Preach the Gospel of Christ and He strived to Preach where Christ had not been Named And all this was made efficacious by Mighty Signs and Wonders by the Power of the Spirit of God So that it was best for the Churches and more needful he should continue though to his loss Phil. 1. 21. In all this Notwithstanding He was most mindful to ascribe all to Grace 1 Cor. 15. 10. By the Grace of God be was All that He was and after all his Discourse of his Line and measure He concludes He that Glorieth Let him Glory in the Lord 2 Cor. 10. 17. The Apostle Finished this course under and by the High Priest and Apostle of our Profession whose the fupreme Glory in all is Inasmuch as He who Built the House hath more Honour then the House whose House with all Prophets Apostles and Saints Heb. 3. 1. The Apostle was For He who Built All Things in his Church is God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Head 3. I come now to the third Head or Character the Apostle gives of himself I have kept the Faith This Completes the whole Herein the Apostle speaks again as a mighty Champion that retain'd the Riches of Faith Much more precious then of Gold that Perisheth The Faith he retain'd with such a Might and would by no means suffer it to be forced out of his Hand 1. That Great Principal and most essential Faith the Apostle kept or held fast is Jesus Christ Himself and his Righteousness who is pleased because he himself is indeed the All of Faith to be styled Faith it self Gal. 3. 23. 2. It is the whole Truth of the Gospel as the Apostle Jude gives it the Honourable Title of the Faith once at once once for All Delivered to the Saints Jude 3. Comprizing the Righteousness of Faith by which the Just Live and receive even full assurance of understanding The Righteousness of God revealed from Faith to Faith The Faith embracing the truth that is after Godliness which whoever walks contrary to denies the Faith The Faith that looks to the Eternal State and Condition which Hymeneus and Philetus denying by saying The Resurrection was past already overthrew the Faith of some This the Apostle held fast in all the senses of it now given and would by no means part with or betray to any Seducers or Adversaries of one sort or other as was before asserted under the first Character of Fighting a good Fight 3. The inward Grace of Faith in the Heart and Holy confession of which the Apostle saith Rom. 10. With the Heart Man believes unto Righteousness and with the Mouth confession is made to salvation The Life he liv'd by the Faith of the Son of God who loved him and gave himself for him The Faith even the Plerophory of it sprinckling the Heart from an Evil Conscience by the Blood of Jesus the Faith by which we have Peace with God the faith that embraces the Promises by which we cleanse our selves from all Filthiness of Flesh and Spirit the sheild of faith The Apostle Exhorts above all to take to quench the fiery Darts of the Devil The faith by which the Elders obtained so Honourable a Testimony and Memory Heb. 11. In all those their grat Acts The faith that passes through all afflictions temptations and tryals till those Pillars are set up with this Inscription Rev. 13. Here is the Faith and Patience of the Saints here are they who keep the Commandments of God and hold the Testimony of Jesus Lastly the faith the very presence of things hoped for raises to that Plerophory of hope that enters within the Veil All Saints with the Apostle who by faith have dyed and slept in and by Jesus and are entred into rest with him even as this servant of the Lord hath done by the same faith and whom God even our Lord Jesus will bring with him the Living remaining Saints shall not Anticipate The Lord my God will come and all his Saints with him But in all this faith our whole subsistence is in and by the Author and Finisher of Faith And so we are come to the second part of the Text Henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness This is the Prize of the High Calling of God in Jesus Christ Eternal Glory the Eternal Inheritance Eternal Redemption the whole Excellency Glory and Blessedness of the Eternal State is the Inheritance of the Saints in Light which is alone by Jesus Christ in us the Hope of Glory reserved in Heaven This the Lord as a Righteous Judge gives and he gives as a Crown of Righteousness Because Jesus Christ hath purchased it with his own Blood and Obedience And in him it is that Saints are able to subsist in this Eternal Glory Being made like him by seeing him as he is but most Glorious herein is that State He in the Father the Father in Him and Saints hereby in Christ and in the Father and the Love wherewith the Father Loved Him even before the Foundation of the World is in them because He is in them and in all this the Son Intercedes with the Father as a Righteous Father John 17. 