weakly This for direction And remember this last which I shall conclude with that of the Prophet Ez. 18.24 If the Righteous man turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquity and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doth shall he live all his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not be mentioned in his trespasse that he hath trespassed and in his sinne that he hath sinned shall he dye saith the Lord. Shall I need adde any thing for motive I should thinke not but only call upon you to get eyes to see your sad and undone condition in which you are It is no wonder that you should say we have need of nothing when you thinke you are rich Get but a true understanding 1. Of your owne vile and undone condition what an hell you carry about with you 2. What an hell you tread over every day and it will be enough to pricke on your soules to seeke a portion in the Lord Jesus Christ especially if yee well consider what I have sufficiently proved to you that it is impossible that in Heaven and earth there should be found any way of salvation for your poore soules but in himselfe Now the Lord worke these things upon your hearts 2. Give me leave now to speake a word of Exhortation to you my Brethren to whom the Lord hath of his free grace given a portion in the Lord Jesus Christ and you are become his raised redeemed ones The duty which I shall in generall presse upon you is thankfulnesse O give thanks unto the Lord he remembred you in your low estate for his mercy endureth for ever O what shall ye render Christians what can ye render to the Lord for this mercy For Motives Consider but every word of the Text apart and methinks it should be Motive enough to prevaile with those that have any thing tasted of this heavenly gift First I. To open this word a little and shew you what there is in it to melt your hearts into obedience 1. I that was infinitely above thee Christ was the brightnesse of his Fathers Image God blest for ever even from all Eternity He was from Eternity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the unicè dilectus the only beloved of his Father in whom his Father tooke infinite delight he was the Prince of glory God blest for ever Now for an Eternall God to stoop to a poore worme O mercy for a King to visit an Hospitall to come with his owne hands and dresse the putrified wounds of his meanest subject it is a condescention scarse found amongst the sons of men and yet if you could find it it should come infinitely short of this condescention 2. I that did not at all need thee The Lord stood not in need of a worme the Father was pleased with the Sonne from all Eternity and taken up with delighting himselfe in him and the Sonne was againe pleased with the Father They had an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a self-sufficiency of glory and were enough each of them to other had it not been his bowels of mercy that had yerned towards thee for thy good he had never been moved towards thee from any other principle 3. I whom thou hadst offended Greater love than this is not found amongst men than for one to dye for his friend yet greater love than this hath Christ shewne that he dyed for his enemy Rom. 5.8 Scarcely for a righteous man will one dye yet peradventure for a good man some will dare to dye But God commendeth his love to us-ward in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us O love infinite unfadomable love Secondly consider the Act with its circumstances I raised thee 1. Out of a low condition What lower than hell that was thy portion Christian thou wert a child of wrath by nature even as others He remembred thee in thy low estate his mercy endureth for ever 2. To a glorious condition It is an estate more glorious than thy naturall estate was or could be miserable to be free men in Jesus Christ Rom. 6.18 into marvellous light 1 Pet. 2.9 to to be children and if children then heirs of God and joynt-heires with the Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 8.17 Heires of salvation Heb. 1.14 Heires of the Promises Heb. 11.9 Heires of the Kingdome Jam. 2.5 Ye which in times past were not a people are now the people of God you that had not obtained mercy have now obtained mercy and are become 1 Pet. 2.10 11. A chosen Generation a royall Priesthood an holy Nation a pecullar people wherefore is it but that you should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darknesse into marvellous light 3. He raised you by his owne falling yes nothing else could doe it Without bloud there had been no remission Heb 9.22 His owne soule must be grieved to the death that your soules might be comforted He must be smitten despised rejected of men that the chastisement of your peace might be upon him and by his stripes you might be healed Was ever love like his Thirdly Consider it further in the object of this Act I raised thee 1. Thee not others Thee not Angels Thee not many other men 1. Not Angels yet the Angels were far more glorious creatures which if raised had sinned no more but spent their time in singing forth his glory and serving him with cheerfull readinesse all their dayes yet Heb. 2.16 He in no wise took upon him the Nature of Angels but he tooke on him the seed of Abraham 2. If the Lord would have chosen men might not he have chosen ten thousand more great more noble more wise that in a carnall eye were by Nature cut out far more fit to have made vessels of glory of than thou art yet the Lord hath passed them by he hath passed by Eliab and Shammah that were sonnes of the same Father with thee and hath chosen thee that wert the least of all Ishmael and Esau that were thy elder brethren and hath chosen thee 2. Thee that wert as low as others Adam left thee as deep in hell as any reprobate there Loe here the infinitenesse of free grace Two were in the same house yea grinding at the same mill of iniquity and thou art taken and the other is left possibly thou wert in thy wildest youth seeming to ride faster to hell than the other were that were thy brethren friends and acquaintance yet the Lord hath raised thee and let the others lye wallowing in their bloud he hath not said to them live 3. Thee that wert his Enemy Was ever dying love yea love in dying extended to an enemy before You have heard of two stories one of a Grecian the other of a Roman paire Theseus and Perithous Pilades and Orestes that would have dyed for their friends each for another but hath any offered to dye for his Enemy Moses would offer to have his name blotted out for his people that
