reason even with admiration and astonishment to take notice of his singular philanthropie the freenes and the greatnesse of his grace shewed to the lost sonnes of Adam in that when he saw them and the Apostate Angels both equally lost and undone lying in a forlorne estate and condition under his wrath and judgement of eternall death he was pleased passing by the Angels and leaving them fast bound in chaines of darknesse reserved to the iudgement of the great day to cast upon the sons of Adam a pittifull and a gracious eye Judae and to finde out a meanes to recover and to restore them againe by this his sonne Say no more What is man that thou art thus mindfull of him or the son of man that thou thus visitest him Psal 8. Thou hast made him lower then the Angells for in this respect the Lord hath made him higher then the Angels For he took not upon him the nature of Angels but he took upon him the seed of Abraham And therefore secondly is he said to be given Nobis to us To us exclusively excluding the Angels falne which stood in as great need of his redemption as man did Againe Nobis to us inclusivè including all those that receive benefit by Christ and so this Nobis to us may be understood first Personally of Isay and all such faithfull servants of Gods as Isay was Secondly Nationallly To us that is to us Jews the seed of Abraham the people of the Covenant to whom belong the promises and in particular this of the Messiah descending of us Thirdly Vniversally to us that is to all nations of the world parum est saith the Lord Isa 49.6 It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the Tribes of Iacob to restore the preserved of Israel I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou maist be my salvation unto the ends of the earth So that the Jew cannot say to the Gentile he was given for us and not for you nor the Gentile to the Jew he was given for us and not for you nor the Greeke to the Barbarian he was given for us not for you nor the Barbarian to the Greek hee was given to us and not to you Nor these that were under the Law to those that were before the Law hee was given to us and not to you nor these that live under the Gospell to those that lived under the Law hee is given to us and not to you for he is given to them all to the Gentile as well as to the Jew the Greek as well as to the Barbarian to those that were under the Law aswell as to those that are under the Gospell to those that were before both aswell as to either of them both and therefore let all these take comfort in him let them all challenge their interest in him and every of them with hope confidence say as in the Text Unto us this son is given I am not willing here though it falls just in my way to engage in that great question which hath so much troubled the world touching the Latitude and extent of this gift we are speaking of to whom or to how many it may appertaine or was intended I know there are errours on both hands while some extend it not onely to all the sonnes of Adam Origen c. I had once a dispute with a Knight in Lincolne shiere one S. W. Hickman a zealous Origenist in this point but even to the Divells too and apostate Angells unto all which they say he was given and by whom in the end they shall all bee restored saved Others on the other hand limit it to a certaine definite number of men fore thought on long before the world was for that purpose and then by an unchangeable immoveable and irresistable decree set forth and designd to salvation by Jesus Christ in time to be given to them and they to him by the father and this number so inconsiderable in comparison of the rest that perish that by their computation and account scarsly the ten thousandth man of the sons of Adam shall be saved But who are we that we should thus limit the holy one of Israel and why should our eye be evill if his be good Indeed this doctrine if true to those few they speak of how few so ever they be must needs be pretious it magnifies beyond measure the riches of that graâ—e to them wards which hath made such a difference where it found none it binds them for ever to love much to whom so much is given and forgiven but what a sad yea what a desperate condition doth it cast the whole world of the rest of the sonnes of Adam into Nay what an imputation doth it lay upon the Lord God in the highest of his attributes the attribute of his grace and goodnesse unto his creature as if hee did make the world wel nigh for no other intent but that thereby he might have an occasion to win honour unto himselfe in one of his attributes the attribute of his justice in destroying it But surely when I consider the nature of our heavenly Father as he hath beene pleased to make himselfe out unto his creature both in his word and workes when I coÌ„sider the value the inestimable value of the price that was laid down for our redemptioÌ„ even the pretious blood of the sonne of God a price sufficient to have ransom'd a thousand worlds when I consider that by giving his sonne to dye for us the Lord had found out a way whereby he had made the salvation of all men possible without prejudice or impeachment of his truth or justice when I read the glorious prophesies of the Prophets of old and especially of the Evangelicall Prophet of the abuÌ„daÌ„ce of grace purchased unto the Church by the Messiah the glory of his kingdome when I read of the paralel between the 2 Adams how in every reddition of it the second hath the preeminence When I consider the vastnes of the Emperean heavens the habitation of the Saints the place appointed for the just to dwell in Revel A space that no man can measure for multitudes that no man can number I am easily persuaded to beleeve that the Lord by Jesus Christ hath opened a greater and a wider dore into the kingdome of heaven then these men are perswaded of that it doth neither stand with the nature of his grace and goodnesse and love to his creature nor with the honour of Christ his Mediatorship nor suit with the price of that blood that was paid for our ransome nor with the glory of the prophesies of old or the promises since of the abundance of grace and glory of Christs kingdome nor the latitude of the covenant made unto the Church that the remnant of Adams sons that returne should be so small or the berries upon the Olive
