24. 2 Thes. 1.7 8. But it seems against all Scripture that Christ should die for these for whose sins he dies not And so that 1. Christ should half and part the sins of the Reprobate and the Scripture I judge shall not admit that Christ bare in his own body on the tree some sins of the Reprobate to wit all their sins against the Law absolutely or conditionally and he that bears not either absolutely or conditionally their other sins against the Gospel to wit their finall unbeleef and rebellion for Christ was wounded and bruised for the transgressions and iniquities of these for whom he died He must then have been wounded for some of their transgressions and not wounded for other of their transgressions And so the sins of the Reprobates are divided between Christs satisfaction upon the Crosse and their own satisfaction in Hell But he suffered one may say conditionally only for the Reprobates sins against the Law upon the Crosse if they beleeve not otherwise Ans. The same reall satisfaction conditionally that he performed on the Crosse for the Elect the same say the Authors he performed for the Reprobate conditionally if either beleeve but because the one beleeves it is accepted for payment for them and the other beleeves not it is not accepted for them 2. As there is a satisfaction performed for some sins not for all not for finall unbeleef that sin then must be in the same case with the sin of the fallen Angels there is no sacrifice for it nor is Christs death applicable by divine ordination to purge men from finall unbeleef more then to purge Devils from any sins they commit 3. The same incorruptible price of the blood of the Lamb that is given to ransome all from wrath Matth. 20.28 1 Tim. 2.6 conditionally is given to buy all for whom Christ died from their vain conversation also 1 Pet. 1.18 that is to merite faith to them conditionally Shew us the condition of the one more then the other If a condition cannot be shown Christ must have payed the price of blood upon the Crosse for some upon intention for others upon another unlike intention 4. If Christ died for all not because they did will and beleeve but that they might will and beleeve and if Jesus suffered without the Camp that he might sanctifie the people by his own blood Heb. 13.12 Heb. 10.10 That he might wash them from their sins and make them Kings and Priests to God Rev. 1.5 6. That they might offer up themselves holy living sacrifices to him Rom 12.1 upon a great designe of love to cleanse them with the washing of water by the Word and present them a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle Eph. 5.26 27. If he gave himself for them that they should live to righteousnesse being dead to sins 1 Pet. 2.24 That they might be delivered from the present evill world Gal. 1.4 If Christ gave himself for these for whom he dyed that he might redeem them from all iniquity and might purifie them to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2.14 Then did he die to redeem all men from iniquity even from finall unbelief the great iniquitie and from the vain conversation of finall unbelief and that they might be dead to sins especially the sin of finall unbelief Except it be said that Christ gave a price to buy faith to all Reprobate and Elect and to redeem them from finall unbelief if all would be willing But to commit to their free-will the efficacie of Redemption which Prosper saith maketh the will of God valide and effectuall and unvalide and weak according as the will of man which Davenantius Bishop of Salisburie if that opus posthumum have been written by him in his riper years and revised by himself justly censures as the boyl of Pelagian Doctrine which Faustus Rhegiensis did covertly teach The Lord saith he redeems such as are willing being a rewarder of their good or evill wils Now hardly can these eschew this Pelagianisme who teach that the death of Christ is an universall salve applicable by the decree of God to save all and every one of mankinde Christian and Pagan so they actually believe For it cannot be said that Christ hath died to make all mankinde saveable upon condition of actuall faith to receive Christ preached for so Infants to whom Christ preached is in no tollerable sense applicable that way by any ordination of God if they actually believe shal be no parts of the world they must be excluded from Baptism And it cannot be said that this argument shal militate against us for we do not defend such a conditionall applicabilitie of Christ upon condition of faith actual in preached Christ even to infants in the Visible Church yet we teach they are in Covenant with God and so God hath his decree of election to Glory and Redemption in Christ among infants as among aged professours 2. There is a providentiall and to many thousands of Pagans who never heard nor could hear of Christ an invincible impediment and so Christ is not applicable by Gods decree to them upon condition of actuall beleeving Rom. 10.14 How shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard It seems to me physically impossible that there is such a thing as the Indians worship Satan under such a name and in such rites if I never heard of the Indians or of their God or their worship So neither can they worship Christ in a Gospel-way who never heard of him It s impossible to beleeve a non ens Christ offered in the Gospel is very nothing and so not applicable to thousands by any decree of God 3. This is not written in Scripture God hath decreed that Christ be Preached and life be offered actually to all and every one of all and every Nation under Heaven and this opinion saith that Christ died and satisfied offended Justice for the sins of all and every one of all and every Nation under heaven except for finall unbâ—leef The Antecedent is clear by Scripture and experience God fulfills his decrees irresistibly But he never sent the Preached Gospel to as many as these Authors say he died for Nor can they themselves teach any such thing Nor is this true God hath decreed that Christ in the Preached Gospel and salvation may be offered to all and every one old and young of all and every Nation in all Generations upon condition of actuall beleeving And yet for all these without exception Christ died say they For not to say God never decreed that such may be offered to infants of Pagans for whom they say Christ died To make a thing that physically is possible the object of a decree of God we must say that God hath decreed to give the gift of tongues to all Professours and Pastours to speak to all and every Nation in their own Language and to make an offer of Christ
them is legall forasmuch as the Lord hath decreed to deny the grace by which they may or can fulfill the condition of the promise which is proper to the Law as it is peculiar to the Gospel that the Lord both gives the mercy promised and also the grace to fulfill the condition of the promise The threatnings to beleevers especially such as are legall if you beleevers fall away ye shall eternally perish are to beleevers though materially legall peremptorie and admit no exception yet they are formally and in the Lords intention directed to them upon an Evangelick intention nor do they say that the Lord intends and decrees that they shall eternally perish for he hath predestinate them to the contrary to wit to grace and glory Ephes. 1.4 Nor that he wills that they should beleeve either their eternall damnation or their finall and totall falling away which inevitably leads thereunto For they knowing that they are in Christ 2 Cor. 13.5 Rom. 8.16 17. and freed from condemnation Rom. 8.1 are to beleeve the contraire of the former to wit life eternall John 4.24 1 Thes. 5.9 John 3.16 and the contraire of the latter to wit the promise of perseverance made to them Jer. 32.39 40. Isa. 59.21 John 10.27 28. John 17.20 21. 1 Pet. 1.3 4 5. Mat. 16.16 17 19. Therefore these threatnings are not to be beleeved by the regenerate as certainly to come to passe in their persons but only as Law-motives to presse them to work out their salvation in fear and trembling and to cleave so much the closser to Christ as the condition of such as are under the Law is apprehended to be dreadfull But reprobats and unbeleevers are not to beleeve that God decrees and intends to them the thing promised and grace to perform the condition but only to beleeve their obligation to fiduciall relying upon and Gospel-faith in God revealed in the Mediator and that if they continue in a way of opposing Christ they not only deserve by Law which Law-deserving also beleevers are to apprehend to be broken but actually and quoad eventum shall eternally perish Believers are to believe the Decree of God to save them though they hear the threatnings for it s revealed But the Reprobate are to beleeve only the sense and Law-deserving and event of the threatning if they repent not but are to beleeve no decree to save them CHAP. IV. The Elect non-converted are not under Law-wrath 2. Faith is no cause of satisfaction 3. Christ can not have satisfied for the sins of the Reprobate WHether the Elect unconverted be under wrath is a doubt to many It is true they are servants of sin Rom. 6.17 Blind and under the power of Satan as Reprobats are Acts 26.18 By nature children of wrath even as others Eph. 2.3 Ans. Their sins committed before their Conversion are according to the Covenant of Works such as deserve everlasting condemnation and they are jure and in relation to that Covenant heirs of wrath as well as others 2. But we must distinguish between a state of election and everlasting though unseen love that they are under as touching their persons and a state of a sinfull way that they are born in and walk in as others do untill they be converted As to the former state it is true which is said Ier. 31.3 I have loved thee with an everlasting love See also Rom. 9.12 13. Eph. 1.4 so that God never hates their persons 3. The punishment of their sins and the wrath they are under is two wayes considered 1. Materially in the bulke and so they are under Law-stroaks and Law-wrath that is Law-punishment as others are Eph. 2.3 and so the other places are to be taken 2. The wrath is to be considered formally and so it is denyed that the punishment of the non-converted elect because of their sinfull way is any part of the Law-vengeance or curse which Christ did bear for their other sins committed by them after conversion 1. Because when Christ saith Iohn 5.4 The beleever hath passed from death as it is a curse and shall never come to judgement and condemnation he cannot mean that they have half passed from the curse and half not 2. Beleevers are delivered in Christ from the victory sting power of sin curse of the Law and every curse that is in affliction and from condemnation not in part only but in whole Else their triumph were but in part contrair to 1 Cor. 15.54 55 56. Hos. 13.14 Isa. 25.8 Nor should they be washen from all their sins and the spots thereof in his blood if they might wash themselves from any spot by bearing a part of the Law-curse in themselves contrair to Can. 4.7 Jer. 50.20 Joh. 1.28 1 Joh. 1.8 Rom. 8.1 3. What ever Christ was made for the redeemed ones that he was made fully for them in part and in whole for he is their perfect Saviour But Gal. 3.13 He is made a curse for us and able to save to the outmost all that come to him Heb. 7.25 Therefore the half or a part of satisfactory vengeance cannot be upon us and the other half on Christ for this is to make men and Martyrs joint satisfiers of justice with Christ by their own blood and sufferings to prevent the scaddings of purgatory For though we teach against Antinomians that the Godly are punished for sins according to Justice yet that is Evangelick not law-justice for they bear not one dram weight of satisfactory wrath and curse jointly with Christ Antinomians say that sin root and branch is taken away in Justification so that there is no sin nor punishment for sin in the justified man 4. The beleevers are blessed through Jesus Christ Gal 3.10 13. Psal. 32.1 2. Rom. 4.6 Psal. 2.12 Psal. 119.1 Their afflictions and death blessed precious in the eyes of the Lord not qualified with any Law-curse Job 5.17 Psal. 94.12 Mat. 5.6 Luk. 6.22 1 Pet. 1.6 1 Pet. 4.13 Psal. 21.3 4 5 6. Psal. 34.17 18 19. Rev. 14.13 Psal. 116.15 Psal. 72.14 Psal. 37.37 and they are asleep in Christ die in the Lord 1 Thes. 4.14 16. Nor can Antinomians and Socinians say this is under the New-Testament for dying Jacob saith Gen. 49.18 Lord I have waited for thy salvation Isa. 57.1 2. When the righteous man is taken away he shall enter into peace the Lord is the God of Abraham Isaak and Jacob when their bodies are rotten Exod. 3.6 Mat. 22.32 5. This comes too near the opinion of these who make faith a cause of satisfaction for sin as they must teach who hold that Christ payed a ransome on the crosse for the sins of all and every one For that which added maketh satisfaction to be counted and formally reckoned as satisfaction in order to the expiation of the mans sins so that by no justice he can suffer for them and which being removed maketh the payed satisfaction and ransome though never taken back again
