1. They were not mere Signs as the conversion of Moses Rod into a Serpent nor destructive and punishing as the Wonders in Egypt but advantageous and beneficial to men the equal demonstrations of his Mercy and Power He cured Diseases that were absolutely desperate by the mere signification of his Will As the Son of the Nobleman who was sick at Capernaum when Himself was at Cana in Galilee or by such visible means that the Spectators might be fully convinced that it was not the external application but his sole Vertue Divine Power that produced the effect Thus by anointing with Clay and Spittle the Eyes of him that was born blind who never had any natural possibility of seeing he wrought an unparalleld Cure It was never yet heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind Therefore he that was healed inferr'd from that as a most pregnant proof that our Saviour was from God He rais'd the dead This effect exceeds the power not only of Men but of the Angels 'T is true That one Angel destroy'd in a night an hundred fourscore and five thousand of the Assyrian Army but 't is as true that all the Angels together cannot raise from the dead one Man 'T is wholly the work of the Lord of Nature who holds the Keys of Life and Death in his hands 'T is only his Light can dispel the darkness his Voice can break the silence of the Grave And 't is observable that our Saviour who sometimes conceal'd his miraculous works and forbid the publishing of them yet perform'd this kind before many Witnesses that they might publish and verifie it as being most conclusive of his mission from God He raised to life the Rulers Daughter to the astonishment of all that were present to attend her Funeral The Widows Son of Naim was carried without the Gates of the City to his Grave Jesus stops the sad train and restores life to the young Man and to his Mother something more dear than her life And the more signally to triumph over Death he pursued it to its fort the obscurity of the Grave Lazarus was buried four dayes his Carcase was corrupted Jesus calls him from the bottom of his Tomb with that powerful voice that created the World The Dead answers and comes forth to the amazement of all that saw the Glory of God so clearly manifested The Evangelist reports that the People afterward were as desirous to see Lazarus as Jesus Add to these his casting out of Devils Before the Fall the unclean Spirit was incorporated with the Serpent but now with Man himself He seizes on the External Organs and Internal Faculties and rules him at his pleasure In the time of Christ great numbers were possest for the Devil perceiving the ruine of his Kingdom approaching he would extend the limits of it here and by the perfect possessing of sinners begin their torment which is one act of his principality The case of those persons was most compassionable For in that close fight the soul was disarmed of its defensive weapons being hindered in a great measure of the free use of its faculties Whereas in other Temptations he works by outward object at a distance here he makes a violent assault on both parts 'T is the true anticipation of Hell for the possest person is not exempted from Suffering the priviledge of Death nor enjoys the free power of doing the effect of Life Now the ejecting of this Enemy was above the force of any humane means no material applications had power over immaterial Spirits But our Saviour by a Word commanded them forth of their Garrisons And the Evangelists observe that the sight of it affected the People in an extraordinary manner above what his other Miracles did 'T is said they were all amazed insomuch that they question'd among themselves saying what thing is this what new Doctrine is this For with Authority commandeth he even the unclean Spirits and they obey him His Empire over evil Spirits was more admired than over Diseases or Death it self Those who were insensible of his former Miracles received impression from this They were astonish'd at the mighty Power of God confessing that it was never so seen in Israel And another time they said is not this the Son of David i. e. the Messiah The Pharisees his obstinate enemies were more troubled about this than any other action and to elude the present conviction that He came from God ascribed it to a secret compact with Beelzebub as if there were a collusion between the evil Spirits a lesser Devil retir'd that the Prince might reign But so great was the Evidence of the Spirit of God in that act of Jurisdiction over the Devils that our Saviour charges them with unpardonable Guilt for their wilful denying it The number of his Miracles was so great that St. John saith If all were written the world could not contain the Books We may in part conjecture how numerous they were by taking notice how many he perform'd in one day He dined with Matthew at Capernaum whiles He was there Jairus entreats Him to go to his Daughter newly dead as He went the Woman with the bloody Issue toucht the hem of his garment and was healed He raised the dead Maid in his returning He cured two blind men and immediately after cast out the Devil from one that was dumb And in all these miraculous Operations the glory of Gods Power was clearly manifested 4. The Divine