the mystery of godlinesse and what 's that 2 Cor. 5.19 God manifested in the flesh Joh. 1.4 God in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe 2 Cor. 5. The Word made flesh Joh. 1. A mystery indeed which the Angels themselves desire to looke into 1 Pet. 1.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Originall to pry into to the very bottome implying that the farther they pry into it the farther they may and the more still they discover of the mysterie affording matter of admiration even to those Angelicall spirits And although wee are not able to looke so farre into this great mystery as those Angelicall spirits are nor to discover so much of it as they doe yet let it be seriously lookt into and the discerning spirit will easily perceive how in this high mystery all the most glorious Attributes of Almighty God doe meet together and worke together and in most eminent manner display themselves how his wisedome his power his justice and his grace are all set aworke in this great designe and the result of them all is just the burthen of the Angels song Glory to God on high peace on earth beneath Luk. 2.14 and towards men good will 1 First his wisedome in laying the plot in contriving the way how mankind lost should be restored and saved and yet he not suffer in the honour of his truth and justice which had past against them the sentence of death In quo die commederis morte morieris Gen. 2.17 In the day that thou eatest thou shalt die the death 2 Secondly his power in bringing this about being contrived against so great oppositions so many difficulties standing in the way and effecting it with such happy successe as he hath done though it cost him deare 3 Thirdly his justice in punishing sin so severely and that in his owne Sonne being but an undertaker for it and that meerly out of his love and compassion to poore soules lost and undone that they might not perish 4 Fourthly his grace in being at such cost to save and to restore sinfull men his enemies that had so highly offended him and undone themselves All these may he that runneth read in this mystery There s in the 85. Psalme and 10. verse a sweet passage of the Prophet David Mercy and truth are met together righteousnesse and peace have kissed each other Behold in this mystery they are met together and in this glorious designe they kisse each other His mercy such that rather then mankind shall perish his owne and onely sonne shall become a Child take their nature upon him and in that nature suffer all that mankind should have suffered and doe all that hee should have done that so all this being imputed unto him he might have the benefit of it that he might be excused from suffering and accepted in the sight of God as holy as innocent and as just as if he had never offended And yet his justice such that rather then sinne shall goe unpunished hee would punish it in his owne sonne yea and that with great severity too he would not spare him although in the extremity of the conflict he begg'd of him that he would he desired that that cup might passe from him Matth. 26.39 yet he would not heare him nor excuse him but laid on load of wrath and justice upon him gave him up to the bitternesse of death and lockt him up in the prison of the grave till hee had paid the uttermost farthing of our debt See here how in this mystery mercy and truth are met together righteousnesse and peace in this Child and in this Sonne kisse each other Behold how the wisedome and the power the justice and the grace of Almighty God all worke together and proclaime with loud voyce Glory to God on high And these make up the first part of the Angels song The second part of their song proclaimes good will unto men and declares the unspeakable good which by this mystery they receive and there are five great blessings and benefits which they receive by it 1 First the ennobling of their natures what an honour is this to our flesh to be taken into union with the divine nature in the person of the Sonne of God What an exaltation is this of our nature that the Prince of Glory should vouchsafe to cloth him selfe with it and in it to appeare and converse among the sonnes of men but how much more that in it hee hath victoriously triumphed over sinne death hell and the grave that in it he is ascended into heaven and there sitteth on the right hand of the Father in that part of our flesh which hee tooke hath taken possession of heaven for us and in our names of the heavenly mansions which hee hath purchased and provided for us Quid est homo Lord what is man that thou shouldest thus consider him Psal 8 4. or the sonne of man that thou shouldest thus regard him thou hast made him little lower then the Angels Nay in this respect