you God had been glorious in this but now there is infinitely more mercy shewed when God shall say You miserable creatures have sinned against me and such is your condition that except the Son of my bosome be made a curse for you there can be no mercy for you well I am content that he shall not be spared but shall be given to be a curse to prepare mercy for you here is glory indeed Therefore when Christ was borne the Angels sung glory to God in the highest Luke 2. 14. As if they had said this is the highest pitch of the glory of God in providing such a way of reconciliation with the children of men and God was so set upon this work of shewing mercy to mankinde that though it cost the death of his Son he would have it and that shews it to be infinite mercy and love indeed when it breakes through such mighty difficulties there is the glory of his mercy And then secondly there is the glory of his Justice God sets out the glory of his Justice here more then if all mankind had been eternally damned Gods Justice would not have been honoured so much in that as in this way of Gods reconciling man unto himself and that in these two regards First because in Christ Gods Justice is glorified actively whereas if all men had eternally perished it should have been glorified but passively and t is more to have it glorified actively then passively and as God delights more in active obedience then in passive so he delights more in the active glory of his Justice then in the passive though there is a kinde of activenesse in suffering and so in Christs suffering therefore that distinction of active and passive is needlesse for his active obedience was passive and his passive obedience had activenesse in it But Secondly Gods Justice is now glorified perfectly the debt is fully paid whereas if all mankinde had been damned the debt should have been but a paying and not have been paid to all eternity As suppose a poor man oweth a thousand pounds and he payeth two pence a week he may be paying of it but cannot pay it in all his life but now if a rich man shall come and at once lay down the money for him the debt then is paid and this is a great deal more then if it should have been alwayes paying So I say if all mankinde had been damned eternally God should have had his debt but paying but the debt would never have been paid but now Christ comes and layes down the payment at once upon the borde and asketh Justice whether it hath enough or no so that Justice is more glorified this way And Thirdly the infinite glory of his wisdome appeares in reconciling Justice and Mercy together that God should be infinitely merciful and just both in one thing this is that that no Angell in Heaven could ever have imagined suppose God should have said thus to all the Angels in Heaven Mankinde is in a lost and undone condition yet I am willing to save him but so as that I will have infinite mercy and Justice reconciled if all of them should have gone and consulted together they could not possibly have told how this should be Now the infinite wisdom of God and nothing but infinite wisdom could finde out such a way as that God should be infinitely mercifull and infinitely just too And Fourthly the infinitenesse of Gods holinesse is hereby manifested if God in a generall way should have thrown his mercy as it were up and down in the world without any more adoe Gods holinesse and hatred of sinne would not have appeared as now it doth when nothing can expiate sinne but the death of his Son if God should carry any of you to the brinke of hell and there let you see all the miseries of the damned and heare all their yellings under the fruits of divine wrath O you would say how doth God hate sinne but be it known to you in the sufferings of Christ there is a greater manifestation of Gods hatred of sinne then in all the torments of hell You that would know how infinitely hatefull sinne is to God come and behold Christ God and man sweltering under the wrath of his Father look upon him in the garden sweating drops of blood come and follow him to the Crosse and heare him cry out in the bitternesse of his soule that dolefull cry My God my God why hast thou forsaken me behold Jesus Christ God man who was God blessed for ever made a curse for sinne and for thy sinne look upon sinne in this glasse and here see Gods hatred of sinne There are two glasses wherein we see the evill of sinne the bright christall glasse of the law and the red glasse of the sufferings of Christ and this latter doth more fully more sensibly I am sure set out the nature of sinne and Gods hatred of it and by this you may see the meaning of 2 Cor. 3. 18. where the Apostle speaking of the mystery of the Gospell sayes But we all with open face marke beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord c. We behold but Gods back parts in his works as God sayes to Moses we behold but the footsteps of God in his workes but when we behold him in Christ we behold him with open face Now look what difference there is in knowing a man when we only see the print of his foot upon sand and when we look him in the face so much difference there is between the knowing of God and his glory as it shines in the workes of creation and as it shines in the face of Christ that God therefore might manifest his glory he would not pardon sinne so freely as to say you have sinned but yet I will pity you and pardon you and there is an end no though he would pardon sinne yet he would doe it this way A Third reason why God would bring things about this way is this because God saw there could be no such way to draw poor sinners to himself as this When God shall reveal to a sinner that he is not only a mercifull God but that he hath provided such a strange way to convey his mercy this hath a mighty efficacy to draw the soul to God for the poor soule apprehending its own guiltinesse and Gods hatred of sin and understanding withall that the heart of God is set upon such a way of mercy is by this as by a mighty argument prevailed with to draw neer to God in a way of dependance upon him for thus will the soul argue Well I heare that God to the end he might let out mercy to poor sinners hath of his own infinite wisdome provided such a strange way of conveyance as this is and when God hath made it appeare by revealing to me the mystery of the Gospell how his heart is set upon this way of shewing mercy to sinners