Power admirably appeared in making the Death of Christ victorious over all our Spiritual Enemies Now to shew what an eminent degree of Power was exercised in the effecting this we must consider that after Satan was cast out of Heaven for his Rebellion he set up a throne on the Earth and usurpt an absolute Empire over Mankind His Power was great and his Malice was equal to his Power The Apostle represents him with his black Army under the titles of Principalities and Powers the rulers of the darkness of this world spiritual wickednesses in heavenly places as in respect of the Order among them so in respect of their Dominion they exercise in the World His Principality hath two parts To tempt Men powerfully to sin and to execute the wrath of God upon them He works effectually in the Children of Disobedience He fires their Lusts and by the thick ascending smoak darkens their Minds and hurries them to do the vilest Actions And he hath the power of death to torment Sinners God justly permitting him to exercise his Cruelty upon those who comply with his Temptations Now in the time of Christ seeing many ravish'd out of his hands and translated into the Kingdom of God he grew jealous of his state and by his instruments brought Him to a cruel and shameful Death He then in appearance obtain'd a compleat Conquest but in truth was absolutely overcome And from hence the glorious Power of Christ is most clearly manifested As he that will take the height of a Mountain must descend to the lowest part of the Valley where fixing his Instrument he may discover the distance from the foot to the top of it So we must descend to the lowest degree of our Saviours abasement to understand the height of his exaltation By Death he overcame him that had the power of Death that is the Devil For his cruel Empire was founded in Mans Sin his greatness was built on our Ruins All the penal Evils he brings on Mankind are upon the account of our Disobedience and his mighty power in Temptations is from our inward Corruption Otherwise he might surround but could not surprise us Now the Lord Christ by his Death hath taken away the Guilt and Power of Sin The Guilt in enduring the Curse of the Law and thereby satisfying Eternal Justice which all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth could not do and the Power of it By crucifying our old man with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin By the Cross of Christ the world is crucified to us and we are crucified to the world By it we are vindicated from the power of Satan into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God For this reason our Saviour a little before his Passion said Now shall the Prince of this world be cast out By the Cross he spoil'd Principalities and Powers and made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in it to their extreme confusion in the view of Heaven and Earth Although the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ are the proper acts of his Triumph yet his Death is the sole cause and original of it The Nails and Spear that pierced his Body were his omnipotent Arms and the Cross the instrument of his Sufferings was the Trophee of his Victory All our triumphant Palms are gathered from that tree 'T is there our Saviour bruised the head of the old Serpent and renewed his antient Victory over him And from hence it was that upon the first Preaching of Christ crucified Oracles were struck dumb and put to eternal silence invisible Powers were forc'd to do him visible honour As the Rising Sun causes the Night-birds to retire so his Name chas'd the rout of false Deities into darkness They continue to be our enemies but not our lords Now where did the Divine Power ever appear more glorious than in our crucified Saviour He hath done greater things suffering as Man than acting as God The Works of Creation and Providence are not equal to the effects of his Death In the Creation a corruptible World was produced from Nothing which as it had no disposition so no contrariety to receive the form the Creator gave it But the new World of Grace that is immortal was form'd out of rebellious matter The most eminent work of Providence was the drowning the Egyptians in the Red-Sea But the spiritual Pharaoh and all his Hosts were drowned in his Blood In short the Cross hath opened Heaven to us and wrought a miraculous change on the Earth But this I shall more particularly consider under another Head of Discourse Fifthly The Divine Power was eminently magnified in Christs Resurrection from the Grave This was foretold concerning the Messiah by the Prophet David speaking in the type My flesh shall rest in hope for thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption As it was ordain'd by Gods Counsel so 't was executed by his Power This is decisive that He is the Messiah His other Miracles were performed by the Prophets but this was singular and only done by the God of the Prophets The Reasons of it prove that 't was equally necessary for his Glory and our Salvation 1. The Quality of his Person required it For He was a Heavenly Man without Guilt therefore immortal by the original Constitution of his Nature Death that is the wages of Sin had no power over him He was subject to it not by the Law of his Conception but the Dispensation of his Love not to satisfie Nature but purchase our Salvation Therefore the Eternal Law that annexes Immortality to Innocence would not suffer that He should remain in the state of Death 2. The Nature of his Office made it necessary As the Oeconomy of our Redemption required that He should descend from Heaven the Seat of his Glory that by dying He might expiate our Sins so after his lying in the Grave so long as to attest the reality of his Death 't was necessary he should rise again in order to his dispensing the glorious Benefits He had purchas'd The Apostle tells the Corinthians If Christ be not risen then our preaching is in vain and your faith is also in vain For the Faith of Christians hath a threefold reference 1. To the Person of Christ that he is the Son of God 2. To his Death that 't is an all-sufficient Sacrifice for Sin 3. To his Promise that He will raise Believers at the last Day Now the Resurrection of Christ is the Foundation of Faith in respect of all these 1. He was declar'd to be the Son of God with Power according to the Spirit of Holiness by the Resurrection from the dead He was the Son of God from Eternity as the Word and from the first moment of his Incarnation as God-Man But the honour of this relation was much eclips'd in his poor