higher then the Angels for he tooke not upon him the nature of Angels Hebâ— but hee tooke upon him the nature of Adam the seed of Abraham hence arises a nearer affinity consanguinity rather betweene Christ and us then is between Christ and the Angels he becoming flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone by this are wee made sonnes of God brethren of Christ and coheirs with him of an Inheritance in glory Gen. 2 23. Ephes 5.30 This is an high priviledge and a great benefit which wee receive by this mystery The enobling of our natures And 2 The second is like unto this The enabling of our natures to gratious and spirituall performances of holy and heavenly duties for by vertue of this union of our natures with his and his with ours thâ—re flowes from him into us an influence of grace by which he through his spirit lives in us and workes in us by which he informes actuates and animates us as the soule doth the body of which it is the forme hence followes the enabling of our natures to holy and spirituall performances by vertue of this influence of grace of Christ by his spirit living in us and working in us we are enabled to live that life which is according to godlinesse to mortifie our corruptions to deny our selves with all our corrupt lusts and passions to crucifie the flesh to despise the world with all the corruptions that are in it through lust to doe and to suffer for his name above the power of nature by a higher power and principle of grace received from above This is a second benefit derived unto us from this mystery 3. The third is an interest in the Lord Jesus and with him in all that is his in all his righteousnesse merits holinesse obedience in all that he hath done and suffered for us it is all ours wee have a right in it for from this
of one shall many be made righteous when you are able to compare these two together and to suit the paralell in all the parts of it As and so thē have you learn'd Christ crucified aright It is something to know Christ crucified in grosse that Iesus Christ came into the world to save sinners this is something it gives the Fisith of adherence but when you are able to know this more distinctly to take his obedience his merits his righteousnesse into parts to discover what grace what comfort each part doth peculiarly afford and then suitably to apply it to that part of your spirituall disease for the cure whereof it is intended thē does the soule take in full satisfaction then is it confirm'd with strong cosolation We read in the 4. Chap. of the 2. of Kings how Elesha going to raise the Shunamits child from death to life he went up the bed where the child lay 2. Kings 4. and hee stretcht himselfe upon the child and laid his face to the childs face his eyes to the childs eyes his hands to the childs hands and applied himselfe unto it part by part and so the flesh of the child grew warme and he neesed 7 times and revived so wee if wee can apply our selves to this child in my text part by part by a particular and distinct knowledge and application of his righteousnesse merits and obedience to our soules not the child but we which are dead in sins and trespasses by vertue and grace derived from him shall revive and live And this is the peculiar grace which wee receive from this part of his obedience his incarnation even the sanctification of our natures in and from the wombe and the healing of them of that deadly disease which we bring into the world with us our originall sin And now when you understand this aright when you consider what inestimable grace we derive from this degree of our Lords humiliation when you understand what infinite benefits he hath purchased unto his Church by this part of his obedience you will the lesse wonder at the wonder The wonder indeed of wonders THE INCARNATION OF THE LORD OF GLORY God manifested in the flesh That he which was in the forme of God and thought it no robbery to be equall with God yet should thus annihilate himselfe as to make himselfe of no reputation for our sakes stoop so low to doe us good that he whom the heaven of heavens is not able to containe should be content to be imprisoned in the narrow circle darksome cell of a Virgins wombe that hee which was the Prince of heaven sitting in state and Maiesty at the right hand of his father should as an Infant suck the breasts of his Mother that he should strip himselfe of his Robes of glory to be wrapt in swadling cloathes and come downe from thundering in Heaven to cry in a Cradle No marvell then if among all the passages of his humiliation the Church celebrate this as a wonder of wonders well worthy a roome in her despised Liturgie When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man thou didst not abhor the Virgins Wombe And so we leave the Child borne in the armes of his Mother Transitio while in the next place wee consider a while the gift of the Father Vnto us a Sonne is given The words at the first sound of them speake a great mercy from God The second branch of the second generall and bespeake a proportionable measure of thankfulnesse from man in returne of it with what earnest suits have holy men and women importun'd the Lord that hee would be pleased to give them a sonne With what ioy and thankfulnes have they received him when hee was given Abraham Sarah Hannah the Shunamite to both these bear witnesse upon record why behold of this mercy are we all partakers in a more eminent manner then all or any of them were For Vnto us a Sonne is given There are two