Such as are after the flesh they mind i. e. they savour and relish the things of the flesh their affections are wholly set upon and drawn out after fleshly Objects their love delight desires run out altogether upon these things But they that are after the spirit they mind the things of the spirit their affections are fixed upon spiritual Objects they run in the right channel are place upon God and Christ they are in a word pure and heavenly The flesh hath carnal affections and indeed it puts forth it self very much if not most in them therefore you have it coupled with them Gal. 5.24 They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts On the other hand the spirit hath its affections too but they are as contrary to the former as Heaven is to Hell 'Pray observe what the Apostle subjoins v. 25 If we live in the spirit let us walk in the spirit This walking in the spirit for it will bear this sense as well as that which I mentioned before is brought in by way of opposition to the affections and lusts of the flesh 't is as if he had said if we live in the spirit then let us not give way to those sordid affections which are of the flesh and suit with it but let our affections be such as may suit with the Holy Spirit and with that Divine Life which he hath wrought in us Where any thus walk in the spirit they walk after the spirit IV. To walk after the Spirit 't is to live under and to close with secret inclinations and propensions in the Soul to what is holy and good so that the bent byas tendency and workings of the heart are for what is good and against what is evil These two contrary principles have always contrary propensions they incline and draw contrary ways the good Spirit and the sanctified Nature are all for Obedience close walking with God the exercise of the several Graces c. there 's their tendency The evil Spirit without and the evil Nature within I put them together for they agree too well in that which I am upon they are altogether for sin they perpetually incline and urge to pride passion envy coveteousness uncleanness c. there 's their tendency And these different propensions are so far in the Saints themselves that they are the ground of that civil war and conflict which they in this Life feel so much of They are set forth by the lustings of the flesh against the spirit and of the spirit against the flesh Gal. 5.17 Now according to the strength and prevalency of these two principles and the closure of the heart with them in their different propensions and inclinations so is the Walking either after the flesh or after the spirit Let me not be misunderstood I do not speak of the meer inexistence or inbeing of these contrary propensions no nor of the prevalency of them in some particular acts for both of these may be in a Child of God and in one who walks after the Spirit as you see in Paul himself Rom. 7.23 25 I onely speak of evil propensions in their full strength when they are entire unmixt unbroken do prevail as to the general course when persons upon all occasions side with and wholly give up themselves to them where 't is so doubtles there 't is walking after the flesh But now when these are resisted and the Soul doth rather fall in with the good inclinations of the good Spirit so as to cherish obey comply with and act according to them then 't is walking after the spirit V. This walking after the Spirit consists in the spiritualness and supernaturalness of the aims and ends For the Spirit of God where ever he is always raises and elevates a man in his ends and the spiritual life too wherever it is always is attended with spiritual ends namely the glorifying of God as the supream and ultimate End and the saving of the Soul as the subordinate End Where-ever there is a supernatural principle there will also be a supernatural end for the end is always adequate and answerable to the principle as it cannot be higher so it will not be lower Men that are nothing but corrupt nature and flesh their aims are answerable to their state all that they drive at is the Flesh or Self under some fleshly consideration as they act altogether from Self some base fleshly principle so they act altogether for Self some base fleshly end the great End the glory of God is nothing to them but Flesh is all in all here 's no halting in the case this is down-right walking after the flesh But they that are spirit and have the spirit O they look higher the mark which they aim at with the greatest steà diness they can it is God's Glory You see it in Paul Phil. 1.21 To me to live is Christ and to dye is gain Christ was the matter of his life and the end of his life for these two Things make the living Christ Paul was all for this as he * Ver. 20. there speaks that Christ might be greatned or magnified by him And he speaking elsewhere of the Saints in general he thus sets them forth * Rom. 14.7 8. None of us liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself for whether we live we live to the Lord and whether we dye we dye to the Lord whether we live or dye we are the Lords Now so far forth as any in their course come up to these high and spiritual ends so far and no farther may they be said to to walk after the Spirit Flesh always centers in flesh but grace causes a man to aspire and aim at the glory of God The spiritual Walker makes this his chief end and looks upon all other things but as means to this and herein lies the very essence of Holiness or of holy Walking Would any of you fully understand your selves so as to be able to pass decisive judgment about this let your enquiry run out here what are our Ends what is it that we mainly design and intend in our Course As every mans End hereafter happy or miserable shall be according to his walking here so every mans walking here is either spiritual or carnal according to his End Our Lord tells us Joh. 7.18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory but he that seeketh his glory that sent me the same is true and no unrighteousness is in him So here he that liveth himself and of himself he seeketh himself but he that seeketh the glory of God the same is a true walker after the Spirit Thus have I shown in these five particulars what it is to walk after the Spirit Concerning which 't is not necessary that I should vouch an exact difference betwixt them I give them but as so many illustrations of the Thing and so you must take them From all that hath been spoken it
hard as that the power of the Son of God cannot effect it and what can be so high as that the Obedience of the Son of God cannot merit it Had Christ been only the Son of Man then indeed Faith could not have bore up with such confidence but he being the Son of God also and having the Nature Essence Attributes of God how may Faith triumph as to the efficacy and meritoriousness of his obedience 'T was the blood of God which he shed Acts 20.28 O what a greatness and * Superest ut poena illa Fidejussoris nostri pretio dignitate atque merito foret infinita id quod allter fieri non potuit quam si Persona patiens foret ipsa infinita Nam ut Pèccati c. Vid. Thes Salmur de Christo Mediat parte 1. th 13. p. 246. infiniteness of Merit must needs result from the greatness and infiniteness of such a Person Heb. 9.13 14. If the blood of Bulls and of Goats and the ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the Flesh How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your Conscience from dead works to serve the Living God 4. You may go boldly to the throne of Grace upon all occasions For you have God's own Son to lead you thither and to make way for you and not only so but this own Son improves all his interest in and with the Father for your good why are you afraid to go to God Heb. 4.14 16. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest that is passed into the heavens Jesus the Son of God c. let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need 5. You need not in the least question the prevalency of Christ's intercession Doth Christ intercede and shall he not prevail will not the Father hear such a Son Suppose he may deny you which he will not yet surely he will not deny his own and onely Son Christ upon this relation may ask any thing and he shall have it mark the connexion Psal 2.7 I will declare the decree the Lord hath said unto me thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee what follows now upon this why Vers 8. Ask of me and I shall give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession God thinks nothing too much for this Son when he asks it of him and 't is the same when he asks for you as when he asks for himself therefore fear not but that your Prayers shall be graciously answered Christ himself interceding for you when the Kings own Son carrys the Petition doubtless it shall be granted 6. This is the Person to whom you are mystically united and therefore his Glory and Greatness reflects a Glory and Greatness upon you You are in Christ not only as he is the Son of Man but as he is the Son of God also for the Vnion is terminated not in this or that Nature but in the whole Person the Apostle therefore takes special notice of this 1 Joh. 5.20 We know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ O to be in this Son there 's the glory and safety of a believer I have done with this high and most Evangelical Truth The Lord Jesus is God's own Son upon which I have been somewhat large partly because of the excellency of the Argument it self and partly because of the great opposition made against it 2 Joh. 3. Grace be with you mercy and peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of the Father in truth and love ROM 8.3 c. In the likeness of sinful Flesh CHAP. XII Of Christ's Incarnation and abasement in Flesh A Fourth General in the Words handled Why the Apostle is so express in the further adding of these Words to the former Five things laid down for the explication of them Flesh not taken here in the same sense with Flesh in what went before A double Synecdoche in the word Flesh Christ did not bring Flesh from Heaven with him but assum'd it here on Earth His sending in Flesh was not his taking a meer humane shape c. Likeness to be joyn'd not with Flesh but with sinful Flesh Two Propositions rais'd from the Words Of the First that Christ was sent in Flesh What his sending in Flesh imports this opened more strictly and more largely Of Marcion and Others who denied the verity of Christ's Incarnation and Body That proved as to both as also the verity of his whole Manhood Of his having a true Soul Of his submitting to the common adjuncts and infirmities of Flesh How the Humane Nature in Christ and in us differ His Incarnation not impossible not incredible The Reasons of it 1. That the Old-Testament Prophecies Promises Types might thereby receive their accomplishment 2. That Christ might be qualified for his Office as Mediator and the work of Redemption 3. Because it was the fittest and the best way in order to the redeeming of man Seven Propositions laid down for the due stating and opening of Christ's Incarnation As 1. That Christ who before was the eternal Son of God and had a praevious existence was made Flesh this made good against the SOCINIANS 2. That the Second Person only was incarnate 3. That this was not done till the fulness of time 4. That 't was not the divine Essence absolutely considered which assumed Flesh but that Essence considered as subsisting in the Second Person 5. That the Nature assuming was the Divine Nature 6. That the Humane Nature was so assum'd as to subsist in the Divine and that both of these Natures make but one Person where the Hypostatical Union is opened and prov'd 7. 'T is probable that if Adam had not fallen Christ had not been sent in the Flesh Of the Second Proposition That Christ was sent in the likeness yet but in the likeness of sinful Flesh Of the Sanctity of Christ's Humane Nature The Grounds thereof Use 1. To inform 1. Of the excellency of the Gospel and of the Christian Religion As also 2. Of the excellency of Christ's Flesh or Manhood Use 2. Wherein several Duty 's are urged upon Christians as namely 1. To give a full and firm assent to the Truth of Christ's Incarnation and also firmly to adhere to Christ as having assumed our Flesh where something is spoken against those who make little of a Christ in Flesh but are all for a Christ within 2. To be much in the study and contemplation of Christ incarnate 3. To adore the Mystery it self and also the Father and the Son in the Mystery 4. To endeavour after the powerful influence of it
upon Heart and Life So as 1. To be humble 2. Not to give way to Sin 3. Especially not to those sins which do more directly disparage and debase the Humane Nature 4. To love God and Christ 5. To be willing to do to suffer to be abased for Christ 6. To labour after a participation of the Divine Nature 7. To be highly thankful both for the Thing it self and also for the revelation of it Use 3. Of Comfort As 1. Christ in Flesh must needs be un effectual way for promoting God's Glory and the Sinners Good 2. In this God hath given out a very high demonstration of his Love 3. By this all the Promises are seal'd and all the great things of Faith and Hope made sure and credible Particularly 1. The Mystical Union 2. Communion with God Christ's special presence the inhabitation of the Spirit 3. The Communications of Grace from God 4. Our Sonship to God 5. The Resurrection of our Bodies 6. The Future Glory 4. God is now knowable and accessible 5. The Humane Nature highly dignify'd and advanc'd 6. Christ upon this is the more compassionate 7. There are few troubles of Conscience wherein this may not afford matter of ease and relief The Fourth General in the Words THis branch of the Words contains a Fourth Head in it which comes next to be opened Our Apostle having spoken of God's sending his own Son he goes on to shew in what manner he sent him and as to that he saith God sent him in the likeness of sinful flesh Here 's nothing in the Text but Wonders but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the great things of God! the further we go the deeper the Waters are and still new matter offers it self to heighten our admiration 't was wonderful that God should send such a Son but that he should send such a Son in such a manner in Flesh yea in the likeness of sinful Flesh this is yet more wonderful O Christian stay alittle pause upon these Words get thy thoughts up thy heart elevated in the contemplation of what is here set before thee and then read one Why this Branch is added to what goes before In my entrance upon them it may be enquired why the Apostle is so particular and so express in this matter * Nonne satis erat dicere mittens Filium suum Hoc ipso verbo declaratum non fuisset istud magnum mysterium scituque dignissimum quomodo videlicet peccatum peccati damnavit Omnipotens similitudine â—arnis peccati peccatores à peccato liberans c. Corn. Mussus had it not been enough for him to have said God sent his own Son and so to have broke off but he must also add that God sent him in the likeness c To which I answer there was great reason for this amplification for the Apostle being here treating of such great mysteries of such high and glorious discoveries of the Wisdom Grace Love of God towards lost Sinners he thought in these he could not be too full or too express and he being to set down in a little room the whole model and platform of mans Salvation the good Spirit of God directed him to put in enough both for the setting forth of God's admirable Love Mercy c. and also for the encouragement of the Believers Faith with respect to the certainty compleatness and fulness of his Salvation Now Christ's incarnation and abasement in Man's Nature being so pertinent and proper and so necessary as to both of these ends therefore our Apostle will not pass that over without a particular mentioning of it And elsewhere you find him when he had spoken of Christ's mission presently to subjoyn Christ's incarnation also as Gal. 4.4 When the fulness of time was come God sent his Son made of a woman c. 'T was not only God's sending of Christ but his so sending of him viz. in Flesh yea in the likeness of sinful Flesh which puts such an emphasis and accent upon his own Grace and which doth give such full assurance to poor Creatures that they shall be effectually redeem'd and sav'd Upon these Considerations therefore besides the admirableness of the thing in it self Paul when he is upon such an Argument might very well superadde this to what preceded and he 's not satisfied with the once mentioning of it in the general but he repeats it and more particularly shows what use God made of Christ's Flesh or what good did by that redound to us for sin he condemned sin in the Flesh that is in the flesh of Christ The Explication of the Words For the clearing up the true meaning of the Words and the vindicating of them from those false interpretations which some of the old Hereticks put upon them I will lay down a Few Particulars 1. First that Flesh as here used concerning Christ carry's a quite other sense in it than what it did when it was spoken of before You had it Vers 1. Who walk not after the Flesh c. in this Verse what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the Flesh in which sense as 't is there used it occurs in many following Verses Now Flesh in these places is taken in a very different notion from Flesh in this for in them 't is taken morally and accidentally but here where Christ is concern'd in it 't is taken Physically and substantially in them it notes Man's nature as corrupted but here the very being and substance of the Humane nature or the verity of the Humane nature it self abstracted from any such adjunct and so 't is twice taken in this Verse 2. That Flesh in this application is not to be understood in its more narrow and limited sense but in its more general and comprehensive sense Here 's a double Synecdoche in the word as it signifies 1. the whole Body 2. the whole Man or the whole nature of man Flesh in its strict acceptation is but a part of the body and the body but a part of the Man but so you are not here to take it for Christ had a perfect entire compleat body and every thing as well as meer Flesh which is proper to a body for instance he had blood as well as Flesh therefore both are named Heb. 2.14 He also took part of the same i.e. of Flesh and blood and he had bones as well as flesh Luke 24.39 A Spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have Further Christ was not only clothed with Flesh as that is limited but to one part of Man but he assumed the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyrill Alexandr in Joh. p. 95. whole Nature of Man he had a Soul as well as a Body which two are the essential constitutive parts of Man What more common in Scripture than by Flesh to set forth Man in his whole entire humane Nature See Gen. 6.12 Psal 65.2 Isa 40.5 Joel 2.28 Luk. 3.6 Rom. 3.20 Joh. 17.2
