far mortified the flesh and subdued the world and the Devil that the Authority and Word of God can do more with him then any other and doth ordinarily prevail against all the perswasion and interest of the flesh so that the main scope and bent of the heart and life is still for God and when he sinneth he riseth again by true Repentance I say that soul and that only shall be Justified in Judgement and be saved 5. That soul that hath such Believing thoughts of the life to come that he taketh the promised blessedness for his portion and is resolved to venture all else upon it and in hope of his glory doth seâ— light comparatively by all things in this world and waiteth for it as the end of this life choosing any suffering that God shall call him to rather then to lose his hopes of that felicity and thus persevereth to the end I say that soul and none but that shall be justified in Judgement and escape Damnation In these five marks I have told you truly and briefly who shall be Justified and saved and who shall be condemned at the day of Judgement And if you would have them all in five words they are but the Description of these five Graces Repentance Faith Love Obedience Hope But though I have laid these close together for your use yet lest you should think that in so weighty a case I am too short in the proof of what I so determine of I will tell you in the express words of many Scripture Texts who shall be Justified and who shall be condemned John 3. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Heb. 12. 14. Without holiness none shall see God Luk. 13. 3 5. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Acts 26. 18. I send thee to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an Inheritance among the sanctified by Faith that is in me Joh. 3. 15 16. 17 18 19. Whoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life he that believeth on him is not condemned he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not Believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God and this is the condemnation that light is come in to the world and men loved darkness rather then light because their deeds were evil John 5. 28 29. The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shal hear his voice shall come forth they that have done good to the Resurrect on of life and they that have done evil to the Resurrection of damnation Mat. 25. 30. Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shal be weeping gnashing of Teeth Lu. 19 27. But those mine enimies which would not that I should raign over them bring hither and slay them before me Mat 22. 12. 13. Friend how camest thou in hither not having on a wedding gatment And he was speechless Then said the King to the servants Bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into outer darkness c. Mat. 5. 20. For I say unto you that except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of heaven Mat. 7. 21. Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven Heb. 5. 6. He is become the Author of eternall salvation to all them that obey him Rev. 22. 14. Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in by the Gate into the City Rom. 8. 1. 13. There is then no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus that walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit For if ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Rom. 8. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Gal. 5. l8 But if ye be Led of the Spirit ye are not under the Law Gal. 6. 7. 8. Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap for he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap Corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit read life Everlasting Matth. 6. 21. For where your Treasure is there wil your heart be also Read Psal 1. and many other Texts to this purpose of which some are cited in my Directions for Peace of Conscience Dir. 11. p. 115. 116. And thus I have told you from Gods Word how you may know whether you are ready for Judgement which is the fourth thing that I would advise you to enquire after O Sirs what shift do you make to keep your souls from Continual Terrours as you as long remain unready for Judgement How do you keep the Thoughts of it out of your mind that they do not break your sleep and meet you in your business and haunt you every way you go while Judgement is so neer and you are so unready But I shall proceed to say next Question Qu. 5 AND in the last place to those of you that are not yet Ready nor in a Condition wherein you may safe at that day ' my Question is How are you resolved to prepare for Judgement for the time to come Will you do no more than you have done hitherto Or will you now set your selves with all your might to make preparation for so great a day me thinks you should be now past all demurs delays or further doubtings about such a business and by the consideration of what I have said already you should be fully Resolved to lose no more time but presently to awake and â—eâ— upon the work Me thinks you should all say We will do any thing that the Lord shall Direct us to do rather then we will be unready for this final doom O that there were but such hearts in you that you were truly willing to follow the gracious Guidance of the Lord and to use but those sweet and reasonable means which he hath prescribed you in his Word that you may be ready for that day Alas it is no hard matter for me to tell you or my self what it is that we must do if we will be happy and it is no very hard matter to Do it so far ar we are truly willing but the difficulty is to be truly and throughly willing to this work If I shall tell you what you must do for preparation shall I not lose my labour Will you resolve and promise in the strength of Grace that you will faithfully and speedily endeavour to practise it whoever shall gainsay it Upon hope of this I will set you down some brief Directions