things which doe wonderfully magnify the grace and bounty of Almighty God in this marvellous gift bestowed upon the sonnes of men 1. The greatnesse of it It is a Sonne 2. The Freenesse of it It is a gift 1. The greatnesse of it Of all the good perfect gifts that have beene from above or that ever came downe from the Father of Lights there was never any like this the gift of the son of that Father what could the Lord have parted with or given unto us that was more deare unto him then his owne sonne out of his own bosome it was more then if hee had Given us the heathen for our inheritance or the uttermost arts of the earth for our possession we read of our Saviour that When he ascended up on high Ephes 4. hee led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men but how great a gift was that wherein he was given which gave those gifts in whom all those gifts are included from whom they are all derived in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdome and godlinesse and out of his fulnesse we all receave grace for grace Colos 2. Joh. 1. when God gave unto us his Sonne with him he gave us all his righteousnesse merits and obedience with all the benefits by them purchased unto the Church in him hee gave us redemption of our soules and bodies iustification sanctification reconciliation to God remission of sins and life everlasting For of him and from him and by him are they all to him be the glory of all for ever ever 2. The second thing in this gift which magnifies the bounty of our heavenly father is the Freenesse of it it is a gift donum gratuitum a Free gift Nothing did the Lord see in us which might promerit it nothing could he expect frō us in compensatiō of it it proceeded meerly from a principle within himself pure love meere mercy free grace that he bestowed upon us this free gift He sent redempteon to his people In the fulnesse of time God sent his Sonne Psalm Gal. 4.4 wee could not fetch him who should ascend up to heaven to fetch him thence We did not so much as desire him to come we were not so sensible of our own misery as to look after him we did not know that we stood in any need of him but the Lord did and therefore out of his meere compassion he Sent him out of his meer bounty he gave Him The Sonne was given Now out of these two the greatnesse of this gift and the freenesse of it we will infallibly conclude these two things 1. First That the Lord loves the sonnes of men what greater evidence could be given of it then this that he hath given his own sonne to be borne for them and to dye for them When Abraham did but offer to offer up his sonne in sacrifice to God God bid him hold his hand goe no farther the very offer of it was evidence enough of
is borne 2 Secondly to note the eternall efficacie of his birth life death and passion with all the other parts of his obedience in respect of which he was not only A Child borne but A lambe slaine from the beginning of the world Mich. 5.2 And as the prophet Micah tels us his goings forth were from the begining and from everlasting one would thinke that in this verse the prophet did speake contradictions In the beginning of it he tels us he shall come Out of thee shall he come that shall be captaine of my people and in the latter end of it he tels us he is come already come long agoe his goings out have beene from the beginning and from everlasting this cleare distinction reconciles the matter There is a twofold comming of the Messiah an Actuall comming and A Vertuall comming Actually he shall come Vertually he is come already His goings out have beene from the beginning and from everlasting the vertue and efficacie of his redemption reaching as well to the first man that was created in the world as to the last that shall stand upon the earth at the last day even Adam the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was saved by his death for of the salvation even of him notwithstanding his grievous sinne and fall wee nothing doubt yea Origen hath recorded it that when he had finished his daies on earth and returned to the dust from whence he was taken he was buried in mount Calvery in the very place where about 4000 years afterwards the Crosse of Christ was set whereon he was crucified A wonderfull providence if true Ut primus virtutē sanguinis Christi sentiret qui primus peccati author fuerit That he might first feele the efficacie of Christs blood which was the first cause of shedding it Hee did not then * That is vertually and efficaciously according to the distinction foregoing first open the Kingdome of heaven to all beleevers when hee had overcome the sharpnesse of death but when by covenant made with his father and concluded upon for the reconciling of the world Hee tooke upon him to deliver man And had it not been so the patriarchs and fathers of former generations before his coming in the flesh had beene very unhappy with all their faith and hope piety and patience holinesse and obedience in which they were exemplary to be thrust into Limbus there to be imprisoned for so many hundreds of yeares as by the doctrine of the Church of Rome they must untill Christ came thither with his Crosse to breake open the prison doores and to set them free They were in Christ before us they saw his day and rejoyced and not onely Isay in his time but the Fathers of the first ages of the world long before him embraced this child in the armes of their faith and hope acknowledged as in the Text Unto us this Child is born 3 Thirdly by this expression doth the