24 c. To open this part of the Text according to the Tenor of the present Discourse so far as we have proceeded 1. That expression of the Apostle Henceforth or as the word in the Greek signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That which remaineth is there is laid up for me c. An expression suitable to this is that Heb. 4. 9. There remaineth a rest for the People of God This hath an Immutable certainty If the Judgment of wicked Men be laid up in store with God and Sealed among his treasures Deut. 32. 34. How much more the Salvation the Glory and Blessedness of his Saints It is as cerrain and much more certain then as in themselves the precedent Fighting the good Fight c. For their assurance is not in themselves They would fail and come behind as Combatants not obtaining the Prize If all the certainty were in themselves as the Angels not Elect and Adam fail'd or fell short But the Prize it self to be given to them who do Fight and Run is in the nature of the thing out of themselves and in God alone and is assur'd by his Righteousness and Veracity that cannot fail This remainder is so Connexed as not possible to be separated from what went before and more Impossible by far to fail then what went before as in us but as all is sure in the Great surety It is to be fulfilled in all his Even as the Debt He paid for them is set far above all doubts 2. In this assurance of the Prize the Apostle speaks so triumphingly of he says The Lord the Righteous Judge shall give me He Styles the Lord the Judge and the Righteous Judge in agreement with the custom of those Games In which there was a Person solemnly constituted who should adjudge the Prizes
of Man bringeth a Sword The Pharisees not being able to get any thing out of his Parents calls for the Man that was blind and said unto him give God the Praise for me know that this Man is a Sinner Thus Ver. 24. far they spake well for the Man had great Cause to praise God by whose Power exerted by Christ his Son he had received his sight But the Design of these Wretches was to vilifie Christ in thro' and by whom God the Father is glorify'd They told the poor Man that Christ had cured that he which had opened his Eyes was a sinner here they maliciously defamed Christ affirming that he was not only a Sinner but a notorious scandalous Sinner Well says the poor Man whether he be a sinner or no Ver. 25. I know not but this I know that whereas I was blind now I see They could not by all their Skill cause the Man to deny the Miracle wrought he stood stoutly to affirm that he was born blind and that Christ whom they said was a Sinner had cured him Upon this they reviled him and said thâ—u art one of his Disciples but we are Moses's Ver. 27. 28. Disciples Here they oppose Christ and Moses whereas Moses was but the Type Christ the Antype they spoke honourably of Moses but revilingly of Christ who was above him calling him Fellow and said they knew not whence he was They might have Ver. 29. known that he was from God for he did those things which never Man did and could not be effected by any thing less than by a divine Power but their Eyes were blinded and their Hearts judiciously hardned as a just Judgement for their wilful shutting their Eyes and rejecting of Christ the Son of God They studied all they could to â—hut out the Light by which they should have seen and known from whence Christ was The poor Man marvelled at their Ignorance and blindness in not knowing from whence Christ was since he had done Ver. 30. such a great thing as to open the Eyes of one that was born blind He goes on to prove Ver. 31. that Christ came from Heaven and was sent of God As yet this poor Man did not apprehend Note that Christ had opened his eyes by an immediate divine Power but that he was a Prophet sent of God who by his Power and Authority had opened his eyes if this Man were not of God that is if he had not Ver. 32 33. some special Power and Authority from God and some special Presence of God with him he could do nothing that is nothing of this Nature to open the eyes of one born blind this is a work as if he had said that is beyond the Power of Man and beyond that Power that we read God did ever betrust any Man with therefore he must be from God upon this they excommunicated him casting him out of Communion with the Jewish Ver. 34. Church But 3 ldy Christ upon this their dealing thus with the Man Meets him and Reveals himself more fully to him from the 35 th to 39. Jesus heard that they had cast Him out and when he had found Him whether casually or Ver. 35. by diligent searching for Him is not said He said unto him dost thou Believe on the Son of God art thou ready truely