foot or door of every Soul that heareth it to be believed and rested on this is the great errand of the Gospel to propose to People Jesus Christ as the Object and Ground of Faith to lay Him down to be rested on for that very end when the Apostle is speaking Rom. 10.8 of the Doctrine of Faith he saith It is not now who shall ascend into heaven nor who shall descend into the deep but the word is near thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart what word is that the word of faith which we preach now sayeth he Christ by the preaching of the Gospel is brought so near folks that He is brought even to their Hearts and to their Mouths so near that to speak so People have no more to do but to stoup and take Him up or to roll themselves over upon Him yea it bringeth Him in to their very Heart that they have no more to do but to bring up their Heart to consent to close the Bargain and with the Mouth to make confession of it and these words are the more considerable that they are borrowed from Deut. 30. where Moses is setting Death and Life before the People and bidding them choose though he would seem to speak of the Law yet if we consider the scope we will find him to be on the matter speaking of Jesus Christ holden forth to that People under Ceremonial-Ordinances and shewing them that there was Life to be had in Him that way and according to Gods intent they had Life and Death put in their choice I know there are two things necessary to the acting and exercising of Faith The 1. is objective when the Object or Ground is proposed in the preaching of the Gospel The 2. is subjective when there is an inward spiritual and powerful quickning and framing of the Heart to lay hold on and make use of the Object and offer it is true that all to whom the offer cometh are not quickened but the Doctrine saith that to all to whom the Gospel cometh Christ is proposed to be believed on by them and brought near unto them so that we may say as Christ said to His Hearers The kingdom of God is come near unto you both Christ and John brought and laid the Kingdom of Heaven near to the Jews and it is laid as near to you in the preached Gospel This is it then that Doctrine sayes 1. That the Gospel holdeth out Christ as a sufficient ground of Faith to rest upon And 2. with a sufficient warrand to these who hear it to make use of Him according to the terms on which he is offered And 3. it brings Him so pressingly home as He is laid to the Doors and Hearts of Sinners who hear the Gospel that whoever hath the offer he must necessarily either believe in and receive Christ or reject Him and cast at the report made of Him in the Gospel I shall first a little confirm this Doctrine and then secondly make use of it First I shall confirm it from these Grounds 1. From the plain offers which the Lord maketh in His Word and from the warrand he giveth His Ministers to make the same offers It 's their Commission to pray them to whom they are sent to be reconciled to tell them that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself as it is 2 Cor. 5.19 20. and in Christ's steed to request them to embrace the offer of Reconciliation to tell them that Christ died for the Sinners that will embrace Him and that He will impute His Righteousness unto them and Chap. 6.1 We beseech you saith he that ye receive not this grace in vain which is not meant of saving Grace but of the gracious offer of Grace and Reconciliation through Him This is Ministers work to pray People not to be idle Hearers of this Gospel for saith he I have heard thee in a time accepted and in a day of salvation have I succoured thee behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation The force of the Argument is this if ye will make this Gospel welcome ye may get a Hearing for now is the day of Salvation therefore do not neglect it So Psal 81.10 11. where God maketh the offer of Himself and that very largely Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it The Offer is of Himself as the words following clear My people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me for they that refuse His Word refuse Himself and hence Isa 65.1 he saith I am found of them that sought me not I said Behold me behold me unto a nation that was not called by my name and to the Jews I have stretched out my hands all day long to a rebellious people 2. We may clear and confirm it from these similitudes by which the Offer of this Gospel is as it were brought to the doors of People and there are several similitudes made use of to this purpose I shall name but four 1. It 's set down under the expression of wooing as 2 Cor. 11.2 I have espoused you as a chast virgin to Christ this is ordinary and supposeth a Marriage and a Bridegroom that is by his friends wooing and suting in Marriage so that as we shew wherever the call of the Gospel comes it 's a bespeaking of Souls to Him as Cant. 8. What shall we do for our sister in the day that she shall be spoken for 2. It 's set out under the expression of inviting to a Feast and Hearers of the Gospel are called to come to Christ as Strangers or Guests are called to come to a Wedding-feast Mat. 22.2 3 4. All things are ready come to the wedding c. Thus the Gospel calleth not to an empty House that wants meat but to a Banqueting-house where Christ is made ready as the Cheer and there wants no more but feasting on Him So it 's set out under the similitude of Eating and Drinking John 6.57 He that eats me even he shall live by me 3. It 's set out often under the expression or similitude of a Market where all the Wares are laid forth on the Stands Isa 55.1 Ho every one that thirsts come to the waters c. and least it should be said or thought that the Proclamation is only to the thirsty and to such as are so and so qualified ye may look to what followeth let him that hath no mony come yea come buy without mony and without price and to the offer that is made to those of Laodicea Rev. 3. who in appearance were a hypocritical and formal People yet to them the Counsel and Call comes forth Come buy of me eye-salve and gold tryed in the fire c. It sayes the Wares are even in their offer or even offered to them 4. It 's set out under the similitude of standing and knocking at a Door because the Gospel brings Christ a knocking and calling hard at
at all even as a fallen-Star may seem to glance more then a fixed one that is over-clouded yet it hath no solid Light Know then that Faith is called for but take not every sort of Faith for Saving Faith it would make tender Hearts bleed to see so many mistake in the matter of their Faith there are some who say they had Faith all their days O that ye were convinced of the lamentable deceit and delusion that ye are under and that ye could distinguish betwixt Faith and Presumption betwixt Historical and Temporary Faith and true Saving Faith though the two former be not Delusions but in so far as ye rest on the same and take them for Saving Faith ye are deluded for Saving Faith puts you out of your selves to rest on Jesus Christ SERMON IV. ISAIAH LIII I Who hath believed our report And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed THE Gospel is a sweet Message and ought to be glad News when it comes to a People and therefore when this Report of our Lord Jesus Christ is made to Sinners O! but it 's a sad Complaint that follows on the refusal and not welcoming of it there is no better News a Minister can carry then these brought to the Shepherds by the Angels Luke 2.10 11. Fear not behold we bring you glad tydings of great joy to all people unto you is born in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord but were it an Isaiah it will weight him when he looks on a fruitless Ministry and despised Gospel and will make him complain Who hath believed our report O! that we may experimentally know the cheerfulness and gladness that follows the Gospel where it is embraced and that we may not know the sorrow and sadness that will follow the challenge for dispising of it one of these two the preached Gospel will be either it will be joyful News to you or a sad ground of complaint to God against you We entred to speak of the great Duty of a People that hears the Gospel and the great mean whereby these News become delightsome and that is by Faith to receive the Report of the Gospel or to Believe on Christ reported of in it This is clearly implyed for the regrate which holds out the sin is Who hath believed our report and therefore the great Duty must be to Believe and by Faith to receive the Report We come now to speak of the Use and because it 's the great design of the whole Gospel yea it 's the design of the Law also both of which level at this End and Scope even Faith in Christ It will be expedient and no ways impertinent that we insist a little on this especially when so many thousands are utterly ignorant of Faith being Strangers to what Believing in Christ is and so great Strangers to the native End of the Gospel and out of the way of getting good by the Preaching of it so that to this day they have not learned this one Lesson to wit concerning Faith in Christ and other Lessons will be to little or no purpose till this be learned We shall not insist to speak at large of the Doctrine of Faith but only in a plain way glance at what this great Duty is that is required of the Hearers of the Gospel it 's Believing in Christ savingly or Saving Faith for no other thing will hold off the Complaint against you ye will be complained of though ye would believe with all other Faith therefore it 's this Faith that is here meaned That we may come the sooner to that which we would be at we shall premit two or three words First When we speak of Believing here we presuppose these things that are necessary for clearing the Object of Faith and capacitating us to Believe though they be not Saving Faith As namely 1. That the Offer of the Gospel must come to People that the Object of Faith be held out to them that it be told them that there is a way for a Sinner's Justification through Christ Jesus and that Sinners may be accepted before God on His account or through Him There must also 2. Be an understanding of this a conceiving in the Judgment what it is Folks cannot Believe except they Hear and Understand what they Hear in so far as distinctly to fix their Faith on the thing known they must know and understand the Mediator's fulness the Covenants freeness and the efficacy of Faith to make Christ theirs Yea 3. It 's necessary there be some acquaintance with our own condition as that we are naturally under Sin that we are lost and under the Curse sick and utterly unable and even desperate to get our selves recovered by any thing that is in or by any thing that we can do of our selves that we are for ever undone if we get not a Saviour that our mouth may be stoped 4. Not only must we know this but it 's necessary there be an Historical Faith of it to Believe that there is Fulness and Sufficiency in Châ—ist that He is able to cure and take away the guilt of Sin in all that rest on Him these must be believed in general ere ever Sinners can rest on Him for their own Salvation which supposes that there may be an Historical where there is not a Saving Faith Now when all this length is gone Saving Faiâ—h is that which the Gospel calleth for and it is the Hearts acting according to what sound light and conviction it hath on Jesus Christ as holden out in the Promise for obtaining of Life and Salvation through Him so that when the Soul is lying still under its conviction and knows it cannot have Life but by resting on Christ and hears that there is a Sufficiency in Him for up making of all its wants then the work of the Spirit prevails with the Soul to cast it self over on Him for obtaining of Life and of every other thing needful it brings the Soul to embrace and lay hold on Him not only as one able to save Sinners but to save it self in particular and this is the native work of Faith that waits the Soul to Christ and puâ—s it over the bound-road or march of all Delusion it 's like a sinking Man's leaping to catch hold of a Rock or Rope it 's the bâ—inging of a lost Sinner from the serious apprehension of his own naughtiness and undone Estate to cast himseâ—f over on Jesus Christ for the obtaining of Life through Him Secondly When we speak of Faith we would premit this That even this true and Saving Faith which is not only in kind true that is such as hath a real Being but is Saving may be considered in its different acts or actings for its different needs or necessities Though the Covenant be one yet the acts of Faith are many we having to do with Pardon of Sin with Sanctification in its parts Vivification and Mortification with Peace
c. Faith differently acts on Christ and the Promise for obtaining of these Now the Faith that we would insist on is the Fâ—ith that rests on Christ for Pardon of Sin on which all the rest of the acts of Faith depend it 's that Faith whereby a Sinner receives Christ and casts himself over on Him that Faith whereby Union with Christ is made up Thirdly We would premit That there is a great difference betwixt Faith and the Effects of it as Peace Joy Assurance of God's Love and these other Spiritual Priviledges that follow Believing It 's one thing actually to Believe another thing to have the Peace and Joy that follows upon and flows from Believing the one being as the putting out of the Hand to receive the Meat and the other as the feeding on it It 's the first of these we mean and intend to speak of even that Faith whereby we grip Jesus Christ Himself and get a Right to all these Priviledges in and through Him Fourthly We premit That even this Saving Faith hath its degrees as all other Faith hath some have more weak Faith some stronger some have that full Assurance spoken of Heb. 10. or a Plerophory not only as to the Object that it 's sufficient but as to the apprehending and obtaining of Life through that Object so that they are able to say neither height nor depth nor any thing else shall be able to separate them from the Love of God in Christ Jesus we say then that Saving Faith hath its degrees though the degree be not that which we speak of but it 's the kind of this Faith whether weaker or more strong whereby a lost Sinner rolls it self over on Christ the Faith which puts the Sinner off the Ground it stood on ever on Him the Faith which brings the Soul from the Covenant of Works to a new holding of Life by Christ and His Righteousness We shall then speak a little 1. To what we conceive this act of Saving Faith is not for precaveating of mistakes 2. What way the Scripture expresses it when then we say that such a thing is not Saving Faith ye would know that thing is not it that ye must lippen to and when we say such a thing is Saving Faith ye would labour to act and exercise Faith according to it First For what Saving Faith is not 1. It is not the knowing that Christ is God and Man that He was Born was Crucified Dead and Buried and Rose again Ask some what true Saving Faith is they will say it 's a true Knowledge Ask them again how long is it since they Believed they will say since ever they knew Good by Ill ye would know that apprehensive or literal and speculative Knowledge is needful but it will not be taken for Saving Faith 2. It 's not a touch of warmness or liberty in the Affections in a natural way which may be in unregenerate Men yea possibly in Pagans as in a Felix who in the mean time have not so much as Temporary Faith because it rises not from the Word but from dispensations of Providence or from Temporary things and if it rise from the Promises of the Word if there be no more it 's but temporary Faith 3. It is not Convictions which many take for Faith and take it for granted if they be convinced of Sin they Believe and will say whom should they Believe on but Christ and yet they never follow the Conviction to put in practice what they are convinced of 4. It 's not simply a Resolution to Believe as others take Saving Faith to be who being convinced that their own Righteousness will not do their turn resolve to Believe on Christ for Righteousness but they will take a convenient time to do it and many maintain their Peace with this though it be no true Peace but a bare resolution to Believe is not Faith ye use to say there are many good Wishers in Hell I remember the words of a dying Man in this Place who thought he believed before and being asked what difference he conceived to be betwixt the Faith he had before and the Faith he now had attain'd to he answered before I thought or resolved to Believe but never practised it now I practise Believing There is such a subtilty and deceit in the Heart that if it resolve to Believe and if it observably thwart not with Faith it will sit down on that as if all were done therefore the Word is To day if ye will hear his voice that is to day if ye will Believe harden not your heart This resolving to Believe is like a Man sinking in the Water and having a Rope cast out to him he resolves to grip it but does it not So many think they have the Promise beside them and resolve to make use of it but do not presently make use of it and the Ship sinks down and they perish while the Promise abides and swims above 5. It is not Prayer There are many who think they Believe when they some way Repent Pray and put their Hand to other Duties and they know no more for Believing but something of that kind it is true indeed Prayer may help to Believe yet it 's not always with Faith it 's not every one that saith Lord Lord that believeth many will seek to enter that shall not be able Folks very often have these two miserable mistakes about Prayer either they put it in the room of Christ or in the room and place of Faith not considering that they are different things for Faith exerciseth it self on Christ as Mediator and Prayer taketh Him up as God the true Object of Divine Worship though if it be not founded on Christ as Mediator it hath no access the acting of Saving Faith is properly on Christ held forth in the Word and Prayer is a putting up of Suits according to the Word There are many that know no more what use to make of Christ then if He had never been incarnate nor had come under that relation of a Mediator and make their Prayers serve to make up all whereas Faith not only respects Christ as God but His Merits as Mediator and His Offices 6. Nor is Faith only a believing this Word of God to be true though we could wish many were come that length it would make a Man tremble to hear the blasphemous words that some will have when they are asked concerning their believing the truth of the Bible but though ye were that length it were not enough the Devils believe and tremble the Faith that we call you to is more then Historical it 's to resting on Christ to cordial receiving of the Message which He sends to you as suppose a King should send an embassage to a Person to woo her to be his Wife it 's one thing to know that there is such a King another thing to believe that he is real in his offer and that the
freely pardon you which gracious offer they most gladly accept of and submit themselves to it Submitting is an acquiescing in the terms of the Gospel as it is proposed It 's even as if ye should say we hold the Bargain and are well-content and satisfied with it In a word Faith carves not to God the way of Salvation but sweetly submitteth to the way He hath carved out A sixth Expression is Hiding of our selves in God or in Christ so the word trust in God signifies to hide our selves in Him as in a place of Refuge according to that Prov. 18. The Name of the Lord is a strong Tower the righetous run unto it and are preserved or hid or they flee to it as Doves do to their Windows and this is it the Apostle hath Phil. 3.9 That I may be found in him not having my own righteousness c. so that if ye ask What is Faith It 's a Man's betaking himself to Christ that when he shall be called for it may be answered Lord I am in Christ not having mine own Righteousness c. it is not to be lippenning to the Man 's good Hopes to his good Prayers or to his good Meaning but to Christ's Satisfaction and God's Promise By Faith when rightly exercised the Sinner holls and hydes himself in Christ till to speak so a bit of the Man cannot be seen and this is well set out by the Lord when He says Isa 23.26 Come my people enter into your chambers shut the doors about you hide your selves for a little while c. come in under the Mediator's Wings lock in your selves by Faith there and so make all sure A seventh Expression is 2 Chron. 30.8 Where when Hezekiah is writing to the degenerate Tribes to come home again he bids them yield themselves to the Lord in the Original it is give the hand to the Lord even as two Men who have been at odds and variance or have broken the tyes that were betwixt them come to renew the Friendship they chop Hands Now God is brought in stretching out His Hands to you Isa 65.2 therefore come and close with Him yield to Him give Him the Hand or chop Hands with Him and make the Bargain and Engagement sicker for the time to come all these Similitudes borrowed from Men are partly to make the Nature of Faith obvious and clear partly to strengthen and confirm Believers Faith An eighth Expression is that of opening to Christ Cant. 5.2 Open to me my dove c. Rev. 3.20 Behold I stand at the door and knock if any man open the door to me c. Acts. 16. it 's said the Lord opened the heart of Lydia When the Word comes Sinners Hearts are locked on God Christ comes by His Word and knocks hard to be in bids open and take in the Saviour and Faith discerns His Voice and gives Him entry it 's the letting of the Word sink the making of Him welcome it 's not only the crediting of the Word as true but the receiving of Him whom the Word offers for the End for which He is offered and this is when the work of the Spirit with the Word wakens up a stichilling or flightering to say so within and makes the Heart to open to take in Christ as one worded it well and significantly my Heart clecked as a Lintseed-Boll to Christ and wherever Christ hath a design of Grace on the Soul and comes with Powet He continues knocking rapping and calling hard and aloud till Doors and Gates be cast open to Him A ninth Expression or Similitude under which Faith is held forth is that which is ordinary of a Marriage or of covenanting or consenting whether in Marriage or otherwise but more especially in Marriage When Christ taketh on Him the place of an Wooer Ministers are His Embassadours the Word is their Instructions wherein He bids them go tell Sinners that all things are ready and to pray them to come to the Marriage or to marry and match with Him and Faith is a coming-away to this Husbâ—nd a receiving of the word of Invitation a consenting to the Marriage It 's not so much a local as a qualitative change or mutation we change Fashions we subscribe the Contract on the terms it is laid out to us In the Bargain of Grace something is offered by God and that is Christ and His Fulness and there is something done on our side and that is acccepting of Him by Faith and this is not so much a saying with the Tongue as it is a believing with the Heart as it is Rom. 10.10 With the heart man believes unto righteousness it 's the Hearts present subscribing the Marriage-Contract and going away with Christ to live and cohabit with Him though Confession will be readily with the Mouth also as He calls for it A tenth Expression or Similitude is that of buying Ho every one cryeth the Prophet Isa 55.1 that thirsts come to the waters and he that hath no money come buy c. so Rev. 3.18 Buy of me eye salve c. It sayes this much that God in the Gospel sets forth as in a Mercat to Sinners rich and rare Wares and good cheap or at very low and easie Rates and that Believing is like buying up of the Wares Life Eternal is holden out on condition of believing on Christ and the poor Sinner thinks that a good Bargain for it takes no Money from him Rev. 22.17 This is called willing whosoever will let him come and take of the water of life freely the Soul hath a good will to the thing It is held forth by several other Expressions in the Scripture it is called a cleaving to the Lord or sticking to him Josh 23.8 and Acts 11.23 it is called hearing hearkening and enclining of the ear Isa 55 2 3. an attentive concerned and holily greedy listening to and taking hold of this Offer it 's a cleaving to the Lord as Woodben or Ivy cleaves to an Oak because its life depends on it And Deut. 30. and Josh 24. it 's called a choosing of the Lord and that upon deliberation as knowing that we have need of Him that He is a Saviour suited compleatly to all the necessities of our Souls and that we are warranded to Believe on Him it 's the native act and exercise of Faith to choice Christ among all the Wooers that are courting the Soul So likewise it 's set out under trusting and committing Psal 37. Commit thy way to the Lord trust in Him I know saith Paul 2 Tim. 1.12 He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him it 's to give Christ the credit of your Salvation it 's one thing to give a Man the credit that He is true and another thing to concredit Him with our greatest concerns we will credit many whom we will not thus concredit our selves to nor commit our concerns to the former when these are applyed to God is Historical Faith but
they have been in earnest though it hath been but with Moral seriousness that blows them up upon which ground it is that many shuffle in Prayer in the place of Saving Faith and when they Pray with warmness they trow they Believe when in the mean time they never knew what it was in good earnest to lay themselves over on Chist Jesus therefore when we invite you to Believe this is another thing we would bid you beware of that ye put not a flash of Sense in the room of Faith 3. There is yet a more subtile though no less dangerous Mistake that ye would beware of and that is When Faith is confounded with Obedience and is looked on in Justification as a piece of new Obedience with Love Repentance and other duties of Holiness so some think they Believe because they have some Natural awe of God in their Walk and some fear of Sin and do perform some duties of Religion and walk Honestly as they think according to the Rule which is to confound the Covenant of Works and of Grace and to make the Covenant of Works a Covenant of Grace or to turn the Covenant of Grace into a Covenant of Works only with this difference that though their works be not perfect but defective yet wherein they are defective they think there is worth in their Faith to make up that want and to supply that defect and so by Faith they think they will obtain the acceptation of their works and of their Persons on account of their works they look upon their works as pleasing to God but because they are not perfect they will believe or exercise Faith to make up their defects to which the way of Grace is quite contrary which makes the Tree first good and then the Fruit This way that many take is not to draw the evidences of Believing from works of Holiness which is warrantable but the founding of Faith or their hope of Heaven on works and the use they make of their Faith is to ward off Challenges for the imperfection of their works and to make Faith procure aeceptance as I just now said to their works and acceptance to their Persons for their works sake 4. Beware of that which ye ordinarily call a certain assurance or sure knowledge of your Salvation and that all the Promises are yours whereby ye think your selves in no hazard a hope and assuâ—ance of Heaven that ye can give no ground for nor proof of only ye think ye are sure of Pardon of Sin and coming to Heaven and that ye are obliged to maintain that groundless hope but that is not Saving Faith for it 's a hope of Heaven that can give you no right to Christ there must first be a fleeing to Him and closing with Him before ye can have any true and well-grounded hope of Heaven but your hope and confidence is never to question the matter ye are like Laodicea who thought her self rich and to stand in need of nothing when she was beggerly Poor or like these Men who when God was threatning them with Judgement yet would needs presume to think that they leaned on the Lord I think among all the Persons that God hath indignation against it 's in a special manner against these who have this sort of hope and to whom God discovereth the groundlesness of it and yet they will still stoutly maintain and stand fast by their hope it 's to these He speaks Deut. 29.19 who despise and tush at God's Threatnings and say We shall have peace though we walk in the imagination of our own hearts and add drunkenness to thirst the Lord there pronounceth a Curse and to the Curse addeth an Oath that He will not spare such Persons but will separate them for Evil and cause all the curses of the Law to overtake them judge ye now what a condition this is for Persons to be in to be believing that all the Promises are theirs and yet in steed of that to be in the mean time lyable to all the curses threatned in the Word of God it 's this that we call presumption and the hope of the Hypocrite that will perish Job 8.13 the confidence of such shall be rejected and sweeped away as a Speeders Web and shall be rooted out of their Tabernacles and bring them to the King of Terrours they think they Believe always when they are not troubled nor disquieted they never want Faith but have a great deal of it which yet is but a guessing which cannot support and uphold them when they come to a straiâ— when they are more secure they Believe very well and they think when they are more awaken'd and disquiet'd they believe less and their fancied Faith ebbeth quite on them when they hear of any exercise of Mind or trouble of Conscience in others they wonder that they wil not Believe and all this work is to maintain their deep Security and strong Delusion this is then the fourth thing ye would beware of for it 's not the Faith that will turn away the Complaint Who hath believed our report and yet how many are there of this sort who say they shall have Peace and please themselves with this their good Hope say the Word what it will O! be perswaded that this is nothing else but woful Unbelief and Presumption and we preach to you Terrour and the Curse of God though ye cry Peace to your selves the Lord complains of such Persons Jer. 5.12 saying They have belyed the Lord He sent His Prophets to denounce Judgments in the days of Josiah when there was a fair profession of Religion and Reformation yet they would believe and hope that no evil should overtake them That which we aim at in this part of the Use is to make way for what follows even to give you a cleanly ground for exercising of Faith on Jesus Christ when all these Stumblings and Mistakes are rolled out of the way We therefore exhort you to lay your Hand to your Heart and narrowly to try if ye have called or accounted any of these to be Saving Faith for there are hundreds nay thousands that perish under these Pretexts deceiving themselves and deluding others with a Faith they were born and brought up with and they have no more but their groundless hope to prove their Faith by and they will stick by it be said to them what will but be not deceived for God will discover you ye think a strong presumption is Faith and that ye can by such a Faith drink in the Promises but God will make you vomit them up and ye shall be declared to be void of Faith in the great Day therefore be more jealous over your Faith and seek to have your grips of Christ sickered which is done when from the belief of your Hazard and Self-emptyness and of Christ's fulness ye go to Him and close with Him to make up all ye want in Him and this Faith is especially qualified by
where there are three sorts of Ground that never bring forth good Fruit and there He speaks not only of the time of His own Personal Ministry but of all times 2. Look to the ordinary and dayly effect or rather consequent of this preached Gospel and it will prove it do not many Perish do not many croud thick in the broad Way that leads to Destruction do not but very few Fruits of Faith appear is there not little lamentably little real Change in the Way and Walk of most to be seen To clear it yet further Go thorow the several Ranks of Persons that in God's account are Unbelievers and lay them by O! there will be exceeding few Believers in Christ found First Then lay by the grosly Prophane that are never so much as civilized Secondly The Ignorant Stupid and Senseless that never have mind they have Souls are never feared for Wrath nor in the least exercised to make their Peace with God Thirdly The Earthly-minded that mind no other thing save the World Fourthly These of a Civil outward Carriage that have some good Works and as they think good Days too and yet come not near Christ to close with Him Fifthly The Hypocrites and that of all sorts both the presuming Hypocrites that will thank God they are better than their Neighbours and yet lippen not to Christ and free Grace through Him but seek to establish their own Righteousness gross as it is and the legal Hypocrites that never denyed their own Righteousness nor submitted to the Righteousness of Christ Lay aside all these I say and we leave it to your own Consciences to judge how few will be found to have Saving Faith and therefore I am perswaded if there be any truth of God delivered to you that this is a truth that though the Gospel be preached to many yet there are but few Hearers of it that do actually Believe in Jesus Christ to the saving of their Souls Use 1. The first Use of it is To beseech you to let this sink deep into your Minds as the Truth of God for these Reasons 1. Because it 's a most useful Truth and if it were believed it would make Folks very watchful over themselves and to tremble for fear lest they be found amongst the multitude that Believe not and put them tâ— secure and sicker their Interest in God and not to rest on a Fashion and Form of Religion without observing what Fruit followeth on the Gospel among the many Evils that undo not a few we think this is not the least that this Truth is never thorowly fixed in them they think there are many Heathens and Turks without the Church and many gross Swearers Drunkards and others such within it that will Perish but none others or at least that they are but very few who among a professing People Perish neither can they be induced to think it 's such a hard matter to get one or a very few that are Believers in a Countrey side so that if Isaiah were now alive to cry Who believes our report each of them would be ready to answer I believe 2. Because for as certain and useful a Truth as this is yet generally it 's not believed Folks cannot think that so few Believe and that Believing is so difficult and rare a thing I would ask you this Question Was it ever a difficulty to any of you to Believe If not what is it that makes Believing so rare what should move the Prophet thus to complain Who hath believed our report I shall shortly give you some Evidences that many of you do not really believe this Truth The first is That so few of you tremble at the Word of God the Historical Faith that the Devils have makes them tremble but ye have not that much this is given as a Property of a suitable Hearer of the Gospel to whom the Lord will look Isa 66.1 2. that he is one who trembles at the Word but the most part of you that hear this Gospel are like these Piâ—lars on which this House stands who are never so much as once moved at the Word ye either take not Faith to be an absolutely necessary thing and that ye cannot but Perish without it or ye think that the Faith ye were Born with will do your turn ye do not Believe that ye are naturally under the power of the Devil and led Captive of him at his will and that without Holiness and a spiritual gracious Frame and stamp on your Heart and Way ye shall never see God what wonder then that ye come not to rest on Christ when the very Letter of the Gospel is not credited A second Evidence is That there is so little preparation made to prevent your eternal Hazard it 's said of Noah Heb. 11. that Noah being warned of God prepared an Ark and this is attributed to his Faith it 's not possible that ye would live so negligently and carelesly if ye believed that the Curse of God were pursuing you and that ye will be brought to reckon for that which ye have done in the Body and that ye will meet with God as an Enemy if this were believed though your Hearts were harder than they are it would make you tremble and put you to other sort of thoughts and seriousness A third Evidence is That there is no Fruit of Faith among many of you for where it is it will not be got altogether smuthered but will kythe and shew it self one way or other and if ye will still assert your Faith I would say to you as James doeth to these to whom he writes Shew me your Faith by your works if ye shall say God knows I answer that ye shall find that to be a Truth that He knows and He will make you know that He does so but alace that poor Shift will not avail you when it comes to the Push O try your Faith then by your Works see what Mortification of Lusts what Repentance from dead Works what grouth in Knowledge what shining of Holiness in your Conversation is attained to many of you as to your very Knowledge are as if ye lived among Heathens many of whom have been as free of Vice and more profitable to others than many of you are and cared as little for the World as many of you do how comes it to pass then that ye have lived as if ye could have Faith and yet have no Fruit ye must either say that Faith is not necessary or that ye may have Faith without Fruit for we are sure your Fruit is not the Fruit of Faith To live honestly as you call it what is that there are many Heathens who have gone beyond you in that we will not say that Moral Honesty is nothing but sure it is not all all the Fruits of meer Moral Honesty are but sour Fruits that will set your Teeth on edge Neither is it your Hearing of the Word only but your Believing and
fancy to be Faith for either this Doctrine is not true that where-ever the Gospel comes it meets with Unbelief in most part of its Hearers and cannot be applyed to this Generation or that there is much Faith in this Generation that we live in that will not be counted Saving Faith If all of you were Believers there were no ground for this Complaint and if we will take Folks on their own word we can hardly get a Person but will say he Believes so that the generality of Mens Hearts run quite contrary to this Truth and therefore we say it is the scope of this Doctrine and the like to give Folks the alarm and to put them to suspect and try themselves I do not mean that any should cast the work of Faith where it is indeed for that is also a part of our Unbelief and ordinarily when Unbelief falleth on the one side the Devil maketh it up on the other and makes tender Souls question their Faith when they begin to Believe as if they could mend Unbelief with Unbelief but it is to such that we speak who cannot be brought to suspect their Faith certainly ye will wonder one day that ye should have heard such a plain Truth and yet would not so much as ask your own Hearts whether there was reason to suspect your want of Faith as it 's said that Christ marvelled at their Unbelief who heard Him so may we at yours and who ere long ye shall also marvel at your selves on this account Before we prosecute this Use and the rest any further we shall speak to another Doctrine and it is the last that follows from these words tending to the same scope to make us scar at Unbelief which the Prophet makes such a heavy ground of Complaint The Doctrine then is That if there were never so many under Unbelief and never so many who refuse to receive Jesus Christ yet Unbelief is a Sin and a most sinful Sin which though Folks had no more will seclude them from Heaven there were no ground for this Complaint if it were not so even as the Prophet would have had no ground to complain of the Peoples Unbelief if there were not many Unbelievers so Unbelief is a very great Sin in whomsoever it is and makes them exceeding sinful Or take the Doctrine thus It is a very great Sin for a People to whom Christ is offered in this Gospel not to receive Him and rest upon Him for Salvation as He is offered to them therein and it ariseth from this ground That where Christ is not received there the Ministers of the Gospel have ground of Complaint for it supposes a great defect in their Duty seing it is their Duty to Believe yea the great Gospel duty on which all other Duties hang and which is called for by many tyes and obligations This is his commandment saith John in his first Epistle chap. 3.23 that ye believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ therefore it must be a great Sin not to Believe There are shortly three things comprehended in this Doctrine speaking now of Unbelief not only as opposite to Historical Faith which we commonly call Infidelity but as it 's opposite to Saving Faith which we shew is that which is called for here 1. That Unbelief or not receiving of Christ is a Sin or a thing in its own nature sinful It 's a Sin as well as Adultery Murther Stealing Lying Sabbath-breaking c. are yea and in the Aggravations of it a Sin beyond these it is as contrary to the Word and Will of God and is as contrary to the Divine Majesty as Drunkenness Murther Adultery or any other Sin is the positive command of Believing being as peremptory plain and particular as these negative ones are the breach of it must be as sinful 2. That there is such a kind of Sin as Unbelief beside other Sins and such a distinct Duty as Believing that if Folks could do all other Duties if this Duty of Believing be wanting they will be still sinful and there will be still ground of Complaint and if Faith be a particular Duty required and distinct from other Duties and Graces as it 's clear it is Gal. 5.21 then Unbelief must be a particular Sin distinct from other Sins though it hath influence on other Sins as Faith hath on other Duties so Rev. 21.8 it 's ranked among the most abominable Sins the reason why we mark this is because there may be some in whom some gross Sins as Adultery Blood-shed and the like do reign and they get that name to be called Adulterers Murtherers c. others may possibly be free of these who yet have Unbelief reigning in them and therefore they get that name to be called Unbelieving and are ranked with the grossest of Evil-doers 3. That even many in the Times wherein the Scriptures were written and in every Age since are found guilty of this Sin and condemned for it who are as to several other things commended hence it 's said Rom. 10.3 of the Jews that they had a zeal of God which in it self is good though not according to knowledge yet it was their main lett and obstruction in the way to Life that being ignorant of God's righteousness they went about to establish their own for as much zeal as they had for the Law of Moses seing they did not receive Jesus Christ and His Righteousness by Faith it made any other good thing they had unacceptable and the reason why we mark this is that Folks may see that it is not only for gross Sins and with gross Sinners that the Gospel complains and expostulats but it 's also for not submitting unto and not receiving the Righteousness of Christ and therefore ye are far mistaken that think your selves free from just grounds of Challenge because forsooth ye are free of Murther Adultery Drunkâ—nness and the like do ye not consider that Unbelievers arâ— in the same Rank and Roll with abominable Whoremongers Sorcerers Idolaters and Dogs and is not Unbelief contrary to the Command of God as well as Murthâ—r Adultery and these other gross Sins and therefore because Folks think little of Unbelief though it be very rife if they be free of other gross Sins 4. We shall add a fourth thing which the Doctrine implyes That Unbelief though there were no other Sin is exceeding sinful and is first The great ground that makes God expostulate with the Hearers of the Gospel and that makes them come under the Complaint John 5 40. Ye will not come to me that ye may have life and Matth. 23.37 How often would I have gathered you and ye would not and for substance it 's the Lord's great complaint of most of His professing People Psal 81.11 I am the Lord thy God open thy mouth wide and I will fill it but my people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me and then follows O that my people
is the arm of the Lord revealed IT 's a great encouragement and delight to the Ministers of the Gospel and it 's comfortable and refreshing to Hearers when the Message of the Gospel is received and our Lord Jesus Christ is welcomed but on the contrary it 's burdensome and heavy when there are few or none that believe and receive the Report when their labour and strength is spent in vain and when all the assemblings of them together that hear the Word of the Gospel is but a trading of the Lord's Courts in vain if there were no more to prove it this Complaint of Isaiah speaking in His own name and in name of all the Ministers of the Gospel is sufficient for as comfortable Messages as he carried and He carried as comfortable Messages as any that we hear of yet there was a general non-profiting by the Word of the Gospel in his Mouth when we meet with such words as these our Hearts should tremble when we consider how general and rife an Evil Unbelief and the not receiving of Christ is how horrible a Sin how abominable to God and how hazardous and destructive to our selves it is and how rare a thing it is to see or find any Number believing and receiving this Message of the Gospel We spoke from these words to these Doctrines First That where the Gospel comes it makes offer of Jesus Christ to all that Hear it Secondly That the great thing called for in the Hâ—arers of the Gospel is Faith in Him Thirdly That yet notwithstanding Unbelief is an exceeding rife Evil in the Hearers of the Gospel Fourthly That it 's a very sinful heavy and sad thing not to receive Christ and believe in Him all which are implyed in this short but sad Complaint Who hath believed our report We would now prosecute the Use and Scope of this The last Use was an Use of Conviction of and Expostulation with the Hearers of the Gospel for their being so Fruitless under it serving to discover a great Deceit among Hearers who think they Believe and yet do it not whence it is that so many are mistaken about their Souls Sâ—ate and most certainly the generality are mistaken who live as if Beâ—ieving were a thing common to all Professors of Faith while as it is so rare and there are so very few that Believe The next Use is an Use of Exhortation to you That seeing Unbelief is so great an Evil ye would by all means eschew it and seeing Faith is the only wâ—y to receive Christ and to come at Life through Him ye would seek after it to prevent the Evil of Unbelief This is the scope of the words yea and of all our Preaching that when Christ and Remission of Sins through Him is preached to you ye would by Faith receive Him and rest upon Him for obtaining Right to Him and to the Promises and for preventing of the Threatnings and Curses that abide Unbelievers We shall not again repeat what Faith is only in short it comes to this That seeing Christ hath satisfied Justice for Sinners and His Satisfaction is offered in the Gospel to all that will receive it even to all the Hearers of the Gospel that Sinners in the sight and sense of their lost condition would flee unto Him receive and rest upon Him and His Satisfaction for Pardon of Sin and making of their Peace with God Is there need of Arguments to perswade you to this if ye be convinced of your sinfulness and of your lost estate without Christ and that there is a Judgment to come when Sinners must appear before Him and be judged according to that which they have done in the Body and if ye have the Faith of this that Sinners that are not found in Christ cannot stand as by the way wo to that Man that is not found in Him if it were a Paul for even he he is only happy by being found in Him not having his own Righteousness but Christs and withall that there is no other way to be found in Him but by Faith which is that which Paul hath for his main scope Phil. 3.9 10. Then to be found in Him by Faith should be your main work and study this is it that we should design and endeavour and to this we have access by the Gospel and it is in short to be denuded of and denied to our own Righteousness as to any weight we lay upon it for our Justification before God and to have no other thing but Christ's Righteousness offered in the Gospel and received by Faith to rest upon for Justification and making of our Peace with God This is it that we command you to flee to and by all means to seek an Interest in that when the Gospel makes offer of Christ and Righteousness through His Satisfâ—ction and commands you to Believe on Him when it lays Him to your Door to your Mouth and Heart that ye would roll and lay your selves over on Him for the making of your Peace and the bearing of you thorow in the day of your reckoning before the Tribunal of God That we may speak the more cleâ—rly to this Use We shall shortly shew you 1. What Ground a lost Sinner hath to receive Christ and to lippen to Him 2. What Warrands and Encouragements a Sinner hath to lean and lippen to this Ground 3. We shall remove a Doubt or two that may stand in the way of Sinners resting on this Ground 4. We shall give some Directions to further you to this And. 5. We shâ—ll give you some Characters of one that is tenderâ—y tâ—king this way of Believing And because this is the way of the Gospel and we are sure there is not a word ye have more need of or that through God's Blessing may be more useful and there is not a word more uncontravertible which all of you will assent to the truth of to wit that there is a great good in Believing and a great evil in Unbelief we would exhort you the more seriously to lay it to Heart O! think not that our coming to Speak and Hear is for the Fashion but to Profite Cast your selves therefore open to the Exhortation and let the word of Faith sink down into your Hearts considering that there is nothing ye have more need of than of Faith and that ye will not find it safe for you to hazard your Souls on your own Righteousness or to appear before God without Christ's Righteousness and that the only way to come by it is Faith This may let you see the necessity of Believing and that it is of your concernment to try how it is with you as to that and therefore again and again we would exhort you in the fear of God that ye would not neglect so great a Salvation which through Faith is to be obtained but lay it to Heart as ye would not have all the Servants of God who have preached the Gospel to you complaining of
