and I am the way and the truth and the life Yea it would cast a lie upon God himself for he said this was his beloved Son and owned him by a Voice from Heaven 2. If Freedom doth not come by Christ then all the Saints hope is lost They have all placed their hope in him 1 Tim. 1. 2. They hope that they shall have eternal life by believing in him they hope that it won't be long now before he will come again and receive them to himself according to his Promise that where he is there they may be also They are described there in Tit. 2. 13. to be a People looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearance of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ And oh how many breathings and longings of Soul have they and do they send forth to him and having the first fruits of the Spirit they groan within themselves waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of the body Rom. 8. 23. And what shall all this be lost 3. If Freedom did not come by Christ certainly the Devil would not keep such a do to hinder Souls from coming to him He makes this his great business to blind the minds of them that believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine unto them 2 Cor. 4. 4. But they might come and come to Christ and he would put forth no power nor use no subtilty to hinder them at all if there were no Freedom to be found in him The Devil knows 't is otherwise and therefore he sets all his devices a work to block up that way 4. If Freedom did not come by Christ then no Soul that comes to him could find rest in him But every Soul that comes to him finds rest in him Heb. 4. 3. Yea they find a glorious rest in him as God promised they should Isa 11. 10. Obj. Why but there are many that come to Christ and yet are much disturb'd and full of disquieting thoughts Ans Yea that 's true and yet notwithstanding they do find rest in Christ for ask such a person in the midst of all his fears It is thus and thus with you ay but would you change Would you place your hope in another Oh! no here he desires to pitch for ever Well then he finds rest here as to the Objection and all his trouble is not that he fears whether there be rest in Christ but whether he be truly come to him To the Fourth After what manner this Freedom is in Christ I answer 1. 'T is in Christ personally i. e. Jesus Christ who is the Second Person in the Godhead is he who is our Deliverer and Redeemer When a poor Creature is delivered by some one out of his Slavery certainly he must needs desire to know who was the person that did it Now the Lord Jesus Christ is the very person that hath done this great Work for us as he said to the woman of Samaria Joh. 4. 26. when she spake of the Messias or Redeemer that was to come I that speak unto thee am he Now the reason why I mention this that our Freedom is in the person of Christ is in order to the answering of one Question that may profitably be propounded here which is this Quest Whether our Redemption be so to be appropriated to Christ the Second Person in the Godhead as that the other Persons namely the Father and the Holy Ghost had nothing or have nothing to do in it Answ 1. Our Freedom comes in some respects from the Father and the Holy Ghost as well as from the Son or from all the three Persons jointly 2. In other respects it comes from Christ personally and peculiarly so as that in some sense he is and must be looked upon as more immediately our Redeemer I will open these two things a little 1. Our Freedom comes from all the three Persons That it comes from Christ you know that 's the whole business of this 4th Branch of the Doctrine and much hath been spoken to it already But now for the Father and the Holy Ghost they are also concerned in this Freedom For the Father see that place Col. 1. 12 23. Giving thanks unto the Father who hath delivered us from the power of darkness c. And for the Holy Ghost you read 2 Cor. 3. 17. that where he comes into the heart he brings Liberty with him So that the giving of this Freedom is in some respects the joint work of all the Persons I shall shew you what you are to gather from this by and by that they all have a hand in it But first I will shew you what hand the Father and the Holy Ghost have in conjunction with Jesus Christ about this Freedom and then how Christ as I said is more personally and peculiarly concerned in it For God the Father I shall give you five things for his having a hand in this Work 1. He did appoint design and choose the Son to be our Redeemer he did in his infinite Wisdom and Goodness contrive the way for the bringing of those that should believe out of the misery that they were fallen into by sin Gal. 4. 4 5. So that our Redemption was from the Father as the Original and Fountain of it He broke as it were this Business to his Son and by his own consent he pitched upon him to be the Saviour and Mediator You may observe in many places of the Old Testament that the Father is brought in speaking to Christ as one that he had called and chosen to this Work Isa 42. 6 7. and 49. 8 9. and 55. 4 5. and 61. 1. Zech. 9. 11. By these places you may see that the Father and the Son did as it were agree together from all Eternity about this thing and took as I may say a delight to confer together in Heaven about it There were many wonderful things done between them even there there this admirable Design was laid and there Christ as it were ingaged and entred into Covenant with his Father that he would undertake and faithfully perform this great Work and there the Father past his promise to the Son that those whom he should redeem should have eternal Life Tit. 1. 2. And there the Father did as it were give in to the Son the Number List or Roll of all the persons that were to be redeemed Joh. 17. 6. So that when Christ came into the World he knew for whom he was to die and for whom he was to make intercession that it was not for all the World but for them whom the Father had given him and he knew who they were as he saith Joh. 10. when he speaks that he was to lay down his Life for the Sheep ver 15. I know my sheep ver 14. he must needs know them for he stood charged with every one of them Joh. 6. 39. So that Christ was a long