Prophet preach to us and declare the omniscience and eternity of the Lord God with whom there is no distinction of time nor any part of it past or to come but to whom all time is present with whom one day is as a thousand yeares and a thousand yeares but as one day which sees all things past and to come uno intuita at one view present before him which calleth things that are not as if they were which saith unto Cyrus thou art my Shepheard I have knowne thee and called thee by name an hundred yeares before Cyrus was borne neither is it in the power of any power under or in heaven so to speak but only of him who writes himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I AM the Α Alpha and the Ω Omega the beginning and the end Exod. 3.14 the first and the last which lifteth up his hand to heaven and saith Revel 1. I live for ever And therefore upon this triall the Lord challengeth all the heathen gods pretenders to deity Isay 41.21 Produce your cause saith the Lord shew your strong reasons saith the King of Jacob let them bring them forth and shew us what shall happen Isay 41. let them shew the former things what they be that wee may consider them and know the latter end of them or 〈◊〉 them declare the things for to come shew the things that are to come hereafter that wee may know that ye are gods A more convincing argument of the deity then that of miracles in them there may be juggling and Jannes and Jambres in many strange things may goe as farre as Moses but to foresee things to come at such a distance at which it is impossible to see them in their causes any farther then as it is the will and councell of him that hath ordained them to bring them to passe according to his owne purpose is the act and worke onely of a deity When therefore you read in these words what the Prophet speakes do but remember withall from whom he speaks and you will be satisfied Adde hereunto that the Prophet though speaking hereof the Messiah yet alludes to Hezekiah the young Prince and lively type of him in whom he is said to be actually borne as in his type and representitive In all which respects the expression of the Prophet here is not only defensible but divine high full of grace and truth and preacheth to the world Christ incarnate with power The Angell seconds him Luke 2.11 Unto you is borne this day in the City of David A Saviour even Christ the Lord. And see with what joy does hee deliver the newes of it and how beautfull are his feet upon the mountaines bringing the glad tidings of it the whole universe seemes to be sensible of it men and Angels rejoyce at it and heaven and earth joyne together to celebrate his Nativitie the starre appeares the Angels sing the heralds poast the shepheards run the Kings come in to bring their presents and to tender their homage to him in his very cradle And shall it be reproveable in us this day to joyn with them in contributing our halleluiahs of joy and praise for our share in this holy birth or in the Church that it hath appointed a set and solemne day for that purpose because * For there are that undertake to give us in more then that the very minute in which he first opened the matrix as Cardanus a famous Astronomour who gives it in at 15. minutes after 10. at night Virgo being then ascendant in prima domo in his Commentary on Ptolomies Quadri partite perhaps we cannot give you in precisely at this distance of time the very day or houre of the day wherein he was borne into the world why it is not our purpose to calculate his nativitie that wee should be so precise in this matter But to the honour of God and for our owne comfort to preserve and perpetuate the memory of so great a mercy to renew our
Reasons why it was necessary Christ should not onely be made man but borne a Child nay there was a necessity of it it must needs be so and I will give you in three Reason for it 1 The first concernes the posterity of Adam in generall 2 The second concernes the daughters of Eve more specially 3 And the the third concernes the infants that are borne of them and issue from them both 1 First in respect of the posterity of Adam in generall it was necessary that our Mediatour should become a Child be conceived in the wombe and borne Psal 51. That he might begin the cure of our disease where our disease it selfe begins and that is in the very wombe Behold saies the Prophet David I was conceived in sinne and borne in iniquity Psal 51. Our blessed Lord becomming our Mediatour and undertaking to satisfie the justice of God for this sinne and to cure us of so grievous a disease that layes hold on us in the very wombe is faine to descend into the wombe of a daughter of Eve there to take our nature upon him and there to be conceived though without sinne and of her to be borne but without iniquity a pure birth that so by the purity of his humane nature imputed unto us the impurity of ours may be cured and cleansed and that by his Originall righteousnesse our originall sin may be done away There is beloved if you marke it A method observed by the second Adam in curing the evils we receive from the first and I pray do for it is well worth your marking and much comfort shall you reap by it when you apprehend it aright There is I say A method observed by the second Adam in curing the evills which we have received from the first it is a methodicall cure wherein the second Adam hath trac't the first step by step and where ever he saw that he had wounded us he prouided to heale us and prepared for us a remedy proportionable