SEVERAL SERMONS Preach'd on the whole EIGHTH CHAPTER OF THE EPISTLE to the ROMANS EIGHTEEN OF WHICH Preach'd on the FIRST SECOND THIRD FOVRTH VERSES are here Published WHEREIN The Saints Exemption from Condemnation the Mystical Vnion the Spiritual Life the Dominion of Sin and the Spirits agency in freeing from it the Law 's inability to justifie and save Christ's Mission Eternal Sonship Incarnation his being an Expiatory Sacrifice Fulfilling the Laws righteousness which is imputed to Believers are opened confirmed vindicated and applied BY THO. JACOMB D. D. The FIRST VOLUME of the FIRST PART Hoc mihi concedetur nihil unquam fuisse inter homines tam absolutum in quo vel expoliendo vel ornando vel illustrando non fieret locus sequentium industriae Calvin in Ep. ad Gryn London Printed by W. Godbid and are to be Sold by M. Pitt at the White-Hart in Little-Britain and R. Chiswel at the Rose and Crown and J. Robinson at the Golden Lion in St. Pauls Church yard 1672. To the Right Honourable ELIZABETH CONVNTESSE DOWAGER OF EXETER My Ever Honoured LADY MADAM ALthough I know before hand how the prefixing of your Name upon this account will be resented by your Ladyship yet I am by so many Reasons thereunto oblig'd that I must venture to do it and cast my self upon your Goodness for my pardon This Volume of Sermons which is but a Forerunner to Two or Three more I presume therefore humbly to dedicate to your Honour which though in it self and in your Ladyships esteem it be a very insignificative thing yet however 't is a declaration to the World that I am sensible of my vast obligations to You and that I would catch at every thing wherein I might testifie how much I am beholden to you And I hope you will not be offended with me for the doing of that which all who know my Circumstances would have wondred if I had omitted Surely Madam those extraordinary Favours which for above Twenty Years you have been pleas'd to confer upon me and mine deserve over and over all those little expressions of humble Respect and Gratitude which I can possibly make This Dedication therefore being design'd for those Ends I beseech you that you will please to put a favourable interpretation upon it But besides this your Ladyship may upon several Considerations claim a special interest in this Work if there be any thing of good either in it or by it One of which I shall not conceal the rest I must When I had finish'd my Preaching on the Chapter which I have gone over You was pleas'd to desire me and your Desires are and ought to be Commands to me to publish to the World what I had done in a private Auditory which desire of Yours in concurrence with my own hopes of doing some good did very much prevail with me to engage in this difficult and painful Undertaking which was before as much besides my intention as against my inclination So that Madam you are in a special manner to be own'd in what is here done and the truth is if any benefit shall thereby accrue to any it must under God upon several accounts in a great measure be ascribed to your Honour you having been so instrumental in the promoting thereof Madam that which once was preached to your Ear is now presented to your Eye and it is my hope and shall be my prayer that those heavenly Truths which in the Hearing of them were not unto you as well as others without some considerable efficacy and sweetness may not in the Reading of them be unto you less efficacious and sweet The Chapter opened is a Summary of Evangelical Duty and Comfort through the rich Grace of God you are in a very eminent manner a performer of the One and through the same Grace of God you are also a partaker of the Other and shall I trust grow up daily yet more and more to an higher participation of it I cannot wish you to be more holy than to do what is here enjoyned nor more happy than to possess what is here promised It pleases the Merciful God the soveraign disposer of Life and Death in whose hands Yours and all our times are as yet to continue you in the land of the living When many very many of your dear Relations are taken away and are not you your Self are yet spared with a small number of Survivors I beseech you give me leave if you do not give it me I must take it to pray for the long continuance of this mercy that your days may still be prolonged on earth and that you may arrive at a far greater Age than what as yet you have arrived at You are impatient I fear a little too much to be gone partly from the dread you have of the infirmities which attend old age and your weariness of the world and partly from the pantings of your Soul to be with Christ and in the possessing of the heavenly Glory But good Madam I beseech you not too much haste no not for Heaven it-self you 'l have it never the sooner for that He that hath determin'd your Days and Months and hath allotted you such Work to do in your Generation will have you let your own thoughts and desires be what they will live out that time and finish that work which he hath set you be entreated therefore quietly and chearfully to wait all the days of your appointed time till your change shall come Heaven will be the same twenty years hence that now it is and the longer you are kept out of it upon the doing of Gods work the better it will be to you at last 'T is one of the highest degrees of grace that here a Saint is capable of to be sure of Heaven and yet in order to service to be willing for a time to be kept out of Heaven here was the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theodoret. heighth of Pauls grace and the excellency of his Spirit Philip. 1.23 24 25. For I am in a straight betwixt two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you And having this confidence I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith 'T is a Saying of * Ingentis animi est alienâ causâ ad vitam reverti Seneca It argues a great and generous mind for one to be willing for the sake of another to return to life again surely that Christian discovers true greatness of Spirit who for the good of Others is willing to continue in this Life and to be kept out of that which is far better Madam your Serviceableness is known to all but to your Self many have cause to bless God for the good which they reap by your means who can speak that which 't is not convenient for me to write it will be
would not for some considerations put him to death 1 Kings 2.26 so here the highest in Grace have that in them which renders them worthy of Condemnation but yet they being in Christ and thereupon sin not being imputed they shall not actually be condemned This is the true and genuine sense of the words There is therefore now no Condemnation to them c. and thus our (a) Non dicit non esse pecâ—atum c. sed remitti propter Eidem in Christum Melanct. in Dispos Orat. ad Ep. ad Rom. p. 18. Credentibus nulla est Condemnatio non per se quidem sed ex accidenti h. e. ex Dei misericordiâ non imputantis eis peccata ad condemnationem Parens in Resp ad Dub. 1. Notandum est quod non dicit Nihil condemnabile aut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non dicit in Christianis nihil esse amplius peccatorum c. sed esse illos condemnationi quae peccato competit exemptos Habent quidem Sancti reliquias peccati verù extra condemnationem sunt proptet Gratiam Christi c. Museul Protestant Expositors open them wherein their Opinions are so far from being ex Orco excitatae fetch'd from Hell as (b) Disput 1. in Cap. 8. ad Rom. Pererius with virulency and malice truly ex Orco excitata is pleased to say that they are from Heaven from the God of truth and fully consonant to the Word of truth 3. I premise Thirdly That 't is Gods Condemnation onely from which such as are in Christ are exempted the Universal Negative No Condemnation reaches no further than the supream final irreversible condemnatory Sentence of the great God As to this all in Christ are safe but there is other Condemnation which they do lye under Take a threefold instance of this 1. Men condemn them I mean the wicked who are and always have been condemners of the righteous The Saints as assessors with Christ shall * 1 Cor. 6.2 judge the world hereafter and the world will be judging the Saints here the Saints condemn Sinners by their holy conversation as 't is said of Noah * Heb. 11.7 He prepared an Ark by which he condemned the World and they will be condemning the Saints in that false judgement those sharp censures which they are pleased to pass upon them What more common than for the Godly to have their persons practises strict walking condemned by a mistaken and malicious World O they are Hypocrites factious * Ezra 4.15 seditious turbulent * 1 Kings 18.17 troublers of Kingdoms unnecessarily scrupulous proud selfish false covetous and indeed what not Sometimes the Condemnation is only Verbal going no further than bitter words wherein their names are aspersed the innocency of their persons sullied the goodness of their Cause blackened Sometimes it rises higher men condemn Gods people even to the taking away of their Lives as Jam. 5.6 You have condemned and killed the just c. this is the condemning of the soul of the poor Psal 109. ult though possibly there may be something more in this expression than striking at the bare natural Life for such is the inveterate malice of the wicked against the godly that they will be condemning of them even as to their final and everlasting state they condemn the Soul of the poor even to Hell it self thus the condemned world is a condemning world But yet God condemns not neither here nor hereafter all this is but mans day and * 1 Cor. 4.3 mans judgment the righteous God judges otherwise of his people He 's so far from condemning them that he will openly vindicate them against all the groundless accusations and condemnations of their enemies 'T was Davids Prayer to God Let my sentence come forth from thy presence Psal 17.2 q. d. Lord man doth thus and thus pass sentence upon my person cause actions but Lord do thou thy self pass sentence upon me that I am sure will be as just and righteous as the sentence of my enemies is false and malicious and do not keep thy Sentence about me to thy self but let it come forth from thy presence that the world may see and know what I am and what thoughts thou hast of me 'T is a very gracious promise that in Psal 37.32.33 The wicked watcheth the righteous and seeketh to slay him the Lord will not leave him in his hand nor condemn him when he is judged i. e. though man condemn God will not He will not always let such as are upright with him lie under the worlds Condemnation he will clear up their innocency as the light of the noon-day probably he may do this for them here but certainly he will do it at the Great day and certainly too which is more close to my business though men are very free in their condemning of them as to their present concerns yet God will not condemn them as to their State for eternity 2. Sometimes Conscience condemns them For this Conscience bears the place and office of a Judge in the Soul and therefore it will be passing Sentence with respect to mens state and actions and its Sentence often is in a condemnatory way If our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God 1 Joh. 3.21 I and 't is so even with Gods own Children upon the commission of some great sin or under some great darkness of spirit in time of conviction or desertion O how forward is Conscience then to condemn and to give in sad judgment upon them And truly a condemning Conscience is a very dreadful thing be they Saints or Sinners who lie under it they will all find it to be bad enough 't is a little Hell or an anticipation of Hell there 's no pain in the body comparable to the torment of a condemning Conscience a man had better be condemned of all the World than of his own Conscience Yet the people of God have this to comfort them though Conscience condemns below yet God doth not condemn above To the wicked 't is a condemning Conscience and a condemning God too O there 's the very height of misery to the Godly 't is sometimes a condemning Conscience but never a condemning God even when that speaks nothing but Guilt and wrath then God designs nothing but Grace and mercy The inferior Judge condemns in the Court below but the supream Judge acquits and justifies in the Court above 3. Satan too he will be condemning such as are in Christ He 's a proud Creature and loves to be upon the Bench and to assume that Authority and judicial Power which doth not belong to him O it greatly pleases him to be judging of the spiritual and eternal state of Believers he that is but Gods Executioner he 'le take upon him to be a Judge And as his Pride puts him upon judging so his malice puts him upon condemning there 's not an upright person in
50.20 In those days the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none 'T is an allusion to one that turns over all his Bonds searches into all his Debt-books to see if he can find any debt due to him from such or such a person but upon all his searching he cannot find so much as one debt to charge upon him So 't is with the pardoned justified sinner imagine that God should be inquisitive to find out some guilt as lying upon him he might indeed find out enough as he is in himself but as he is in Christ as he is pardoned and justified through Christ so there is nothing to be found against him and therefore not one Condemnation How doth this tend to the comfort and encouragement of Gods people this makes the Proposition to be very emphatical and highly consolatory there is not one Condemnation for them who are in Christ Oecumenius opens the words with this emphasis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 6. Sixthly The Apostle speaks indefinitely with respect to the subject there is no Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus He takes all such into the priviledge for the Indefinite here is equipollent to an Vniversal Paul doth not narrow or confine or impropriate this Non-condemnation to himself 't is not there is now no Condemnation to me but he extends it to all who have an interest in Christ And herein he discovers much of wisdom as * Mirabilis sanè est Apostoli prudentia qui cum de vi peccati scriberet eam expressit in personâ suâ ut intelligeremus c. Posteà verò cum agitur de auxilio spiritus Christi inducit personam aliorum ne cuiquam in mentem veniret non quoslibet Christianos frui hoc auxilio Dei sed tantum primarios quosdam eximios quales fuerunt Apostoli Pet. Martyr Peter Martyr observes for had he spoken in the Singular number to me many poor weak Christians would have been afraid to have applyed this blessedness to themselves they would have been ready to object Ah blessed Paul thou art high in Faith eminent in Grace therefore thou maist say there is no Condemnation to thee but 't is not so with us we are but poor shrubs meer dwarfs in Grace 't is not for us to lay hold upon so high a priviledge To obviate this discouragement saith the Apostle I tell you there is no Condemnation to any who are in Christ let them be who they will this belongs to all such to you as well as to my self True I am an Apostle you are not so but then I am a Believer and so are you true I may have more of grace than you but yet you are in Christ as well as I and the Vnion being common the Non-condemnation is common too for that is the ground of this 'T is the same righteousness to all and upon all that believe Rom. 3.22 't is the same faith for substance in the highest and in the lowest to them that have obtained like precious faith with us 2 Pet. 1.1 't is the same head and the same union with this head in all and therefore it must be the same exemption from Condemnation The difference in Pauls expressing himself according to the difference of the subject he was upon is very observable take him in the former Chapter where he is bewailing sin there he speaks altogether in the First person Singular and goes no further than himself read from the 7 verse to the end and you 'll find I and me in every verse But now in this Eighth Chapter where he 's treating of Priviledges there he speaks altogether in the Plural number as taking in the whole body of Believers Run over it all and except but one Verse in which 't is true he particularizes himself The Law of the spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death I say do but except this one Verse and in all the rest you will find the observation to be true but this will be further cleared up hereafter And elsewhere too you find him very careful not to engross or confine happiness to himself but to extend it to all who belonged to God as well as he himself did As take but that one instance 2 Tim. 4.8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day thus far he himself is concerned but doth he stop here and not take in others No 't is not enough to him to be sure of this happiness himself but he 'll let others know it shall be just so with them too therefore he adds and not to me onely but unto all them also that love his appearing In the great blessings of the Gospel Justification Adoption eternal Life all the Saints shall fare alike they are all Gods Children and therefore all shall have their portion and the same portion too Jude calls it common Salvation V. 3 and the same may be said of all other Blessings 't is common Justification common Adoption c. 7. Seventhly The Positive is included in the Negative There 's no Condemnation c. is this all that the Apostle drives at or hath in his eye viz. to hold forth that such who are in Christ shall not be condemned no! he aims at something more namely at this that such are fully justified and shall be most certainly saved they shall not only upon their being in Christ be looked upon as not guilty or barely kept out of Hell but they shall be judged compleatly righteous and they shall also be admitted into Heaven and eternally glorified There is a Meiosis in the words more is to be understood than what is expressed the Privative and the Positive part of the blessedness are to be linked together and blessed be God for both Had it been only freedom from Condemnation that would have been rich and glorious mercy but when it is not only that but Justification and Salvation too O here is mercy in the very height and Zenith of it Some enquire why the Apostle expresseth it in the Negative rather than in the Positive they answer because Men generally are more sensible of the Goodness of God in the freeing of them from evil than in the collating or bestowing of good No Condemnation more affects than positive Justification or Salvation It may be further added the Apostle thus expresses it because Negatives usually intend and highten the thing spoken of as in the Commandements such as are Negative carry an higher obligation in them than those which are Positive for they oblige both semper and ad semper too and as in the Promises when they are Negatively expressed this makes them to rise the higher in the matter contained in them as take that Promise which is made up of so many Negative Heb. 13.5 I will never leave thee nor for sake thee this is more