manifest signs and tokens of a person in slavery what 's the meaning that thou art so in love with sin and under the power and dominion of these and these Lusts that thou art so given to such and such wicked Ways and so contrary to all that is good That thou hast such an unclean Heart and such a disobedient Life such a dark Mind such vile Affections such a rebellious Will Why doth not this speak that thou art an Enemy to God and a Child of Wrath Would or could any Man or Woman live such a carnal vain Conversation as thine is if they were not in an unregenerate condition Therefore you read Joh. 16. 9. that it is the Spirit that reproves the world of sin Again It is the Spirit that humbles the soul that is to be saved that abases and laves it low in the sight of its own sin and misery that makes sin grievous and odious to it and that brings the Soul under a sense of that wrath that belongs to the workers of iniquity So that it shall cry out Oh what have I done Oh what have I deserved what a dangerous case am I in Here 's this and that sin forbidden by God and yet committed by me and thereupon the Law threatens thus and thus Oh how shall I escape Here 's this and that Duty commanded by God and yet neglected by me and thereupon the Law threatens thus and thus again Oh what shall become of me Hence that sorrow and heaviness that is in such a Soul now is called the spirit of heaviness Isa 61. 3. to note that this heaviness comes from the Spirit 't is he that sets the Soul a mourning thus Again It is the Spirit that discovers to the Soul that is to be saved where its remedy is for all this that acquaints it with the Gospel and Salvation by Christ and what things God hath freely given to his People in and by his Son 1 Cor. 2. 12. That shews it Tho thou art such a great sinner yet there is a great Saviour one that is a Physician appointed to cure such Diseases as thine are one that 's a Surety appointed to pay such Debts as thine are 'T is said here that the Spirit makes those who shall be saved to know such things as these are what God hath done for the raising and recovering of poor sinners in a way of free Grace what a glorious Contrivance he hath found out by Jesus Christ revealed in the Gospel to shew mercy to them and indeed that 's a knowing that is worth the having to know these things so as the Spirit makes them known to the People of God There be many that have a kind of Knowledge of these things by bare reading of them and hearing of them and by common Illumination of the Spirit but this knowing here is another manner of thing Again It is the Spirit that doth help and inable the Soul to look out for this Christ to use all the means and to go all the ways that may be to come to this Christ and to get an interest in him that works in it faith to lay hold upon him and that makes the Soul able to take him Eph. 3. 16 17. That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthned with might by his spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith Mark 't is the Spirit that by his might doth strengthen the inner man that Christ may dwell in the heart by faith Take notice by the way what a deal of Power there must go out from this Spirit to make a Soul believe with the true saving Faith They that have the false Faith they can believe with ease there needs not an Almighty Arm to be stretched out to work their Faith they give it themselves and have had it all their days they find no difficulty either in the getting of it or in the keeping of it But the true Faith comes into the hearts of Saints by no less a strength than that which God by his Spirit puts forth See Eph. 1. 19 20. Again It is the Spirit that seals and witnesses to the Soul the Assurance that this Freedom doth belong to it and that proves to the Soul that it is so by such Evidences as it gives out of the Word Eph. 1. 13. This is he that carries as I may say God's Privy Seal and when and to whom he pleases he gives it but he gives it to none but them that are sanctified The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he will show them his covenant And this is an unspeakable mercy to have the Spirits Seal set to our Graces to have ones repentance sealed for a true Repentance and ones faith sealed for a true Faith and ones comfort sealed for true Comfort and ones interest in Christ sealed up We must make our state of Grace sure by Signs but the Spirit can make it sure by Seal Again It is the Spirit that ingages and stirs up the Soul to such a walking as is sit for one that is brought into a state of Freedom therefore 1 Pet. 1. 2. the People of God are said to have the sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience And Oh! how much are they beholding unto this Spirit for many heavenly Notions that he gives in to them and for fresh quicknings when they find abundance of deadness and formality in their Duties hath seised upon them This Spirit is often calling upon the Saints to pray more fervently to hear more profitably to walk more closely to bring forth more fruit to God who hath done so much for them It often minds them of their Mercies that they may be more stirred up to Duties and of the hope of their Calling that so they may walk more worthy of it Again It is the Spirit that preserves and keeps them in the state of Freedom that they shall not lose it again and that makes them to persevere to the end in a holy life that so they may come at last to the full injoyment of all that their dear Redeemer hath purchased and prepared for them This Spirit is that Power of God by which they are said through Faith to be kept unto Salvation See Ezek. 36. 27. Thus you see that both the Father and the Holy Ghost have a hand in this Freedom But yet according to the second thing that was said in answer to the Question our Freedom in other respects comes from Christ personally and peculiarly so as that in some sense he is and must be look'd upon as more immediatly our Redeemer for he did that in his Person which the other Persons did not They did not take our nature and come in the likeness of sinful flesh but the Son did Rom. 8. 3. and therefore 't was not they but he that was made under the Law and that yielded perfect obedience to it neither did they but he died
that accursed death upon the Cross for our sins and 't was he and not they that rose again the third day and that afterwards ascended into Heaven and 't is he and not they that is the Mediator betwixt God and man 1 Tim. 2. 5. and divers such things must be appropriated to the Person of Christ 'T was he that was put into the Offices of a Prophet Priest and King and these things are everywhere in the Scripture kept so distinct from the other Persons as that Christ is the Doer and Executor of them So that our Freedom comes by him as I have already shewed upon this Fourth Branch of the Doctrine in a more eminent way than by the Father or the Holy Ghost tho they have all of them as I have said in some respects a very great hand in it And from that I would now desire you to take three Considerations All the three Persons are concerned in the Freedom that comes by Christ why then consider 1. That there was not a word spoken in Heaven against the recovering of poor Sinners out of their lost condition not a word against shewing Mercy to them You know there be many great things upon Earth that come to a Proposition but then they meet with an Opposition and such an Opposition that the thing propounded is dash'd all to pieces But it was not so in Heaven there every one was for it the Father was for it the Son was for it and the Holy Ghost was for it and yet every one might have been against it And Oh how much might have been said to have spoiled all there was enough might have been alledged to have turned all their hearts against us but every one was willing that the business of our Redemption should go forward all went on our side You may therefore be fully assured that tho there was none but the second Person that did visibly appear in the Work of our Redemption yet that they are all well-wishers to it Here 's no place left for doubting whether their hearts be as inclinable towards your Salvation as Christ did express by word of mouth that his heart was in the days of his Flesh for they do all by mutual consent unite together in this Design of doing your Souls good and the voice of one is the voice of all And when Christ did invite and call poor Sinners to come unto him and declared so much readiness to receive and imbrace all that were weary and heavy laden you must know that he did not only do this to show his own kindness and good-will to the Children of Men but also to shew what kindness and good will the other Persons had in their hearts towards them too And if you look into 1 Joh. 5. 