the Lord had followed Adams obedience with no reward at all For man as a creature owes himself to God and as sweetly and pithily Anselme saith as a redeemed one I owe my self and more then my self to thee because thou gave thy self who art so farre more then my self for me and thou promises thy self to me Now God who is more and greater then Adam promised himself to be enjoyed by Adam if he should continue in obedience For what can the highest goodnesse sayeth he give to one that loves it but it self 3. If God of justice give Adam life Adam might compell God to pay what he oweth him else he should be unjust But the creature can lay no necessitie on the Creator either to work without himself nor can he cause him to will 4. The proper work of merite saith great Bradwardine and of him that works must go before the wages in time or in order of nature And if the worker receive its operation and working for wadge from God first and by his vertue and help continue in operation and working he cannot condignely merit at the hand of God but is rather more in Gods debt after his working then before his working because he bountifullie receives more good from God then before especially because he gives nothing proper of his own to God but gives to God his own good But no man first acts for God for God is the first actor and mover in every action and motion As that saith Who gave first to the Lord and it shall be recompensed him 5. If this was yesterday just that life eternall is due to Adam for his work before God made it just and due then from Eternitie and before any decree of God it was just and due Certainlie God upon the same reason was debtour to make such a Covenant that was just before he made it just And this is no Covenant of God for God not making the justice of the Covenant and the juâ—t connexion between work and wadge he cannot be the Author of the Covenant But neither is Adam the Author of the justice nor of the just Covenant Upon the same ground it was then an everlasting justice without and before God from Eternitie Non datur justum prius primo justo 6. If God did more for Adam then he can recompence God for it as the Father hath done to the Son then he could not merit at the hand of God But God did more to Adam in giving to him being faculties mind will affections power habites his blessed Image then Adam can never be in a condition in which he can recompence God or give him more annuall and usurie in his acting of obedience then the stock was he received in proportion As the Son can never give the Father in recompence so much or the captive ransomed from death can never give to his ransome payer who bought him so much as the one and the other shall no more be under an obligation and debt of love and service to father and ransomer then to a stranger that they never knew Nor could Adam thus be freed of God so as he should be owing nothing to him If any say God may freely forgive all this obligation and debt To which Bradwardine Answers well 1. The forgiving of the debt when the debtor hath nothing to pay is a greater debt taken on 2. God saith he may forgive so in regard of actuall obligation that he is not oblidged ad aliquid faciendum sub poena peccati to do any thing under the pain or punishment of sin as the hireling is obleiged to work when he hath made a Covenant to work and so we are not oblidged to do as much as we can for God But in regard of habituall obligation God cannot forgive the debt that the reasonable creature owes to God for so he might dispence with this that the reasonable creature owe no obedience to God suppose he should command it which is impossible They seeme therefore with eyes of flesh to look upon God who say that God by necessitie of justice must punish sin yea that the most High cannot be God except he punish sin and that he should not be God if all his Lawes imposed upon men were only promissorie and void of all threatnings What could not God have said eat not of the tree of knowledge for if ye eat not your obedience shall be rewarded with life eternall and no more might he not have laid aside all threatning What Scripture or reason teacheth to say that God if he create a reasonable creature and under a morall dependencie which it hath and must have of God then must God by necessitie of nature punish the sinner yea so as if he punish not he should not be God nor just but must fall from his naturall dominion except he make penall laws and so he should not be God except he say to Adam if thou eat thou shalt die or shalt be punished for eating but this is not proven by one word except this the reasonable creature is not nor cannot be subject to God Creator except God punish the sinner But that is denyed Adam should have had a Morall dependance upon God and God should have been God and essentially just if sin had never come into the World and if God had kept Adam under a Morall Law as he did the Elect Angels who never felt or knew the fruit of a Morall Law broken and transgressed And God if he imposed any penall Law upon the Elect Angels as penall which shall be an hard work to prove yet had a naturall dominion over the Elect Angels and suppose no Law but only a rewarding and remunerative Law had been over their heads should God be no God in that case and if any deny that God hath a perfect dominion over the Elect Angels he is not worthy to be refuted 2. Shew me in all the Old or New Testament any penall Law of active obediencâ— as penall imposed upon the man Christ or where is it written If the Man Christ sin he shall eternally die I tremble at such expressions Is the Lord therefore not the Lord and hath the Lord fallen from his naturall dominion over his Son the Man Christ Or 3 will any man deny but the Lord might justly have laid upon all men and upon the Elect Angels a Law only remunerative not penall at all a Law only with the promise of a reward and void of all threatning of death first or second or any other punishment and yet he should have been the Lord and had a naturall dominion over Angels the Man Christ and all mankind 3 Suppose the Lord had never imposed the Law penall forbidding the sin against the Holy Ghost upon the Elect beleevers nor any other penall Law but by vertue of the most sufficient ransome of the Blood of God payed for man he had made them now after the fall as the
his Son by necessity of love and mercy and free Grace So that he should not have been infinitly loving mercifull gracious if he had never sent him And it is as poor Logick to say because of grace and free-love he sent his Son and so might not have sent him as to say he loved where there was no need it is in vain to shew the glory of Justice saith the Author when God can take away sin out of free-pleasure and why should he expose his Son to shame death and a curse whereas he might have taken away sin freely because it is his pleasure This is the very thing that Socinians say there is no need of blood and satisfaction by blood if God out of his absolute Soveraignty can take sin away without blood and so there was no need of reall satisfaction This is against the Holy Ghost and we may hear it All the Scriptures cryes that out of free grace the Lord sent his Son and delivered him to death By the grace of God He tasted death for every man Heb. 2.9 Shall we infer there was then no necessity that he should die It is safest to say the only wise God decreed that sin should be 2. That the glory of his Justice should appear in taking away sin not in our way but in the way of God to wit in a way of justice of mercy of free grace in incomparable love of mighty power and in all these so acts the Lord as he should not leave off to be the Lord but acts most freely though he had not taken that course But far be it from the godly not to adore him in this as the admirable way beyond the thoughts of men and Angels It were safest to draw holy practises by way of use from this In all pactions between the Lord and man even in a Law-Conant there is some out-breakings of Grace It s true there was no Gospel-Grace that is a fruit of Christs merite in this Covenant But yet if grace be taken for undeserved goodnesse There are these respects of grace 1. That God might have given to Adam something inferiour to the glorious Image of God that consists in true righteousnesse knowledge of God and holinesse Gen 1.26 Eph. 4.24 Col. 3.10 It was a rich enough stock this holy Image to be so badly guided And who looks spiritually to their receipts It s either too much of grace and holinesse that another hath and too little that I have so arises virtuall sighing and grudging at the dispensation Or 2. a swelling that it is so much as if it were not receiving I am holier then thou Isa. 65.5 a miskenning of him that makes me to differ 1 Cor. 4.7 A blecking of others Luk. 18.11 A secret quarrelling at God as too strick and hard in his reckoning Mat. 25.24 And what pride is this because I am a meer patient under gifted holinesse to usurpe it as mine own As if a horse should kick and fling because he wears a borrowed sadle of silk for a day 2. Being and dominion over the creatures is of undeserved goodnesse Who looks to a borrowed body and a borrowed soul yea and to self and to that which is called I as to a thing that is freely gifted So that though thou be in an high opinion of self self is self and what it is from God And when thou rides whence is it that I am the rider and the wearied horse the carrier but from God 3. The Covenant of Works it self that God out of Soveraignty does not command is undeserved condescending that God bargains for hire do this and live whereas he may bide a Soveraign Law-giver and charge and command us is overcoming goodnesse Law is honeyed with love and hire it is mercy that for our penny of obedience so rich a wadge as communion with God is given 4. The influences to acts of obedience come under a twofold consideration 1. As congruous and suitable concurrences of God to Adams acts of obedience And so they were free gifts to Adam not promised as we shall hear in the New Covenant 2. As such influences by which the standing Elect Angels who were under this Covenant as well as Adam were differenced from the Angels that fell and were confirmed that they should not fall in this latter respect Absolute Soveraignty shines in Adams fall so if a Sparrow cannot stir its wing without God Mat. 10.29 nor a hair fall from our head ver 30. far lesse could Adam fall and all his without a singular providence And farre lesse could Adam go on and act without influences from God And if strong Adam and upright created in holinesse could not then stand his alone Shall our clay legs now under the fall bear us up What Godly trembling is required in us 5. The gift of Prophesie Gen. 2.23 seems to be freely given besides the Image of God and Adams knowledge Gen. 2.19 of every living creature according to their nature may be proven but it appears to be naturall and he is a lamentable example to us of abusing the Image of God and good gifts But no habite without the continued actings of God can keep us in a course of obedience There is no ground to make habits of grace our confidence 3. There can be no giving and taking between the creature and the Creator Elihu pleads well for him Job 35.7 If thou be righteous what gives thou to him Or what receiveth he of thy hand v. 1. Thy wickednesse may hurt a man as thou art and thy righteousnesse may profite the Son of man Job 22.2 Can a man be profitable unto God as he that is wise may be profitable to himself Is it pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous Or is it a gain to him that thou makest thy wayes perfect So Eliphaz And David Psal. 16.2 My goodnesse extendeth not to thee Acts 17.25 Neither is the Lord worshipped with mens hands nor with their spirits as if he needed any thing seeing he giveth to all life breath and all things What then is the glory of the creatures obedience to him It is some shining of the excellency of God upon men and Angels from the works of God and our obedience to him But suppose there were no creature to pay the rent of this glory to him is the Lord a loser therefore Hath he need of our songs of glory Or that creatures should be Heraulds of his praise Or needs he the workmanship or structure of Heaven Sun and Moon to be a Printed Book to spell and sound his glory If he need not the Book as he needeth nothing created Who sayeth I am the Lord Al-sufficient he needs not one letter nor any sense of the Contents of the Chapters of that Book There is a secret carnall notion of God in us when we act and suffer for God that brings a false peace and some calmes of mind
eternall condemnation as Arminius disp pub 7. th 16.3 and the Scripture saith infants are guilty of this sin Eph. 2.3 Rom. 5. Psal. 51.5 Job 14.4 As also Christ must not have died for the sins of Infants if there be no sin in them they need not the ransome of Christs Blood The other bastard ground is the naturall antecedent desire and love of God to have all saved moved him say they to make this Covenant of Grace with all But this makes away free-grace and changes God as the blind Talmud which saith God hath a secret place in which he afflicts himself because he burnt the Temple and delivered the Jews to captivitie As also the Lord remembring the captivity of the Jews and their desolation he powres out two tears every day in the Sea or Ocean and for grief smites his breasts with both his hands And the Alcoran saith that God and the Angels wish well to Mahomet but cannot free him from death So made the Heathen their Jupiter to deplore the destinies which he could not amend And what is this but to say God hath passionate desires to have all Elect and Reprobat Men and Angels to obey and be eternally saved but he cannot help the matter and therefore must upon the same account be sorrowfull and mourn that he cannot get all saved which destroyes the power of grace and restrains the out-goings of free-love CHAP. XI The three-fold Covenant considered 2. The Law pressed upon Israel was not a Covenant of Works but a darker dispensation of Grace 3. The three-fold Covenant of Arminians refuted 4. Diverse considerations of the Law and the Gospel THere be who hold that there be three Covenants 1. A Covenant of Nature whereby God as Creator required perfect obedience from Adam in Paradice with promise of life and threatning of death 2. The Covenant of Grace whereby he promises life and forgivenesse in Christs Blood to believers 3. A subservient Covenant made 1. With Israel not witâ— Adam and all mankinde 2. For a time with Israel not for ever as the naturall Covenant 3. In Mount Sinai not in Paradice 4. To terrifie and keep in bondage the other from an inward principle required obedience 5. To restrain Israel from outward sins to prove the people that the fear of God might be before their eyes that they should not sin So they expound Exo. 20.20 the other Covenant was to restrain from all sin Yea and so was that on Mount Sinai to do all that are written in the Book of the Law Deut. 27.26 Deut. 28.1 2 3 4. c. to that same end to love God with all the heart and with all the soul Deut. 10.12 Deut. 5.1 2 3. Deut. 6.1 2 3. Deut. 5.29 Deut. 6.5 With all the heart with all the soul with all the might which is expounded by Christ Mat. 22.37 Luke 10.27 in as full a hight of perfection as ever was required of Adam 6. It was written to Israel in Tables of stone The naturall Covenant was written in the heart so was there a circumcised heart promised to Israel Deut. 30.6 though sparingly 7. It was say they given by the Mediator Moses as that of nature was without a Mediator Yea Moses was the Typical Mediator of the young Covenant of Grace The differences between the subservient Covenant and that of Grace 1. In the subservient God only approves righteousnesse and condemnes sin in that of Grace he pardons and renues Ans. Acts 15.11 We beleeve through the Grace of the Lord Jesus we shall be saved even as they under that Covenant Acts 10.43 To him gave all the Prophets witnesse that through his Name whosoever beleeveth in him shall receive remission of sins Abraham and David were justified in that sin was not imputed to them not by works Rom. 4.1 2 3 6 7 8 9 c. Gen. 15.6 Psal. 32.1.2.5 I said I will confesse my transgression and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Isa. 4325. I euen I am he that blots out thy transgressions for my own sake and I will not remember thy sins So David was a man according to the heart of God So Asa Josiah Jehoshaphat Samuel Baruch Gedeon Daniel the Prophets under that subservient Covenant except they be under a fourth Covenant were renued justified saved by faith Heb. 11. as under a Covenant of Grace 2. The former was do and live this was believe and live Ans. Doing and living was but a shuting them up under the Law that they might flee to Christ in whom they beleeved else the fathers must be saved and justified by works contrair to Rom. 2. Rom. 4. Heb. 11. 3. In antiquity the former came in as added 430. years after the promise of grace Gal. 3.17 Ans. True but he speaks of the Covenant in Sinai according to the strict Law part which could not save and so its different But that proves not two Covenants 4. In the former is compulsion and the Spirit of bondage in this heart inclining freedom and the Spirit of Adoption Ans. Yet the differences are accidentall there was a legall awing of the hearts as if they had been Servants yet Heirs and Sons they were Gal. 4.1 2. The whole Book of the Proverbs spake to the Godly as to Adopted Sons They were beleevers Heb. 11. Rom. 4. Acts 10.43 and so Sons as touching a spirituall state John 1.11 12. In regard of Oeconomie it was somewhat more rigid and legall they were restrained as servants Yet it was the Covenant of Grace by which beleeving Jews were justified and saved Acts 15. v. 11. Acts 10.43 5. In the former man is dead in this man is humbled for sinne Answ. Legally dead except they would flee to Christ and legally condemned but there was true humiliation for sins under that Covenant As David Josiah Hezekiah and all beleevers then as now were pardoned and justified 6. In the former there are commands not strength but here there be promises and grace given Ans. The full abundance of grace and of a new heart was reserved untill now And the Law could not make perfect nor give pardon in the blood of beasts as touching that legall dispensation But both grace the Spirit pardon righteousnesse and life were received and beleeved by looking on Christ to come 7. In the former Canaan was promised in this Heaven Ans. Canaan is promised only but sacramentally and that was a poedagogicall promise for the infancie of that Church but a type which was then in that Covenant and is not now make not two Covenants one then and another now Except ye say there was then a Lamb in the Passeover which was a Type of Christ to come and there is now no such Type because the body is come and Christ the true High Priest offered himself Therefore there are two Christs one then to come another now who hath come already The Lords dispensation with Israel is often called a Covenant now