or conjunction with him so far as the participation of one and the same Nature with him will go The Spiritual and Supernatural Union is that which hath been opened viz. that which is brought about by the Spirit and by Faith upon which the Creature is not one with Christ meerly in respect of his Manhood but he is one with him in an higher manner as being also according to his measure made a partaker of his Divine Nature that is to say as the Image of God is imprinted upon him as the several Graces of the Spirit are wrought in him as Christ and he are not only one flesh but also one spirit both having the same spirit dwelling in them and both being animated and acted by one and the same spirit Now to apply this Distinction The first of these Vnions is not sufficient to secure from Condemnation or to entitle to Salvation for then that being * Nullus est hominum cujus Natura non erat suscepta in Christo Prosp resp ad cap. Gall. c. 9. Of this see Cyril l. 10. c. 13. in Joh. Dei Filius quia suscepit humanam Naturam cum omnibus hominibus conjunctus est c. sed ista conjunctio generalis est tantum ut ita dicam juxta materiam Pet. Martyr common and general all men living should be saved and none should be condemned Even the graceless and unregenerate are men and have that very nature which Christ assumed but is this enough for an everlasting state of happiness Surely no! 'T is true even this natural union is very precious and the foundation of great joy and comfort to Believers O for such to remember that Christ hath match'd into their family sits in Heaven in their nature and is of the same flesh and blood with themselves this I say must needs be very sweet The Apostle speaks of it as a very great thing Heb. 2.11 He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 admits of various interpretations I conceive this is the best Christ and the Saints are all of one that is all of one nature of one and the same flesh and blood for it follows v. 14. Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood he also himself took part of the same c. and v. 16. For verily he took not on him the nature of Angels but he took on him the seed of Abraham I say this Vnion is matter of great comfort to Believers but for Others who have nothing more than that Christ is man and hath assumed their flesh and is as they are and they as he what will this avail them What is Christs taking our flesh if he doth not give us his spirit what is it for him to be made like to us in our nature if we be not made like to him in his nature Christ with the humane Nature is in Heaven and yet thousands with the humane Nature are in Hell O rest not in meer manhood though Christ be man but get an higher a closer a more special Union with him or else it will be condemnation for all that 2. I distinguish Secondly Union with Christ is either External and Visible or Internal and Invisible The First is common and general yet not so common as the Material and Nartural Vnion spoken of before for all are Men but all are not Christians This lies in Church-membership the participation of Church-priviledges living under the Word and Sacraments passing under the Baptismal Seal making of some external profession of Religion c. The Second includes and supposes all this but hath a great deal more in it it notes real insition and implantation into Christ This Distinction is evidently grounded upon that of our Saviour Joh. 15.2 where he saith Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away here is the external Vnion for here is a branch which bears no fruit and yet it is in Christ how it must be understood in respect of Church membership external profession c. And every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit here 's the internal and special Union that which is as was said by real insition and implantation into Christ Now the enquiry lies here whether you be so in Christ as to be ingrafted and implanted into him the Former without this will signifie but very little 'T is indeed a great mercy to be a member of the Visible Church but this without a close and special membership with Christ will not secure a mans everlasting state if it be only external conjunction with Christ here it may for all that be eternal separation from him hereafter What is it for the Branch to be ty'd or fast'ned to the Stock if it doth not coalesce and incorporate with the Stock what is it for a man to be in Christs mystical Body only as the wooden leg or eye of glass is in the natural body where there is apposition but no coalition or union Certainly when Paul here tells us There is no Condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus he means such a being in him as is more than what is external and common or (a) Illi in Christo esse dicuntur hoc loco non qui mediatè tantum secundum quid in Christo sunt nempe ratione Ecclesiae ipsius quae corpus Christi mysticum c. sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intelliguntur veri Christiani qui immediate in Christo sunt per Unionem mysticam cum ipsius personâ fide virtute Spiritus Sancti c. Gomar founded upon any such bottom As particularly such as is by meer Baptism I mean when 't is the participation of the external sign only and there 's nothing more (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophyl They therefore who open the Words by this are too large and general Alas Baptism (c) Non loquitur Paulus de iis qui Sacramentum tantummodo Baptismi perceperunt quos extrinsecus duntaxat unda alluit non autem intus in animo Gratia expiavit sed eos intelligit qui sunt in Christo Jesu h. e. rem etiam Sacramenti adepti sunt Justinian in loc Qui sunt in Christo Jesu i. e. qui per Baptismum Christum induerunt eique per Fidem dilectionem incorporati sunt factique tanquam viva ejus membra tanquam palmites Christo ut viti insiti Perer. Disp 1. in Cap. 8. ad Rom. Qui sunt insiti per Baptismum in eo regenerati Estius alone will not do it there must be something more than the external badge and livery of Christianity or else that will come short both of Vnion here and No-Condemnation hereafter O how many are there who are baptiz'd live in the Church are visible members thereof who yet are far from being inwardly knit to Christ and therefore shall perish eternally This is to be
maledictione carni suae interim securè indulgens Ut ergo frustra blanditur c. Calvin Non satis est Christum ore profiteri oportet Fide per opera esfioaci Christo ahhaerere quod fit non Carnis sed Spiritus ductum sequendo in vitâ Observa secundò quòd connexam esse docet Justificationis Sanctificationis Gratiam adeò ut divelli nequeant ut frustra de priore glorietur qui posteriorem non habeat Qui igitur habâ—nas laxant carni testantur se in Christo non esse c. Hinc refutatur trita Papistarum Calumnia c. Atqui docemus cum Apostolo non esse in Christo nisi qui secundum Spiritum ambulant qui carni indulgent eos inanem Fidem profiteri c. Pareus Sunt cohaerentes quidem c. Beza this very place say that which might be enough to all ingenuous men to obviate these Calumnies But let this pass Give me leave onely in the General to vindicate our Faith in this matter and to shew that what we believe herein is not at all repugnant to this or to any other Scripture For do we hold that Believers are exempted from condemnation and shall most certainly be sav'd upon their being in Christ though they live a sinful carnal wicked life how often have our Opposers been told that we detest and abhor such an Opinion We say indeed that sanctification holiness or walking after the Spirit are not the meritorious causes of Non-condemnation that honour we give to the alone merits of our Saviour yet withall we say that whoever hath an interest in such blessedness he is a sanctified person and he must and shall live an holy life Is not this enough as much as what the Word will bear us out in Can we not be for Walking after the Spirit unless we make it to be a Cause of our justification or can we not hold imputed righteousness but we must deny inherent righteousness are these two inconsistent Our Adversaries asperse us as if we denied the latter which we do not but what may we say of them who do most certainly deny the former To go on Do not we set inherent righteousness as high as they bate but perfection and merit the First of which would make it impossible in this life as the Other would derogate from the freeness of God's grace and the fullness of Christ's merit And we appeal to the world do our Censurers with their principles live more holily than Protestants with theirs we wish we could see it Nay take the whole model and platform of their Doctrine and of ours and let the would judge which doth most tend to the * See Dr. Stillingslees of the Idolatry of the Church of Rome Chap. 3. p. 178. promoting of a strict and holy conversation Indeed if we give way to the flesh and walk after the flesh we are to be blamed for our practices but the principles of our Religion are strict holy and good In short we are for the same things which They contend for and that too in the highest measures and degrees so far as the infirmities of the present state will admit of but not upon the same grounds We are for the spiritual life as the fruit and evidence of the Vnion and as always attending the person who is in Christ and shall not be condemned but we dare not make it to be the meritorious ground or to have any causal influence upon the one or the other If this will not satisfie let our revilers revile on 3. There are but Iew who are in Christ 3. If this be the way and course of such who are in Christ that they walk not after the flesh but after the spirit it informs us then that there are but few who are in Christ or who have any interest in the Mystical Vnion I would not streighten or narrow the Grace of God or the happiness of the Creature further than the word it self doth but on the other hand I must not make them wider than that doth The most it is to be feared are out of Christ because the most do walk after the flesh 't is but here and there some few who walk after the spirit Instead of walking not after the flesh but after the spirit the generality of men walk after the flesh and not after the spirit they are in the flesh there 's their state and they walk after the flesh there 's their course O that this was not as evident as the light of the noon day This Flesh as you have heard is either the corrupt Nature in the general or more particularly 't is the corrupt Nature venting it self in and about fleshly and sensual things now in both respects how do fleshly Walkers abound As to the First what an unholy sinful life do the most live how doth the depraved Nature break forth and show it self in their whole course this is that which acts them all along by which they steer and order their conversation And as to the Second look upon the greatest number of men how sensual are they they lie tumbling and wallowing in the mire of Lust are even immers'd and swallowed up in fleshly things minding nothing so much as the pleasing of the flesh Go to them at their Tables there 's gluttony excess in eating and drinking they pamper the body whilst they starve the soul Mind them in their pursuits 't is some fleshly good they mainly drive at some fleshly interest by which they steer their course what do they most consult but the Fleshes ease and interest O that 's the thing which they make provision for that they may fulfil the lusts thereof which the Apostle so expresly forbids Rom. 13.14 their forecasts projects contrivances are for the Flesh yea all their thoughts are imployed as so many caterers or purveyours for their sensual lusts is not this walking after the flesh and is not this more or less the Walk of the most Alas as to that walking after the spirit which hath been opened how few are there that know any thing of it the generality are wholly strangers to it understanding the Angelical life in Heaven as well as the spiritual holy life of Saints here upon earth you can scarce make them believe that there is such a life so far are they from the living of it Thus 't is with the multitude and is not this then too clear an evidence too full a demonstration of the paucity of such as are in Christ O that we could bewail and lament it what more plain than that such who are in Christ do walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit and what more plain too than that the body of men do walk after the Flesh and not after the Spirit Sirs let us not flatter and think too well of our selves * Ut eos omnes intelligamus esse exclusos qui Fidem Evangelium jactitant cum interim volutentur in
of (d) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theodoret. Confer supra cap. 7.23 24. ubi utriusque Legis neinpe Legis Peccati Mortis mentio facta est Quare non videtur hic esse Figura 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vorstius in Schol. Interpreters open it The Law of Sin is always attended with the Law of Death and freedome from the Law of Sin is always attended with freedome from the Law of Death the power and dominion of Death stands or falls by the power and dominion of Sin But what is this Law of Death * August contra Fortunat. Disput 2. Austine answers the Law of sin is Whoever sins shall dye the Law of Death is Dust thou art and to dust shalt thou return * Lex mortis est mortuum perseverare mortuum est de morte non esse reditum ad vitam Cajes Cajetan makes it to be permanentia in morte the abiding or continuance in the state of Death So Believers are freed from it for though they may for a time be subjected under it yet it shad not always have power over them so as to hold them forever as the Word is used concerning Christ Acts 2.24 they shall arise and live again they are not under the Law i. e. the everlasting evercontinuing full power and strength of Death You have Ver. 10 11. the matter of this Explication If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousness But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you But to pass these by as the Law of Sin is the power of sin so the Law of Death is that power and right which it hath over Men by reason of sin for it hath its empire and dominion as well as sin Therefore as you read of the reigning of sin so also you read of the reigning of Death Rom. 5.14 But death reigned from Adam to Moses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it reigned as a King as the word imports Death is either Temporal or Eternal both of which carry that in them which may give them the Title or Denomination of a Law but regenerate persons upon the Law of the Spirit of Life are freed from both From the first not simply and absolutely but onely in a restrained sense viz. as 't is strictly a Curse or the fruit and product of that primitive Curse Gen. 2.17 From the second as it notes eternal condemnation for these two are all * Ut sibi respondeant Mors damnatio Estius one they are absolutely freed This Death they being in Christ and by the sanctifying Spirit delivered from the Law of sin hath no power or authority over them I say no authority for 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rev. 20.6 on such the second death hath no power This is the First General in the Words that Gracious Deliverance from the Law of Sin and Death which they hold forth Second General The Second is the Subject of this deliverance This the Apostle puts down in his own Person The Law of the Spirit c. hath made me free from the Law of sin and death Here is Enallage Personae the change of the Person 't was them in the foregoing Verse 't is me in this I have already observed and I would now more fully open it that our apostle throughout this whole Chapter wherein he mainly treats of the Saints Priviledges speaks altogether in the Plural Number excepting onely this one Verse 'T is true where he is speaking of some high act of Grace as performed by himself there he purs it in the Singular Number as Ver. 18. I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us And so too where he is speaking of some high Assurance a thing not so common there also he expresses it in the Singular Number as Ver. 38. For I am persunded that neither c. But wherever the great and fundamental priviledges of Believers are before him there he always expresses himself in the Plural Number then 't is us altogether And 't is observable that oven where he speaks of himself as to some special act or enjoyment yet even there as to the main Priviledge he takes in all the people of God You may see this made good in the two fore-mentioned places 't is I reckon but 't is the glory that shall be revealed in us and 't is I am persuaded but 't is shall separate us from the love of God Well! here he puts in himself as the Subject of the Priviledge but 't is not to exclade or shut out Others onely he propounds himself as one great Instance of freedome from the Law of sin by the Law of the Spirit here is application and appropriation as to himself but no impropriation or exclusion with respect to Others He that had so much of Faith and Experience as to be able to apply this to himself had withall so much of Knowledge and Wisdom as to know that it was with Others yea with all regenerate persons just as it was with himself And therefore 't is in the * Observandum est in causâ Gratiae nullum esse inter Apostolum quemvis Christianum duntaxat verum discrimen Non est quod dicamus Paulus suit Apostolus nos non item ex eo quod sibi contigit per gratiam Christi probat hoc quod tribuit omnibus Christianis Muscul Continet Argumentum á Testimonio viz. experientia Apostoli ita fimul Argumentum á Pari quod enim Apostolus in se expertus fuerat id pari ratione omnes credentes in se experiuntur nempe operationem illam Spiritus Sancti regenerantis Piseas Non ego solus sed omnes quotquot in Jesu Christo sunt c. Zuingl Me fidelem quemvis Gomar i. e. quemvis verè Chriftianum Grot. Pronomen me demonstrat ipsum in Christo ambulantem c. personam fiquidem talium induit Cajes In corum personâ de se Apostolus loquitur haec verba Estius Soto will be sure to extend it far though for be glosses upon it Me i. e. Gonus humanum persons of all these that he here thus speaks and this me is inclusive not exclusive every Child of God in the world may say as here Paul doth the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of Sin and Death and indeed every Believer should be so well acquainted with the workings of the Spirit of God upon his own heart as to be able to apply this to himself But why doth Paul here particularize himself and speak thus in the Singular Number in this place rather than in Others I ansiver 1. Because he looked upon himself
and entirely acted by it as a principle 't is no better than thus and worser it cannot be with unregenerate persons Let this general Answer to the First Question be sufficient 2 Quest Of the difference betwixt the Law of Sin as 't is in the Regenerate and as 't is in the Vnregenerate A Second is this How may it be known when persons are under the Law of Sin or How may we distinguish betwixt the Law of Sin as 't is in the Vnregenerate and as 't is in the Regenerate For even the Latter find too much of this Law in them Paul here saith he was freed from it and yet in the foregoing Chap. he sadly laments it as you have often heard renewed and sanctified Souls do by sad experience feel the corrupt Nature strongly urging and pressing them to what is evil and as strongly opposing and hindring them in what is good yea in both often prevailing may not they therefore as well as Others be said to be under the Law of sin if not where lies the difference or what is it that doth indeed denominate a man to be under that Law This being a Question of great importance I shall be larger in the answering of it than I was of the Former Answ yet not so large as the Nature of the Subject would admit of nor as Some of our own Divines are who write upon it I shall reduce all to Three Heads 1. First where the whole bent and tendency of the heart is towards sin that the propensions of the Soul thereto are entire and unmixt there 't is the Law of sin and that Law of sin which is proper to the Vnregenerate this speaks Sin to be upon the throne indeed that its power and dominion is habitual plenary and absolute A Child of God may have very strong corruptions in him and they sometimes too may break forth into external acts the sinful Nature may vehemently incline him to what is evil and sometimes prevail too yet the bent of his heart is for God against Sin and the stream doth not run wholly one way he hath propensions unto good as well as unto evil whereupon he is not under the Law of sin But take an unsanctified person 't is otherwise with him his heart is in sin and set for sin that 's the thing to which it altogether bends inclines and works there is not a stronger bent in heavy bodies to descend or in light things to ascend than there is in such an one to sin against God and further he 's not divided in what is evil he 's all of a piece the sinful Nature in him is entire and doth all now where 't is thus certainly there 't is the Law of sin Paul in his saddest complaints of this Law as in himself yet says It is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me 't was not he that did it because the bent of his heart was against it and he says With the mind I my self serve the law of God the habitual tendency and inclination of his Soul was towards Good and as he was himself it was thus with him for he puts I my self onely to the serving of the law of God not to that of the law of sin So that though the Law of sin was in him yet he was not under it strictly as the Law of sin Sin had too great a strength in him but it had not the sole and full command of him 2. Secondly when all the several Faculties of the Soul are altogether on Sin 's side and wholly take its part then 't is the Law of sin and that which is proper to the Vnregenerate if this Head be not distinct from the Former yet it may be useful as a more particular explication of it In such persons Vnderstanding Will Affections all are engag'd on Sins side and therein lies its power and dominion over them the Vnderstanding assents the Will consents the Affections answerably are drawn out ô here is the Law of Sin or Sin regnant The Vnderstanding gives in its final and positive dictate that Sin is good represents it as eligible to the Will the Will upon this closes with it embraces it cleaves to it the Affections desire joy delight c. run out upon it where 't is thus the case is determin'd But this must be taken with a threefold Proviso 1. That the assent of the Vnderstanding be deliberate for even a Child of God upon a sudden surprisal pro hic nunc may judge better of sin than it deserves 2. That the consent of the Will be plenary and full for there may be in gracious persons sometimes a broken half-consent to what is evil 3. That both Assent and Consent be understood of a Course in Sin for as to particular Acts no question but one who is regenerate under the power of a temptation may do both of these This threefold Proviso being taken in the thing is clear whosoever shall be so far besotted as upon deliberation to judge a sinful course to be the best course and thereupon shall choose imbrace fall in with and continue in it yea shall delight and please himself in it unquestionably in this man 't is the Law of Sin Sin never gets thus high where Grace is For the proof of which we must recur to our great instance Paul after his Conversion found Sin to be too powerful in him which was his great burden yet notwithstanding the fixed acts of the several Faculties of his Soul were for God against Sin As for example in his Vnderstanding he assented to the goodness of the Law of God but not to the goodness of the Law of Sin Rom. 7.12 wherefore the Law is holy c. in his Will he also consented to this V. 16. If then I do that which I would not I consent unto the Law that it is good and for his Affections he saith I delight in the Law of God after the inward man now these being as I said the fixed acts of the several Faculties in Paul in him it was not the Law of Sin And thus for the main it is with every gracious Soul but for Others in whom Sin hath all all the Faculties Vnderstanding Will Affections in their proper acts being entirely for it 't is evident that they are under the Law of Sin Of all the Faculties the Will doth most discover the power of Sin for there its Dominion and Soveraignty is chiefly seated and acted ô when it once gains that then it ascends the throne indeed that 's the time as it were of its inauguration when 't is invested in all its Regalities It comes to the Sinner and says art thou willing that I should rule thee yes saith he with all my heart I like thy Commands and Government I am thine I submit to thee to be at thy dispose I here swear Fealty and Allegiance to thee c. Dreadful language ô that ever it