law that we might receive the adoption of sons and especially that is very remarkable John 1. 12 But as many as received him to them he gave power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name The word translated power is another word in the greek He gave them authority to become the sons of God 't is a word that imports more then bare power Every one will challenge a part in sonship that they are the children of God but only those that are in Christ have authority to challenge it as their due If a stranger should say he was the Kings son and were heire to the Crown it would cost him his life because he is none of the Kings son but if one be declared by Act of Parliament to be the right heire to the Crown then he hath authority to challenge it 'T is so here when once we come to be in Christ then we have authority to claime this priviledge to be the sons of God and heires of heaven And this great priviledge that is so mightily above us we have it in Christ not only by way of the redundancy of his merit but by our union with him we are married to Christ and by union with his person are made one with him and so are sons by vertue of his sonship And are therefore sons of God in a higher way then the Angels are the Angels are sons by creation but we are the sons of God in Christ by vertue of our union in his sonship as Christ is the son of God the second person in Trinity and we made one with him so we come to be the sons of God in a mysticall way of union with him and Christ is all in all in that And then in point of reconciliation and peace with God Christ is all in all there Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 5. 1. It is not all the created power in heaven and earth that can bring true peace to a troubled soul there is no salve for a wounded spirit but the bloud of Christ applyed unto it t is he that is the brazen Serpent that is onely able to cure the strings of conscience as Luther sayes it is a harder matter of comfort an afflicted conscience then to raise the dead few think it so and wonder what people meane in being so troubled in conscience as they are I tell you were there not a mighty redeemer the conscience of a man or woman could never be pacified that once apprehends the wrath of God against them so that Christ is all in all there And so he is all in all in point of all our sanctification that is sanctification to life There is a generall kinde of sanctification the Scripture speaks of which comes some way from Christ but now I speak of that sanctification which is our spirituall life You know what the Scripture sayes John 3. 36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and John 1. 16. And of his fulnesse have all we received and grace for grace There is the fulnesse of Christ conveyed into the soul so that our sanctification is not only from him meritoriously but efficiently yea and in a kinde materially too for he doth not only merit it and work it by his spirit but through our union with him there is a kinde of flowing of sanctification from him into us as the principle of our life as from the Liver there flowes bloud into all the parts of the body so through our union with Christ he having the fulnesse of the Godhead in him from him as from a fountaine sanctification flowes into the souls of the Saints there sanctification comes not so much from their strugling and endeavours and vowes and resolutions as it comes flowing to them from their clossing with Christ and their union with him there may be a great deal of striving and endeavouring that may be utterly ineffectuall for want of having recourse unto Christ as the spring and well head of all grace and holinesse I remember a Germane Devine professeth of himself that before he understood the grace of Christ in the Gospell he vowed and vowed and covenanted and covenanted a thousand times and could never overcome his corruptions till he understood Gods letting out of his grace through Christ and then he got strength against them and the reason why we faile in point of sanctification is because we think to get it all by maine strength but the ready way is to close with Christ by faith and then there will flow in life and grace to the soul there may be many morallities by the light of nature and the remainders of that light left in us but that is not the sanctification that is to life And hence it is that there is so much beauty and glory in the sanctification of the Saints because Christ is all in all in it and that there is such power and strength in it because it is of the strength of Christ for Christ is all in all in it And hence it is of an abiding nature and an immortall seed And therefore of a higher nature then that of Adams in innocency that lost but so cannot this because Christ is all in all in it so that Christ is all in our sanctification likewise Again he is all in all in the want of all things whatsoever we want doe we want grace doe we want gifts doe we want outward comforts in the world there is enough in Christ it is Christ that is instead of all that is better then all and that will supply all in his due time Those that know Christ and have acquaintance with him though they have this and that comfort taken from them yet they know how to make supply out of Christ they have that skill and art and mystery of godlinesse that they can make Christ to be all in all in the want of all and it is a great skill and mystery of godlinesse to know how to make up all in Christ in the want of all Again Christ to the Saints is all in all in the enjoyment of all when they enjoy never so much of creature comforts Christ is all in all in them the satisfaction that their soules have is not so much that they have the creatures that they have larger estates more friends greater comforts then others but in this they know how to enjoy Christ in all and can look upon it as a fruit of the covenant that God hath made with them in Christ and as coming from the fountaine of Gods eternall love and mercy in his Son Zech. 9. 11. God saies there As for thee also by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water That which is spoken there of the deliverance of the prisoners may be applied to all the mercies that a believer enjoyes whatever deliverance he hath from