it must either be a Covenant of Works or of Grace or a third Covenant But the truth is the Law as pressed upon Israel was not a Covenant of Works 1. The Law as the Law or as a Covenant of Works is made with perfect men who need no mercy But this Covenant is made with sinners with an expresse preface of mercy I am the Lord thy God that brought thee out of the land of Egypt c. It is made with stiff-necked Israel Deut. 29. Deut. 30. c. 31. c. 32. and that is called a Covenant from the end and object as motions are denominate from their end for the end of the Lords pressing the Law upon them was to bring them under a blessed necessity to seek salvation in their true City of Refuge Christ Jesus who redeemed them out of the spirituall bondage of sin 2. It was the Covenant made with Abraham which was a Covenant of Grace and though it be called Deut. 29.1 a Covenant beside that which was made in Horeb Because 1. Renued again after their breach 2. Repeated a litle before the death of Moses Deut. 31.28.29.30 3. Because there were some additions of speciall blessings cursings Ceremoniall Commands that were not in the formerly proposed Covenant Exod. 20. yet the same it was in substance to love the Lord with all the heart Deut. 2.10 12 13 14. The same with that of Abraham Deut. 8.18 That he may establish his Covenant which he sware unto thy fathers as it is this day When he is to deliver them out of Egypt Exod. 2.24 And God heard their groaning and remembred his Covenant with Abraham and Isaak and Jacob. So the Lord expones it in his appearing to Moses Exod. 3.6 Jer. 31.32 Not according to the Covenant which I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the Land of Aegypt Now that was the Covenant which God made with Abraham of which Circumcision was a seal Gen. 17. not of a temporary Canaan only but of heart Circumcision Col. 2.11 For the Lord expresâ—y tells thâ—â— when he took them by the hand as his married people to bring them out of the Land of Aegypt and out of the house of bondage Exod. 20. He meant no other Covenant then he made with Abraham of believing Gen. 15. and of walking before him and being perfect Gen. 17.1 2. which is somewhat more legall as Moses and the Lord himself expones it Exod. 2.24 Exod. 3.6 Exod. 20.1 2. And he showes them Lev. 26. if in their enemies land they repent and shall come out and meet the rod and their uncircumcised hearts shall willingly accept of the punishment of their iniquity 42. Then saith the Lord I will remember my Covenant with Jacob and also my Covenant with Isaac and also my Covenant with Abraham will I remember Beside there are not here three Covenants but one there is no word of the subservient Covenant with Israel in Sinai Except that when he mentions the one he excludes not the other For to walk before the Lord required in Abrahams Covenant Gen. 17.1 is to walk in all the ways of the Lord to fear and love him Deut. 10.12 13. and Samuel 1 Sam. 12.22 Joshua Josh. 24.22 23 24 25. And Mary Luke 1.55 And Zacharie ver 70 72 73. refer to the Covenant made with Abraham and Deut. 6. the Covenant at Horeb the Lord made with Abraham to give Canaan to his seed ver 10. Deut. 7.12 If thou hearken to these judgements to do them it shall come to passe that the Lord thy God will keep unto thee the Covenant of mercy that he sware unto thy fathers c. 3. This Covenant hath the promise of a circumcised heart Deut. 30.6 and of the word of faith that is near in the mouth and of the righteousnesse of faith clearly differenced from the righteousnesse of the Law by doing For so Paul Rom. 10.5 6 7 c. expones Moses Deut. 30.11 12 13 14. 4. The Covenant of Works taught nothing of the way of expiation of sin by blood typifying the Ransome of blood that Christ was to pay for our sins as this Covenant all along had sacrifices and blood to confirm it Exod. 24.8 And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said behold this is the Blood of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words Now the words were the ten Commandements See Heb. 9. v. 18 19 20 21 22 23 24. 5. This Covenant is made with Israel only Exod. 20. Deut. 5. c. 6. Deut. 6.5 6 7.12 The Covenant of Works is made with all mankind 6. No people under the Law can be justified and saved thereby nor have their sins pardoned Rom. 3.9 10 11. 19 20. Rom. 4.1 2 3 4. Rom. 9. Rom. 10. Psal. 130 3. Psal. 143.2 Gal. 3.1 2 3. 10 11 12 13. But in this Covenant Abraham David Gen. 15. Psal. 32. Rom. 4.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. And the Jewes by faith have remission of sins and salvation as also the Gentiles have Acts 10.43 Acts 15.11 7. The Lord minds to lay aside the Law as inconsistent with the Covenant of Grace Gal. 3.18 If the inheritance be by the Law then it is not by promise but God gave it to Abraham by promise For to live by this Covenant is a life of promises all being here promised both faith the condition and perseverance therein and a new heart righteousnesse pardon and life A man that hath his estate in papers and in good words that are transient things may seem a poor man but to live by promises here is the rich life of the heirs of hope this is strong consolation under deadness absence faith working under-ground in the dark Gal. 3.21 If there had been a Law which could have given life verily righteousnesse should have been by the Law Though he commanded them to do the Law it was not that they should live thereby and though he commanded us the same it is another command as it were it is not so much now that we obey from the Authority of God Law-giver under pain of damnation though that be not laid aside but urged in a Gospel intention upon heirs as from the love of God Grace-giver as also there is an intrinsecall amaenitie in Christ drawing and obedience now becomes connaturall free delightfull Let these consider to whom the yoak of obedience is a torment and a man-mill 8. The Passeover and Circumcision Gen. 17.7 all along were seals of the Covenant as Baptism one with Circumcision in substance Col. 2.11 is the seal of the same Covenant Acts 2.39 40 41. Now the Law required no Circumcision no shedding of blood no Repentance no new heart but eternall condemnation followed the least breach thereof Paul saith indeed Gal. 5.3 If ye be Circumcised as the false Apostles would have that thereby you may be justified saved
6.12.15 Heb. 8.6 Heb. 9.14 1 John 5.1 is made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to your children of the New Testament to your Infants if they beleeve say they 1. Can Infants actually beleeve 2. Is not the promise so made to Turks if they beleeve But it were an easier way to Anabaptists to say infants under the New Testament are externally in Covenant where as Parents beleeve and members of the Church are followed with Covenant mercy only because they understand not and the administration is more spirituall under the New Testament and faith more urged God requires not the dipping of Infants in Rivers a ceremony more onerous more truely in women with child virgins diseased persons in winter in cold countreys against the word the second Command the third the fourth the sixth the seventh then that it needs to be refuted it being only a ceremony which they may well want But now Infants of beleevers are casten out for no fault of the Covenant of Grace 2. From Covenant mercy to the thousand Generation Contrair to Gen. 17.7 Exod. 20.5 3. From Covenant-prayers and Church-prayers Contrair to 1 Sam. 12. Ps. 28.9 Ps. 67.1 2. Ps. 103 4 5. 4. From the blessing of the Lords Covenant-presence who dwels in the Nation in the Kingdom Ps. 135.21 Ps. 132.13 14. Rev. 11.15 Isa. 19.25 Isa. 2.1 2 3. 2 Cor. 6.16 I will dwell in them and walk in them and be their God and they shall be my people 18. And I will be a father to you and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord God Almighty Though this be spoken to all the Covenanted people of God yet are Infants casten out of the bosome of a Covenant Father and God 5. Infants are debarred from Covenant-calling and gathering in under the wings of Christ Contrair to Matth. 28.19 20. Matth. 23.37 Psal. 147.19 20. and excluded from Gods Covenant-choise Contrair to Deut. 7.6 7 8 9 13 14. Deut. 10.15 and left being heirs of wrath a prey to Satan 6. They are Excommunicated from Covenant-blessings earthly and the Tabernacle-protection promised in the Old and New Testament Contrair to Deut. 28.4 Lev. 26.6 7 8 9. Psal. 37.18.22.25 26. Psal. 92.10 Psal. 112.1 2 3. Ezech. 34.24 25 26. Ezech. 36.29.35 36 37. Ezech. 8.7 8. And in the New Testament Matth. 6.27 28.33 1 Tim. 4.8 Heb. 13.5 6. which were nothing if our Heavenly Father provide bread protection safety dwelling in the land and our houses to the fathers but the children had no charter but to beggery to the sword to be devoured by wilde beasts and the diseases of Egypt And the Infants have nothing from the Covenant but what Infants of Amaleck and Babylon 1 Sam. 15.1 2. Ps. 137.5 and of Sodom have Gen. 19. 7. They are members of Satan of the Kingdom of the Prince of darknesse not members of Christs Body since there be but two Kings two Gods Satan 2 Cor. 4.4 Eph. 2 1 2. Eph. 6.12 Matth. 12.29 and Christ the King and Head of his body And it is known that Infants within the Visible Church suffer incursions of Devils dreadfull diseases death and being without the Covenant as Pagans these evils must either be acts of revenging justice and preparatorie to the judgement of eternall fire or blessed in Christ But if the former they are damned if the latter what blessing is there without Christ 8. Being without the Covenant 1. Infants cannot be chosen and predestinate in Christ to salvation as Eph. 1.4 Rom. 9.11 nor given to Christ to be saved Covenant-wayes as John 17.2 John 6.39 nor loved from eternity nor in time as Arminians teach and so must be carried in Christ to Heaven or Hell or rather to a mid place without God or providence or decrees or fore-knowledge or counsel of God 2. They being without the Gospel-Covenant cannot be redeemed by Jesus Christ his Blood but some other way Contrair to Acts 4.12 3. If Infants be born without sin as Anabaptists teach they die and go either to Heaven and so Christ took not on him their nature and is not their Saviour or they go to everlasting torment and yet never sinned which is repugnant to Divine Justice Or to some third place of which the Scripture speaks not And yet the word saith Rev. 20.12 that the dead small and great shall stand before God and shall be judged And the Scripture saith Infants are capable of punishment and of being cut off and the Parents punished in them and they bear Covenant-wrath in their Parents As is clear in the seed of Jeroboam of Achab of others Ezod 20.5 Gen. 17.14 4. Neither remission of sins Justification nor life eternall nor Sonship nor Adoption in Christs suffering death and in the Blood of the everlasting Covenant can belong to Infants if they be without the Covenant 9. Nor can children be capable of being blessed of Christ or of his laying on of hands As Mark 10. if they be not under the N. Test. capable of Covenant-grace And it is to be minded that Covenanting Parents Luke 18. 1. Such as came to him to be cured of their diseases and beleeved him to be the Messiah the Son of David as the blind call him Mat. 20. and the woman of Canaan Mat. 15. Luk 18.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 brought to him little Children as Mat. 8.16 Mat. 9.2 Luk. 4.40 they brought the sick 2. The children were not diseased nor possessed And the Parents being desirous they might be blessed as the event proved it is clear they were not children of heathen but members of the Visible Church 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of such is the Kingdom of God Luk. 18.16 we cannot think that his meaning is of such as such is the Kingdome of God as if all Infants of Jew and Heathen belonged as subjects to the Visible Church for then the Infants of all Heathen should be Covenanted members of the Visible Church and yet their Parents are without the Visible Church and when they grow to age they should without any scandall be Excommunicate which were monstruous nor can the Invisible Kingdom of God be of such as if all Infants because Infants were saved Nor 4. Can the taking of them be a meer Embleme that such were blessed for so beside that Doves and Lambs for meeknesse are capable of being taken in the armes of Christ and blessed Christ bids them in all times coming be suffered to come and not forbidden v. 16. which saith he desired the whole spece of Infants of the Visible Church to be brought to him Nor doth Christ make acts of Emblems ordinary but he will have children at all time to come to him forbid them not He once cursed the fig tree that was an Embleme and did but once wash his Disciples feet and that was an Embleme And 5. He could not mean that only Infants predestinate to glory should be suffered to come For he saith indifferently 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
