occasion of so manifest slanders and false aspersions that are raised I know not what should be the cause of them But beloved how is it that I should deny Christ In that say they I deny repentance unto life Now whether ever I did so I appeal to you that heard me This I say concerning faith and repentance unto life in brief that neither faith nor repentance hath any efficacy of their own to produce life but those that attain to life in time the Lord giveth them to beleeve and repent indeed But a third charge is â— more strange then all the rest this I must touch also I will name no persons nor hint them but my scope is to deliver plainly unto you the truth of my own thoughts and so lie under censure or be acquitted The charge is this that I should affirm that an elect person should live and die a whoremonger and an adulterer and in all kinde of propitanenesse and though living and dying in this kinde of prophanenesse he shall be saved Which how contrary it is unto the whole course of my ministery ye are witnesse I dare be bold to say you all know it to be a grosse notorious and groundlesse slander You know concerning this thing an elect perso being an elect person it is impossible that such an one should mis-carry and not be saved He that is elected unto salvation either Gods election must be frustrated which is impossible or this person must attain unto salvation I think no man of those that have cast this impuntion upon me will deny it but withall this I said before and so I say still There is no elect person suppose him to be capable and come to yeers shall die before he be called that is before the Lord give faith to this person to beleeve and in some meaâ—ure frame this elect person to walk by the Spirit according to the ruse of the Spâ—it In a word this person is changed in conversation The principle is this He that beleeveth shall be saved and he that beleeveth not shall be damned and Noâ—unclera thing shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven every soul therefore being elected as it shall be saved at last so is it or shall in time be called and inabled to beleeve and walk as a child of light If this be not true doctrine then I desire my mouth may be stopped Having thus endeavoured to take off those aspersions though not in respect of my self yet in respect of some of you who peradventure may receive such things for truth especially coming out of the mouths of such persons as those from whom the charge comes Now to the Text that I have taken to my self to handle namely Thou art all fair my Love there is no spot in thee I shall say but little concerning this latter branch of the Text it having been all my work heretofore to set forth this immunity we have by the blood of Christ the cleansing from all sin I shall keep my self to the former branch Then art all fair my Love Let us therefore take into consideration these particulars that will give some hint of the grace revealed here The first is who this Love is of whom Christ speaks Secondly why this person that is so fair is here called my Love Thirdly what this fairnesse is that is appropriated to the love of Christ Fourthly what it is for the love of Christ to be all fair Fifthly when this time is that this love of Christ is all fair Thou art all fair my Love I will begin here with the first namely who this is here that is called the Love of Christ The next words will unriddle the question Come with me from Lebanon my Spouse The love of Christ then here is the Spouse of Christ And beloved if you knew all you would soon see what glorious unspeakable and unsearchable excellencies are contained in this Grace that the Church should be admitted into the bosome of Christ to be the very Spouse of Christ There are two things very considerable by which you may perceive at the least some of the glory and excellency of this priviledge to be the Spouse of Christ First if you consider the inequality of the persons that are matched Secondly if you will consider the great priviledge that will issue from such a match as this is The word Spouse you know is nothing else but a title of relation in reference to a Husband Now I say first consider the inequality of the persons matched and therein you shall see an admirable condeseending and grace I remember in the first book of Samuel when the servants of Saul came to David to make mention of Sauls mind concerning Davids marrying Sauls daughter David was in a kind of astonishment and amazement And when they spake to him of the matter David replied Seemeth it a light matter unto you to be the kings son in law seeing I am a poor man and my father of a small house in Israel This was strange news to poor ' David What presently to marry the Kings daughter and to be the son in law to a King being a poor man as I am is this a small matter in your eyes Much more may we be astonished that we poor miserable wretches should marry the son and heir of the world nay the Son and Heir of Glory Shall this seem a light matter to you to be the Spouse of a King to be the sons and daughters of the King of kings It was an admirable witty expression of Abigail in the 25. Chapter of the first book of Samuel vers 41. when David sent messengers unto her to commune with her to take her to be his wife Abigail in humility replied to the messengers thus Let thy hand-maid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my Lord a high strained complement if it had been a meer complement But it was reall so it doth expresse the great distance she conceived there was between her self and David and therefore doth not spare to shew her thoughts of her great unworthinesse to be matched with Daviâ—k Let thy hand maid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my Lord. This is an office good enough for me to wash the servants feet and not to lie in the bosome of David Why what a great matter was this she was as rich as Davil was and you may manifestly see she was very beautifull and her stock and parentage was of as good a stock as Davids There was but this difference a kingdom was promised to David and he was anointed king but yet for the present a persecuted anointed but yet notwithstanding she admires the great condescending of David that he should take her to be his wife Oh then beloved what must be the condescending of the Son of God the Heir of the world and the expresse Image of the Father and the brightnesse of his glory as you have it in the 3. verse of