Life and ignominious Death And although his darkest night was inlightened with some discoveries of his Deity yet they were transient and soon vanish'd But in his Resurrection God did publickly own him in the face of the World therefore he is represented testifyiâ—g from Heaven thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee According to the Phrase of Scripture then things are said to be when they conspicuously appear All the Miraculous proofs by which God acknowledged him for his Son during his Life had been ineffectual without this If he had remain'd in the Grave it had been reasonable to believe him an ordinary person and that his Death had been the punishment of his presumption but his Resurrection was the most illustrious and convincing evidence that he was what he declar'd himself to be For it is not conceiveable that God should put forth an Almighty power to raise him and thereby auâ—horise his usurpation if by robbery he had assumed that Glorious Title He is therefore said to be justified by the Spirit which raised him from all the accusations of his Enemies who charg'd him with Blasphemy for making himself equal with God Upon the evidence of it Thomas ador'd him as his Lord and God 2. His Resurrection is the most pregnant proof of the All suffitiency of his Satisfaction This was special in the death of Christ that the Curse of the Law accompanied it and seemed like an Infinite weight to lie on his Grave But in rising again the Value and Vertue of His Sufferings was fully declared Therefore the Apostle tells us that he was delivered for our Offences and was raised again for our Justification Although his Death was sufficient to Merit our Pardon yet since Believers alone actually partake of the benefit and none could believe if he had not rose from the Grave 't is clear His Death had been ineffectual without it 3. Our Faith in His Promises to give Life and Glory to his Servants is built on his Resurrection for how could we believe him to be the Authour of Life who remained under the power of Death How could he quicken and Glorifie us who finally perisht If he had been confined to the Grave all our hopes had been buried with him But his Resurrection is the Cause Patern and Argument of ours he did not only raise his Body from the Grave but his Church with him Now the effecting this is attributed to the Divine Power with a note of eminency Christ was raised by the Glory of his Father that is by his Power which in that Act was manifested in its full splendour for what is stronger than death and more in exorable than the Grave Omnipotency alone can break its Gates and loose its Bands CHAP. XXI The Divine Power was glorified in the Conversion of the World to Christianity Notwithstanding the imaginary Infirmity in Christ Crucified yet to the Called He was the Power of God The numerous and great difficulties that obstructed the receiving the Gospel What the state of the World was at the first Preaching it Ignorance was universal Idolatry and the depravation of Manners were the consequents of it Idolatry was fortified by Custome Antiquity and external Pomp. The depravation of Manners was extreme The principal account of it from their disbelieving a Future state and their attributing to their gods those Passions and Vices that were pleasing to the Flesh. The aversion of the vulgar Heathens was strengthened by those in veneration among them The Philosophers Priests and Princes vehemently opposed the Gospel An account of their enmity against it The consideration of the Means by which the Gospel was conveyed discovers that Omnipotency alone made it successful The persons employed were a few Fishermen without Authority and Power to force Men to Obedience and without Art or Eloquence to insinuate the belief of their Doctrine The great sudden and lasting change in the World by the Preaching of Gospel is a certain Argument of the Divine Power that animated those weak appearances Idolatry was abolisht A miraculous change followed in the Lives of Men. Christians gave a divorce to all the sinful delights of Sense and embrac'd for the honour of Christ those things that Nature most abhors A short view of the Sufferings and Courage of the Martyrs Their Patience was inspired from Heaven Christianity was victorious over all opposition The Divine Power will be gloriously manifested in the compleat Salvavation of the Church at the last Day Our Saviour shall then finish his Mediatory Office Death the last Enemy shall be destroyed The Bodies of the Saints shall be rais'd and conform'd to the 〈◊〉 Body of Christ. 