a full â—ustifiction A Heathens conscience may excuse him from those sins which he was never guilty of but not from all But no more of them 2. The case of those that have had the Gospel is more plainly opened to us in Gods Word Their Sentence is opened in many places of Scripture but most fully in Matth 25. whence we will now collect it There we find that Jesus Christ the Redeemer as King of the world shall sit in Judgement on all men at the last and shall seperate them one from another as a Shepherd divideth the Sheep from the Goats and so shall pass the final Sentence This Sentence is twofold according to the different Condition of them that are judged To them on the right hand there is a Sentence of justification and Adjudication to everlasting glory To them on the left hand there is a Sentence of Condemnation to everlasting Punishment The Sentence on each of these containeth both the state which they are Judged to and the reason or cause of the Judgement to that state For as God will not Iudge any to Life or Death without just cause so he will publish this cause in his sentence as it is the manner of Judges to do If you say Christ will not use a voice Let it satisfie that though we know not the manner yet if he do it but by mental discovery as he shews men what shall everlastingly befall them so he will shew them why it shall so befall them 1. The Sentence on them on the Right hand will contain 1. their Justification and Adjudication to Blessedness that both as generally denominated and as particularly determined and described 2. And the cause of this Iudgement 1. In general they shall be pronounced Blessed Satan would have had them cursed and miserable the Law did curse them to misery Many a fearful thought hath possessed their own brests least they should prove at last accursed and miserable But now they hear the contrary from their Iudge All the Promises in the Gospel could not perfectly overcome those their fears all the comfortable words of the Ministers of the Gospel conld not perfectly subdue them all the tendâ—er mercies of God in Christ dâ—d not perfectly subdue them But now they are vanquished all for ever He that once had heard his Redeemer in Iudgement call him Blessed will never fear being Cursed more For he that Christ Blesseth shall be Blessed indeed The Description of their blessedness followeth Come inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world And also they are called Blessed Of the Father Here is the fountain of their Blessedness The Father and the state of their blessedness in Being the Fathers For I suppose they are called the Blessed of the Father both because the Father blesseth them that is makes them Happy and because these blessed ones are the Fathers own And so Christ will publish it to the world in Judgement that he came to glorifie the Father and will proclaim him the Principal Efficient and Ultimate end of his work of Redemption and the blessedness of his Saints and that himself is as Mediator but the way to the Father It is the Father that prepared the Kingdom for them and from the foundation of the world prepared it Both for them as chosen ones and for them as future believers and Righteous ones It is called a Kingdom partly in respect to God the King in whose glory we shall partake in our places and partly Metaphorically from the Dignity of our Condition For so it is that our selves are said to be made Kings Rev. 1. 6. and 5. 1. 1 Pet. 2. 9. and not that we are properly Kings for then we must have subjects who must be Governed by us Thus we see their Blessedness in the Fountain end and state of Dignity As to the Receptive Act on their part it is expressed by two words one signifying their first entrance on it Come the other their Possession Inherit that is possess it as given by the Father and Redeemed by the Son and hoâ—d it in this Tenure for ever The true Believer was convinced in this life that indeed there was no true blessedness but this enjoyment of God in the Kingdom of heaven The Lord revealed this to his heart by his Word and Spirit And therefore he contemned the seeming happiness on earth and laid up for himself a Treasure in heaven and made him friends with the Mammon of unrighteousness and ventured all his hope in this Vessel And now he findeth the wisdom of that choice in a rich return God made him so Wise a Merchant as to sell All for this Pearl of greatest price and therefore now he shall find the gain As there Is no other true Happiness but God in glory so is there nothing more suitable and welcom to the true Believer O how welcome will the face of that God be whom he loved whom he sought whom he longed and waited for How welcome will that Kingdom be which he lived in Hope of which he parted with All for and suffered for in