them in mind that without shedding of blood the blood of Christ the Lamb of God there could be no remission of sin obtained And that their laying their hand upon the sacrifice that was offered up for them might stir them up to put forth an hand of Faith to lay hold upon Jesus Christ And by washing their bodies in water they might be put in mind Zech. 13.1 to apply themselves to that Fountain set open for Judah and Jerusalem to wash in for sin and for uncleanness That this was the signification of their ceremonial Cleansings and Expiations and that Christ by the sheding of his blood did accomplish that for us really and effectually which was shaddowed in these Ceremonies is very evident in that of the Apostle Heb. 1.12 Not by the blood of Calves or Goats as the high Priest amongst the Jews was wont to enter into the most holy Place but by his own blood he entred once into the holy Place having obtained eternal Redemption for us Hence he sheweth the excellency of Christ's sacrifice beyond those Typical sacrifices Those Priests offered often He offered but once they entred into the holy Place made with hands He into the holy Place made without hands even into Heaven whither he went as our Head to prepare a place for us and to shew that he had purchased eternal Redemption for us and an interest in that Inheritance which he went to take possession of for us And he goes on to argue à fortiori Vers 13. If the blood of Bulls and Goats and the ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the unclean did sanctifie to the purifying of the flesh in a legal sense Vers 14. then how much more shall the blood of Christ c Seeing the Sacrifice which Christ offered was of infinit value as being offered up by the Eternal Spirit or Divine Nature which was Hypostatically united to the humane Nature it is therefore sufficient to make a full and perfect Attonement for us And further Vers 15. For this cause he is the Mediator of the New Testament that by means of death for the Redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Testament c. Which shews very evidently that Christ was the thing intended by those ceremonial Oblations that his blood did that in a real and effectual manner which those sacrifices did Legally and Typically and withal that his death was intended purposely for the Redemption of Transgressions 4. It is said Gal. 3.13 that Christ hath delivered us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us He was subject to that accursed death and to the wrath of God for the present for this end that he might deliver us from this wrath and curse of God and from that eternal death which our sins had made us liable unto There was no reason for Christs suffering as to any thing in himself 1 Pet. 1.22 Vers 24. For He had done no evil neither was any guile found in his mouth but he bare our sins in his body upon that Tree whereon he suffered that shameful painful and accursed death 5. The Apostles do plainly pronounce that we are redeemed by the death of Christ The Apostle Paul saith Rom. 3.24 25. We are justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption of Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a propitiation through Faith in his blood Here the Apostle doth expresly say that Christ is a Redeemer and a Propitiation for us and shews us that the onely way to have our sins pardoned is by Faith in his blood So the Apostle Peter saith 2 Pet. 1.18 19. We are redeemed not with corruptible things as Silver and Gold but with the most precious blood of Christ that Lamb without spot and blemish To which agrees that of St. Paul 1 Cor. 1.30 He is made of God to us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption And again 1 Cor. 6.20 2 Pet. 2.1 1 Tim. 2.5 6. We are bought with a price And St. Peter calls Christ The Lord that bought us So elsewhere it is said There is one God and one Mediatour between God and man the man Christ Jesus who gave himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ransom for us To this agrees that Col. 1.14 In whom we have redemption through his blood even the remission of sins And further chap. 2.14 The Hand-writing that was against us is said to be nailed to his Cross 6. St. Paul tells us That Jesus Christ hath purchased that Righteousness for us which we could not obtain by the works of the Law that is by our own personal Obedience to the Law of God If man had from his first Creation continued in perfect obedience to the Law of his Creator there would have been no need of Christs dying But man had sinned and come short of this Obedience and therefore Christ died to expiate this guilt which we had contracted by our disobedience Gal. 2.21 If righteousness come by the Law saith the Apostle then Christ died in vain There would have been no need of Christs death if man could have been righteous by his own good works but Christ therefore died because we were condemned before God and he took our guilt upon him Acts 13.39 And By him all that believe are justified from all those things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses God sent forth his Son made of a Woman Gal. 4.4 made under the Law subject to the obedience and to the curse of the Law to redeem