6. THe Divine Power was glorified in the Conversion of the World to Christianity The Apostle tells us That Christ crucified was to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Gentiles foolishness The Jews expected the Messiah to deliver them from temporal Servitude and establish an universal Empire either by the force of Arms or by the terrour of Signs and Prodigies as Moses did against the Egiptians But when instead of Power they saw nothing but Weakness and instead of a glorious Triumph a disgraceful Punishment they despised his Person and rejected his Doctrine But notwithstanding this imaginary infirmity in Christ crucified Yet to those that are called according to the Divine purpose He was the most excellent Power of God It being more glorious to subdue the World to the Faith and Obedience of a crucified Person than if He had appear'd with all the Powers of Heaven and Princes of the Earth as his Attendants For this reason the Apostle declares He was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ it being the Power of God to Salvation to all that believe to the Jew first and also to the Greek And he prays for the Ephesians That the eyes of their understandings being enlightened they might know what is the exceeding greatness of his Power to us ward who believe according to the working of his mighty Power which He wrought in Christ when He raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the Heavenly places He uses various and lofty expressions as if one had been insufficient to signifie the extent and efficacy of that Power which produc'd the Faith of â—â—rist in the Heathens And if we duly consider things it will appear that the terms of the Apostle are not too strong and hyperbolical but just and equal to the degree of power requisite for the accomplishment of that great work For the understanding of this I will consider three things 1. The numerous and great difficulties that obstructed the receiving of the Gospel 2. The quality of the means by which 't was conveyed and became successful 3. The eminent sudden universal and lasting change made by it in the World 1. The numerous and great difficulties that obstructed the receiving of the Gospel This will appear by representing the state and
the aged and infirm of tender Youths of delicate Women of the Honourable and obscure Yet in that difference of Ages and Sexes and States there appear'd such an equality of Vertue that it was Visible the same Heavenly Spirit inspir'd them all with Courage and by assuring them of Eternal Life made them despise present Death Such Heroical and frequent Constancy must be ascribed to the Breast-plate of Faith and Love of a Coelestial temper wherewith the Almighty had Arm'd them If it be said that some have died for a false Religion so that the extraordinary assistance of Heaven was not necessary to encourage the Christian Martyrs The Answer is clear There is a vast difference between the number of the Sufferers and manner of their Sufferings 1. Some few moved by Vanity and Melancholy or compell'd have suffered for a false Religion that was authorised by the Custom of their Country for many Ages But innumerable Christians animated by the example of their Crucified King freely sacrificed themselves for the testimony of the Gospel upon the first Revelation of it before any humane respects gave colour to it 2. In those who suffer'd for a false Religion were visible either Fear or Vain-glory Stubbornness or Rage But the Christians in their greatest Sufferings exprest Magnanimity without Pride Constancy without Fierceness Patience without Stupidity and such an admirable Compassion to their Enemies as persuaded some of their Tormentors to be companions with them in Martyrdom 2. The suddainness and universality of the change effected by the Gospel is a signal Evidence of the Divine Power that attended it The Apostle declares the admirable progress of it in all the world during his time In a few years with incredible swiftness it past through Judea Samaria Syria Greece and all the parts of the known habitable World Tacitus acknowledges that in the eleventh year of Nero great numbers of Christians were at Rome at a great distance from the place where the Gospel was first preach'd It appears from the Writings of the Primitive Christians that in the Second Century after the Death of Christ the Roman Empire was fill'd with Christian Churches The World was peopled with a new Generation Now what Secret Power produced that suddain and universal Change How came it to pass that the Gospel contrary to the order of new Things should be so readily receiv'd and in those places where the most insuperable obstacles oppos'd it In Corinth the Seat of Luxury and Voluptuousness in Ephesus where Idolatry had its Throne in Rome it self where Honours Riches Pleasures were ador'd Moses with all his great Miracles never conquer'd one Nation to the true God The Pharisees compast Sea and Land to make a Proselyte But the Gospel in a little time converted many Nations from their Opinions and Manners wherein they had been instructed and educated to those that were not only different but contrary The wonder in Esay was exceeded That a Nation was born in a day For the World was renewed as it were in a moment Such a quickening universal Efficacy was join'd with the Preaching of the Gospel that the Power of God was â—ver more visibly manifested in any work Therefore the Apostle mentions it as one part of the great Mystery of Godliness that Christ was believed oâ— in the World There is nothing but Supernatural as in the birth so in the progress of Christianity 3. The lasting Change made by the Gospel is the Effect of Infinite Power Philosophy though maintain'd by the successive force of the greatest Wits yet declin'd and came to nothing But Christianity attended only by its own Authority establisht its Dominion and rais'd an Eternal Empire of Truth and Holiness in the World The Reason of Man cannot inspire into its Productions a Principle of Life only that Power which conveys to Man an immortal Soul can derive to its Institutions a Spirit to Animate and preserve them And this Victorious Permanent Efficacy of the Gospel is more admirable in regard it prevail'd without the assistance and against the opposition of all The more it was opprest the more it prosper'd It gain'd credit and Disciples by Contradiction and Persecution it was multiplied by the Deaths of its followers The Cloud of Witnesses dissolving in a shower of Blood made the Church Fruitful Although some Persecutors have boasted of their utter abolishing the Christian Name in all parts of the Empire yet those inscriptions are the Proud Monuments of their Vanity not Victory Tyrants are perisht but Truth remains for ever By which 't is evident that as the Gospel had a higher Principle than what is from below so it was assisted with more than Humane Power To sum up in short what hath been amplified how Gloriously was the Arm of the Lord revealed in raising the World that for four thousand years lay in Wickednesse What less than a Divine Power could soften such an obstinate hardnesse as long custome in Sin brings What could pluck up errours that had taken such deep root in the Spirits of Men and were Naturaliz'd to them and plant a Discipline so austere and thorny to sense Who but the Almighty could cast out the Devil from his Empire and withdraw his Subjects that were captivated by the terrour of Laws and by the delights of the flesh What invisible Power made innumerable of the tender sex who were not by temper couragious nor by obstinacy inflexible nay who were so fearful that they could not see a drawn sword without affrightment yet so resolute as to despise all the instruments of Cruelty What is more astonishing than to see a flock of sheep encounter and overcome an Army of Lyons This was the Lords doing and ought to be marvelous in our Eyes Briefly the making a Crucified Person to Reign in the midst of his Enemies and to give Laws to the whole Earth is a Victory worthy the Lord of Hosts The Conversion of the World to Christianity was the effect of infinite Mercy and equal Power Lastly The Divine Power shall be Gloriously manifested in the compleat Salvation of the Church at the end of the World Jesus Christ as Mediatour is invested with Sovereign Power in Heaven and Earth and in that quality he shall exercise it till our Salvation is finisht For he must reign till he hath put all Enemies under his feet But we see not yet all things put under him Although those Persons and things that never degenerated from their Original are intirely subject to him the Angels obey his Will Universal Nature is Govern'd by his Providence The Heavens the Earth the Waters and all things produc'â— from them never resist the Direction of his hand yet there are others that fell from their Integrity and some things consequent to Mans Rebellion which either oppose the Power of Christ or are not yet actually subdued and they are the Enemies of our Salvation Satan Sin and Death Now the perfect Freedom of
the Lord. And immediately there was a general commotion among them they joyn'd together the sinews and flesh came upon them and the skin cover'd them And upon a second Prophesy they were all inspir'd with the Breath of Life and stood up an exceeding great Army Now whether this was really represented to his outward senses or only by the efficacy of the Spirit to his imagination no doubt so strange a Spectacle vehemently affected him as with Joy in hope of the miraculous Restoration of Israel which that Vision foretold so with admiration of the Divine Power But when the Trumpet of the Arch-Angel shall sound the Universal Jubilee and call forth the Dead from all their Receptacles when the Elements as Faithful Depositaries shall effectively restore what was committed to them How Admirable will the Power of God appear 2. No less than Infinite Power is able to change the raised Bodies into the likenesse of Christs The Apostle speaks with an exaggeration of it For our Conversation is in Heaven from whence also we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our Vile Bodies that it may be fashioned like unto his Glorious Body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself This resemblance will be only in the Person of Believers All Men shall rise to be judged but not all to be transform'd There is a Resurrection to Death as well as to Life Unhappy Resurrection Which only serves to make the Body the Food of Eternal Death But the Saints who endeavoured to be like to Christ in purity shall then have a perfect conformity to him in Glory and Immortality How Glorious the Body of Christ is we may conjecture in part by what the Apostle relates to Agrippa At mid-day O King I saw in the way a light from Heaven above the brightness of the Sun shining round about me Which was no other but the Light of the Face of Christ that struck him with Blindnesse One Ray of this reflecting upon the first Martyr Saint Stephen in his Sufferings gave an Angelical Glory to his countenance And Saint John tells us when he appears we shall be like him He alludes to the rising of the Sun but with this difference when the Sun appears in the Morning the Stars are made invisible but the Bodies of the Saints shall be cloathed with a Sun-like lustre and shine in the midst of Christs Glory Omnipotency alone that Subdues all things can raise and refine them from their Dross unto such an admirable Brightness The Angels will be surpris'd with wonder to see Millions of Stars spring out of the Dust. The Lord Jesus Christ will be admir'd in all them that Believe 2. Their Bodies shall be raised to a Glorious Immortality In this the General Resurrection is Different from that which was Particular as of Lazarus by the one Death was overcome and put to flight only for some time for his second life was no more exempt from Death than his first But by the other Death shall be swallowed in Victory and lose its force for ever Then shall our true Joshua be magnified in the sight of the whole World and the Glorious number of Saints shall cast their Crowns at his Feet and sing the