the flesh How glad will he be to see the Blessed face of his Redeemer who by his manifold Grace hath brought him unto this I leave the believing soul to think of it and to make it the daily matter of his Delightful Meditation What an unconceivable Ioy in one moment his Sentence of Christ will fill his soul with Undoubtedly it is now quite past our comprehension though our imperfect forethoughts of it may well make our lives a continual Feast Were it but our Iustification from the Accusations of Satan who would have us Condemned either as sinners in general or as Impenitent Unbeleiving Rebels against him that Redeemed us in sp cial it would lift up the heads of the Saints in that day After alâ— the fears of our own hearts and the slanderous Accusations of Satan and the world That we were either Impenitent Infidels or Hypocrites Christ will then Iustifie us and prononce us Righteous So much for the Condition to which they are Iudged 2. The Reason or Cause of this Justification of the Saints is given us both 1. In a general denomination and 2. In a particular Description 1. In General it is because they Were Righteous as is evident Mat. 25. 46. The Righteous shall go into life Everlasting And indeed it is the business of every just Judge to justifie the righteous and condemn the unrighteous And shall not the Judge of all the earth judge righteously Gen. 18. 25 God makes men Righteous before he judges them so and Judgeth them Righteous Because they are so He that abominateth that man who saith to the Righteous thou art wicked or to the wicked thou art Righteons who Justifieth the wicked and Condemneth the Righteous will certainly never do so himself Indeed he will Justifie them that are sinners but not against the Accusation that they are sinners but against the Accusation that they are
you and to esteem them very highly in love for their work sake and be at peace among your selves 1 Thes 5. 12 13. And that you will instead of grieving or rejecting your Guides Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you Heb. 13. 17. 7. Encourage your Teachers for their work is great their spirits are weak they are but frail men the enemy is more industrious against them then any men and their discouragements are very many and the difficulties which they must encounter are very great Especially Obey submit and encourage them in the work of Government and Exercise of Christs Discipline and managing the Keyes of the Kingdom which he hath put into their hand Do you not perceive what a strait your Teachers are in The Lord Iesus requireth them to exercise his Discipline faithfully and impartially He giveth them not empty Titles of Rule but layes upon them the burden of Ruling It is his work more then their honour that he intends and if they will have the Honor it must be by the work The work is as to Teach the ignorant and convince the unbelieving and gainsaying so to admonish the disorderly and scandalous and to reject and cast out of the Communion of the Church the Obstinate and Impenitent and to set by the Leprous that they infect not the rest and to seperate thus the precious from the vile by Christs Dâ—scipline that dividing separation and soul destroying Transgressions may be prevented or cured This work Christ hath charged upon them and will have it done who ever is against it If they obey him and do it what a tumult what clamours discontents will they raise How many will be ready to rise up against them with hatred and scorn though it be the undoubted work of Christ which even under persecution was performed by the Church-Guides When they do but keep a scandalous untractable Sinner from the Communion of the Church in the Lords Supper what repinings doth it raise But alas this is a small part of the Discipline If all the apparently obstinate and impenitent were cast out what a stir would they make And if Christ be not obeyed what a stir will conscience make And it is not only between Christ and men but between men and men that your Guides are put upon streights The Separatists reproach them for suffering the Impenitent to continue members of their Churches and make it the pretence of their separation from them having little to say of any moment against the authorized way of Government but only against our slackness in the Execution And if we should set to the close Exercise of it as is meet how would City and Country ring of it and what Indignation should we raise in the multitude against us O what need have your Guides of your Encouragement and best Assistance in this streight God hath set them on a work so ungrateful and displeasing to flesh and blood that they cannot be faithful in it but twenty to one they will draw a world of Hatred upon themselves if not mens fists about their ears Festred sores will not be lancht and searcht with ease Corrupted members are unwilling to be cut off and cast aside Especially if any of the great ones fall under the censure who are big in the eyes of the world and in their own And yet our Soveraign Lord must be obeyed and his house must be swept and the filth cast out by what names or Titles soever it be dignified with men He must be pleased if all be displeased by it Withdraw not your help then from this needfull work It is by the Word Spirit and Ministery that Christ the King of his Church doth Govern it Not separatedly but