to Embrace Me the Saviour of Lost Sinners who am not onely the Son of Man but the Son of Ver. 36. God The poor man as yet being ignorant of Christs God head said who is he Lord that I may Believe on him As if he had said Lord I am ready to Believe on him and give up my self in Obedience to him Ver. 37. may I but know who he is Jesus said unto him thou hast both seen him and it is he that talketh with thee As if Christ had said I am here thou hast not onely seen him with the Eyes of thy Body but thou hast had Experience of his Divine Power in opening thine Eyes who werâ— Blind Miracles do not work faith but Confirm it This poor blind man had experienc'd a Miracle wrought upon himself but yet he was unbelieving till Christ gave him the Revelation of his Word and so reveal'd himself more fully to him Upon this the man's Faith was Terminated and Confirm'd in Christ he said Lord I believe Now is the work of faith wrought with Power in his heart He said Lord I acknowledge and receive thee as the Son of God I am fully perswaded thou art more than a meer man I do give up my self to thee to be rul'd and govern'd by thee as my Lord And says the Text he Worshiped him He fell down Ver. 38. upon his face before him and as a Testimony of his Faith in Him as the Son of God he perform'd some external Act of Adoration to Him But lastly Christ upbraids the Jews for their blindness and unbelief from the 39 to the end The Pharisees being with Christ Ver. 39. when he said For Judgment I am come into this World that they which see not might Ver. 40. see c. Said unto him Are we blind also They began to be angry being proud and not patient to be thought or called blind They look'd upon themselves as the Greatest Lights in the Jewish Church Now says Christ in answer to the Inquiry Are we blind also If you were blind you should have no sin that is if your Ignorance of me or of my Gospel where simple and not affected which is the worst of Ignorance you should not have so much sin as you have upon you but now ye say we see your sin remaineth Since you are opinionated Ver. 41. Note that you see and boast of your Knowledge in the Law as if you were the only Persons that saw or knew any thing and upon this Presumption Reject me and the Doctrine of Salvation your sin remaineth and is not pardon'd to you Whence observe that without a true saving sight of sin which carrys the Soul Note out of its self to Christ for Pardon and Remedy There is no hope of Pardon from all the Mercy that is in God Thus I have brought you to the words of my Text which are big with Mercy and Judgement in which words you have these three parts viz. First the Person speaking and that is The parts of the Text. Jesus Christ And Jesus said These words dropt out of the Sweet Mouth and Lips of Christ who Taught not as the Scribes Matt. 7. ult 29. but as one having Authority 2dly The persons spoken to namely the Jews and Pharisees a Wise and Learned Rom. 2. 19 20. 21. People in the Law they boasted of their Wisdom and Goodness when indeed they were Blind and Ignorant and in a miserable condition Whence observe that peoples Note opinion of themselves may be better than their states are Solomon tells us of some that
Judgement which he is Author of and yet most Just and Righteous â—ur 2dly by way of affirmation in these three things First when God doth judicially blind Persons and give them over to believe Lies c. he doth undoubtedly withdraw those means which should enlighten their Minds and keep them effectually from the reigning Power of their Lusts God doth not harden and blind by imparting Malice or putting Hardness into the Heart but by withholding or withdrawing that means and grace that should soften and enlighten Now is God unrighteous in this surely no for as Christ saith he may do what he will with his own Matt. 20. 15. Had not God withheld his Grace from the Angels and from our first Parents saith a learned Man the first had not fallen from their glorious state nor the second from their state of Innocency by which says he D. E. on Providence it appears that this is no more than God might have done if man had not sinned c. To say the contrary is to make God a debtor to the Creature which he is not who can say God owed him any thing We are debtors to him but he is not to us he gives or withholds his grace when and to whom he pleases and none must nor dare say to him what dost thou All the Inhabitants of the Earth are reputed as nothing Dan. 4. 35. and he doth according to his Will in the Army of Heaven and among the Inhabitants Job 9. 12. Isa 45. 9. Jer. 18. 6. 