Triumphant Song Thou hast Redeem'd us to God by thy Blood and rescued us by thy Power from all our Enemies and art worthy of Honour and Glory and Blessing for ever CHAP. XXII The extraordinary working of the Divine Power is a convincing proof of the Verity of the Christian Religion The internal Excellencies of it are clear marks of its Divinity to the purified Mind The external Operations of God's power were requisite to convince men in their corrupt state that the Doctrine the Gospel came from God The miraculous owning of Christ by the whole Divinity from Heaven The Resurrection of Christ the most important Article of of the Gospel and the demonstration of all the rest How valuable the Testimony of the Apostles is concerning it That 't was impossible they should deceive or be deceived The quality of the Witnesses considered There cannot be the least reasonable suspicion of them 'T is utterly incredible that any humane temporal respects mov'd them to feign the Resurrection of Christ. The nature of the Testimony considered It was of a matter of fact and verified to all their Senses The Uniformity of it secures us there was no corruption in the Witnesses and that it was no illusion They seal'd the truth of it with their Blood The Miracles the Apostles did in the Name of Christ a strong demonstration that he was rais'd to a glorious life That Power was continued in the Church for a time The Conclusion how reasonable it is to give an entire Assent to the truth of Christianity 'T is desperate Infidelity not to believe it and the highest Madness to pretend to believe it and to live in disobedience to it 1 FRom what hath been discours'd concerning the extraordinary working of the Divine Power we have a most convincing proof of the Verity of the Christian Religion For since God hath by so many miraculous Effects the infallible indications of His Favour to the Person of Jesus Christ justified his Doctrine no reasonable doubt can remain concerning it Indeed the internal excellencies of it which are visible to the purged Eye of the Soul are clear marks of its Divinity The Mystery of our Redemption is made up of various parts in the Union of which such an evident Wisdom appears that the rational Mind unless enslaved by prejudice must be ravisht into a compliance Even that which most offends Sense the Meanness of our Saviours condition in the world and the miseries to which He was expos'd do so perfectly correspond with his great design to make Men holy and heavenly that it appears to be the effect of most wise Counsel And such a Beauty of Holiness shines in the Moral part as clearly proves God to be its Authour It denounces war against all Vices and commands every Vertue All that is excellent in humane Institutions it delivers with infinite more authority and efficacy And what natural reason did not reach to it fully describes in order to the Glory of God and the Happiness of Man Now as God the Authour of Nature hath by Tasts and Smells and other sensible qualities distinguish'd things wholsom from noxious even to the lowest living Creatures So He hath much more distinguish'd objects that are saving from deadly that is the true Religion from the false by undoubted evidences to any who will exercise their Spiritual Senses and sincerely desire to know and obey it And that all the wise and holy embraced it in the face of the greatest discouragements is an unanswerable Argument that 't is pleasing to God For how is it possible that the Good God should suffer those to fall into mortal Errour who from an ardent Affection to Him
pretended Hero rather than have given his Life for a Lie Now the Apostles endur'd the most cruel Deaths to confirm the Truth of their Testimony And what could possibly induce them to it if they had not been certain of his Resurrection Could love to their dead Master animate them to suffer for the honour of his Name This is inconceiveable For He promis'd that He would rise the third Day and ascend to Heaven and make them partakers of his Glory So that if He had lain in the rotâ—enness of the Grave What charm what stupidity was able to make them preserve so high a Venâ—ration for a Deceiver Nothing could remain in them but the memory and indignation of his Imposture Now if it be the dictate of natural Reason that the concurrent Testimony of two or three credible Persons not weaken'd by any exception is sufficient to decide any Cause of the greatest moment that respects Life Honour and Estate how much more should the attestation of the Apostles put this great Truth beyond all doubt since they parted with their Lives the most precious possession in this World for it and which is infinitely more if Deceivers they would certainly be deprived of Eternal Life in the next In short Since the Creation never was a Testimony so clear and authentick the Divine Providence so ordering the circumstances that the Evidence should be above all Suspicion Neither did it ever happen that any thing affirm'd by so many and such worthy Persons was ever suspected much less found to be false 'T is the most unreasonable stifness not to yeeld an intire Assent to it For there would be no secure Foundation of determining innumerable weighty Cases if we should doubt of things reported by the most credible circumspect Persons since we can be certified by our own Senses but of a few Objects I shall only add That the Apostles did many and great Miracles in the Name of Christ which was the strongest demonstration that He was rais'd to a glorious Life They were invested by the Spirit with the habits of various Tongues This kind of Miracle was necessary for the universal Preaching of the Gospel For how difficult and obstructive had it been to