7. you shall find them all joined together in this matter of Salvation by Christ compared with ver 11. What an ingagement then is it to us to accept of this Salvation when we have as I may say three such great Suitors seeking to us the Father sending his Son and the Son coming from the Father and now Christ by his Spirit knocking at the door of our Hearts for an entrance Oh that as they are all willing that we should be saved we were all willing to close with this Salvation 2. Since they all have a hand in it then in our labouring to get the benefit of Christ's Redemption we must look to all the three Persons 't is not only Christ in particular that we must have an eye to but also to the Father and to the Holy Ghost And we must look to them all two ways 1. In the way of Prayer 2. In the way of Thanksgiving As for Prayer why we must pray to the Father that he would draw us to his Son as Christ saith Joh. 6. 44. No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him We must pray to the Son that he would have mercy upon us and heal us and that he would help our Unbelief as you read they did in the Gospel when he was here in his bodily Presence We must pray to the Holy Ghost to inlighten our Minds in the saving understanding of Christ and the Gospel to sanctifie us and make us obedient to the word of Grace and effectually to apply to us the Redemption that comes by Christ and all the benefits of it But here we must take heed that when we do thus express our selves as sometimes we may in such kind of Petitions as are directed more particularly to one Person we don't think that the other Persons are at that time excluded And then we must look to all the three Persons in a way of Thanksgiving For if every one hath a hand in our Redemption then we are beholding to every one of them and so we may not only make an Acknowledgment of it to the whole Godhead jointly but also to each of the Persons particularly and so you shall see the People of God have sometimes done As for Thanksgiving to the Father see Eph. 1. 3. and for Thanksgiving to the Son Rev. 1. 5 6. And tho we have not as I remember any Scripture in which the Holy Ghost is given thanks to in this particular way of naming of him yet you must know that in those places in which Praise is rendred unto God he is there to be understood Well then as I said we should be admiring and praising every one of them for this Work and saying Oh blessed be the Father that sent his only begotten Son out of his Bosom to be a Saviour to Mankind And Oh blessed be Jesus Christ the Son of God who laid down his Life to be a Ransom for us And Oh blessed be the Holy Ghost which hath given to any of our Souls the application comfort and sealing up of this Redemption Blessed be that one God in three Persons for ever and ever Amen 3. If there be such a Three that join together to further the Saints Salvation then another Three that join together to hinder their Salvation shall not be able to do it There is a Three that would fain keep every Child of God out of Heaven the World the Flesh and the Devil and 't is true they are three great and mighty Enemies howbeit they attain not to the first Three 1 Chron. 11. 21. Oh! you that fear God when you think what Three there are against you and thereupon are ready to be disheartned why think what Three there are for you and then be comforted What are the Three below to the Three above The Saints do too little mind what great Friends and Helps are ingaged on their side It daunted all the Children of Israel to see that great Goliath coming against them because they looked no higher than themselves but little David went forth with Courage and Resolution to meet him because he knew that he had God on his side 1 Sam. 17. 45. Thou comest to me with
excellent in his Names and excellent in his Natures and excellent in his Offices his Life his Death his Satisfaction Righteousness Intercession are excellent Beauty Grace are in him to perfection he is so excellent that God and all Saints do set their best love upon him that all the Riches Hope and Happiness of believers are laid up in him So excellent that he is the chiefest among ten thousand the Pearl of great price in comparison of whom all things are counted but loss and dung But my purpose is not here to treat of the excellency of Christ at large for that would fill up a Volume of it self there being no Subject of Divinity of a vaster extent than this is But I shall confine my thoughts to the considering of the excellency of his person a little as it relates to this Freedom which we have in hand He must needs be an excellent person in that he performed this Freedom according to these twelve following things 1. In that he did it with so much power Psal 93. 1. The Lord is cloathed with strength wherewith he hath girded himself The Lord Jesus Christ bewrayed no weakness in his work from the beginning of it to the end Our help was laid as God saith in the Scripture upon one that is mighty he had such an heavy burthen upon him as was enough to have broken the back of a thousand Worlds but he stood under it he could as it were swim in the whole Sea of his Fathers Wrath one drop of which no meer man could bear without sinking What an excellent person must this needs be that could grapple with the Divine Indignation with red hot Justice with all the Curse of the Law with the Powers of darkness and not be daunted Never was there a work so full of difficulty as this was and yet Christ had enough to carry him through it he met with many Enemies but he overcame every one of them Oh the strength that he put forth in the work of our redemption all the Devils in Hell were resolved and combined if it had been possible to have worsted him and to have spoiled the whole design of our Salvation that it should never have come to any thing and there was not any thing wanting that they could do to hinder it but this Lion of the Tribe of