by doing whereas it is he and he alone that hath merited to us Grace and Glory and all title to Heaven Not to say that a Charter of life from such a noble Superiour as Christ by the purchase of blood and of such blood the blood of God Act. 20.28 is some better then to have eternall liveliehood and free-hold from our duty and lubrick best works which are polluted with sin and by which though we were Evangelically conscious to our selves of nothing yet should we not be therefore justified 1 Cor. 4.4 for the righteousnesse in which is Davids blessednesse before Christ and Abrahams before the Law and ours under the Gospel is in forgiving of iniquity covering of sin not imputing of sin Rom. 4.1 2 3 4 5 6 7. But in all the Scripture our sins are never said to be pardoned and not imputed to us by our own most Evangelick doing for we are justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus Rom. 3.24 not by the Redemption that is in us and are washen from our sins in his Blood Eph. 1.7 Col. 1.14 Mat. 26.28 Rev. 1.5 and sufferings not by our Evangelick doings and if such a case could stand the Martyrs sure might well be justified by their own blood and since no pardoning washâ—ng Law-satisfying vertue can be in faith works or our Evangelick deservings they can not justifie us nor keep and occupy the Chair of Christ. And the fault were the lesse if our works were onely called the way to the kingdom not the cause of raigning but they are called perfect both in their nature and conforme to the rule and also in order to the end to justifie us before God and to save us And if so all in Christ may say we have no sin contrary to Scripture Jam. 3.2 1 King 8.46 Eccles. 7.20 Prov. 20.9 Jam. 2.10 Yea though he that is guilty in one offends in all yet in the sight of God all flesh shall be justified this way Psal. 143.2 Nor can it be said that such works are perfectly conform to the Gospel because the doers beleeving in the lowest degree fulfills the condition of the Gospel But where it is said that the Gospel commands only faith in the lowest degree Then the Centurions faith the faith of the woman of Canaan and the greatest faith shall not be required in the Law For the condition of the Covenant of Grace cannot say they be required in the Covenant of Works and it is not required in the Gospel under the pain of sinning against the Covenant of Grace and of damnation for then all who have not faith in the highest degree should be damned and violate and break the Covenant of Grace contrary to the whole Gospel which saith that these who have weak faith are justified and saved and so the greatest faith shall be will-worship and a work of supererogation And because this way saith that all and every one of mankind are under the Covenant of Grace then 1. there shall be none living under the Law 2. no Law but only to beleeve in CHRIST shall lay an obligation on any Jews Christians under pain of wrath And if James be to prove that we are justified by works and yet mean that both faith and works concur as causes though faith more principally how can Paul deny that we are justified by works If Peter and John jointly work a miracle and heal the creeple man suppose the influence of John in the miracle be more yet it is not to be denyed that Peter wrought the miracle Nor doth the Scripture say that we are more principally justified by faith and lesse principally justified by works but the places alledged for salvation by works if works have a causative influence specially Matth. 25. speaks more for the preheminence of works Nor doth the Scripture insinuate any thing of the first and second Justification or of growing in Justification in having our sins not imputed to us to our very day of death and the Question must be Rom. 4. whether Abraham was justified by works done before circumcision or not Rom. 4. when as faith was not reckoned to Abraham when he was in uncircumcision and the blessednesse of righteousnesse by faith cometh both upon circumcision and uncircumcision vers 9. and he had faith and righteousnesse and was in Christ and regenerated when he was justified Though some taught Justification by the works of the ceremoniall Law yet Paul Gal. 3.10 states the Question of works agreeable to the Morall Law that are absolutely perfect and must be done by Grace And Paul might justly in the Epistles to the Romans and Galatians have excepted himself David Abraham and all the regenerate for they are justified by giving almes to the poor Mat. 25. as was Rachab by receiving and lodging the spyes The English Divines say How could the Scripture conclude from Abrahams being justified by works whence he offered his Son Isaac unlesse by works here we understand a working faith the Apostle must mean the same by works vers 21. that he meaneth by faith 23. for he cannot say vers 23. the Scripture was fulfilled in Abrahams being justified in the work of offering his son v. 21. which saith Abraham beleeved God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse Except it must be meant that the work of offering his son Isaac was counted to him for righteousnesse Now the letter of the Text expresly vers 23. saith that beleeving God was counted to Abraham for righteousnesse then the work of offering his Son must either be the beleeving declared by offering his son and faith working by that act of offering or if they be two sundry things he must then say this in effect Abraham was justified by the work of sacrificing vers 2â— causatively before God Ergo the Scripture is fulfilled vers 23. and Abraham is justified by beleeving causatively before God vers 23. which we cannot ascribe to the Apostle according to their minde who make faith and works the two collaterall and joint causes of Justification before God as if one would say Peter wrought the miracle Ergo the Scripture is fulfilled that Iohn wrought the miracle So Abraham was justified by works vers 21. Ergo Abraham was justified by faith 23. 2. The faith which Iames debarres from Justification must be the faith Iam. 2. by which Paul strongly proves Rom. 3. c. 4. we are justified without works If faith and works concurre as collaterall causes in our Justification before God as the Papists contend but the faith which James excludes from Justification is no faith at all But only 1. fair words to the hungry and naked and giving them supply for no necessity either of hunger or nakednesse and which cannot save and so is no faith and so can have no saving influence with works to justifie and save but such is the faith which James excludes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 14 v. 15. the
by the works of offering Isaac receiving the spies fighting the Lords battels suffering persecution of Saul For Iames if he say any thing for this cause that good works are the formall cause of our righteousnesse our merits and in the very place of the satisfaction of the blood shed by Christ we shall so be formall causes not of the declaratory act of justifying for that may be thought to be the Lord our Justifiers act yet of our own Justification and so should we fight and run for the Crowne of inherent righteousnesse of works as well as for the Crown of Life And what Scripture is there for that 3. A man shall be as just and sinlesse as he may say I have no sin I am just And in order to the Covenant of Grace which forbids no sin as some for this way do teach but finall unbeleef he no more needs forgivenesse of sins and the blood of sprinkling nor pardoning grace then the Elect Angels or Adam in the state of innocency and to that Prov. 20.9 as to that Eccles. 7.20 1 Ioh. 1. Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin The man Evangelically justified can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sinne 4. Noâ— needs such a man pray forgive me my sins as I forgive c. for he is justified from all Law-sins who is inherently holy and Evangelically just And so the Gospel is a new Law which does not forbid all sins that the Law forbids and the man is not under sinne though he sinne against the love of Christ. According to that if ye love me keep my Commandements Joh. 14.15 so he once ere he die beleeve For the Law say the Authors forbids not unbeleef nor any Evangelick unthankfulness against the Law of a ransome-payer which yet I judge the Law of Nature and Nations condemnes The Covenant of Grace forbids no sin but finall unbeleef and the beleever can not be guilty of that except he fall away 5. And it may justly be asked whether the beleever Evangelically justified who needs no grace of pardon of Redemption from sin in order to the Covenant of Grace needs the grace of renovation to keep him to beleeve for he needs no pardon for the weaknesse of his finall beleeving for the smallest weak faith is a fulfilling of the Covenant of Grace To these adde if James mean by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faith alone v. 24. by which he sayes we are not justified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no other then the dead faith ver 20. and the faith which cannot save the faith of fair words to the hungry and naked when the vain man gives him nothing necessary for his body 16. the faith without works 17. the faith that cannot be shown to men 18. such a faith as devils 19. and vain hypocrites boast of 20. then sure the conclusion is for us and agreeable to the scope of Iames v. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ye see then a man is justified before men and to himself and so really declared before God justified and saved by works as the fruits of saving faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not by faith only which is dead and without works For 1. he cannot exclude saving and lively faith For that beleeving God is counted to Abraham for righteousnesse saith Iames ver 23. for then the conclusion should contradict the premisses and he should say Abraham was justified by sound and lively beleeving Ergo we are not justified by only sound and lively beleeving 2. The Adversaries Socinians and Arminians who by this Text say we are justified by works know no Gospel-faith by which we are justified but faith including essentially new obedience the crucifying of the old man the walking in the Spirit and repentance as else where I cite Therefore when Iames saith we are not justified by faith only he must mean a naked dead assent as in the former verses We are not justified and that is it which we say Iames denies not but sayes that Abraham beleeved Gen. 15. 6. It is only beleeving but lively and not dead not a naked assent which was counted to him for righteousnesse and Gen. 15. Rom. 4. he was thereby justified and therefore Paul and Iames are well reconciled And the faith here excluded must be a dead faith not a lively faith and a true faith as the body without the soul is a true body and hath the nature of a true body though it be no living body So say they the faith that Iames excludes is a true faith when as it is evident it is no more true faith then the faith of Devils and Hypocrites 3. It is false by the Papists way and Arminians also that we are not justified by faith only which is a true and generall assent to the Word of God for they teach that in the first Justification we are justified by faith only without works as Paul proves but in the second Justification when a man of just is made more just say they he is justified by works as saith Iames c. 2. Now by this they are forced to say Iames speaks not of the first Justification but of the second but beside that the Scripture knows not two Justifications Iames must deny that the unconverted hypocrites and Rahab the harlot were justified by only faith as Paul saith and it were most incongruous to teach unconverted ones who never knew the first Justification how they were not justified in the second Justification And if James be speaking of the nature and causes of the same Justification before God only with Paul and not of the effects thereof it were false that James saith with reverence to the holy Lord that we are not justified by faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without works for Paul sayes it and proves it strongly from the Scripture and never insinuates that we are justified in a second Justification by works And sure he should not have denyed all the Jews all the Gentiles all the world Rom. 3 9 19 29 30. David a man according to Gods heart and much in communion with God when he penned the 32. Psalm and Abraham a beleever and effectually called Gen. 12. and justified when he Gen. 15.6 beleeved the promise of the seed Rom. 4. to be justified by works in their second or their Evangelick Justification Yea when James saith we are not justified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only he must mean fidem solitariam a faith solitary which hath no works conveying it as man sees not with eyes that are solitary and plucked out of the heart and separated from hearing smelling and the senses though faith if true and properly so called as they say this is must justifie as the eye sees only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the eâ—re onely not the eye hears now this faith hath a causative influence in Justification as well as works if it be proper and true faith as they say
it is as the body without the spirit hath the nature of a body and so James had no more ground for him to say ye see then that we are not justified by faith only then to say ye see then that we are not justified by works only For works separated from faith are no lesse dead works cannot justifie 1 Cor. 13.1 2 3 4 5. Then faith separated from works really pulled from them as in an hypocrite is a true faith Obj. When James saith that a man is justified by works not by faith only he maketh faith and works concomitant in that procurement of Justification and in that kind of causality for he saith not as he is commonly interpreted not by faith which is alone but by faith only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ans. He is not more commonly nor soundly and truely interpreted he is not justified by faith which is alone fide solitariâ by dead faith For solâ fide justificamur Faith hath the only vertue of justifying as an instrument and so is the Adverbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Solùm taken Matth. 5.47 If ye salute your brethren 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only what do ye more then Publicans Where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 notes duties only naturall excluding these which only converts in a spirituall way can do Matth. 8 8. Only say the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it clearly saith that a mandat of Omnipotency only in CHRIST could heal the sick servant but yet that Omnipotency is not really separated from justice wisedom mercy Matth. 9.