Vnsanctified in both of these ways are under the Law of Sin but with the Sanctified 't is not so especially in the latter respect Indeed Sin on its part will often be laying its Commands upon them magisterially and imperiously enough but they do not on their part yield obedience or subjection to those commands possibly now and then through infirmity they may hearken to something that Sin enjoyns but as to their general course and to the bent and purpose of their hearts they say Sin shall not reign ever us Sin is onely then a Law when it hath habitual universal entire absolute dominion and when the Sinner gives up himself in willing ready total subjection to it now it s never thus bad with the Regenerate Sins power never rises so high where grace is in this respect every Child of God is made free from the Law of Sin And in this notion the Apostle here takes the Law of Sin in the * At inquies quomodo Paulus se liberatum jactat à lege Peccati qui cap. praecedente quaestus sit-se adhuc mancipari Legi Peccati adhuc servire Legi Peccati Dixit se carne ei servire at mente Legi Dei Si carne tantum non mente ergo verè liberatus à mente enim non à carne fidelis aestimandus est c. Adde quod lex peccati non eodem prorsus modo hic sumitur atque praeced capite Hic significat plenum illud peccati Dominium cui totus homo naturalis extra Christum constitutus subjectus est c. Illic autem per legem peccati intelligebantur reliquiae quaedam istius Dominii quod peccatum non in totum hominem fidelem sed in membra sive in carnem ejus tantum i. e. in corruptam naturam adhuc exercet c. Lud. de Dieu former Chapter he speaks to it as it notes the power and strength of the relicks of Sin and as its power is but somewhat broken and so he 〈◊〉 too much of it but here in the Text he speaks to it as 't is in its full power and strength and so he was freed from it Several of these things have occurr'd in what goes before but they being most necessary and proper in this place I could not but again mention them Having thus stated the Doctrine and given you the explication of it I am now Secondly to make out the truth of it and to prove that persons truly regenerate are made free from the Law of Sin And surely so it is The Obs proved by Scripture and Reason as certain as the unrenewed are under this Law so certain are the renewed freed from it Paul here attests it as to himself the Law of the Spirit c. and elsewhere he asserts the same in a more general manner That Text is not impertinent to my present purpose in the 2 Cor. 3.17 Where the Spirit of the Lord is as the Spirit of Life as renewing and regenerating there is liberty or freedom from the Law of Sin for I conceive the Apostle doth not onely speak of liberty of Spirit in opposition to bondage of Spirit or the Spirit of bondage but also of the liberty of the State in opposition to the State of bondage and that too is not to be limited only to the liberty of the Gospel state in opposition to the bondage of the Law though I grant the Words are brought in more immediately upon that account but it is applicable to persons with respect to their inward and spiritual state as by the sanctifying Spirit they are freed from the power of Sin and from that bondage which they were under to it in their natural condition So that the liberty here spoken of is in a great measure one and the same with the being made free from the Law of Sin in my Text and if so then you see how positively 't is asserted where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty So again the Apostle Rom. 6. speaks much of the Law or reign and dominion of Sin which he having dehorted from V. 12. let not Sin reign in you c. he then backs his dehortation with a promise V. 14. For Sin shall not have dominion over you because you are not under the law but under * Homo consideratur ante Legem sub Lege sub Gratiâ in Pace Ante Legem non pugnamus sub Lege pugnamus sed vincimur sub Gratiâ pugnamus vincimus in Pace non pugnamus quidem Aug. Lib. Octog Quaest 66. in Expos quarund Propos Ep. ad Rom. grace the grace here mainly intended is that assisting helping strengthening grace which always accompanies the Gospel or new Covenant state the Law commanded much but gave no strength for the doing what it commanded but the Gospel where it requires duty it always enables a person to perform it Now upon this grace Paul assures Believers that they endeavouring on their part and making vigorous resistance to sin it should not have dominion over them because they should certainly have such strength and assistance given them from God as that their endeavours should be successful against all Sins assaults This I say is the Grace primarily intended in this place yet you may take in too Converting and renewing Grace and then the words will run thus Sin neither hath nor ever shall have dominion over you who are Believers because you are not under the Law i e. that Law which only discovers Sin but doth not help to conquer it which leaves the person as it finds him without any charging of his heart or state but you are under grace i.e. regenerating grace which always delivers from and secures against the dominion of Sin And besides these Scripture-proofs in point of Reason it must needs be so because upon regeneration there is another active operative commanding principle infused into the Soul viz Grace now Grace and the Law of Sin are inconsistent It may consist with sin for otherwise there would be no Grace in this lower world but it cannot consist with the Law of Sin or with Sin in its full and absolute dominion power Two contrary principles cannot be together in the same Subject in their full vigour and strength the like caeteris paribus may be said of contrary Powers if Sin be the principle in its full efficacy so as to make it a Law then there is no grace because if this was in the Soul it would certainly break the full strength of the opposite principle True grace is a commanding thing as well as Sin there is such an holy pride in it that it disdains and scorns to be subject to Corruption or to let Sin be above it it can though not without reluctancy bear the inbeing of Sin but it cannot bear Sin as a corrival or competitor with it in point of rule and dominion Here the elder must serve the younger to allude to that of Jacob and Esau
is fond of his vassalage and loves Sins government better than Christs ô the Commands of it suit better with him than the Commands of an holy God so that upon the whole matter he is peremptorily resolved to adhere to it against whatever shall oppose it 5. Sins strength is not only very great in it self but it hath also those additional advantages which render it as to any finite power invincible therefore 't is set forth by the strong man and by the strong man armed too Luk. 11.21 't is ingarrison'd in the heart which of all places is the most inaccessible it hath its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strong holds in which 't is fortified 2 Cor. 10.4 6. Sin is very resolute for and in the maintaining of what it hath it hath a power and 't will keep it 't will fight it out to the last and dye rather than yield all the persuasives in the world signifie nothing to it if the Spirit of God will gain the Soul he must gain it as Souldiers do strong Towns which refuse to surrender unciatim to borrow the Comedians word inch by inch 7. Sin and the Sinner are under a * Isa 28.15 Covenant they have engaged as it were to live and dye together now to dissolve and break this engagement is no easie matter 8. Satan sets in with it and upon all occasions gives it all the help he can as Allies and Confederates use to do he says to Sin what Joab once did to Abisha 2 Sam. 10.11 If the Syrians be too strong for me then thou shalt help me but if the Children of Ammon be too strong for thee then I will come and help thee if he can hinder it Sins kingdom shall never be demolish'd no not in any one Soul Now put all these things together and it will appear that the power of the Spirit is highly necessary to deliver from the power of Sin yea that nothing below the Almighty strength of this Almighty Spirit can free a Soul from its dominion who but he who is God could subdue and conquer such an enemy as this is Of the sufficiency of the Spirits power to make free from the Law of Sin 2. Secondly there 's the sufficiency of the Spirits power as he is every way able to produce the effect we are speaking of 'T is indeed a great thing to break the yoke of Sin to pull the Crown off from its head to conquer it notwithstanding all the things which have been alledged yet as great a thing as it is this great Spirit is able to do it if he once engage in the work 't is enough the power of an Almighty God must needs be above the power of what is but finite and limited as was said but now As Christ is able to save * Heb. 7.25 to the utmost from Sins guilt so the Spirit also is able to save to the utmost from Sins power let it be never so high and lofty if this Spirit take it in hand I 'le warrant you it shall be brought down God once said to Paul My grace is sufficient for thee 2 Cor. 12.9 't is meant chiefly of strengthening and supporting grace now as that grace is sufficient to bear up under the heaviest afflictions so this sanctifying sin-subduing sin-mortifying grace is sufficient to bring down the strongest corruptions All things considered we may stand and wonder at the rescuing of a Soul out of Sins thraldome ô the bringing of Sin under that but just now was so high is a strange and wonderful thing but if we consider the strength of that person who is employed about it the wonder is at an end as 't was said upon another account Zech. 8.6 If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days should it also be marvellous in mine eyes saith the Lord of Hosts Jer. 32.27 Behold I am the Lord the God of all flesh is there any thing too hard for me this is applicable to the Spirit in the personal consideration of God We alas must cry out as David once of the Sons of Zeruiah Sin is too hard for us we cannot get it down but 't is not too hard for God and his Spirit Though it hath its strong holds he takes them or batters them all down with ease it captivates the Sinner but the Spirit captivates it 2 Cor 10.4 5. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ ô the boundless infinite power of the Spirit nothing no not Sin it self even when 't is at the highest can stand before him that which all the Creatures in heaven and in earth cannot do that he can do omnipotentissimâ facilitate as * Epist 107. ad Vitalem Austine phrases it Who is sufficient for these things why he and none but he who hath illimited and infinite power Of the efficacious workings of the Spirit in this Effect 3. Thirdly There 's the efficacy of the Spirits power or the effectual working of the Spirit in the freeing of a person from the Law of Sin When this great Agent comes to bring about this freedom how doth he act Answ efficaciously and irresistibly I mean he puts forth such a power as that the work is certainly done He doth not onely in a Moral way advise counsel * Vid. Twiss Vind. Grat. l. 1. par 2. sect 16. p. 160. c. Digress 6. p. 163 c. With many others who every where write upon this Argument persuade the Sinner to cast off Sins bondage but he in order thereunto puts forth an insuperable and irresistible strength upon him and so goes thorough with the work he conquers all opposition both from without and from within so as that it shall not be victorious and in spite of all makes the Soul free he works herein omnipotentèr indeclinabilitèr insuperabilitèr as that great Champion of Effectual Grace expresses it Further when he comes about this or any other saving act he doth not leave the Sinners Will in suspense pendulous in aequilibrio hanging like a pair of Scales even and not going down on either side but in a way congruous to its liberty he overcomes and determins it for God against Sin so as that it shall neither hesitate nor make any successful * Deo volenti salvum facere nul um humanum resistit arbitrium Aug. de Corrept Grat. c. 14. Vide Jansen August t. 3. l. 2 c. 2◠Habertus de Grat. l. 2. c. 16. Vid. etiam celeberrimum Doct. Ward de Grat disct p. 24 c. resistance to his Grace I am be ore I was well aware of it fallen upon a nice and much controverted Point viz. the efficacy of Divine Grace in its special operations a thing
when he manages himself with his * Isa 53.1 own arm then Sin falls and dyes before it but in any other hand it doth but little execution I would fain convince you of the insufficiency inability of all Causes or things within or without and consequently of the absolute necessity of the Spirits efficiency in order to the divesting Sin of its dominion and thence it is that I stay so long upon this Argument but I 'le close it with this one Consideration viz. Take the Saints themselves such as have true Grace wrought in them who consequently are made free from the Law of Sin and put even these upon particular and gradual Mortification the mortifying of some one Lust be it what it will or the mortifying of it in an higher degree than before I say take these very persons and let things too be brought thus low yet they of themselves without the mighty assistance of Gods Spirit can do nothing about them special grace from above is requisite to every act and degree of mortification by the Saints themselves Rom. 8.13 If ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live 't was spoken to renewed persons therefore it must be understood of gradual and progressive mortification now saith Paul if ye through the Spirit c. implying that even such persons in such mortification which of all is most easie must be enabled thereunto by strength from the holy Spirit convey'd to them Whence I infer an utter inability in the unregenerate to free themselves from the Law of Sin they having no principle in them to further such a thing as the Saints have for their mortification Sin having its full unbroken strength in them which it hath not in the other their work not being gradual mortification but habitual and the first mortification of the whole body of Sin which therefore is much harder than the former I say upon this stating of things how unable must these be to throw off Sins power If the Saint be so weak how weak is the Sinner if the Saint must have the Spirits help or else Sin will be too hard for him in its relicks how much more must the Sinner have it in whom Sin is in its full strength he being under the Law of Sin what can he do further than attend upon the means to free himself from it Blessed be God that this Spirit is engag'd in this work otherwise there would be no such thing in the world as freedom from the Law of Sin Two things inser'd by way of advice 1. That Sinners would betake themselves to the Spirit for freedom from the Law of Sin It being so two things I would infer by way of advice 1. Let such who desire this mercy betake themselves to the Spirit for it Such who desire it did I say methinks upon what hath been said all should passionately desire it will any be willing still to continue under Sins Command I will suppose all that hear me to be heartily desirous to cast off its yoke no longer to live in subjection to it c. the onely thing that troubles them is the difficulty of the thing and all their enquiry is how they may be rid of this Tyrant who hath so long domineer'd over them If so then I would give them this direction Fly to the Spirit of Life let them cast themselves down at the feet of this Spirit expecting onely deliverance by and from him 'T is a great while before Sinners will be brought to desire such a thing when they are brought to that then they mistake themselves about the way of obtaining it fain they would be made free but they do not betake themselves to that Spirit which alone can make them so Sirs your case is desperate if this Spirit of Life do not undertake it no power in heaven or in earth can relieve you but his As that evil Spirit once said to him that would undertake to cast it out * Acts 19.15 Jesus I know and Paul I know but who are ye so here Sin despises and defies all that will meddle with it it onely knows and cannot stand before this omnipotent Spirit Christs infinite merit alone frees from its damnation the Spirits infinite power alone frees from its dominion therefore to that you must fly for this freedom You may possibly think this and that may do the work but you 'l be deceiv'd suppose you are brought under some convictions Sin will do well enough for all them suppose you resolve thus and thus for the future Sins throne may stand fast enough for all that suppose you sit under such a Ministry Sin can let you hear the Word powerfully preached and yet rule you as much as ever O do not deceive your selves I tell you nothing will or can effectually pull the Scepter out of this Vsurpers hand and disengage the Heart from obedience and bondage under Sin but this one thing the Law of the Spirit of Life With the most humble hearty fervent prayer therefore go to him and say O blessed Spirit pity and help me deliver a poor Captive that is held in Sins chains and fetters break its yoke for me rid me out of the thraldom I have so long liv'd in put forth thy power in me to free me from Sins power over me I 'm undone forever if thou dost not help me I know not what to do against Sins mighty Host only * 2 Chr. 20.12 mine eyes are unto thee I have heard that 't is thy office to rescue and set free poor inslaved Souls such a one am I ô do this for me thou blessed Spirit I must not let thee alone 'till this be done take thine own course and method convince humble terrifie c. do any thing with me onely let not lust pride ignorance passion covetuousness sensuality any sin whatsoever any longer reign over me Could I but bring you thus to pray the thing was done if it be the Spirit of supplication it will be the Law of the Spirit c. never did any sincerely desire to be freed from Sins dominion but 't was done for them at the Spirits time in the Spirits method and according to that measure which the Spirit sees best In your betaking of your selves to him in prayer 1. See that you pray in Faith believing the sufficiency of his power Let Sin be never so high he 's able to bring it down do you believe this all other things are weak and can contribute but little to your help but the mighty Spirit can do it easily and effectually Sin cannot stand before him no more than you can before it when he undertakes it he 'l subdue it to purpose notwithstanding all its strength You cannot be too diffident as to your selves nor too confident as to the Spirit 2. Let all other Means be joyn'd with Prayer They are but means and therefore not to be relied upon yet they are means