Son in reference to man-kind before the world was The covenant now being between the Father and the Son and the Father requiring in this Covenant satisfaction to infinite divine justice Christ he yeilds to this And therefore in the second place Christ he actually comes to be the way of conveyance by taking our nature upon him and so makes us reconcilable to God by taking humane nature into such a neer union to the divine nature to the second person in the Trinity so as that there should be but one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but one person in them both that there should be a personall union which is the great mystery of the Gospell There are two great mysteries in the Gospell the one that there should be divers persons in one nature and this is the mystery of the Trinity the other that there should be divers natures in one person and this is the mystery of the hypostaticall union of our nature with Christ So that Christ taking mans nature into such a neer union to himselfe it was a mighty preparative for God to have thoughts of peace toward humane nature rather then to the Angels and it was one part of his humility and therefore hath a meritorious efficiency in this worke of reconciling God to man But this was not sufficient Therefore in the third place Christ was content now to come into the world and be made the head of a second covenant between God and mankinde to performe what ever God the Father should require for the satisfaction of divine Justice so that look as Adam by being the head of the first covenant was the meanes of conveying all evill to us so Christ by being the head of the second covenant is the meanes of conveying all good to us by his subjecting to this we come to receive all grace and mercy from God And it could not have been otherwise for though God would have thought of a second covenant yet if he had left it to us to have performed the termes of it we should assoon have broken that as we did the first but Christ undertaking to be the head of the second covenant and performing whatever the Father required in it by his perfect obedience to the law and satisfaction to divine Justice divine Justice had nothing to lay to the charge of those that Christ undertook to satisfie for This was a mighty way of Gods letting out his grace and mercy to the souls of believers for what is it that stops the current of his mercy 't is the curse of the law and cryes of divine Justice but now Christ undertaking to undergoe that curse and to satisfie divine Justice God hath as much honour now by his suffering as he had dishonour by mans sinning so that mans sinne is made up in this and that is it Justice requires I have had dishonour by sinne sayes Justice I must have this dishonour made up by suffering and so much suffering as in which I must have as much honour as I had before dishonour in sinning These are the conditions upon which God will be reconciled to man and upon no other I beseech you consider this and herein you will see an infinite necessity of Christ God is with us upon these termes sayes God you have sinned against me and dishonoured me how doe you think to be delivered why Lord thou art mercifull I sayes God but I am resolved upon this I will have as much honour by suffering as I had dishonour by sinning And Lord what would have become of us if we had been left to make up this breach This is the very reason why the damned in hell are there eternally because they are there upon these termes sayes God I am infinite and I am dishonoured and there they must lye till I have as much honour by their suffering as I had dishonour by their sinning Now after they have been there thousands of thousands of yeares still the honour of God calls for more and therefore they must lye there for ever But now Christ who is the great Saviour he comes and entering into covenant with God and fulfilling that covenant he layes downe God such a price that God shall have as much honour in his suffering for sinne as he had dishonour before in the committing of sinne Now this being done the current of mercy being unstopt and the passages of it opened and God being infinite in grace and mercy in himselfe what a glorious way is made for the streames of his mercy to issue and flow forth to the children of men And take in this one particular more and then we shall have done with this head In this we may see that God in forgiving of sinne and shewing mercy to sinfull creatures is just and goes in a way of Justice as well as in a way of mercy therefore that Text Rom. 3. 25. 26. is very observable a Text that Luther for a while was exceedingly troubled about the meaning of it Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his bloud to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sinnes that are past through the forbearance of God To declare I say at this time his righteousnesse that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus This was that which troubled Luther so much that God should declare his righteousnesse in the remission of sinnes that God declares his mercy every one knowes but that God declares his righteousnesse and that Christ is set to be a propitiation that God might declare his righteousnesse this may seem strange and then the Holy Ghost repeats it To declare I say his righteousnesse as if he should say consider that God in the pardoning of sinne doth not onely manifest his grace and mercy but declares his righteousnesse That he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus Not mercifull but just thus wee see what way Christ takes to be the meanes of conveying Gods goodnesse to us by performing the covenant and so satisfying divine Justice Lastly he is the way of conveying good to us as by his satisfaction so by his intercession for he is now and shall for ever be at the right hand of the Father in glory making intercession for his people that is continually presenting before his Father the worke of his mediation his merits what he hath done and suffered and as it were pleading with his Father for the conveyance of all needfull mercy and good unto the souls and bodies of his people whom he hath redeemed As if he should every moment eternally speake thus to the Father Father behold here is my bloud my merits my death all my sufferings the worke of my humiliation it is for these yea for this poor soul and for that poor soul particularly for know that Christ thinks not only of the lumpe of believers in the generall but particularly of every believer and is continually presenting before the