their Work if they must have return'd to their Infant-state to learn the Signification of forrein Languages to pronounce the words in their original Sound and the Accents proper to their Countrey Therefore the Holy Spirit according to the promise of Christ descended upon them and became their Master and in a moment imprest on their Memories the forms of discoursing and on their Tongues the manner of expressing them Where-ever the Doctrine of Jesus was preach'd God bare them witness both with Signes and Wonders and with divers Miracles and Gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will When St. Peter pass'd through the streets fill'd with persons diseased and half dead he caused an universal resurrection by touching them with his reviving shadow They tamed Serpents and quencht the malignity of their Poison they commanded Death to leave its prey and Life to return to its mansion that was not habitable for it And that miraculous Power continued in their Successours so long as was requisite for the conviction of the World Justin Martyr Irenaeus Tertullian Origen Cyprian mention divers Miracles perform'd by Christians in those times Tertullian offers to the Emperour to whom he addrest his admirable Apology to compel the Devils that possest Humane Bodies to confess themselves to be evil Spirits to constrain the Prince of darkness to enlighten his own Slaves And Cyprian assures the Governour of Africa that he would force the Devils to come out of the Bodies they tormented lamenting their ejection Now we cannot imagine they would so far discredit their Doctrine and Reputation as to pretend to such a Power without they had it In short To deny the Miracles wrought by the Primitive Christians were as great rashness as to deny that Caesar conquer'd Pompey or that Titus succeeded Vespasian For we have the concurrent Testimony of the gravest and best Men of Understanding and Conscience who were Eye-witnesses and which was not contradicted by those of the same Age. Briefly There are such clear characters of the Divine Hand to render the Gospel authentick that to deny it to be true is to make God a liar The Conclusion is this We see how reasonable it is to give an entire assent to the truth of Christianity The Nature of the Doctrine that is perfecty Divine declares its Original 'T is confirmed by Supernatural Testimonies The Doctrine distinguishes the Miracles from all false wonders the illusions of Satan and the Miracles confirm the Doctrine What doubt can there be after the full deposition of the Spirit in raising Christ from the Grave in qualifying the Apostles who were rude and ignorant with Knowledg Zeal Courage Charity and all Graces requisite for their great enterprise and in converting the World by their Ministry and Miracles If we believe not so clear a Revelation our Infidelity is desperate When our Saviour was upon the Earth the Meanness and Poverty of his appearance lessen'd their Crime who did not acknowledg and honour him in the disguise of a Servant Therefore they were capable of favour Many of his bloody Persecutors were converted and saved by the Preaching of the Apostles But since the Holy Ghost hath convinc'd the World by so strong a Light of Sin Righteousness and Judgment viz. That Jesus whom the Jews most unworthily Crucified was the Son of God that in dying He purchased the Pardon of Sin since He is risen and received to Glory That all power in Heaven and Earth is given to Him the effect of which is most visible For spiritual Wickednesses trembled at his Name were expelled from their Dominions and sent to their old Prison to suffer the Chains and Flames due to them To refuse his Testimony is a degree of Obstinacy not far distant from Malice of of the Devils and puts Men without the reserves of pardoning Mercy And 't is not a slight superficial Belief of this great Truth that is sufficient but that which is powerful in making us universally obedient to our Glorified Redeemer who will distribute Crowns to all his faithful Servants We cannot truly believe his Resurrection without believing his Doctrine nor believe his Doctrine without unfeigned Desires after the eternal Felicity it promises nor desire that Felicity without a sincere compliance to his Commands in order to the obtaining it In short 'T is Infidelity approaching Madness not to believe the Truth of the Gospel but 't is Madness of an higher kind and more prodigious to pretend to believe it and yet to live in disobedience to its Precepts in contempt of its Promises and Threatnings as if it were a meer Fable CHAP. XXII The Honour of God's Truth with respect to the Legal Threatning was preserv'd in the Death of Christ. The Divine Truth with respect to the Promises and
how can we expect any cooling streams from Him If we consider him as Man he is resembled to a root out of a dry ground the Justice of the Divine and the infirmity of the Humane Nature did not promise any comfort to us But what cannot infinite Love united to infinite Power perform Divine Goodness hath chang'd the Laws of Nature in our favour and by an admirable act open'd the Rock to refresh us 3. The Rock was struck with the Rod of Moses a Type of the Law before it sent forth its streams thus our Spiritual Rock was wounded for our Transgressions bruised for our Iniquities then opened all his treasures to us Being consecrated by Sufferings he is the Author of Eternal Salvation In this respect the Gospel propounds him for the object of saving Faith I determined to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and him Crucified The Sacraments the Seals of the New Covenant have a special reference to his Death the Foundation of it 4. The Miraculous Waters followed the