own Insufficiency acknowledging God's Sufficiency which if we did we should find it go better with us and may not the same be expected in the matter of Believing as well as in other Duties 2. None that ever heard this Gospel shall in the Day of Judgement have this to Object none shall have it to say that they would fain have believed but their meer Infirmity Weakness and Inability did imped them for though it be our own Sin and Guilt that we are unable yet where the Gospel comes that is not the Contraversie But that Folks would not come to Christ would not be gathered that when He would they would not for where there is a will to will and to do go together But it 's Enmity at the way of Believing Security Stupidity Senselesness and Carelesness what become of the Immortal Soul that ruines Folks for the Soul that would fain be at Christ shall be helped to Believe the reason is because the nature of the Covenant of Grace and of the Mediator thereof is such that all to whom He gives to will He gives them also to perform and His Faithfulness is engaged so to do It must therefore return to one of these two That either ye will not receive Him or else ye are willing though weak and if ye be willing Faithful is He that hath called you who also will do it but if it halt at your Perversness and wilful Refusal of the Offer there is good reason that in God's Justice ye should never get good of the Gospel nay there is never one to whom the Gospel comes and who doeth not Believe but formally as it were he passeth a Sentence on himself as the word is Act. 13 46. Ye judge your selves unworthy of eternal life which the Apostle gathers from this ground that they did not neither would accept of Jesus Christ offered to them in the Gospel as the event is that follows on the Offer so will the Lord account of your receiving of it Fourthly As for Directions to help and further you to Believe it 's not easie but very difficult to give them it being impossible to satisfie the curiosity of Nature neither can any Directions be prescribed that without the special work of God's Spirit can effectuate the thing the renewing of the Will and the working of Faith being Effects and Fruits of omnipotent Grace yet because something lyes upon all the Hearers of the Gospel as Duty and it being more suitable and congruous that in the use of Means then when Means are neglected Believing should be attained And because oftentimes these that desire this Question to be answered to wit how they may win at Believing are such as have some beginnings of the work of Grace and of Faith We shall speak a few words to such as would be at believing and exercising of Faith on Jesus Christ And 1. Folk had need to be clear in the common fundamental Truths of the Gospel they would know what their Natural Estate is what their Sin and Misery is and they would know the way how to win out of that State Ignorance often obstructs us in the way of Believing How shall they believe on Him of whom they have not heard Rom. 10.14 when Folks Believe not it is as if they had never heard 2. When ye have attained to the knowledge of the common Truths of the Gospel as of your Sin and Misery the nature of the Covenant the Mediator and His Fulness c. Labour to fix well the Historical Faith of them we are sure that many never come this length to believe the History of the Gospel and till that be they can advance no further for as the word is Heb. 11.6 He that comes to God must believe that He is and a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him I say these common simple Truths of the Gospel would well be fixed by a Historical Faith and yet this would not be rested on because though they be excellent Truths yet they may be known and historically believed where Saving Faith and Salvation follow not 3. Be much in Thinking Meditating and Pondering of and on these things let them sink down into your Hearts that the Meditation of them may fix the Faith of them and that they may deeply affect us we would seek to have a morally serious feeling of them as we have of the common works of the Spirit But there are many like the Way sidehearers who as soon as they hear the Word some Devil like a Crow comes and picks it up therefore to prevent this ye would seek to have the Word of God dwelling richly in you ye would meditate on it till ye be convinced of your hazard and get the Affections some way stirred according to the nature of the Word ye meditate upon whether Threatnings or Promises the most part are affected with nothing they know not what it is to tremble at a Threatning nor smile as it were on a Promise through their not dwelling on the thoughts of the Word that it may produce such an Effect 4. When this is done Folks would endeavour a full up-giving with the Law of Righteousness as to their Justification that if they cannot so positively and stayedly win to rest on Jesus Christ and His Righteousness yet they may lay the weight of their Peace with God on no other thing they would lay it down for a certain conclusion that by the works of the Law they can never be justified and would come with a stoped Mouth before God thus tender Christians will find it sometimes easier to give up with the Law then to close with the Gospel as to their distinct apprehension of the thing 5. When this is done Go as it were to the top of mount Nebo and take a look of the pleasant Land of Promises and of Christ held out in them and let your Soul say O! to have the Bargain well closed to have my Heart stirred up to love Him and to rest upon Him O! to have Faith and to discern it in its actings for when the Life of Faith is so weak that it cannot speak yet it may breath and though ye cannot exercise Faith as ye would so as to grip to and catch fast hold of the Object yet essay seriously to do that far as to esteem love and vehemently desire it In this respect the Will is said to go before the Deed though as to God's begetting of Faith there be a contemporariness of the Will and the Deed yet as to our sense the Will outruns the Deed even as in another sense though it makes well for this purpose the Apostle says To will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I know not for we ought to have our Will running after Christ and Believing on Him when we cannot attain to the distinct actings of it But it may be here objected and said Is not this Presumption Answ If this were Presumption then
And do ye think that such a Faith as that will abide the Tryal before God that never did abide your own Tryal It will doubtless be a sore beguile to go off the World with such an opinion of Faith and to have the Door shut in your very Teeth Alace there will be no amending or bettering of your Condition after Death The Day comes when many of you if God graciously prevent not shall curse your selves that ever ye should have been such Fools as to have trusted your own Hearts or to have taken up this opinion of your Faith without ground We would therefore seriously recommend to you the putting of your Faith more frequently to the tryal and that ye would often read and think on that place 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your own selves c. O! do not think that a matter of such concernment should be left lying at conjecture and utter uncertainty who loseth when ye are so palpably accessory to your own Ruine by not endeavouring to put your selves to so much as a Tryal Do not say here for excuse We have no more Grace then God gives us when ye never endeavoured to be so much as at the form of the Duty or to go the length ye might have gone in putting your selves to the Tryal The deceit then being desperate and irredeemable if continued in do not for the Lord's sake after all that is said to you continue beguiling your selves A second Reason is Folks settling themselves on unsound evidences and principles of Peace that will not bear them thorow before God I do not say that they have nothing to say in word for themselves but that all they have to say will be no ground to prove their Faith or to bear it thorow before God that they do believe indeed It will be found at the best to be but a lie as it 's said of that Man Isa 44.20 A deceived heart hath turned him aside he feeds on ashes he cannot deliver his soul nor say is there not a lie in my right hand He may have a seeming reason for his Faith but it 's no reason indeed If many of you were going now to die what reason have ye to prove your Believing by some will say God hath always been good kind and gracious to me I was in many straits and difficulties and I prayed and got many deliveries Thus all the ground of thy Faith is but Temporal Favours or Deliveries which is even as if Israel should have made their receiving of Temporal Deliveries and their acknowledging of them and having some sort of Faith of them to be ground enough to prove their receiving of Jesus Christ â—avingly There is a doleful proof of the unsoundness of this ground Psal 78.34 35 36 37. When he slew them then they sought him and returned and enquired early after God they remembred that God was their rock and the high God their redeemer They looked to God's by-gone Favours for them when they were in the Wilderness and at the Red Sea and they believed that he could do so still But they did flatter him with their mouth and lied unto him with their tongue for their hearts were not right with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant whereupon He destroyed them and through their Unbelief they did not enter into God's Rest It 's also said a little before in that Psalm vers 32. For all this they sinned still There may be many Temporal Favours and Deliveries and these acknowledged too and yet no receiving of Christ for making our Peace with God for removing the Quarrel betwixt Him and us and for making us cease from Sin Consider if it will be a good ground to plead with God upon to say to Him Lord thou must bring me to Heaven because I was in Sickness and thou raised me up I was in this and that strait and under this and that Cross and thou carried me thorow and brought me out of it The Lord will say to such that have no more to say ye had so many evidences of my Power and yet ye sinned still and yet this will be all the Pleading and Reasoning that will be found with many of you and the sad Reply you will meet with from God A third Reason is Folks giving an external Countenance to Ordinances and their formal going about of them They trow they have Faith because they keep the Church and are not open Contemners and Misregarders of Ordinances as some others are because they Pray Read Hear c. It seems it was something like this that the perswasion of these spoken of Luk. 13.26 is built upon Lord say they we have heard thee preach and have eaten and drunken in thy presence It 's not simply that they heard Christ Preach for many heard Him Preach who stoned Him but that when others stoned Him they followed Him and were not openly Prophane nor professed Contemners of Him and of His Preaching as these others were such like words fall sometimes from your Mouths Ye will possibly say what would we have of you ye are not Prophane ye wait on Preaching and live like your Neighbours and ye content your selves with that Alace this is a poor yea a doleful Fruit of Ordinances and of your attendance on them If there be more security presumption and desperate hazarding on the Wrath of God and less taking with the Quarrel betwixt Him and you on that ground A fourth Reason is Folks Hope even such a Hope that contrair to the nature of Hope will make the most part of you ashamed Ye trow ye Believe because ye hope ye Believe and that ye will get Mercy because ye think ye hope in God's Mercy and ye will not let any thing light to the contrair nor so much as think that ye may be deceived The opinion that Folk have of obtaining Mercy that is maintained without any ground but their vain hope is the rifest most unreasonable and prejudicial evil that is among the Professors of this Gospel hencâ— if any ground and evidence of their Peace be asked for they will answer that they Believe If it be again â—sked how know ye that ye Believe they answer we hope and believe it is so and can give no ground for it Many are like these spoken of Isa 57.10 Thou hast found the life of thine hand thereforâ— thou was not grieved They have a Faith and a Hope of their own making and this keeps them off that the Word of God takes no hold on them We preach that ye are naturally at Feed with God and offer Peace and Reconciliation through Jesus Christ but ye are Deaf for ye think your Peace is made already and but very few come sensible of a Quarrel with God to this Word as to the Ministry of Reconciliation This is wondered at in a manner by the Lord Himself Micah 3.11 where we have a People whose way is very unlike
day cursing in Hell under the Wrath of God that they let slip and passed over so many golden Opportunities of the Gospel without improvement and know ye not that it will come to the same sad pass with you if ye do not receive it Do Men live always Is there not an appointed time for all Men upon Earth If before we have savingly exercised Faith on Him for making Peace with God we be drawn to a reckoning before His Tribunal what will come of it and are not our precious Opportunites apace and always sliping by and is not the work of Faith by delays still the more difficult are not our Bonds still the more strengthened and doth not our Indisposition still grow the greater and is it not very ordinary to see these who have slighted the work of Faith in their Youth to live stupid in their old Age and die Sensless 4. Consider what sort of Folk they are of whom the Scripture speaks as Unbelievers and whom the Word of God holds forth to be eternally secluded from the presence of God for the want of Faith Many think that it 's but the grosly Prophane or such as never had so much as the form of Religion and such as others would scunner and loath to hear them but mentioned that it's I say only such that are accounted Unbelievers But the Scripture speaks of some that seek to enter in and shall not be able that desire to be in Heaven and take some pains to win in and yet are never admitted to enter into it and what is the reason because they took not the way of Believing for the obtaining of Life and coming to Heaven they took the way of Works they took the way of Prayer of Purposes Promises and Resolutions to ammend and grow better quite overlooking Christ and the way of Believing in Him and so took the way of Presumption and promised themselves Peace when there was no true Peace nor any solid ground for it 5. Consider which is of affinity with the former Consideration them that are secluded from the presence of God for the want of Faith they are even Men and Women as we are that lived in the same Kingdom and City with us that prayed in the same Company with us that thought themselves as sure of Heaven as many of us do that were guilty of the same or like Sins that we are guilty of that have heard many of the same Preachings that we have heard and yet they perish for want of Faith for not believing in the Son of God Why then should we think that impossible as to us that is so common and frequent in others Is not the same Nature in us that 's in others and are not our Hearts naturally as deceitful and corrupt as those of others and so may not we be beguiled as well as others And is it not the same rule that He will walk by in judging of us that He walked by in judging of others What can be the reason that Folk will read and hear the Word and will promise to themselves Heaven when the same Word clears it plainly that Destruction is that which they have to look for from the Lord It is nothing else but this confident and proud Presumption that many take for Faith Let not your precious opportunities slip away and beguile not your selves in such a concerning matter as Faith is ye will never get this loss made up afterwards if ye miss Faith here Lastly Consider the great necessity that the Loâ—d hath laid upon all Men and Women by a peremptory Command and Charge to believe in the Son of God He hath not with greater peremptoriness required Prayer nor dependance upon Him nor any other Duty then He hath required this 1 John 3.23 And this is his commandment that we should believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ yea it 's singled out as His main Commandment If that great iniquiry be made What shall I do to be saved this is the answer Believe on Jesus Christ Do ye think that our Lord who hath so marked and signalized this Command in so special a manner will never take account for the slighting of it or do ye think to satisfie Him by your other Duties without minding this It cannot be Suppose ye should mourn all your Life-time and your Life were a pattern to others yet if ye want this one thing Faith in Christ ye will be found Transgressours as having neglected the main work Now for the Question ye will say What this is we are bidding you do when we bid you Believe Answ When we call you to Believe we call you 1. To be suitably affected with the sense of your own Naughtiness Sinfulness and Hâ—zaâ—d Till there be something of this Faith in our Lord Jesus hath no access nor will ever get welcome Deep apprehensions of the Wrath that is coming and a standing in awe at the thoughts of our appearing before Him contribute much to it I am not preaching Desperation to you as some mutter but we would press upon you the Faith of the Word of God that tells you what we are and liveliness under that impression that ye may not be stopped or letted till ye come to a thorow closure with Christ The most part of Hearers come never this length and this is the reason why many stumble in the very Threshold and make never Progress 2. We call for and commend this to you that ye would study to be through and clear as to the Usefulness and Excellency of Jesus Christ as to the efficacy of His Death as to the terms of the Covenant of Grace whereby a Sinner comes to obtain Right to Him to be sensible of Sin and Hazard without this is only the way to make a Man desperate and mad but when this is clear it makes an open door to the Sinner that he may see whither to run from the Wrath to come I do not only mean that ye would get the Catâ—chism and be able to answer to all the Questions concerning the Fundamentals of Religion contained therein but that ye would also and mainly seek to have the Faith of these things in your Hâ—arts and to have Faith in God that ye may be perswaded that He that was and is God died for Sinners and that by the application of His Satisfaction Sinners may obtain Life and that there is a sufficient Warrand given to a Sinner to hazard himself upon Him The first of these speaks the necessity of some Sense the second holds out the necessity of a general Faith according to that word Heb. 11. He that comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him We must know that there is a Warrand to come and ground to expect Acceptance from God upon our coming or else we will never come to nor believe in Christ The third thing that we call you to when we call you
conjectures about this Matter and the greater their Security be they perswade themselves the more that they have Faith This is as sad as any of the former when they grant all that Folks should make their Calling and Election sure and should endeavour to be sure of their Faith but in the mean time take Peace with the Devil and Peace with their Lusts for Peace with God and a Covenant with Hell and Death for a real Bargain with God This is as true as this Word of God is that there are many that put by all Challenges by this and never suspect their Faith they hope that all shall be well and they must always Believe as if that were the whole Duty of Faith to keep down all Challenges A fourth sort is even of the generation of them that have some thing of God in them who scar in a manner to make all sure and think it is a piece of Humility and of holy and tender walking to maintain Doubâ—ing even as others think it Faith to maâ—â—tain Presumption They are always complaining as if all things were wrong and nothing right in their Case and so foster and cherish Misbelief There is such a thing as this that marreth even serious Souls in their endeavours to make their Calling and Election sure and as long as this is they cannot win to the suitable discovery of this excellent Grace that God calls them to Exercise even Faith in the Lord Jesus Need we make use of Motives to press you to this tryal of your Faith and to this giving of all diligence to make it sure who have especially hitherto neglected it If ye knew any thing of the vexation that Unbelief hath with it and what horrour in Conscience from the sense of distance from God were ye would think it a great matter to be clear in this thing and if it were known and believed how this delusion and unsickerness of Faith destroys the most part of Men in the World even of the visible Church Durst Men ly in their Security as most do without all endeavours to make it sure on good ground that they do indeed Believe Durst they ly still under God's Curse if they thought themselves to be really under it and did not foolishly fancy that it is otherways with them Durst Men treasure up Wrath to themselves if they thought not that the Hope they had were good enough O! but Presumption beguiles and destroys many Souls and particularly this same Presumption of Folks thinking themselves right when they are wrong hath destroyed and doeth destroy and will destroy moe Members of the visible Church then Prophanity Drunkenness Whoredom Theft Desperation or any other of these gross and much abhorred Evils do This is the thing that locks Folk up in their Sin even their Presumption when they say on the matter We shall have peace though we walk in the imagination of our own heart It 's this that makes Men without fear Steal and Lie and commit Adultery c. that they say Is not the Lord among us Is not this the thing that keeps many of you that ye never tremble at the Word of God we have Faith in God say ye we lippen and trust in Him therefore seing Presumption is so rife have ye not need to try your Faith If there were so much counterfeit Money in the Countrey that it were a rare thing to get one good and upright piece of Money ye would think your selves greatly concerned and obliged to try it well lest ye were cheated with base and counterfeit Coyn Is there not need then yea infinitely much more need for them that would be so wise as not to be beguiled about the salvation of their Souls to search and try whether their Faith will abide God's tryal or not Ye will readily move this Question What then are the Characters or Evidences of a solid and sicker Faith that will abide the tryal by which the pretended Faith that is among the Men of this Generation may be examined and put to just tryal I shall first name some direct Scriptures holding out somethings essentially accompanying Faith and then shall add others having more condescending Characters for the more particular differencing of this helping to the decision of this great Question The first Mark whereby ye may try your Faith is The ground and rise of it or that whereby it is begotten and cherished Faith comes saith the Apostle Rom. 10.10 by hearing Doctrinal Faith comes by the preaching of the Gospel and Saving Faith is wrought instrumentally by the same Word of God it being the power of God to salvation it being this Word that is the very ground of our Faith I would ask you where from your Faith comes and what hand the Word of God hath in it There are many that have a sort of Faith not only without but contrary to the Word of God whereby they believe that they will get Heaven while in the mean time the Word of God does directly exclude them Get ye your Faith maintained without ever knowing the necessity of a Promise for that effect Can ye maintain your Peace and not have so much as any foundation in the truth and faithfulness of God to build it upon Love never that Faith that hungers not after the Word that is supposed to be lively without being ever fed by the Word that cannot claim either its rise and original or its growth from the Word I will not say from this or that word in particular or at this or that time read or heard but from the Word of God the Word is the very foundation that Faith builds upon If we look to what either accompanieth or followeth Faith there are some plain Scriptures that will make that clear as Acts 15.9 and put no difference between us and them purifying their hearts by faith there was indeed once a great difference between Jews and Gentiles but now when he hath brought both to believe in Christ the difference is removed There is an efficacy in it to circumcise the Heart to purifie it and to banish Lusts out of it for it closes and unites with Christ and so brings him home to dwell in the Heart and where Christ dwells He commands and so whatever opposes Him is banished Faith gives Christ welcome and will give nothing welcome to dwell with Him that 's opposite and displeasing to Him Faith improves Christ for the subduing of its Lusts and mortifying its Corruptions whereas before there might be an fair outside of a Profession and something clean outwardly and much filthiness and rottenness within but when Faith is exercised on Christ it purifies from all filthiness of the Spirit as well as of the Flesh it applys the Promises for that end even to get the inside made clean as well as the outside yea it s main work is to have the inside the Heart purified that being the fountain of all the pollution that defiles the Man and brings
the other necessarily along with it never love that Faith that leaves the Heart as a Swines-sty to Lusts that leaves it swarming with unclean and vain Thoughts or that leaves the Heart just as it was before or that Faith that only cleanseth the outside and does no more such a Faith however esteemed by the Man will never be accounted for true Saving Faith before God I do not I dare not say that Believers will always discern this heart-purity or cleanness but this I say that true Faith will set the Man a work to purify the Heart and will be making use of Christ for that end not only to have the arm of the dominion of Sin broken but to have the Soul more and more delivered from the indwelling power of it and this will the design that he will sincerely drive to get the Heart purified within as well as the outward Man inward Heart-abominations will be grievous and burdensome to him as well as scandalous out-breakings A second place is Gal. 2.20 21. I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life c If ye would know a Companion of true Faith here is one it hath a life of Faith with it There is one life killed and another life is quickened the life that is killed is that whereby the Man sometime lived to the Law I am dead to the Law says the Apostle a Man's good conceit of himself that once he had is killed and taken away he wonders how it came that he thought himself Holy or a Believer or how he could promise to himself Heaven in the condition he was in There is another life comes in the place of that and it 's a life that is quickened and maintained by and from nothing in the Man himself but it 's wholly from and by Christ The Believer hath his holiness and strength for doing all called for Duties and his comfort also from Christ and he holds withall his very Natural Life his present Being in the World from Christ his all is in Christ his stock of life strength and furniture is not in himself but he lives by a continual Traffick as it were on Bills of Exchange betwixt Christ and him when he wants he sends a Bill to Christ and it 's answered in every thing that he stands in need of and that is good for him He is a dead Man and he is a living Man and where-ever true Faith is there the Man is dead and there the Man is living Do not I pray mistake it by thinking that true Faith is but vented puts forth it self only in reference to this or that particular or at this or that particular time only for Fâ—ith must be exercised not only at starts as when when we are under Challenges for Sin or at Prayer but we must design and endeavour to exercise Faith thorow all our Life that is we must by Faith look for every thing that is useful and needful for us from Christ and be always endeavouring to drive on a common Trade of living this way we must be habituating our selves to seek after Peace Strength and Consolation and what else we need out of the fulness that is in Him This Life of Faith is to see the want of all things in our selves and yet to have all things by making use of Christ in all things contenting and comforting our selves that there is Strength in Him though we be weak in our selves and that He hath gotten the victory over all His and our Enemies and that we shall at last through Him be victorious in our own Persons contenting and satisfying our selves that He hath compleat Righteousness though we be Bankrupt and have none of our own and betaking our selves allenarly to that Righteousness for our Justification before God Thus making a Life to our selves in Him He living in us by His Spirit and we living in Him by Faith O sweet and desirable but mysteriouâ— Life The third place is Gal. 5.6 In Christ Jesus neither circumsion availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith that worketh by love He doth not simply say Faith but faith that works by love for Faith is an operative Grace and this is the main vent of it the thing by which it works it works by Love Faith is the hand of the new Creature whereby every thing is wrought it having Life from Christ and we may say that Love is in a manner the hand of Faith or rather like the fingers upon the hand of Faith whereby it handleth every thing tenderly even out of love to God in Christ and to others for His sake Faith works and it works by Love that 's a sound and good Faith that warms the Heart with love to Christ and the nearer that Faith brings the Believer to Him it warms the Heart with more love to others And therefore love to the People of God is given as an evidence of one that is born of God 1 Joh. 5.1 because wherever true Faith is there cannot but be love to the Children of God flowing from love to Him that begets them That Faith that 's not affected with God's dishonour out of love to Him and that can endure to look upon the Difficulties Sufferings and Afflictions of the Children of God without sympathizing and being kindly affected therewith is not to be taken for a sound Faith but to be suspected for a Counterfeit The fourth place is James 2 14. Shew me thy saith by thy works c. True Faith hath always sound Holiness with it in all manner of Conversation in the design and endeavour of the Believer which is withall through Grace in some measure attained What avails it for a Man to say that he loves another when being naked or destitute he bidâ— him depart in Peace be warmed be filled and yet in the mean time gives him nothing that he stands in need of would not such a poor Man think himself but mocked Even so will not God reckon you to be but Mock-believers or Mockers of Faith when ye profess your selves to be Believers in Christ while in the mean time ye have neither indeed Heart-purity nor Holiness in your outside Conversation that is but such a Faith as Devils may have that will never do you good Ye would believe this for a truth that there will never a Faith pass for Faith in God's account and so there should never a Faith pass for Faith in your account but that Faith that sets the Man a work to the study of Holiness that Faith that works by Love that Faith that purifies the Heart and that Faith that puts the Person in whom it is to study to have Christ living in him and himself living in Christ I promised to name a few Scriptures that speak out some more condescending Characters of Faith And 1. I would think it a good token of Faith to have Folk feared for missing and falling short of the Promises
War with his Corruption That is a sound Faith that makes the Sinner to make use of Christ in every thing he is called to that yoaks him I mean Christ to work on every occasion and particularly when it comes as it were to grapling and hand blows with this formidable Enemy the Body of Death this Monster whereof when one Hâ—aâ— is cut off another as it were starts up in its place For a close of this Purpose I beâ—eech and obtest such of you as are strangers to Saving Faith who are I fear far the greatest part to consider seriously all I have spoken of the nature and native evidences of it that you may be undeceived of your Soul-ruining Mistakes about it and let sincere and sound Believers from aâ—l be more cleared confirmed and comforted in their Faith SERMON XIII ISAIAH LIII I And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed THere are many mistakes in the way of Religion wherewith the most part are possâ—ssed and amongst the rest there is one that generally the Hearers of the Gospel think it so easie to Believe that there is no difficulty in that by any thing they think it hard to Pray to keep the Sabâ—ath to be Holy but the most part think there is no difficulty in Believing and yet Unbelief is so rife and Faith so rare and difficult that the Prophet Isaiah here in his own name and in name of all the Ministers of the Gospel crys out Lord who hath believed our report he complains that he could get but very few to take the Word off his hand and because it weighted him to find it so and because he would fain have it to take impression on his Hearers he doubles expressions to the same purpose and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed which in sum is there is much Preaching and many Hearers of the Gospel but little believing of it few in whose Heart the work of Faith is wrought It 's but here one and there one that this Gospel hath efficacy upon for uniting of them to Jesus Christ and for working a work of Saving Grace in them the effectual working of God's Grace reaches the Hearts but of a few For opening the words we shall speak a little to these three 1. To what is meant by the Arm of the Lord. 2. To what is meant by the revealing of the Arm of the Lord. 3. To the scope and dependance of these words on the former For the first In general know the Arm of the Lord is no to be understood properly the Lord being a Spirit hath no Arms Hands nor Feet as Men have But it 's to be understood figuratively as holding out some Property or Attribute of God By the Arm of the Lord then we understand in general the Power of God the Arm of Man being that whereby He exerceth His Power performeth Exploits or doth any Work So the Arm of the Lord is His Power whereby He produceth His Mighty Acts as it 's said in the Psalms The right hand of the Lord hath done valiantly His hand and his arm hath got him the victory and because the Power of God is taken either more generally for that which is exerced in the Works of common Providence or more particulâ—rly for that which is put forth in the Work of Saving Grace We tâ—ke it here in short to be the Grace of God exercing its Power in and by the Gospel for the converting of Souls and causing them savingly to Believe so Rom. 1.16 I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation to every one that believes not simply as it consists in speaking of good sweet and seasonable words but as it cometh backed by the irresistable Power of the Grace of God as the word is 1 Cor. 1.23 24. We preach Christ to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness but unto them who are called both Jews and Greeks the power of God and the wisdom of God and that it is so to be taken here the conâ—â—â—â—ion of these words with the former will make it clear for sure he is not speaking of the Power of God in the works of common Providence but of His Power in the conversion of Souls to Christ even of that Power which works Saving Faith in the Elect. For the second The revealing of the Arm of the Lord By this we do not understand the revealing of it objectively as it 's brought to light by the preaching of the Gospel for thus it 's revealed to all the Hearers of the Gospel it 's in this respect not keeped hid but brought forth clearly to them in the Word And therefore secondly The revealing of this Arm or Power of the Lord is to be understood of the subjective inward manifâ—sting of it with efficacy and life to the Heart by the effectual operation of the Spirit of the Lord as it 's said of the great things prepared for them that love God 1 Cor. 2.10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit it 's that which is called 1 Cor. 2. the demonstration of the spirit and of power which makes plain and powerful to the spirit of the Hearer inwardly that which the Word preacheth outwardly to the Ear which without this would strick only on the Ear and yet remain still an hidden Mystery This is the revealing of the Lord's Arm that is here spoken of because it is that on which Believing dependeth and of the want whereof the Prophet sadly complaineth even where there was much Preaching For the third to wit the Scope Dependance and connexion of these words with the former We conceive they come in both for Confirmation and for Explication of the former words 1. For Confirmation There are as hath been said but few that Believe for there are but few that have this saving and effectual work of God's Grace reâ—ching their Heart though they have the Word preached to them yet they have not the Arm of the Power of God's Grace manifested to them and so He confirms His former Doctrine concerning the paucity of Believers under the preaching of the Gospel First By asserting the fewness of them that are brought to Believe to be converted and effectually called by the Gospel which comes to pass through their own Unbelief And Secondly By asserting their fewness in respect of God's soveraign applying of His Grace in the Gospel which is but to few it 's but few that Believe for it 's but few that He makes effectual application of His Grace to 2. We say it comes in to clear and explicate the former words whether we take it by way of a Reason or of an answer to an Objection For if it be said how can it be that Isaiah Paul yea and our Lord Jesus Christ himself should preach so powerfully and yet that so few should Believe he answers it 's not to be marvelled at in respect of God as if he
the Gospel on the Lord 's manifesting His Arm so that where it is not manifested this work of Faith is not brought forth and where it is manifested necessarily it is brought forth This being a Doctrine concerning the Efficacy of God's Grace which ought not to ly hid from the Lords People we shall a little first clear it and then secondly confirm it to you First For clearing of it's Meaning 1. Ye would not take up our meaning in it so as if we made every common work that lively means may have on the Hearers of the Gospel to be Conversion The preaching of the Word will sometimes make Folks tremble as we see in Felix and will waken Convictions and Terrors in them and put them into an amazement and yet leave them there for all these Convictions may be and often are resisted as to any Saving Fruit at least which we conceive to be that which Stephen points at Acts 7.51 while he saith Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do always resist the Holy Ghost as your fathers did so do ye and what he means by this is explained in the words following Which of the Prophets have not your fathers persecuted c. even their contending with the Word of the Lord in the mouths of His Servants Yea in that same place where it 's said that they gnashed upon him with their teeth it 's insinuated that they came over the belly of the cutting Conviction which his Preaching had upon them Nor do we 2. mean That every common operation of the Spirit whether illumination of the Mind or a touch on the Affections such as may be in Temporaries and Apostates as is clear Mat. 13.20 21. Heb. 6.4 and downward is Conversion There is a great difference betwixt a common work or gift of the Spirit which in a large Sense maâ— be câ—â—â—ed Grace because freely given anâ— the â—â—vâ—ng work of Grace which before 〈◊〉 â—â—â—â—eâ— a peculiar work And oft-times tâ—â—t câ—mmon operation of the Spirit is quenched and pâ—t out therefore the Apostle 1 Thess 5.19 exhorteth thus Quench not the Spirit 3. When we speak of an effectual bringing forth of Faith by this Grace of God we would not have you thinking that we suppose no reluctancy to be in the Man in so far as he is unrenewed for though where Grace effectually worketh Faith follows necessarily yet Corruption being in the Man it 's disposed and apt to thwart with and to oppose Grace and the Will hath its aversness to yield But the meaning of the Doctrine is this That though there be such a strong power of Corruption in the Man to whom Grace comes and on whom it is put forth yet the power of Grace is such that it powerfully masters and overcomes Corruption and wins the Heart to believe in and to engage with Christ though to speak so there be something within that strives to keep the door shut on Christ yet when it comes to that Cant. 5.3 He puts in his fingers by the holl of the lock and makes the myrrhe to drop the Heart is prevailed with so as it is effectually opened as the Heart of Lydia was to receive the Word that Paul preached Thus notwithstanding of Corruptions opposition Grace gains its point and the Lord never applys His Grace of purpose to gain a Soul but he prevails 4. When we speak of the power and effectualness of Grace in conquering and gaining the Heart and Will of the Sinner to believe in Jesus Christ we do not mean that there is any force or violence done to the Will or any exerting of a coactive power violenting the Will contrary to its essential property of freedom to close with Christ But this we mean that though Corruption be in the Heart yet Grace being infused and acted by the Spirit the pravity in the Will is sweetly cured and the Will is moved and made to Will willingly and upon choice by the power of the Spirit of Grace taking in that strong hold This great work is wrought by an omnipotent swavity and by a sweet omnipotency and it needs not at all seem strange for if Man in Nature be by the power of habitual Corruption made necessarily to will Evil so that notwithstanding he doth freely and willingly choose Evil why should it be thought strange oâ— absurd to say that when a principle of the Grace of God is infused into the Soul and acted by the Spirit of God If hath that much influence power and efficacy as to prevail with the Will it keeping still its own freedom to make it willing to embrace Jesus Christ and yet not at all thereby wrong that essential property of the Will sure Grace is as powerful as Corruption and the Lord is as dextrous a worker and can work as aggreeably to the nature of the Creature in this gracious work as the Creature can in its own sinful actings So then we say when the Lord is pleased to apply the work of His Grace to convert a Sinner that work is never frustrated but it always hath necessarily the work of Faith Renovation and Conversion following on the back of it Secondly We shall a little confirm the Doctrine and the grounds of Confirmation are these The 1. whereof is The express Scriptures wherein this Truth is asserted as John 6.44 45. It is said in the 44. Verse No man can come to me except the Father draw him and on the contrary it is as expressly set down vers 45. It is written in the Prophets they shall be all taught of God every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me and this being contradistinguished to external Preaching and being that which is called drawing v. 44. he knits Believing to it and makes Believing called coming a necessary effect of it that to whomsoever God gives that inward Lesson they shall come which confirms the Doctrine that whomsoever the Lord teaches and schools by His Grace and calls effectually they do necessarily Believe Another passage we have Phil. 2.12 13. Work out the work of your salvation in fear and trembling for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure where the Apostle makes the work of Grace not only to work ability to will and to do but to work also to will and to do actually and Grace never worketh to will and leaves the Man unwilling but necessarily supposeth the Man's closing willingly with Christ with whom He worketh thus A 2. Ground of confirmation is drawen from these Expressions whereby this work is set forth and the Promises comprehending it in God's Covenant wherein it 's called the giving of a new heart a heart of flesh the writing of the law in the heart the putting of his Spirit within his people and causing them to walk in his statutes c. Jer. 31.33 Ezek. 36.26 27. and it is impossible to conceive aright of the fulfilling of these