Judah was too strong for the roaring Lion and all his confederates he wrought out our Freedom notwithstanding opposition on all hands And from this consideration let me mind you That good things must be set about and carried on with courage for so you see Christ did what he had to do difficulty did not discourage him And as this did speak the excellency of Christ in his work so it speaks the excellency of a Christian in his work that 's a brave Christian that won't be discouraged that whatever he meets with in the way of Service aad Duty his heart holds up still You are like to Christ when 't is thus with you I know that you that are the people of God meet with difficulties you have this and that which is hard to go through but remember the Captain of your Salvation would not be daunted take example from him Obj. But thou wilt say it may be But I am not so strong as he was he could come with that Power to his work that I have not Answ As thou hast not Christs strength so neither hast thou his work 'T is true thou hast thy work too but it is not such work as Christ in some respects had to do thou never wert nor ever shalt be called to such great things as he was but then mark that Power of Christ by which he did his work is also in him for the enabling of thee which believest to do thy work So was it promised to the Apostle Paul 2 Cor. 12. 9. And he said unto me My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness And because of this you see Paul would be so far from being discouraged at difficulties that he would rather glory and take pleasure in them Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in mine infirmities that the Power of Christ may rest upon me 2. In that he did it with so much Faith What an excellent person must this needs be that could go through such a work so believingly as Christ did and hold forth his Hope and Confidence in God his Father notwithstanding all the hard things he met with in procuring our Freedom How apt are we when we are in distress and under desertion tho all our afflictions and sufferings are but a Fleabiting in comparison of what he underwent to let go our hold of the Promises as you may see it even in those who were very eminent for Grace and had had great experience of the former goodness of God to them Psal 77. 7 8 9. 1 Sam. 27. 1. But now here is one that had such a Faith that tho he were in the Red-Sea of his Fathers Wrath and the deep Waters of his afflictions and sufferings did not do to him as the Red Sea that the Children of Israel came to did to them the waters of that were divided and became a wall to them on their right hand and on their left so that they were in the very midst of them as upon dry ground but the waters of Christs afflictions were overflowing overwhelming Waters such as plunged and drencht him into the deeps his Soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto Death his very sweat was like blood yet even then he could believe that God was his Father and that he had an unspeakeble Love to him And this Faith of his had no mixture of unbelief or of sinful doubting as ours hath but 't was a firm and full Faith whereby he resolved for ever to trust perfectly in God let him do what he would with him and to him Take two Scriptures for this among others Isa 50. 7. The Lord will help me therefore shall I not be confounded therefore have I set my face like a flint and I know that I shall not be ashamed Mark what Faith he had he does not say now he is looking upon his sufferings for so you are to conceive of him in this place Oh! what shall I do I shall never go through these Tribulations I shall never be able to drink off this bitter Cup that is prepared for me but he believes he shall and that his Father would help him he did not doubt of it I know it saies he and in the confidence of this he doth as it were harden himself against all the sufferings of one kind and another that he was to be called to which is the meaning of that expression I have set my face like a flint Another Scripture for the acting of his Faith even in the sight and under the Sense of the pains of Death and Hell-torments in his Soul you have in Psal 16. 8 9
and help them to Heaven He hath given them Gifts and graces for it and a Scripture call to the Work and he hath put a willingness in their hearts to do good to souls and he hath and doth give success and blessing to the word of his grace by them and by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe 1 Cor. 1. 21. So that Christ is here still by his Embassadors But 2. Which is more than this He is here by his Spirit and as long as that is here there is no fear but Freedom may be gotten This is the great Successor to Jesus Christ in that work of doing good to souls Joh. 16. 7 8 9 c. I beseech you consider that the Spirit doth attend the preaching of the Gospel and therefore 't is called the Ministration of the Spirit and what that can do in our preaching you may see 2 Cor. 3. 6. the Spirit giveth life And were it not for the presence of this Spirit of Christ in his Ordinances both our preaching and your hearing would be in vain But now because Christ hath sent his Embassadors and sends his Spirit also with them I tell you Beloved you are under a glorious Ministration 2 Cor. 3. 7 8 9 c. because whatever veil is upon peoples hearts and whatever bondage they are in this Spirit can take it away and bring them into liberty vers 16 17. But I must hasten The 3d Inquiry is Vpon what account Christ doth offer this freedom in respect of himself I will give you an answer to this in three things 1. Upon the account of his Purchase he hath purchased Freedom and therefore he may offer it 't is his own to dispose of as a thing that a man hath bought is his own the Lord Jesus was willing to buy Freedom for you that he might give it to you And here it may be you may desire to be resolved in two Questions Qu. 1. Of whom did Christ buy it Qu. 2. And what did Christ pay for it Ans to the 1. He bought this Freedom at the hand of his Fathers Justice for by sin we were all fallen into the hand of Justice and out of that hand we could not be taken but by Christs making full Satisfaction to it therefore he had to deal with a just and an angry God in this business This is the meaning of that in Gal. 4. 