These things I write unto you that you sin not And theâ— immediately follows these words If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father To what purpose doth he bring in these words if he doth not bring them in as a motive to prevail with them to the thing hee perswades them unto Nay he tels us plainly he doth write these words on purpose to them that they do not siâ— What was it that he wrote to them before First I say he writes this that the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin and then agaiâ—â— Iâ— we confesse our sins he is faithfull and just to fâ—rgive us our sins And now saith he These things I write unto you that you sin not If any man sin wee have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous Here saith the Apostle these things I write unto you that you sin not Suppose one man should come unto another and tell him there is such a friend of yours will do such and such things for you for he hath told me he intends such good things to you and I tell you these things that you may comply with this man that will do all this for you Beloved is not here compliance to this man provoked by the graciousnesse and kindnesse revealed from such a man that he will shew Yea this mercy and favour revealed is the spur to cause him to comply So the Apostle saith here If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous These things I write unto you that you sin not It is plain therefore that the knowing what shall become of our sins namely that they shall do us no hurt the knowing of this before hand is not the opening a sluce or a floud-gate to provoke to sinfulnesse but a bridle to restrain men from sin For you shall finde by consulting with the Scripture that the Holy Ghost is not rare but very plentifull in opening of this very truth that the free Grace of God and the security of a believer from sin is therefore made maifest that believers might not sin Look in the third Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans see how fully the Apostle Paul manifests this very business we have now in hand In the 23. 24. verses of that Chapter he beginneth to reâ—ate after he had shewed the desperate condition of man by nature in respect of what he himself could do he begins to relate the admirable free Grace of God to men even while they are enemies while they can do nothing that is good therein establishing of free Grace and then he comes to shew that this revelation of grace thus is a way to put them upon more obedience than if it should be hidden from them Observe the words But now the righteousness of God saith he in the 21. ver without the Law is manifâ—sted being witnessed by the Law the Prophets even the righteousnes of God which is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that do believe for there is no difference for all have sinned and havecome short of the glory of God being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be the propitiation through faith in his bloud to declare his righteousnes for the remission of sins Mark how sweetly excellently he preacheth the free grace of God concluding all under sin and in a desperate condition in respect of sin and then he brings in the righteousnes of Christ naeÌ„ly free justification by him that is the propitiation for our sins But now what 's the fruit of all this The Apostle in his time found that the preaching of this free grace unto men as they are sinners raised this very objection that is on foot to this day I believe will be to the end of the world and therefore mark the last ver of that Chapter after he had ended this great discourse and laid down his foundation ground that a man is justified by faith without the works of the Law The object that comes in is this Do we make void the Law through faith God forbid nay rather we establish it Marke the expression few will subscribe to this sentence which the Apostle delivers That to preach to men though the desperâ—test sinners under heaven there may be as free justification as for the righteousest and holiest man in the world though by the deeds of the Law there be no justification though there be nothing but condemnation by the Law proâ—â—unced against him yet notwithstanding there is justification for such men and that this is the means to restrain from sin Why say some this gives liberty to all uncleannesse for a man to know that notwithstanding his wicked estate he shall be justified freely and he shall be saved it is impossible he should miscarry Who will not take liberty to sin when he knows that though he doth sin though his sins be never so great all his sins shall be done away he shall not receive any hart at all by them though he doth commit them is not this to make void the Law you will say Mark the Apostles answer God forbid nay rather we establish the Law that is the preaching of this doctrine to you that are Believers little children that have fellowship with the Fathâ—r and the Son will not make void the Law You cannot take liberty from this free Grace revealed The preaching and publishing of this free Grace of God doth more effectually win believers to obedienceand forbearance of sin then any other course in the world that can be taken This saith the Apostle is a doctrine that doth establish the Law and not make it void that is it doth establish men in obedience to the will of God and bring them neerer in conformity to the Law and doth not set men loose to the breaking and violating frustrating of the Law and to prophaness And so the same Apostle in the self-same Epistle having in the 4. and 5. Chapâ—res gone on in an unparallel'd way in the revelatino of the admirable Grace of God speaking of Abraham that he was justified being yet uncircumcised to shew that we are justified when we are in the worst of sinfulnesse and sweetly speaking in the 5. Chapter when yet we had no strength Christ died for us and while we were yet sinners Christ died for us and when wee were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne and in the latter end of the 5. Chapter having shewed the free gift and Grace 〈◊〉 God to us being considered as lost persons in Adam at the beginning of the 6. Chapter at vers 1. the Apostle meets with the same objection in substance and answers it more fully then he did before The objection is this Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid saith he How shall we that are dead to sin live any