the cords of love 2. Cor. 5. 20. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ stead be ye reconciled to God and Philip. 2. 1. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfill ye my joy c. The Gospel comes not as the law upon mount Sinai with thunder and lightning and darknesse but it comes in a milde and gentle way and by that allures and draws the soul unto it self and that is the sixt joyful sound The seventh joyful sound of the Gospel is that the Gospel and liberty of it comes as gently so with abundance of life and strength together with it it comes as the spirit is and where the spirit is there is power as the Apostle speakes I remember Luther hath this note upon Rom. 8. sayes he the law is a spiritual law because it is the law of God but it is not the law of the spirit of life t is the law of the Gospel that brings the spirit of power and life along with it there goes a vertue together with the commands of the Gospel to strengthen the sould to obedience And the Gospel gives grace and strength beyond what Adam had two wayes the grace that Adam had was onely a power to doe but there was not the will and the deed given but the grace of the Gospel it gives both the power and the will and the deed The eight joyful sound of the Gospel is that tender pity and compassion that is in God to those that are made free by it This is the difference between the sins of those that are under the law and those under the Gospel the sins of those under the law makes them hated by God but the sins of those that are under the Gospel makes them pityed by God The ninth joyful sound is this the Gospel hath a mighty efficacy to melt the heart and to resolve it into sorrow and mourning such mourning that is one of the most acceptable things to God in the world the law I told you accepts not of repentance I but the Gospel doth the teares of repentance that come from believers next to the blood of Jesus Christ are the most precious things in the world I say next to the drops of the blood of Christ the drops of thy teares coming from Evangelical repentance are most acceptable unto God That is the ninth joyful sound Tenthly another is this the Gospel it comes with healing as it hath a melting power so it hath a healing power Christ is described to come with healing in his wings water makes the lime burne the more but oyle which provokes other things to burne quenches that so it is with the oyle of the Gospel Christ was annointed for this purpose to heal thee and to quench thy lust and corruptions In Isai 57. 18. we have an excellent promise vers 17. He went on frowardly in the way of his heart marke what followes I have seen his wayes and I will heal him The eleventh joyful sound is that now being set at liberty by Christ though thou doest sin not onely against the law but against the Gospel thy sins against the Gospel shall not have power to root out any habits of grace but still the grace of the Gospel will uphold the habits of grace in thy soul It is otherwise with the law for one offence against the law doth not onely root out the habit that is contrary to that offence but all other habits also but the grace of the Gospel is such that the habits of grace within us are not touched The twelfth joyful sound is this the Gospel is so full of grace that it takes advantage of our misery this is a good argument of the tenour of the Gospel Pardon my sin O Lord for it is great strange argument of a childe of the bond-woman but a good argument of a childe of the free-woman and t is Gods argument Gen. 8. 21. I will not destroy the world againe for the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth Thirteenthly Another joyful sound of the Gospel is this the Gospel proclaimes this liberty to us that all that is required of us may be done and accepted by and from another namely Christ Fourteenthly Further the grace of the Gospel shewes a way wherein God shall have all the wrong made him up that ever thy sins did him for suppose the Gospel had proclaimed that God were willing to pardon this were not enough as long as God stood wronged but now the Gospel doth not onely proclaime to thee that God is content to forgive thee all thy sins but it tells thee of a way how God shall have all the wrong made up that ever thou hast done him and this Son that sets thee at liberty hath undertaken it and hath done it Fifteenthly And then another joyful sound of the Gospel is this That there is a most absolute perfect righteousnesse made over to us the righteousnesse of the Son of God is thine made over to thee to be presented before the Father for thee Sixteenthly yet further there is this joyful sound of the Gospel It proclaimes admirable promises glorious and high things even the infinite Treasures of Gods grace the Son is come from the bosome of the Father and hath opened the treasures of the grace of God and hath discovered those things that were kept secret from the foundations of the world Seventeenthly And yet there is one thing more that is necessary for the full consolation of the liberty of the Gospel and this blessed Jubile that it may make a Jubile indeed in thy heart and that is this that such is the covenant of the Gospel and Christ hath so undertaken for thee that it shall never be forfeited this is the full rich and glorious grace of the Gospel that now Christ hath undertaken and engaged himself to the Father and the Father hath promised and hath engaged his own truth and mercy and faithfulnesse that this covenant shall never be forfeited yea the very condition of the covenant that is required of thee is that which Christ hath undertaken to the Father to performe in thee If perseverance be a spiritual blessing it is part of the purchase of Christ and must stand and therefore peace be to thee thou art in such a condition as thou canst not forfeit and breake the covenant the marriage covenant between thee and thy Saviour can never be dissolved I should now have shewn you a little more the blessednesse of this liberty that all this grace comes in and by the Son not from the bounty of God in general but in a higher way by the Son of God we come to be set at liberty by being made one with him who is God and man the heire of all things and so are made co-heires with him But