Promises without the including of the effect the giving of the new Heart is not only a perswading to Believe but the actual giving of the new Heart whereof Faith is a special part which Promise is peculiar to the Elect though the offer of it be more large and be further extended and what can that Promise of Gods writing the Law in the Heart be but an effectual inclining of the Heart to the Will of God or inward renovation contradistinguished to the external Ministry that can only hold out His Will in a Book and speak it to the Ear. 3. This may be cleared and confirmed from the nature of the work of Grace which is such a mighty work and so powerful as it is impossible it can be frustrated or disappointed unless we could say that Grace in God or the Grace of God is not so powerful as Corruption in us which were Blasphemy to this purpose the Apostle prayeth in behalf of the Christian Ephesians chap. 1.19 20. that they may know what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead he speaketh so in this high strain to set out both the exceeding stubbornness of our Nature that needs such a work and the exceeding great power of the Grace of God that worketh irresistably not only in the Conversion of the Elect at first but in all the after-acts of Believing so Eph. 3.7 the same Apostle hath it according to the gift of the Grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power and Col. 1.29 according to his working which worketh in me mightily The Power that worketh in Believers is Gods omnipotent Power which worketh effectually and mightily and if this Power be exercised in the continuing and promoving of Faith as is said before it must be much more exercised in the begetting of Faith yea and what need is there that He should exercise it if not for this end that where He exerciseth it it may also prevail A 4th ground of Confirmation may be drawen from the Lords great end which He hath before Him in this work and that is the gaining of glory to His Grace and to have the whole work of Conversion attributed to it and if this be His end He must and will prevail by His Grace in throughing the work in order to this end if it were left indifferent to Man to yield oâ— not to yield to God as he pleaseth the whole weight of the work of Conversion should not ly upon Grace Mans Mouth should not be stopped but when that question should be asked who hath made thee to differ and what hast thou O man but what thou hast received he should still have something to boast of and the work of his Conversion should at best be halfed betwixt Grace and his own Free-will this would necessarily follow if Grace did not through the work and so God should miss of His end A 5th ground of Confirmation is taken from the consideration of Gods Decree of the Covenant of Redemption betwixt Jehovah and the Mediator and of the Power and Wisdom of God in carrying on this work which we put together for brevities cause From all which it will be clear that there is and must be a necessary connexion betwixt the work of Grace on Believers and the Effect and that it is not in the power of Mans Free-will to resist it which indeed is not freedom but bondage 1. Then We say That if we consider the Decree of Election we will find that where Grace is applied Faith and Conversion must follow otherwise if the work of Grace were not effectual to convert Gods Decree should be suspended on the Creatures Free-will and be effectual or not effectual according as it pleased and is that any little matter to make His Decree depend upon and be effectual or not according to Man's pleasure that which sickereth His Decree and makes it infrustrably to take effect is that He hath effectual Means to bring about His Decree 2 If we consider the Covenant of Redemption betwixt Jehovah and the Mediator we will find that upon the one side the Mediator particularly undertaketh for them that are given to Him that He shall loss none of them and upon the other side we have to speak with reverence of the Majesty of God after the manner of Men the Father's Obligation to make such Persons in due time Believers that Christ the Mediator may see of the travel of His Soul and be satisfied according to that Promise made to Him Psal 110.3 In the day of thy power thy people shal be willing and that other Isa 53.11 He shall see of the travel of his soul and be satisfied by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many c. and accordingly Himself saith John 6.37 All that the Father hath given to me shall come unto me where it is clear that these who are given must necessarily come and He also saith John 10.16 Other sheep have I which are not of this sold them also I must bring and it cannot be supposed without horrour and blasphemy that this determinate solid and sure transaction having all its midses included in it and being as to its end so peremptory shall as to these midses and that end and as to their throughing not be in Gods hand but in the hand of Mans Free-will if it were there O! how unsicker and loose would the bargain and God's design in begetting Faith and in bringing Souls through Grace to Glory be 3. If we consider the Lords Power in beginning and promoving and His Wisdom in carrying on of this work His Power whereby he raiseth the Dead and His Wisdom whereby He leads from Death to Life is it possible to conceive or imagine these to be applied by the Lord in the Conversion of a Sinner but this Doctrine must needs hold that the work of His Grace powerfully applied hath always Faith and Conversion following on it and that the Lord leaveth it not to the option of Elect Souls to believe or not to believe as they please He must not He cannot be frustrate of His end and design but He must bring them to a cordial closure with Christ by Faith in order to their Salvation Use 1. The first Use serves to fix you in the Faith of this great Truth and though we use not neither is it needful to trouble you with long Questions and Debates yet when the like of this Doctrine comes in our way especially in such a time wherein the pure Truths of God and this among the rest are troubled and called in question it is requisite that a word be spoken for your confirmation and establishment and we would hence have you fixed in the Faith of these two 1. Of the impotency of Nature in the beginning or promoving ought of the work of Grace which belongs to
Reconciled to God to make use of Christ for Life to prevent the Wrath that is to come and to make Heaven sure to your selves Which is impossible for you honestly to ayme at but God shall have the Glory of His G ce and Wisdome from you And if this be not your ayme and endeavour God will not have the Glory of His Grace in you Though Passively He shall have the Glory of H s Justice in pun shing you Eâ—ernally in Hell but that is not His great and proper Designe in the sending of His Son For Hâ— could have had H s Gâ— ry that way though He had never sent Him into the World And therefore in His Name and in His stead we do again and again seriously beseech and solmnly obtest you to give Our Lord Jesus Satisâ—action in this Particular ye that are going to Hell or are in hazard of it come to Christ Jesus the Prince of Life The Purchaser and Giver of Life and get Life from Him Come as Dead-Sinners in your selves and by the Law to get a new Gift of Life by His Right And we propose this Suit and Request in His Name who tells us that He laid down His Life to get a Seed This Gospel comes to every one of your Doors and sayes to you will ye be oblidged to Christ for Life will ye be His Children If the Heart be honest and ye can sincerely say content Lord and will creep in under His Wings that ye may be found in Him and may be covered with His Righteousness There is good ground to expect a closed Bargain For our Lord purposly Died that He might have a Seed and is calling upon you for this very End and will not go back of His Word if ye be content to Bargain with Him And therefore I would again say unto you shift not His call It is His Design to have a Seed and it should be yours to seek to be of that Seed O! let Him have His Errand among you The Offer comes as I just now said to every one of your Doors and your answer will be and must be either yea or nay either that ye are content to be His Children that His Grace may be Glorified in you Or that ye are not content and that ye will not come to him that ye may have life As it is John 5. That ye scorn to be His Seed and Children But Ah! the day comes when ye would be glad of such an Offer and will not get it But to come a little nearer in the Application of this Use 1. Are there not many of you without Life Yea hundreds of you Not one among many is renewed If ye think your selves to be Dead this Word of Life and Salvation is sent unto you and sure ye have need of it 2. There is Life in Christ to be had a Fair Purchase made and a way laid down to bring Sinners to have a Right to Life And are not these two think ye well met and trysted on what ground then is it bottomed upon one of these two or rather on both of them implyed in this phrase of being Christ's Seed 1. It implyes That there be a coming to Christ as void of Life and an actual trusting to Him for the attaining of Life That Sinners pricked with the fear or feelling of the Wrath of God acknowledge Christ as the Father of their Life and Credit Him with the Application of Life to them 2. It implyes not only the Crediâ—ing Him with the Application of Life but that we commit our selves to be alone iâ— His Debt and Common for it which is implyed in that Word John 5. Ye will not come unto me that ye might have Life The use making of Christ for the attaining of Life is implyed in the Word coming And that is for slain and dead Souls to go to Christ for Absolution and Life called Heb. 7.25 A coming to God by Christ and again It is not ye will not come unto me that ye may buy or procure Life or Work it to your selves But ye will not come to me that ye may have it ye will not be in my Common for it The first Word expresses where we get our Life and that is in Christ's Sufferings The Second Word how we get it even as the Child gets Life from the Parent we get it fully and freely conferred on us by Him So that the Similitude sayes this much come to Christ who hath procured your Life and trust your getting of Life to Him on the Terms of Grace And since this is all that Christ seeks of you Not to make your Performances the ground of your Pleading for Life but His Purchase and that having need on your side and fulnesse on His side ye should come and have What hinders your closing of a Bargain This is the very thing your Salvation will stand or fall on even on your yeelding to come to Him and to be in His Common for Life and on your leaning to His Righteousness or not and according at ye Act Faith or not on Him in this respect So will the Sentence of your Absolution or Condemnation passe in the Great Day And therefore let me beseech you yet again above any thâ—ng to make this sure And when I speak of making it sure it is not only to have a Glance of the thing in your minds as many may have to whose Door Christ comes when yet they will not go out of doors to Him Nor is it only to have a Conviction in your Judgement and Conscience of the Reasonablenesse of it as many of you have so many Convictions of Sin and of the necessity of Faith in your Judgement aâ— will make you Inexcusable ye are Convinced that such a thing should be And there it holds The Lord draws you by His Word to give assent to the Reasonablenesse of the Offer but ye smuther the Conviction Ye come Aggrippa his length in assenting to the Truth but come no furder ye laid your account it may be that ye could not save your selves and that your Salvation was only in Christ and ye took that for Faith But believe me there must be something more â—hen that even a laying of your selves over on Him and a making of Application to Him to fi l the empty Room in the Heart I remember of a dying Person that had a good Word to this purpose who when it was asked at him how his Fâ—ith did now differ from that which he had in his health Answered when I was in health I was convinced that I should believe but now my Soul actâ—ally casts it self on Christ The many Convictions that Men have that they should believe will stick to them and go with them to Heâ—l and make them the more inexcusable that they held there and went no further 6ly And lastly It serves to be a ground of Expostulation with many hearers of thâ— Gospel who have heard of this noble Designe and
Fruits of His Purchase all the praise of them may be to Him alone The Use of this is large it speaks something more generally to them that are Strangers to Christ and who think that they would be at Him and something to them that are in Him and something to both And the 1. thing that it speaks is this which we have often heard of but cannot hear of it too often Even the great and glad Tydings and very good News which we have to speak of through Jesus Christ That Redemption is Purchased by Him to poor Sinners and that through Him there is access to Life and Peace and Reconciliation with God from which through Sin we had fallen and run our selves under a Forefaulture of and from which we had been barred up Eternally except He had Suffered There was a will of Separation and Partition standing betwixt God and us which by His Sufferings was demolished and broken down and thereby a door of access to God struck up even through the vail of his flesh These should be refreshing and fresh Newes to us every day as indeed they would be if we rightly knew and believed the benefit of God's Friendship and what were our hazard in lying still in nature and what was the Price that Christ laid down to Purchase for Sinners Friendship with God and delivery from His Curse that it behoved to cost Him sore Soul-travel ere any special Grace could be bestowed on Sinners and that this same Gospel that is Preached to you is a Fruit of the Travel of His Soul and that in making the Covenant of Redemption this same was a part of the Indenture to speak so That these good News might be Published in this same place and these glad Tydings spoken of among you And therefore 2. Put a greater Price on the Means that may furder your Salvation on Repentance Faith Holiness Peace with God c. For they are the Fruits of a very dear Purchase and the Results of a great and sore Conflict which the Mediator had with the Justice of God ere there could be access for a Sinner to any of them There was not so much payed to get the World Created as was payed to buy Faith Repentance Access to God and an Entry to Heaven to Run-away Sinners Nothing was payed for the one but a mighty great Price for the other And therefore 3. We would expostulat with many of you How it comes to passe that ye think so little of these things that Christ hath Purchased that ye think so little of Faith in Him and that so many of you take a counterfit for it try not if you have it trouble not your selves though ye want it and that other things of little value are much esteemed of and over-valued by you Is there any thing comparable to that which Christ hath put such a Price on that He gave His own Life for it and that God hath put such a Price on that He promised it to Christ as a part of the Satisfaction for the Travel of His Soul And yet it s lightly valued by many yea by most Men and Women The day will come when ye will think Faith to be of more value and will think the Pardon of Sin and an interest in Christ's Blood to be valuable above the whole World though ye had it when ye shall be brought to reckon with God for the slighting thereof And therefore 4ly Seing this is a Truth that every thing that leads to Life Eternal is a Fruit of Christs Purchase take the right way to attain it The exhortation implyes these two 1. That ye make a right choise of and put a just value on these things that ye should choose and value 2. That ye take the right way for attaining of these things 1. Then Would ye know what is to be valued and chosen It 's certainly these things that God and the Mediator esteem of and that the Congregation of the First-born esteem of The things that Christ hath Purchased and which are the Fruits of the Travel of His Soul are most excellent and therefore Mind Study and Seek after these things that may lead your Souls in to Life Eternall seek after Faith and Repentance to have your peace made with God to have the heart purified to be of a meek and quiet Spirit Which in the sight of God are of great price as the Apostle Peter speaks to have Pardon of Sin and Holiness for adorning the Gospel of God and to have Glory that ye may see God and injoy Him these things are the best things this is undoubtedly the better part which will never be taken from them Whose choise through Grace it is God will give great Estates Countries and Kingdoms in the World to Men to whom He will not give so much Faith as is like a grain of mustard seed nor a dram of true Holinesse because He thinks much less of the one then of the other and because the one is not so like God nor will it have such abiding Fruit as the other 2dly What way may folk win to make this choice and to attain these best and most valuable things no other way but that which this Doctrine holds out If all things that lead to Life and Salvation be Fruits of Christs Purchase then sure it is by vertue of Christs Purchase alone that ye must come by them Pardon of Sin comes by the Blood of Sprinkling Peace with God Grace and more Grace the exercise of Grace and growth in Holinesse Faith in all its exercises and advances and every other Grace come by His Sufferings as also doth Glory because He hath purchased these Graces of the Spirit as well as Pardon of Sin and Heaven often Christ is miskenâ— and passed by here many think that they shall obtain Pardon of Sin and go to Heaven without Him others though they will not own that yet fail in the second and would make use of Him for Pardon of Sin and for paying of their Debt if they could Repent and Believe in Him but till they find these in themselves they scar to come unto Him whereas the Sinner that is convinced of Sin and of His hazard would lay down this as the first step of his way in coming to Christ any Repentance and Believing and the making of the heart willing to close with and to cleave to Him is the Fruit of Christs Purchase and I must be in His Common for it for there is no other possible way to get it The first airth to speak so that a wakened and sensible Sinner should look unto for Pardon and Peace for Repentance Faith and all things would be to Christ and His Sufferings whence all these come Sinners at first are disposed to take too far a look and so mistake in the order of things Therefore when the sense of Sin pinches them and they set about to believe and find that their hearts are very averse from believing and can
not a Day of Judgement and a reckoning will ever close with Christ and lippen to His Righteousnesse I fear there are but few hearers of the Gospel that come the length of Devils in believing and yet all will needs be counted Christians we would here upon the one hand disclaim the Popish Error that plâ—ceth all the essence of Faith in the understanding which is somewhat strange seing they scarce think Knowledge of the thing to be believed necessary The reason is because they know or at least own nothing more of the concurrence of Faith in Justification then is obedience to a Commandement they think it 's a duty obedience to a Commandment to assent to any Truth therefore they take this general historical Faith to be the only Faith as they take Holinesse to be the only ground of their Peace when they are called to an accompt and thus Faith as a part of their Holinesse comes in but they admit of no particular respect to Faiths taking hold of Christs Righteousnesse as the immediat ground of their Peace Upon the other hand we would seclude the vain Faith of many Professors who some way believe all that 's in the Bible so as they question nothing herein They know no other Faith but this yet if this were Justifying Faith the Devil should have it For they believe and tremble They believe there is a God that Christ is the Son of God that they that believe shall not perish that God is Faithful c. But this Historical Faith is not enough 1. Because as I just now said it may be in Reprobats and Devils 2. Because the Scripture expresly differenceth this sort of Faith from saving Faith many were called Believers to whom Christ would not commit himself as it is John 2.24 For though they believed it to be truth which He spake yet they rested not on Him So in the Parable of the Sower Math. 13. There are three grounds that receive the Seed which imports in two of them at least a kind of Believing but the fourth ground is only good 3. Because this Faith Acts upon every revealed Truth alike and assents to all Passages recorded in the Bible alike as one and to that Paul left his cloak at Troas and the like as it Acts on that this is a faithful saying that Christ came into the world to save sinners and such like But according to the ground formerly given Faith as it Justifies Acts on Christ only and therefore this bare assent to the Truth of the Word cannot be Justifying Faith because it Acts no otherways on Christ then it doth upon other things ye would therefore know a difference in your practice betwixt these two The crediting the truth of a thing and your actual receiving and resting upon that Truth As for Example a man proposeth Marriage to a woman and she believes that he is in earnest and not in scorn yet there is a great difference betwixt that and her actual consenting to marrie him So it is here the man may believe that Christ doth really make offer of Himself to him and yet be far from cordial receiving of Him or take it in the example made use of before suppose that some of the Rebells we spoke of believe the Proclamation to be a Truth yet thinking it hard to be under the bands of Government they do not embrace it If it be Objected here That the Scripture often calls Justifying Faith a believing that Christ is the Son of God which is no more then this assent of the Judgement or Historical Faith For Answer it would be considered of whom the Scripture there speaks 1. It is of Jews for the most part who had the Faith of the Messiah generally among them and no question the Believers of them such as the proselyted Eunuch Martha and Mary had the Faith of the Messiah satisfying Divine Justice and of their Justification through His Satisfaction But the great question of the Jews was whether Jesus the Son of Mary was the Messiah or not and it being revealed and believed that he was the other followed they rested on Him of will to say so as the Messiah 2. Believing of Christ to be the Son of God doth not exclude but include their consenting to the receiving of Christ but it holds forth also their assent to and perswasion of that Truth that was then debated that He was indeed the promised Messiah and the Son of God For the Devils confessed Him to be the Son of God and none will say but there was more in their believing Him to be the Son of God then in the Devils believing it who never believe unto Salvation as they did 3. Consider that as sometimes Knowledge is put for Faith so this assent may be put for Faith where yet more is implyed in it especially considering that Rom. 10. Faith is called Faith of the heart with the heart man believeth Now believing with the heart being an Act of the will these Testimonies setting out Faith to be a believing Christ to be the Son of God must imply a lippening to Him following upon it we are therefore never to look on these places as comprehending a bare assent only but as including also and carrying alongst with it the cordial receiving Him and of resting upon Him For the 3. to wit the receiving Act of Faith which differs from the former as we shew in the examples hinted at before It looks to the Covenant of Redemption betwixt Jehovah and the Mediator it accepts of the Terms of the Covenant as they are proposed in the Gospel and consents to the bargain and as God proposes the Righteousnesse of Christ it submits to the same which Paul 1 Tim. 1. calls a saying worthy of all acceptation to be welcomed and believed as such and the Believers mentioned Heb. 11. are said not to have received the promises but to have seen them afar off and to have embraced or saluted them This receiving is no Physical or Natural Act as if we were to receive such a thing by the mouth or bodily hand It 's an Act of Faith in the heart proportioned and suited to this Spiritual Bargain or Marriage proposed in the Covenant of Grace and it 's like a mans consenting to a civil bargain or like a womans consenting to marry a man As when it is said to Sinners ye are naturally dead in Sins and trespasses and under Gods Curse But be it known to you that we preach Remission of Sins to you through the Blood of Christ Faith considers this offer accepts of and welcomes it The 4th and last Act is a resting on him which is still the same Faith but another Act of it Not as if there might be a receiving and not a resting or a resting and not a receiving or as if we were to difference them in respect of time but Faith is said to receive as it respects the Gospel offer of Christ and his Satisfaction and it
Phrases that the Scripture useth to this purpose and where we are said to be Justified by faith There is a sort of causality attributed to Faith that can be attributed to no other Grace nor Works Hence the Righteousnesse of Christ is called the Righteousness of faith and we are said to be Justified by faith in his blood So Phil. 3.8 9. I count all things to be but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him not having my own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God bâ— faith and Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood many moe such Phrases there are And truly it would look very unlike the Scripture to expone these Scripture Phrases of a Righteousnesse of Works or by Works 3. Consider how the Apostle opposeth the two Covenants The Covenant of Works made with Adam and the Covenant of Grace made with Believers in Jesus Christ Rom. 10.5 6 7. Moses describeth the righteousness of the law that the man which doth these things shall live by them The Righteousnesse of the Law speaks of doing by which we come to be Justified But the righteousnesse of faith or the Covenant of Grace Speaketh on this wise The word is near thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart That if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Where the Apostle opposeth these two Covenants not in respect of merit only as if the one were inconsistent with Grace and not the other but he opposeth them in this that the Righteousnesse of the one Covenant is in doing and the Riâ—hteousness of the other Covenant is by believing And therefore according to this opposition whaâ—ever is a mans doing is not the ground of his Peace and Justification before God because the Righteousnesse of his doing is the condition of the Covenâ—nt of Works and the Righteousnesse of the Covenant of Grace is quite of another nature to wit Believing in him who justifieth the ungodly 4. Consider that the thing that is the ground of our Justification before God is Christ's Righteousness inherent in Himself and imputed to us for the covering of our nakedness because He is as our Cautioner hath payed our Debt Hence it follows that Faith hath another way of concurring in Justification then any other thing can have because it 's Faith which receives and puâ—s on that Righteousnesse which no other thing doth That I may be found in him saith the Apostle Philip. 3.9 not having my own righteousness but the righteousness which is by the faith of Christ So that to be in him is to hâ—ve His Righteousnesse and this Righteousnesse is put on by Faith Only take two words of Adverisement ere we come to clear the other branch of the Doctrine The 1. is this when we speak of the peculiarness of the way of Faith's concurring in Justification so as no other Grace or Work doth we design not to weaken or cry down the necessity of Repentance and of other Graces nor of good Works the very thoughts whereof we abhore but to give every one of them their own and the right place and therefore it 's a gross calumnie to say that we affirm that the study and practice of Holiness and good Works is not necessary we only cry them down on this account that when we come before God our Works or Holinesse aâ—e not to be presented to Him as the ground of our Justification and Absolution but the Righteousnesse of Christ that Faith takes hold of and in this we say that Faith peculiarly concurres as no other Grace doth because iâ—'s fitted with an aptitude to receive and apply Christs Righteousnesse which no other Grace is as we say iâ—'s by the eye that a man sees though if he had not a â—ead and brains he would not see So though Fai h and Hol nesse or good Works be not sepâ—rat yet Faith is as it were â—he eye of the Soul that discerns and takes hold of Christs Righteousnesse The 2. is this That when we speak of good Works we speak of tâ—â—m as the Apostle doth Tit. 3.5 where 〈◊〉 saith not â—y the works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us and by good Works denyed in the point of Justification we understand all that is our own doing not excluding â—nly some things that were so accounted iâ— the time of darkness as almesdeedâ— and the like but as we have said all that is our own doing The 2d Branch is that this peculiarness of Faiths concurring in Justification is not from any efficacy in Faith or from Faith considered as our Deed or Work but as it Acts on Christ as the Objâ—ct of it and therefore when it is said Rom. 4.3 That Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness The meaning is not as if God had accepted his believing as an Act or Work for his Righteousnesse and that it was accounted as a perfite Grace but the meaning is that Christ Jesus the promised Seed received by Faith or his betaking of himself to the Riâ—hteousness of Christ holden out to him in the Promise was accounted his Righteousnesse as if he had had an inherent Righteousnesse of his own and so Faith is imputed not in respect of it's Act but in respect of it's Object By his union with Christ through Faith Christs Satisfaction becomes his To clear it a little take these considerâ—tions 1. Consider Faith as a Grace in us and so it cannot be imputed for Righteousness for in that respect it 's a Work and is excluded by the Apostles opposition made of Grace and Works It must therefore be Faith considered as acting in it's Object 2. Consider that in Scripture to be Justified by Christ by his blood and by Faith are all one because when it is said we are justified by Christ or by His Blood it takes in Christ and His Blood laid hold on by Faith therefore sometimes Christ sometimes Faith is called our Righteousnesse because as Christ considered as suffering and satisfying is the meritorious cause of our Justification so Faith is the instrumental cause taking hold of His Satisfaction which is our Righteousnesse both are necessary in their own way and Christs Righteousnesse implyes Faith and Faith implyes Christ and His Righteousnesse the one implyes the other necessarily 3. Consider the Phrases used in Scripture to this purpose as where we are said to be justified by faith it ever respects Christ and where we are said by faith to put on Christ It is not Faith considered as Righteousness of it self but it 's Faith considered as Acting on Christ and His Righteousness Therefore it 's the Righteousness which is by Faith the Righteousnesse which is in Christ and by Faith taken hold of by us and
becoming ours The Uses are several 1. For information and conviction and we would 1. be informed in and understand well the meanining of this Doctrine when we say that Faith is necessary to Justification and concurreth in attaining of it as no other thing doth that ye may give it it 's right place and may make no confusion of these things that are distinct 1. We deny not Works notwithstanding of all that we have said to be necessary more then we do Faith but the great difference is anent the giving of Faith and Works or Faith as it is a work on equal share in respect of causality in our Justification And therefore we would beware with Papists to attribute a sort of condignity to Faith as if it merited eternal Life which flowes from their ignorance of Gods Covenant For they think that since He commands us to believe and promiseth Life to believing that there is a merit in believing as they fancie there is in Prayer Almes-deeds and others Duties or good Works but in this respect as it is a Work in us the Apostle excludes Faith and makes our Justification free whereas if Faith in Justification were considered as a Work meriting our Justification it should not be free and although there be no Papists in profession here amongst us yet it may be there are some and that not a few that think God is obliged to them because they believe and that expect Heaven and life Eternal on that ground even as when they pray they think they should be heard for their Praying and when they give Almes that they should be rewarded for the same as a meritorious Work 2. Neither do we understand when we say that Faith is necessary to Justification and concurreth in the attaining of it That by believing we are disposed to be holy and so more enabled to Justifie our selves which is also a Popish Error wherein I fear many professors of the Gospel amongst us ly who think they are obliged to their Faith because it disposes them to hear read pray and the like and so enableth them to work out a Righteousnesse to themselves whereby they expect to be Justified This is another fault and Error to be guarded against For though we give Faith a radical vertue to keep Life in other Graces yet so considered it is still a piece of inherent Holiness and pertains to Sanctification and not to Justification 3. When we say that Faith concurres in the attaining of Justification we do not say that it concurres in the same manner that Repentance Prayer and good Works do concur But it may be said here seing we grant that good Works and Duties are necessary what then is the difference I answer in these two 1. Faith is the proper and peculiar condition of the Covenant of Grace and not our Works or Holiness whereof Faith considered as a Work is a part Works is the condition of the Covenant of works for it sayes in this manner The man that doth these things shall live by them but the Covenant of Grace in opposition to it sayes If thou believe with thy heart in the Lord Jesus and confess with thy mouth that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved as it is Rom. 10. What Works is in the one Covenant Faith is in the other Covenant and that as it is opposed to Works and to Faith it self as it is a Work in us 2. There is a peculiarness in Faith's concurring for the attaining of Justification in respect of it's instrumentalness in taking hold of Christ for our Justification or in receiving and resting upon Him as we said before for that end For when Christ is offered in the Gospel Faith flees to Him receives Him takes hold of Him and rests on Him neither Repentance nor Prayer nor any good Work hath an aptitud and fitness to receive Christ and present His Satisfaction to God as the ground of the Sinners defence as Faith hath And therefore it 's so often said by Divines according to the Scripture that Faith is the instrumental cause of our Justification which we shall clear in two or three similitudes which the Scripture makes use of 1 Christ compares Himself to the brazen Serpent lifted up in the wildernesse John 3.14 Man by Sin is stung deadly as the Israelites were by the fiery Serpents Christ Jesus as suffering and hung or lifted up upon the Cross is proposed to our Faith to look upon as the brazen Serpent was proposed to them that were stung and put up on a poll for that end and as there was no healling to the stung Israelites except they looked to it and the cure followed to none but to these who did behold it So Christ Jesus proposed as the Object and meritorious Cause of Justification Justifies none but such as look to Him by Faith and although they were to look to the Brazen Serpent yet their look gave no efficacy to the cure but it flowed from Gods ordaining that as a mean of their Cure even so it is not from any efficacy in Faith considered in it self that Sinners are Justified but it is from Jesus Christ the Object that Faith eyeing Him lifted up as the Saviour of the elect and His Satisfaction as appointed of God for that end doth Justifie and therefore it may well be called an instrumental cause because it is not Christ abstractly considered that Justifies more then it was the Serpent considered abstractly without their looking to it that did cure but Christ considered and laid hold on by Faith and in this respect Faith is said to Justifie even as the e e looking to the Brazen Serpent put them in capacity of the Cure though the Cure flowed from Gods appointment and not from their looking So is it in Faith's concurring for the attaining of Justification A 2d Similitude is that of miraculous Faith We find it often said by the Lord in His working such Cures Thy faith hath made the whole There was no efficacy in Faith it self for producing the Cure but it was the mean by which the Cure was transmitted to the Person under such a disease So it is in believing in order to our Justification It is by believing on Christ that our Spiritual Cure in Justification is transmitted to us and we are said to be Justified by Faith as they were said to be cured by Faith because by Faith it is convoyed to us A 3d. Similitude for clearing that Faith may well be called the instrumental Cause of Justification may be this even as the Advocats pleading may be called the instrumental Cause of the Clients absolving As suppose a man whose Cautioner had payed his Debt were cited to answer for the Debt his Advocat pleads his absolution and freedom from the Debt because his Cautioner hath payed it although the Debt was payed yet the man had not been absolved if it had not been so pleaded on this behalf So the concurrence of Faith in the
Command with many gracious Promises knit to it as Isa 55. Hear and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David And whenever the Command of Believing comes out it 's always with a Promise as Paul deals with the Jaylor Act. 16. Believe and thou shalt be saved and Mark 16. towards the close the Lord says They that believe shall be saved to encourage to Faith in Him 5. It presses the Offer and commands embracing of it with the Promise with a certification for the Offer is not conditional but alternative Mark 16. If ye believe not ye shal be damned so Deut. 30. Death and Life are proposed and they are bidden choose If the Gospel be not effectual in it's Commands and Promises it will be effectual in its Threatnings The Word of God will triumph one way or the other and not return to Him void as is very clear Isa 55.11 and 2 Cor. 2.15 16. It triumphs in some while they are brought by the Promise to give obedience to the command of Believing and to them it becomes the savour of life unto life and to others it triumphs as to the execution of the Threatning on them for their Unbelief and to them it becomes the savour of death unto death In a word Christ Jesus comes so near People in this Gospel that He must either be chosen and Life with Him or refused to the destruction and death of the Refuser ye have the same Christ the same Word the same Covenant the same obligation to Believe proposed to you that Believers from the beginning of the World had and another ye will not get and what more can the Gospel do to bring Christ near to you when it brings Him so near that ye have Him in your offer and the Authority of God and His Promises interposed to perswade you to accept of the Offer and Threatnings added to certifie you that if ye accept it not ye shall perish in which respect we may say as the Prophet Isaiah doeth chap. 5. What could God do more to his vineyard which he hath not done as to the holding out of the Object of Faith Jesus Christ to be rested on by you But some wiâ—l it may be object here 1. But if there come not Life and Power with the Offer it will not do the turn we cannot Believe nor receive the Offer Answ Whose fault is this that ye want ability It 's not God's fault ye have a sure ground to Believe His Woâ—d is a warrand good enough the Promises â—re free enough the Motives sweet enough the great fault is a Hâ—art of unbelief in you that ye will not believe in Christ nor open to Him when He is brought to your Door I doubt yea I put it out of doubt when all that ever heard the Gospel shâ—ll stand before the Throne that there shall be one found that shall dare to make this excuse that they were not able to receive Christ the Gospel brings Christ so near them that they must either say yea or nay it is not so much I cannot as I will not believe and that will be found a wilful and malicious refusal 2. It may be objected But how can this Gospel come to all alike seing it cannot be that these that will never get good of the Gospel hath it as near to them as these that get the saving Fruit of it Answ Not to speak of God's Purpose or what He intends to make of it not of the Power and Fruit that accompanies it to some and not to all it 's certain the Gospel and Christ in its Offer comes alike near to all that hear it It objectively reveals the same glad Tydings to all with the conditional offer of Life and with the same command and encouragement and certification in Threatnings as well as Promises In these respects Christ is brought alike near to all and when God cometh to reckon He will let Sinners know in that day that the Gospel came to their Door and was refused yea it comes and where it comes will take hold of some to pluck them out of the Snare and be ground of Faith to them and to others it will be a ground of Challenge and so the savour of death unto death for though it take not effect as to its Promises in all nor in its Threatnings to all yet as to either Death or Life it wiâ—l take effect in every one so as if Life be refused Death steps in the room of it But it may be asked Why will God have Christ in the Offer of the Gospel brought so near the Hearers of it Answ 1. Because it serves to commend the Grace and Love of God in Christ Jesus when the Invitation is so broad that iâ— is to all it speaks out the royalty of the Feast upon which ground 2 Cor. 6.1 it 's called Grace the Offer is so large and wide 2. Because it serves for warranding and confirming the Elect in the receiving of this Offer for none of the Elect could receive Him if He were not even laid to their Door It 's this which gives us warrand to receive that which God offers it 's not because we are elected or beloved of God before time or because He purposed to do us Good that we believe these are not grounds of Faith being God's secret Will but we believe because God calleth and maketh the Offer inviteth and promiseth knowing that He is faithful and we may trust Him Hence David says I will never forget thy Word and in God will I praise his Word for the Word in its Offer speaks alike to all and to none particularly Indeed when it comes to the Application of Promises for Consolation that is to be made according to the qualifications in the Persons but the Offer is to all 3. Because by this means the Lord hath the fairer access to found His Quarrel and Contraversie against Unbelievers and to make their Ditty and Doom the clearer in the day of the Lord when it s found that they never received the Offer My people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me therefore I gave them up to their own hearts lusts and they walked in their own counsels and this is an approbation given to Justice here it 's well-wair'd seeing they would not receive Thee that they get worse in Thy room Use 2. Seing Christ comes near you in this Gospel and this is one of the Mercat days I intreat you while He is near receive Him call upon Him while He is near or take it in the plain words of the Apostle open to Him take Him in give Him welcome while He bodes Himself to say so on you there is not a Conscience in any Man that hears this Gospel but he will have this testimony from Him in it that He came near them was in their sight and within their reach and grips as it were if they
the account on which we go to Him and rest on Him even as a consciencious Duty is that which flows from a Command as obedience to it so one of the main things that qualifies this Faith is a receiving Christ as Christ or as He is holden out in the Gospel which is therefore well put in the description given of Faith in the Catechism and it 's called a believing on Him whom the Father hath sent which is not to Believe on Christ simply but as He is holden out in the Word of the Gospel Presumption may look on Christ and His Fulness and few or none will readily dare to give Him a direct and down-right refusal or to reject Him professedly and avowedly when they hear of such Happiness that is to be had in Him but that which we say qualifies Faith is to desire receive and embrace Him according as He is holden out in the Gospel for wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 when He is lippened to with an Eye to the Promise and when that which makes us rest on Him is the Word of God for though Christ be the material Object of Faith yet the Word is the formal Object whereby we get a Right to Him and there is no gripping or getting hold of Christ but in and according to His Word and therefore the generality of People who on the Matter take the Antinomian way think they have no more to do but to apply Christ and to count Him their own at the very first but thorow their not exercising Faith on the Word of Promise they miss Him this is as I have said a main qualification of Saving Faith even to rest on Christ as He is holden out in the Word and by the Word to take hold of Him and rest upon Him Saving Faith doth not simply rest on Christ because He is Merciful and hath all Fulness in Him but it rests on Him and His Fulness as received in the Word and offered by God in His Word Faith takes God's Faithfulness in His Word and lays hold on Him by that Christ is the thing that makes Hâ—ppy but God's Faithful Promise is the Right by which we get a Title to that thing we would never love nor like of that Faith that knows not the use of the Word that betakes it self to Christ or the things in the Word but meddles not nor hath any dealing with the Word that holds them out when as it is only this Word that gives us warrand to expect that His Fulness shall be made forth-coming for our up-making and for the supply of all our need many desire and expect good of God but get it not because their expectation is not founded on His Word and God's Faithfulness in His Word is not closed withall In a word I would have you to think that Faith is neither an easie nor an insuperably difficult thing but that it is easie to go wrong and difficult to go right and that without God's special and powerful guiding ye cannot believe nor exercise Faith nor walk in the way of believing in Him and dependance on Him that ye may be helped to make a right use of Christ and to build upon Him that ye may not slip nor stumble and fall on the Stumbling-stone laid in Zion on which so many fall every day and break themselves to peices SERMON VI. ISAIAH LIII I Who hath believed our report And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed IF it were not recorded in the infallible Scriptures of Truth we would hardly believe that there could be so much powerful and sweet Preaching of the most excellent Instruments that ever were imployed and yet that there should be so little Fruit following on it who would believe that Isaiah so excellent so sweet and so evangelick a Prophet should have preached so many pleasant plain and powerful Sermons to a People from the Lord and yet that he should have so many sad complaints as he hath Chap. 6 28 and 58. that he should be put to bring in the Lord saying All the day long have I stretched out my hands to a rebellious People chap. 65. and that here himself should have it to say Who hath believed our report It 's scarce one Man here or there that hath Savingly believed on Christ and this is the third thing in the Words that now we would speak to and it 's a very sad though a very clear Truth The Doctrine is this That there may be much powerful Preaching of the Gospel and yet Unbelief generally among the Hearers of it Or take it with dependance on the former two namely 1. That the great work of the Ministry is to propose and make Christ known to a People 2. That the great Duty of a People that have Christ proposed to them is to Believe on Him Then this 3. Follows on the back of these That a People may have Christ proposâ—d to them brought to their Heart and Mouth and though it be but Believing that is called for from them yet that cannot be obtained from most of them This Gospel-duty of Believing is often slighted by the Hearers of the Gospel this is clearly holden forth here Who hath believed our report we have called for Faith but it 's a rare thing among the multitude of Hearers to get one that believeth Savingly To make out and prove this a little further we would consider this Complaint with these Aggravations of it which will make it the more clear and so the more to be wondred at As 1. These of whom the Complaint is made it is not Heathens but God's own People as the Lord complains Psal 81 10 11. My people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would have none of me our Lord Jesus complains of Jerusalem Matth. 23. at the end O Jerusalem Jerusalem how often would I have gathered thee and thou wouldst not that the Lord 's own professing People should not believe nor receive the Report that is made of Him hightens the Complaint and aggravates their guilt exceedingly 2. It is not a Complaint as to one Sermon or as to one Time but it 's a Complaint frequently repeated as to many fruitless Sermons and as to many Times yea Generations Isaiah preached long in many Kings Reigns and yet all along his Prophecy he complains of it as Chap. 6.11 How long Lord shall their eyes be blind and their ears heavy c. and Chap. 28.9 Whom shall I teach Doctrine them that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts precept must be upon precept and line upon line here a little and there a little and Chap. 65.2 All day long I have streatched out my hands to a rebellious people and here again Who hath believed our report much and long or many years Preaching much plain and powerful Preaching and yet little or no Fruit they are snared and taken and fall backward for all that And this was not in