joyntly by all three To disobey these is to disobey Christ and subjection to Christ is Essential to our Christianity This well thought on might do much to recover the Unruly that are Recoverable You may conjecture by the strange opposition that Church-Government meets with from all sorts of carnal and corrupted minds that there is somewhat in it that is eminently of God I shall say no more but this that It is an Able Judicious Godly Faithful Ministery not barely heard and applauded but humbly and piously submitted to and obeyed in the Lord that must be your truest present glory and the means of your everlasting Peace and Joy So testifieth from the Lord Your servant in â—he faith of Christ Rich. Baxter To the Ignorant or Careless Reader SEeing the Providence of God hath commanded forth this plain Discourse I shall hope upon experience of his dealing in the like cases with me That he hath some work for it to do in the world Who knows but it was intended for the saving of thy soul by opening thine eyes and awaking thee from thy sin who are now in Reading of it Be it known to thee it is the certain Truth of God and of high concernment to thy soul that it treateth of and therefore requireth thy most sober Consideration Thou hast in it how weakly soever it is managed by me an advantage put into thy hand from God to help thee in the greatest work in the world even to prepare for the great approaching Judgement In the name of God I require thee cast not away this advantage Turn not away thine ears or heart from this warning that is sent to theâ— from the living God! Seeing all the world cannot keep thee from judgement nor save thee in Judgement let not all the world be able to keep thee from a speedy and serious preparation for it Do it presently lest God come before thou art ready Do it seriously lest the Tempter over-reach thee and thou shouldst be found among the foolish self-deceivers when it is too late to do it better I intreat this of thee on the behalf of thy soul and as thou tenderest thy everlasting Peace with God that thou wouldest afford these matters thy deepest Consideration Think on them whether they are not True aud weighty Think of them lying down and rising up And seeing this small Book is faln into thy hands all that I would beg of thee concerning it is that thou wouldst bestow now and then an hour to read it and read it to thy family or friends as well at to thy self and as you go Consider what you read and Pray the Lord to help it to thy heart and to assist thee in the Practice that it may not rise up in Judgement agaiâ—st thee If thou have not leisure at other take now and then an hour on the Lords dayes or at night to that purpose and if any passage through brevity specially neer the beginning seem dark to thee Read it again and again and ask the help of an Instructer that thou mayest understand it May it
for his Due and to take that up in your punishment which you denyed to give him in voluntary obedience You would all be His in the time of your extremity then you cry to him as your God for deliverance Hear him now if you would then be heard live to him now and live with him for ever A Popish Priest can perswade multitudes of Men and Women to renounce the very possession of worldly Goods and the exercise of their outward Callings in a mistaken devotedness to God May not I then hope to prevail with you to devote your selves with the fruit of your Callings and Possessions to his unquestionable service Will the Lord of mercy but fasten these perswasions upon your hearts and Cause them to prevail what a happy day will this prove to us all God will have his Own the Church will have your utmost help the souls of those about you will have the fruit of your diligence and good examples the Common-Wealth will have the fruit of your fidelity the poor will have the benefit of your charity I shall have the desired end of my labour and your selves will have the great and everlasting gain A SERMON Of the absolute Soveraignty of Christ And the necessity of mans Subjection dependence and chiefest love to him Preached before the Judges of Assize at WORCESTER By RICH. BAXTER Luke 19. 27. But those mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them bring hither and slay them before me LONDON Printed for Nevill Simmons Bookseller in Kidderminster l656 Christian Reader WHen I had resolved at the desire of the Honorable Judge of Asâ—ize to publish the foregoing Sermon I remembred that about six years before I had preached another on the like occasion on a subject so like and to so like a purpose that I conceived it not unfit to be annexed to the former I have edeavoured to shew you in both these Sermons that Christ may be preached without Antinomianisâ—â— that terrour may be preached without unwarrantable preaching the Law that the Gospel is not a meer promise and that the Law it self is not so terrible as it is to the rebellious As also what that super structure is that is built on the foundation of General Redemption rightly under stood and how ill we can preach Christs Dominion in his universal propriety and soveraignty or yet perswade men to sanctification and subjection without this foundation I have laboured to fit all or almost all for Matter and Manner to the Capacity of the Vulgar And though for the Matter it is as necessary to the greatest yet is it for the Vulgar principally that I publish it and had rather it might be numbred with those Boooks that are carryed up and down the Country from door to door in Pedlars Packs then with those that lie in Booksellers Stalls or are set up in the Libraries of learned Divines And to the same use would I design the most of my published labours should God afford we time and abily and contetious brethren would give me leave August the 7th 1654. Rich. Baxter A SERMON of the absolute Soveraignty of CHRIST Psal 2. 