price thereof neither is it found in the land of the living The depth saith it is not in mee and the sea saith it is not with mee c. So may we say The Angels said it is not in us for could wee assume bodies and dye yet we were but finite Creatures and there could not be an infinite value in our death Come wee downe to the earth the Beasts and other Creatures say it is not in us for is God pleased with the deaths of Bulocks and Goats and Lambs Ah no! what sayes David Thou desirest not Sacrifice else would I give it thou delightest not in burnt Offering And again Psal 40 verse 6. Sacrifice and Offering thou didst not desire Burnt-Offering and Sinne-Offering thou hast not required Besides how shall the flesh of Bulls satisfie the guilt of another Nature Man said it is not in me No Physitian heale thy selfe Wee were all sinners and how should we pay the debt that if we could have paid our brothers debt had had as great a one for our selves to pay Can that Malefactor by his suffering death expiate for another when himself deserves to dye also and stands condemned to death for his owne demerits Besides had all man-kinde dyed they had been but as so many Prisoners laid in Gaole for debt that had not a groat to pay their lying in hell for ever had paid no debts but still increased them Well how shall the satisfaction be made shal we buy man off Alas no Salvation canot be gotten for gold nor shall silver be weighed for the price of it it cannot as job sayes of wisedome be valued with the gold of Ophyr with the precious Onyx or the Saphir The Gold and the Chrystall cannot equall it and the exchange of it shall not bee for Jewells of fine gold no mention shall bee made of Corals and of Pearles for the price of salvation is above Rubies The Topaz of Ethiopia shall not equall it neither shall it bee valued with pure gold whence then commeth salvation and where is the place of it seeing it is hid from all loving eyes and kept close from the Fowles of the aire Destruction and Death say we have heard the fame thereof with our eares God Christ understandeth the way thereof and hee knowes the place thereof Let us consider but what was necessarily required of whosoever should raise lâ—st fallen man and we shall finde this plaine enough that if Christ had not raised us up we had not been raised to this day I conceive these foure things were required of him that should undertake the raising and redemption of man in point of Justice and Reason so as to gaine acceptance with God First One that could dye God had made it his Statute The day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye Nothing but bloud would doe it Hebr. 9.22 Without shedding bloud there is no remission Justice must have its course Now upon this score neither any person of the Trinity as meerely so nor any Angell in Heaven could helpe us for these had no bloud to shed And without shedding of bloud there is no pardon and remission of sinnes Secondly It must bee the offending Nature that must satisfie againe God is the Fountain of Justice he will not let the beasts suffer for mans transgression The Lords wayes are equall The soule that sinneth that shall dye Ezech. 18.4 This shuts out all the Earth but man-kinde from making a sufficient satisfaction to infinite justice Thirdly It must bee one that can merit and satisfie by death for if by death he barely payes his own debts what becomes of ours You would laugh at that Debtor that if himselfe owes five hundred pound would undertake with foure hundred to discharge both himselfe and anothers too or at a Malefactor that being condemned himselfe to dye should offer to his fellow under the same condemnation to dye for him Now upon this score all man-kinde is excluded from finding out in it selfe a sufficient Saviour they are all under the same condemnation and when every one lay under a guilt and condemnation to dye for himself surely none could merit for another by dying especially if we consider Fourthly that the Saviour of man was not onely to satisfie but to pay an infinite satisfaction It was was an infinite God an infinite Justice that was offended and must be satisfied and a finite satisfaction would have been too short a pay for an infinite debt And now upon this score again are all creature-satisfactions excluded Let them doe their utmost infinitenesse is not in them they have a bottome may bee seene Now by this time me thinkes you should be wondring at mans salvation and crying out Lord how comes any man ever in heaven The Text tells you I raised you Christ did the worke Harke Christian and I will tell thee neither heaven nor earth could save thee alone there was nothing in heaven could suffer and there was nothing on earth could satisfie and as there was no mercy without satisfaction so there could be no satisfaction without suffering Heaven and earth therefore must bee mingled together From Heaven we must have a satisfying Nature from earth a guilty Nature and a suffering person God the Father sayes to Christ thou shalt goe and doe it Christ sayes I goe It is written that I should do thy will Father it is my delight I am content to doe it But how shall it be done saith God There shall spring up a branch out of the root of Jesse A Virgin shall conceive and beare a Sonne and that Sonne shall be my Sonne yet my Son shall not be her Sonne he shall take unto him the humane Nature and hee shall be despised smitten of God rejected of men full of sorrowes yea he shall dye and by death satisfie my wrath Thus in carne patitur Deus creator ne caro creaturae patiatur God the Creator suffers in the flesh of the Creature that the flesh of the Creature might not suffer I raised thee saith hee yes he did it when none else could doe it his arme brought salvation to us when every creatures Arme was too short yea and he did it alone hee needed no other his owne merits were enough in themselves for they were infinite and they were enough to his Father for his Father sayes hee was well pleased with him and as he needed none so he had no other Isaiah 63. verse 3. I have trodden the Wine-presse alone and of the people there was none with me I raised thee saith hee yes it was hee and he alone so I have made out my third Proposition Yet further Fourthly he hath done it This is more than all the Prophets could say they could beleeve that he would raise his redeemed ones wee can say he hath done it He hath raised all of them meritoriously some of them actually I understand by Raising a contrary condition to our Originall condition in which Adam left us he hath
and touching others 1. Touching themselves against their worldly miseries and spirit-feares 1. Art thou disconsolate Christian Compl. to thinke what a poore low estate God hath given thee in this world that thou art poore despised rejected O consider thou shalt have better in heaven The Martyrs could be comforted at their bitter breakfast to thinke they should have a good supper There is a roome prepared for thee in glory O be comforted in the hopes of glory When thou canst say I have not bread to eat yet Christ is mine I have not a foot of land yet Heaven is mine I am worth nothing yet I blesse God I have a portion in Jesus Christ It is enough Christian it is enough against thy spirit-fears be comforted 2. Compl. Ah saith a Christian my sins my great sins that my youth hath been guilty of make me feare and sit downe in bitternesse yet be comforted if thou beest changed Christ hath raised thee hee paid ransome enough for thee if thy sinnes were greater than they are It was a sad saying to remember such were some of you but it was joyfull newes to consider But now you are washed now you are cleansed 3. Compl. c. But alas saith the Christian I sinne every day my backslidings are many I sinne in my righteousnesse my best duties are sinne Consider Christian Christ is still raising thee by pleading for thee it is his work to make intercession for the Saints 4. Compl. But alas saith the Christian If God be with me if Christ be mine why am I thus why doe I walke heavily I answer Because God sees it fit for thee thou mayst be raised both meritoriously and actually though not comfortably and sensibly God will shine upon thee when he thinks good the Sun shines where it lists 5. Compl. Ah But I feare I shall fall away saith another I have a base heart full of corruption c. Dost thou feare and why dost thou so sinne Dost thou thinke Christ hath taken all this paines with thee for nothing No no be assured as Heaven is purchased for thee so it shall be given to thee Christ useth not to doe his worke by the halves I have not lost one of them saith Christ he knowes them by name they cannot be missing his worke shall not be in vaine concerning any one of his chosen ones Secondly Let Christians from hence be comforted concerning others 1. Such of their friends as they may sadly feare have as yet no portion in the Lord Jesus Christ O pray for them weep for them speake to them in the name of the Lord and yet hope that though they be not actually raised yet they may be meritoriously raised There is many a one that hath a white name in Gods Election-booke and whose name Christ hath engraven upon his hands that to us is yet a black child of wrath a stranger to the Covenant of Grace If their names be there Christ will in his owne time raise him betwixt this and the Judgment day there is a spare roome in Heaven for them 2. Art thou disconsolate to see some of thy friends in great terrors in great afflictions of spirit O rejoyce over them Christian it is probable Christ is raising of them Be assured if they be his he will raise them there is not the lowest worme that belongs to Christ but he hath provided an high place for them Not the most blubber'd-eyed uncomely Christian in thine eyes in the world but Jesus Christ hath provided an handkerchiefe to wipe all teares from their eyes Christ hath raised them and will raise them One Branch of my use of Instruction I forgate in its due place take it now in a word We may hence be instructed and let us learne how much Christ deserves our cleaving to him in the wildernesse in all trials and crosses whatsoever I take this to be the proper use of this Text. The Spouse had fancied to her selfe what the world would say of her how they would admire her dependance upon Christ when he seemed to leave her and make her sad Christ replyes in the words of the Text I raised thee up under the Apple-tree c. As much as to say And doe I not deserve all this love and a great deale more Is it for nothing that thou thus cleavest to me Remember what thou wert by Nature Remember who hath done all the good for thee that is done for thy soule I raised thee up under the Apple-tree there thy mother brought thee forth there she brought thee forth that bare thee