4 5. God sent forth his son made of a woman made under the law To redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons Mark here how 't was with us and how it must be with Christ that he might redeem us We were under the Law i. e. we lay liable to all that the Law could threaten to us or inflict upon us And therefore Christ he must be and he was made under the Law i. e. in what he was to do for our Deliverance he must give the Law or the Justice of God its full demand and he must not expect to have any thing abated of it by any such thing as mercy for he had not at all to deal with that in this work he was not made under Mercy but under the Law Now from hence we may quickly give an answer to the 2d Question What did Christ pay for this Freedom Ans Why to be sure some great price since he had to do with the offended and inraged Justice of God For you must know and believe that for our sins the wrath of God was dreadfully kindled against us and if Christ would put himself in our place and be our Redeemer all this wrath must dreadfully burn against him he must suffer so as that he must be made a curse for us and he must be so bruised and broken and marred by the heavy weight of Punishment that lay upon him that people might even be astonished to see him and so as to make him that he could not even be known who he was he looked so ghastly See Isa 52. 14. and therefore his precious Life and Blood must go for it Body Soul and all must be filled with the tokens of God's displeasure And therefore you shall find the Lord as it were stirring up of his Justice as if that it self were too slow against him when his sufferings are spoken of Zech. 13. 7. Awake O sword against my shepherd and against the man that is my fellow Oh Beloved the great worth that there is in one drop of Christs Blood but in this Work he must pour it out like water See Psal 22. 14 15. And therefore I pray observe this that generally when you have this Redemption of Christ spoken of his Blood is mentioned with it to shew what an inestimable price he paid for it See Zech. 9. 11. As for thee also by the blood of thy covenant Eph. 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood Heb. 9. 11 12. By his own bloud 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things but with the precious blood of Christ 2. Upon the account of his Pity The Pity and tender Compassion that was in the heart of Christ towards poor sinners as he saw them lie in their lost condition he saw they needed Deliverance and he could not pass him by as this and that man did the man that lay among thieves but as the good Samaritan he would go to them to pour in Wine and Oil into their Wounds and bind them up Do you think Beloved that ever Christ would have indured that such cruelty from his Enemies and such severity from his Fathers Justice should have been exercised upon him if he had not had his heart full of pity towards poor sinners as it could hold Certainly 't was his mercy that made him undergo all that misery See Heb. 5. 1 2. Tit. 3. 4. Beloved Jesus Christ saw that we were pitiful creatures by sin and by reason of what was due to us for sin and he did pity us Isa 63. 9. In his pity he redeemed them Yea and he doth pity us still and he hath compassion for poor sinful creatures still Heb. 4. 15. We have not an high Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities Therefore his pity to you makes him that he cannot but offer this Liberty to you 3. Upon the account of his Power He offers this Freedom to sinners because he can set them free how fast soever they are bound he can loose them Hence 't is said Psal 89. 19. I have laid help upon one that is mighty As the Lord when he came to redeem Israel out of their Bondage in Egypt he came with a mighty hand and with a stretched out arm So doth Christ when he comes to redeem a soul let him meet with what as wâ—ll in his way he carries all before him where he will deliver he will deliver 〈◊〉 goes all that stands against him The sinner at first and Satan with him
time separated to this Work before he went about it even by the everlasting Decree and Purpose of his Father 1 Tim. 1. 9 10. Oh! what ancient Mercy this Mercy by Christ is It hath been laid up for the Saints of old before the World began 'T is from everlasting and as 't is from everlasting so 't is to everlasting Psal 103. 17. 2. The Father did fit his Son and fit him with all that was needful to go about such a Work As God never sends or calls any to an Imployment but he furnishes them with what is necessary for the discharging of it So he did this in a singular and eminent manner to Christ the work that he had to do would require a deal to be laid out upon it he had need bring enough with him and so he did See Col. 1. 19. It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell And in Joh. 3. 34. you read that the Father gave him the Spirit without measure he dealt otherwise with him than he doth with the rest of his Children 'T is true be bestows his Spirit and the Gifts and Graces of it upon them but to them he measures it Rom. 12. 3. He doth divide and distribute to them 1 Cor. 12. 11. and he gives it so to them that they cannot say one to another I have no need of thee But in his giving to Christ he observed no number no weight no measure he gave him all all Power all Riches all Righteousness he dealt with us by retail as I may so say but he dealt with Christ by whole-sale he makes us to be as the Streams or small Rivers but he made him the Sea he hid all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge in him See that one place more how Christ was fitted Is 11. 2. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. He made him able to speak so as never man spake he made him able to comfort a wounded Spirit so as never man comforted Isa 50. 4. he made him able to suffer so as never man suffered he made him able to live so as never man lived 3. The Father did assist and stand by him in the doing of all that he did in the Work of our Redemption he did not set him to work and then forsake him but his Presence and Power went along with him 'T is true he cried out upon the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and at that time he had an eclipse and withdrawment of the Presence of his Father but this was not a total and a final desertion for even then he could look upon God as his God and act his Faith in him which shews that even then he was supported and inabled to go through with his most bitter Sufferings Now for the Assistance that he had from his Father you have divers places as Is 42. 1. Behold my servant whom I uphold that is I will go along with him in his work with my upholding-power God the Father lookt after him to carry him through what he sent him about and see what he undertakes for him in ver 4. He shall not fail c. As if he had said Tho 't is a very hard Work that he hath to do yet I 'll keep him from fainting in it and so he promises in ver 6. that he would hold his hand for him as it were to keep it from being weak or shaking And in the confidence and full assurance of this that he should have his Fathers help you shall see how resolvedly and couragiously he goes to the Work Isa 58. 5 to 10. 4. The Father did accept this redeeming-work at the hands of his Son as that in which he was satisfied as who should say I have enough I demand no more he took great content in what he had don and so he doth still There be two excellent places for this one in Joh. 10. 17. Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life c. And another in Eph. 5. 