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If I only touch him I shall be whole But the act of touching was conjoined with the act of hearing Who hath touched me Yet the act of hearing had no causative influence in the drawing vertue out of Christ but only the act of touching did extract the vertue as Christ saith Luk. 8.50 Mar. 5.36 Fear not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only beleeve saith Christ to the Ruler can it be said but this excludes works as touching the apprehending of the power and mercy of Christ in raising the dead Damosel And yet that beleeving was not solitary but conjoined with love reverence submission 35. So Luk. 8.50 Mat. 21.19 And Act. 3.16 The faith that is by Christ hath given this creeple perfect soundnesse Heb. 11.30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell It were strange to say by Peter's and John's good works and holinesse the creeple man was made whole and by good works the walls of Jericho fell and yet there were good works love mercifulnesse courage in the Priests who compassed the walls of Iericho and in Peter and Iohn Adde to these that by good works we must more and more justifie and pardon our own sins and must more and more buy a right to the Tree of Life as they teach citing Rev. 22.14 and more merit ex pacto Euangelico life eternall and so our works and merites must be joint causes with the blood of Christ and the Martyrs blood and Christs blood must have paralel and collateral influence with Christs blood to buy right to the Tree of Life Yea and Paul already justified even in the progresse of that which is called his Evangelick Justification Phil. 3. would be in another condition 9. That I may be found in him not having mine own righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith And why should Arminians and Socinians deny it to be Pauls own For 1. it is inherent righteousnesse 2. It is not infused as Papists say but acquired as they teach 3. It came say they from Pauls own free-will indifferent to will or nill But how is the Scripture fulfilled in Abrahams beleeving Iam. 2.23 Ans. The Apostle spake often of faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and beleeving v. 14. twice v. 17. once v. 18. thrice v. 19. twice v. 20. once v. 22. twise that is nine times thereof Emphatically v. 23. by way of excellency the Scripture was then fulfilled Abraham 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beleeved and it was counted to him for righteousnesse as it s written Gen. â—5 6 before God and man and to his own conscience when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar That was reall visible and conspicuous believing and righteousnesse to deny himself so far for God For James is much for Religion made known to a mans self and to men and hath far other Adversaries in the other extremity then Paul had even the old Gnosticks who in opposition to the Jews and Pharisees laid aside the Law doing of the Law Jam. 1.22 23. all works c. 2.14 all conscience of bridling the tongue c. 13.1 2. of peaceable and mortified living c. 4. c. 5. and thought it godlinesse to hear the word in the Assemblies ch 2.1 2 3. without love to the Brethren and to keep in their head a room empty faith and professed fair and gave good words but no garments to the naked v. 14 15. And James had good cause to treat of a visible and declared faith but yet not meerly declared but which was reall and can save 14. and of justification such as that of Abraham and Rachab as was senâ—sible and reall and not in a bare profession For Iames speaks of a profiting and saving faith Iam. 2.14 What doth it profite c. Can faith save him Another devise is here alledged of a formed faith animated with charity and that justifies say Papists and an unformed faith void of charity and that say they doth not justifie And the same way but in other expressions Arminians and Socinians teach that to believe and do good works and to repent and walk in all the Commandements of Iesus Christ is to believe or compleat formed and Evangelick faith But we distinguish them as the Scripture It s true Rom. 4.9 faith is said to be imputed to Abraham for righteousnesse and so v. 3. v. 5. but it is not meant of the act or work of believing that was counted for Abrahams formall righteousnesse there should so no room be left to the satisfaction of Christ reckoned to be ours if all the righteousnesse of God Rom. 10.3 1 Corin. 5.21 Phili. 3.9 should be turned over in an act of believing mixt with much doubting and in our sinfull obedience And the Socinians have more reason for them to say there is no necessity of any reall satisfaction of blood payed for us then the Arminians and Papists For if our righteousnesse and inherent obedience may be of grace esteemed formall righteousnesse before God by a free Evangelick paction and an act of Gods free-will the Lord might have esteemed the eating of an aple or any act of obedience our formall righteousnesse and so Christ dyed in vain to become our righteousnesse where an act of a sinfull man or a deed of the Law even the Law of faith is sufficient What needs the shedding of the blood of God
4.5 Matth. 12.36 37. they are everlastingly punished And if Christ have suffered on the Crosse for all the sinnes of the Reprobate how are they judged and condemned for these sins as the Scripture saith And what Scripture saith they are condemned for the guilt of only unbelief or that Pagans are condemned for Gospel-unbelief where as Sodom Gomorrah Mat. 10.15 the men of Niniveh Mat. 12.41 Tyrus and Sidon Mat. 11.21 and such as have sinned without the Law Rom. 2.12 13 14 15. are freed of Gospel-guiltinesse and condemned for sinnes against the Law and yet this same way saith that there is a Gospel-Covenant made with all even thousands of Pagans who never heard of a Gospel never ingadged themselves by any profession to take the Lord for their God in Christ yet Christ bare their sins on the Tree and made his blood applicable to them by a Gospel-Covenant if they shall beleeve Whence they must all break the Covenant of Grace of which many of them never heard and be condemned for no sins but the last act of Sodomy gluttony parricide for the Gospel threatteneth not death to any sin but to finall unbelief say they There are not any sinnes committed against the Gospel but they are also sinnes against the Law because God incarnate and Immanuel is God and leaves not off to be God consubstantiall with the Father because he assumes the nature of man Then as the first Command oblidgeth Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac when God shall reveal that Command and Moses and the people are by that first Command to believe their deliverance out of Egypt and so if the firâ—â— Command oblidge us to believe and obey all Commands and Promises and Threatnings of God revealed and to be revealed because the Lord is God then must Christ God Redeemer and Immanuel be beleeved by this Command and so finall unbelief and finall despising of Christ God Redeemer is as directly against the first Command and so not a sin only threatned and forbidden in the Gospel as simple unbelief and simple despising of Christ God Redeemer For the believing final believing and unbelief and unbelief continuing to the end differ in the accident of duration not in nature and essence As a Rose that grows for a moneth only and a Rose of the same nature that groweth and flourisheth for three moneths Otherwise Christ could not have pronounced Peter blessed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 16.17 in the present for believing in the present for he should not have been blessed to the end as Solon said of his blessed man And this cannot but subvert our faith crush the peace hope consolation of weak Believers to whom undoubtedly the promise of perseverance iâ—â—bsolutely made Jer. 31.31 35. Jer. 32.39 40. Isai. 54.10 Isai. 59.20 21. Joh. 4.14 Joh. 10.27 28. 2. If there be as formall a transgression of the fiâ—st Command in finall unbelief as in unbelief simply considered and in the other sins of Judas and other Apostates Why but as Christ bare in his body the sins of unbelief and satisfied for them he must so also bear the sins of finall rebellion and unbelief And shall we believe that Christ payed a satisfactory ransone of blood upon the crosse for the yesterdayes unbelief of Judas and not for the dayes unbelief If it be said No man can break the Gospel-Covenant for it is an everlasting Covenant Ans. It s an everlasting Covenant but yet all who sin against the commanding love and authority of our Immanuel especially they so professing to be his do truly break the Covenant but they so break it as it leaves not off to be the Covenant of life both to the breakers if they repent and beleeve and to others for so is the nature of this Covenant and so it is everlasting but the Covenant of Works if once broken ceases to be a Covenant of life for ever because the nature of it is to admit of no repentance at all Obj. Does not the Law command the sinner offending God to mourn and be humbled and confesse Ans. It doth But it injoines not repentance as a way of life with a promise of life to the repenter as the Law or as a Covenant of Works commands to its native and proper Covenanters obedience and every single act of obedience as a way to obtain the reward of a Law-life nor does the Law as a Covenant of Works command justifying faith and reliance upon God Redeemer or Immanuel but rather as the Law of Nature or as the Law of thankfulnesse to a Ransoning and Redeeming God the Law does this Though in a speciall Covenant way the Gospel command faith in Christ. Obj. But finall unbeleef as against God Redeemer and so considered is the only breach of the Covenant of Grace He that beleeves not is condemned as the man that rejects the only remedie of sin Ans. The only breach of the Covenant of Grace is too narrow to be the adequat cause of damnation for many Pagans who never heard of Christ and are under no Covenant but that of Works are condemned not for not beleeving in him of whom they never heard Rom. 10.14 nor for breach of the Covenant of Grace but for breach of the Covenant of Works 2. Unbelief may be called the nearest cause of damnation to such as 〈◊〉 within the Visible Church as the wilfull refusing of medicine which only and infallibly would heal the sick man of such a disease is the cause of his death but is the Morall cause For the disease it self is the Physicall cause or the materiall cause of the mans death And without doubt uncleannesse covetousnesse sorcerie lying idolatrie c. and many the like sinnes beside unbeleef are 1 Cor. 6.9 Eph. 5.5 6. Rev. 21.8 Rev. 22.15 Jud. 6.7 8. 2 Pet. 2.17.10 11 12 13 2 Thes. 2.9 10. 1 Pet. 4.3 4. 2 Pet. 2.2 3 4 5. the causes of the damnation of many visible professours where as this way saith Christ did satisfie upon the Crosse for all thâ—se sins and the damned of visible professours suffer in hell only for finall unbeleef And it seems unjust that both Christ and they should suffer satisfactory punishment for these same sins done against the Law And as strange that Châ—â—st should die for any and not die for their sinnes since the Scripture useth the word of dying for sinnes Rom. 4.25 delivered from our sinnes Christ is a pâ—opitiation for our sinnes and the same way not for ours only but for the sinnes of the whole world he died for sinners Heb. 2.17 that he might make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people that is for the sinfull people or sinners Heb. 9.28 so Christ was once offered to bear the sinnes of many That is to bear the sins of the sinfull many that he died for Heb. 10.12 But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sin sat down on the right hand of God that is after
1. The nature of obeence 2. The worth and excellencie of obedience The more the obedience be from our selves the more it partakes of the nature of obedience Hence four kinds of obedience are to be considered 1. Christs obedience was the most legall obedience and also the most perfect for he obeyed most of his own of any from his own will purely Ioh. 10.18 Mat. 26. â—9 42 44. His own blood Hebr. 9.14 Rev. 1.5 My blood saith he Matth. 26.28 He gave his life a ransome Matth. 20.28 He gave himself a ransome 1 Tim. 2.6 By himself he purged our sins Heb. 1.3 Gave himself for his Church Eph. 5.25 Offered himself Heb. 9.14 And therefore the satisfaction that he made was properly his own It s true the life flesh and blood which he offered to God as common to the three Persons was equally the life flesh blood of God by way of Creation and efficiency For God as God created His Man-hood and gave him a body but that Man-hood in abstracto was not the offering but all these in concreto and the self including the value and the dignitie was not the Fatâ—ers not the Spirits but most properly his own and the Sons only by way of personall termination and subsistence 1. There are contradictory tearms affirmed of this holy self the Son and of the Spirit and the Father The Son was God incarnate 2. The son offered himself his own life his own blood to God for our sins Neither the Father nor the Spirit at all is God incarnate neither Father nor Spirit offered his own life his own blood to God Neither the Father nor the Spirit hath to speak so a personall or terminative dominion over the flesh and blood of Christ. 2. Christ was in no sort oblidged to empty himself and cannot be under a jus or obligation to the Creator or the creature Of free love and his own will he became Mediâ—â—â—â— God Man and being creaâ—ed man and having said here am I to do thy will having stricâ—en hands with God as Surety of the Covenant none more oblidged being holy and true And therefore though Christ-Man was most strictly tyed to give the Father obedience yet he was not oblidged to give him such and such obedience so noble so excellent from a personall Union for Christ God cannot properly come under any obligation Hence the obedience of Christ is most meritorious because maximè indebita in regard of the God-head most undebtfull and yet obedience most debtfull in regard of the Man Christ. 3. Most from his own will personally considered the affection love the bended will highest delight to obey lay personally near to the heart and holy will of Christ God With desire have I desired to eat this Passeover He went foremost in the journey to Ierusalem when he was to suffer Much of the internall propension of the will makes much and as it were heightens and intends the nature of obedience so that Christs and our obedience have scarce an univocall definition 4. He gave and restored more glory to offended justice by such a noble incomparably excellent death then Adam and all his Sons took of glory from God therefore against impure Socinus it is a most reall satisfaction and compensation where glory by obeying and suffering is restored in liew of the glory taken away All that Socinians say that God cannot be a loser and needs not glory and nothing can be taken from him and nothing can be given to him proves nothing but that it is not such a satisfaction as one creature performs to another nor is it a satisfaction that brings profite to God For can a man be profitable to the Almightie Nor such a satisfaction as eases a disquieted minde Which proves not Christ to be a Saviour painted in a meer coppy to us and only a godly Martyr who saveth onely by preaching and witnessing and not by a most reall and eminently clear satisfaction 2. The Elect Angels next to Christ gave obedience in their Law course but not so properly of their own as Christ for some discriminating and strengthning grace they had from Christ Mediator their head Col. 2.10 that they should not fall and something from the Election of Grace which do not necessarily agree to the Covenant of Works which they performed without sin and the more extrinsecall help from grace the lesse merit so farre is grace from being as Jesuites say the essentiall requisite of merit that the work is lesse ours and so the lesse meritorious that it hath grace Let not any say then Christs obedience that came from the fulnesse of the Spirit without measure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must so be lesse meritorious which is absurd for the reason why grace in Angels and men who are meer creatures diminishes the nature of merit is because grace is not their own nor their proper due but supernaturall or preternaturall and so hurts the nature of the merit but to the meriting person Christ-God-Man nothing is supernaturall nothing extrinsecall nothing not his own Grace is his own as it were by a sort of personall dominion not to say that the Man Christ as man did not merit yet as man he was born sinless and with the full Image of God 3. Adam gave more faintly obedience more indeed of his own but it was lesse obedience and lesse will in it then the obedience of Angels and had he continued his obedience had been proper obedience but this is to be observed none did ever actu secundo and by the only help of simple nature attain Justification and Salvation by the simple Covenant of Works but men and evill Angels fell under both though that was a possible Covenant and holy and spirituall yet God set it up to be an inlet to pure Justice in the reprobate Angels and so to free grace in elect men 4. The obedience of faith or Gospel-obedience in the fourth place hath lesse of the nature of obedience then that of Adam or of the Elect Angels or that of Christs It s true we are called obedient Children and they are called the Commandements of Christ and Christ hath taken the Morall Law and made use of it in an Evangelick way yet we are more as it were patients in obeying Gospel-Commands not that we are meer patients as Libertines teach for grace makes us willing but we have both supernaturall habits and influences of grace furnished to us from the Grace of Christ who hath merited both to us and so in Gospel-obedience we offer more of the Lords own and lesse of our own because he both commands and gives us grace to obey And so to the elect beleever the Law is turned in Gospel he by his Grace fulfilling as it were the righteousnesse of the Law in us by begun new obedience Rom. 8.4 and to the reprobate the Law remains the Law and the Gospel is turned in the Law for all conditionall