ire Cypr. fear it For to you 't will come without a sting and you know the Serpent that hath lost its sting may hiss but cannot hurt 't is in it self an enemy and the * 1 Cor. 15.26 last enemy but to you 't is an harmless because a conquer'd enemy it may seem to threaten the greatest evil but in truth it shall do you the greatest good But here lies your main happiness you are wholly exempted from eternal death the second death you shall dye but once and then live with God forever 'T is this second death that makes the first to be so formidable for a man to dye that he may live that 's not at all dreadful but to dye here in order to a worser death hereafter there 's the thing which is only dreadful When death is but an inlet to eternal life a departure to be * Phill. 1.23 with Christ when there 's no condemnation to follow after it you may and you should meet it with joy and holy triumph And know that to you it shall not be bare freedome from eternal death but it shall also be the possession of eternal life there 's very much in the privative part of the mercy but when the positive part too is joined with it how high doth it rise ô admire and adore the Grace of God! The least of your sins deserves death the best of your duties doth not deserve life and yet you are freed from that which you so much deserve and shall be put into the possession of that which you so little deserve here 's the riches of the grace of God towards you Sin and Death are the two * Peccatum mors sunt duae partes adaequatae humanae miseriae nam in culpâ poenâ tota miseria hominis consistit Streso comprehensive evils all evil is summ'd up in and under them but you are freed from both what reason have you to rejoice and to admire the Lords boundless goodness ô the damned in hell who are under this death and feel it what would they give to be freed from it You through the merit of Christ and the power of the Spirit are made free from it therefore you should first be very thankeful and then very chearful What great things hath the gracious God done for you he hath delivered you from the Rule of sin whilst you live from the hurt of death when you dye have not you abundant cause of blessing and rejoicing 'T will not be long before this Death will look you in the face and lay its cold hands upon you 't is every minute making its nearer approaches to you by every breath you draw it gets ground upon you well be not troubled at this you know the worst on 't 't is death but not damnation 't is the parting of the Soul from the Body but no parting of the Soul from God 't is but dying temporally that you may live eternally how great is your happiness proportionable to which how great should your thankefulness and holy joy be So much for this Verse ROM 8.3 4. For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit CHAP. IX Of the Laws inability to justify save High and glorious Matter contained in these two Verses Of their Coherence with what went before The difference amongst Expositors about that The General sense and meaning of the Words The various Readings and Explications of them They are divided into Five Parts There 's a Complication in them of the several Causes of the Sinners Justification and Salvation The First Branch of the Text insisted upon What the Law c. Four things observed in it Of its Literal Exposition What is here meant by Law What that was which the Law could not do How 't is said to be weak What the Flesh is by which 't is weakened The whole matter drawn into one Observation Of the Special matter of the Laws impotency as it refers to Justification and Salvation Three Grounds or Demonstrations of its impotency 1. It requires more than what the fal'n Creature can perform 2. It doth not give what the fal'n Creature needs 3. It cannot make reparation for what the fal'n Creature bath done Use 1. To humble us because we have a Nature in us by which Gods own Law is thus weakened where some thing is said against the Power of Nature Use 2. First To vindicate the Honor of the Law notwithstanding the Weakness charg'd upon it Secondly The Laws Obligation not to be cast off because of this Thirdly Nor yet is it to be look'd upon as altogether weak or useless Use 3. To take men off from expecting Righteousness and Life from and by the Law Use 4. To stir up Believers to adore the Love and Mercy of God in sending his Son when the Law was under an utter inability to justifie and save High and glorious things contained in these Verses OUr Apostle here Eagle-like soar's aloft and rises up in his discourse to the most sublime truths of the Gospel These two Verses set things before us so high and glorious as may fill Heaven and Earth Angels and Men with amazement and astonishment Here 's the whole Gospel sum'd up in a few words contracted and brought into a narrow compass here 's in one view Man undone and Man recover'd the depths of the Creatures misery and the heights of Gods Mercy in a short abridgement Here 's Gods sending his Son which surely was the greatest thing that ever he did it being the highest contrivance of his infinite Wisdom and the highest product of his infinite Love Here 's this Son sent in our flesh the first and the great Mystery of the Gospel for it comes in the front of the Gospel-Mysteries 1 Tim. 3.16 Here 's sin condemn'd and the Sinner acquitted the Law represented as impossible for us to keep yet fulfilled for us in a most strange and wonderful manner as Christ hath done and suffered that for us which we were utterly unable to do and suffer our selves O the * Eph. 3.18 bredths lengths depths heights of the Wisdom Mercy Justice Holiness of God! for all these several Attributes in what is here set forth do concur and shine forth in their greatest lustre Who can hear or read these two Verses with due consideration and not be in a divine transport and extasie for the truth is whatever is short of the most raised workings in the Soul is too low for the glorious things here spoken of The Coherence of them with what goes before We must first enquire into their Coherence or Connexion with what goes before They are a further proof or confirmation of the main Proposition laid down in the first
his own Son in the likeness c. O the infinite Love Mercy Compassion of God! The weaker was Gods Law the stronger and higher was Gods love O that he should not let us all perish under the Laws impotency that he should imploy One for our recovery who was every way able to do what the Law could not how should we adore his mercy in this But this leads me to the following words in the Text God sent c. where I shall have occasion more fully to press this duty upon you So much therefore for this First Branch of the Words What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the Flesh ROM 8.3 God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh c. CHAP. X. Of Christ's Mission and of God's sending him Man being utterly lost upon the terms of the Law it pleased God to find out and to pitch upon another Way which he knew would be effectual That was the sending of his own Son c. Four things observed in the Words All reduced to three Observations Of Christs Mission How be was sent and sent by God It notes his Praeexistence before his Mission and Incarnation his Personality his being distinct from the Father 'T is opened First Negatively 1. 'T was not Christ's ineffable and eternal Generation 2. 'T was not any local Secession from his Father Secondly Affirmatively 'T was 1. Gods preordaining of him to the Office and Work of a Mediator 2. His qualifying and fitting of him for that Office and Work 3. His authorizing and commissionating of him to engage therein 4. His authoritative willing of him to assume mans Nature and therein so to do and so to suffer 5. His trusting of him with his great designs How was this Sending of Christ consistent with his equality with the Father this answered Two wayes Why was Christ sent answered first more Generally then more Particularly in Four things Use 1. To stir up persons 1. To admire God 2. To admire in special the Love of the Father 3. To love Christ 4. To imitate Christ with respect to his Sending 5. Not to rest in the external Sending of Christ 6. To believe on him whom God hath sent Use 2. This is improved for the Comfort of Believers The Law being weak God pitch'd upon another Course He Sent his Son THe Laws impotency and weakness nay utter inability to recover justifie and save the lost Sinner hath been spoken to I go on to that which thereupon the Wise and Gracious God was pleas'd to do And what was that why to the praise of his glorious grace he sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh The Great God is never at a loss if one Means fails he hath another if all Means fail which fall within the view of the Creature yet God hath his secret reserves and that under the deck which shall no the work Upon Adams Sin all Mankind was lost plung'd into a woful abysse of misery obnoxious to eternal wrath and accordingly God might have dealt with them in the utmost severity of his Justice What is there now to prevent this to give any relief to man in this deplorable State Alas the Sinner cannot help himself the Law stands with a withered arm and can do nothing there 's no Creature in heaven or earth to interpose as to all of these the case was desperate Therefore God * Deus Solus in hâc intricatâ causâ poterat prospicere remedium Streso himself engages to let the world see what He could do * Isa 63.3 He looked and there was none to help therefore his own arm brought Salvation Here indeed was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a God helping at a dead lift in the greatest streights and in the most admirable manner If ever with reverence be it spoken infinite Wisdom was put to it now was the time yet even in this intricate and perplexed State of things That found out a Way which would do the business a Way which none could have thought of but God alone he sent his own Son c None could cry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to this but God himself this was his alone invention and contrivance The restoring of fal'n man was impossible to the Law yet it shall be done God will take * Noluit proptereà quod Lex imbecillis erat per praritatem humanae naturae opus salutis humanae abjicere quasi non posset per aliam quod ista Legis via non succedebat efficere Musc another strange and wonderful Course which shall do it effectually what his own Law cannot do his own Son can therefore him hee 'll send A very high and costly Way yet rather than all mankind shall perish God will make use of it here 's the very mirror of the Wisdom Love Grace Pity of the blessed God God sending his own Son c. Of the Reading of the words To make the Sense run more smoothly Some turn the Participle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reading the Words thus God sent his c if the following Conjunctive particle And be kept in this Reading is not much amiss Some render it in the * Dictio interpretata Mittens Participium est c. et propterea ad servandum Participium Tempus aliqui Interpretes verterunt rectè Activum in Passivum legendo sic Deus filio suo misso in Carne Cajet Passive form Deus misso Filio suo c. * Duplex est Hebraismus unus est óportet supplere Latine Ideò Alter quia Participium Mittens ponitur loco Verbi Misit Tolet. Some would put in the word Ideò therefore Since the Law was weak through the flesh therefore God sent his own Son and for sin c. but as to these things there 's no great difficulty In the whole Paragraph you have Their Division into Four Parts 1. The Act or the Thing done namely the Sending of Christ 2. The Person whose Act this was or the Person sending viz. God the Father God sent c. 'T is a known Rule when the Name or Title of God is set in contradistinction to the Son 't is then taken not Essentially but Personally for the First Person God the Father instances of which are very common 'T is here said God sent his own Son therefore it must be understood of God the Father Christ being his Son and upon that consideration he being stiled the Father And * Mr. Perkins on Galat. 4.4 p. 271. this Person is called God not because he partakes more of the Godhead than the Other Persons Son and holy Ghost do but because he is the first in the Order of the Three Divine Persons and because he is the beginning of the Son and of the Holy Ghost but hath no beginning of his own Person for he doth not receive the Godhead in the Personal consideration of it
Holiness c. He that will undertake to redeem Sinners must have all these for they all were indispensably requisite to such an undertaking the Lord Jesus had them all and that too in an eminent and extraordinary measure as I might easily shew at large never did any meer Creature arrive at that pitch of Wisdom Power Holiness c. which he did therefore none so fit to be sent as he 3. 'T was grounded upon his Sonship and neer relation to God Who so fit to make others the adopted sons of God as he who was himself the Natural Son of God 4. Vpon the glory and dignity of his Person He was the image of the invisible God Col. 1.15 the express image of his Fathers Person Heb. 1.3 Now who so fit to restore Man to God's image as that Man who was the essential image of God 5. Christ's admirable and transcendent fitness was grounded upon his threefold Office as he was King Priest and Prophet For hereupon he was and is fit to deal both with God and Man he 's a Friest to deal with God a King and Prophet to deal with Man Doth God stand upon Satisfaction Christ is a Priest to die and to offer up himself an expiatory Sacrifice or will God keep his distance from the Creature and be known in his greatness Christ is a Priest to mediate and intercede Then is the Sinner under ignorance and darkness Christ is a Prophet to inlighten and teach or is he under the tyranny of sin and a rebel against God Christ is King to rescue subdue and conquer him to himself to bring and keep him under his own dominion and government To sum up all there are but two things to be done for the Sinner in order to his happiness viz. impetration and application now both of these are done by Christ's threefold Office By the first part of his Priestly Office his Oblation there wâ—s the impetration for by that he procured purchased merited all good by the second part of his Priestly Office his intercession there 's the application And because both God and the Creature are to be dealt withal in order to this application therefore Christ doth accordingly deal with both of them with God he deals in the way of prayer or intercession for God because of his Majesty and Soveraignty will be treated in this manner with the Creature he deals in the way of power partly by dispelling the darkness of the mind which he doth as Prophet and partly by taking off the rebellion of the Will and bringing the stubborn Sinner under a ready subjection to God which he doth as King Which things being done all that Christ hath purchased is now made over and actually applyed to the Creature Upon the Whole then it follows that Christ being invested with these Offices which are every way so full of so great virtue so suited to the Nature and demands of God and the condition of the Sinner he must needs be by many degrees the fittest-Person to be sent by God Before I go off from this Head I desire One thing may be taken notice of It must be granted that the sending of Christ was praevious and antecedent to several of the Things which have been mentioned as the demonstrations of his superlative fitness to be sent and the grounds of his being sent Yet nevertheless they may be alledged and made use of in that notion because though in our apprehension if not also in the Nature of the Thing they were after the sending yet in the eye and estimation of God they were before it For instance Christ just at his sending had not then assumed the Humane Nature we suppose that to antecede his incarnation yet God judged him a person fit to be sent because of that Nature And so he might very well for though the incarnation as considered in it self was future yet as to the knowledge consideration estimation of God it was present and done already I thought it necessary to put in this for the preventing of an Objection which might arise in the thoughts of Some upon the reading of what hath been laid down 4. Fourthly God therefore sent Christ not only because he was the fittest Person to be sent but because indeed he was the only Person that could be sent for none but he could effect or accomplish Man's Redemption If God will be so gracious as to send 't was not only convenient but necessary that he should send this very person his own Son for there was none Other in heaven or earth that could go through an undertaking of this nature There were Evils to be indured which were above the strength of any meer Creature to indure there were Evils to be removed the Wrath of God the Guilt of Sin the Curse of the Law which no meer Creature was able to remove there were also Blessings to be procured as Reconciliation with God Justification Adoption eternal Salvation which no such Creature possibly could procure O no! therefore Christ himself must come or nothing can be done Why did not God send an Angel rather than his Son why because he knew Redemption-work was no work for an Angel no not for the whole body of Angels If the whole Order of them had come from heaven and combined all their strength together they could not have redeemed so much as One Soul I dispute not how far God by his mighty power might have enabled an Angel to have bore up under the greatest sufferings Suppose he might have had such a strength as to have been able to undergo all that Christ did yet under the highest communications of the grace of God to him he being still a meer Creature could never satisfie for what was past not merit for what was to come he could neither expiate sin nor procure eternal Life No these are things which could only be accomplished by Him who was more than a meer finite or created being even by the Lord Jesus who was Man but God too wherefore he 's the Person whom the Father will send And he very well understood himself in what he did if the work had been possible to have been effected by any Creature God would have employd that Creature and spar'd his own Son nothing but absolute necessity made him to fix upon this course So much for the Reasons why God sent his Son which we poor dim-sighted creatures do but in a manner guess at but he himself understands them fully As * Acts 15.18 all his works are known to him so also the special reasons of all his works are known to him and eminently those which he went upon in this his highest and greatest work When we come to heaven we shall more fully know why Christ was sent but here our knowledge is very dark and imperfect about it I have done with the three Things which I propounded to open and so have dispatch'd the Doctrinal part I am now to make some practical