2. Christ hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour Christ could not have pleased his Father better than by performing this Work Oh what a lovely delightful thing 't is to his Soul to see what his Son hath done for poor sinners 5. He did reward him for his pains You find Christ when he had done his Work he calls for his Reward Joh. 17. 4 5. And if you look into Rev. 3. 21. you shall see Christ saith he hath it As I also overcame and am set down with my Father on his throne In this place he tells John in his Revelation to him from Heaven and he bids John to tell it from him to the Church to whom he was to write That he was well paid for all the good and great Service that he had performed in the work of our Redemption God the Father had of old promised to him that he should have a large Recompence for it as you may read Isa 53. 12. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he hath poured out his soul unto death And if you bring this to the New Testament you shall see what this Recompence was and how fully 't was paid in to him and how many ways God honoured him how he raised him from the dead again and took him into Heaven and set him down at his own right Hand on the Throne of the Majesty on high and made him the Head of his Body the Church and placed him far above all Principalities and Powers c. Eph. 2. 20 21 22. and appointed him to be the Judge of all and he to whom all must bow and all this was by way of Reward to him for what he had done and suffered in the great Work of bringing this Freedom to us See Phil. 2. 7 8. there you have an account of the great Service that he did about it and then he brings in ver 9 10 11. with a wherefore Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name that is above every name i. e. He considered how greatly his Son had been humbled for our sakes and upon that account he promoted him to this high degree of Exaltation Thus you see the Father had a hand also in this Freedom And then for the Holy Ghost he doth much about it too For it is the Spirit that doth awaken and convince the Soul that is to be saved to see its lost and undone condition by nature and shews it by its own illumination Why thou art one that art in bondage That proves this by undeniable Evidence What! live so as thou hast and dost and not be in this spiritual Bondage Oh! it cannot be Why thou hast the
hath friends must shew himself friendly Quest Oh! How shall I do that to Christ Ans I will but only name three things 〈◊〉 you know peâ—â—onâ— use to do towards their greatest and best Friends I would commend them to you in reference to that great Friend of yours Jesus Christ 1. Shew your selves friendly to him thus Commend him to others This is an ordinary thing amongst us to speak of one that we are much beholding to by way of singular commendation so as if we can to bring every one that we speak to in love with him So now commend this Friend of yours wherever you come Tho Christ doth not need your Commendation yet you don't know what a great deal of use he may make of it for the bringing in of such as are strangers to him The Spouse is much at this work in the Book of Canticles 2. If you have a special Friend you 'll do all that you can to please him I dare not displease such a one he is my great Friend you 'll say So carry your selves pleasingly to Christ now do what he would have you and you 'll please him Let not Christ be for any thing and you be against it nor he be against any thing and you be for it It would be a sad thing if Christ should be displeased by Enemies and Friends too his Enemies they carry themselves untowardly and crossly to him but oh don't you that are his Friends do so too this best Friend hath deserved your best carriage towards him Joh. 15. 13 14. 3. If you have a great and special Friend you won't leave him you 'll think you shall never have such another as indeed true Friends are very scarce Thus let it be with you in respect of Christ Oh don't leave him be not like those Disciples who went back and walked no more with him Joh. 6. 66. I may apply that in Prov. 27. 10. Thy own friend and thy fathers friend forsake not Why Christ is a Friend to thee and he was a Friend to thy father forsake him not If thou turnest a backslider from Christ there will be two great Evils in it among others 1. To be sure thou wilt never meet with such a Friend again 2. Thou goest the way to make this great Friend thy great Enemy Vse 3. Doth Freedom come by Christ Then they and they only who are in Christ are safe 'T is the having of this Freedom and that is by being in him that puts Souls out of danger and all that are without it are in harms-way they stand where the Storm will fall There is an excellent place to illustrate this Exod. 9. 18. Behold to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now You see what a Storm was a coming here Well now read verse 19. and that will tell you who would be saved from it and who would be destroyed by it Send therefore now and gather thy cattel and all that thou hast in the field for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field and shall not be brought home the hail shall come down upon them and they shall die And accordingly it came to pass ver 20 21-23 24 25. That which I allude to here is this That whoever shall not be brought home when this grievous hail and thunder and fire of Gods wrath comes he dies for it And now when is a Soul brought home Why when it is brought to Christ Be brought to what you will you are not brought home till you are in him And if you shall be found in him at the last day this will be your Priviledge you shall see others drowned but you will be in the Ark. See it at large in Psal 91. 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. CHAP. V. Wherein the Fifth Branch of the Doctrine is handled namely That this Freedom which Christ offers is an excellent Freedom and in particular concerning its excellent Names THe last but not the least Branch of the Point which I now come to is That this Freedom which Christ offers to Sinners and gives to Believers is an excellent Freedom according to Christ's words here in the Text If the Son shall make you free ye shall be free INDEED As if he should have said If I make you free it shall be a Freedom to purpose a Freedom with a Witness you your selves if you have it shall say 't is so shall find it so Beloved there 's not a Soul made free by Christ but is ready as it were to set its Hand and Seal to this That 't is an excellent Freedom that the Lord Jesus bestows upon such as believe in him and to say to Christ upon this account as Laban did to Jacob in another case I have found by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake Gen. 30. 