to our malady a salve suitable to the sore and proper for the cure of it To shew you this a little more plainly There are three things wherein the first Adam hath deadly and desperately wounded his posterity First by depraving their natures this is that which is called Originall sinne the corruption and depravation of our natures from that which we were by creation by this hee struck us dead in the very wombe by this we are wicked as soone as we are even before we have done good or evill wicked in the very roote because wee have in us a principle of all wickednesse and so become children of wrath by nature miserable from the very cradle from the very wombe even in our conception The second thing wherein hee undid us was by breaking Covenant with God in failing in the performance of the condition of it which said thus fac hoc vives doe this and thou shalt live and so breaking the Commandement in the mandatory part of it be forfeited to himselfe and his all that life and happinesse which upon the condition of obedience was made over to him and them And the third was by his actuall rebellion against God and positive disobedience by which he desperately brake the Commandement in the minatory part of it which said In quo die comederis morte morieris in the day that thou eatest thou shalt die the death and so made us liable to all the miseries of this life and of that which is to come By his privative disobedience breaking the holy Comandement in the mandatory part of it he forfeited to himselfe and us the inheritance of Paradise our right and title to the Kingdome of Heaven but by his positive disobedience transgressing the holy Law and Commandement in the minatory part of it he hath plung'd us all into the lowest hell Now for the relieving of us in all these desperate evils was our Lord faine to provide for us suitable remedies and to apply each of them to that malady for the cure whereof it was most proper and so he did though they cost him deare For 1 First for the cure of our Originall sinne he applies his Originall righteousnesse that he may punctually satisfie the justice of God for the depravation of our natures the sinne wherein wee are conceived and borne himselfe is conceived by the holy Ghost and borne of the Virgin Mary that he may begin the cure of our disease where our disease begins in the very wombe even thither is hee content to descend and there to take our nature upon him that in his person our natures might be sanctified and our birth-sinne cured and done away 2 Secondly for relieving of us in the second of these evills our failing in performance of the condition of the Covenant of workes he applyes unto us his active obedience by which he fulfilled the Law for us in every part and particle of it in the dayes of his flesh that so by this his obedience imputed unto us he might punctually satisfie the Justice of God for all our failings and sins of omission and so restore us againe to our right and title to the Kingdom of heaven our forfeited inheritance 3 And for the relieving of us in the third the transgression of the Law and holy Commandement in the minatory part by actuall sinnes and positive disobedience hee applyes unto us his passive obedience himselfe bearing our sinnes in his body upon the tree and by his death taking off from us that sentence of death that was gone out against us By this his passive obedience he hath satisfied the law in the minatory part of it and by his active in the mandatory by his passive obedience he hath satisfied the justice of God for all our sins of Commission and by his active for all our failings and our sins of omission by his passive obedience he hath freed us A poena sensus from the punishment of paine and by his active A poena damni from the punishment of losse by his passive obedience he hath rescued us out of the jawes of hell and by his active he hath opened unto us the gate of heaven his passive obedience was satisfactory and his active meritorious And thus by these three parts of his obedience the obedience of his birth the obedience of his life and the obedience of his death by the obedience of his birth in his incarnation of his life in his holy conversation and of his death in his passion hee hath fulfilled for us all righteousnesse he is become unto us A perfect Saviomr and hath wrought out for us plentifull redemption Had the sonne of God come downe from Heaven to earth and here beene made man for us taken our nature upon him in a body created as Adams was and in that body liv'd amongst us as long as he did and during all that time by his most holy conversation perfectly fulfilled the Law for us and performed the
tree so few and so thinne as some imagine But to hold our selves close to the word in this matter as t is fit we should Understand here Nobis To us in that sence in which our Lord himselfe understands it speaking of this very gift Ioh. 