them that were under the Law 7. The Apostles tell us That whatsoever Christ did or suffered it was for our sakes and to purchase Reconciliation and Salvation for us Rom. 4.25 He was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification and our sins are said to be forgiven us 1 Joh. 2.12 for his Names sake In which respect Christ calls his flesh our meat Joh. 6.57 and his blood our drink because as our bodies are kept alive by Bread so are our souls by his Merits As the living Father hath sent me and I live by him so he that eateth me that is applies me to his soul by Faith he shall live by me By these and many other Testimonies of the Evangelists and Apostles of Jesus Christ it is sufficiently evident to every man whose eyes are not blinded by the God of this world that Christ did offer up himself an Expiatory sacrifice for our sins and that through his Merits and Sufferings alone it is that we obtain the forgiveness of our sins and eternal Salvation CHAP. X. From the foregoing Discourses two Cautions are deduced First That we take heed of laying any other Foundation then that which is laid viz. Jesus Christ Three sorts of Persons that build beside this Foundation Secondly That we take heed what we build upon this Foundation WE have seen the
the King This commandment was given out in the dayes of Artaxerxes whether the same that gave the commandment to Ezra or another of the same name I cannot find determined Now being it is not specified in Daniel from which of these times the seventy weeks should begin therefore there is some difference amongst Interpreters and Chronologers concerning it Some make it to begin from that commandment given to Ezra from Artaxerxes after which the work went on without Lett for we do not read that ever this Decree was revoked And in my opinion this seems most probable Chrono For both Bucholtzer and whosoever wrote the Chronology in the Margin of Josephus Antiquities say that from the time of this commandment to Ezra to the death of Christ are near about four hundred ninty years And so this computation answers to that expression in Daniel Dan. 9.25 that after seventy weeks the Messiah should be cut off Now say we Christ was born in the second year of the sixty sixt week and the thirty four year inchoat which he lived upon Earth make up just the number of seventy weeks and so the Prophesie was exactly fulfilled beginning from the third commandment which was issued out for the building of the City Others there are that begin these weeks thirty seven years later viz. in the second year of Darius Nothus and so make them to end just at the time when Jerusalem was taken and destroyed by Titus led I suppose by these words Ver. 36. And the people of the Prince that shall come shall destroy the City and the Sanctuary and the end thereof shall be with a flood and to the end of the war desolations are determined But if we grant this yet the seventy weeks are at an end many hundred of years ago the City being destroyed as I said before about the seventy one year of Christ The sum of the Argument is this These seventy weeks denote the number of 490 years within which time the Messiah must be born and cut off But these seventy weeks or 490 years are ended many hundred of years ago and therefore the Messiah is long since come Sixthly 6 Argument I argue from the ceasing of the Sacrifices which were appointed by the ceremonial Law and extinguishing of that Priest-hood That those Sacrifices were to continue and consequently the Priest-hood that was to offer them until the coming of the Messiah and then to cease may be evident from that Text Psal 40.6 7. Sacrifice and offering thou did not desire mine ear hast thou boared in burnt-offerings and sin offerings thou hast no delight Then said I Loe I come When Christ should come in the flesh then God declares that he would no more take delight in burnt-offerings and other oblations and expiations which were used under the Law And that this Prophesie is to be applyed to our Saviours coming in the flesh is evident by the Apostles exposition of it Wherefore when he Heb. 10.5 6. that is Christ cometh into the world he saith Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not c. And a little further vers 9. He take away the first that he may establish the second Christ by the once Offering up of himself as an expiatory Sacrifice for our sins was to put an end to all those legal oblations which were Types of this great Oblation Beside the Prophet Daniel saith that when the Messiah should come Dan. 9.27 He should cause the Sacrifice and the Oblation to cease Indeed the very end and signification of all those Sacrifices did shew that they were to be abolished at the coming of the Messiah who was the true Sacrifice for sin God did not set them up that men might rest in them or expect pardon of sin by them Heb. 10.1 The Law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things can never with those Sacrifices which they offered year by year make the comers thereto perfect vers 4. for then should they not have ceased to be offered And further It was not possible that the blood of Bulls and Goats should take away sin All these Sacrifices did serve to shew