Doing of it that will profite you it 's very sad that most plain obvious Duties are not at all followed as the studying of Knowledge the exercising of Repentance one of the very first Duties which is never separated from Faith the humbling of the Soul before God the loathing of your selves for all ye have done the Love of God c. for there may be Challenges for gross Evils in Heathens and Fear is not Repentance but Godly Sorrow that causeth Repentance not to be repented of A fourth Evidence is The want of that Work of God's Spirit that accompanies Faith Faith is a special Work of the Spirit and the gracious Gift of God it 's wrought by the exceeding mighty Power of God whereby He raised Christ from the Dead and by that same Power He worketh in them that Believe now knew ye ever what this Work meaned found ye it ever to be a difficult Work to Believe knew ye ever what it was to have the Spirit of God constraining your Heart to Believe I speak not of any extraordinary thing but certainly Faith is not Natural nor cometh from pure Nature and wherever it is it manifests it self by Works and evidenceth the Power of the Spirit in the working thereof There are some sad Evidences of and bitter Fruits that spring from this Root to wit Folks being Strangers to the experimental Knowledge of the Work of Faith As 1. When Men know no more difficulty to get Christ and to rest on Christ then to believe a Story of Wallace or of Julius Cesar 2. When Folks say that they believed all their Days and believed always since ever they knew Good by Ill and though their Faith be no true Saving Faith but a guessing yet they will not quite it yea it 's impossible for Men to get them convinced that they want Faith 3. When Men never knew what it is to be without Faith it 's one of the great Works of the Spirit John 16.8 to convince of the want of Faith Folks will be easily convinced that breach of the Sabbath that Stealing that bearing false Witness c. are Sins where the special Work of the Spirit is not but how many of you have been convinced of the want of Faith we are constrained to say this sad word when we look on this Text that it is lamentably fulfilled in your Eyes and in this our Congregation think not that we wrong such of you who have believed our Report Ah it 's few even very few of you that Receive and Believe this Gospel Use 2. The second Use is for Conviction If it be ordinary for the great part of the Hearers of the Gospel not to Believe let it sink in your Hearts that it is no extraordinary thing that hath befallen you are ye not such Hearers as many of these were who heard Isaiah and Jesus Christ and if so will not this follow that there are many yea even the thick and throng of the Hearers of this Gospel that Believe not and who if Christ were gathering Sinners by this preached Gospel would not be gathered if where the Gospel comes many do not Believe then here in this City where the Gospel is preached to a great multitude of professing Members of the visible Church there are readily many that do not Believe or let me ask of you a Reason why ye do except your selves either this Truth holds not so universally or many of you must fall under it or else give a Reason why you fall not under it the Truth which Isaiah preached hath been preached to you and yet ye remain Unbelieving and Dispisers of the Invitation to the Marriage of the King's Son as the Jews did we are not now speaking of Jews Turks nor Heathens nor of the Churches in general nor of other Congregations but of you in Glasgow that have this Gospel preached amongst you and we say of you that there are few that believe our Report Think it not our Word the Application flows natively from the Text not from necessity of the thing but from the ordinary course of Mens Corruption are not the same Evidences of the want of Faith which we spoke of among you how many are there in their Life Prophane how many rest on Civility and Formality is there not as little Repentance now as was in Isaiah's time as little denying of our own Righteousness and making use of Christ's though the Word be taught by Line upon Line here a little and there a little It may be though ye think that the Doctrine is true in the general ye will not ye cannot digest the Application That among so many of you visible Professors of Faith there are but few real Believers therefore we shall follow the Conviction a little further by giving you some Considerations to make it out that we have but too just ground to make Application of the Doctrine to you especially considering the abounding of Corruption that is amongst you that ye may be put to fear the Wrath that attends Sin and to flee to Christ for Refuge in time 1. Consider of whom it is that the Prophet is speaking and of what Time Is it not of the Times and Days of the Gospel had not the Spirit in dictating this Text of Scripture an Eye on Scotland and on Glasgow and do not our Lord Jesus Christ and Paul apply it in their Days and why then may not we also in ours and when the Spirit speaks expressly of the last Times that they shall be perilous and of the falling away of many should it not give us the hotter alarm 2. Do not all things agree to us as to them is not this Gospel the same is our Preaching any better than theirs nay had they not much more powerful Preaching and if that Preaching which was much more powerful had not efficacy as to many to work Faith in them what may we expect to do by our Preaching are not your Hearts as deceitful are not your Corruptions as strong are ye not as bent to Back sliding as they were what sort of Folks were they that were unfruitful Hearers were they not Members of the visible Church as ye are circumcised under the Old Testament as ye are baptized under the New was it not these who had Christ and His Apostles preaching to them yea they were not among the more Ignorant sort who did not Believe but Scribes and Pharisees and these not of the prophanest sort only but such as came to Church and attended on Ordinances as ye do yea were such as had Gifts and cast out Devils and preached in Christ's Name as you may see Luk. 13.26 Now when there are so many and of such Ranks who get no good of the Word and of such a great many that will seek to enter in and shall not be able to whom Christ will sall say depart I know you not ye Workers of Iniquity What can be the reason that many of you do so confidently
consolation who are flâ—d for refuge to the hope set before them O! will ye not trow and credit God when He swears Among other Aggravations of Unbelief this will be one that by it ye make God not only a liar but perjured a heavy hainous and horrid Guilt on the score of all Unbelievers of this Gospel 4. To take away all Contraversie He hath interposed His Command yea it 's the great Command and in a manner the one Command of the Gospel 1 John 3.23 This is his commandment that ye believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ and therefore the Offer of the Gospel and Promulgation of it cometh by way of Command Ho come believe c. whereby the Lord would tell the Hearers of the Gospel that it is not left to their own option or as a thing indifferent to them to Believe or not to Believe but it 's laid on them by the necessity of a Command to Believe and if ye think ye may and should Pray sanctifie the Sabbath or obey any other Command because He bids you there is the same Authority enjoyning and commanding you to Believe and as great necessity lyeth on you to give obedience to this Command as to any other do not therefore think it Humility not to do it for Obedience is better than Sacrifice For your further Encouragement to Believe I would say three words which ye would also look upon as Warrands to Believe and by them know that it is a great Sin not to Believe 1. Ye have no less Ground or Warrand than ever any that went before you had David Mâ—sâ—s Paul c. had no better Warrand my meaning is ye have the same Covenant the same Word and Promises Christ and His Fulness God and His Faithfulness offered to you the same Warrand that God hath given to all His People since ever He had a Church and do ye not think but it will be a sad and grievous ground of Challenge against you when ye shall see others that believe on the same Grounds that ye have sit down in the Kingdom of Heaven and your selves as proud Rebels shut out what ever dâ—fference there be as to the main Work of Grace and of God's Spirit on the Heart in the working of Faith yet the Ground of Faith is the Word that all hear who are in the visible Church and ye having the same Ground and Object of Faith in your offer there will be no excuse for you if ye do not Believe A second Encouragement is That the Ground of Faith is so solid and good that it never disappoints any one that leans to it and count the Gospel a feckless and insignificant thing who will it shall have this Testimony which damned Unbelievers shall carry to Hell with them that it was the power of God to salvation to them that believed and that there was nothing in the Gospel it self that did prejudge them of the good of it but that they prejudged themselves who did not lippen to it Therefore the Word is called Gold tryed in the fire all the Promises having a Being from Jehovah Himself on jot or one title of them cannot fail nor fall to the Ground 3. If ye were to carve out a Warrand to your selves as I hinted before what more could ye desire what miss ye in Christ what Clause can ye desire to be insert in the Covenant that is not in it It contains Pardon of Sin Healing of your Backslidings and what not and he hath said sealed and sworn it and what more can ye require Therefore we would again exhort you in the Name of Jesus Christ and in His stead not to neglect so great a Salvation O! receive the Grace of God and let it not be in vain In the third place Let us speak a word or two to some Objections or Scruples which may be moved in reference to what hath been said And First It may be some will say that the Covenant is not broad enough because all are not elected all are not redeemed nor appointed to be Heirs of Salvation upon which ground Temptation will sometime so far prevaâ—l as to waken up a secret enmity at the Gospel But 1. How absurd is this Reasoning Is there any that can rationally desire a Covenant so broad as to take in all as necessarily to be saved by it there is much greater reason to wonder that any should be Saved by it then there is if all should Perish beside we are not now speaking to the Effects but to the Nature of the Gospel so that whoever Perish it is not because they were not elected but because they believed not and the Bargain is not of the less worth nor the less sure because some will not Believe and to say that the Covenant is not good enough because so many Perish it 's even as if ye should say it 's not a good Bridge because some will not take it but adventure to go thorow the Water and so drown themselves 2. I would ask Would ye overturn the whole Course of God's Administration and of the Covenant of His Grace did He ever à priori or at first Hand tell Folks that they were elected who ever got their Election at the very first revealed to them or who are now before the Throne that ever made the keeping up of this secret from them a Bar or Impediment to their Believing God's Eternal Purpose or Decree is not the Rule of our Duty nor the Warrand of our Faith but His revealed Will in His Word let us seek to come to the knowledge of God's Decree of Election à posteriori or by the Effects which is a sure way of Knowledge our thwarting with His Word to know His Decree will not excuse but make us more guilty He hath shewed thee O man saith Micah chap. 6.8 what is good and what doeth the Lord require of thee and if any will scruple and demur on this ground to close the Bargain let them be aware that they provoke Him not to bring upon them their own fears by continuing them under that scrupling and demurring condition Ye cannot possibly evite hazard by looking on only and not making use of Christ therefore do not bring on your own ruine by your fear which may be by Grace prevented and by this way of Believing shall be certainly prevented But secondly Some may object and say I am indeed convinced that Believing is my Duty but that being a thing that I cannot do why should I therefore set about it Answ 1. This is a most unreasonable and absurd way of Reasoning for if it be given way to what Duty should we do we are not of our selves able to Pray Praise keep the Lord's Day nor to do any other commanded Duty shall we therefore abstain from all Duties Our ability or fitness for Duty is not the rule of our Duty but God's Command and we are called to put our Hand to Duty in the sense of our
all we have said of the Warrand of the Gospel to Believe is to no purpose Christ never counted it Presumption to desire and endeavour in His own way to believe on Him for attaining of Life through Him To desire Heaven and Peace with God and to misken Christ and pass Him by were indeed Presumption but it is not so to desire these through Him 6. When ye have attained to this Heart desire if ye cannot distinctly to your satisfaction act Believing on Christ ye would firmly resolve to believe and essay it and say This is the way I will and must take and no other as David saith Psal 16.2 O my soul thou hast said unto the Lord thou art my Lord Hence the exercise of Faith is called a choosing of God Deut. 30.19 and Josh 24. and seriously sincerely and firmly to resolve thus is our Duty when we can win to do no more and it is no little advancement in Believing when such resolution to Believe is deliberatly and soberly come under 7. When this is done Folks would not hold at a resolution for to resolve and not to set forward will be found to be but an empty resolution therefore having resolved though still looking on the resolution as his gift we would set about to perform and believe as we may and when we cannot go we would creep when we cannot speak words of Faith we would let Faith breath when it can neither speak nor breath distinctly we would let it pant In a word to be essaying the exercise of Faith and often renewing our essays at it which if we did we should come better speed in Believing then we do thus though ye were walking under a Conviction that ye would do no more at this then a Man whose Arm is withered can do to streatch it forth yet as the Man with the withered Hand at Christ's word of Command essayed to streatch it forth and it went with him or as the Disciples when they had toiled long even all the Night and caught nothing yet at Christ's word let down the Net and inclosed a multitude of Fishes so though ye have essayed to act Faith often and yet come no speed yet essaying it again on Christ's calling to it it may and will through Grace go with you 8. When yet ye come not speed as ye would your short-coming would be bemoaned and complained of to God laying open to and before Him the Heart who can change it and ye would have it for a piece of your weight and burthen that your Heart comes not so up to and abides not so by Believing I would think it a good Frame of Spirit when the not having of the Heart standing so fix'd at Believing is an Exercise and a Burthen 9. When all this is done in some measure ye would wait on in doing thus and would continue in this way looking to Him who is the Author and Finisher of Faith for His influence to make it go with you to look to Him to be helped is the way to be helped to Believe or to Pray to Him to better and amend Faith is the way to have it bettered and amended it 's said Psal 34.5 They looked to him and were lightened and their faces were not ashamed And if it be said How can one look that sees not It 's true blind Folk cannot look yet they may essay to look and though there be but a glimmering as the looking makes the faculty of Seeing the better and more strong so the Exercise of Faith makes Faith to encrease this is it that the Psalmist hath Psal 30. v. last Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart all ye that hope in the Lord that is if ye be weak wait on and He shall strengthen you Believe and give not over though to your Sense ye come not speed Beginners that are looking conscienciously to their way though they have but a glimmering weak sight of Christ and be as the Man that at first saw Mâ—n walking as Trees yet if they wait on they may attain to a more distinct seeing and to a more close and firm gripping of Christ We close with this word of Advertisement That as we speak not of these things as being in Man's power to be performed so neither can they be gone about to purpose but where there is some Faith and Love yet when they are at first looked on they are some way more within our reach then the distinct Exercise of Faith which is a great Mystery The Lord bless His Word and make it useful to you SERMON IX ISAIAH LIII I Who hath believed our report And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed IF Folks soberly and gravely considered of what concerment it is to make use of the Gospel and what depends upon the profitable or unprofitable hearing of it how serious would both Speakers and Hearers be This same poor mean and contemptible-like way of Speaking or Preaching is the ordinary way that God hath chosen to save Souls even by the foolishness of Preaching as the Apostle hath it 1 Cor. 1.21 and where Ministers have been tender how near hath it lyen to their Hearts whether People profited or not They that will read Isaiah how he resented and complained of it and how he was weighted with it will easily be induced to think that he was in earnest and that it was no little matter that made him thus cry out Who hath believed our report We shew that four things were comprehended in the words First That the great Errand of Ministers is to bring the glad Tydings of Jesus Christ the Saviour to Sinners Secondly That it is the great Duty of People to believe and receive the Offer of Jesus Christ in the Gospel Thirdly That it is the great Sin of a People that Hear the Gospel not to believe and receive Jesus Christ when He is offered unto them The fourth and last thing which now we are to speak of having gone thorow the first three is That the great and heavy Complaint that a faithful Minister of the Gospel hath is when these good News are not received and welcomed when they have it to say Who hath believed our report when it is but here one and there one that closes with Christ Considering these words as they hold out the Prophets Resentment and Complaint we shall from them draw four Observations which we shall speak shortly to and reserve the Use and Application to the close of all Observ 1. The first is That its meet for and the Duty of a Minister of the Gospel to observe what Fruit and Success his Ministry hath among a People and whether they Believe or not Isaiah speaks not here at random but from consideration of the Case of the People and as observing what fruit his Ministry had among them we would not have Ministers too curious in this as to the state of particular Persons neitner would we have them selfy or anxious
though ye have immortal Souls and though this Word be the mean of your Salvation yet there are Hundreds of you that never lay it to Heart that your Souls are in hazard and that this Word must be it that ye must live by and live upon I appeal to your Consciences if ye think upon this seriously want of this Consideration fosters Security breeds Laziness and makes and keeps you Careless and Carnal I shall instance the want of it in three respects 1. Look how ye are affected towards this Word and your own edification by it before ye come to hear it How few are hungering and thirsting or preparing for benefite by it or preparing to meet with God in it In effect ye come not with a design to profite so that if it were known it would be wondred at wherefore ye come to hear the Word as Christ says of some They came not because they saw the miracles but because they did eat of the loaves and were filled so may we say of you that ye come not to profite by the Word but on some crooked carnal design 2. Look how ye carry when ye are come How many sleep a great part of the Sermon so that it 's a shame to look on the face of our Meetings when in every corner some are Sleeping whose Consciences God will waken ere long and the Timber and Stones of the House will bear witness against them Were you in any other Meeting about ordinary Business there would not be such Sleeping But when ye are Waking what is your Carriage for ye may be Waking and your Heart far away or fast asleep how seldom can ye give account of what is said though your Bodies be present your Hearts are wandering ye are like these spoken of Ezek. 33.31 who sat before the Prophet as God's people but their hearts went after their covetousness how often while ye are sitting here is your Heart away some in their Thoughts running after their Trade some after their Merchandice some after one thing some after another This is one sad instance of it that there are many of you who have had Preaching fourty or fifty Years that can scarce tell one Note of it all and no wonder for ye were not attentive in the Hearing of it 3. Look how ye carry after the Word is heard What unedifying Discourse will ye be engaged in ere ye be well at the Door how carnally and carelesly do many rush unto and go away from hearing of the Word and when ye get a word that meets with your Souls Case do ye go to your Knees with it before God desiring Him to breath on it and to keep it warm or do ye meditate upon it Now put these three together your Carriage before in the time and after your Hearing the Word ye will find that there is just cause to say that the most part that hear this Gospel are not serious what wonder then that it do them no good In the end of that Parable of the Sower Matth. 13. Mark 4. and Luke 8. its said by the Lord Take heed how ye hear for whosoever hath to him shall be given c. If ye improve well your Hearing ye will get yet more but so long as ye take no heed how ye hear ye cannot profite A second Ground or Cause is this That the most part of Hearers never come to look on this Word as the Word of God they come never almost to have a Historical Faith of it it 's said Heb. 11.6 He that comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that seek Him diligently But when Folk do not really believe that God is what wonder they seek Him not that they fear neither Judgment nor Hell and that they study not Holiness they say in their Hearts they shall have Peace though they walk in the imagination of their own Hearts and that the way to Heaven is not so narrow as Ministers say it is that God will not condemn poor christned Bodies this is the language of many Hearts and of some Mouths Need there any evidences of it be given if ye believed that the way to Heaven is so strait and that Holiness is so extensive could ye possibly with any seriousness reflect on your Heart and Way and not be affrighted But the truth is this Word gets not leave to sink in you as the Word of God therefore sayeth our Lord to His Disciples Luke 9.44 Let these sayings sink into your ears There are these things I fear ye do not Believe and let me not be thought to take on me to judge your Consciences when there are so many that profess they know God but in works they deny Him as it is Tit. 1.16 when we see such things in your Carriage we know that there is a principle of Unbelief whence they spring 1. There are many of you that really believe not there is a God or that He is such as His Word reveals Him to be to wit Holy Just Powerful c. else ye durst not live at feed with Him The fool hath said in his heart there is not a God they are corrupt c. your practical Atheism and Prophanity say ye believe not there is a God 2. Ye never believed the ill of your Nature Do ye think as James bespeaks these he writes to chap. 4.5 that the Scripture saith in vain the spirit that is in you lusts to envy Ye do not think that your Heart is deceitful and desperatly wicked though we should Preach never so much on this Subject yet ye lay it not to Heart ye take it not to you in particular 3. We are afraid that many of you believe not a Judgment and your particular and personal coming to it nay there are among you who are like to these Mockers spoken of by Peter in his second Epistle chap. 3. ver 3 4. who say where is the promise of his coming And as there were in Paul's days some thâ—t denied the Resurrection 1 Cor. 15. so there are still who do it on the matter at least Ye have the same corrupt Nature We would think that we had prevailed to some purpose if ye were brought really to believe that there is a God Life to come and a Day of Judgment and if ye did so ye would be more serious in Duty and would come more Hungry and Thirsty to the Word 4. The Mean and Mids of Salvation is not believed to wit That the way to Peace with God is Faith in Jesus Christ and that there is no way to Heaven but the way of Holiness If all your thoughts were spoke out it would be found that ye have another mids than Faith and another way than that of Holiness And to make out this we need go no further then to your Practice we are sure many of you live in Prophanity and yet ye have all a hope of Heaven and what says this but
impossibility that is in us naturally for the exercising of Faith in Christ If Men naturally be dead in Sins and Trespasses if the Mind be blind if the Affections be quite disordered and if the Will be utterly corrupted and perverted then that which converts and changes and renues them must be a real inward peculiar immediate powerful work of the Spirit of God there being no inward seed of the Grace of God in them to be quickened that seed must be communicate to them and sowen in them ere they can believe which can be done by no less nor lower Power then this Power of God's Grace It 's not Oratory as I said nor excellency of Speech that will do it it 's such a work as begers the Man again and actually renews him The second is drawen from God's end in the way of giving Grace comunicating it to some and not to others If God's end in being gracious to sâ—me one and not to others be to commend His Grace solly and to make them alone in Grace common or debt then the work of Grace in Conversion must be peculiar and immediate and wrought by the Power of the Spirit of God leaving nothing to Man's Free-will to diffâ—rence himself from another or on which such an effect should depend But if we look to Scripture we will find that it's God's end in the whole way and conduct of His Grace in Election Redempâ—ion Calling Justification c. to commend His Grace solly and to stop all Mouths and to cut off all ground of boasting in the Creature as it is 2 Cor. 4.7 Who makes thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou hast not received now if thou didst receive it why doest thou glory as if thou didst not receive This being certain that if the work of Grace in Conversion were not a distinct inward peculiar real immediate work and did not produce the effect of it self by its own strength and not by vertue of any thing in Man the Man would still be supposed to have had some Power for the work in himself and some way to have differenced himself from another but the Lord hath designed the contrary and therefore the work of Grace in Conversion must be suitable to his design Use 1. The first Use is for the refutation of several Errors and for the confirmation of a great Truth of the Gospel which we profess It serves I say First For the refutation of Errors which in such an Auditory we love not to insist on yet we cannot here the Ground being so clear and the Call so cogent forbear to say somewhat briâ—fly this way and the rather that the Devill hath taken many waâ—s and driven many dâ—signs to weaken the estimaâ—ion of God's Grace among Men and to exalt proud Nature and that there is here a collection and concatenation of these designs and ways against the Truth which this Doctrine holds forth vented by corrupt Men. As 1. They will have nothing to be necessarily applyed for the working of Conversion buâ— the preaching of the Word taking it for granâ—ed that all Men have universal or common Grace which God by His Soveraignty say they was obliged to give else he could not not reasonably require Faith of them and upon this comes in the pleaded for Power of Free-will and Mans ability to turn himself to God others by pleading for this notion of a Light within Men become to be Patrons of proud and petulant corrupt Nature as if there were need of nothing to beget Saving Faith but that common Grace within and Oratory or Swasion of Mouth from without And hence they came to maintain the foulest Errors which have not only been condemned by the Chuâ—ch of God in all Ages bâ—t have even by some Papists been abominated and many of these same Errors are creeping in even in these times wherein we live the design whereof is to tempt Folk to turn loose vain and proud and to turn the Grace of God into wantonness as if they needed not at all to depend on God and His Grace having a sufficient stock within themselves on which they can live well enough And it 's not only the Errors of Papists Pelagians Socinians Arminians or Errors in the Judgment that we have to do with but of such as overturn the very foundation of the work of Man's Salvation and who though pretending to higher notions do yet go beyond all these But if it be true that in the work of Conversion beside the preaching of the Word there is a distinct real inward peculiar immediate efficacious work of the Spirit necessary for bringing about such an effect Then there is no common and universal Grace that all the Hearers of the Gospel have nor is there any Power or Ability in Man to believe of himself otherwise there were no necessity of such a work as this for the converting of a Sinner the Prophet needed not to cry Who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed And Christ needed not say No man can come to me except the Father draw him for Men might come without drawing and believe without the revelation of God's Arm But in opposition to that we say and have made it clear that the work of Conversion is brought about by a distinct peculiar powerful real and immediate work of the Spirit on the Heart whereby he not only enlightens the Mind but renews the Will and rectifies the Affections 2. There is another Error that this refutes which seems to be more subtile for some will grant a necessary connexion betwixt the effect and the Grace of God who yet say that it is swasion or perswasion for here we take these for the same so and so trysted to prevail with some that brings about the effect or work of Conversion in them and not in others where that perswasion is not so trysted but this opinion lays not the weight of Conversion on the Arm of the Lord but on some circumstances accompanying the work and leaves still some ground of boasting in the Creature 3. A third Error which this Doctrine refutes is that of some others who will have Grace necessarily to go alongs with the Word in the working of Faith but so as it reacheth not the Will but that the Will necessarily determines it self as if the Will were not corrupt or as if that Corruption that is in the Will were indeed no Corruption as if that Corruption that is in the Will could be any more removed from the Will without the immediate work of the Spirit upon it then Darkness can be removed from the Judgment without the Spirits immediate work on it But seing the Will is the prime seat of Man's perversness while in Nature and the principal part to be renewed It 's a strange thing to say that in the work of Conversion other faculties and powers of the Soul must be renewed and yet that this which comes nearest to
use of them all of the Word Prayer Sacraments Meditation c. It 's by these that the Lord begets Grace and by neglecting of them ye may make your selves guilty of destroying your own Souls 3. Beaware of quenching the Spirit in any of His Operations or Motions of smothering or putting out any Challenges or Convictions If the Conscience be at any time touched or the Affections tickled go not away as the temporary Believer doeth sitting down there without going any further Fear to strangle the beginnings of the life of Grace for Grace may begin at little and if ye quench any Motion Conviction or Challenge ye know not if ever ye shall meet with the like again because when He knocked hard at your Heart ye held Him out and keeped Him at the door and ye may be in hazard of that terrible charge Acts 7.31 Ye uncircumcised in heart and ears ye have always resisted the Holy Ghost as your Fathers did so do ye 4. Seing this work is not common to all the Hearers of the Gospel but peculiar to some labour to have it made sure to your selves by putting it to proof and tryal in good earnest Use 3. The third Use is for you that are Believers and would God there were many such to whom I would also speak three or four words 1. Learn from this to be humble What hast thou man but what thou hast received and if thou hast received it why doest thou boast as if thou hadst not received it O! but it 's unsuitable to Believers who are Free-Graces-Debtors and Beggers whereof yet none need to think shame to be proud and forget themselves Thou hast nothing Believer to boast of but that He hath shamed thee with His Grace and shouldest thou be proud of that as if thou had made thy self thus therefore guard watchfully against all puffing up self-conceit and high-mindedness and study to be humble and to carry a low Sâ—il else thou mayest break out into some scandâ—lous offence and may become a shame and reproach to the Gospel We commend Humility to you above many things for we think that in these days Folks pride is like to break their Necks for when once Conceit creeps in they begin to think they are so far advanced in Holiness that they must not keep Company with others nor joyn in Worship with them and from that they go to another thing and from that to a third that it is hard to tell where they wilâ— halt or end they grow so giddy that they are scarcely like to leave so much Ground as themselves may stand upon O! think shame of Pride it 's a most intollerable thing to be proud of that which God hath given wherein ye have no more hand and whereof ye can no more boast then they who never had it 2. Be thankful and give God the praise of that ye have gotten It becomes the upright to be thankful It 's no little matter to have God's Power manifested in the working of Faith and conferring Grace The temporal Throne and Kingdom and great things in the World are nothing to this it 's peculiar to the Lord 's own and not common Many get their fill of the World who never get nor will get this The World is of so little value with the Lord that to speak so He doeth not much regard who get it though it be exâ—ctly distributed by His Providence but converting and upbuilding Grace is peculiarized to His Favourites Being therefore clear that He hath bestowed Grace on you O how should ye exult in blessing God as David did for giving you counsel to make choice of such a portion and for His powerful determining of your Heart by His Grace to embrace it for which ye have not your selves to thank but God 3. Be compassionate and tender towards others considering that it is only Grace that hath made the difference betwixt you and them and not any good nature in you which was not in them as some foolishly fancy Be not puft up at the faults and falls of any but rather mourn for them as well as for your own and be the more humble when ye think of the difference that Grace hath made lest ye fall and since your standing is by Grace be not high-minded but fear of all Persons it worse becomes you to look lightly on let be to mock at the falls of others considering who and what hath made the diffâ—rence 4. If it be so peculiar a priviledgâ— to be pâ—rtakers of this powerful and spâ—ciâ—l Grâ—ce of God that is put sorth in the great work of Conversion Then sure there is â—omething peculiar called for in your Conversation even that it may in all things be as it becometh the Gospel and answerable to this Grace bestowed on you O! what manner of Persons ought ye to be in all holy Conversation and Godliness SERMON XIV ISAIAH LIII I And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed THE way of the Grace of God is a very difficult Subject to be thought on or spoken of suitably and as it becomes Grace having a soveraign and unsearchable Channel of its own wherein it runs yet no doubt it is very useful now and then to consider it if we knew how to make use of it aright yea even these steps of Grace that are most cross and contrary to carnal Reason may not a little profite when duely pondered Thus when the Prophet hath been looking on the scarcity of Faith and on the paucity of true Believers he looks a little further then on the external preaching of the Gospel even in upon the way of God's Grace not out of any curiâ—sity nor from a fretting humour because of the unsuccessfulnesse of his Ministry but that he may thereby get himself stayed and composed and that he may bring both himself and others to reverence and adore the holy and soveraign way of God therein To whom saith he is the arm of the Lord revealed It 's a word like that which Christ had on the like occasion John 6.44 Murmure not among your selves no man can come to me except the Father who hath sent me draw him We opened up the meaning of the words the last day In short they come to this as if he had said how few are they that believe the Gospel and who take the Word off the hand of His sent Ministers and how few are they on whom the Grace of God that only can make men believe does effectually work the Prophet pointing at a higher hand then that of the Ministers in the success and fruitlessness of the Gospel and coupling these two together the Preaching of the Word and the Power of God's Grace in the working of Faith and Conversion in Sinners We proposed these three Doctrines to be spoken to from the words 1. That in the work of Conversion and begetting of Faith beside the preaching of the Word there is a powerful internal immediat work of the
obtaining the Pardon of Sin by the imputation of the Righteousness of Christ but there is another ground or matter of boasting that Man might have if he could reach out the Hand to believe and receive that Righteousness and so put difference betwixt himself and another which in Effectual Calling the Lord puts to silence and quite removes that Man may hâ—ve it to say I have not only Pardon of Sâ—n but Grace to Believe freely bestowed upon me God made me to differ and He only He opened my Heart as He did the Heart of Lydia Thus the Lord will have all the weight of the whole work of our Salvation lying on His Grace that the Mouths of all may be stopped and that His Grace may shine gloriously that we may have it to say with the Psalmist Psal 57.2 It 's the Lord that performs all things for me and with Paul 1 Tim. 1.13 14. I obtained mercy and the Grace of God was exceeding abundant towards me The Uses are these 1. It writes to us in great and legible Letters the great emptiness and sinfulness of all Flesh who not only do not good but have sinned themselves out of a capacity to do good all Men and Women have brought themselves thus lamentably low by Sin that now if Heaven were to be had by a wish sincerely and singly brought forth yet it is not in their power to perform that condition and though it now stands upon the streatching forth of the hand of Faith to receive Jesus Christ yet of themselves they cannot even do this how ought then Sinners to be deeply humbled who have brought themselves to this woful pass I am afraid that many of you do not believe that ye are such as cannot Believe nor do any Good till His Grace work effectually in you 2. It teacheth you not to idolize any instrument or mean of Grace how precious and promising soever No Preaching if it were of a Prophet or an Apostle yea of an Angel will do the turn without Grace come with it there is a necessity of the revelation of God's Arm and of the assistance of His Grace not only to your Conversion but to every duty ye go about Ye should therefore fear and tremble when ye go about any Ordinance lest the Arm of the Lord be not put forth in it 3. It should make you more serious in dealing with God for His effectual blessing to every Mean and Ordinance seing without that no Ordinance can profite you 4. It serves to reprove and repress Pride 〈◊〉 to promove Humility in all such who 〈◊〉 â—â—tten good by the Gospel Have ye Faith or any measure of Holiness what have ye but what ye have received from whence came your Faith and your Holiness ye have them not of your selves these are not Fruits that grow upon the Tree of Nature or in its Garden but on the Tree and in the Garden of Free-Grace and ye have not your selves to thank for them 5. The main Use of it is for confirming and establishing you in the Faith of the Truth proponed in the Doctrine and for confuting and overturning the contrary Error that as it were in contempt of the Grace of God exalts proud Nature and gives Man's Free-will so great a hand in the work of Conversion That the main thing that makes the difference shall not be attributed to the Grace of God but to the Free-will of the Creature which of it self choised the Grace of God offered when another rejected it It may indeed seem strange that the Devil should so far have prevailed with Christians that profess the Faith of Original Sin and of the necessity of a Saviour as to make them look at Grace as useless in this prime step of Conversion and renewing of a Sinner that when the Grace of God and Man's Free-will come to be compared Man's Will should have the preference and preheminence the highest place and commendation in the work and that the great weight of it should ly there and that proud Nature should be thus bolstered up that it shall stand in need of nothing for the Man's Conversion but the right use-making of what it hath in it self And yet it 's no wonder that the Devil drive this design vigorously for what shorter cut can there be taken by him to ruine Souls then to make them drink in this Error that Nature and Free-will will do their turn and so take them off from all dependance on Free-Grace and on Jesus Christ and give them ground of boasting in themselves for when it is thus of necessity they must ruine and perish this should sure make you loath this Error the more And we are perswaded that the day is coming wherein the Truth opposite to this Error shall be confirmed on the Souls and Consciences of all the Opposers of it and wherein the maintaining of this Error shall be found a confirmation of Mans Enmity at Gods Grace which is not subject to His Law nor indeed can be But there are three Questions that may be moved here to which we would speak a word 1. If the Preaching of the Gospel cannot beget Faith without the powerful work of Gods Graâ—e what is the use of the Gospel or wherefore serves it 2. If Men cannot Believe without the work of Grace which the Lord soveraignly dispenseth why doth He yet find fault and expostulate with Men for their not Believing 3. If Grace perform all and Men can make no mean effectual nor do any good without it what then should Men do to come by Believing and this work of His Grace For the first We shall not say much unto it only seing the Lord hath made choice of the Gospel to be the ordinary external Mean of Grace and of the begetting of Faith there is no reason to say that it 's useless for though it be not the main and only thing that turns the Sinner but the Lord hath reserved it to Himself as His own Prerogative to convert and change the Heart of a Rebel-sinner yet he hath appointed it to be made use of as He hath appointed Baptism and the Lords Supper for many good and notable ends uses and advantages that are reached and come by the preaching of it As 1. By it the Righteousness of God is manifested that before lay hid Ye may by the preaching of the Gospel come to the knowledge of the Covenant of Redemption and of the great design that the Lord hath laid down for bringing about the Salvation of lost Sinners Rom. 1.17 Therein is the righteousness of God revealed from Faith to Faith 2. By it the Lord revealeth the Duty He calleth for from Men as well as His Will concerning their Justification and Salvation He lets them know what is wrong what is right what displeaseth Him and what pleaseth Him Yea 3. By the preaching of the Gospel He holdeth out what Mens ability is or rather what is their inability and by His external Calling gives