10 11 12. Be wise now therefore O ye Kings be instructed ye Judges of the Earth Serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling c. TTo waste this precious hour in an Invective against in justice and its associates is none of my purpose they are sins so directly against the principles in Nature so well known I believe to you all and so commonly preached against upon these occasions that upon the penalty of forfeiting the credit of my discretion I am bound to make choice of a more nccessary subject What have we need to spend our time and studies to perswade Christians from Bribery Perjury and Oppresson and from licking up the vomit which Pagans have cast out and that in an age of blood and desolation when God is taking the proudest Oppressiors by the throat and raising Monuments of Justice upon the â—â—nes of the unjust And I would fain believe that no corrupt Lawyers do attend your Judictures and that Iezabels witnesses dwell not in our Country nor yet a Jurie that feare not an Oath I have therefore chosen another subject which being of the greatest moment can never be unseasonable even to proclaim him who is constituted the king and Judge of All to acquaint you with his pleasure and to demand your subjection The chiefe scope of the Psalm is To foretell the extent and pevalency of the Kingdom of Christ admonishing his enemies to submit to his Goverment deriding the vanity of their opposing projects and furie and forewarning them of their ruine if they come not in The verses which I have read are the Application of the foregoing prediction by a serious admonition to the proudest offenders They contain 1. The Persons admonished Kings and Judges 2. Their Duty 1. In general to God serve him with the adjuncts annexed 1. Rejoycing 2. Fear and trembling 2. More specially their duty to the Son Kiss him 3. The Motives to this duty 1. Principally and directly expressed left he be angry which anger is set sorth by the effect and ye perish which perishing is aggravated 1. From the suddeness and unexpectedness in the way 2. From the dreadfullness kindled 1. It is fire and will kindle and burn 2. A little of it will produce this sad effect 3. It will be Woe to those that do not escape it which Woe is set forth by the contrary happiness of those that by submission do escape 2. The motives subservient and implyed are in the monitory words be wise be learned q. d. else you will shew and prove your selves men of ignorance and madness unlearned and unwise Some Questions here we should answer for explicaton of the terms As 1. Whether the Lord in v. 11. and the Son in v. 12. be both meant of Christ the second person 2. Whether the Anger here mentioned be the anger of the Father or the Son lest he angry I might spend much time here to litle purpose in shewing you the different judgement of Divines of these when in the issue there is no great difference which way ever we take them 3. What is meant by Kissing the Son I answer According to it's threefold object it hath a threefold duty contained in it 1. We kiss the feet in token of Subjection so must we kiss the Son 2. We kiss the hand in token of Dependence so must we kiss the hand of Christ that is Resign our selves to him and expect all our happiness and receivings from him 3. We kiss the mouth in token of love and friendship and so also must we kiss the Son 4. What is meant by Perishing in the way I answer omitting the variety of interpretations it is their sudden unexpected perishing in the heat of their rage and in pursuit of their designs dgainst the Kingdom of Christ I know no other terms of any great difficulty
here Many Observations might be hence raised As 1. Serving the Lord is the great work and business that the World hath to do 2. This service should be accompanyed with rejoycing 3. So should it also with fear and trembling 4. There is no such opposition between spiritual Joy and Fear but that they may and must consist together 5. Scripture useth familiar expressions concerning mans communion with Christ such as this Kiss the Son 6. There is anger in God or that which we cannot conceive better of then under the Notion of Anger 7. There is a way to kindle this Anger it is man that kindleth it 8. The way to kindle it chiefly is not kissing the Son 9. The kindling of it will be the perishing of the sinner 10. The Enemies of Christ shall perish suddenly and unexpectedly 11. A little of Gods anger will utterly undo them 12. They are blessed men that scape it and miserable that must feeel it 13. It is therefore notorious folly to neglect Christ and stand out 14. Kings Judges and Rulers of the earth are the first men that Christ summons in and the chief in the Calam tie if they stand out But I will draw the scope of the Text into this one Doctrine in the handling whereof I shall spend the time allotted me