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten sonne to the end that whosoever beleeved in him should not perish but have life everlasting Nobis to us in that sense in which S. Paul understands it Rom. 5.10 As by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation so by the righteousnesse of one the free gift came upon all men to iustification of life Nobis to us in that sense in which the same Apostle understands it 1. Tim. 2.4 when he saies God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth And vers 7. of the same Chapter which gave himselfe a ransome for all For sinners 1. Tim. 1.15 for the ungodly Rom. 5.6 For his enimies vers 10. For them that deny him 2. Pet. 2.1 Even for them that are damn'd in the same Text the latter end of the verse Let no man here charge me with Arminianisme in that I preach up grace so high or if he doe I passe not much as long as by his own confession t is grace that I preach let me preach it as high as I can I shal therein be found more faithfull to my Master then they that extenuate conceale suppresse or monopolize it Upon these testimonies of holy writ I am perswaded to beleeve that there is no son of Adam that ever was or shall be borne in the world but the second Adam when he tooke his nature upon him did something for him so much at least as hath freed him of the guilt of the sin of the first Adam imputed to him hath put him upon a new score and a new account with the Lord God made over salvation to him upon a new covenant purchased by his blood made upon better tearmes conditions and promises then the old was that he shall never perish everlastingly unlesse he forfeit his salvation a second time All the questiō is de modo applicandi about the manner how Christ and the grace by him comes to bee applied to thē seeing there are so many nations that never heard so much as of his name or knowe what the Gospell meanes of which I shall by Gods helpe shortly give you an account and I hope some reasonable satisfaction in a Treatise which I have now under my hand upon the parallell between the two Adams compar'd in the fift Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans In the meane time rest upon this That with God all things are possible And as in the case of infants so of these where their ignorance is invincible and the meanes whereby that should bee cured to them impossible to be attained although they cannot apply themselves unto Christ the Lord of his abundant grace and goodnesse can apply Christ unto them Who is found of them that sought him not and seeks out them that asked not after him Know farther that there are different degrees of salvation hath the Lord but one blessing for all his sonnes or but one heaven to put his redeemed ones in or but one sort of mansions in that heaven what think you is the meaning of that Scripture 1. Tim. 4 10. Who is the Saviour of all men especially of them that beleeve Although it is certaine they are in no wise capable of that speciall salvation peculiar to beleivers yet I trust it is no heresie neither against grace nor charity to hope that walking up with all their might to that light which they have by the mercy of God and the merits of the Mediator they may be found capable of some degree of salvation and of an estate at least above that of perdition in the lake of everlasting burnings 3. Consider thirdly that at the last and great day of account though all the world shall bee judged at one barre yet they shall not all be juded by one Law but the meere Gentile by the Law of nature the meere Jew by the Law of Moses the Christian by the Gospell the Law of grace according to their conformity to these three Laws shall they receive their doome their Euge or their Apage Rom. 2.12 But to leave them to stand or fall to their own master give me leave to turne my selfe to you Bel and to speak something to you by way of application and so I will conclude this point And I have three things to say to you concerning this matter 1. The first is to put you in mind of your great happinesse and priviledge that you have above these poore people we speake of in this particular inasmuch as the Lord hath dealt more liberally with you then with them he hath done that which concerning them is but a question is to you out of question to you is this salvation sent which to them is denied to you this sonne is given to you is hee come to you he offers himselfe in his Gospell in his Ordinances how happy are you if you can see your happinesse to whom such meanes of happinesse are afforded what a price have you in your hands to get knowledge life and salvation what faire opportunity to build up your selves in grace here and to lay for your selves a foundation of glory hereafter blessed are your eyes that see the things that you see and your eares that heare the things that you heare which Kings and Prophets have desired to see and heare and have not and which to the greatest part of the world besides hath been denied But how miserable are you if in the midst of all these meanes you should miscarry if such a light being come into the world you should love darknesse rather then light if having such a price put into your hands to get knowledge grace and glory you like fooles should have no heart If the Lord having freely given you his son you should not receave him how ill must the Lord needs take this at your hands how heavily will he charge you another day as being in the number of those that wilfully forsake their own mercy that refuse and dispise great salvation and thrust from them the kingdome of heaven he would have gathered you but you would not be gathered he would have healed you but you would not be healed 2. Wherefore the next duty charged upon you is this if the Lord hath so freely given you his son then is it your duty with all joy and thankfulnesse to receive him t is not the sending of his sonne that will make you happy nor the giving but the receiving of this gift that will enrich you receive him therefore by your ready and cheerefull entertainement of the Gospell in which he offers himselfe unto you receive him into your hearts by Faith into