Word ye will be more serious in seeking somewhat from Man then in asking Grace from God the reason is because your Heart is more to the one nor to the other can ye then rationally think that ye are excusable when Believing is not a thing that is in your Heart and that takes you up but ye go about the Means that lead to it unconcernedly carelesly and negligently 3. Consider how often ye do willingly choose some other thing then Christ to spend your Time and set your Affections upon laying obstructions and bars in the way of Gods Grace setting up idols in the Heart and filling Christs room before hand with such things as are inconsistent with His Company and all this is done willingly and deliberately ye have said in your Hearts as these did Jer. 2.25 We have loved strangers and after them we will go and will ye or dare ye make that an excuse why ye could not come to Christ because your Hearts were taken up with your Lusts and Idols So then the matter will not hold here that ye were unable and had not power to believe but it will come to this that your Conscience will have it to say that ye willingly and deliberately choosed to ly still in your Unbelief and that ye preserred your Idols to Christ Jesus 4. Consider That sometimes ye have met with some more then an ordinary touch motion and work of the Spirit that hath been born in upon you which ye have slighted and neglected if not quenched and put out which is your great guilt before the Lord Is there any of you but now and then at Preaching or when in some great hazard or under sickness or some other sad cross ye have been under Convictions of Sin and have had some little glances of the hazard ye were in of the Wrath of God more then ordinarly ye had at other times and I would ask you have these been entertained and cherished or rather have they not been slighted and worn out by you and may ye not in this respect be charged with the guilt of resisting the Spirit of God and marring the work of your own Conversion and Salvation These things and many moe which will cry loud in the Consciences of Men and Women one day will quite remove and take away this objection that ye could not do better Ye might have done better then ye did ye might have abstained from many Evils that ye committed and done many Duties that ye ommitted and done them with more moral seriousness then ye did but ye were perverse and did willingly and deliberately choose to continue in your Natural condition rejecting Christ and the Offer of Salvation through Him This also serves to refute and remove that prophane Principle or Tenet that many have in their Minds and Mouths That they have no more Grace then God hath given them will ye dare to come before God in the great Day with any such Objection no certainly or if ye dare God will aggrege your guilt by it and beat it back again into your Throat then O! then all such Subterfuges will be no shelter to you before Him nor in the least able to insconce your Souls against the strong Batteries of the Wrath of God that will be as a Storm against the Wall SERMON XV. ISAIAH LIII I And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed MInisters have not done with their work when they have preached and People have not done with their work when they have heard That which is of greatest concernment follows which either hath in the want of it influence on the sadning of both Ministers and People or in the obtaining of it on their Consolation This is the thing that we find Isaiah upon here who having preached the Gospel looks what Fruit it hath and when he beholds the general unfruitfulness it had in his own time and should have in our time it weights him exceedingly and indeed it 's very sad that Isaiah should be so much weighted in foreseeing the unfruitfulness of the Gospel in our days and that we our selves should be so little weighted with it and so sensless under it He casts in this word To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed partly to confirm the former word Who hath believed our report and partly to help to make the right use of it by drawing Men to the discovery of the Soveraign Hand of God in the matter and of the necessity of His Grace for making the Gospel effectual in the Hearers of it wherever it comes Who saith he hath believed our report To whom is this preached Gospel made effectual for Faith and Salvation It 's but to very few even to as many as have the Arm of the Lord the effectual Power of His special Grace revealed to them and no moe The last Doctrine we proposed and began to speak of as the Scope was That believing and receiving of the Gospel and the Lord 's exercing a powerful work of His Grace with it are ever still knit together they are of equal extent as many Believe as He stretcheth out His Hand of Power with the Word to work Faith in them and as many ly still in Unbelief as His Hand of Power is not revealed unto This is his Scope We took up this Doctrine in two Branches First That the most powerful Means cannot work nor beget Faith in the Hearers of the Gospel except there be an inward powerful work of Grace on their Hearts accompanying them and this we cleared and spoke a little to â—â—o Qâ—estions in the Use and left at a third to wit What the Hearers of the Gospel should do that have the Call and Offer of the Gospel seing without the effectual work of the Grace of God they cannot Believe which we shall forbear to speak to till we open the second Branch of the Doctrine because this Question relates to both The second Branch then of the Doctrine is That wherever the Lord applieth the powerful work of His Grace there necessarily Faith and Conversion follow or the stretching forth of God's Arm in the work of His Grace hath always the work of Faith and Conversion and the engaging of the Soul unto Jesus Christ following on it and indeed if it be true that we cleared bâ—fore to wit That there are as many Unbelievers as there are Persons on whom Grace doth not thus powerfully work or that they are all such that this work of Grace is not manifested on then the work of Conversion and Believing is as broad as this work of Grace is for the Prophet maketh them of equal extent who is he that believeth even he to whom the Arm of the Lord is revealed and on the contrary who is he that believeth not even he to whom the Arm of the Lord is not revealed and on whom this work of Grace is not manifested By which we may see it to be very clear that the Prophet hangs the Believing of
grave and composed frame of Spirit is better then a light and unsettled frame it being very hard if not impossible to keep the Heart right even where there is Grace but where there is some counterpoise or wither-weight and it must be far more impossible to keep it right where the work of Grace is not or but in the very first beginnings of it and though I do not call this composedness of frame Grace yet it keeps Folk in some capacity as it were to receive Grace It 's said Lam. 3.27 28. That it 's good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth he sitteth alone and keepeth silence because he hath born it upon him he puts his mouth in the dust if so be there may be hope for though Crosses are not always blessed to Conversion yet we may see now and then that sad times are the beginnings of better times and even in Hypocrites their sad times ordinâ—rily are their best times I neither desire nor allow any to bring Crosâ—es upon themselves yet I would desire all to make the best use of any Cross they are under and to be acquainting themselves with their Sin and Infirmities and with their Hazard and with such other things as may weight and compose them without fostering discouragement and aâ—xiety and to love as well to speak and hear such things spoken of as may provoke to sighing and sadness as these that may provoke to laughter I said of laughter saith Solomon Eccles 2.2 it is mad and of mirth what doth it and Prov. 14.13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful and the end of that mirth is heaviness though oft times our Laughter may not be so sinful yet it readily more indisposeth us for any spiritual Duty then Sorrow doth the Heart is like a Clock whereof when the inner wheels are set a reeling it is not soon righted and setled 7. I would propose Ephraim's example to you Jer. 31.18 19. and desire that ye would in the fight and sense ye have of your sinfulness weakness fecklesness be bemoaning your selves and your sad condition to God putting up that Prayer to Him Turn thou me and I shall be turned These words flowing from suitable sense are good and then follows after that I was turned I repented It 's observable that in the very entry he is graciously taken notice of by the Lord Surely I have beard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus so it is with God's People when they consider how great Strangers they have been to God how sinful and stubborn and how impossible it is for them to mend themselves of themselves they retire themselves into some corner and there bemoane their case and cry out O! what a sinful nature is this and when will it be got amended I am as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke says Ephraim and the Lord tells He heard and observed it when possibly he thought he was scarcely if at all Praying but rather sighing out as it were a short ejâ—culation to God O! that I were amended the last word of his Prayer is Turn thou me and I shall be turned or convert me and I shall be converted he sees that when all is done he must cleanse his hands and leave the matter to God I cannot but thou canst work the work and it ends sweetly in words of Faith for thou art the Lord my God and where words of Faith are after serious exercise that exercise hath oft times Faith going alongs with it hence are these words Lam. 3.20 If so be there may be hope Psal 119 Incline mine heart open mine eyes c. and Luk. 9.13 How much more will your heavenly Father give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him it's good to pray for the efficacy of Grace and to offer our selves Subjects to be wrought upon and Objects to receive what Grace offers to us As we began these Directions with a word of Caution so we would close them Do not think that these things in a Natural Man following this sinful course will bring forth Grace neither conclude that where these things only are discerned and no more in some Persons that there Grace is wanting it being to help such forward that we mainly speak to them Only in sum 1. Keep clean and clear the Light ye have 2. Improve the strength bestowed And 3. What ye have not put it over on God and seek from Him who hath Grace to give for working that in you and it would seem that in reason ye should refuse none of these three 1. We say Keep clean and clear your Light for if ye detain the Truth of God in unrighteousness and make as it were a Prisoner of it by setting a guard of corrupt Affections about it ye may bring on blindess 2. Improve what strength ye have for if ye improve not your strength were it but in Natural parts and endowments that makes you inexcusable when Spiritual and gracious qualifications are denied to you for ye have procured this to your selves are there not many things that ye thought your selves able for that ye never seriously once essayed much more might have been done as to Repentance Love to God Charity to others and the like and when ye have not stretched your selves to the yondmost in these there are sure many things left undone that ye might have done 3. What ye dow not do or find your selves unable to do put it on God to do for you seriously humbly singly and self-deniedly for if ye come not to God with that which ye are unequal and unable for ye are still on this side your duty and without excuse Take these then together Improve any strength ye have according to any measure of Light God hath given you and coming to God through Jesus Christ seek that ye want from him and leave the acceptation of your Persons and of your Performances on Him This is the result of all that we have spoken of this Doctrine of Grace that ye may not take occasion from the way of Gods dispencing Grace to continue graceless which if ye do it will be ground of a most grievous challenge against you but that ye may see an excellent consistency betwixt the soveraignty of Grace and your going about the means appointed of God in order to Faith and Conversion and the study of Holiness and that ye may go on in the use of these Means with an Eye to Grace in the sense of your own insufficiency to think as of your selves so much as a good thought leaving all your Duties at Christ's feet walking before him with a stopped Mouth when any thing is wanting standing at his Door and begging it from him and when any thing is received cleansing to say so your own Hands of it and giving him all the Thanks Praise and Glory of it To him be Praise for ever SERMON XVII ISAIAH LIII II III. Verse 2. For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant
and as a root out of a dry ground he hath no form nor comeliness and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him Verse 3. He is despised and rejected of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and we esteemed him not IN the former Verse the Prophet hath asserted the rarity and scarcity of Believing the Gospel and receiving of Jesus Christ offered therein Who hath believed our report saith he who hath made Christ welcome And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed to whom hath this Gospel been made effectual by the Power of God for the engaging of their Hearts to him In these two Verses he gives a reason as it were of this which runs upon these two 1. The low appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ in respect of his outward condition it hath no outward beauty splendor nor greatness to commend it but is attended with much meanness and with many afflictions 2. The itching humour of Men who are taken up with worldly grandour or greatness and glory and make little account of any thing that wants that as if he said it is no wonder that Christ get few to believe on him and that few receive this Gospel for he will not come with much worldly pomp and grandour which the Men of the World greatly affect and are much taken up with To open the words a little we shall first consider the matter of this reason and then the consequence of it or what influence it hath on Mens offending at Christ and continuing in their Unbelief only we shall premit two or three words to both That which we premit first is this That the He that is here spoken of is our Lord Jesus Christ who in the New Testament hath this Text applied to him for albeit there be no He so expressly mentioned in this Chapter before yet in the 13. Verse of the former Chapter to which this relates the He that is spoken of here is called the Lords Servant and it 's said of him that He shall be exalted and extolled and made very high and it is not unusual to speak of Christ singularly by a relative without an antecedent as Cant. 1.2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth because Christ to Believers is so singular an one that when ever he is spoken of by way of eminency and excellency as here they cannot mistake him or take an other for him Secondly This want of form and comeliness is not to be understood of any personal defect in our Lords Humane Nature but in respect of and with reference to the tract of his Life and what accompanied his Humiliation to wit That it was low and mean without that external grandour pomp and splendour of outward things which the world esteem to be comliness and beauty 3. Where it is said He shall grow up before him c. It relates to the hearers of the report of the Gospel concerning him or to the man that believes not the report spoken of before And so relates to the words of the first vers Who hath believed our report Which is certainly meant of the man that hears of him and to whom he seems nothing worth because of his mean and low outward condition for if we should apply it to God we cannot see how it will so well infer the scope and be the reason of the unbelief asserted formerly for which end it is brought in here We come now to open the words a little and here we would know that Christs low condition is two wayes set down in these two verses 1. In the 2. vers In respect of his want of the abundance of the things of this world 2. In the 3. vers In respect of the accession of outward crosses and afflictions for not only doth he want credit respect and esteem but he hath contempt despight and reproach Not only wants he great riches but he hath poverty and is in a poor and low condition The first vers expresseth him negatively to be no worldly great man The second vers expresseth him positively to be a mean and despised man 1. Then these words He shall grow up as a plant out of a dry ground are expounded by the words following He hath no form nor comliness For as Shrubs or Scrogs growing up out of dry ground cryn and wither when trees planted in a fat soil are fresh fair and beautiful So shall it be with Christ when he cometh forth saith the Prophet to the eyes of the world he shall as it were be like a Scrab in a Moor edge Our Lord had personal and much divine comliness in him as we may see John 1.14 Where he saith that the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth But the comliness here spoken of is that outward state pomp and splendour which great men in the world use to have which Christ wanted This is confirmed by the following words And when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him There is in men naturally a delight and complacency in that which is beautiful to the natural eye But saith he there shall be no such thing seen in Jesus Christ when he cometh and therefore no great wonder that few believe on him And that he saith We it is either according to the phrase used in Scripture to make some hard thing digest and go down the better with the hearers whereof the speaker is not guilty or it is his expressing what is the humour generally in all men naturally as if he had said had even we who are elect and godly no more but carnal eyes we would think no more of Christ then other folk do for we should get no satisfaction to carnal reason The second thing whereby his low condition is set out is in these words He is despised and rejected of men c. Not only shall he want that which carnal hearts and eyes seek and look after but he shall be so very low that men shall set him at nought mock and reject him And what wonder then that he be not believed on A man of sorrows As for the tract of his life it shall be spent in sorrows And acquainted with grief He shall not be a man that shall be a stranger to crosses griefs and heaviness but he shall be familiarly acquainted with them and they with him And we hid as it were our faces from him A consequent of the former As men will not give their countenance to them whom they despise So saith he we shall think shame to see or look at him He shall be the object of mens contempt and scorn and we shall not so much as countenance him He shall be despised and set at nought by Herod and the Roman
and is that which Christ wanted This we say is one reason why Christ is so little thought of even because he cometh not with external pomp observation and grandour nor with great temporal gifts to his followers That which mainly is desirable to natural men is that which hath earthly beauty in it a very deceitful consideration and ground though such an one as men are often carried away with and therefore they despise and reject the Saviour 2. Which is another reason of the Doctrine and also clearly implyed that our Lord Jesus Christs Humiliation and coming so low for mans sake his very condescending and stooping for their good is the great ground of their stumbling at him and because of that he is the less thought of Even the very hight of his grace and that great streach thereof that the Son of God became thus low as to become Man a mean Man and a Man of sorrows is a greater ground of stumbling to men then if he had never become thus low Now these two being supposed and thus explained the Doctrine is clear to wit that Jesus Christ that became Man and performed the satisfaction due to the Justice of God for our sins is usually and ordinarily disesteemed and undervalued by them to whom he is offered in the Gospel 1. It was so under the Old Testament and is so likewise under the New What is almost all the Gospel spent on But to hold out Christ upon the one side to be a man of sorrows and upon the other side to shew that men esteemed him not How was he undervalued at his birth when his Mother was thrust out to a Stable and he laid in a Manger And no sooner doth he appear in the exercise of his publick Ministry but his friends offend at him and look on him as a distracted man Mark 3. His Countrey-men contemn him and were offended at him Mark 6. Is not this say they the Carpenter the Son of Mary the brother of James and Joses And how was he esteemed or rather disesteemed and undervalued at his death So that it is said Acts 3.14 They denyed the holy and just one and desired that a murtherer should be granted unto them They rejected the Prince of Life and choosed Barabbas And judging him not worthy to live they cry away with him Hence our Lord saith Matth. 11. Blessed is he that is not offended in me which insinuats that there were but very few to whom his Humiliation proved not a Stumbling-block 2. If we consult experience we will find this to be true how little is he thought of among Turks amongst whom his precious Name is blasphemed though they pretend more respect to him then meer Heathens do How little is he thought of among the Jews who call him a Deceiver And if we come nearer even to the Christian Church and to such as profess their Faith of his being the Eternal Son of God equal with the Father that he is Judge of quick and dead and that they look for Salvation through him yet if it be put to a tryal how few are they that will be found to esteem of him aright since there are but few that believe the report that is made of him but few that receive him as he is offered in the Gospel few that have but such respect to him as to prefer him to their Idols and that give him the first and chief seat in their hearts And if we consider how little eager pursuing there is after him that he may be enjoyed and how indifferent folks are whether they have or want him How many things men dote upon and prefer to Jesus Christ as the Lord complains Jer. 2.13 My people have committed two evils they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters and have digged to themselves cisterns even broken cisterns that can hold no water the thing will be clear beyond all debate We may take in another Branch of the Doctrine here when he saith We esteemed him not and it is this that even Believers are in so far as unrenewed inclined and not without culpable accession to this same sin of undervaluing of Jesus Christ It 's indeed true that the Apostle Peter saith in his 1 Epist Chap. 2. Vers 7. To you that believe he is precious Which place though it confirm the first part of the Doctrine that to them that believe not he is not precious but a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence albeit that Believers being compared with Unbelievers have some precious esteem of Jesus Christ yet if we consider the corrupt nature that in part cleaves to them and the degree of their estimation of him that it 's but very little and low in respect of what it should be and the many peevish fits too 's and fro's up's and down's that they are subject to with the many suspicions and jealousies they have of him so that though they were just now fresh and lively in the exercise of their Faith and of their estimation of Christ yet within a little even by and by they give way again to their jealousies the Doctrine will also hold true of them we esteemed him not We shall give the second Doctrine and then speak to the use of both jointly which is this That there is nothing more culpably accessory to the abounding of Unbelief then the poor thoughts and little estimation that Men have of Jesus Christ the undervaluing of him is the great ground and reason why they believe not on him and on the contrary if the Hearers of the Gospel had higher thoughts and a more precious esteem of Christ and valued him according to his unvaluable worth there would be more believing in him then there is When the Gospel comes to invite Men to the Wedding Matth. 22. when Christ is roosed and commended as to what he is what he hath purchased and what he freely offereth to Sinners it 's said that those who were bidden made light of it and went away one to his farm another to his merchandice c. when Christ was spoken of and the offer of Life through him they undervalued and despised it and made light of the offer and therefore turned their backs for they thought more of the House of the Oxen of the Farm and of the married Wife then they thought of him And Acts 17. when Paul is preaching Christ at Athens the Philosophers and Orators these learned Heads despise and disdain him as a setter forth of some strange and uncouth god If we compare this with its contrary it will be further clear to wit wherever there is estimation of Christ it proves a help to Faith and a ground of it so where-ever Christ is lightlied disesteemed and undervalued it breeds in Folk and is a ground to them of these three 1. It cools or rather keeps cool their love and affection to him where he is disesteemed and undervalued he cannot be loved and People in that case become
to procure this of him but he freely and willingly and with delight payed your debt when ye were in the hight of malicious opposition to him doing all that might scarr him from it And had it been possible that man's malice despising and despite could have scarred him he had never died for one sinner but he triumphed openly in his grace over that and all that stood in his way 3. We have here a confirmation of that truth that holds out mans malice and desperat wickedness And can there be any thing that evidenceth man's wickedness and malice more Then 1. To have enmity against Christ 2. To have it at such an hight as to despise him and count him smitten and plagued of God And 3. To be at the hight of malice even then when he out of love was condescending so low as to suffer and satisfie Justice for him ye may possibly think that it was not ye that had such malice at Christ But saith not the Prophet We esteemed him smitten of God Taking in himself and all the elect which might give us this Observation That there is nothing more desperatly wicked and filled with more enmity against Christ in his condescending love and against God in the manifestation of his grace then when even elect souls for whom he hath suffered despise him and count him smitten of God and afflicted It 's indeed very sad yet very profitable to walk under the deep apprehension and soul-pressour of heart-enmity against God and Christ Are there any of you that think ye have such sinful and wicked natures that dispose you to think little of Christ to despise and reject him and his grace Gods Elect have this enmity in their natures And if such natures be in the Elect what must be in the Reprobat who live and die in this enmity If this were seriously considered and laid to heart O but folk would be humble nothing would affect the soul more and stound to the very heart then to think that Christ suffered for me through grace an Elect and a Believer and that yet notwithstanding I should have so despised and rejected him and accounted him smitten of God and afflicted Let me exhort all of you to look back on your former walk and to lay this enmity to heart for the day is coming when it will be found to be a biting and conscience gnawing sin to many 4. In that he aggravates their enmity from this Observe this truth which is also here confirmed that there is nothing that gives sin a deeper Dye then that it is against grace and condescending love that is against Christ when suffering for us and offered to us O! that makes sin to be exceeding sinful and wonderfully abominable and thus it is aggreged Heb. 2. As greater then the contempt of Moses his Law And Heb 6. It 's accounted to be a crucifying the Son of God a-fresh and a putting him to an open shame And Heb. 10. it 's called a trodâ—ng him under foot an accounting the blood of the Covenant to be an unholy thing and a dâ—ing despite to the Spirit of Grace These two last Scriptures look mainly to the sin against the Holy Ghost yet so as there is somewhat of that which is said in them to be found in all unbelievers their despising of Christ It 's a sin some way hateful even to the Publicans and Sinners to hate them that love us to do ill to them that do good to us How much more sinful and hateful is it to despise and hate him who loved us so as to give himself for us and when he was giving himself for us There are many sins against the Law that will draw deep but this will draw deeper then they all even sinning against Grace and the Mediator interposing for sinners and manifesting love to them And the reckoning will run thus Christ was manifested to you in this Gospel as the only remedy of sin and set forth as crucified before your eyes and made offer of to you in the Gospel and yet ye despised him and esteemed him not And let me say it to Believers that it 's the greatest aggravation of their sin It is true in some respect that the sins of Believers are not so great as the sins of others they not being committed with such deliberation and full bensil of will nor from the dominion of sin yet in this respect they are greater then the sins of others because committed against special Grace and Love actually communicated and therefore when the Believer considers that he hath requit Christ thus it will affect him most of any thing if there be any suitable tenderness of frame 5. From considering that it is the Prophet that expresseth this aggravation we may Observe that the Believer that is most tender and hath best right to Jesus Christ and his satisfaction and may upon best ground apply it will be most sensible of his enmity and of the abominable guilt that is in despising and wronging of Jesus Christ Therefore the Prophet brings in himself as one of those that by Christs stripes were healed taking with his guilt we despised and rejected him we esteemed him not we judged him smitten of God The reason is because interest in Jesus Christ makes the heart tender and any wrong that 's done to him to affect the sooner and the more deeply the scurf that sometime was on the heart being in a measure taken away and interest in Christ awakeneth and raiseth an esteem of him and produceth a holy sympathy with him in all the concerns of his glory even as the members of the body have a fellow-feeling with the head Make a supposition that a man in his madness should smite and wound his head or wrong his Wife his Father or his Brother when that fit of madness is over he is more affected with that wrong then if it had been done to any other member of his body or to other persons not at all or not so nearly related to him There is something of this pointed at Zech. 12.10 They shall look unto him whom they have pierced and mourn for him as a man doth for his only Son As if he had said the stroaks they have given the head shall then be very heavy and grievous to be born and will be made to their feeling to bleed a-fresh They thought not much of these woundings and piercings of him before but so soon as their interest in him is clear or they come cordially to believe in him they are kindly affected with the wrongs done to him The Use is That it 's a mark to try if there be indeed an interest in Christ and if it be clear The man whose interest is clearest 1. His wrongs done to Christ will prick him most if the wrongs be done by others they affect him if by himself they some way faint him Wholeness of heart under wronging of Christ is too great an evidence that there is
on this Satisfaction even such a way as procures Justificatâ—on and Healing to them And for your confirmation consider in general if it be possible that this Covenant of Redemption the Sufferings of the Mediator and the Promises made to Believing can be for nought did the Father pursue the Cautioner so hotly for nothing or did the Cautioner pay such a Ransom for nothing no certainly if it had not been to communicate Pardon and Peace with Healing by his Wounds anâ— Stripes to them who were lyâ—â—le to Condemnation and under the dominion of Sin neither of these would have been And therâ—fore for grounds of your Faith more particularly see here 1. A full Satisfaction God hath made way to Sinners Peace with himself by satisfying himself fully in Christ the Mediator for the sins of elect Believers so that a sinner that in the sense of sin betakes himself to him needs not to fear any back-accompts because what ever might make for our Peace was fully said on him so that we may with holy and humble boldness say that we are not come to the mount that might not be touched nor to blackness and darkness tempest and the sound of a trumpet but we are come unto mount Sion the city of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling Our invitation therefore to you is not to bid you come and compt for your own Debt your selves but to come and accept of Christs payment of it and of his Satisfaction whereby Justice is compleatly satisfied 2. See here as another ground of Faith the Justice of God not with respect to us but to the Bargain betwixt the Father and the Son who are the principal Parties and we to speak so but Parties accidentally in this Covenant the Covenant being primarly and mainly betwixt God and the Mediator the Justice of it appears in this that it hath respect to a Covenant which is fulfilled on all sides and therefore the Elects believing and taking hold of the Mediators Satisfaction cannot but be accepted as if he had payed the the Debt himself the Father to speak so had the carving of the Bargain and what satisfaction his Justice was to receive to his own mind and as it was Justice on the Sons side to satisfie according to his undertaking so it 's Justice on the Fathers side to pardon and be at peace with the Sinner that by Faith flies unto Jesus Christ 3. See in this Bargain not only Justice but Mercy as its just so it s a graciously free Bargain which is wonderful and may seem somewhat strange if not paradoxal yet it s nothing inconsistent with the way of Grace it 's just that the Cautioner should pay the Debt and yet that Debt is most freely and frankly pardoned as to us it 's Justice in the height as to the Mediator but free Grace as to us in the height we come to it freely and without price though it cost him dear And that is one of the Mediators Undertakings that it should be free to his Seed Joh. 6.40 This is the will of him that sent me that he who seeth the Son and believeth on him should have eternal life 4. Consider the reality and sureness of the Bargain it is such as it cannot fail having such Pillars to lean on the Faithfulness of God engaged on just and equal terms and the glory of God as the end and having a most necessary and câ—rtain effect to wit Healing to all to whom this soveraign Medicine is applyed This stability and sureness of the Covenant flows from Gods engaging to the Mediator and the Mediators engaging to God from the Mediators satisfying and the Fathers accepting of his Satisfaction which being confirmed by the Blood of the Testator it becomes a Testament which cannot be annulled nor altered or changed And if all this be so let me put the question is there not good ground here to exhort the Hearers of the Gospel to believe in Christ and on Believing to look for Life through him and a most solid ground laid down whereupon to build the hopes of Eternal Life and therefore seing this is the up-shot of all that Life is to be gotten freely by Faith in Jesus Christ improve this way of Salvation for making your Peace under no less certification than this even as ye would eshew reckoning with Divine Justice in your own Persons for the least Farthing of your Debt If it be objected here by any 1. We are at enmity with God and cannot satisfie I answer This Text tells you that satisfaction is not sought from you but from the Mediator who hath already given it and the Father hath accepted it for all such as shall by Faith plead the benefit of it 2. If ye shall say we know not how to win at God we are such as cannot step on foot forward and so very sinful and miserable that we know no such Transgressors and Wretches I answer Was it not for such that the Mediator transacted even for such as we Transgressors Rebels Despisers of him and such as judged him to be smitten and plagued of God If he had been Caution only for righteous Folks there had been some reason for such an objection but it is for Sinners for most hainous Sinners Nay this way of reasoning and pleading says on the matter that Christ needed not have laid down his life 3. If it be said We are so sinful and backsliding so filthy and polluâ—ed that we think we are not within the reach of healing I answer This reasoning would if it held turn in effect to this that ye are not within the reach of Gods Grace and for Christs Satisfaction which is not only injurious but even blasphemous to the Grace of God and to the Satisfaction of the Mediator if your sin be ugly and horrible he suffered horrible Wraâ—h he was wounded bruised chastised c. 4. If it be said further We can do nothing for our selves we cannot come to Christ we know not what it is to Bâ—lieve or if we win to do any thing alace all our Goodness is as the morning Cloud and early Dew that soon passeth away I answer The Covenant is not transacted betwixt God and you but betwixt God and the Mediator and the ground of your Peace as to the procuring cause depends on the Mediators performing his part of the Covenant in your name And further as for your Believing it is a piece of the Fathers engagement to the Mediator and must certainly be made as effectual as the Father must keep his word to the Son according to these Promises of the Covenant I will put my law in their hearts and write it in their minds they shall all know me and they shall be all taught of God And thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power and the like All these Promises were in the Covenant betwixt the Father
straits out of which ye will not be able to extricate your selves and he shall appear like everlasting burning when the great day of his wrath comes and when it shall be said by you who can stand before it or abide it It were good that ye who are most atheistical and who with a sort of triumph and gallantry will needs destroy your selves would lay this to heart and remember that the day comes when ye will be brought to this Bar and gravely consider what a Hell that will be to have the desperateness of the outgate sealed up in your Consciences and these evidences of Gods hatred and these aggravations that our Lords holy nature could not admit of in your bosome when Wrath meets with Corruption and Corruption with Wrath and when these mingle how dreadful will your case be 3ly Let Believers see here what ye are obliged to Christ Consider what he hath payed and what the satisfaction of Justice for you cost him Folks are ready to think that it was an easie thing to satisfie Justice and to drink of the brook by the way but if Sinners were sensible of challanges for sin and if they had the Arrows of the Almighty drinking up their spirits they would think otherwise of Christs drinking out the cup of Wrath for them not leaving so much as one drop of it It 's but the shorings or threatnings with some drops of it that any of you meet with in your sharpest Soul-exercises O! believing Sinners are ye not then eternally obliged to Christ who drunk out this wrathful-cup for you 4ly There is notable consolation here to poor Souls that would fain make use of Christ As 1. That Christ hath stepped thorow this deep Foord or rather Sea before them and if the Cup come in their hand it 's empty Freedom from the Wrath of God is a great consolation and yet it 's the consolation of all them that are fled unto him for refuge 2. It 's comfortable to them in their comparatively petty straits and difficulties when they wot not what to do when the Law seizeth and Justice pursueth and when the Conscience challengeth to consider that Christ was a prisoner before them though he had no challenge for his own debt yet he was challenged for ours that he might be a compassionate high Priest being made like to us but without sin Justice pursued him the Law arrested him wrath seized on him so that when we are set upon by these he will be tender of us for he knows our frame and that we cannot bear much and therefore on this ground a believing sinner may go with boldness to the Throne of Grace because Christ the Cautioner who hath payed his Debt is there it 's a shame for believing sinners to walk so heartlesly even under these things that are terrible as if Christ had not gone thorow them before them and for them 3. There is consolation here when they are under any pinshing cross and difficulty as there is also ground for patient and pleasant bearing of it because it was another sort of prison that Christ was put in for them ye may I grant lament over the long want of sensible presence it being kindly to the Believer to miss it and to long for it but ye should not be heartless under the want of it nor complain as the Lords people do lament Is there any sorrow like unto my sorrow but submissively and contentedly bear it without fretting seing our Lord bare so much for you 5ly There is here a notable encouragement to believe and a notable ground for the Believer to expect freedom from sin and from the pinshing straits that it deserveth because Christ payed dear for it wherefore was all this pinshing but to pay Believers Debt But when we come to speak of his outgate it will clear this more 2. While it 's said That he was brought from judgment which supposes and implyes that he was once at or under judgment even the judgment of God who is his great party all along He laid on him the iniquity of us all and vers 10. It pleased the Lord to bruise him He was the Creditor that caused take and arrest him Observe That in all the Soul-vexation in all the pinshing pressure of spirit that our Lord sustained he was standing judicially before the bar of God and was judicially proceeded against as the Elects Cautioner and Surety there was no access to bring Christ to â—udgment had he not engaged to be Surety and had not God laid on him our iniquities for it was for no Debt that he was owing himself but for what by his engagement as the Elects Surety he came under and was made lyable to That which I mean by his being brought to Judgment is not only that he suffered was occasionally condemned by a Court of men or by a humane Judicatory which was rather like a tumultuary Meeting or a company of men in an uproar than indeed a Court but whatever was before men there was a legal and judicial procedure before God For clearing whereof ye would consider 1. The account whereon he suffered and was brought before Gods Court of Judgment to speak so It was not for any thing that the Scribes or Pharisees or Pilate had to lay to his charge it was envy in them the former at least that stirred them in what they did but the next words tell us what it was for the transgression of my people was he striken The Priests and People had no mind of this but this was indeed the ground of his judicial Challenge and Arraignment before God the Elect were in their sins and he by the Covenant of Redemption stood lyable for their Debt because in it he had undertaken for them as their Cautioner and Surety 2. Consider who was his great party in his Sufferings it was not Pilate and the Jews he cared not so much for them but it is God and therefore he crys My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and therefore he makes his address to God Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me he cared not for answering them but looks to a higher hand and upon himself as standing before another Tribunal therefore it 's said v. 10. yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him he looked not to Pilate but to the Lord pursuing him 3. Coâ—sider our Lords submission to his being brought to Judgment not only nor chiefly before men but before God therefore says he John 12.48 Father save me from this hour but for this cause came I to this hour come thâ—n Fâ—ther and let us compt he looks not only to the present dispensation but also to the ground whence it came and to the end that God had in it for this cause came I unto this hour even to have my soul troubled and to be put to answer for the D bt of my elect People according to my Engagement Lo I come saith he in that
and preferring a Robber to him But in all this they were fu fi ling what God had before determined to be done which we say is mâ—tter of great consolation both as to our own particular case as to God's general guiding of the World and especially of his Church therein There is nothing wherein the malice of men seems to be most prevalent but our Lord is still gaining his point upon and by them They are all the while executing God's determination though to their own ruine 2. See here an exact correspondency betwixt all the circumstances of our Lord's sufferings and God's determination and a concurrence of all of them for the promoving of it in the History of the Gospel A bone of him is not broken when the bones of the two Thieves crucified with him are broken a Spear is run at him and his side is pierced when they are not pierced And all this because it was prophesied of him that A bone of him shall not be broken and they shall look upon him whom they have pierced and when it comes to his burial Pilate wots not what he is doing when yet he is fulfilling the Lords design in giving his body to a rich man Joseph of Arimathea when he asked it from him to be buried by him whereby the Prophesie of the Text is fulfilled The wickedness of some the contingent actions of others and the ignorance of many concurr all together to make out the same holy and unalterable design and purpose of God And therefore 3dly Let us stay our faith here that our Lord is yet still working in all these confusions and when matters return'd up-side down to humane appearance our blessed Lord is not non-plussed and at a stand when we are he knows well what he is doing and will make all things most certainly infallibly and infrustrably to work for his own glory and for the good of his people From its being said that He gave his grave with the wicked as holding forth Christ's willingness to be buried as he saith of his death John 10.17 No man taketh away my life from me but I lay it down and take it up again Observe That in the whole performance of the work of Redemption even in the lowest and most shameful steps of it our Lord was a most willing condescender He gave his grave with the wicked He was a most free and willing undertaker when as it were the Question was put Who will satisfie for Elect sinners He comes in and sayes as we hâ—ve it Psal 40. Lo I come in the volume of thy book it is written of me I delight to do thy will O my God I am here Father as if he had said I offer my self and accept of the terms heartsomly and delightsomly I rejoyced saith he Prov. 8.28 in the habitable parts of the earth before the foundation of the world was laid my delight was with the sons of men So it may be made evident that in all the parts of his sufferings and in every step thereof he did most exactly and also most willingly perform whatever was carved out to him He preached and wrought miracles and did all with delight as himself sayes John 4.32 It is my meat and my drink to do my Fathers will and to finish his work It refreshed him when his body was hungry and faint to be carrying on the work of Redemption in speaking to a poor straying sinner If we yet look a little forward we will find that he so longed for the saddest part of this exercise that he is pained till it be accomplished Luke 12.50 I have a bâ—ptism to be baptized with and how am I straitned till it be accomplished His heart longed so much to be at it that he would approve nor admit of nothing that might stand in the way of it therefore he rejected Peters advice with holy detestation with a Get thee behind me Satan He knew well what was in Judas mind and yet would not divert him but bid him do what he was about quickly He went to the Garden where he was known to resort and gave his enemies opportunity to rake him and would not suffer his Disciples to draw a Sword to oppose them When he was before Pilate he would not open his mouth When he was buffetted he gave his back to the smiters and his cheeks to him that plucked off the hair and hid not his face from shame and spitting Because he knew what was aimed at in all this and accordingly saith Matth. 20.20 The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransome for many When His Holy Humane Nature scarred at the Cup and when he was thereby put to pray Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me he sweetly subioyns but for this cause came I unto this hour And the nearer it came to his death he vented his desire after it the more With desire have I desired saith he or with special desire have I desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer Even when he was to eat the last Passover and to take his last good night and to be in readiness for what was coming What could have been the mean or motive to bring it about if he had not been willing It was this willingness that Jehovah was pleased with and that made his Sacrifice to smell sweetly to his Father who loveth a cheerful giver and it had never been satisfactory if it had not been willing but extorted and therefore saith he Joh. 10. No man taketh my life from me but I lay it down And I delight to do thy will Psal 40. Use 1. See here a great evidence of the love of God and of the Mediator Behold what manner of love this is that when it was not required he should offer and freely give himself to death and to the grave this is the love of a friend and beyond it that he should have so loved his Church as to give himself for her to death and to the grave Well may he say as he doth John 15.15 Greater love hath no man then this c. 2dly It shews what great ground of consolation and encouragement a sinner hath that would fain be at Christ to believe on him and to expect Life and Salvation through him Our Lord was most willing to lay down his life and to come to the grave for that end and is it possible that he will refuse a sinner that comes unto him and that would fain share in the benefite of his sufferings which was his great end in suffering This one thing to wit the willingness that he had to suffâ—r and the delight that he had in suffering to purchase Redemption to sinners may be as a strong cordial to strengthen the heart of a swoâ—â—ing Sinner and a great motive and encouragement to come forward to him Thou wilt it may be say I wot not if Christ loves me O!