7. of the Earth and none can stay his Hand or say to him what dost thou Behold he taketh away who can hinder him who will say unto him what dost thou But 2dly When God judicially blinds Persons he delivers them up to the power of the Devil to be more blinded seduced and hardened he suffers them to be led away captive by the devil at his will The Lord thus blinds many by giving them up to the power of Satan for him to work upon thus wicked Saul and Ahab were harden'd and those mentioned in 2 Thes 2. 10. 11. Satan seduceth Souls by command from the holy God as appeareth in the story of wicked Ahab the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the month of all these thy Prophets c. The God 2 Kings 22. 22. 23. 2 Cor. 4. 5. 6. of this World saith Paul hath blinded the minds of them that believe not c. But 3dly When God blinds and hardens Persons judicially he leaves them to the Impetus and force of their Lusts and Corruptions Thus God hardens them by themselves giving them up to the power of their own Lusts He gave the Heathens up to vile Affections Rom. 1. 26. and permitted them to sin yet more and more proud Pharoah by his sin and own free-will hardened his heart and God hardened Exo 1. 4. 21 22. it by his Judgements giving him up to his Lusts This Beloved is a general way of God in this dispensation for all that perish are thus left to themselves to act according to the Impetus of that original Corruption and Lust that is in their hearts Now none can deny but this is consistent with the Justice and Kindness of God For if Gods leaving and suffering men to walk in their own ways not quenching the original Lust that is in their Hearts but suffering them to put it forth in actual Wickedness I say if Gods doing this would make him the Author of sin then he must be concluded to be the Author of all sin that is committed in the World But that he is not for Wickedness proceedeth from the Wicked as saith 1 Sam. 24. 13. the Proverb of the Antients The word of God telleth us that he will have Mercy on whom he will and his Grace could not be Grace were it not free Now pray consider Man being by the Fall a sinner and full of Corruption and so justly worthy of eternal Death for by one mans Sin Judgement hath passed upon all men to Condemnation and the Wages of Sin is death I say it being thus c. God is not unjust in saving some and leaving others to the Force of their own Lusts when for sin he might have damned all I hope there is none will doubt but that if a Traytor justly deserved to die and to be starved to death tho' the Prince had it in his Power to Pardon or supply him with Bread to keep him from dying in this manner Yet the Prince were just if he did neither but suffered him to perish according to his deserts Surely then God is not unjust in so doing since all men are Traytors and deserve to die eternally This as I think is denied by none but that which is greatly disputed and controverted by learned Men is whether God in blinding Sinners doth not act something positively Bellarmine and the Arminians deny this in opposition to whom our Divines not without good ground say this viz. That tho' God doth not positively blind or harden any Sinners yet he doth some positive Acts that relate to the hardning of them 't is true God doth not positively harden any i. e. he doth not make their soft Hearts hard nor shut their Eyes and of seeing maketh them blind This I say God doth not yet he is not a meer Spectator or an idle Looker on upon the Works of his Providence In all Acts of Punishments God doth something positively The Scripture speaks of him as giving up some men to vile Affections and to a reprobate Mind as Acts of Punishment therefore God as to them doth something positively tho' he positively hardens none The Sum of all then in short is this God may judicially give many up to their Lusts and to Satan to be seduced at his Pleasure and be righteous in it But he cannot punish the former sins of any by putting any Lust or Malice into their hearts by which they become more evil and vile This I say God cannot do any otherwise than accidentally stirring up that Lust and Malice that is in their hearts This is the Sum as far as I know of what our Divines say as to Gods Acts in the Punishments of Sin c. Blindness then in short is caused 1st By the Word occasionally 2dly By his own Malice meritoriously 3dly By the Devil efficiently And lastly by God judicially So that Satan is the Tormentor sinful Man the guilty Person and the holy God the Judge Thus far we have seen so far as we are able to comprehend of what God doth by Christ in this Act of punishing Sin with Sin and how just and righteous he is in it We shall now 2dly Consider the Circumstances those 2 Bron. of the Answer are under whom God bringeth under such a severe dispensation 1st These Persons whom God in a way of Justice thus deals with are not only sinners Rom. 3. 23. 1 Pet. 2. 9. for God doth not deal