27. I will presently proceed to the opening of the Excellency of it only I would tell you two things by way of Preface to it 1. There is more in this Freedom than I am able to make known to you I shall endeavour to do something towards it and the Lord help me in it but you must not expect that I should set it forth as it is I confess mine own inability to handle this Subject as it deserves If you had some others to speak to you about it they would lead you further into it than I can but whoever should speak to you about it no Tongue of Man is able to unfold it in such a manner as to say Now I have told you all and there is no more in this Freedom than you have heard of it Beloved this Freedom by Christ is one of the deep things of God we cannot fathom it 't is so deep we cannot reach it 't is so high we cannot measure it 't is so broad and so large If we could but see it as it is it would be with us as it was with the Queen of Sheba of whom you read that when she came and saw the Glory of Solomon she was so ravished with it that there was no more spirit in her 1 Kings 10. 4 5. And tho she confessed that the report that she had heard of it before was true yet she saw that in it when she beheld it that the half was not told her ver 6 7. And therefore if it were no more but this that I should say about this Freedom by Christ That it is such a kind of thing that all the Ministers of the Gospel in the World are not sufficient to set it forth Why you might conclude even from thence Then certainly 't is a very excellent Freedom For Oh what abundance doth the Lord help his Ministers to declare about Christ and heavenly things And yet that not one not any not all of them with all their Gifts with all their Graces with all their Study
perfect Love to God And this you may observe from his manner of speaking to God when he was just stepping into his great suffering when his Soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto Death Matth. 26. 28. Yet mark v. 39. and 42. in what a loving way he speaks to him Father and oh my Father let this Cup pass away from me And oh what an Example is Christ in this to believers to love the Lord and not to question but that the Lord loves them what ever he lays upon them The Lord sees a great proneness in us to think it is not thus when his hand is heavy upon us in that he hath left such kind of sayings as these upon record in Scripture As many as I love I rebuke and chasten and whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth We are too ready to measure Gods affection to us by prosperity and smiles and when things go as we would have them but if we would be like to Christ we must make account that God can be our Father tho he beats us and hides his Face from us 5. In that he did it with so much Patience 'T is not to be thought what Christ suffered in obtaining this Freeeom for us from God from Men from Devils by their Temptations yet under all his Spirit was in a composed still frame he had not an hard thought of God for the low condition which he had cast him into he had not an unbecoming repining discontented word dropping from his mouth Isa 53. 7. He was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth God might do what he would to him and put as much Gall and Wormwood and Wrath into his Cup as he pleased and he would take it off You may remember 't was one of his patient Speeches The Cup which my Father giveth me to drink shall I not drink it And men they might say and do what they would against him they might mock and revile and scourge and crucifie him and he could take all with an inward peaceableness he could meet that Traitor Judas when he was come to betray him and even then he could call him Friend Matth. 26. 50. Job you know is worthily counted an excellent person for his Patience under Afflictions and so he is pointed out to us in Jam. 5. Ye have heard of the Patience of Job and yet in Christ there are two things to be considered which are far beyond what was in Job 1. Christs Afflictions did out of measure exceed what Job was exercised with take all the Sufferings of the Saints in their Bodies and Souls too and put them into one Scale and put the Sufferings of Christ into the other these will outweigh them as much as a Mountain will outweigh a Mole-hill the greatest Suffering-Saints in the Scriptures such as David c. were but Types of Christ in his Sufferings and so they had but the shadow of sorrow in respect of him whose sorrows were so great and of such a nature that he is said to be a man of sorrows which is as much as to say he was made up as it were of nothing else 2. Jobs great Patience was mixed with great Impatience tho he held out in his Tryals to Admiration for a great while yet afterwards he had his fits of distempered passion and he that before had blessed God tho he had stript him naked at last opened his mouth and cursed his day But Christ held on in Patience and held out in Patience he did not at all stain or blemish the state of his Humiliation with a spot of discontent in him indeed that was done which the Apostle James exhorts us to Patience had its perfect work when his Sufferings were at the full his Patience was at the full too and therefore what an excellent Person is Christ and what an excellent Pattern for us In 1 Pet. 2. 21. the Apostle there tell us that Christ suffered for us leaving us an example that we should follow his steps Have we then afflictions upon us in any kind and doth it seem good to the Lord to exercise us with troubles without or within or both Oh but let us pray that we may be Patient however that we may not resist the Holy Will of God by unwillingness to suffer And I pray consider this That tho in some respects Christ had that to quiet and compose his Spirits to Patience in his Sufferings which we have not yet in other respects we have something to be thought upon for the quieting of our Spirits in our Sufferings which Christ had not There are two things which Christ had to quiet him that we have not as 1. That no suffering of any kind came upon him but what he foresaw this is a great means to keep persons patient to foresee such or such an Affliction if they be surprized with some great Calamity on a sudden and had no inkling of it before but it breaks in upon them like the Sea unexpectedly then many times there is much impatience mingled with that condition tho it should not be so but now Jesus Christ knew of his troubles particularly before they came which we do not we cannot tell what will befall us between this and Death what Affliction will meet us such a time in such a place as Paul Acts 20. 22. Not knowing the things that shall befall me he had a general notion about it as vers 23. but particularly he knew not what would befall him but it was not so with Christ See a place where he speaks of his going up to Hierusalem as Paul doth here and you shall find that Christ knew what would befall him Matth. 20. 17 18 19. Behold we go up to Jerusalem and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the Scribes and they shall condemn him to death And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucifie him and the third day he shall rise again Mark how particularly Christ foresaw things and no doubt but this was one help to Christs Patience he knew it would be thus 2. That he had not so much as a principle of Impatience within him there was no tendency in his spirit that way for that 's true in this case which he said of himself Joh. 14. 30. The prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me But now the Lord knows 't is not so with us we have corrupt natures that are breeding of discontent and impatience and very apt upon all occasions to be breaking out and we have much to do the best of us nay 't is more than the best of us can do without the Grace of God assisting us to bear any Affliction patiently we have such seeds of sin within us But as I said in some