rich man nor to the wise man c. God hath not choâ—en many of these as is clear 1 Cor. 1.26 buâ— say to the righteous or holy man it shall be weâ—l with him and is herâ— any thing that should have so much influence on men and take them so much up as how to be well in the close Folk may have a fighting life of it here and may suffer much and be under reproach for a time as Christ was but if thou be holy ere thy Body be laid in the Grave it shall be well with thy Soul And as for all who have chosen the way of Holiness we are allowed to say this to you that it shall be well with you at death and after death at Judgment and even for evermore To them saith the Apostle Rom. 2.9 who by patient continuance in well-doingr seek for glory and honour and immortality eternal life O how many great and good things are abiding all the honest-hearted Students of Holiness Eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor heart conceived what they are 3ly It 's ground of expostulation with them that neglect and slight Holiness As it will be well with the Righteous or Holy so they shall have a miserable and desperate lot of it who either despise or neglect Holiness Wo to the wicked saith Isaiah 3 1â— it shall be ill with him Some of you may think that ye are rich and honourable are well cloathed fit in fine Houses and have richly covered Tables when poor Bodies are keeped at the door and are destitute of these things and are ready to bless your selves as being well though ye care not for nor seek after Holiness but wo unto you for ye must die and go to the bottomleâ—s Pit and there ye will not get so much as a drop of water to cool your Tongues in these tormenting Flames neither your Riches nor Honours nor Pleasures will hold off the heat and fury of the vengeance of God nor in the â—eâ—st ease you in your exâ—ream pain but as it is Rom. 2.9 Indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish four sore words wiâ—l be upon every soul of man that doeth evil O dâ— ye believe this â—'s the truth of God and a very plain truth and we are perswaded none of you will dare downright to deny it Holiness will have a sweet and comfortable close and the neglect of it will have fearful effâ—cts following on it what is the reason then that Holiness is so little thought of aâ—d followed do ye believe that ye will die and think ye ever to come to Judgment or to hear that word Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you for I was hungry and ye fed me naked and ye cloathed me c. O what will become of many of you when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels iâ—flaming fire to render vengeance to all them who know not God and who obey not the Gospel and will say to you Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels for when I was hungry ye fed me not c. this is I grant a general truth yet if it be not received we know not what truth will be received and if it were received the practice of Holiness would be more studied there would be less Sin and more Prayer Reading Meditation more seeking after Knowledge and more watchfulness and tenderness in Folks Conversation always in this the Lord shews the connexion that is betwixt Holiness and Hâ—ppiness and hâ—re ye have the copy and pattern of an examplary walk 3ly From this that the holiâ—ess and blamâ—nleâ—eâ—s of Christ here spoken of is marked in him as peculiar to him for it fits him to be a High Priâ—st and proves that only he could be the Priest that â—uited and became us anâ— that no other could do our turn as the Apostle râ—asons Heb 7 26 27 28. For the law maketh men priests that have infirmity but the word of â—he oath which was since the law maketh the son who is consecrated for evermore From this I say Obseâ—ve That all men even the most holy except Christ who was both God and Man a e sinful and not one of them sinless while living here on earth and the reâ—son is becâ—uâ—e 〈◊〉 any were sinless then this that is said here would not be peculiar to our Lord Jesus Christ that He diâ— no violence neither was there deceit â—n his mouth This being a singular character of our High Priâ—st that none of his Types could clâ—â—m to it exclusively agreeth to him so as it agreeth to none other The Scripture is full to this purpose in asserting that not only all mâ—n are sinnâ—rs as considered in theiâ— naturâ—l condition but that even Bâ—lieveâ— are sinful in part for the same Apostle John that saiâ—h 1 Epist 1.3 Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ saith also vers 8. If we say we have no siâ— we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us and vers 10. If we say that we have not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in us and 1 Kings 8.46 and Eccles 7.20 There is no man that doth good and sinneth not plainly insinuating that all have need of an Intercessouâ— We shall not insist in this only from these words compared with the scope making it peculiar to Christ to be without sin and implying that none other are so we would consider the necessity of its being so 1. For differencing and separating of Jesus Christ from all others by putting this dâ—gnity on him of being holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners this is his prerogative and badge of honour above others 2. It 's necessary for this end to demonstrate the need that there is of his offering himself a Sacrifice for sinners and that it was not for himself but for sinners that he offered up himself and that there is a continual necessity of making use of that Sacrifice for if there were not a continuance of sin in part while Believers are out of Heaven there would be no need of this part of Christs office if we were holy and harmless our selves we needed not such an High Priest Use 1. To establish us in the faith of this Truth That among all men there is none that were true men except Christ that is without sin sin is still abiding in them while in this world of none of them all it can be said that they have done no violence neither is there any deceit in their mouth none of them could ever say since Adam fell the prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me yea this is a special qualification of Christ Jesus for his Priest-hood that he was without sin and behoved to be so I am not pleading that sinners should take a liberty to sin because there is no perfection to be win at in this life God
two Natures in one Person remains still He was God and Man still though as was hinted before there was a Suspension of such a Measure at least of the sensibly Comforting Influence of the Divine Nature from the Humane as had wont to be let out thereto And yet there was even then a sustaining Power flowing from the God-head that Supported Him so that He was not swallowed up of that which would have quite and for ever swallowed up all Creatures as is evident in this crying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Which shewes that though the Union and Relation stood firm yet a comfortable Influence was much restrained 2. There was no sinfull Fretting no Impatiencie nor carnal Anxiety in our Lord all along His Sufferings for He did most willingly undergo them and hâ—d a kindly submission in them all As is evident by these Words But for this cause came I into this hour And not my will but thy will be done 3. There was not in H m any distrust of Gods Love nor any unbelief of His Approbation before God neither any the least Dâ—ffidence as to the Out-gate For in the Sadest and Sharpest of all His Conflicts He was clear about His Fathers Love to Him that the Relation stood firm and that there would be a Comfortable Out-gate as His Prayer before shews wherein He styles God Father And these hardest like Words uttered by Him on the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me do also shew wherein twice over He confidently asâ—â—rts His Interest My God my God Though He was most terribly Assaulted yet the Tentation did not prevaill over Him 4. Neither are we to conceive that there was any inward Confusion Challenge or Gnawing of Conscience in Him such as is in Desperat Sinners cast under the Wrath of God Because there was no inward cause of it nor any thing that could breed it yea even in that wherein He was Cautioner He was clear that He was doing the Fathers will and finishing the Work that was committed to Him and that even under the greatest Apprehensions of Wrath Therefore all such things are to be guarded against in our Thoughts least otherwayes we reflect upon our Innocent and Spotless Mediator But 2. To speak a Word to that wherein it doth consist 1. It did consist as we hinted before in the God-head's Suspending it's Comfortable Influence for a time from the Humane Nature Though our Lord had no Culpable Anxiety yet He had a Sinlesse Fear considering Him as Man and that the infinit God was Angry and Executing Angryly the Sentence of the Law against Him Though He was not angry at Him considered as in Himself but as He stood in the room of the Elect as their Cautioner of whom He was to exact the Payment of their Debt and could not but be in a wonderfull amazment as the Word is Mark 14.33 He was sore amazed And Heb. 5.7 It 's said when he had offeâ—ed up prayers and supplications with strong cryes and tears unto him that was able to save him from death he was heard in that which he feared Which looks to His wrestling in the Garden 2. He had an inexpressible sense of grief not only from the petty outward Afflictions that He was under which may be called petty comparatively though they were very great in themselves but also from the Torrent of Wrath flowing in on His Soul That Cup behoved to have a most bitter Relish and an inconceivable Anguish with it when He was a drinking of it as appeared in His Agony O! â—s He was Pained and Pinched in His Soul The Soul being especially sensible of the Wrath of Goâ— 3 It consisted in a sort of wonderfull Horrour which no question the marching up to say so of so many mighty Squadrons of the highly provoked Wrath of God and making so Furious and Formidable an Assault on the Innocent Humane Nature of Christ that considered simply in it's self was a finit Creature behoved necessarily to be attended with Hence He prayes Father if it be possible let this cup depart from me Intimating that there was a Sinless Loathness and a holy Abhorrence to middle with it and to adventure upon it Though we have not Hearts rightly to conceive nor Tongues suitable to express those most exquisite Sufferings yet these things shew that our Lord Jesus was exceedingly put to it in His Holy Humane Soul The 2 Use Serves to stir us up to wonder at the Love of God the Father that gave His own Son and exacted the Elect's Debt of Him and made the Sword of His Justice to awake against Him And to wonder at the Love of the Son that ingadged to be surety for them And humbled Himself so Low to lift them up It was wonderfull that He should stoup to become Mâ—n and to be a poor Man and to die but more that He should come this length as to be in an Agony of Soul and to be so tossed with a Tempest of Terrible Wrath though He was not capable of Tossing as meer Creatures are This being well considered would highten exceedingly the praise of Grace in the Church and very much warm the Hearts of Sinners to Him And for pressing this Use a little and for provocking to Holy Wondering at this Love consider these Four 1. Who it was that suffered tâ—us Even He that was without guile He that was Gods delight His Fatheâ—s Fellow the express image of his person He thâ—t made all things and who will one Day be Judge of all Iâ—'s even He that thus Suffered 2. Whâ—t He Suffered even the Wrath of God and the Wrath of God in such a Degree and Measure as was equivalent to all that the Elect should have Suffered Eternally in Hâ—ll which presseth forth from Him these expressions which we hinted at before 3. For whom all this was which makes it appear to be yet more wonderfull It was for a number of lost straying sheep That were turned every one to his own way as it is verse 6. For Dyvours and debauched Bankerupts that were Enemies to and in Tops with Him Some of them Spitting in His Face some of them upon the Consultation of taking away His Life as may be gatherâ—d from Acts 2. Yea take the best of them for whom He suffered even those whom He took to the Garden with Him to be Witnesses of His Agony and we will find them sleeping when He is in the hight of it and is thereby cast into a Top Sweat of Blood and out of Case to Watch and bear Burden with Hâ—m but for an hour It had been much for Him to have Suffered for Righteous Persons but as it is Rom. 5. God commends his love to us in this that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us 5. The manner how He Suffered to wit most Willingly and Patiently though He easily could hâ—ve commanded more then twelve legions of Angels to rescue Him yet He would not but
Kindly Warmness in the Heart to Him again even till the Soul be put in a Holy Low or Flame of Love to Him more of this Love would make Christ and the Gospel much more Sweet and would make every one of these words that expresseth His Love in His Sufferings to be like Marrow and Fatness and would also make the Promises to be like Breasts full of Consolation It would withall cause that there would not be such mistakes of Christ nor such gaddings and whorings from Him and such preferrings of Idols to Him as alace there are Where this Love is not there can be no other thing that will be acceptable We shall say no more for the time but only this That we do appeal to your Consciences if there be not here an excellent and non-such Object of Love and if there be not here much reason to be in Love with that Object A very Heathen will return Love for Love and should not we much more do so in this case God Himself kindle this Love in us and make us know more the great advantages of it SERMON XLV ISAIAH LIII XI Verse 11. He shall see of the travell of his soul and shall be satisfied by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities THe Work of Redemption is a business that was very gravely and very seriously contrived and prosecuted in respect of God and of the Mediator there was much earnestness in it as to them and yet notwithstanding which is a wonder Men whom it concerns so much whose Salvation depends on it and to whom the benefit of it redounds are but very little serious in their thoughts of it Our Lord Jesus was in Travel Soul-travel sore Soul-travel to bring about this Work and that the Gospel might be Preached to Sinners that they might have thereby a ground to their Faith to expect Life and Remission of Sins through Him Is it not then sad that we should speak and hear of it and be in a manner like the stone in the wall no more or little more affected with it than if it were a matter that did not at all concern us The Reading and Hearing of these Words will doubtless be a great Conviction to secure Sinners that our Lord Jesus was at such pains and put to such sore Soul-travel and Suffering and that yet such Sinners were never stirred nor made serious to have the Application of this Purchased Redemption made to them The Scope of these Words is to shew the great inward Soul-travels Conflicts and Straits that our blessed Lord Jesus had and was put to in throughing of the Work of Redemption and in paying the Price due to the Justice of God for the Sins of the Elect It 's a wonder that ever we should have it to speak of and that ye should hear of this Subject which is the very Text to say so and Sum of the Gospel And therefore before we leave it we shall speak a little more to the Use of it and truly if we make not use of this Doctrine we will make use of none though I confess it is a great practique how to draw it to Use and to conform ourselves in our practice to the Use of it We proposed somethings the last day which we could not then prosecute As 1. something for Exhortation 2. Something for Reproof and Expostulation which rising clearly from the Doctrine drawn from the Words we may now insist a little in them 1. For Exhortation Considering Christs Sufferings and the extremity of them and that they were undergone for Sinners we would exhort you to love Him as ye ought There is ground and warrand here to require it of you seing that Love in His bosome came to such an hight that He was content to lay down His Life yea seing He was in such a hot flame of Love that the Cup of Wrath did not quench it but His Love drank and dryed it up Greater love then this hath no man It is a most wonderfull Love considered with all the circumstances whereby it is hightened And there is ground here to excite and stir you up to give Him a kindly meeting and to welcome His Love with Love It will sure be a great shame if our Lords Love stood at nothing so that He might do the Fathers will and finish the Work committed to Him which was the perfyting of the Work of Sinners Redemption the Redeeming of His lost Sheep It every triffle or any triffle shall quench Love in our hearts to Him O! What a shame will it be in the Day of Judgement to many when this Man shall be brought forth loving this Idol and another Man loving that Idol more then Christ this Man loving his Lust that Man his Ease and another Man hâ—s Wealth or Honour and preferring them to Christ and when it shall be found that they would not quit nor part with their right Eye nor their right Hand which are not worth the name of Members being called so because they are Members of the Body of Death out of Love to Him Think Folks what they will that native impression of the obligation that lyes upon them to love Christ is wanting and that Divine and Soul-ravishing Influence that His Love should have on hearts It is true ye all think that ye love Him unless it be some of them who indeed love Him but if ye could reflect upon your selvâ—s ye would find that ye have little or no love at all to Him indeed And therefore for undeceiving of you beside what we said the last day take two or three Characters of kindly love to Christ 1. This Love is never satisfied with any degree or measure that it hath attained so as to sit down on it It hath these two things in it A desire to be further on in Love and a weightedness that it cannot win at growth in Him The loving Soul is disposed to think that it's Love to Christ is not worthy to be called Love and it breaths after it even to have it self warmed therewith to Him and to be brought to a further nearness to Him as we may see through the Song of Solomon And particularly Chap. 7. at the close There will I give thee my loves And Chap. 8. O that thou wert as my brother that sucked the breasts of my mother Kindly Love to Him puts the Soul to long for an opportunity to vent it's Love towards Him 2. Where this Love is the Soul will be as serious in praying for it that it may attain it as if it wanted it and it will be as much affected for the want of the lively exercise of it and will be as much challenged for coming short in it as it will be for any other Sin There is no benefit that it seeks more after then to have the heart circumcised to love Him and O! but it will be accounted a great benefit to get love to Christ And
with that which they had bought He sayes to them I have meat to eat that ye know not of And when they begin to wonder what that could be He sayes further to them It is my meat to do my Fathers will and to finish his work And what was that a poor whotish Woman is spoken to by Him and brought by His speaking to acknowledge Him to be the Messiah and to accept of Him as such And by that blessed Work His Hunger and Thirst were Satisfied So Luke 22.15 He saith to His Disciples with desire have I desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer And Luke 12.50 I have a baptisme to be baptized with and how am I straitned till it be accomplished Though he drinking of that Cup was terrible to Him and though mockings and reproaches were not pleasant in themselves yet the love that He had to Sinners good mastered all the bitterness that was in these and made them sweet 3. There is nothing that He more complains of nothing angers and grieves Him more then when He is not made use of Ye will not saith He John 5. come to me that ye may have life To shew that the best interâ—ainment that they could give Him was to come and get Life from Him And it 's told us that He was angry and grieved for the peoples unbelief and hardness of heart Yea He weeps over them because of this Luke 19. All which prove the great delight that He had and hath still in Sinners getting good of Him And frequently in the Song as Chap. 2 and 6. He is said to feed among the lillies There is all His intertainment that He gets in the World He feasts only on the Fruits of His own Spirit in them that welcome Him I shall name but one place more and that is Psal 147.10.11 He delights not in the strength of a horse nor in the legs of a man but in them that fear him The following Words clear it more what it is that delights Him In them that hope in his mercy that is in them that draw into Him by believing He delights in these Beyond all the World Use 1. It were a desirable thing to be believing this Are there any so prophane but are ready to think that if they knew what would please God or Christ they would do it The Question is here answered that this is pleasing and only pleasing to Him If this be wanting there is nothing that will please Him even that ye make use of Christs Sufferings and imploy Him in His Offices for getting the good that may be had by them This is it that ye are câ—lled to and which delighteth Him and if this be not though ye would give Him thousands of rams and ten thousands of rivers of oyl yea the first born of your body for the sin of your souls it will not satisfy Him nor be accepted because this alone is the Satisfaction that He will have for His Soul-travel I shall a liâ—tle explain this and then prosecute the Use of it Ye will ask then What is the Fruit of Christ's Soul-travel that satisfies Him I answer That we take in under it not only 1. That ye should aim to be at Heaven neiâ—her 2. â—his That ye be serious in the Duties of Holiness as if these were Well-pleasing to God without respect to Christ's Sufferings but it is the Use-making and improving of Christ's Sufferings for attaining of these When Folk by this midse by this New and Living Way step forward to Heaven and seek to be Seriâ—us in the study of Holiness when they that could not walk in the way of Holinesse do now walk in it leaning on their beloved and study to live by Faith in Him Tâ—is is it mainly wherein His Delight and Satisfaction doth lye even when a poor Sinner is brought to make Use of Him for Peace and Reconciliation with God for through bearing in all called for Duties for his Consolation and for his Admission to Heaven in the close And therefore they do not only fail here who are Prophane living securely never minding Heaven their Peace with God nor the study of Holiness Neither only these who cast the Law and its Reproofs behind their backs thâ—se are loathsome to God and to Jesus Christ but by this These are also reproved that do not improve the Sufferings of Christ for Peace and Reconciliation with God for Righteousnesse and for Strength for Comfort and encouragement and who hope not in Hâ—â— Mercy The Reason is because though it were possible they could make progresse in Hâ—liness and attain to Comfort and Peace â—hat â—ay yet it would not be thus The Fruit of the Travâ—l of Christs Soul He being paâ—â— by and â—o could not be Satisfaction to Him Buâ— where a poor Sinner sees that he caâ—noâ— câ—me to God of himself cannot make his Peace nor can He walk in the way of Holiness so as to please God and so flies to Christ for refuge and make use of His Purchase there lyeth Christs delight to see such a Sinner come and hide himself under the shâ—ddow of His Sufferings and in this respect the more hardly a Sinner is put at it is the more satisfaction to Him that He in His Death and Sufferings be made use of because this way the Sinners Life is more intirely the benefit of His Sufferings and that such a Person hath any Strength Comfort or Peace and is admitted to Heaven It is allenarly through the Travel of His Soul which is His great Satisfaction And therefore we would 2dly commend to you That as you would do Christ a favour to speak so with reverence And O! what a motive is this for vile Sinners the dust of His Feet to be put in a capacity to do Him a pleasure Endeavour this especially that as to you Christ may see the Fruit of the Travel of His Soul and be satisfied and that all His kindness offered to you may not be Fruitlesse This is the great hing of the Gospel as to that which is pressed upon you and this is the wonderfull motive that is given to presse it That it 's delightsome to Christ and therefore ye should believe on Him It were incouragement enough that it's profitable to your selves But if ye had hearts of stone this should move you to it That Our Lord Jesus seeks no more Satisfaction from you for all His Soul-travel but that ye make use of His Sufferings that ye do not receive this Offer of His Grace in vain nor be Fruitless under it In a word we have here laid before us and think upon it the most Wonderfull Inconceivable and Inexpressible Sute and Request of Him who is the Creator to us poor sinfull creatures and what is it I have been sayes He on the matter in sore Travel and Pain for you now I pray you let it not be for nought let me see the Fruit of it And to speak it with reverence of
the Majesty of God It would say this to you let not Our Lord Jesus rue of His Sufferings for as many as hear of this Offer and do not credit Him with their Souls they do what they can to make Him repent that ever He became Man and Suffered so much when He is thus shifted and unkindly requited by them to whom He makes the Offer and this is very home and urgent pressing of the necessity of making use of Him when such an Argument is made use of for thus it stands with you and His Offer speaks this Either make use of Christ and of His Soul-travel for saving of your Souls that so He may be satisfied or if ye slight Him ye not only destroy and cause to perish your own Souls but ye refuse to Satisfie Chirst for His Soul-travel and do what in you lyes to marr and defeat the End and Designe of His Sufferings and is not this a great and strongly pushing dilemma The result of your receiving or rejecting of Christ will be this if ye receive Him ye satisfie Him if ye reject Him ye say ye are not content that He should be satisfied and what can be expected to come of it when Christ Suffered so much and when all that was craved of you was to make use of Him and when it was told that that would satisfie Him and yet that was refused What a horrible challenge will this be in the Great Day And therefore to presse this Use a little we shall shew you here 1. What it is that we exhort you to And 2. What is the force of this Motive 1. We would commend to you in general that ye would endeavour the Salvation of your own Souls This is it He cryes to you Prov. 1.22 How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and ye scorners delight in scorning turn ye at my reproof c. He aims at this that ye should get your Souls saved from Wrath and this should not be prejudicial nor at the long run unsatisfying to your selves and it will be very satisfying to Him 2. It is not only to aim at Salvation simply but to aim at it by Him to aim at Pardon of Sin and Justification through His Righteousnesse and Satisfaction And that ye would bring no other Argument before God to plead upon for your Peace with Him but this and that ye would aim at Holinesse as a Fruit of His Death He having purchased a peculiar people to himself to be zealous of good works As it is Tit. 2.14 And that ye would aim to do holy Duties by His strengthning of you and that ye would live by Faith in Him which is your victory over the world and the very Soul of the practice of all holy Duties And 3. That ye aim to have a Comfortable Refreshfull and Chearfull Life in Him and by what is in Him as if it were your own it being legally yours by Faith in Him To be stoping your own mouth as having nothing in your selves to boast of and as I just now said to be chearing and delighting your selves from that which is in Him And as it is Psal 147. Even to be hoping in his mercy In a word It is to be studying peace with God through Him to be studying Holiness in His strength and to be studying a Comfortable and Chearfull walk through the grounds of joy that are given you in Him which is very reasonable would ye then do Him a favour and have Him Delighted and Satisfied do but this give Him your Souls to be saved by Him in His own way come to Him sensible of Sin and founding your Peace on Him though weak in your selves yet strong in Him On whom as the mighty one God hath laid help And studying holiness in His strength drawing vertue from Him only to moritify your lusts That it may be known that Christ hath died and is Risen again because Grace shines in such a Person And be Comforted in Him He that glories let him glorie in the Lord having given up with Creature-comforts and Confidences with your own Gifts Parts Duties c. And having betaken your selves to the Peace Strength and Consolation that are in a Mediator and which run through the Covenant of Grace and flow forth from Him as the Fountain from whom all the Grace and Comfort that come to us are derived 2dly For the force of the Motive consider seriously if this be not a pinching strait that ye are put to if this be it wherein Our Lords Satisfaction lyes and wherein the Salvation and Edification of your own Souls consist we pose you if it be any great difficult or unreasonable thing that is called for from you and if the Motive whereon it is prest be not most just and reasonable that these who have or profess to have the Faith of this that it will be Satisfaction to Him for all His Soul-travel that Sinners make use of Him should yeeld it to Him And whether in the Day of the Lord it will not be a most hainous shamefull and abominable Guilt that when the business of your own Salvation stood on this even on your Satisfying of Christ by yeelding ye refused disdained and scorned it and would not make use of Him for your Peace and would noâ— in His strength study Holiness though your own Souls should never be saved nor He satisfied or His Soul-travel This of all other Challenges will be the sharpest and most bitting and upon the other hand it may be most comforting to a poor bodie that is sensible of Sin and afraid of Wrath is there or can there be hazard to do Christ a pleasure by believing on Him It 's a thing delightsome to Him and therefore let this be one great Motive to press believing in Christ among the rest which though it be cross and thwarting to the unbelieving heart and may look like presumption to look a Promise in the Face and to offer to make application of it to the poor Sinners self Yet seing it's a thing so pleasing to Christ that it satisfies Him for all His Sufferings essay it upon this very account remembring alwayes that He delights in them that hope in his mercy and to him be praise for ever SERMON XLVIII ISAIAH LIII XI Vers 11. He shall see of the travel of his soul and shall be satisâ—â—â—d by his knâ—wledge shall my righteous servant justifie ma y for he shall bear their iniquities IT 's a great Work that Our Lord Jesus hâ—th undertaken in Satifying the Juâ—tice of God for the Sins of tâ—e Elâ—ct and He hath at a dear Raâ—e and with great Expence and Travel performed it Now it is but reason that He should again be satisfied that so Jehovah's Satisfaction and the Mediator's Satisfaction may go together and that is the thing that is promised here in these Words What this Satisfaction is which is promised to Him as the great thing in which He delights and by which He
thereby he may have Satisfaction for all his Soul-travel And therefore we would exhort you on this ground to give Him your Souls to be saved by Him in order to His Satisfaction And what is spoken in common take it as spoken to every one of you in particular Men and Women Old and Young Rich and Poor If ye would do Christ a favour and pleasure give Him imployment for Pardon of Sin for Peace with God for Sanctification for Consolation and for Access to Heaven Or if ye would know what motive we would use to perswade you to make Use of this Gospel for all these take this for one and a main one That it will Satisfie and even to speak so with Reverence comfort Christ for all the Travel of His Soul and for all the hard Labour that He endured even as it Satisfies a wooer for all his Pains and Patience in waiting on after many refusals and slights when he gains the Womans Consent and when the Match is made up So it will Satisfie Him when He sees Souls by vertue of His Sufferings brought to believe on Him and to lay the weight of their Salvation upon Him for then He sees it was not for nought that He laid down His Life And truly if this Motive prevail not I know not what Motive will prevail But to make it the more clear and convincing consider these things 1. What it is that Christ seeks when He seeks Satisfaction for the Travel of His Soul He even seeks your benefit and good If He had sought that which would have been painfull to you ye would I suppose have judged your selves obliged readily to have gone about it had it been as we use to speak to have gone through the fire for Him But now when this is all that He seeks that by making use of His Sufferings ye may be Justified made Holy comforted in your Life and brought to Heaven at your Death should it not much more ingage you to give Him this Satisfaction 2. Who seeks this Satisfaction and to whom is it to be given Is it not to Our Lord Jesus Christ There is very great weight in this Part of the Argument that by believing on Him and making use of His Sufferings we not only satisfie and save our selves but make Glad the heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ who being considered as God needs no Satisfaction neither is capable of any Additional Satisfaction from Creatures He being infinitely happy and fully Satisfied in the injoyment of His own All sufficient Self Nothing from without can be added unto Him yet He having condescended to become Man and Mediator betwixt God and Man to reconcile lost Sinners to God He is graciously pleased to account it Satisfaction to Him for all His Soul-travel to have Sinners making use of Him for their good and if their be any weight in the Satisfaction of one that is Great and Good and good to us This hath weight in it that our doing so will satisfie Him that is Matchlesly Great and Good and superlatively so to Sinners 3. Consider the Ground on which this Satisfaction is pleaded for and it will add yet more weight to this Argument it 's Satisfaction to Him for His Soul-travel And can any find in their hearts to think but He should be Satisfied on this account Is there not reason for it Who as the Apostle sayes 1 Cor. 9.7 goeth a warefare on his own charges who plants a vineyard and eats not of the fruit thereof or who feedeth a flock and eateth not of the milk of the flock Ah! Should Our Lord Jesus bestow all this Labour and Pains for nothing And further 4ly Whose Satisfaction is it that is sought This consideration is somewhat diversified from the 2. And would not therefore be looked on as any Tautology is it not His who is Lord of all and who will one day be Judge When if we had all the World would give it to please Him And who will pronunce the Sweetest or the Sadest Sentence upon us according as we have Satisfied Him in this or not Considering that it is He who desires this satisfaction from us should there not be an holy Diligence Eggerness and Zeal to get that performed that will Please and Satisfie Him Especially when the improving of His Sufferings may do it But 5ly From whom requires He this Satisfaction Is it not from them who like sheep have gone astray From these who have many iniquities lying on them and are lying under the Curse of God by Nature From these who must either be healed by His Strips or else they will never be healed but will die of their Wounds may not this make the Argument yet the more strong that He is not seeking this Satisfaction of strangers but of His own People nor of Righteous Folks but of Sinners who are lying under the Curse and whose happiness lyes in giving Him this Satisfaction And when it is thus with you That either your Sins must be taken away by Him or else ye must lye under them for ever That either He must bear the Curse for you or ye must bear it your selves If these things be obvious as indeed they are O! give Him the Satisfaction that He calls for and let Him not be put to say as it is Isai 49.4 I have laboured in vain and spent my strength for nought and in vain 3dly To press this yet a little more Although it should be sad to us that there should be need to press that so much on us which is so profitable to us and Satisfying to Him even that we would make use of Him for our Spiritual Good and Advantage These considerations will add weight to the Argument 1. What esteem Christ hath of it He thinks it as it were to be Payment and a sort of Compensation for all His Labour and Sufferings The Price was not Gold nor Silver nor any such thing which He gave for Sinners but it was His Precious Blood His own Life who was the Prince of Life and the Prince of the kings of the Earth And O! what a vast and infinit disproportion is there betwixt His Life and all our Lives and yet He accounts it a sufficient Reward if we will but give Him our Souls to be saved by Him in His own way and will make Use of His Death and Sufferings for that End And if it were possible that we could think little of our own Salvation and much of Christ's Satisfaction for His Soul-travel ought we not to think much of our own Salvation in reference to His Satisfaction And now when he hath joyned these together so that we cannot please nor satisfie Him except we give Him our Souls to save and cannot satisfie Him but that in doing so our Souls shall be saved Should it not induce us to make Use of Him for that End If He had commanded us to run here and there and to undergo some long and very toilsome Voyage or
a Sinner may be brought to get the Benefit of Christ's Satisfaction These two being the Sum of the Gospel To wit Christ's Purchase and the Application of it to Sinners In this last part of the verse We have these Five things to be considered which express this 1. The great benefit that flows from Christ's Sufferings and it is Justification Which in a word is this much To be Absolved Acquited and set Free from the Guilt of Sin and from the Curse of God Justifying here being opposed to Condemning So that when it s said They shall be justified The meaning is that these that were before obnoxious to the Curse and that were by the Law to be Condemned according to that Word Gal. 3.10 Cursed is every one that abids not in all things written in the law to do them Shall now through the benefit of Christ's Sufferings be declared Free and set at Liberty even as a Debtor is set Free by the interveening of a Responsall Cautioner 2. The Parties made partakers of the Benefit And they are called Many though they are few being compared with the World yet in themselves they are many They shall come or many shall come From the east and from the west and from the south and from the north and shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven And comparing this Word with the last Words of the v. It sayes That they are as many as these are whose iniquities He bare and the payment of whose Debt He undertook It is not to be taken Universally for all but for some singular Selected Persons whose iniquities He bare 3. The Fountain from which or from whom this Benefit flows to many It 's the Lords righteous servant he shall justifie many Where the effect is attributed alone to Him 4. The way how Christ Justifies it s not simply by forgiving as He indeed hath power to forgive Sins But meritoriously To wit by His Satisfying for them Therefore it is added For he shall bear their iniquities He shall take on their Sins and pay their Debt And therefore when they come before the Tribunal of God the Guilt of their Sins is taken off them through His Merit 5. The great Midse or Mean by which this Benefit is derived to these many it is by his knowledge Which is not to be taken Subjectively for the Knowledge that He hath But Objectively That is He by making Himself known by believing Or it 's by his knowledge not Actively but Pasively taken not His Knowledge whereby He doth Know but that whereby He is Known It 's in a word by Faith According to that Philip. 3.8 9 10. I account all things saith the Apostle there loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord c. And he expones what that is in the next Words That I may be found in him not having my own righteousness which is according to the law but the righteousness of God which is by the faith of him These may afterward be more fully cleared as we come to speak to them more particularly There is here then a brief Compend of the Gospel and of the way of Sinners Reconciliation with God So that if ye would know 1. How a Sinner is Justified or wherein it consists here it is It consists not in the infusing of Grace nor in the Sanctifying or making of a Prophane Person Holy Though that doth accompany alwayes and follow Justification But in the absolving of a Sinner from the Guilt of Sin or in acquiting the Guilty 2. Would ye know the Ground on which this goeth or how it comes to pass That the Just God can Justifie an ungodly Sinner It is because of Christ's Righteousness and of His Satisfying of Justice or paying of the Sinners Debt 3 Would ye know how it comes that this Man and not another comes to get Christ's Satisfaction made his and hath his Debt thereby taken off It is by His Knowledge and by Faith in Him called knowledge here Because it necessarily presupposes the Knowledge of Him It is by acknowledging of Him in His Offices and by submitting and betaking of our selves to Him by Faith Because it is Articled in the Covenant of Redemption That His Righteousnesse shall be made forthcoming to all them that by Faith betake themselves to Him for shelter So that hereby the ungodly are declared Righteous because through the Cautioners Payment and Satisfaction their Sin is not imputed to them and they are declared Free because of His paying of their Debt for them 4. Would ye know the Reason of this how it comes that Faith Justifies in it's resting on Christ It is not because of any worth in it self nor because of any account that is made of it's Worth but because it rests on Christ's Righteousnesse and takes hold of the Benefit of Christ's Purchase Therefore it is added Because he shall bear their iniquities because by Faith they take hold of His Sufferings and Satisfaction whereby their Sin is taken away and God becomes well-pleased with them for His sake This then is a most material place of Scripture and we had need in entring upon it to have an Eye to this Righteous servant That He would be pleased to make the Meaning of it known to us and to give us the right understanding of this great Mystery First In general Observe here in what Estate Men are Naturally and as Abstracted from Christ They are unjustified and lying under God's Curse obnoxious to His Wrath This is supposed Consider Men then in their Natural Estate this is it They are even obnoxious to the Wrath and Curse of God which is ready to ceize upon them for their breach of Gods Covenant and for provoking of Him by Sin if Men thought seriously on this how could they sleep or have peace not knowing when they may be Arrested and put in Prison till they pay the uttermost Farthing which will never be O! that ye knew and believed this who are ready to defie any that will offer to charge you with one penny of Debt and who walk up and down without all fear of your hazard Lay your Natural Estate to heart and ye will have quite other thoughts of your selves 2dly Observe The way how freedome from this Debt of Sin and lyableness to the Curses derived And to this many things concur each of which hath it's own place 1. The Mediator and His Satisfaction This is the Ground of the Freedom 2. The Covenant of Redemption and the Promise made to the Mediator in it He shall see his seed c. He shall see of the travel of his soul and shall be satisfied By his knowledge shall many be justified c. Wherein it is Articled That these for whom He Suffered shall be Pardoned and set free And it is this that gives Sinners access to expect the Benefit of Christ's Sufferings otherwayes though Christ had Suffered they had not been the better of