the matter of believing or not believing O do you close with Christ and receive him upon the Gospel-offer not only He himself but his Father also is highly pleased herewith and takes it very kindly at your hands I sayes God here are Souls that do not throw away or tread upon that costly remedy which I provided for them who give me the glory of my Wisdom and Mercy who would not have my great designs in the sending of my Son to be frustrated who duly entertain the Messenger whom I sent to transact the great affairs of my Glory and their Good who answer my expectations in my highest Love c. I say this pleases God exceedingly But on the other hand do you reject Christ make little of him stand it out against him refuse to believe how heinously doth God resent such carriage this he looks upon as an high despising and undervaluing of his Mercy a desperate striking at his Glory which is very dear to him a very unworthy requital of his Love a dangerous attempt to make all his Grace to be to no purpose and must not all this highly provoke him Suppose some Great Person hearing of the sad condition of some poor Captives should out of meer compassion to them send from a far Country his own and only Son to redeem them and this Son should in Person come to them and treat with them about their redemption he offering to pay down their ransom to free them from all their misery provided they will but trust on him and be subject to him If now these Captives should slight all this and choose still to continue in their chains rather than upon these terms to accept of deliverance would not this folly and obstinacy greatly incense both Father and Son Or suppose again some offended Prince against whom the Treason had been committed should send his Son to the Traytor with a Pardon in his hand and he should take no notice of this Son or Pardon brought by him but reject and slight both what could be expected to follow upon this but the greatest indignation Now is not this the very case of Vnbelievers nay is not theirs much worse in respect of the Person sending the Person sent the Benefits offered the Conditions required and therefore must not they incur an higher displeasure and make themselves obnoxious to a worser severity Sinners shall not these things be thought of will nothing prevail upon you to believe Was Christ sent and did he come to you and will not you come to him will you not yet understand that it is He only who must save you to allude to that Act. 7.25 He supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them but they understood not do you look for another Son or another Saviour to be sent indeed hath God such another Son to send or was not the once sending of this Son enough hath not God in Christ given you his last Way and Method for Salvation so that there is no Other to be expected after that And was he only sent did he not do all for which he was sent and so returned back again to his Father is there any thing further to be done but only that you will repent and believe Methinks these Considerations should work upon you yet I 'm sure they will not unless the Lord persuade your hearts to believe and he himself be pleased to work Faith in you We may speak much to convince you of your Duty but when we have said all 't is God who must both incline and inable you to believe who must over-powre against unwillingness and strengthen against weakness Faith is his Gift Eph. 2.8 he who gives the Christ to be believed on must give the Grace to believe with he who sent Christ to you must draw you to Christ * Joh. 6.44 No man can or will come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him So much for the Duties proper to be urged upon God's sending of Christ in which you have the First Vse Use 2. Comfort to Believers from God's sending Christ Secondly It affords abundant matter of Comfort to all sincere Christians The Truth which I have been upon Christ sent by God may be useful not only as a powerful incentive to Duty but also as a firm foundation of inward Comfort O believers set your Faith Hope Joy as high as ever you can this Sending of Christ will bear you out in it you cannot God having done this over-believe or over-rejoyce I 'le shew you what there is wrapped up in a Christ sent and for the better raising of your Comfort I 'le instance in Particulars for 't is with Gospel-Truths as 't is with your perfumed things which so long as they are wrapp'd up do but weakly affect the Sense but when they are taken out opened and parted then they do more strongly send forth their fragrant odours 1. Did God send Christ surely then great was his good Will towards you For had it not been so would he ever have done such a great thing for you as this therefore that heavenly Quire of Angels singing in consort upon the Birth of Christ made this a part of their Spiritual Song * Luke 2.14 Glory to God in the Highest and on Earth peace good will towards men I follow our reading of the latter Clause though I know it might be and is otherwise rendred why did they say good will towards men O because now in the Sending and Incarnation of Christ God had given out the highest demonstration that was possible of his good Will towards them Had there been any thing but that in his Heart and had there not been an abundance of that in his Heart he would never have sent and so sent his own Son 2. Did God send Christ surely then he is in good earnest real hearty in the matters of Salvation After such a thing as this Saints have not the least reason to be jealous of God or to question the reality of his Call offers invitations intentions promises declarations concerning their happiness What higher assurance could God give of his heartiness and reality in these than this if he once send his Son there 's no room left for suspicion or doubting This assures us that God is real in his Promises and will be faithful to his Promises for by it they are all at once ratified and confirmed If God make good the grand Promise of Sending his Son what other promise will he not make good a Christ sent is the Seal of all the Promises See Isa 7.14 3. Did God send Christ then you need not fear but that the work of Redemption is compleated When such a Person sends and such a Person is sent the Thing shall be done effectually and throughly be it never so high so hard if Christ undertake it hee 'l accomplish it Had a Creature indeed been sent there might
and save undone Sinners if send he will why did he not send an Angel or a body of Angels to try their skill and see what they could do nay why did he not send an Angel as he once did with a * Gen. 3.24 flaming Sword in his hand to keep off Sinners from the tree of life O this did not comport with his gracious designs though it did too well with the Creatures merit therefore he would not do it no his own Son shall be pitch'd upon he 's the Person whom God will send And his End in sending this Son was as gracious as the Person whom he sent was glorious surely here was Love great Love great even to the degree of infiniteness Millions of Angels were nothing to one Son to one such Son the nearer the relation was 'twixt God and Christ the greater was the affection shown to us Christ God's own Son his first born his only begotten Son the Son of his Love who lay in his bosome had been his delight from everlasting for him to be sent to recover and save Man vile sinful wicked undone man the Son to be imploy'd for the Servant the Slave the Enemy O astonishing mercy O admirable goodness and condescension How may we here cry out Lord * Psal 8.4 Psal 144.3 what is man that thou art thus mindful of him and the †Joh. 3.16 Son of man that thou makest this account of him Here was God's so loving of the world so as can never be express'd he so loved the world as that he gave his only begotten Son c. So loved the world what is there in this so why so inexpressibly so unconceivably Joh. 4.9 10. In this was manifested the love of God towards us because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him Herein is Love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins God own'd it as a great discovery of Abraham's Love to him when upon his command he was willing to offer up his only begotten Son but alas how infinitely short did that come of his own Love in his sending and parting with his only begotten Son for the good of Sinners here he intended to give out the highest manifestation of his Grace and he hath done it to purpose The * Isa 1.2 heavens and the earth were once called upon to be filled with astonishment because of the ingratitude of a sinful people may not now Heaven and Earth Angels and Men all Creatures whatsoever be called upon to be filled with astonishment because of the stupendious Love of God O Christians what influence hath this upon your dull and sluggish hearts what are you made of that you are no more in the sense of it drawn out in the blessing loving admiring of God Pray if there be any holy ingenuity in you take some pains with your selves that you may be much more affected with it and give not over till you have such thoughts and affections upon God's sending his own Son raised in you as may in some measure answer to those thoughts and affections which you shall have about it when you shall be in Heaven Use 3. For Comfort from Christ's Sonship So much for Exhortation the third and last Vse shall be for Comfort and surely here is ground of strong Consolation to Believers that which may highly conduce to the furthering of their joy and the strengthning of their faith You who are such study this Sonship of Christ dwell upon it often in your most serious thoughts make the best of it and then tell me whether you do not find that solid Support and Comfort from it which you desire and need Shall I broach this full Vessel and draw out a little of that heart-chearing liquour which is in it then know that 1. As Christ is the Son of God so are you When I say SO are you you must understand me of the Verity not of the Kind or Manner of the Sonship you are not Sons as Christ is viz. by eternal Generation yet Sons you are in another way viz. by regeneration and adoption and though herein you come short of Christ you being but adopted Sons and he the natural Son yet as you are but such there is greater glory put upon you than if you were descended from or adopted by the greatest Monarch of the World May not this be matter of great comfort to you to consider that whatever Christ is that you are according to your capacity and necessary subordination to him that all that Grace which fell upon him falls upon you likewise and yet so it is is he the anointed of God so are you is he a Son so are you is he the beloved of God so are you is he the Heir of God so are you in these respects also 't is * Joh. 1.16 Grace for Grace I am upon your Sonship in conformity to Christ's Sonship the truth of which you have no reason to question since the procuring of this for you was one thing that God in special aimed at in the sending of his Great Son into the world Gal. 4.4 5. When the fulness of time was come God sent forth his Son c. that we might receive the adoption of Sons and therefore in this relation Christ takes you in with himself Joh. 20.17 Go to my brethren and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and your Father and to my God and your God 2. You may now upon this confidently expect the bestowing of all good For Christ being God's own Son and he having given him to you what can come after that can be too great or too good for him to give to you what will God now deny after the gift of such a Son He * Rom. 8.32 that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Saints let this be thought of as all blessings come to you from God as he is the God and Father of Christ for 't is * Eph. 1.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ so all blessings are assur'd to you from this relative consideration of God viz. as he is first the God and Father of Christ and then in him your God and Father too 3. You may he sure that there is an infinite value worth and efficacy in Christ's Obedience and that he was a person able to accomplish your Redemption Christ being such a Son this speaks him to be a Person of great dignity that dignity of his Person gives the highest assurance to Faith both that he was every way able to go through what he undertook and also that there must be an infinite Virtue and Merit in what ever he did or suffered What can be so
no satisfaction without flesh no suffering therefore Christ must be incarnate Look as he must be * Suscipitur à virtute infirmitas a majestate humilitas â—ut quod nostris remediis congruebat unus atque idem Dei hominum Mediator mori ex uno resurgere possit ex altero Nisi enim esset verus Deus non adferret remedium nisi esset verus Homo non praeberet exemplum Leo de Nativ Quum mortem nec solus Deus sentire nec solus Homo superareposset Humanam Naturam cum Divinâ sociavit ut alterius imbecillitatem morti subjiceret ad expianda peccata alterius virtute luctam cum morte suscipiens nobis victoriam acquireret Calvin Instit l. 2. cap. 12. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. vide Epiphan adv Haer. l. 2. t. 2. p. 748. more than Man that he may be able so to suffer that his Sufferings may be meritorious that he may go through with his Work and conquer all enemies difficulties discouragements whatsoever all which could not have been done by a meet man so he must be Man that he may be in a capacity to suffer die and obey for these are no work for one who is only God A God only cannot suffer a Man only cannot merit God cannot obey Man is bound to obey whereupon his Obedience will be but matter of debt and therefore not meritorious wherefore Christ that he might obey and suffer he was Man and that he might merit by his Obedience and Suffering he was God-man just such a Person did the work of Redemption call for The 3d Reason why Christ was sent in Flesh because this was the best and fittest way in order to the carrying on of God's designs 3. Christ must be made Flesh because as was said before concerning his sending this was the best the fittest the most convenient way that God could pitch upon in order to the bringing about of his great designs To make it the * De Necessitate si quaeritur non simplex quidem absoluta fuit sed manavit ex coelesti decreto unde pendebat hominum salus caeterum quod nobis optimum erat statuit clementissimus Pater Calvin Instit lib. 2. cap. 12. Licet Deus solo nutu voluntatis abolere potuisset peccatum convenientius tamen ei visum fuit si hâc justitiae viâ procederet ad destruendum regnum peccati Estius in loc Poterat Deus suam incomprehensibitem misericordiae largitatem patefacere condonando noxam humano generi absque ullo actu perfectae satisfactionis c. Vide Soto in Rom. 8.3 Aquin. Sum. 3. P. Qu. 1. Art 2. necessary way especially with respect to satisfaction that to some possibly may seem too high but surely none will deny but that this was the fittest and most convenient way and had it not been so the wise God would have taken some other way rather than it But did he design to advance his own glory and the Sinners good to give out the highest manifestation and utmost advancement of all his Attributes to promote and ascertain Pardon Justification Salvation all Grace to Believers what way could have been thought of so proper so effectual as this of Christ's coming in our Flesh If God will punish sin was it not meet that he should punish it in that Nature in which it had been committed what more congruous than since Man had been the sinner that Man should be the sufferer By man we fell God will therefore in wisdom so order it that by man too we shall rise again that in the same Nature wherein the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wound had been given the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the cure and remedy shall be provided also as * Cyrill Alexandr Comment in Joh. P. 95. one expresses it 1 Cor. 15.21 For since by man came death by man came also the resurrection of the dead Rom. 5.12 As by one man sin entred into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned The Humane Nature was to be redeem'd therefore 't was fit that that Nature should be assum'd that was * Nascitur ut ipsam quam prius homo vitiaverat Naturam melioraret August de temp Serm. 20. p. 613. c. Et quia ea natura pro nobis plecti debuit quae peccaverat quaeque erat redimenda Thes Salmur de Christo Mediat p. 244. Quoniam justitia Lex Dei ita flagitabant ut Caro humana quae peccaverat eadem pro peccato lueret Pareus in loc Homo qui debuit Homo qui solvit c. Bern. Ep. ad Innocent corrupted and spoyl'd in us therefore it was expedient that Christ to heal this Nature should take it upon himself pure unstained and uncorrupted in short Satan had foil'd and baffled the first Adam in this Nature wherefore in it Christ the second Adam will foil and baffle him to Man was the Law given by Man was the Law broken therefore by Man also shall the Law be fulfilled So much for the Grounds and Reasons of Christ's Incarnation Hitherto I have insisted upon what is more plain and easte and have only in a more general way spoken to some things that concern the Incarnation and Manhood of Christ Seven Propositions for the due stating and opening of Christ's Incarnation I must now endeavour more particularly to open some other things about them which are of a more mysterious and abstruse Nature I 'le reduce all to these Seven Propositions 1. Prop. Christ who did exist as the Son of God before was incarnate 1. That the Lord Jesus who antecedently to his incarnation was the Son of God and as such had a praevious existence even he was incarnate and made Flesh Here the †Socin in Explic. cap. 1. Joh. in Disput de Nat. Christi Smalcius Homil. in 1. Joh. Hom. 8. Refut thes Grawer in refut thes Franzii Crellius de uno Deo Patre lib. 2. sect 2. cap. 5. p. 562. Ostorod Instit cap. 17. Catech. Racov. p. 89. SOCINIANS again make their opposition for though they acknowledge Christ's Flesh and Manhood they had not need to deny him that it being all they grant him yet that he as praeexisting in the Essence of God and in the relation of God's Natural Son did assume the Humane Nature and unite it to the Divine in one Person this they will by no means acknowledge nay this they fiercely and vehemently oppose With what vile reflections and opprobrious speeches do they load this great Article of our Faith as thus stated * Disp de Nat. Christi p. 10. Humanationem merum humani ingenii suisse commentum p. 3. stupenda Dei metamorphosis Socinus is pleas'd to call it merum humani ingenii commentum a meer fiction of the wit of man †Smalcius refut thes Franziu de Person Christi p. 67. quod