a breach between God and you as the whole Creation cannot make up But now there is one thing and but one that can make God amends and full amends for sin yea for all manner of sins and for never so many and never so great sins and that is this Blood of Christ 1 Joh. 1. 7. and 2. 1 2. Tho thou hast been never so vile and ungodly yet if thou can'st but get this Blood sprinkled upon thee through Faith in it it will make God himself to say deliver him for I have found a Ransom this will make amends for thy Swearing and for thy Drunkenness and for thy Uncleanness and for all the wicked Abominations of thy heart and life Oh what a precious Blood is this then And take but one thing more for it which is 4. The dreadful Vengeance which God doth take upon men wherever the Guilt of this Blood of Christ lies If he doth but come once to avenge the blood of a man he doth that severely if any one hath committed wilful murder upon his Neighbour God is resoved that that man shall be surely put to death for it Numb 34. 31. but when he comes to take vengeance for the Blood of his Son here the Vengeance is dreadful beyond all others You have divers Instances that I might give you of it in Scripture How terribly did God deal with Judas for the betraying of this innocent Blood he filled him with that horror of conscience that he must be his own Executioner Matth. 27. 5. and in the hanging of himself he fell headlong and burst asunder in the midst and all his bowels gushed out Acts 1. 18. And after all this he sent him to his own place and that was a sad one vers 25. So the people of the Jews that brought upon themselves the Guilt of Christs Blood Matth. 27. 25. they have been under the Curse of God for this these Sixteen hundred years And such as are guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord by eating and drinking unworthily in the Sacrament you see what Vengeance God saith he will take of them 1 Cor. 11. 27 29. And if any Professor shall prophane this Blood by sinning wilfully after he hath received the knowledg of the truth you may see what a dreadful doom God denounceth against him in Heb. 10. v. 26. There remains no more sacrifice for sins but a certain fearful looking for of judgment c. to the end of v. 31. Well now beloved this blood which is the great seal of the Covenant of Grace and without which no service or duty ever was or ever shall be accepted from the hands of any man and which is the blood of Atonement for all manner of sins and the guilt of which God will so dreadfully avenge wherever it shall be found to lye I say this blood was the price wherewith the Lord Jesus Christ purchased this Freedom And therefore your selves being Judges Was it not an excellent price and hereupon is not this Freedom an excellent Freedom since Christ may well say of it as the chief Captain did to Paul Acts 22. 28. With a great sum attained I this freedom Now I will end this with but Two Considerations briefly 1. Consider from hence this for your instruction you that are Believers Be often thinking What shall I do for this Christ that hath done so much for me Obj. But it may be you 'l say What doth Jesus Christ look for a requital Alas then we are undone on t'other side I answer No Whatever you do for Christ you must be sure you do nothing upon the account of requiting of him as who should say you are greatly in his debt and you 'l do what you can to come out of it 'T is not a recompence that I call upon you for you are never able to do that but the manifestation of your gratitude to him by an obediential fruitfulness Do but live as those that are his and that 's all he desires Why now shall he that hath paid this great price for you require any duty at your hands and will you not do it or call you to any difficulty for his sake and will you stick at it Remember Christ observes how you walk after such great things as he hath done for you and don 't give him cause to say to you by your unfaithfulness to him as Absalom said to Hushai concerning David Is this thy kindness to thy friend Why wentest thou not with thy friend 2 Sam. 16. 17. Oh! keep with your friend 2. Consider this from hence for your consolation This Jesus Christ who hath bought you will never sell you You know men many times after they have bought a Purchase and made it their own they sell it again Something or other is in it that they do not like and so they 'l part with it But I am sure and be you sure that Christ will never deal thus with you Obj. But you 'l say We have such great sins that we fear he will Ans Yea but you know that after a Man hath married a Wife unless she offend him so by Adultery as utterly to break the bond of Wedlock which Christ will never suffer true Believers to do tho she hath a great many faults yet he resolves he won't put her away The Law of the Land won't let him nor which is more the Law of his Love won't let him He thinks when he looks upon her with all her failings Ay but she is mine I have made her mine tho So is it here See 1 Sam. 12. 20 22. And Samuel said unto the people Fear not ye have done all all this wickedness yet turn not aside from following the Lord but serve the Lord with all your heart For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name sake because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people CHAP. VIII Concerning the excellent properties belonging to this Freedom AND now in the Fourth place I am to demonstrate that this is an excellent Freedom by the excellent Properties belonging to it That you may plainly understand what I mean by these Properties it is as much as this That I am now to speak that of this Freedom which is peculiar or proper to it self and that cannot be said of any other Freedom Tho you read of other Freedoms in the Scripture as that of the children of Israel out of Egypt and afterwards out of Babylon which indeed were very great and glorious deliverances yet they will not reach to this Never was there the like to this As the Book of Canticles is called the Song of Songs for the excellency of it so I may call this Fredom the Freedom of Freedoms because there is none to be compared with it And therefore this may be the 1st Property That you may take of it That it is an incomparable Freedom It hath not any fellow nor any match That which was done in this Freedom