ye improved not for God It 's a sore matter that we should Preach and ye should hear these general Truths of the Gospel from day to day and that yet they do not sink into your hearts Ye will not readily denâ— that there is a day of Reckoning coming and that it will be a great favour to be commended of Him in that day and yet how few do by their Practice evidence that they lay weight on it It 's very sad that Religion should be so triffled in Many of you will come to the Church and seem there and in your other carriage as if ye were going to Heaven when in the mean time ye have few serious thoughts either of Heaven or of Hell But in that Day wherein ye shall stand trembling before His Tribunal and shall there receive the Sentence of an evil and sloathfull Servant ye will find to your cost That there was weight in these Truths that now ye take but little notice of 4ly In General Observe That it 's Singular Proper and Peculiar to Our Lord Jesus to be Gods Approven Servant so as to be without all ground of Challenge in the Discharge of His Duty and Trust and indeed there is no Righteous Servant in this sense but He only who according to the very Rigor of the Law was such the Law could not charge Him with any the least violation of it or want of Conformity unto it For He fulfilled all righteousness We spoke to this on v. 9. and shall not now insist on it Only it 's a sore matter that this Truth should be called in question and called an untruth in these dayes and that Men should say that this Designation and Title is not proper to Christ but that it 's common to all true Christians as if they were all free of Sin and that not by the imputation of Christs Righteousness to them but by their own doing of Righteousness Lord save us what a high injury is this to the Son of God And what gross ignorance is here of the corruption of Mans Nature which in the best and holiest of meer Men is never in this Life finally expelled as the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament most convincingly clear and what a wronging is this of the Truth of God which holds forth Our Lord Jesus as singled out to be and who is designed by this Name The Lords righteous servant Now if there were any moe properly so called we could not say that it were meant of Him But it 's not very profitable to insist in speaking of these Dottages and Foolries But to come more particularly to the benefits that flow from and come by this Righteous servant and from the service intrusted to Him and so faithfully managed and discharged by Him By his knowledge saith Jehovah shall he justifie many That is His Service is to absolve Sinners and set them free from the guilt of Sin and from the Curse that Naturally they are under and lyable to Looking on these Words in the Connexion with the former we shall Oâ—serve Three or Four things ere we come to the more closs and particular Consideration of the Words in themselves The 1. of which is this That the Justifying of many Sinners even of all the Elect is the speciall Trust committed by Jehovah to the Mediator It is in this especially wherein His Service consists Would ye then know what is the imployment of this Righteous Servant It is even this He shall justifie many He shall procure their Absolution from the Guilt of Sin and from the Curse of God and shall set them free from the Judgement which the Law hath against them whereby they are oblidged to the Curse for disobedience thereunto This we may consider 1. As it relates to God and so it imports that the justification of a Sinner is very acceptable to Him For it is that for which He hath given a Commission to the Mediator and what He hath Commissioned Him in the performance of it must needs be acceptable to Him Therefore that which is here called the Lords Service is called The Lords pleasure v. 10. To wit to see a poor Sinner brought in by the Mediator and on the accompt of His Satisfaction Justified He is pleased with and takes it well 2. It may be considered as it looks to the Mediator And so it speaks out the Mediators Design and Work it 's that wherein He is imployed and with which He is taken up even to get Elect Sinners brought from under the Curse of God and freely Justified through Himself So that if ye would know what is the Sum and Effect of Christs Errand and Work in the World here it is He came to save sinners as it is 1 Tim. 1.15 He came to seek and save that which was lost To bring home the lost sheep on His shoulder to seek and find the lost Groat to reclaim Prodigals As it is Luke 15. This is His Meat and His Drink His Work and Businesse as Himself sayes John 4.34 My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work And Luke 2. Know ye not that I must be about my Fathers business Which is to rescue poor Sinners from the Devil and to ingage them to God that their Sins may be Pardoned 3. It imports the Mediators Meetnesse for this Service that He is Furnished Fitted and Qualified for as well as taken up with the Justifying of Sinners and setting them free before the Throne of God He hath a full Purse to speak so to pay their Debt Therefore Revel 3.19 He bids Sinners Come and buy of him eye-salve gold and white rayment He hath Eye-salve for the Blind Gold to Inrich the Poor Garments for the Naked and in a Word every thing that is needfull for Sinners It is comfortable to hear that Christ is a Servant But to hear that this is His Service to Justifie Sinners and that He is so well fitted for it makes it so much the more comfortable And were we suitably sensible of Sin and did we throughly believe this Truth our hearts would Laugh within us as Abraham's once did to know that this was given to Christ in Commission to Justifie Sinners and that He is so well fitted for this Businesse that He is Commissioned about and imployed in especially now when He is so bussie about His Work and Imployment for though He be ascended on high yet He hath received gifts for and given them to men even for the rebellious that God the Lord might dwell among them As it is Psal 68. compared with Ephes 4. This is the End of the Ministry and Ordinances even to further this Work of the Justification of Sinners that by acknowledging and making Use of Christ this Work may be brought about and this Effect made to follow this is the End of Fasts and Communions even to Arrest perishing Sinners a while to Tryst and Treat with Him about the concerns of their
Souls these are special seasons for putting Him to exerce His Office in Justifying of them and this day this Scripture is fulfilled in your ears and ye should let it sink in your hearts that Our Lord Jesus is pursuing His Commission and performing His Service keeping up the Treaty and inviting and perswading Sinners to come to Him that the pleasure of the Lord may prosper in His hand And therefore know assuredly that this is it that Christ is imployed in and taken up with even to get sinners fred from the Guilt of Sin and from Wrath by His Righteousnesse It is not only nor mainly to get them brought to the Church and to His Supper or to get them made Formal and to abstain from Cursing Swearing and Profanity though these will follow of will but it is to get them brought in to Himself and Justified And we have these two Words to say to you further in this matter 1. There is here good ground of encouragement to a poor Soul that would fain make Use of Christ for Pardon of Sin This is even it that Christ is intrusted with It is for this end that He is Legated and Commissioned of the Father And will He not thinks thou do that which He is intrusted with and for which He is mainly sent This is saith He John 6.39 the will of him that sent me that every one that seeth the Son and believeth on him should have everlasting life and that I should raise him up at the last day Which is in Sum That by his knowledge many should be justified And it 's added For he shall bear their iniquities To anticipat and answer an objection For a sensible Sinner might say how can I be justified that have so many Sins Here is a Solution of that doubt He shall satisfie for them All these Words are as it were big with Child of Consolation being the very Heart and Life of the Gospel as any thing that comes so near to Christs Commission and unfolds so much of it is A 2d Word is this That ye mistake Christs Errand Work and Service very far who think to content Him and put Him off with this who would give Him the Name of a Saviour and yet would be at the saving of your selves without Him who would complement Him as it were with fair Generalls but will have none of His Phisick or of His Cures nor will renunce your own Righteousness and make use of His for your Justification This says one of these Four Either that He is not Commissionated and Trusted for this end or that He is not meet for that Trust or that He is not Faithfull in it Or else that ye can do your own turn without Him and that there is no need of His Office And which of all these can abyde the Tryal before God And yet it shall be upon one of these that ye shall be found to have cast at Christ and to have refused to permit Him so far as ye could hinder and abstruct to do His Fathers business and if ye Just not accompts with Him there will be a most dreadfull Reckoning betwixt God and you 2dly Observe That this particular Trust anent the Justifying of Sinners Our Lord Jesus doth most Righteously Diligently Dextrously Tenderly and Faithfully Discharge It was His Fathers will that He should be Baptized and fulfill all Righteousness and more especially that He should Justifie many in this He is very Skilfull and Faithfull and it is on this account He is called The good shepherd and that He is said to lay down his life for his sheep That He is called a faithfull high Priest and is said to be one that is able to save to the uttermost these that come unto God through him and that He is Holy harmless and separat from sinners fit to make Peace betwixt God and Sinners another sort of Priest than Aaron was or any that were before Him He is in a word such a high Priest as became us and as we stood in need of who needed not to Offer Sacrifice for His own Sins He had no more to do but to Satisfie for us The Prophet Isaias Chap. 40.11 Tells how tender he is in bringing Souls to Heaven He gathers the lambs with his arme he carries them in his bosome and gently leads those that are with young And Chap. 42.3 That a bruised reed he will not break and the smoaking flax he will not quench And it is said 1 John 2. If any man sin we have an advocat with the Father and who is he Jesus Christ the righteous Righteous in the Faithfull managing of His Trust by making Sinners Peace with God Would ye know then in what respects or on what account it is that Christ is called Servant We answer in these Respects 1. Though we have failled and broken the Law yet He hath not and God will not look down on Him 2. In this Respect That He pleads for no Sinners Pardon but He can fully pay their Debt and hath done it if He seek one thing from God He yeelds in another and according to the Covenant of Redemption exactly proceeds For He is a propitiation He seeks nothing but he payes for it and wrongs not him in the least who hath Trusted him the Lord Jehovah is not a lâ—ser but hath His Honour restored by Him 3. In respect of His keeping Faith to the Persons that have need of Him for whom He hath undertaken He is not only faithfull to the Master but to the Children and Servants He owns and acknowledges them when they come to Him under their necessities and is forthcoming to them every way suitable and answerable to His Place and Trust in doing good to Sinners Use Had we sensible Sinners to speak to Sinners groaning under a Body of Death with pricked hearts crying out What shall we do for the wrongs that we have done to God Sinners under holy fear to spoil and mar the Bargain and to hazard their own Souls had we I say such Sinners to speak to There are good news here to them the Trust of saving Souls is committed to a Faithfull Shepherd it is not committed to your selves for so it had been a dolefull Trust but it is committed to Him that hath gotten the Sheep by Name given to Him to be kept by Him and He will not suffer them to miscarrie nor to go quite wrong And what more would ye have A salvation and a Price is much but it is more to have a Saviour to make the Application of His Purchase a Bishop of Souls to Justifie and carrie Sinners through to make it sure before God and to make it out the Sinner may sleep sound which in the sense of Sin hath betaken himself to Him to be Justified by His Righteousness and to be in His Debt and Common for obtaining of Pardon and for making the Application of what by His Sufferings He hath Purchased We can say but little to
Justification before God seclude his own Righteousnesse and betake himself to Christ's Righteousnesse alone as Contra-distinguished to his own 4ly We say That Christ's Righteousness is in Him and imputed to us or made ours by imputation is the alone Meritoritorious Cause of our Justification and Salvation so as that which He hath purchased is reckoned and accounted the Sinners as if it were His own inherently and personally This I also gather from the Words By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities Would ye know as if the Prophet had said how Christ is the Meritorious Cause of Justification Thus it is because He shall bear their iniquities if He hath taken on the burden of their Sins and had their Sins imputed to Him then it will follow by proportion that they are Justified by the imputation of His Righteousnesse to them and there is nothing that the Scripture doth more inculcat then this That we are Justified by the Righteousnesse of Christ without us and imputed to us or reckoned ours we by Faith laying hold upon it and Gods accepting of it for us mak s it become ours and yet there is nothing that we do more particularâ—y erre in and which Papists do more scoâ—n and flout at wholly enervating the way and contrivance of Grace by excluding and shouldering out the Righteousnesse of Christ calling it in derision a Putative or meerly fancied and â—maginary Righteousnesse as if there were â—o reality in it and by bringing in and establishing their own Righteousnesse though it be very clear from this and many other Scriptures that Christs Righteousnesse must be ours by imputation because He â—are our iniquities He became our Righteousnesse by paying of our Dâ—bt as our Cautioner and no otherwayes the Scripture never speaks of His being our Righteousnesse by procuring ability to us to pay our own Debt I shall clear this 4th Branch a little further because it will serve to clear the rest That is thâ—t Christ's Righteousnesse as it is in Him and imputed to us is he only Meritorious Cause of our Justification And if we consider 1 The way of Justification that is used among men this will be the more plain There being two Covenants by the one of which Life was once attainable and by the other of which it is only now attainable 1. The Covenant of Works which absolves a man that never brake it which is as when one among men or before mens Court is declared to be free because he was never oâ—ing the Debt 2. The Covenant of Grace that provides a Cautioner to pay the Sinners Debt upon whose payment thereof had recourse to by Faith there is access in Law to the Sinner to call for absolution even as it is in mens Courts though the principal Debter hath nothing to pay yet if the Cautioner pay the Debt it is the principal Debtors clâ—aring and if he should be again charged to pay the Debt his immediat deâ—ence would be that the Cautioner had payed it already So is it here the Lord hath borrowed and made use of this way that is used among men to make the Mystery of Justification which passeth in the Court of God the more clear to us it is as if one should alleadge that such a Person is owing so much and he should say I cannot be charged with it and upon what ground Not because I was not owing the Debt but because such anone has payed it for me So sayeth the Apostle Rom. 8.34 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect it is God that justifies who shall condemne it is Christ that died c. The defence proposed before the Tribunal of God is Chritis dying and that is as much as he hath payed the Price or Debt who then can charge it on the principal Debtor And the frame and contexture of the words shews that it is a judicial precedour for they suppose a charge or lybel and a sentence and the Meritorious Cause of the Sentence of Absolution is that Christ hath died 2ly If we consider the nature of the two Covenants and compare them together it will be clear the Papists confound the two Covenants For works to them is the condition of both Covenants making use of that place Matth 19.17 2â— Keep the commands if thou will be perfect sell all thou hast and give to the poor quite contrary to the scope of it for therein Christ is putting the man to a thing impossible to himself to bring him to see the necessity of a Mediator and discover his unsoundnesse when he will not forgoe his great Possâ—ssions for him But the Scâ—ipture doth so clearly difâ—ereâ—ce the Covenant of Grace and â—he Covenant of works that they are opposed For the Covenant of works sayeth do this and live and the Covenant of Grace sayeth If thou shall believe with thy heart in the Lord Jesus and conâ—â—sse with thy mouth thou shalt or saved And therefore the account of ones being Juâ—â—ified in tâ—e Covenant of Grace must be different from the account whereon one is Justified in the Covenant of Wâ—rks otherwayes they would not be opposit The Covenant of Works respects inhâ—rent Righteousnesse as the condition The Covenant of Grace respects Faith taking hold of the Righteousnesse of Christ and therefore H s Righteousnesse must Justifie as being in Him without us and as imputed to us it cannot be our Righteousnesse within that Justifies for so it should be the same with the Covenant of Works for though Christ did procure inherent Righteousnesse to us it makes no difference in the condition it self which is works 3ly It will be clear if we consider how the Scripture speaks of Christ's Righteousnesse becoming ours even as our Sins became Christ's and was the cause if we may so speak of His condemnation that is as He became lyable to the Curse that as He stood a Legal Person in our Room He became guilty and lyable to the payment of our Debt For otherwayes it is abominable once to speak of His condemnation and if His Righteousnesse become ours as our Sin became His then certainly His Righteousnesse is the cause of our Justification as it is in Him inherently and in us by imputation only The blasphemy of Antinomians is most detestable and not at all pleaded for even by Papists and therefore we stand not on it here Now our Sin became Christ's by imputation therefore His Righteousnesse must be ours the same way If it then were asked How we are Justified The Text answers He shall justifie many because he shall bear their iniquities The Prophet makes his Sufferings to be the antecedent whereof our Justification is the consequent for His bearing of our iniquities is given as the reason of our Justification this is also clear 2 Cor. 5. ult He was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him In which words the Spirit of
Faith as it is a laying hold upon Christ 3. When we speak of the necessity of Faith in order to Justification we mean not as if there were such an absolute necessity of it in it self that God could not do otherwayes or Justifie without it but we mean a necessity in respect of the order which God hath laid down and held forth in the Gospel which is by the Knowledge of His Son to Justifie many And from these considerations many Arguments of our Adversaries are made very little regardable yea utterly void For Confirmation of the Doctrine then 1. Consider these Scriptures that expresly limit confine and bound Justification and pardon of Sin to the Person that doth believe So Rom. 1.17 The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written the just shall live by faith Rom. 3.24 25. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood c. Col. 3.22 God hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe Act. 13.38.39 Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses Consult the Scriptures and we will find that Paul clears both these Questions 1. who are Justified All that believe 2. When are they Justified When they believe 2ly Consider these Scriptures that place all men before believing into a state of Wrath and they will furnish a second ground for this as John 3.18 He that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already He lyes under the Covenant of Works and is condemned as considered in himself though God may have a purpose to make a change of his state So Ephes 2.1 2 3. You hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses and sins wherein in time past ye walked and were children of wrath even as others c. and v. 12 13. We were sometimes without Christ being alians from the common wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenant of promise without hope and without God in the world but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far of are made near by the blood of Christ and v. 8. By grace are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God not of works least any man should boast it 's Faith that gives the Title which we had not before 3. Consider That the Scriptures do expresly make believing to preceed Justification and make Justification to be an effect or rather a consequent of Faith to which Faith necessarly concurrs as all these places which say that we are Justified by Faith in Christ do clear as Rom. 5.1 Being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ which place looks on Faiths concurring in Justification with a kind of causality Rom. 3.22.25 The righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe c. Ephes 2.8 By grace are ye saved through faith See more fully to this purpose Gal. 2.16 where the Apostle designedly as it were sets himself to confirm this Truth For speaking of the way how Sinners come to be Justified and as it were entring in the Debate he says Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ even as we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ In which place we have three things considerable to make out the point 1. He compares the concurring of Faith to Justification in the Covenant of Gracâ— to the concurring of Works to Justification or to the obtaining of Life in the Covenant of Works as Works did Justifie in the Covenant of Works so does Faith in the Covenant of Grace Now certainly the performing of Works in the Covenant of Works behoved to go before Justification that way therefore the want of Works made Adam to come short of Justification by Works 2. He looks on Faith and speaks of it as concurring to Justification with a respect to Christ and never looks on it in this matter as a Grace considered in and by it self but as acting on Christ in a peculiar manner 3. In expresse words he sayes We have believed in Christ Jesus that we might be justified which clearly implyes that they could not be Justified before they believed and we may well and easily gather that the Justification here meant is that which is real and actual and not the declaring of a man to be Justified to Himself else Works might declare a man to be Justified to himself as well as Faith But he contradistinguishes Faith and Works here and opposes the one to the other The 1. Use Serves for clearing of this Truth That there is a necessity of Faith's taking hold of and resting on Christ ere we can be absolved and Justified And so both these Errors of Antinomians fall to the ground 1. That by which they assert that these who are Justified were Justified from Eternity and were never under God's Curse And 2. That Faith is not necessary to the attaining of Justification but only to a Persons knowing that he is Justified and so they say that Faith enters us not in the Covenant which is false it being the terms or condition on which God proposeth and promiseth pardon in his Covenant as is clear John 3.18 Whosoever believes shall not be condemned but shall have everlasting life and Mark 16.16 He that believes and is baptized shall be saved with this opposition He that believeth not shall be damned Faith being it which enters us in the Covenant For either Sinners are Justified before they can be in Covenant with God which is an absurdity and inconsistent with Gods Covenant or it 's by Faith that they are entered in the Covenant There is here also a clear discovery and confutation of a 3d. Error of Antinomians concerning the nature of Faith That it is Persons believing that they are Justified No not so For as the Apostle sayes Gal. 2.16 We have believed that we might be justified We believe in order to Justification And to say as Antinomians do would do much to infer universality of Justification as well as of Redemption It 's Gods mercy that this Error is discovered and that we have His Truth pointing out to us that Justification must have Faith going before it and alongst with it The 2d Use Serves to demonstrat the absolute necessity of believing and taking hold of Christ If Absolution and Justification be necessary Faith must be necessary And therefore if Christ be preached to you and if by Him all that believe are Justified Take hold then I beseech you of the Offer receive embrace close with it and let
is not this a gross believing of the Lord God shall beat back many of your vain confidences in your faces and your hearts shall tremble and your faces wax pale when God shall cause your Charge and Summonds to come unto Judgement sound in your Ears These and such like confidences will never bear you through it is not these we speak of Yet 2ly We say that the right exercise of Faith wants not it's own confidence comfort and assurance when taken in a right sense much whereof is attributed by by some to the definition of Faith for some mistake Faith and others are mistaken or misunderstood in their speaking of Faith Some Divines that writ of Faith speak of it's being an assurance defining it at it's hight yet generally they take in and presuppose the active Act of Faith resting on Christ others define it by these two Acts a receiving of and resting upon Christ Therefore we would never conceive of them at least of many of them as making this assurance to our sense to be essential and absolutely necessary to the being of Justifying Faith much lesse would we think that they mistaken and passe by the true Acts of receiving and resting upon Christ only some of them which we humbly think is their mistake having to do with Papists who place Faith in the understanding adde an assurance of Faith to the Former Acts In which we say there is a ground of confidence or a conditional assurance upon supposition that Souls receive Christ and rest upon Him they may be confident that that is a ground that will not fail them They may be confident that He will not deceive them a confidence in this that they may step to or lean upon Christ and not fear that He fail them or that they may without all fear of hazard cast themselves on Christ Therefore He is called a tryed elect precious corner-stone a sure foundation and indeed that is no small ground of confidence That when a Soul comes to Christ by believing it may be sure He will not fail it 2. Being sure that we have committed our selves to Christ which supposes Faith's being put to exercise and practice there may be a confidence in this respect we may be sure He will not fail us in particular 2 Tim. 1.12 I know in whom I have believed and that he is able to keep that I have committed to him and that I shall not be ashamed He puts both these together I know that He is able and that He will not fail me I shall not be ashamed So Rom. 8. I am perswaded that neither death nor life c. shall be able to separat us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus If Souls have received the offer they may be sure it will not misgive them 3. Adde that this actual or active resting on Christ may be seperat from the sense of it or from the passive Act of Faith or quietnesse that follows on resting on Christ for there is a resting on Christ which is very Faith it self and not the effect come and ye shall find rest coming is before finding of rest to our sense at least we are not to knit this passive rest with the other active Act of resting as if it were impossible to rest on Christ without present sensible ease Beside it is this active resting that gives us right to Christ and not the passive Gal. 2.16 We believe that we may be justified This necessarily goes before our believing that we are Justified To close with a Word of more particular Use let me exhort you to lay lesse weight on your bare thinking that ye believe on your present ill grounded hope and peace Aim and endeavour to Act and exercise Faith on Christ actively receiving and resting on Him for winning to Peace This practice of Faith is the over word to say so of the Doctrine of Just fication That seing there is such ground of Justification laid down the Righteousnesse of Christ and that it is proposed to you and seing this is the very Act of Justifying Faith to receive and rest on Christ as He is proposed and offered when this offer is made to you let your Faith receive take hold of and consent to the bargain and ground and found your Defence here for answering all challenges that the Law and Justice may present against you That there was a Saviour offered to you and that ye received Him and rested upon Him will be a ground that shall bear you out when ye come before God and except this be made sure our speaking and your hearing of Faith will be to no purpose SERMON LX. ISAIAH LIII XI Vers 11. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many For he shall be or their iniquitâ—eâ— THis is a great assertion and of mighty moment wherâ—in to the Knowledge of Christ the Justification of many is attributed and indeed if we knew what an advantâ—ge and benefit it were there would be nothing more studied then how to obtain it For it is the vâ—ry in let and opens the door to Glorification and if to be happy in the enjoyment of God be a benefit of great concerment then this of Justification must be so We proposed to speak of the way how this benefit is applyed and that is by Faith set out under this expression His knowledge or the knowledge of him and touched on the benefit of Faith and the necessity thereof for attaining Justification God having so ordered it in the Covenant that none others should be Justified but such as have Faith 2. We spoke also to the Object of this Faith Christ Jesus as our Righteousnesse and Peace So that Christ becomes in a peculiar manner the Object of Faith beside any other thing Because it 's only in Christ it can find a shelter Therefore it 's only to Christ that it flâ—es when it is pursued 3. We spake likewise of the nature of this Faith or it's Act it being the hearts trusting it self to Christs Righteousnesse whereon it hazards the weight of it's Peace and relyes here And as all the Terms of Justification are borrowed from Law wherein there is supposed a Charge a Tribunal and a Judge So is this resting in like manner It 's in effect an arraigned Persons making of Christ's Righteousneesse his Legal Defence against all Challenges The substance of the phrase is in that of Philip. 3.9 That I may be found in him not having my righteousness c. Where presupposing a lybelling and Charge where to does the Apostle betake himself and what is his refuge It 's Christ and His Righteousnesse even to be found in Him as if the question were proposed Paul what wilt thou do in the day of Judgement what wilt thou lean to for a Defence in that day To which he answers not to my own Righteousnesse but this is it even to be found in Him which he expones to be the having on His Righteousness by Faith
that gave His Son and of the Mediator that came to buy and redeem Elect Sinners at so dear a rate and to take on such a weighty burden to ease them of it Were there any here as we hope there are that know the weight of Sin O! but they would think much of this even of Christs taking on the burden of Sin and casting it by having Satisfied Justice for it and loosed the knot of the Law and of the Curse that tyed it to them To become Man was much but to bear the burden of our Sins was more Angels wonder at this that He who is their head should become so low as to fist Himself before Gods Tribunal and to undergo the Suffering of Death and to take on the weighty burden of the Elects Debt and to Satisfie for it If we were in a right frame of Spirit we could not hear this word but it would ravish our hearts and put us to a pause and holy nonplus but the most part alace walk lightly under the burden of Sin without ever considering what Christ hath done to remove it from off His People nay I am afraid that Believers who have ground to be lightned through Christs condescending to bear their burden do not as they ought acknowledge Him who hath taken the burden off them 4ly From comparing these words with the former Many shall be justified for he shall bear their iniquities Observe That Christ's bearing of our iniquities and His Satisfaction for our Sins is imputed to us as the immediat ground of our Absolution and Justification before God So that if it were asked what is the ground on which a Sinner is Justified before God The Text answers Because Christ hath born their iniquities He hath payed their Debt even as to make comparison fore clearing of it when a Debtor is pursued and hath nothing to pay yet he pleads that the Debt cannot be exacted of him because his Cautioner hath payed it and the ground on which that Debtor is absolved is his instructing that the Cautioner hath payed that Debt which being done he is set free So is it here The Believer he is Gods Debtor Christ Jesus is his Cautioner who hath payed his Debt who when he is brought to the Bar of God and somewhat is laid to his charge he pleads upon the ground of Christs Satisfying for his Debt and that therefore he ought not to be put to answer for it himself according to that Word Rom. 8.34 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifies who shall condemn and the ground fol ows It is Christ that died He hath payed the Debt Use Among other things there are two consequences that follow upon this Doctrine that serves to clear the Doctrine of Justification 1. That the Righteousnesse whereby we are Justified is imputed to us and accepted of God as if it were our own ye are sometimes hearing of imputed Righteousnesse and it 's of great concernment to you to know it well yet I am afraid that many of you are very ignorant of it I shall therefore in a word or two explicat it by comparing the two Covenants The Righteousnesse of the Covenant of Works is an inherent Righteousnesse as it is Tit. 3.5 Not by works of righteousnesse which we have done It 's a Righteousnesse of our own doing made up of our Praying Hearing and other Duties as they are Acts of ours The Righteousnesse of the Covenant of Grace is an imputed Righteousnesse that is when Christs doing and Suffering is accounted ours Take both in this comparison The Righteousnesse of the Covenant of Works is like a Debtor or Tennent his paying of his own Debt or Rent by his managing his businesse providently and dexterously and none other is troubled with it The Righteousnesse of the Covenant of Grace is like one that hath spent up and debauched all and hath not one penny to pay his Debt or Rent with but hath a worthy able and responsal Cautioner who hath payed for him Both being pursued and brought before the Judge The first man is absolved because what he was owing he payed it at the term precisely The other man grants that he was owing the Debt but pleads that his Cautioner hath payed it aâ—d the Law excepts of the Cautioners payment and pursues the Debtor no further but absolves him So is it here when the Believer comes to stand at Gods Bar it is nothing in himself that he pleads upon but it 's Christs Sufferings who said on the Cross it is finished The Debt of my People is fully payed and Faith pleading for Absolution on that ground according to the Law of Faith he is absolved as if he had payed the Debt himself or had been owing none If then it should be asked Believers what ground have ye to expect to be Justified The Prophet answers here Christ hath born our iniquities and this is the Believers Defence and therefore see here a possibility to reconcile these Two that some men scorn and flout at as irreconcileable to wit how one can be a Sinner and yet Righteous he may be sinful in himself and yet Righteous through the imputation of Christs Righteousnesse So 2 Cor. 5. ult He was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might made the righteousnesse of God in him Rom. 4.5 To him that worketh not but believeth on him who justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousnesse The man ungodly in himself is justified through the Satisfâ—ction of Christ imputed to him for Righteousnesse and laid hold on by Faith as if he had not Sinned or had actually satisfied himself 2dly This consequence followeth That it serves to clear how Faith Justifies as when we say Faith is our righteousnesse and is imputed to us for righteousness we are not to look on Faith properly as a Grace in us and divided or abstracted from the Object no by no means but as it is a laying hold on the Object It 's Faith in him that justifies and Through his knowledge shall many be justified because he shall bear their iniquities Faith Justifies by vertue of Christs Satisfaction and as taking hold of it Faith does not Justifie as it is an Act of Grace in the Sinner but as closing with Christ the Object of it even as in the similitude we made use of before It 's not enough that the Cautioner hath pâ—yed such a mans Debs but the man must instruct it by producing the Discharge the production whereof is the cause of his Absolution in Law yet the vertue that makes the Discharge so to concur is not the Discharge it self but the Cautioners payment or Satisfaction mentioned and contained in the Sinners Discharge even so is it here It 's Christs Righteousnesse that concurreth as the meritorious cause of the Sinners Absolution and Faith concurres as the Instrumental Cause in the pleading of that Defence whereon Justification follows as an effect of