and undefiledness by sin so they did agree He says his Father had prepared him a body Heb. 10. 5. now if the holy God in such a wonderful and immediate manner for such high and glorious ends will prepare him a body to be sure it shall be an holy body and such an one as shall be proper for the attaining of those ends which only an holy body was 'T was indeed upon our account and Christ's putting himself into our stead a passible and mortal body and so far like to sinful flesh but had it not been for that it had neither suffer'd nor dy'd In the Second respect so the whole Humane Nature in Christ was * Habuit Natura Humana quam Christus suscepit speciem peccati non tamen ea revera peccato contaminari potuit P. Martyr sinless He was true and very man but not in the least sinful man he was made man for the sin of man but yet was man without the sin of man That Nature which is so sadly depraved vitiated corrupted in us in him had its primitive original purity and holiness Sin was not so essential or so inseparably twisted into it but that God knew how to separate 'twixt the Nature it self and the deordination of it Christ took the one but not the other The Humane Nature is made up of soul and body both of these in Christ were unstained not having the least macula or spot of sin cleaving to them as 't was an unpolluted undefiled body so 't was also a pure holy spotless Soul The Humane Nature too is attended with such * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. vide Oecum in loc p. 301. affections and such †Particeps factus est infirmitatis non iniquitatis Aug. Trahens de homine mortalitatem non insquitatem Id. tom 3. 〈◊〉 1072. infirmities to all of which Christ submitted so far as they were sinless but no further as to the former he had Anger Sorrow Joy Compassion Love but without the least stain or tincture of sin as to the latter he underwent hunger thirst pain c. but yet under all he was without sin he could suffer but he did not nay he could not sin Hence he 's called God's holy one Psal 16.10 the holy Child Jesus Act. 4.27 the most holy Dan. 9.27 Jesus Christ the righteous 1 Joh. 2.1 God's righteous servant Isa 53.11 He was a Lamb without blemish and without spot 1 Pet. 1.19 holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners Heb. 7.26 't is said of him he did no sin 1 Pet. 2.22 he knew no sin 2 Cor. 5.21 he knew it in a way of imputation for he was made sin but as to any inhesion or commission so he knew it not The Apostle saith he was tempted in all things as we are yet without sin that must alwayes be excepted Heb. 4.15 he challeng'd all his enemies which of you convinceth me of sin Joh. 8.46 He says of himself he always did the things which pleas'd his Father Joh. 8.29 and now 't is said of him in him is no sin 1 Joh. 3.5 so that upon all this it appears that 't was but the likeness of sinful flesh A threefold Holiness in Christ Christ as Man had a threefold Holiness Original Habitual Actual 1. He was Originally Holy David bitterly lamented it that he was shapen in iniquity and in sin did his mother conceive him Psal 51.5 and so 't is with every man that comes into the world in the way of common generation the very foundation of our Being is laid in sin But 't was not so with out blessed Saviour in his Conception the first framing and forming of his Humane Nature there was nothing of sin for he was therefore * Haec est similitudo carnis quia cum eadem sit caro quae nostra non tamen ita facta in utero est nata ficut caro nostra Est enim sanctificata in utero nata sine peccato neque ipse in illâ peccavit Ideo enim Virginalis uterus electus est ad pattum dominicum ut in sanctitate differret caro Dommi à carne nostrâ Ambros conceived in the Virgins Womb in an extraordinary manner by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost that he might be preserv'd pure from the common pollution so the Angel told Mary Luk. 1.35 The holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the Power of the Highest shall overshadow thee therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God 2. He was Habitually Holy there was in his Nature nothing but an universal rectitude and conformity to the rule and pattern of holiness he had therein grace all grace nothing but grace without the least mixture of habitual corruption We bring with us into the world Natures most wofully depraved such as are a very seed-plot and seminary of all evil but our Lord Jesus had a quite other Nature one that was perfectly sanctified and not in the least tainted with sin This also was brought about by his miraculous and extraordinary formation for had he been begotten as we are his Nature had bee tainted as well as ours is that which is begotten so I would read it rather than that which is born of the flesh is flesh Joh. 3.6 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean not one Job 14.4 The liquor will taste of the cask into which 't is put as water when it comes from the fountain may be very pure yet if it runs through a dirty pipe it will contract filth so let the Soul as it comes out of God's hands be never so pure yet upon union with the body begotten and propagated in the usual way both it and the nature of the person too will be defil'd therefore to avoid this Chirst was begotten in another way By which means he was also freed from the imputation of Adam's sin for he not descending naturally and seminally from Adam his sin was not imputed nor imputable unto him The Apostle indeed saith Heb. 2.11 Both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one i.e. of one Adam as the common root but they are not both of this one Adam in the same manner for they who are sanctified are of him and from him in a way of seminal propagation but he who sanctifieth was not so whereupon though Adam's sin be imputable and imputed to the former 't is not to the latter As according to the * Alting Theol. Problem prob 8. p. 571. Dr. Pearson on the Creed p. 365. usual illustration Levi being in the loins of Abraham paid †Heb. 7.9 10. tythes in him yet Christ who was also in the loins of Abrabam did not so all men being in the loins of Adam and carnally descended from him sinned in him and became partakers of his guilt but Christ though in some sense he might be said to be in
to the utmost of its capacity having nothing in its several faculties but truth in the Vnderstanding holy conformity in the Will heavenliness in the affections I say represent to your selves in your thoughts such a Soul and then think what an excellent Soul would that be just such a Soul is in Christ Indeed if we consider these constitutive parts of Christ's Manhood as they stand apart and by themselves they are excellent to a very high degree but if we go further and consider them in the Hypostatick Vnion then we are at a mighty loss and cannot conceive what a glory is by that conferr'd upon them As suppose a Pearl was put into a glass of Chrystal that would put a great radiancy upon it but what if the Sun it self could be put into this glass how radiant then would it be So here the Lord Christ having so precious a Soul dwelling in his Flesh even that if there was nothing more must make it very glorious but when the Godhead it self dwells in it how unspeakable must its glory and splendor needs be Leaving the parts let me speak to the whole the whole humane nature in Christ is transcendently excellent If the essential and eternal Son of God will so far condescend as to assume Man's Nature certainly in him the Manhood must have all that dignity glory perfection that ever it was capable of and surely never was the Humane Nature so advanc'd as in Christ If you consider it as 't is in us so it hath its worth and excellency for man is yet a glorious creature though 't is too true by the loss of God's image he hath lost very much of his glory As he was at first created in the state of innocency he was high indeed by the Fall the case is sadly altered the Humane Nature now is exceedingly debas'd and depress'd but yet even in its ruins as 't was with old Carthage it may be seen what once it was much is lost and the best is lost but all is not lost the glory of the Saint is gone but the glory of the Man in a great measure yet remains He is yet as to his natural composition and indowments very excellent the top of the whole creation God's * Vid. Nyssen de Hom. opif. c. 3. p. 51. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euryphamus in Stobae Ser. c1 p. 556. Theophrastus calls him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as though God in him would vye with and out-vye all that he had done besides in the whole visible creation See Weems's Portrait p. 60 61. master-piece and highest workmanship endowed with a body curiously wrought with a Soul of divine original excellent in its being and operations And besides this which is general it pleases God in some to restore the Humane Nature in part to what it lost in Adam's fall to advance it again by Grace and Regeneration yea to take it up to heaven to the vision and fruition of himself And now 't is at its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here 's its non-ultra its highest advancement 't is not capable as in us of higher exaltation that what it hath by Grace and Glory This dignity and glory the Humane Nature hath in us but yet as 't is so subjected take it even at its highest elevation it comes infinitely short of the dignity and excellency of the Humane Nature of Christ the reason is because in it there 's all that hath been spoken in an eminent manner and besides which is higher than all the former it is taken into a near conjunction with the Divine Nature How glorious must that Manhood be which subsists in the Godhead and hath no subsistence but in that The nearer the Vnion is with that the greater is the perfection and glory of that which is admitted into that union And hence it is that there is such a fulness of Grace in Christ as Man over and above what is in the best of men that he is * Psal 45.7 anointed with the oyl of gladness above his fellows that his Manhood bears a part in the mediatory Office that 't is to be worshipped with Divine Worship as hath been proved before I say all this belongs to it by vertue of the Hypostatical Vnion from which in all things it derives super-excellent Glory And yet I must tell you this Humane Nature as high as 't is is the lowest thing in Christ that which is the highest in us is but the lowest in him Supremum infimi infimum supremi as Man he 's glorious but what is he then as God! What a Person is Christ take him altogether O let him be adored and reverenced by you as Man but especially as he is God-man So much for Information Use 2. Exhortation to several Dutys 2. Secondly was Christ sent in flesh hence ariseth matter of Exhortation to several Duties 1. I would exhort you to give a full and firm assent to the truth of Christ's incarnation To give a full and firm assent to the truth of Christ's Incarnation as also firmly to adhere to Christ as sent in flesh Here are two things which Iâ—le speak to apart First see that you give a full and firm assent to the truth of Christ's Incarnation 'T is a thing which the Scripture layes a great stress upon 1 Joh. 4.3 Every Spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God and this is that spirit of Antichrist whereof you have heard that it should come and even now is it in the world 2 Joh. 7. Many deceivers are entred into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh this is a deceiver and an Antichrist It seems the Incarnation of Christ met with early opposition his flesh was no sooner translated to Heaven but 't was deny'd on Earth this Apostle therefore who in his Gospel had been a great asserter of it in his Epistles will be also a zealous defender of it and see how warm he was upon it the denyal of Christ's coming and of his coming in the flesh for there lies the main emphasis he carries as high as Antichristianism and sets no lower a brand upon it Antichristianism doth not only lie in the opposing of Christ in his Offices which is the latter and modern Antichristianism but also in the opposing of him in his Natures as God and Man which was the first and ancient Antichristianism to deny Christ's Manhood and assuming flesh this is down-right Antichristian the very spirit of Antichrist if the Apostle here may be believed Now there 's a twofold denial of this one open express direct the other * Non attendamus ad linguam sed ad facta si enim omnes interrogantur omnes uno ore confitentur Jesum esse Christum quiescat paululum lingua vitam interroga Aug. in Ep. Joh. Tract 3. implicit virtual interpretative the former I hope is very rare the latter I fear is too common he
would much embolden you in your addresses to God Eph. 3.12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him Heb. 4.14 16. Seeing we have a great high Priest that is passed into the heavens Jesus the Son of God let us hold fast our profession Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need Heb. 10.19 20 21 22. Having therefore boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh and having an High Priest over the house of God Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water Had Joseph's Brethren known that their own brother had been so near to Pharaoh with what confidence would they have addressed themselves to him Believers Christ your Brother who is flesh of your flesh is at God's right hand as the great Master of Requests the great Dispenser of Mercies why do you not more improve this for the emboldening of your Spirits when in Prayer you go to God 'T is a great thing for the Saints Comfort to consider how things were formerly under the Law and how they are now under the Gospel Then God carried it in a way of greater state and majesty then he kept a greater distance and was more hardly accessible see how the Apostle sets it forth Heb. 9.1 c. Then verily the first Covenant had also Ordinances of Divine Service and a worldly Sanctuary For there was a Tabernacle made the first wherein was the Candlestick c. and after the second vail the Tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all Which had the golden Censer c. Now when these things were thus ordained the Priests went alwayes into the first Tabernacle accomplishing the Service of God But into the second went the high Priest alone once every year not without blood which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people The Apostle here takes notice of the partition or division of the Tabernacle for the * Of this and of the whole Tabernacle see Joseph Antiq. Jud. l. 3. c. 5. Atrium or outer Court where the people used to be that he speaks not of only he meddles with the first and second Tabernacle where the ordinary Priests and the high Priest did officiate Now he saith the first of these were to go no further than the first Tabernacle the People might not go so far the high Priest might go into the second Tabernacle the Sanctum Sanctorum but how with great restrictions he must go alone but * Austine whom Sigonius follows differs in his interpretation of this Quod autem scriptum est Pontificem sèmel in Anno solum Sancta esse ingressum S. Augustinus interpretatur eum quotidie quidem ingressum esse propter incensum ac semel in Anno propter expiationem cum sanguine purificationis Verùm possumus etiam dicere eum quotidiè quidem Sanctuarium esse ingressum sed Sacerdotum comitatu stipatum semel autem in Anno solum i.e. sine Sacerdotibus in die expiationum Sigon de Rep. Hebrae l. 5. c. 2. For this Opinion he is severely taken up by P. Cunaeus de Rep. Heb. l. 1. c. 4. once a year and that too not without blood see Exod. 30.10 Levit. 16. and God was so strict about this that it was as much as his life was worth even for him at any other time to venture into the Holy of Holy's Levit. 16.2 The Lord said unto Moses speak unto Aaron thy brother that he come not at all times into the Holy place within the vail before the Mercy-seat which is upon the Ark that he die not for I will appear in the cloud upon the Mercy-seat Well! not to instance in the restraints laid upon the Priests Levites c. which the Word also mentions what might God's meaning be in this see Vers 8. The Holy Ghost this signifying that the way into the Holiest of all was not yet made manifest while that the way into the Holiest of all was not yet made manifest while as the first Tabernacle was yet standing as if the Apostle had said let not any wonder that God then would keep men at such a distance here was the reason of it or the mystery which was at the bottom of it Christ was not yet come the true Tabernacle was not as yet erected the first Tabernacle was only then standing Christ had not assum'd the Nature of Man thereby to make way for man freely to go to God therefore the way to the Holiest of all was not yet made manifest But now under the Gospel Christ being incarnate and gone to heaven in our flesh now all may go to God freely the way to him is open every believer in the world may now enter into the Holy of Holy's all former restraints and distances are now taken away Mark the Scripture cited already Heb. 10.19 20. Having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh By this flesh Christ's Humane Nature or Christ in the Humane Nature is unquestionably meant which he calls the vail in allusion to that in the Tabernacle wherein there was a twofold vail one that covered the Ark Exod. 40.3 And cover the Ark with the vail the other which separated betwixt the Atrium and the first Tabernacle as also betwixt the first Tabernacle and the second Exod. 26.33 And the vail shall divide unto you between the Holy place and the most Holy so Heb. 9.3 And after the second vail the Tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all to which he also alludes Heb. 6.19 which entreth into that which is within the vail Now with respect to these vails Christ's Flesh or Manhood is set forth by the vail 1. as his Godhead for a time was hid and covered under it 2. as believers through this do go to God as it is the way into the Holiest And so 't is here brought in for he saith by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh You see what these Texts drive at and what the Apostle draws from them viz. that Saints now upon the Manhood of Christ should with boldness enter into the Holiest and draw neer to God with full assurance of Faith this is their unspeakable priviledge under the Gospel which they should improve and rejoyce in This is the fourth thing for Comfort God is now knowable and accessible The Humane Nature is by Christ's Incarnation highly dignify'd and advanc'd 5. Fifthly This cannot but be exceedingly delightful to us to consider the advancement and dignity
place our whole confidence in Christ's meritorious death for if we rely partly upon that and partly upon something else we spoyl all Gospel-Conditions to be per formed on the Sinners part notwithstanding Christ's Sacrifice 5. Fifthly you must so confide and relie upon Christ's one most perfect and all-sufficient Sacrifice as yet withal to be careful that you on your part do perform those Gospel-conditions which God enjoyns and requires of you in order to remission justification glorification this word of advice is so necessary that 't is by no means to be passed over Christians 't is a thing of very high importance for you rightly to understand your selves in this matter therefore take it thus All your trust and relyance is solely to be bottomed upon the Death and Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus but yet you canâ—ot regularly and warrantably act this trust and relyance upon this â—nly ground or foundation unless in your own persons you perform those conditions which God prescribes in his Word The whole business of merit and satisfaction lies upon Christ that is wholly out of your hands and only in his but as to believing and repenting the two grand Gospel-conditions they lie upon your selves I speak with respect to the act not to the power and must be done by your selves yea and the doing of these is as necessary on your part under the notion of Conditions as suffering and dying was on Christ's part under the notion of merit And 't is most certain that the latter without the former will not profit you because Christ never design'd to impute or make over his merit to any further than as they should make good these Conditions of Faith and Repentance We have here two dangerous rocks before us and it must be our care and skill to shun both of them the one is the setting of inherent grace or duty too high as when we make it to share with Christ in merit and trust the other is the setting of inherent grace or duty too low as when upon the pretence of Christ's alone merit and full satisfaction we quite throw it off and are altogether careless about it as supposing it now to be a thing wholly unnecessary Now we are exceedingly prone to dash upon the one or the other of these rocks either we run our selves upon POPERY in the former or upon ANTINOMISM and LIBERTINISM in the latter O what need have all to beg the guidance of the unerring Spirit that thereby they may eavenly steere betwixt both and avoid each extreams which they shall most happily do if Christ and his Sacrifice be only eyed by them in the way of relyance and yet Holiness Obedience Faith Repentance have also that respect which is due to them as means and conditions Much hath been said concerning the perfection and sufficiency of Christ's Sacrifice that he hath thereby put away all sin fully expiated its guilt perfected for ever them that are sanctified c. shall any now from hence infer that all is done by Christ that the Creature hath nothing to do but only to receive the benefits prepared and purchased God forbid True Christ's Sacrifice was perfect in suo genere but not in omni genere 't was perfect as to what was meritorious and satisfactory so as to exclude all other Sacrifices and supplements whatsoever upon that account but not so as to exclude all Conditions which God will have the Creature to perform which though they can add nothing to the perfecting of the believers great Sacrifice yet they do prepare and fit Sinners for the participation of the benefits merited thereby To instance in all these Conditions or to enlarge upon any one of them would be a long work briefly therefore as ever you desire to be the better for a dying Saviour to share in the great and blessed effects of his Sacrifice look to it that you repent and believe O if you be found at last in the number of the impenitent and unbelieving all that Christ hath done or suffered will be a very nothing to you notwithstanding all that you will eternally perish Here is indeed an expiatory Sacrifice I but yet as to you no repentance no expiation here is Sin condemned by Christ's oblation of himself I but yet if the Sinner doth not penitentially condemn â—n in himself and himself for sin for all this hee 'l be judicially condemned at the great day The Scripture every where makes repentance the way to and condition of remission of sin Acts 2.38 Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins Acts 5.31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins with very many other places to this purpose The Apostle having said 1 Joh. 1.7 The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin presently subjoyns Vers 9. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness great is the efficacy of Christ's blood but 't is upon condition of the Sinners Repentance if we confess our sins c. At the JEWISH anniversary Expiation all the sins of the people were by the Sacrifices done away yet God would have them then to afflict their Souls Levit. 16.29 and the High Priest was in their stead to confess their iniquities and all their transgressions in all their sins Vers 21. we under the Gospel have our great expiation by the death of Christ but this also must be attended with penitential abasement and humilation So likewise as to Faith this too is a grace or condition indispensably necessary to the partaking of the benefits of Christ's propitiatory Sacrifice Therefore the Apostle speaking of propitiation brings in our Faith as well as Christ's blood it having an instrumental as well as that a meritorious influence thereupon Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood c. To the blessings of the new Covenant as the blood of Christ was necessary that thereby there might be * Grotius de Sat. p. 141. impetration so Faith also is necessary that thereby there may be application Our Lord's Sacrifice is every way sufficient for atonement yet he that believeth not the wrath of God abideth on him Joh. 3.36 so also 't is sufficient for expiation yet 't is only whosoever believeth on him shall receive remission of sins Acts 10.43 Under the Law the blood of the Sacrifice was to be so and so * Exod. 12.22 Heb. 9.19 sprinkled with a bunch of hyssope to which custom David alludes Psal 51.7 Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean now answerably to this Paul speaks of the blood of sprinkling Heb. 12.24 't was not enough for Christ only to shed his blood but that must be sprinkled upon the Sinner how why by Faith which under