them that Without shedding of blood Heb. 9.22 there was no remission of sin and did thereby teach them to look unto that Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world Joh. 1.29 for justification and Salvation and therefore when Christ the true Sacrifice was offered and not before these Sacrifices were to cease Now it is evident that these Sacrifices are long since quite ceased the City of Jerusalem and the Temple being long since destroyed and this was the place where alone he had appointed them to offer Sacrifice Deut. 12.5 and therefore seeing he hath suffered this Place to be utterly destroyed it argues that it was his pleasure that these Sacrifices should cease to be offered Heb. 10.14 For this man that is Jesus Christ by one offering hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified The continual offering of Sacrifices under the Law did shew the imperfection of them that they could not perfectly justifie those for whom they were offered Now what these Sacrifices through their weakness were not able to do God sending forth his own Son made under the Law and made a Sacrifice for sin hath perfected So that from the ceasing of these Sacrifices which were appointed as Types of Christ we may conclude that the Messiah the substance of all these shadows is already offered up for us Seventhly 7 Argument I argue from the abolishing of the power of the Heathen Idols and its silencing of their Oracles It was foretold that when the Messiah should come he should destroy the Idols of the Gentiles which before had been of so great power and credit Isa 2.18 19. The idols he shall utterly abolish saith Isaiah and they shall go into the holes of the Rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his Majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth In that day shall a man cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold which they have made to the Moles and to the Bats And the Prophet Zechariah speaking of the time of Christ's coming Zech. 13.1 2. when the Fountain should be set open for Judah and Jerusalem to wash in for sin for uncleanness he adds It shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord of hosts that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land and they shall no more be remembred And also I will cause the Prophets and the unclean spirit to issue out of the land You see then that it was prophesied that at the time of Christs coming in the flesh the power of the idols should decay and the Oracles of the Heathen-gods be struck dumb Now this is long since come to pass That
and to the end of his coming into the world viz. to take away the sins thereof 4. The greatest and most Authentick Testimony that can be defired or imagined is that of the Father from Heaven concerning him This is my well beloved Son Mat. 3.17 Chap. 17.5 in whom I am well pleased That he was truly man was evident to those that were about him that he was God was evident by the Testimony of God himself who is the God of Truth 5. The passages of his life upon Earth doth shew him to be both truly God and truly Man His hungring and thirsting his weariness and faintness his sighing and weeping and such other fruits of humane infirmity were sufficient Arguments to prove him to be truly man And all the miraculous works of his Power which he wrought upon earth of which I have spoken before as they shew him to be the Messiah Isa 35.5 6. that was foretold by the Prophets of whom it was foretold that he should work such miracles so also that he was truly God Joh. 5.36 as himself argues 6. The Testimony of the Evangelists and Apostles doth confirm this Of St. Peter Mat. 16.16 Acts 2.36 Chap. 3.17 18. and Chap. 4.11 12. and Chap. 10.43 1 Pet. 1.19 20. Of St. Paul Acts 9.22 and Chap. 13.23 34. Rom. 15.8 2 Cor. 1.10 2 Tim. 2.8 Of St John 1 John 2.22 and Chap. 5.2 15. Of St. Stephen the Proto-martyr Acts 7.52 Of St. Philip Acts 8.32 And many more Instances of this sort might be alledged but these are some of the chief 7. The general consent of the Catholick Church of Christ in all Ages ever since the time of Jesus and his Apostles who have held this Truth and made it a main Article of all their Creeds The concurrence of all Pious and Orthodox Fathers and Councils beside the chearful and undaunted sufferings of many thousands of Martyrs for the Profession of this Faith This I say together with the former Testimonies do argue this foundation of our Faith to be laid as so sure a Rock that The gates of Hell Mat. 16.18 shall never be able to prevail against it and that we may comfortably venture our selves upon this Truth that the same Jesus in whom we believe is both Lord and Christ God and Man Hypostatically united Secondly Let us proceed to the other Head viz. to prove that Christ did fully and in a true and proper sense make satisfaction to Gods justice for our sins And that Salvation is to be expected from him and no other way 1. It is very evident that the Apostles in the New Testament do affirm us to be reconciled to God and justified in his fight by the merits and sufferings of Christ Rom. 5.10 When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Which as it shews plainly that there was an enmity