sayes the Apostle of our warefare are not carnal but spiritual and mighty through God to the bringing down of holds and leading every thought and imagination lifted up against God captive unto the obedience of Christ There is Christs Victory and Triumph What are the strong holds that He batters storms and takes in He makes some proud hearts to stoop and yeeld to Him and carries some that were Rebells to Him captive to His obedience O! happy Captivity It is not meant in respect of Thraldom and Bondage but in respect of Voluntary Subjection to Him This is a most noble notable and lovely Victory and Triumph and a Glorious Day indeed which is ours as well as His it being the redeeming of poor Captive-sinners and bringing in of many followers to the Lamb and therefore v. 11. It 's called Satisfaction for the travel of his soul and the justifying of many That 's the Spoil and the Prey verse 10. It 's called the pleasure of the Lord and in this v. His portion and spoil What doth our blessed Lord Jesus take to Himself what doth this David claim or take to Him as His Spoil who is alone the the Monarch of this great Universe It 's a number of poor Sinners Come to me says he ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you He hath no more He seeks no more but so many Souls as He minded to do good to When the Lord divided the Nations as it is Psal He choise Jacob for his portion If we consider a little more particularly we will find the Justification and Salvation of Sinners to be our Lord Jesus His Victory Triumph and Spoil because herein He is Victorious and Triumphs and gets the glory of His Obedience Faithfulnesse Grace Power and Love The Glory of the Mediator shines manifestly and conspicuously in all these here 1. The Glory of His Obedience when He hath it to say as it is John 18.9 Of all that thou hast given me I have lost none He gets so many Souls committed to Him of the Father to redeem and when He hath done and performed the Work and brought them in He hath the Glory of His Obedience to His Father who saith to Him Thou art my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased 2. The glory of His Faithfulnesse according as He did ingage and undertake to Jehovah He hath keeped His Word and there is a necessity lying on Him that it should be so that of all committed to Him He should losse none but present them without spot or wrinkle or any such thing Therefore He is called the Faithful shepherd because He losses none of the Sheep that are given Him 3. The glory of Grace and infinit love the moe that are saved the more Grace and Love shins forth in paying their Debt and Ransome and in bringing them in to be partakers of His Love Therefore John 17. He sayes That the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them He would have the love communicated by the Father to Him to be in them that it may be known that He hath loved them as the Father hath loved Him There cannot be such a proof and demonstration of Love as this It is evidenced in His exaltation as their head and in their being brought where He is 4. The Glory of Power shines forth here that trampled upon and triumphs over all difficulties that are in the way of saving Elect Sinners And O! what difficulties there are in the way of saving Sinners He having the Devil and the World without and a deceitful heart and a tickle humour within themselves to encounter with So many Sins to mortifie and Snares to lead through yet none plucks His Sheep out of His hand Therefore 1 Pet. 1. They are said to be keeped by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation In a Word as it was the manner of old for Conquerors to ride in Triumph and all their Prisoners led after or before them at their back So our Lord for manifesting the Glory of His Grace Faithfulnesse and Power brings so manny Sinners through to Glory and hath so a greater train then ever any Conqueror had and He counts it His Glory and Triumph to get many lost Souls saved John 17. Thine they were and thou gavest them me and I am glorified in them How is that I have given them thy word and they have received it He counts himself glorified in Sinners submitting to Him in their believing on Him and in their taking pardon from Him Now let me say that if we were wailling and making choise of a Doctrine to warn the heart of a sensible Sinner to shame unbelief out of the World and to give impregnable ground to hazard on Christ here it is That our Lord Jesus placeth His Victory Glory and Triumph and Spoil in this even in doing good to Sinners and in having Sinners getting good of Him It 's His Portion when to say so the World is dealt that He gets a number of lost Sinners to save as His share And though He be the Heir of all things and the first born yet He loves that better then a thousand Kingdoms When He hath His Spoil and Prey at the taking this is it and He choiseth no other O! Sinners do ye think this little Or do ye think little of this Had He placed His Glory in crushing under foot all the prisoners of the Earth or in bringing the World to nothing who could have said what doest thou But when He placeth His Glory and Triumph in this to overcome the Devil to cast him out of Souls to relieve poor Sinners and to bring them in to acknowledge Him as the Author of eternal salvation and as the author and finisher of their faith If ye would have something to wonder at is it not here He will burn the World into ashes and leave it and will cast many Kings and great Men into Hell and yet He gathers poor Elect Sinners out of that burnt heap as it were as the thing He hath designed for His Spoil He hath no more and He seeks no more as I said and yet He gets no gaâ—n of these poor Sinners for all this And therefore as the 1. Use of it wonder at this will it not be a glorious day when Christ is Crowned and hath all redeemed Sinners at His back with harps in their hands Singing Salvation Glory and Power to the Lamb O! wonder that there is not only a Saviour and Life and Salvation to be had through Him but that it 's such a Salvation as is wonderful in this respect that He counts it His Glory and Triumph to have many Sinners saved when He might have glorified Himself in sending us all to hell May we not wonder at this and yet we ought to believe it and the little Faith of it makes it be so little wondered at Ah! Sinners for most part believes not that Christ thinks
He will let him see as much as is meet and Chap. 34. When he gives him his answer It is not any glorious visible brightness he lets him see but he proclaims his name to him The Lord the Lord gracious merciful c. And comparing the words with the scope It sayes that there can be no saving uptaking of God but as he is revealed in the word and that way we are to be fixed in the Faith of the excellency that is in him and in going to him by prayer through the Mediator we would guard against any representation and fix our Faith on clear Promises and attributs as Scripture holds him forth 5. We would endeavour rather to have a composed frame of Spirit with holy reverence in the exercise of fear faith and love and of other spiritual graces then to fill our understanding with things meerly speculative and lesse practical and profitable And supposing that we are in some measure clear in what is revealed of God and of his attributs and promises in the Word in as far as may found our Faith and warrand us to put up such and such suits to God through the Mediator and that we come to him in holy reverence we are rather to exercise our graces and have an â—ve downward in reflecting on our selves â—â—eking to be clear in what is called for in a worshipper of God then to be curiously poring and prying into the Object of our worship himself And therefore let this be well studied even to be up at that wherein we are clear and which we do not question not make any doubt of as namely that we should be in a composed frame of Spirit in holy reverence and under the due impression of the Mâ—jesty of God and then there will be the less hazard if any at all of going wrong whereas if we divert from this and seek to satisfie our selves in the how or manner of up-taking of God we will but myre our selves and maâ— the frame of our own Spirits and bring our selves under an incapacity of going about duty rightly This much we have spoken on the Third part of the Use of Exhortation wherein we allow a sober and solid up-taking of the things of God and in as far as may be profitable for founding of our Faith and for guiding of our practice but not to satisfie curiosity For if we once go to chase and follow question upon question in what concerns the Doctrinal and speculative part of this Doctrine we will run our selves a ground and therefore God having made these things wherein our duty necessarily lyes clear that there is no hazard to go wrong in single following of it we would study these things that are clear which might be another direction and hold us with and at what we are clear in and not suffer our minds to run out on either groundless or unprofitable speculations God himself help to the suitable practice of these things and to him be 〈◊〉 SERMON LXX ISAIAH LIII XII Verse 12. And he made intercession for the transgressours IT 's a great mercy that God hath bestowed such a Mediator on Sinners that He hath given such an high Priest that can be touched with the feeling of Sinners infirmities so as to make Intercession for them And O! but it 's a great mercy to be helped to make right use of him When these two go together to wit a Saviour offered furnished with all these Offices of King Priest and Prophet and a Soul sanctified and guided by the Spirit of God in making use of him according to these Offices It 's a wonderfully and inconceivably gracious dispensation And it 's no doubt a very valuable mercy to be hepled to make use of this part of Christs Office to wit his Intercession This is that whereof we have begun some few dayes since to speak to you and for the better clearing of it we endeavoured to answer some doubts or questions that it may be have arisen and been tossed in the minds of some while we have been discoursing of and opening up this matter That which we would now speak a little to is a subject of that nature that considering our shallowness in uptaking of these things we cannot easily tell whether it be better to speak of or to forbear the speaking of any doubt or question least one occasion â—n another And therefore most certainly there would be much sobriety here and an abandoning of all sinful curiosity least unseasonable and intemperat desiring to know either what is not to be known or what we cannot know mar and obstruct our improvement of what we do or may know several things doubted of may be moved and objected here but we shall only speak a word to the clearing of these Four 1 Some thing concerning the Object of worship and particularly of prayer in general 2. We shall consider how the Mediator is the object of our prayer or how he may be prayed unto 3. A word more particularly in reference to the form of some particular petitions and to what seems most warrantable from the word in these 4. We shall answer some practical doubts that have or may have some puzling influence on the consciences of some Christians But as I said we had need in speaking and hearing of these things to be awed with some deep impression of the Majesty of God on our hearts least we medle carnally with matters of a most sublimely spiritual and holy nature For clearing of the First then we lay down these assertions The 1. whereof is That as there is one worship so there is no formal Object of worship but God This is clear because the worshipping of any with divine worship as namely with believing in them or praying to them supposes them to have such Attributs of Omni-science Omni-potency Supremacy c. As are only agreeable to the Mâ—jesty of God For we cannot pray to one but we must believe that he hears us and so that he is Omni-scient that he is able to help us and so Omni-poâ—entâ— that he is above all and so Supream as it is Rom. 10.14 How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed There can be no divine Object of worship to settle the Soul upon but where the essential attributs of the God-head are and it 's on this ground that we reject invocation of Saints and Angels Adorability being the essentiall property of the Majesty of God as well as Eternity and Immutability are There can be no Adoring or Worshipping of any but where there is Adorability in the Object that is worshipped by that worship and there is none capable of worship but God Supremacy being due and Essential to him only 2. That though there be three Persons in the glorious and blessed God-head distinct yet there are not three distinct Objects of Worship but one Object of Worship only The Father is not one Object of Worship the Son another and the holy Ghost a
you It is our Bane that we suspect not our selves and indeed it is a wonder that these who have immortal Souls and profess Faith in Christ should yet live so secure and under so little care and holy solicitude to know whether they have believed or not and should with so little serious concernedness put the Matter to a tryal But we proceed to the Particulars we proposed to speak to And first to this That ye have a good solid Ground to Believe on for clearing of which we would put these three together 1. The Fulness and Sufficiency of thâ— Mediator Jesus Christ in whom all the Riches of the Gospel are treasured up in whom and by whom our Happiness comes and who wants nothing that may fit Him to be a Saviour who is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him 2. The well-orderedness freeness and fulness of the Covenant of Grace wherein it is transacted that the Fulness that is in the Mediator Christ shall be made forthcoming to Believers in Him and by which lost Sinners that by Faith flee unto Him have a solid Right to His Satisfaction which will bear them out before God by which transaction Christ's Satisfaction is made as really theirs when by Faith it is closed with as if they had satisfied and payed the Price themselves 2 Cor. 5.21 He who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him and this Consideration of the legality and order of the Covenant serves exceedingly to clear our Faith as to the Ground of it because by this Covenant it 's transacted and agreed upon that Christ shall undergo the Penalty and that the Believer in Him shall be reckoned the righteous Person if there be a reality in Christ's Death and Satisfaction to Justice if He hath undergone the Penalty and payed their Debt there is a reality in this Transaction as to the making over of what He hath Done and Suffered to Believers in Him and the Covenant being sure and firm as to His part He having confirmed it by His Death it is as sure and firm as to the Benefite of it to the Believer in Him 3. The nature of the Offâ—r of this Grace in the Gospel and the nature of the Gospel that makes the Offer of the fulness that is in Christ by vertue of the Covenant It is the Word of God and hath His Authority when we preach it according to His Command as really as when He preached it Himself in Capernaum or any where else even as the authority of a King is with his Ambasâ—ador according to that 2 Cor. 5. penult vers We are ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us there is the Father's Warrand and Name interposed and for the Son 's it follows We pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God add to this the nature of the Offer and the terms of it there is no condition required on our part as the precise condition of the Covenant but Believing Now when these are conjoined we put it to your Conscience if ye have not a good Ground to lippen to and a sufficient Foundation to build on and if so it ought to be an powerfully attractive Motive to draw you to Believe in Him and to bring you to rest on Him by Believing Secondly We have also many Warrands and Encouragements to step forward and when Christ in His Fulness lays Himself before you to roll over your selves on Him and to yeeld to Him If we could speak of them sutably they are such as may remove all scarring that any might have in coming to Him and may serve to leave others inexcusable and unanswerably to convince them that the main obstruction was in themselves and that they would not come unto Him for Life He called to them but none would exalt Him 1. Do ye not think that the Offer of this Gospel is a sufficient Warrand and ground of Encouragement to Believe on Him and if it be so to others ought it not to be a sufficient Warrand and Encouragement to you when He says Psal 81.10 Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it what excuse can ye have to shift or refuse the Offer if ye think Christ real in His Commands is He not as real in His Offers 2. He hath so ordered the Administration of this Gospel as He hath purposely prevented any ground that Folks may have of scarring to close with Christ He hath so qualified the Object of this Grace in the Gospel that these in all the World that Men would think should be secluded are taken in to be Sharers of it for its Sinners lost Sinners Self-destroyers Ungodly the Sheep that have wandered the Poor the Needy the Naked the Captives the Prisoners the Blind c. according to that of Isa 61.1 2. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me He hath sent me to preach glad tydings to the meek or poor to bind up the broken-hearted to proclaim liberty to the captives the opening of the prison to them that are bound c. and Isa 55.1 These who are invited to come to the cryed Fair of Grace are such as are thirsty and such as want money who among Men use to be secluded but in Graces-Mercat they only are welcome it 's to them that Grace says He come and Rev. 22.17 Whosoever will let him come and take of the water of life freely it 's not only to say so with reverence these whom He willeth but it 's whosoever will and so if thou wilt come Grace puts the Offer into thy Hand as it were to carve on to let us know that He allows strong Consolation on Believers and that either the Hearers of this Gospel shall Believe or be left without all excuse He hath it to say as it is Isa 5. what could I have done to my vineyard that I have not done If ye had the Offer at your own carving what could ye put more in it it cannot be more free than without money it cannot be more seriously press'd than with a Ho and Oyes to come Sometimes He complains as John 5.40 Ye will not come to me that ye might have life and sometimes weeps and moans because Sinners will not be gathered as Luk. 19.41 42. and Matth. 23.37 can there be any greater evidences of reality in any Offer A third Warrand is from the manner and form of Christ's Administration He hath condescended to make a Covenant and many Promises to draw Folks to Believe to which He hath added His Oath swearing by Himself when He had not a greater to swear by for our Confirmation and Consolation as it is Heb. 6.16 17. And among Men ye know that an Oath puts an end to all Contraversie and what would ye or could ye seek more of God than His Saying Writing and Swearing He hath done all this that the heirs of Promise may have strong
few 1. There are some that stumble at the Messenger some at the Message Some thought Christ a Friend of Publicans and Sinners and said He had a Devil and so they said of John Baptist There are some that can abide neither free nor fair Speaking and they think it 's not the Word but the Speaker that they offend at but Prejudices against the Carriers of the Word have never done good but much ill and ye would guard against them 2. Sometimes there is a stumbling at the Spiritual Truths of the Gospel and a sort of new-fangleness in the Hearers of it that lasts not John's Hearers rejoiced in his light for a season something of it also was in Christ's Hearers but they soon turned the Back on Him when He tells them of eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood and of the necessity of it else they could have no Life in them This say they is a hard saying and who can bear it If we would consider these things we might see convincing Causes of our little Thriving and they might also through God's Blessing be made use of for directions to Thriving and if we could once bring you to be single and serious in Hearing and spiritually Thrifty in making use of every Sermon and Sabbath for edification we had gained a great point of you SERMON XI ISAIAH LIII I Who hath believed our report And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed IF we would soberly consider the frame of the most part of Men and Women that live under the Gospel it would be hard to know whether it were more strange that so few should receive the Report and be brought to believe for all that can be said of Jesus Christ or whether that among the generality of Hearers that do not receive the Report there are so few that will let it light but that they Believe It 's wonderful and strange to see Unbelief so rife and it 's as strange and wonderful that among these many Unbelievers there are so few that think they want Faith Ye remember the last day we proposed to answer this Doubt or Question What can be the reason that when so few Believe all almost think they Believe and then to speak a word to the last Use that rises from the Matter that formerly we have handled on these Words We shew you and we think the Scripture is very clear for it That among the generality that hear the Gospel they are very rare and thin sawen that do believe it and yet go thorow them all there will not one among many be found but will assert they Bâ—lieve and they will to speak so be crabbed and picqued to tell them that they want Faith and so the most part of Hearers live and die in this Delusion a thing that Experience clears as well as the Word of God and a thing that doleful Experience will clear at the great Day therefore some are brought in saying Luk 13.26 We have eaten and drunken in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets to whom Christ will say I know you not depart fâ—om me which doth import this much that some will come as it were to the very Gate of Heaven having no doubt of their Faith and Interest in God or of their entry into it and will therefore in a manner plead with Christ to be in and who would never once doubt of it nor put it in question but they were Believers and in Friendship with Him Although there will be no such debate or dispute after Death or at the Day of Judgement yet it says this â—hat many Hearers of the Gospel have drunken in this opinion which goes to Death with them and no Preaching will beat them from it that they are Believers and in gâ—oâ—â—erms with God till the intimation of the Sâ—ntence of Condemnation do it and the Wrath and Curse of God meet them in the Face And O how terrible a disappointment will such meet with in that Day May it not then very reasonably and justly be enquired what can be the reason â—nd cause when this is granted so generally to be a truth that there are few Believers that yet it should be â—s true that few question or make any doubt of theiâ— Faith and how this comes to pass I shall give you some reasons of it which if ye would think upon and suffâ—r to sink down in your Hearts ye would not marvel that so many are in this Mistake and Desusion and would put many of you to have quite other thoughts of your own condition then ye have We shall only speak to such Reasons as are sinful culpable upon your part The Reasons then are these First The most part never seriously think on the matter whether they Believe or not or they never put their Faith to a tryal if the foolish Virgine light her Lamp and never look whether there be Oyl in it and take on a fair outward Profession of Religion and never look what is within it or how it is lined to speak so what wonder she go up and down with the Lamp in her hand and never know whether there be Oyl in her Vessel or not since she never considers nor puts the Matter to proof and tryal The People are expostulated with Isai 44. from ver 9. for making of Images That a Man should cut down a Tree and with one piece of it should warm himself with another piece of it should bake his Bread and of a third piece should make a god and fall down and worship it and this is given for the ground of it ver 18 19. They have not known and understood and none considereth in his heart or as the word is seeth to his heart they consider not that that cannot be a god Folks would think that natural Reason might easily discover this folly We are perswaded that some of you will think your Faith as great a Folly when there shall be as clear evidences to prove the roâ—tenneâ—s of your Faith and Hope as there were even to common Sense to prove the Image made of a piece Tree not to be God when it shall be found and â—eclâ—red that though ye were never convinced of Sin nor of your Misery and lost Condition were never humbled nor touched under the kindly sense of it never fled to Jesus Christ in earnest nor never had the exercise of Gâ—ace yet out over the want of all these ye would needs keep up a good opinion of your Faith and Hope We say the reason why ye entertain this conceit and opinion is because ye never sit down seriously and soberly before God to consider the Matter nor do ye put your selvâ—â— to Proof and Tryal Let me therefore pose your Consciences if ye who have this opinion of your Faith durst assert to Him that this Faith of yours is the result of your serious Examination and Tryal is it not rather a guessing of fanciful opinion that ye Believe
as it 's one of the things that it seeks in Prayer so it 's one of the things that it eyeth in Repentance It 's much affected with the want of it confesses it to Him and aggredges the Sin thereof against it self from this ground that it loves nor Christ as it should I know not if there be much of this among us many will be sorry if they fall in drunkenness or in any other gross Sin but O! how few repent of their want of Love to Christ and that He gets not His own room in the heart 3. Where this Love is it is ever Suâ—picious and Jealous lest the heart cliver anâ— cleave to some other thing and give it room to the prâ—judice of Christ It 's a sad thing when folks let their affections go our at random and are not afraid lest they out-shoot themselves in loving the World their Pleasures their Credit c. But rather they are like the whore in the Proverbs who sayes come and let us take our fill of loves Love to Christ hath a Weanedness from these things and a Jealousy least they usurp a room in the heart that is not due to them Because as John sayes There is not a consistency betwixt the love of God and the love of the world in the heart and therefore it 's the watchfull care of a poor Bâ—liever to keep out inordinat love of the World and of these things that the heart is given to go a whoreing after Hâ—nce David prayes Psal 1â—9 Incline my heart to thy law and not to covetousness and Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity There is in too many a sort of râ—oted confidence that they love Christ and they nâ—ver suspect themselves of the contâ—are when yet some other thing hath his room 2dly There is ground here to exhort you to believe on Him as the Prince of Life and a Saviour that is well fitted and qualified to give Repentance and Remission of Sins And this is the very native Use that flows from this Doctrine even to lay a solid ground of Faith to a Soul lying under the sense of Sin to step forward to Godâ— Bar with confidence Considering Jesus Christ Crucified and put to Soul-travel for Elect Sinners who should betake themselves to Him Which if it had not been there had not been any ground for Faith And the lower He came in His Sufferings we have the more native and broad ground of Faith and the stronger motive to draw us to take hold of Him and to found and fix our Faith on His Satisfaction To clear this Branch of the Use a little 1. Consider here a ground for Faith in a fourfold respect And 2. The force of the motives that arise from these grounds pressing a sensible Sinner to exercise Faith on them or on Him by them And 3. The necessity that we are under so to do For the First 1. In general There is ground here to bring the heart to be through in the Historicall Faith of what is spoken concerning the Truths of the Covenant For doth not this Soul-travel of Our Lord say That Men are lying Naturally in a sinfull Condition and obnoxious to Wrath That there is a Covenant past betwixt the Father and the Son for delivering of Elect Sinners out of that Condition and that by the Sufferings of the Mediator And that by our betaking of our selves to Him we may be fred from Sin and Wrath Otherwayes why did the Mediator come thus low except it had been true that man was under a Debt that he could not pâ—y And why â—id the Father send His Son except He had been really minded that He should offer Himself up a propitiatory Sacrifice to God for Mans Sin And His accepting of the Satisfaction tells plainly that He was content that the Cautioners Payment should stand for the Principal Debtors All this supposeth a Covenant which is as real as if we had seen and had been Ear-witnesses of the reading over of the Covenant in all the Articles of it we wish that many were come this length as to be confirmed in the Historicall Faith of the General Truths of the Gospel summed up in Christs Sufferingâ— And there cannot be any serious Râ—ading or Hearing of Christs Sufferings but theâ—e must also be some considering of their Riâ—e and End if it be otherwise we do but superficially run over them 2. As this shews the Lords Seriousness in pressing the offer of Redemption on Sinners so it calleth you to be Serious in accepting of it According to that in John 12. When I am lifted up I will draw all men after mâ— Where Christs lifting up is made an Attractive to draw lost Sinners after Him And can their be a greater ground of Faith or a stronger motive to perswade a Sinner to be reconciled to God and to rest upon Christs Satisfaction in order to that then this That Jesus Christ hath purposly laid down His Life and undergone Suffering even to such an extremity to bring it about 3. When we say that Christ's Soul-travel calls for Faith It requires this and gives ground for it That they that betake themselves to Christ for Justification before God may confidently commit themselves to His guiding in all other things For will He not be tender of them in these when out of respect to them when there was not a Covenant betwixt Him and them though they were mentioned in the Covenant of Redemption He laid down His Life and Suffered such things for them May we not from this Reason as the Apostle doeth Rom. 8. He that spared not his own son but gave him to the death for us how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Can there be a greater ground for Sinners that fear to give Him credit to trust Him with all things that concern them then this That He suffered so much for them 4. Having betaken our selves 〈◊〉 Him it serves to confirm our Faith and to bring us to the quieting of our selves in resting on Him and acquiescing in Him For what more could we require for ouâ— settlement and quieting then this That Hâ— hath come so low and condescended so faâ—â— for the behove of poor Sinners Therefore in all these respects let me exhort you and in His Name Who was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him Obtest you not to keep at distance from Him but take with your Sin by Faith to fl e unto Him and to the efficacy of His Blood O! Yeeld your selves by Faith to Him for use making of Him for your Juâ—tification And a little more particularly let me here speak a word to two soâ—ts of Persons 1. To them that are yet strangers to God 2. To them that are looking towards Christ And 1. For you that are strangers to God whose hearts were never yet â—ffected with the Conviction of the necessity of believing who can lye down and rise up without
serious thoughts of your Souls estate or of the necessity of making sure your Peace with God I beseech you lay to heart your Condition and bewar of trampling the Blood of the Covenant under your Feet let not the Grace that is offered to you in this Gospel be heard and received in vain but by the acknowledgement of Sin and of Gods Justice to which ye are lyable for the same timously betake your selves to Christ's Suffering for a shelter from the Wrath of God that will be as a Storm against the Wall Thus we press as the great Use of this Doctrine upon you that ye improve the Cup of Wrath that the Mediâ—tor hath Drunken for your exempting from the Curse that is due to you and that Cup that ye deserved to have Dâ—unken Eternally 2. For you who under the Conviction of Sin are looking towards Christ let me intreat you not to stay on this side of the City of refuge but step forward and improve this Soul-travel of the Lord for your Spiritual Ease Setlement Quiet and Comfort as well as from keeping you from Wrath otherwayes it will bring bitternesse in the End If ye make not use of Christ's Sufferings if ye betake not youâ— selves to Him and do not trust Him for Justification and Life ye will make your selves guilty oâ— His Blood and will be found traders of it under Foot And therefore let me here speak a Word to the Second thing proposed That is the Grounds or Reasons or Motives that should press you to make Use of these Sufferings and of the Grounds of Faith that they hold out unto you And 1. In General let me ask Is there not need that ye should do so Is there not Guilt and hazard of Wrath because of Guilt and if â—o Why stand ye at a distance â—rom the Saviour If it were Sinless Saints and Angels that were exhorted to make Use of H m it would be the leâ—s wonder that there were so little thinking of a Mediator but when it is Sinners that are called upon and Sinners in such eminent hazâ—rd it 's indeed a wonder that there iâ— not greater flocking unto Him and pressing on Him If there had noâ— been need would the Father have so pursued the Son or do ye think that it was for a Complement that He laid down His Life Which sure He would not have done if Salvation could have been had another way 2dly And more particularly As ye would consider the marvellous Grounds that He hath laid down for Faith to rest upon so ye would consider the many Motives that ye have to press you to rest on these Grounds which we shall draw to these Four 1. The Fulness and Sufficiency of the Ground that is given to Faith in Christs Sufferings which the deeper they draw on His Soul Faâ—th hath the Fuller and Better Ground to make Use of them 2. The Power and Ability that are Conspicuously in Him to make Application of His Purchase He hath encountered Wrath and hath overcome He is Absolved and Justified before God and is exalted to be a prince and a saviour to give repentance to Israel and remission of sins And having Satisfied Justice and defeated the Devil and being thus exalted He can bring through and land fate such Sinners as betake themselves to Him And these two to wit A sufficient Price payed for the Debt of the Elect And a sufficient Prince and Saviour able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God through Him and who is Exalted and sitteth at God's Right Hand to make Intercession for us as they are a solid Ground for Faith to rest on so a strong Motive to press believing 3. The great Faithfulnesse of God that Brightly Shines and Wonderfully appears here who according to the Covenant sends His Son and pursues the Quarrel against Him and in so doing keeps the Promise made to Abraham And the great Faithfulnesse of the Meadiator in coming and performâ—ng all that He undertook for the Elect Both of them are so faithfull in performing all that was Covenanted to the least ioâ—a thereof as is evidenâ— by what our Lord sayes I have finishâ—d the work which thou gavest me to do Seing therefore there is such exact Faithfulnesse in Keeping and Fulfilling of all that passed in the Covenant of Redemption and of all that was Promised to the Fathers And seing the Mediator hath said that of all that come unto him he will cast out none nor put thâ—m away is there not here a strong Motive to believing Will not the Lord Jesus be as Faithfull in keeping the Promise made to Comers unto Him as the Faâ—her and He have been in performing of what was Covenanted concerning their Redemption The 4th Is the great Love of God and of the Mediator that eminently shined here in their willingness to make the Application As He is Faithfull so is He willing to be imployed and what greater evidence of Love would we have then this That Our Lord Jesus hath delighted so much in the Salvation of Sinners that He laid down His Life and endured much more Soul travel for this very End We beheld sayes John Chap. 1.14 his glory the glory as of the only begotten Son of the Fatherfull of grace and truth In His Humiliation He was G orious in both these Glorious in His Truth making His Faithfulnesse to shine in exact keeping of what was Aggreed upon and Promised Glorious in His Grace to poor Sinners in making Application of His Purchase Freely and Fully yea the more that He was obscured by His Humiliation the more did His Grace shâ—ne forth how much more Gloriâ—us will He be in these when He is now exalted 3dly If these two perswade you not to believe on Him To wit the Grounds that He hath given for belâ—eving and the powerfully pressing Moâ—ives to make Use of these Grounds consider the absolute necessity that ye lye under of making use of these Grounds without which ye will never be able to shift the Wrath of God Is there any that can give God a Recompence The redemption of the Soul is precious and ceases for ever as to you Or if any could have been able Why did the Mâ—diâ—tor come thus low And where should have been the Glory of Grace and Truth that hath shined so Radiantly in His Sufferings And therefore from all these be exâ—orted to give Him the Credit of your Sâ—lvation by making Use of His Righteousnesâ— and by founding your Plea before God on His Sufferings as ever ye would have your Souls saved Otherwayes ye can expect nothing but to fall under the Rigour of Justice and to be made to satisfy for your own Debt to the uttermost farthing and when will that be Darâ— the most innocent amongst you step in to satisfy Justice for themselves if not is there not a necessity to make Use of His Sufferings for that End Which He haâ—h made attainable by His Tearing of the Vail of His
your very hearts open to it without which ye can never expect to be Justified before the Tribunal of God Now let God Himself blesse the same Word to you through Jesus Christ SERMON LVIII ISAIAH LIII XI Verse 11. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities SOme further and more serious apprehensions of our Sin and hazard would make the reading of these Words to be refreshful and welcome to us The stayed thoughts of an Arrestment laid upon us to appear before God's Tribunal and to reckon for our Debt would make us think much of a Cautioner The want whereof make the glad tydings of the Gospel to be tastlesse and without relish This is the great scope of these Words to shew how a Summonded Sinner arraigned at Gods Bar may be Justified and fred from the charge that he is lyable to For sayes the Prophet By his knowledge who is the surity of the Covenant shall many be justâ—fied That which we last left at was this That Faith in Christ receiving and resting on Him is necessary for the attaining of Justification so that in Gods way these are so linked and knit together That never one shall be Justified but a Believer Though there be a Righteousnesse in Christ yet it shall be derived and communicated to none come to Age but to these who by Faith betake themselves to Christ what way the Lord takes with infants Elect Infants I mean is not that which the Prophet aimes to speak of though it be Christs Righteousnesse that is communicated to them as well as it is to them who are at Age yet as to the manner of communicating it God hath His own way which we know not Now that we may learn in speaking to these Truths not only to get some Light for informing of our Judgement but also some help for our practice take two or three Uses ere we proceed any further The 1. Use then is To let you see the absolute necessity of believing in Christ Jesus and that it is as necessary for the attaining of our Justification as Christs dying is For our Justification is an effect flowing from several Causes and the want of any of them will mar it There must necessarly be a concurrance of them all to bring it about And therefore though their be an excellent worth in Christs Righteousnesse yet there is a necessity of Faith to lay hold upon it and to make it ours Gods order in the Covenant bears this out wherein he hath knit the Promise of Pardon of Sin and of Justification to Faith and resting on Christ and there is good reason for it As 1. The Lord will have a Sinner to know what he is obliged to Christ which Faith contributs much unto For Faith stands not in the way of the freedom of Justification but rather commends it for the Lord would have us know that we hold our Life of Him and not to receive Him by Faith is an evidence of highest presumption Therefore it 's said Rom. 4.16 It is by faIth that it might be of grace God hath chosen this way that the freenesse of His Grace in pardoning of Sin may be seen 2. The Lord by this le ts the unbeliever know that the reason of his own ruine is of himself There shall not be one unbeliever found that shall have it to say that the blame lay on God or on Christ because the offer was made to them on condition of receiving it by Faith and they not performing the condition their Guilt is aggreged by their slighting of the offer It 's true that we are not now dealling with them who down-right deny the Truth of this Doctrine but alace what better are they who do in their practice deny it and live senslesly and securely under the Gospel We conceive that there are Three sorts of Persons that have need of a Word to be spoken to them here 1. Such as live carelesly and securely as we just now said as if God required nothing of them at all as they were born they know not how so they live they know not how and when they are pressed to a change of their state and way they make excuses partly from the sinfulnesse of their Nature that they can do nothing partly from the abundant Grace of God that He must do all But it will never excuse you that ye wanted Grace and had a Sinful Nature for whom I pray can ye blame for it ye that make a bachel of His mercy if ye continue to do so shall never get good of it For He hath said that He will Justifie and save none but the Believer There is none other that hath the promise of Pardon it is not made to any thing that is to be brought forth or done by your own strength or by the strength of Nature or of free-will But God hath laid down this order and method and made it known that ye should believe and receive the offer of Christ in the Gospel renunce your own Righteousnesse and betake you to Christ's Righteousnesse otherwayes ye cannot on good ground expect to be Justified 2. Others will set about many things that are good but the Work of believing they can never be brought to mind or own they will make a sort of Conscience of Prayer of keeping the Church of reading the Scriptures c. But to give obedience to the Command of Believing they mind it not they can live and die without it This was the woful and Soul-ruining practice of the Jews of old as we are told Rom. 9. They took much pains to come by Righteousnesse but they attained it not because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the law for they stumbled at that stumbling stone when they had gone part of the way as it were and come to the Stone of believing there they fell and brake their necks Hence there are many who promise Heaven to themselves and think that they have done something for it who yet never laid hold on Christ for their Justification but let me tell you that though you could go the greatest length in Holinesse that ever any did since Adams fall it will not avail you if ye neglect Faith in Christ I say not this to disswade you from the Duties of Holinesse God forbid but to divert you from seeking Justifiâ—ation by them study the Duties of Holinesse but seek alwayes by any means to be found in Christ and in His Righteousnesse and not in the Righteousnesse of your Duties as to your Justification It is true none that have any tollerable measure of Knowledge will profâ—sse down right that they lean to holy Duties yet many are so ignorant that they cannot distinguish betwixt Faith and Works and there are not a few who have a hope of Heaven such as it is who nâ—ver knew any thing of the exercise of believing A 3d. Sort are these who because of some