Polemical discourses and also in their Commentaries upon the Text do assert wherein yet to give every one their due they * Hinc Patet persolam Naturam Legem sine gratiâ Christi hominem in hâc corruptione non posse totam legem totumque Decalogum implere A-Lapide differ from the old PELAGIANS For whereas they held that a man by the meer power of Nature might perfectly keep the whole Law these hold that a man cannot do this without the assisting grace of God but that being vouchsafed they say regenerate persons may keep the whole Law Thus they expound the words and then from them they endeavour to prove against us a possibility of perfect obedience to the Law of God by the Saints in this Life insomuch that say they Saints may here live without all Sin Venial sins only excepted which break no squares betwixt God and the Creature that they may do all the good which the Law requires nay that this perfect conformity to the Law is not only possible but easie nay that such who are high in grace may not only do just what the Law demands but that they may superogate and do more than what it demands This is the Doctrine which †Concil Trident Sess 6. c. 18. Bellarm. de Justif l. 4. c. 10 c. Becan Man Controv. l. 1. c. 17. Perer. Disp 3. in c. 8. ad Rom. Ut justificatio Legis c. i. e. ut nos legem impleremus idque faciendo justi essemus quia factores legis justificabuntur Estius Peccato in nobis per redemptionis Christi gratiam abolito factâque cum Deo reconciliatione legem implere nobis est jam possibile facile Tolet. Vide Justinian Catharin Staplet Rhemists in loc c. Nemo miretur quod dixerim posse nos absque omni culpâ absolute esse Nam iterum dico posse per Dei gratiam libetum arbitrium hominem perfectam assequi justitiam coram Deo immunitatem scilicet ab omni peccato modo voluntas ejus non desit adjuvante diviná ope C. Mussu◠they of the ROMISH-Church teach and maintain with great zeal We are not asham'd to declare * See Calvin Instit l. 2. c. 7. sect 5. Chemnit Exam. De bonis Operibus 3. Qu. p. 181. Chamier t. 3. l. 11. Whittak contra Duraeum de Parad. l. 8. p. 201 202. Bradsh de Justif c. 11. our dissent from them in this proud Opinion which in a great measure owns its descent from the old Pharisees We believe that since Adams fall no man Christ only excepted did ever thus in himself fulfil the Laws righteousness Indeed in the state of innocency man had a power to do this but not since and to hold the contrary is to confound the two states and to make little difference between man as standing and man as fallen The Laws righteousness is a draught or copy of mans primitive holiness so that to say that he can now in himself come up to that righteousness is in effect to say he is as holy and righteous as ever he was and no wayes impaired by Adams Fall By that we are all made unrighteous and such as are unrighteous can never perfectly fulfil a righteous Law He must be sinless do no evil who will exactly reach the Laws righteousness but are any * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. Constit l. 2. c. 18. such here on earth 1 Kings 8.46 There is no man that sinneth not Eccles 7.20 For there is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not Jam. 3.2 In many things we offend all 1 Joh. 1.8 If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Prov. 20.9 Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin reade Psal 130.3 Psal 142.2 Job 9.2 3. Job 15.15 c. Rom. 3.19 Gal. 3.22 Further he must not only do good all good but he must do it in the most intense and highest degree that he is capable of or else he doth not fulfil the Laws righteousness Matth. 22.37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy mind but where 's the man who thus loves God now if there be but a * Peccatum est cum non est charitas quae esse debet vel minor est quà m esse debet Aug. de Perfect justitiae gradual defect the Law is not fulfilled It s righteousness extends to the inward man and to the inward acts the Soul as to external acts if evil especially if grossely and scandalously evil 't is possible for one to refrain from them if good 't is possible for one to come up to them but this will not amount to the perfect keeping of the Law unless there be an abstaining from Heart-evils from evil thoughts and concupiscence within so Christ the Maker and Expounder of the Law opens it against the Pharisees Matth. 5. and unless also there be the doing of what is good from a right principle to a right end If the righteousness of the Law did lie only in external acts something might be said but when it reaches to internal acts who can say that there all is right O how great is the Laws strictness Deut. 5.32 Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left And its demands are so severe that if you fail in any one point you are gone you fail in all Gal. 3.10 Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them Jam. 2.10 For whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all and if so he must be strangely arrogant and ignorant too that will pretend to come up in himself to the Laws righteousness If any could so do to him the reward would be reckoned not of grace but of debt Rom. 4.4 his justification would be by works whereas the Scripture excludes any from being justified that way Rom. 3.19 20. Gal. 2.16 his righteousness would be of the Law and so as to him Christ died in vain Gal 2.21 If the Laws righteousness was fulfillable in this sense why did the Apostle in the Verse foregoing speak of the Laws 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or weakness whence doth that proceed but from our weakness and utter inability perfectly to obey it If it be said as it is that Christ came in flesh for this very end to take off this weakness that we might be able fully to keep it in our own persons that we peremptorily deny he came that the righteousness of the Law should be fulfilled for us and in us imputatively but not personally Had he designed the latter 't is strange that we should not have one Instance in all the New Testament of
of the hands of your enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the dayes of your life Luk. 1.74 75. Partly too because upon Christ's sending in the flesh you have so full a demonstration of the evil of sin how hateful it was to God c. for it having got into the world nothing could expiate it unless God's own Son will take flesh yea and suffer and die in that flesh and so bring about the expiation of it O what an evil is sin Now notwithstanding and after all this will you yet love it and live in the commission of it what will this be but in effect to say you regard not what Christ was or did that you desire as far as in you lies to make this his great act the taking of flesh to be insignificant and to no purpose as also to declare to the world by your practises that you have quite other thoughts of sin than what God himself hath Especially they must shun those sins which do most disparage and debase the Humane Nature 3. Of all sins be sure you shun those which do most directly disparage and debase the Humane Nature such as drunkenness intemperance bodily uncleanness c. what a sad thing is it that ever such things should be done where there is such a Nature When Christ hath assum'd that Nature and by assuming it hath so dignified and advanc'd it nay when he hath so highly glorify'd it as to carry it up with him to Heaven and there to sit with it at the right hand of God shall we by such and such sinful courses the gratifying of such base lusts * Agnosce O Christiane dignitatem tuam divinae consors factus Naturae noli in veterem vilitatem degeneri conversatione redire Leo de Nativ dishonour and disparage it God forbid Sinners let me intreat you when ever the temptation comes to excite you to those Evils which in special do entrench upon the glory of the Humane Nature as to drink to excess to defile your bodies by fleshly lusts c. do but seriously think with your selves that you are Men and shall such carry it as beasts that your Saviour hath just such a body as you have and doth he abuse it by the committing of such Evils that he hath your Nature and doth he so and so sin in it that he hath restor'd it as 't is in himself to its pristine glory and will you as 't is in your selves keep it as vile as ever surely if such who are drown'd in sensuality did but seriously think of this they would abandon their base lusts rather than by them debase their excellent Nature They must love God and Christ 4. Love God and Christ yea love them strongly ardently to a very intense degree of love * 1 Joh. 4.16 God is Love he hath made it appear so in his sending of Christ in flesh therefore he deserves love he hath sufficiently acted and declared his love to you how will you act and declare your love to him c. he loved and * Joh. 3.16 so loved you will you not ‖ Si amare pigebat saltem reamare non pigeat August de Catech. Rud. return love for love I and so love him too to the utmost of your capacity What will fire the cold heart with love to God if this will not do it viz. his sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh he that knows and considers this certainly he cannot but be full of divine Love And then Love Christ was he willing to put on your rags to cloath himself with your flesh did he take your Nature and that too under those circumstances which have been mentioned doing this not for himself but wholly for your good was he pleas'd so far to condescend as to become one of you nay to put himself not only into your Nature but also into your stead he might have been a Man and yet not a Surety O let him have your Love your most hearty and cordial Love pray let it be your greatest grief that you have no more love for him who deserves so much alas 't is but a drop when it should be an Ocean but a poor spark when it should be a vehement flame And I would have you to love Christ who is incarnate as well as because he was incarnate what an alluring attracting object of Love is Christ God-man God loves him as he is in our flesh the Angels love him as in our flesh the glorify'd Saints love him too in that notion will not you also love him as he is so considered Christ in our Nature is a Person very amiable what is there in mear man to draw our love to him which is not in Christ God and Man with great advantage he indeed is the Deliciae humani generis * Psal 45.2 fairer than the children of men the †Cant. 5.10 chiefest amongst ten thousand ‖ 16. altogether lovely those excellencies which are but scattered in us do all like lines in the Centre concur in him A Christ incarnate is the love of heaven let him be the love of earth too 5. So love Christ as to be willing nay ambitious to do to suffer Be ambitious to do and suffer for Christ to be abased for him O Sirs what shall we * Deus Homo factus est quid facturus est Homo propter quem Deus factus est Homo August tom 3. p. 1070. do for him who hath done such inexpressible things for us shall we be loth to take his Cross who was so willing to take our Nature he had but the likeness of sinful flesh and yet how willingly and patiently did he suffer we have the reality of sinful flesh shall we hang off from suffering or be impatient under it what abasement can be too much for the sons of men when the Son of God was thus abased what service can be too mean for us when Christ stooped to the form of a Servant He that knows how much Christ's love was above him will never think any work or service to be below him 6. As Christ was pleas'd to partake with you in your Nature Labour after the participation of the divine Nature so let it be your desire and endeavour to partake with him in his I mean that which the Apostle speaks of when he saith that by these you might be partakers of the divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 even man in such a sense is capable of this and therefore should pursue after it 'T was part of Christ's humiliation to take our Humane Nature but 't is our highest exaltation to be brought under the participation of his divine Nature of which though we cannot be partakers as he was of the former for then we should be properly and formally deify'd which is high blasphemy yet in the fruits and effects of it and in regard
of conformity and likeness to it so we may God may become very man but man cannot become very God he may be like to God by grace and holiness but that 's all thus we are to understand some passages of the * Factus est Deus Homo ut Homo fieret Deus Aug. de Nativ Divinitas Verbi aequalis Patri facta est particeps mortalitatis nostrae non de suo sed de nostro ut nos efficeremur participes Deitatis ejus non de nostro sed de ipsuis Aug. tom 3. p. 1051. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Athan. de Incarn Verb. p. 108. l. 1. Antients which seem to be very high Now this is that which I would have you to labour after that as Christ hath taken of yours so you may receive of his as he was made like to you in what is proper to Man so you according to your capacity may be made like to him in what is proper to God Be thankful both for the thing it self and also for the revelation of it 7. Be thankful not in a common ordinary formal manner but in the most lively enlarged raised manner that is possible Where the mercy is high and great the thankfulness must bear some proportion to it Did Christ condescend to take your flesh for such gracious ends O where is your praising and magnifying of God should not the whole Soul be summon'd in to give its most united acknowledgement of so signal a mercy The Angels never reaped that advantage by his Incarnation which we do and yet as soon as ever that took place they were at praising-work Luk. 2.13 14. Suddenly there was with the Angels a multitude of the heavenly Host praising God and saying Glory to God in the highest c. Good old Zachary began his Prophesie with thanksgiving Luk. 1.68 69. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people c. and Simeon upon the sight of Christ in the Flesh was transported with joy Luk. 2.29 c. Then took he him up in his arms and blessed God and said Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in peace according to thy word For mine eyes have seen thy Salvation Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel To move you to this thankfulness I can say no more than what I have already said let but that be consider'd and you will daily heartily with the most raised affections bless God for a Christ incarnate And as you should do this for the thing it self so also for the revelation of it in the Gospel where the mystery which was kept secret since the world began is now made manifest as the Apostle speaks Rom. 16.25 26. This we had never known if God had not there revealed it and the deeper is the mystery the higher is his mercy in the disclosing of it * Matth. 13.11 To you 't is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven to others 't is not so how little doth the greatest part of the world know of a God in Flesh Nature may discover a God but 't is Scripture only which discovers God-man now why is that revealed to you which is hid to so many Even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight Matth. 11.26 Nay further you have the clear revelation of this what was hid in darker Prophesies and Types to the Fathers under the Old-Testament is how under the New made as evident to you as the light of the noon-day you do with * 2 Cor. 3 18◠open face behold the truth and glory of Christ's Manhood you live under the dayes of the Son of Man that which others expected and waited for and saw but †Heb. 11.13 afar off is now accomplished and made good to you Under the Law believers looked for the Son of God in flesh you under the Gospel look on the Son of God in flesh their language was I shall see him but not now I shall behold him but not nigh as Balaam prophesied Numb 24.17 but under the Gospel the language is That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life For the life was manifested and we have seen it c. 1 Joh. 1.1 2. I may say to you what Christ once did to his Disciples Luk. 10.23 24. Blessed are the eyes which see the things which ye see For I tell you that many Prophets and Kings have desir'd to see those things which ye see and have not seen them and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them O put the thing and the revelation thereof together how should God for both be magnified by us had we as many tongues as members was the whole body turn'd into this one member yet we should not be able for this high and glorious mercy sufficiently to speak out and celebrate the praises of the most high God as * Si certè omnia membra nostra verterentur in linguas ad rependendum tibi debitas laudes nequaquam sufficeret exiguitas nostra Aug. medit cap. 15. Austine pathetically expresses it So much for this Second Vse by way of Exhortation The third and last is for Comfort 3. Use The point in hand is every way as fruitful for Consolation as for Exhortation For Comfort◠to Believers Christ sent in flesh made flesh what abundance of matter is wrap'd up in this for the heightning of the true believers joy I have brought you to the very spring-head of divine Consolation O that you might feel it flowing forth and running into your Souls Abraham rejoyced to see Christ's day the day of his Incarnation he saw it and was glad Joh. 8.56 let me tell you you see that about it which he never saw will not you rejoyce and be glad Fear not said the Angel to the Shepherds for behold I bring you good tydings of great joy which shall be to all people what were these good tydings why Vnto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. Luk. 2.10 11. Christ born the Son of God incarnate good tydings indeed blessed be God that they were ever brought to our ears surely such tydings call for great joy If God would please to open your eyes to let you see what there is in a Christ sent in flesh to fix your thoughts upon it to help you to make the best improvement of it I cannot but assure my self that your hearts would be brimful of Comfort that your fears would vanish like the dark cloud before the bright-shining Sun that instead of your sad despondencies of Spirit you would triumph in Christ and lift up your heads with joy O how injurious are they to the Saints in their heavenly