is a gift of grace Phil. 1.29 the mercies bestowed and promised are all of free grace for we are justified by his grace Rom. 3.24 freely and are saved and called with a holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace 2 Tim. 1.9 For by grace saith Paul are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 and the new creation is framed in us of grace But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with Christ Eph. 2.4 5. and the new heart promised Ezek. 36.26 is given upon this account v. 32. Not for your sakes do I this saith the Lord be it known unto you be ashamed and confounded for your own wayes O house of Israel We have remission of sins freely of his grace Eph. 1.7 In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgivenesse of sins according to the riches of his grace Col. 1.14 Perseverence is promised of free grace Jer. 31.35 Jer. 32.39 40. Isa. 54.10 as life eternall is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6.23 and every influence of grace is of free grace Phil. 1.13 Joh. 15.5 and CHRIST the Surety of the Covenant of free-grace and love is given Joh. 3.16 to taste of death for every man Heb. 2.9 CHAP. XXVII Of cases of Law-fear and Gospel-faith How a child of God fears Law-threatnings FRom these properties flow diverse cases touching the stability of the Saints their perseverance their temptations their standing in grace 1. If they cannot fall away who are thus seated in the Covenant is not free will left to much loosnesse of security Answ. Not at all For a principle of Godly fear is fixed in the heart and so in free will never to depart from God Jer. 32.39 40. And where this Godly aw is the heart is in a Godly trembling and fear and darre not be loose wanton and secure to fear nothing but fears alway Prov. 28.14 and fears and trembles at the Lord and his goodnesse Hos. 3.5 A Godly heart trembles more for fear of grace and the debt of grace then of justice and wrath and fears sin more as it is against the bands of grace and against Christ and Gospel-love who can save then as it is against Law the Law-giver and him who eternally destroyes And so the aw of heaven hath a stronger impression then the terrour and aw of hell Quest. 2. How can the fear of falling away and the faith of perseverance absolutely promised and absolutely given consist together Ans. The Law-fear of falling away and the Gospel faith of persevering are not consistent The fear legall of the least sinne is a fear of hell and of eternall wrath to be irrecoverably inflicted but because the person is under grace the beleever cannot fear this fear except the Law-fear be letten out against him as a temptation but it is not his oblidged duty so to fear 2. The Law-fear upon a beleever is conditionall and not absolute as he fears hell and falling away jure as his deserving if God should enter in judgement with him and if he were not in CHRIST But he is oblidged to a Gospel-faith which layes hold on Christ righteousnesse and deliverance from condemnation and if Christ and interest in him be hid from him and nothing on but Law-fear that is a triall not a duty of Law-fear But there is a Godly Law-fear or a Gospel-Law-fear which is a Godly horrour conditionall for that which is never to be inflicted but yet according to deserving may be inflicted and this is the terrour of the Lord which breedeth Gospel perswasion 2 Cor. 5.11 and so may well stand with Gospel-faith and assurance of deliverance from falling away and of being stablished and confirmed to the end As a child in the fathers arm threatened to be cast over a sharp Rock in the Sea may have horrour and fear and cry out for fear and yet beleeve so his fathers compassion as he will not throw him in the Sea because the threatning is ordained not to be exercised but that the child may so much the more thrust his arms about his fathers neck Quest. 3. What is the best victory over temptations from such fears Ans. As in all temptations so here overcoming is attended with precious promises which are to be read Rev. c. 2.7.17.26 27 28. c. 3.5.12.21 Rev. 21. For 1. Feavers of the Law that have no kindly cools and relenting by the promises of the Gospel tend not to the strengthning of the life of God but only when they leave a standing self loathing and loving of Christ. 2. It argues the strength of faith after many yea six foyles to stand as the Army that is broken six times yet rallies and draws up again is often at the seventh time victorious 3. Such as stand against a strong and mighty tentation bâ—ing pressed out of measure above strength as Paul was 2 Cor. 1.8 9. in so much saith he that we despaired even of life But wee had the sentence of death in our selves do prevail to the being taught of God not to trust in our selves but in God who quickens the dead For here there comes reall strength from fighting As he who by strength of nature lives and convalesceth after a running boatch and strong pestilence goes through pest-houses and is never infected again So the worthies by faith who overcame strong temptations Heb. 11. to the end keep the fields and prevail till death 4. Godly fear of self-weaknesse and trembling at sin which may darken the feelings of received mercies and sweet influences addeth strength Something of that is here 2 Cor. 12.10 when I am weak then am I strong 5. A fixed peace in assurance of deliverance from condemnation and quietnesse in beleeving pardon and righteousnesse in Christ ought alwayes to be as touching the state of Justification for the questioning of this in a beleever if Antinomians will yeeld to truth is contrair to faith and no warrantable assurance But 2. a fixed peace in David immediatly after blood-shed and adultery before beleeving of the remission of these particular sins be in the Lords order renewed is security and not Godly peace Psal. 32.3 While I keept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day 5. I acknowledged and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Psal. 51.1 2 3 c. prove this But it may be said doth not this holy feeling of and trouble for the particular hainous guiltinesse brangle the fixed peace and the persons faith and confidence that he is in a state of justification Ans. Not at all for the outcries of the child of God Rom. 7.24 under not a finger or an arm or a leg but a body of sinne O wretched man who shall deliver me from the body of this death are good and
satisfactory passions For satisfaction is defined a voluntary restoring of the equivalent and as good in the place of what is taken away and the good restored must be 1. Undue 2. The proper good of the restorer which agrees to the active and passive obedience of Christ. Obj. Then Christs very weeping and praying being the weeping and praying of God-Man might have been a perfect satisfaction for our sins for Christ was God-Man in all his holy actions in the state of humiliation as in his being crucified and in his suffering Ans. This doth not follow Because the punishment of the breach of the Law and not that only but such a speciall punishment by dying the first and second death according to the threatening of the Law Gen. 2.17 In the day that thou eatest thou shalt surely die was required in the Law and except the threatening of the Law be fulfilled the Law is not fulfilled And Paul Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us for it is written cursed be every oâ—e that hangeth on a tree Now Christs suffering the death of the crosse the cursed death is that which makes him under the Law Ergo there is a Law-righteousnesse in suffering death So Gal. 4.4 God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law For what end 5. To redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the Adoption of sons How are we redeemed from under the Law By blood purchasing to us Justification Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his Grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sins past And redemption from the curse of the Law and remission is ever ascribed to the blood of Christ dying Rom. 3.24 25. Ye are bought with a price 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called a ransome of Christs blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 20.28 1 Tim. 2.6 Eph. 1.1.7 In whom we have redemption in his blood the forgivenesse of sins Col. 1.14 In whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgivenesse of sins Rom. 5.9 Being justified by his blood 1 Pet. 1.18 Being redeemed by the blood of the Lamb unspotted and undefided 1 â—oh 1.8 The blood of Jesus Christ purgeth us from all sin Rev. 5.9 And they sang a new song to wit the four Beasts and the four and twenty Elders for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood 1 Pet. 1.18 By his stripes which he suffered in his death Isa. 5.3 we are healed Rev. 1.5 To him that hath loved us and washen us from our sins in his blood For though all Christs actions of God-man from the worth of the infinite person be meritorious yet are they refuseable yea a satisfaction by Covenant which was the death of God-Man must be also 2. The word also never speaks of Christs dying for all but it mentions Justification in his blood Ro. 3.24 25. Rom. 5.9 Yea the Scripture adds another end of Christs death to wit forgivenesse Col. 1.14 Eph. 1.7 intercession at the right hand of GOD 1 Joh. 2.1 that we may receive the Adoption of sons Gal. 4.5 To make us Kings and Priests to God Rev. 1.16 dying to sin living to him 1 Pet. 2.24 That he might bring us to God 1 Pet. 3.18 The glorifying of God in our bodies 1 Cor. 6.19 20. Redeeming us from our vain conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 From this present evill world Gal. 1.4 Sanctifying the people Heb. 13.12 Heb. 10.8 9 10. All which the Lord must intend in Christs death to Pagans old and young to all and every one of mankind to whom the Gospel could not come And what authority have men to devise a redemption generall universall from hell and not from sin 2. For life eternall and not for the giving of the Spirit and for redemption from a vain conversation and for sanctifying of the people also 3. A redemption in Christs blood but no forgivenesse of sins in his blood not any non-imputation of sin nor reconciliation of the world 2 Cor. 5.15 18 4. A dying of the just for the unjust but not to bring them to God a redeeming of them but not a redeeming of them out of every Kindred and Tongue and People and Nation for these People Nations and Tongues were redeemed by this way as well as they and a washing of them in his blood but no making of them Kings and Priests to God a dying for all but no living to him contrair to 1 Pet. 1.18 Rev. 5.9 Rev. 1.5.5 6. 2 Cor. 5.15 5. Christs blood did something and it is not any thing to make all saveable to pacifie Justice satisfie the Law to merite Heaven but did nothing to soften the heart mortifie and sanctifie the will mind affections to remove unbeleef to renew the mind But it is sure the Lord had not intended to commit heaven and hell any more to a sanctified will but mutable and lubrick in Adam but to commit all to Christ to a better Covenant better promises to a way of free-grace not of nature Yet these men commit the salvation and damnation of all and every one to an unsanctified corrupt rebellious will Gen. 6.5 Gen. 8.21 1 Cor. 2.14 Joh. 6.44 Job 14 4. Psal. 51.5 Jer. 17.9 10 c. except they say Pagans and all mankind are regenerated sanctified justified yea to a worse Covenant then that Covenant of Works to an universall Covenant of Grace That 1. never came to their ears 2. By which they are in a worse condition then Adam was who had the Image of God in his soul and a full power to stand and a clearly revealed Covenant But all mankind for whom Christ is supposed to die are born heirs of wrath but they are born in more miserie in the bondage of sin of a blind heart of a corrupt will their chains heavier their furnace hoter in hell helps fewer And yet the absolutenesse of Soveraignty under the freedom of the Grace of Christ by this way of Vniversalists shines no more now nay not so much now as in Adams state for more is laid upon free-will and lesse help to heal the will then was in the Covenant of Works And if all die in Adam and the Second Adam die for all he must die to loose the works of Satan in all Now if a weaker course be taken to destroy Sathans kingdom now then in Adams state and all be laid upon a weaker will Sathan is stronger now then before And if Christ do not purchase by his death grace to bow indeclinably the will of all these for whom he dyed to cause them live to him die to sin to make them Kings and Priests to God c. but leave their will in a more weak and wicked condition then it was under in the first Covenant Sathan is in this stronger