between God and man through the Fall and this enmity mutual God offended by mens transgression and man alienated from God by the depravation of his Nature So it shews whereby the Reconciliation was wrought between God and man even by the death of Christ the Son of God who did both by the merits of his death satisfie Gods justice and also by the efficacy of his Death and Resurrection take from us the stony heart and give us an heart of flesh And it is very observable Vers 19. how afterward the Apostle makes a direct Antithesis between the first and the second Adam the misery that befel us by the transgression of the first and the benefits we receive by the obedience and sufferings of the latter As by one mans disebedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous Which words as they do suppose the Communication of the guilt of Adams sin to all his posterity whereby they are said to be made sinners and liable to Gods justice So they do plainly express the benefits of Christ's death to be communicated to the justification of as many as do believe in him And what can be a plainer proof of the point in hand Secondly The New Testament speaks of the blood of Christ being shed to make an attonement for us Phil. 2.8 Being found in fashion of a man having taken our Nature upon him and set himself in our stead in this nature and in our stead He humbled himself and became obedient to death even the death of the Cross And that we may know that he died for us shed his blood to make attonement to Divine Justice for our sins 1 Joh. 1.7 St. John tells us That the blood of Jesus Christ his Son 1 Pet. 2.24 cleanseth us from all our sins And St. Peter tells us That by his stripes we are healed Not healed only in a moral sense as good examples tend to heal and take away corrupt manners as if Christ had come into the world onely to give us an example of Holiness in his life and of Humility and Patience at his death and that were all the benefit which we were to expect by him But we are so healed by his stripes that our sins are thereby pardoned being punished on his back He suffered the just for the unjust to the end that he might justifie the ungodly that believe in him So himself tells us Luk. 22.20 that his blood was shed for many for the remission of sins He died that he might purchase at Gods hands the pardon of our sins by undergoing that punishment which we had deserved To this agrees that Character which the Baptist gives of Christ Joh. 1.29 Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world This sheweth plainly that he was slain and offered up as a Propitiatory sacrifice to expiate the guilt of our sins 3. The New Testament sets him forth as the Substance of all the Legal purifications and ceremonial Oblations and Expiations which were used by the Law of Moses And this argues that he made an Attonement for us Certainly the great God of Heaven and Earth did not take their Cattel from the Jews because he had need of them or because he delighted in shedding the blood of innocent Beasts that were no wayes accessary to the sins of their Masters But we have reason to believe there were further matters intended by these Ceremonies of the Law God did appoint these Ceremonial washings and expiations after legal defilements that the people might be put in mind of the defiling nature of sin and might be warned to take heed of it as that which defiles the soul and accordingly might endeavour after they had fallen into it to wash their souls with tears of Repentance and Contrition He charged their Estates and caused them to sacrifice their Cattel that they might learn that Sin is very displeasing to God and did expose them to that and a worse death then the innocent beast did sustain And yet further to put
these delusions they sin at a more dangerous rate then other men in that they go on the more earnestly and confidently in evil while they think they do God good service in doing it And further they are harder to be reclaimed then a prophane person Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit Porv. 26.12 there is more hope of a fool then of him Besides that they aggravate their sins by taking the sacred name of Conscience in vain while they pretend it to Patronize them in that which is evil Secondly When such men come in cool blood to consider what they have done and to find out the mistakes they have committed under the thoughts of being acted by Conscience it may be in danger to make them cast off all Conscience and turn Seekers in matters of Religion which are next door to Atheists Add to this that the exorbitant courses which many have taken under pretence of being led by their Conscience hath sadly opened the mouths of prophane persons to scorn at Conscience it self and take no care to keep a good Conscience or to do that which is agreeable to it 2. It may be very wholsome and seasonable Advice 2 Inference to endeavour rightly to inform our selves in the nature of the true Christian Liberty which will be one special help to the due information of our Consciences in many controverted points It is most certain that beside the Liberty which Christ hath purchased for us from his Fathers wrath and from the thraldome