Doct. No power or priviledge can save that man from the fearful sudden consuming wrath of God that doth not unfeignedly love depend upon and subject himself unto the Lord Jesus Christ If they be the greatest Kings aud Judges yet if they do not kiss the Mouth the Hand the Feet of Christ his wrath will be kindled and they will perish in the way of their rebellion and neglect In handling this point I shall observe this Order 1. I will shew you what this love dependence and subjection are 2. What wrath it is that will thus kindle and consume them 3. Why this kissing the Son is the only way to escape it 4. Why no Power or Priviledge else can procure their escape 5. The Application For the first I shall only give you a naked description wishing that I had time for a fuller explication 1. Subjection to Christ is The acknowledging of his absolute soveraignty both as he is God Creator and as Redeemer over all the world and particularly our selves and a hearty consent to this his overaignty especially that he be our Lord and his Laws our Rule and a delivering up our selves to him to be governed accordingly 2. This dependence on Christ is when acknowledging the sufficiency of his satisfaction and his power and willingness to save all that receive him manifested in his free universal offer in the Gospel we do heartily accept him for our only Saviour and accordingly renouncing all other do wait upon him believingly for the benefits of his sufferings and office and the performance of his faithful Covenant to us in restoring us to all the blessings which we lost and advancing us to a for greater everlasting Glory 3. This affection to Christ is when in the knowledge and sense of his love to us both common and especial and of his own excellency and the blessedness of enjoying him and the Father and life by him our hearts do chuse him and the Father bâ— him as our only happiness and accordingly love him above all things in the world As this three fold Description containeth the sum of the Gospel so hath it nothing but what is of necessity to sound Christianity If any one of these three be not found in thy heart either I have little skill in Divinity or thou hast no true Christianity nor canst be saved in that condition Object But doth not the Scripture make believing the condition of the Covenant but here is a great deal more then believing Answ Sometime Faith is taken in a narrower sense and then it is not made the sole condition of the New Covenant but repentance and forgiving others are joyned with it as conditions of our forgiveness and obedience and perseverance as conditions of our continued justification and salvation But when Faith is made the sole condition of the Covenant then it comprehendeth essentially not only supposeth as precedent or concomitant if not all three yet at least the two first of the fore described qualifications viz. Dependence and Subjection which if it were well understood would much free the common sort of Christians from their soul destroying mistakes and the Body of Divinity from a multitude of common errors and our Religion from much of that reproach of Solisidianism which is cast upon it by the Papists 2. I must be as brief in opening the second thing viz. What wrath is it that will thus kindle and consume them What wrath is in God we need not here trouble our selves to enquire But only what is intimated in the threats or curses of the Covenants As there are two Covenants so each hath his proper penalty for its violation 1. Then tiâ—l men do come in and submit to Christ they lie under the wrath of God for all their sins as they are against the Covenant of Works or they are lyable to the curse of that Covenant Christs death hath taken away the curse of the Covenaut not absolutely from any man but conditionally which becomes absolute when the condition is performed The Elect themselves are not by nature under the Covenant of Grace but remain under the curse of the first Covenant till they come in to Christ 2. Whosoever rejecteth or neglecteth this Grace and so finally breaketh the New Covenant must also bear the curse or penalty thereof besides all the former which will be a far greater curse even as the blessings of this Covenant are far greater then those of the first It was a heavy punishment to be cast out of Paradise and from the presence and favour of God and to be cursed by him and subjected to eternal death and all Creatures below cursed for our sakes to bear all those curses and plagues threatned in Deut. 27. and 28. and to have the wrath of God smoak against us c. as Deut. 29 20. But of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy that doth tread under foot the blood of this Covenant and do despite to the spirit of Grace Heb. 10. 28 29. It is true that for all other sins the wrath of God cometh upon the Children of Disobedience or Unperswadableness that is on them that will not be perswded to obey the Lord Christ Epha 5. 6. But it is on no other with us for this is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather then light John 1. 19. 3. Why is this kissing the Son that is loving depending on and submitting to him the only way to escape these curses Answ 1. The most proper and primary reason which can be given is The will of the great Law-giver who having absolute soveraignty over us might dispose of us as he