as he is also the Author of this Covenant as God Exod. 3.6 It was he who said I am the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. 1 Cor. 10.9 Let us not tempt Christ as some of them tempted him and were destroyed of the Serpents And this is he who led them and brought them out of Aegypt Numb 21.6 7. whom they tempted in the wildernesse 5 6 7. And he ascribes to himself the Covenant Heb. 8.9 Not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers c. And it is clear that the pardon of sin promised in the Covenant Jer. 31. Heb. 8. is never ascribed to the blood of Martyrs but every where to Christs blood Eph. 1.7 Col. 1.14 Rom. 3.25 Rev. 1.5 1 Joh. 1.8 Heb. 9.14.14 15 22. Heb. 10.16 17 18. 2. That he is the Surety also of the Covenant is expresly said Heb. 7.22 and the Mediator thereof Heb. 8. Nor can it be said that the death of the Testator does properly give faith and authority to the Testament for the authority and justice of the just or unjust will of the Testator addeth unto or diminisheth from the authority of the Testament for the Testators will is the principal efficient cause of the Testament the death of the man is only a necessary condition by which the right of the Testator to these goods is transferred from him who now being dead needs them not in to friends to whom they are left in Legacie and so death is but an antecedent condition of the right to the goods 3. Christs dying to bear witnesse to his own Gospel is only the secondary end of his death in so far as secondarily remission of sins is made known to us after the principall end of his death to wit reconciliation remission pardon redemption and life is purchased to us by way of merit And sure the truth of pardon and redemption is hugely more confirmed and sealed by the whole company of the Martyrs and made known to the sons of men then by the death of one single man Maries Son Nor does the Scripture ever commend Christs love to us in sealing the Gospel with his blood as the only way to life or making this the most strong Argument to move us to beleeve in God and obey Christ because Christ died for sinners and rose again to make the Gospel true like and worthy to be beleeved as the Martyres do but love shined in this that in dying we have redemption and forgivenesse and life in his blood And since Godly and sound beleeving Martyrs died for this end especially to glorifie God and seal the truth Joh. 21.19 Rev. 2.13 Mat. 10.32 Luk. 12.8 Mar. 8.38 Luk. 9.26 2 Tim. 2.12 Rev. 12. â—1 we must have most properly forgivenesse of sins in the blood of Sâ—even and Antipas and the rest of the Martyres And miracles do aboundantly seal the truth of the Gospel And so doth the holinesse of profession Joh. 20.32 Mar. 16.20 Joh. 5.35 36. Matth. 5.16 but never are we redeemed justified saved by Christs and the Apostles miracles and holy life for any thing we read in Scripture but we have life by Christs blood as by a ransome a price to buy us Q. Hence 1. case May not the conscience be quiet by the way of Socinus which lays aside a ransome given to Justice Ans. The experience of the Godly man wakened in conscience saith to this when he is chastened with pain in his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong pain and the mans soul drawes â—ear to the gâ—ave and his life unto the destroyers and the man stands on need of an Interpreter one among a thousand to shew unto man his righteousnesse Job 33.19 20 21 22 23. Then God is gracious to him and saith deliver him from going down to the pit I have found him a ransome He is not quiet while God say my Prophet deliver him from hell and the pit which he so much fears for my offended Justice hath found a ransome in Christ and I am 〈◊〉 with him Yea and the conscience must be purged from 〈◊〉 works by his blood who offered himself without spot to God through the eternall Spirit Heb. 9.14 Yea and there is no remission of sins without sheding of blood v. 22. Not of Buls or Goats for the blood of beasts leaves still conscience of sin Heb. 10.1 2. Then it must be the blood of Christ v. 5.10 who was crucified and made a curse for us Gal. 3.10 such a curse as we must have eternally according to Divine Justice suffered Yea if works done by the exemplary grace of a Martyr such a holy man as Christ who was never wounded for our transgressions nor bruised for our iniquities then Christ died in vain and there was no ransome of blood given for our sins only God of free-will made an innocent man a curse and would have him crucified neither for his own sin nor for ours well then may good works without the blood of sinner or surety take away sin And the conscience sprinkled with good works may well calm a guilty conscience yea and according to the measure of good works is the measure of assurance of peace with God Now we see the most tender David Job Hezekiah Heman who walked most with God have not alway most assurance of peace and righteousnesse with God but most dreadfull doubtings of conscience according as by faith they apprehend the ransome of full satisfaction or were dazled and darkened in their apprehension yea sure without the ransome of blood of free-will all receive a dry and unbloody pardon by doing the Commandements of Jesus Christ. The Socinian faith which looks to an exemplary Martyr whom God of no justice but in vain and for no cause delivered to death but of meer free pleasure whereas there might be and is forgivenesse without shedding of blood contrair to Heb. 9.22 Rom. 3.24.25 c. even good works done in imitation of Christ. Q. 2. Another case is here Is Christ on our side of the Covenant and on the Lords side This would seem no satisfying of justice Ans. It is true the case would seem no quieting of conscience If 1. Christ-God were not the same offended God who out of soveraignty of free grace doth condescend to make a Covenant of grace and so is upon Gods side 2. If Christ were not a Person different from offended God as the Godhead is common to all the three so in a voluntary and admirable dispensation and Oeconomie the Kings Son a Person different from the Father taketh upon him our nature And 3. having mans nature which offended and so being fit therein to satisfie wrath and fit therein to merit to sanctifie the people with his own blood might well be upon our side and there 's no scenick no seeming but a most reall satisfaction here in that there is a most full and reall compensation made to offended justice and our faith laying hold on
that are freely given us by promise are given to us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with Christ or after that he hath given us Christ and assignies and younger brethren come in under the first Heir Our blood-relation to the Family stands by Christ interest to promises comes all this way The Lords method is Get first Christ then all the promises are yours for they follow him And Christ well manages Covenant-promises as they most tend to the good of his own And this is specially to be considered that Christ from the womb to the grace does act and suffer nothing but as a publike person For us he was born Isai. 9.6 For unto us a Child is born unto us a Son is given Luke 2.11 Rejoice saith the Angel for unto you not to us Angels nay neither for himself unto you is born a Saviour 2. Why For whose sake came he this journey to the earth Luke saith it was no private business of his own c. 19.10 He came to seek and to save that which was lost and to save saith Paul sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 3. Why died he He was made a curse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for us Gal 3.13 Sin for us 2 Corin. 5.21 Died for his sheep John 10.11 for his friends Joh. 15.13 was made poor for our sake 2 Cor. 8.9 is our forerunner who is entred into heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for us Heb. 6.20 We have a great high Priest touched with our infirmities Heb. 4.14 15. Who hath entered into the heavens to appear in the presence of God for us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christs publike Spirit who breathed not for himself lived not for himself died not for himself nor ascended to heaven for himself nor enjoyes he heaven for himself should show us the necessity we have of Christ. The Physician is needfull to the sick the ransone to the captive bread to him that famisheth but Christ is more necessary to the sinner We know not how many are in Christs debt for heaven Angels Sun and Moon seas and fountains men and all things subsist by him Col. 1.17 Heb. 1.3 Yet most of men judge fire and water more needfull then Christ and think they no more need Christ or Covenant-interest in him then the cart needs the third wheel or the great Ocean a drop of dew nor is it every necessity of Christ that we presse There is a necessity of a Physician to a whole Pharisee as a dead man stands in need of life But it is a literall necessity by which the whole saith Christ Matth. 9. needs not the Physician but it is the sick paining necessity such as this I die a hundreth times if I get not CHRIST This takes away sleep in the night and brings a fixed aim to sell all and buy Him CHAP. IX The 13. Argument from the necessity of Gods call 2. Of Typicall sprinkling of the blood of the Covenant and of the Testament The place Heb. 13.20 the blood of the everlasting Covenant opened Of the place Heb. 7.22 the act of suretyship the assurance of our state AN Argument 13. is taken from the necessity of this Covenant of Redemption 1. From the call of God Christ took not on him to be a Priest nor did he glorify himself to be made an High Priest but that he said unto him Heb. 5. Thou art my Son to day have I begotten thee That is I have ordained thee to have the honourable calling of the High Priest The Apostle also Heb. 1. applyeth this in part to the eternall generation of the Son And Act. 13.33 the Apostle applyes this to Christs rising from the dead because in these two latter manifestly appears the God Head of the Son in that he is true High Priest who by offering himself hath taken away our sins which only God can do In the other Rom. 1.4 He is declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead He who took not upon him to be High Priest while God called him and neither took upon him to be King while God called him and said Psal. 2.6 I have Anointed him my King upon my holy Hill of Zion and willingly consented to the call of God to be King and Priest He must be made Priest and King by Covenant between him and God for Priests and Kings were called by Covenant Mal. 2. v. 5. 2 King 11.17 2 Sam. 5.3 2. It is necessarie that the promises that are our Writs and Charters of Heaven be in a surer hand then in our own to wit in the keeping of Christ For this is an absolute promise made to us Ezek. 36.26 A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh This promise is not formally made to Christ yet it is a speciall Covenant-promise Jer. 31. Ezek. 11. Heb. 8. for there is no stony heart in Christ yet the promise is laid down in him and made to him eminenter for by the merit of his blood for he sanctified the people with his own blood Heb. 13.12 he sprinkles many Nations Isai. 52.15 Some say as Calvin Luther Musculus by the Preached Gospel But it is clear he alludeth to the Law of sprinkling Exod. 24.8 And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said Behold the blood of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words Now of that blood it is said Exod. 24.6 And Moses took half of the blood of the oxen that the young men of the children of Israel offered v. 5. and put it in basons and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar 1. The half of the blood was divided betwixt the altar and the people to note say the English Divines the mutuall stipulation of God of Christ God the true Altar to his people and his people to him who were atoned and made one by the blood of Christ v. 7. 2. Moses took the book of the Covenant and red it in the audience of the people Not the Book of the Covenant of the ten Commandements for Moses had not as yet brought the two Tables of Stone containing the ten Commandements down from the mountain Then it was the Book of the Judiciall Lawes and Promises Heb. 9.19 For when Moses had spoken every Precept to all the people according to the Law he took the blood of calves and of goats with water lest the blood should thicken and congeal nor being mixt with water notting also some other mysteries 1 Joh. 5.6 8. and scarlet wool and hysop and sprinkled both the Book and all the people It s true there is no mention of wool and hysop and scarlet Exod. 24. but the Author to the Hebrews adds nothing of his own to Moses for there 's a ground for these Num. 19.6 and Moses speaks not of the sprinkling of the Book but the Book lying upon the
sprinkled Altar was also sprinkled with blood for saith the Holy Ghost Heb. 9.22 Almost all things are by the Law purged with blood and without shedding of blood there is no forgivenesse of sins There was no guiltinesse in the Book but these written Lawes and Ceremonies were the hand-writing of Ordinances which was against us which was contrary to us which Christ by his bloody death behoved to blot out take out of the way and nail to His Crosse Colos. 2.14 But another Question riseth Exod. 24.6 What needed the sprinkling of the people with one half of the blood and the sprinkling of the Altar that is Christ the Mediator with the other For 1. Neither the work of dying to redeem man can be divided between Christ and the people nor needed Christ our true Altar forgivenesse of sins Ans. The typicall sprinkling of the people is expounded Heb. 9.14 the purging of the conscience from dead works to serve the living God to obey the Gospel 1 Pet. 1.3 But the sprinkling of the Altar Christ with the blood is a far other thing So the Holy Ghost Heb. 9. He who is constitute the Mediator of a Testament his death must interveen to ratify and make valide in Law the Testament v. 16 17. That the friends of the Testator may have right to the goods that are bequeathed to them in the Testament But Christ is the Mediator of the New Testament v. 15. Ergo c. Now we are to know that Christs dying is considered 1. As a paying of ransone for captives by which in Law and by way of meriâ—e the ranson of the blood of God exceedeth the worth of the bought captives or the crime committed by the captives and so Christs death meriteth to his friends ransoned righteousnesse life pardon 2. His dying is considered as a Testament of a dying friend Now the living friends by vertue of a Testament as a Testament have not â—us and right by buying and selling to the goods tested The essence and nature of a Testament is saved whether the goods that are bequeathed in legacy be the free gift of the Testator not bought with a price by him or goods of the father of the friend to which the friend being a German-brother hath as good right or the same right by birth that the Testator hath How ever the comparison holds in this Christ 1. hath bequeathed to believers these goods 2. The Testament is no Testament nor valide in Law except the Testator be dead No man can sue by Law tested goods if the Testator himself be living Nor can we have right to a new heart forgivenesse perseverance eternall life to grace and glory except Christ our Testator had died But because the Tested goods are more then goods left to us in Testament they are left to us by such a Testament as is both a Testament and a death perfectly meritorious this is superadded to the nature of a Testament and beyond all Testaments yea a death which is a price to ransone us from the wrath to come Therefore Christ so dying in our stead of justice meriteth that the friends should have these goods though they belong by meer grace and free promise to the friends Now this is a most clear ground Christ hath a well purchased right by giving a condign price for the goods and blesâ—sings promised in the Covenant of Grace to us This right he hath by paying a price laying down his life for us This buying is not by necessity of nature of justice but by a voluntary free and uncompelled agreement and Covenant Joh. 10.18 Isai. 53.6 No man can exact upon him Psal. 89.22 2. If the Old Testament was confirmed by the blood of beasts then must the New Testament be confirmed by the blood of Christ prefigured in these But the Old Testament was so confirmed Heb. 9. v. 18 19 20 21 22 23. Ergo now neither Testament nor Covenant was confirmed by blood simply but by the blood of a living creature slain 3. Hence the making of a Covenant was by cutting a calf or a beast in twain and passing between the parts thereof Jer. 34.18 and so they entered into a curse Nehem. 10.29 devoted themselves to destruction wishing they might be cut 〈◊〉 which is a strange kinde of death Math. 24.51 if they should break the Covenant Hence the Phrase of striking a Covenant So the Romans slew a sow So the Romans and Albani made a Covenant as Livius A Herauld or Officer at Arms slew the beast and prayed a curse on the people of Rome that they might be the same way stricken if they should break the Covenant It s like they had it from the Jewes So Christ died to ratifie and confirm the Covenant Exod. 24.6 This is the blood of the Covenant Now the Covenant hath no blood This blood of slain beasts for it is a figurative speech is a signe confirming the Covenant that believers shall have remission of sins in that blood of Christ which is shaddowed forth by the blood of these beasts So Christ the great Shepheard of the flock Heb. 13.20 is said to be brought from the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the blood of the everlasting Covenant Juâ—ius the Article is understood Or as the Hebrew Phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Calvin and Piscator The question may be How did God bâ—ing Christ again from the death by the blood of the everlasting Covenant had the blood of Christ any influence to bring himself back from the dead Or did he by dying merit his own resurrection Ans. Some read the word thus and shun the Question The God of peace who brought again from the dead the great sheepherd of the sheep Understanding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being the great sheepherd or feeder by the blood of the everlasting Covenant So Beza who maks these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be referred to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So as Christs right to be Pastor is in and by his blood and suffering And the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so is not to be constructed with the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But Beza confesseth that he changed the situation of the words But if Christ be made a Pastor and feeder of the sheep by the blood of the eternall Covenant then is he called to be a Pastor by Covenant And what influence hath his death in his Pastoral Office Is it by way of merit Or did Christ merit to himself Hardly if not curiously can we say that though I nothing doubt but Christ gave perfect obedience as man to the Covenant of Works and he did merit as man jure operum life eternall the way that Adam should have merited life eternal so he had never fallen But the words naturally bear this sense as Deodati expounds them that Christ is risen by vertue of his death As it is well said the just surety