and slavery of sin and Satan there is likewise this further Liberty which every Christian may comfortably expect under this New Covenant that was not to be enjoyed under the old viz. That if the sincere purpose and desire of our soul be to please God and this desire do shew it self to be real by a constant and diligent endeavouring to walk in those wayes which are acceptable to God our gracious and merciful Father will not be extream to mark those defects that proceed from the infirmity of our Nature but will cover our imperfections and accept of our Obedience through the perfection of Christs obedience And further that in things which in their own Nature are truly indifferent there is much Liberty allowed us by God provided still that our desires be towards his Glory in what we do Now as the due apprehension of this would be of great advantage to us to make us go on the more cheerfully and comfortably in his service so for want of being duly informed about it the soul doth sustain much prejudice Some by overstretching the Nature of Christian Liberty have proceeded to turn the Grace of God into wantonness and others by not understanding how far this Liberty doth extend have incurred great prejudice For 1. Hence have proceeded endless and unprofitable scruples in the Conscience The word scruple as some say comes from that dust or gravel in our shooes which though small in it self yet gives us great trouble being in such a place And so Scruples in the Conscience though small and inconsiderable in themselves yet do greatly disturb the mind Indeed when men pretend to scruples in small and indifferent matters while they can take too much Liberty in matters that go nearer to the life of Religion 't is a signe that their Consciences are sick of a Pharisaical disease But yet 't is sufficiently evident that the soberest and truly conscientious people are much disturbed in their minds with such scruples as even themselves are sensible that there is little weight in them And though this trouble doth argue a sincere desire in the soul to please God yet 't is of bad consequence as tending to disturb and distract the soul in good duties and to take off that cheerfulness which ought to be in us in serving so good a Master 2. Hence a man may come to a doubting Conscience Divines distinguish thus between a scrupulous and a doubting Conscence A scrupulous Conscience is when a man is satisfied in the main of the lawfulness of an action but yet there are some odde inconsiderable thoughts in his mind which trouble it A doubting Conscience is when a man doubts in the main of the lawfulness of the action And accordingly they resolve that against a scrupulous Conscience a man may yea sometimes must of necessity proceed but not against a doubting Conscience Now through ignorance of the due extent of this Christian Liberty a man may come to these doubtings of Conscience which will quite put him to a stand in many things 3. From this a man may come to that which Divines call a perplexed Conscience which involves a man in a kind of necessity of sinning That there is such a perplexed estate of Conscience may be evident by such an Instance as this Put the case that a lawful Authority enjoyn us something about a matter which in its self is truly indifferent If a man doth not yield obedience to it he sins against the fifth Commandment and if he doth yield obedience and yet doubts that the thing he doth is unlawful though he doth not formally break any of Gods Commandments yet virtually he doth in yielding to that which he believes to be sinful and so falls under that censure of the Apostle Rom. 14.23 It is indeed a sad case when the soul is involved in such a perplexity But God is not the Authour of this occasion of sin for he made the Conscience upright and 't is the fall of man that hath brought upon it this and all other disorders And forasmuch as you have heard that the mistake of Conscience doth not excuse the irregularity of an action it will therefore concern us the more diligently to study the true Christian Liberty that we may not at any time come to this pass 3. 3 Infer ence Let me add a word of Caution Let no man from what hath been spoken take occasion to make light of Conscience Because you have heard that Conscience may be and is many times deceived let no man hence conclude that all pretences to Conscience are either counterfeit or erroneous That all men who pretend to Conscience are either Deceivers or deceived Conscience is a Sacred thing and of Sovereign authority with all good men And those wicked men that will not hearken to the voice of Conscience in this world but cast away its cords from them shall in the world to come find it turned to a Worm that shall gnaw and torment their souls to all eternity Lastly 4 Inference To you Fathers and Brethren of the Clergy my speech directs it self Forasmuch as it is evident that the misguiding of mens Consciences is so common and dangerous a disease and there are so many Seducers abroad that lie in wait to deceive them into this inconvenience Let me therefore take the liberty to put you in mind whose Office obligeth you to be Guides to mens Lives and Consciences that you use all possible