Israelites in their Journey without which they had perisht in the Wilderness This represents that Indeficiency of the Grace of Christ. A Soveraign stream flows from him to satisfy all Believers He tells us Whosoever drinketh of the Water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the Water that I shall give him shall be in him a Well of Water springing up unto Everlasting Life 3. The Brasen Serpent sensibly exprest the manner of his Death and the benefits derived from it Therefore Jesus being the Minister of the Circumcision chose this Figure for the Instruction of the Jews As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever beleeves in him should not perish but have Eternal Life The Sacred Story relates that the Israelites by their rebellious murmuring provoked God to send Serpents among them whose Poison was so fiery and mortal that it brought the most Painful Death In this affliction they addrest themselves to the Father of Mercies who World by their Repentance Commanded Moses to make a Serpent of Brass and erect it on a Pole in the view of the whole Camp that whosoever lookt on it should be healed By this account from Scripture we may clearly understand something of greatest consequence was represented by it For the only Wise God ordains nothing without just reason Why must a Serpent of Brass be elevated on a Pole could not the Divine Power recover them without it Why must they look towards it could not a healing vertue be conveyed to their wounds but through their eyes All this had a direct reference to the Mystery of Christ. For the biting of the Israelites by the fiery Serpents doth naturaly represent the effects of Sin that torments the Conscience and inflames the Soul with the apprehensions of Future Judgment And the erecting a Brasen Serpent upon a Pole that had the Figure not the Poison of those Serpents doth in a lively manner set forth the lifting up of Jesus Christ on the Cross who only had the similitude of sinful flesh The looking towards the Brasen Serpent is a fit resemblance of Believing in Christ Crucified for Salvation The Sight of the eye was the only means to derive vertue from it and the Faith of the heart is the means by which the Sovereign efficacy of our Redeemer is conveyed This is the will of him that sent me saith our Saviour that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have Eternal Life As in the camp of Israel whoever lookt towards the Brasen Serpent whatever his wounds were or the weakness of his sight had a present remedy so how numerous and grievous soever our Sins be how infirm our Faith yet if we sincerely regard the Son of God suffering he will preserve us from Death For this end he is presented in the Gospel as crucified before the eyes of all Persons 2. Things endued with Life and Sense prefigur'd the Messiah I Shall particularly consider the Paschal Lamb an illustrious Type of him Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us The whole scene as it is laid down in the 12th of Exodus shows an admirable agreement tween them 1. A Lamb in respect of its natural innocency and meekness that suffers without resistance waas fit emblem of our Saviour whose voice was not heard in the street who did not break the Bruised Reed nor quench the smoking Flax. He was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he open'd not his Mouth He is brought as a Lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before the shearers is dumb so he openeth not his Mouth 2. The Lamb was to be without Spot to signify his absolute perfection We are Redeemed with the precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without Spot 3. The Lamb was to be separated from the Flock four days the Lord Jesus was separated from Men and consecrated to be the Sacrifice for the World after three or four years spent in his Ministerial office preparing himself for that great Work 4. The Paschal Lamb was sacrificed and substituted in the place of the first-Born The Levitical Priesthood not being instituted at their going forth from Egypt every Master of a Family had a right to exercise it in his own House Our Redeemer suffer'd in our stead to propitiate Gods Justice towards us 5. The Blood was to be sprinkled upon the Posts of the door that Death might not enter into their Houses That sacred Ceremony was typical for the sign it self had no resemblance of sparing and certainly the Angel could distinguish between the Israelites and the Egyptians without the bloody mark of Gods Favour but it had a final respect to Christ. We are secur'd from destruction by the blood of sprinkling They were to eat the whole Flesh of the Lamb to signify our intire taking of Christ upon the terms of the Gospel to be our Prince and Saviour 6. The effects attributed to the Paschal Lamb viz. Redemption from Death and Bondage clearly represent the Glorious Benefits we enjoy by Jesus Christ. The destroying Angel past over their houses and caus'd the Egiptians to restore them to full liberty That which all the dreadful signs wrought by Moses could not do was effected by the Passover that overcame the stubbornness of Pharaoh and inspir'd the Israelites with courage to undertake their journey to the promised Land Thus we pass from Death to Life and from bondage to the Glorious liberty of the Sons of God by vertue of Christs Blood 3. Reasonable Persons represented our Saviour either in their Offices actions or the memorable accidents that befel them Joseph the beloved of his Father sent by him to visit his Brethren by them unworthily sold to strangers and thereby rais'd to be their Lord and Saviour was a lively type of him Jonach three dayes and nights in the Whales belly and miraculously restor'd