hath right and Law to come out of prison by paying the summe and neither Justice nor Creditor can keep him in prison solutus aere est solutus carcere Christ having satisfied our debt and payed the ransome of his blood to the death and being dead and under the dominion of death by justice is freed from either remaining in death or dying any more he is now justified not in his person for Christ in person was habitually righteous and from the womb Luk. 1.35 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That holy thing Jesus was sinlesse and so never condemned but justified in his cause and in his condition by Law for us and so appeareth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the second time without sin unto salvation the second time without sin hath relation to the first time without sin that is he shall appear the second time no lesse without sin and so justified in regard of his condition in Law then he was when he was conceived by the Holy Ghost and so that eminently holy thing born of the Virgin Mary Luk. 1.35 that is as justified as if he had never been made sin and never had been under the Law-burden of our sins as Isai. 53.6 And 1 Tim. 3.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He was justified in the Spirit declared to be just and the innocent Son of God by his resurrection from the dead Rom. 1.4 so that in the Spirit is in the eternall Spirit Heb. 9.14 the Godhead For he came from under that act and band of Cautionrie and Suretyship without sin that is acquit from sin which he was made and was laid upon him 2 Cor. 5.21 Isai. 53.6 4. We know Heb. 7.22 Jesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He was made the Surety of a better Covenant as the LXX ever translate it of a better Testament Now here is a judiciall and a Law-act of suretyship put upon Christ. 1. He was made Surety then he was not Surety by nature but so made by a free transaction and Covenant For in Christs coming under that act when he was made Surety there be two things 1. His eternall condiscending to take on him our nature and to empty himself and be a servant 2. His agreeing and plighting of his faith and truth to take on our condition in Law that God should lay upon him the iniquity of us all Isa. 53.6 and that God should make him who knew no sin to be sin for us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in our Law place and room 2 Cor. 5.21 not against his Fathers will nor yet without his own free consent That is against all reason For that which God made Christ that he was not by nature but that God willingly made him and that he was willingly and by free Covenant made But God gave him a body Heb. 7.5 and God made him sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 5.11 So a Surety is one that promises to satisfie for another and comes from a Verbe which signifies to promise by striking of hands Prov. 22.26 Be not thou among them that strike hands or of them that are surety for debts The Seventy give not thy self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a Surety Aries Montan. Inter percutientes fide jubendo The Verbe in the Hebrew is from a root that signifies to mix together as the owle light when light and darknesse after the Sun-set are mixed together And by a Metaphor it notes suretyship and mixture of persons as M. Legh when one is tyed for another and mixed with him in his place As Christ put himself in the bond and writ of blood that we were in We were in the Law-writ Deut. 27. â—6 under a curse and Christ shifted the beleevers out and was made a curse by his own consent for us Gal. 3.10 and was written and acted in the Law-book the sinner and answered all the demands of Law and Justice and put in our names in the Gospel writ And that from everlasting God was in Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reconciling the world of the elect not imputing their sins unto them 2 Cor. 5.19 And in time we beleeving are written blessed and righteous in him Gal. 3.13 14. 2 Cor. 5.21 And what could more be done by Christ who substitute himself by Covenant in our place and put us in his place Nor is this Suretyship just in debts only but also what ever Socinus Crellius and others say on the contrair in Capitall punishments For M. Thomas Goodwine pag. 50. Eâ—oritus did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 willingly become a surety for Suephenus Yea and in hostages and pledges in war Plutarch saith that the Thessaliâ—ns slew two hundreth and fifty hostages The Romans saith Livie did the like to three hundreth of the Volsti and cast the Taratines over rocks de 〈◊〉 Tarpâ—iâ— and these were humane people The children of Tyrants were killed with the Tyrants by some Cities of Greece as Ciceâ—o and Halicarnaseus say Curtius saith that the Macedâ—nians put to death such as were near of blood to traitors Marcellinus saith so much also of the Persians The just Lord punishing the sins of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation â—eacheth that conjunction of blood such as was between Christ our Kinsman 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Job 19.25 and us may well make it most just that Christ be punished for us the Surety for the sinner though the sinner be under the hand of the Judge for he is unable to satisfie Justice and mercy saith that there is no essentiall reason in Law-justice why the same head which sinned and no other should suffer But grace may interveen so that though God need no surety yet tender mercy or God decreeing to show mercy in some good sense needs such a Surety as Christ. Neither is it much that justice saith that the Surety ought to have satisfaction made to him and restitution by the broken debter because justice gives his due to every man For 1. if the surety be more then a man and have absolute soveraignty over what he expâ—nds as Christ hath over his own life to lay it down and take it up again Joh. 10.18 As of free grace he payed for us so of free grace he pleads not in Law that the broken man pay him back and make restitution of his losses and this saith demonstratively that God doth neither punish nor show mercy by necessity of justice 2. When the surety hath a band of relief and as it were a back-band that his soul shall not be left in grave Psal. 16.10 but that he shall be victorious and more he may give out and look for nothing in again And the necessity of a surety to say remove the scaffold the guilty man shall not die pleads that if the Lord shall be merciful to sinners as he decreed then must Christ transact so with God as the everlasting out-goings of mercy may be with the free consent as it
shall glorifie the Father It s not to be rejected that Hilarius lib. 1. de Trinit 11. August lib. 1. de Trinit c. 8. he shall render the elect back to God as now saved and present to the Father his ransoned ones now perfected so Eph. 5.27 3. Taking the word of raigning for this to excell in eminency of power above all so Christ shall raign eternally but taking the word of raigning as it notes the exercise of royall authority so and so by gathering a Church by the Preached word fighting against enemies and overcoming them to make them his foot-stool untill which time he raignes Ps. 110. And so it may be and is said by some he raigns not after the day of the universall Judgement but these are but the second acts of a King and the not exercising of these acts proves not but Christ is a King actu primo and essentially for the exercise of such and such acts are often extrinsecall to the office But the question shall remain whether he be not for ever and ever a Mediatory King and does retain his headship over the Church so as the Angel say Luk. 1.33 He shall raign 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of his Kingdom there shalâ— be no end And as Dan. 7.14 Cameron and others say the meaning of that that his Kingdom shall have no end is only it shall not be destroyed by externall violence as worldly Monarchies that are made away and others rise in their place but that Kingdom say they may wellâ—be called eternall though the King leave off to raign when he leaves off to raign through no weakenesse and want of power but because he needs not raignâ— there being no need of laws because the subjects are perfected and there are no enemies to be subdued and the King hath obtained that eternall end a glorified people for which he was fighting But yet this seems not to satisfie 1. Circumcision and the Ceremonies and the Priest-hood Exo. 40.15 Lev. 16.29 the fast in the seventh month shall be a statute 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for ever Lev. 6.18 All the mules of the sons of Aaron shal eat the remainder of the meat-offering it shall be a statute for ever in your generations so Lev. 17.7 Lev. 7.34 3â— Lev. 23.14 Num. 23.11 23. yet these Ordinances can hardly be called eternall as the Kingdom of Christ is And yet they cease when the body is come and they are not destroyed as humane inventions the hay and the stubble that are builded upon the foundation Christ. 2. These reasons prove that Christ shall not exercise such and such acts of royaltie upon such and such enemies for they shall be no enemies Yet we say not as â—amero that such a Prince leaves off to raign even as Mediatour Christs rendering of the Kingdome dispensatory or Oeconomick to the Father may well be a rendering of an account of his subjects and a presenting of them to God perfected Eph. 5.26 27. without spot and wrinkle Christ having brought them out of danger so as they need not Word Sacraments or a Temple And so 1 Cor. 15.24 He shal put down all rule all power and authority all Magistracy and Government that now is in either Church or State and so saith Parâ—us the Son shal be subject to the Father having subdued all the rebels as his Fathers Deputie he shall return to his Father the Kingdom now reduced to subjection and made peaceable and lay down his Mediatorie Commission and so be subject to the Father having ended the deputed and delegated charge And it is sure the Son as Mediatour is sent and is a Servant an Angel or Messenger of the Covenant Mal. 3. and the laying down of his written Commission is a sort of subjection and God doth not now actually raign in such a Mediatory way as in the days of Christs flesh he did raign in Christ but now after the last Judgement God is all in all that is not because he is not now all in all and is not the Lord of lords and King of kings but because it doth not so appear to be many now rise against him and contradict him and persecuting his Mysticall body do persecute Christ. 2. He shal be all in all by change of the Oeconomick Government then the Father Son and Spirit shal immediatly glorifie the Church Rev. 21.22 And I saw no Temple therein for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb is their Temple 3. And the City had no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the glory of God did inlighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof But that Christ shall leave off to be Mediatory King after the last Judgement I deny For there is a twofold Mediation one of uniting sinners to God and mediating between God and them This shall cease and all the royall acts thereof but these with reverence 〈…〉 second operations and acts of royaltie There is another Mediation substantiall by which our natures glorified stand in a substantiall union with God for ever for to what end shall Christ stand glorified in our nature in heaven but to be the substantiall 〈…〉 between 〈◊〉 and us glorified for ever If any say that Christ-God-Man after that day is no Mediatour of reconciliation because there shall be no sin then It s true Nay but even now in the intervall between his ascension and second appearing to Judge the world he acts not as Mediatour of reconciliation to expiate our sins and to satisfie for them for only he did upon the crosse by dying for us so mediate And we will not say he is acting the part of a Priest formally by sacrificing for us in heaven as Socinians teach for he can offer no expiatory sacrifice for us in heaven for he died but once that was on the earth only Obj. But now he Advocats for sinners 1 Joh. 2.1 therefore as now in heaven glorified he is a Mediatour for sinners Ans. True he is a Mediatour and Intercessour now applicatione non expiatione by applying his blood but not by shedding of it And he is an Advocat but called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jesus the Righteous and an Advocat as just and righteous supposeth a right and just cause and that sufficient satisfaction and payment is given to God for the sins of these for whom Christ interceeds the Advocation of Christ is not to plead that beleevers may sin or their sins may be excused as no sins But his intercession is to plead 1. that for his blood we may stand as accepted of God and freed from condemnation 2. That the Spirit procured by the death of Christ may be given to us that we may repent and beleeve But again after the last Judgement Christ stands as Mediatour not to apply his death nor to interceed for sinners when there shall be no sinners but Christ eternally shall appear for us as a paund of a