act of justice and righteousnesse that the Father should justifie and acquit these persons for whom he hath received of Christ this satisfaction and accordingly hath acknowledged satisfaction under his own hand and acquitted them You know though it bee in a mans power and liberty whether hee will take a surety or the principall for his money yet when he hath taken a surety and he hath made payment it is an act of unrighteousnesse in the creditor after the acknowledgement of full satisfaction to come upon the principall again and to make him pay the money And it is a plea grounded in Law that if that cause come in triall again the Judge ought to acquit the principall if it bee proved that the debt is paid by the surety Now Christ hath paid all that the Father could ask and God hath acknowledged full satisfaction for all He beheld the travell of his soule and was satisfied Now being satisfied it is an act of justice and righteousnesse that the Father should acquit a person in this kind Suppose a person should bee brought before a Judge in a cause wherein hee oweth the Judge himself such a summe of moneyes and borrowed it of the Judge himself an Advocate comes and pleads the cause before the Judge that it is true there was so much money lent and borrowed but saith the Advocate I my selfe became the surety for that man I paid every farthing there is the acquittance you gave under your own hand Now I ask this question the Judge being convinced and a righteous Judge too of the truth of the plea whether in judgement he ought not to acquit that person whose cause is pleaded before him He tooke saits faction he acknowledged satisfaction he could have but satisfaction of him therefore in justice he must discharge him The same case is betweene God and us it is true indeed Beleevers doe commit those things that are in their own nature debts Forgive us our debts as the word is but when this cause came to be agitated and pleaded before God the Judge himselfe to whom the debt was owing Christ the Advocate came and stood up and pleaded that he himselfe being become the surety of a better testament upon it he came and paid the whole debt and hee having satisfied his Father hee received under his Fathers hand that he had paid every farthing and that he was satisfied and that upon that satisfaction his people should be discharged Now this plea is grounded upon iustice it selfe Observe but how fully and clearly the Apostle speakes the same things in the 1. of John 1.7 the Apostle tels us expresly that the blood of Christ his Son cleanseth from all sins and here If any man sinne we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and hee is the propitiation for our sins and againe in the former Chapter If we confesse our sinnes God is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins Mark well that the Apostle grounds himself upon Christs satisfaction namely his blood that doth cleanse us from all sin Upon this ground hee doth conclude that it is an act of faithfulnesse and justice in God to forgive sinne I dare say none are so ignorant in these daies of light as to thinke there is such a proportion between confession of sin and forgivenesse of sinne that confession can ballance forgivenesse and so consequently make it an act of justice No the Apostle doth ground the force of justice upon the blood of Christ that is shed Therfore if you do observe it well you shall find that the Apostle speakes of confession by way of anticipation or prevention of fear you know the common Proverb in the world concerning a Malefactor apprehended is Let him confesse say wee and he shall be hanged Why so because if it be disclosed the Law lays hold upon him and hee shall be sure to die for it and therefore in naturall policy his safety lies in concealing of it But now if satisfaction hath beene made by a friend of his to the Law and accordingly a pardon sued out for him there is no danger in his confession at all Now the Apostle in this place having before said that the blood of Christ his Sonne cleanseth us from all our sinnes from hence he gathers incouragement unto the people of Christ that they should not fear so as to conceal their sins lest being known they should do them a mischief But saith he lay all open before the Lord there is nodanger to be supected now For God is faithfull and just to forgive them therefore the hiding of them should prevent no evill because no evill should come upon them for them though they were laid open never so naked Therefore was this spoken by the Apostle to take away fear and this is the â—rue meaning of the Holy Ghost therein I say to take away fear from the damage that would ensue if we should confesse our sins what they are Paul writing to Timothy mark what he ascribes to participating of the excellencies of Christ even of righteousnesse and justice I have fought the good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse Marke a crown of righteousnesse is laid up in which is included the discharge from sin and participating of glory and a crown of righteousnesse prepared and laid up But mark the foundation of his confidence that he shall partake of it It is a righteous Judge that shall give it he shall give it out of righteousnesse it self justice shall prevail with him to do this thing for him Whence it is that Christ is called so frequently Righteousnesse The Lord our righteousnesse as you have it in the 33. of Jeremiah a Prophesie concerning the righteous Branch and his name shall be called The Lord our righteousnesse that is the Lord that is righteous makes us one with God and doth communicate his own righteousnesse unto us that we may be the delight of the Father Give me leave to tell you beloved that God is so unchangeable in all his Attributes that even Christ himself is not able to obtain any thing of the Father that may be any wayes prejudiciall to the nullifying of any attribute whatsoever I say Christ himself can get nothing of the Father whereby his justice may suffer or be violated Christ must make it clear that justice shall have its full due and God shall not need to bate one grain of what justice doth expect or else Christ himselfe can have nothing of the Father For Christ came not to destroy the Law and so he saith himself much lesse did Christ come to destroy that which is essentiall unto God Gods justice is essentiall unto him If Christ violate justice he should destroy the very being of God himselfe Therefore without giving justice satisfaction this would be a derogation to the Father therfore when Christ doth plead with the Father for the
sin yet it cannot do any hurt at all But saâ— he I thanke God through our Lord Jesus Chriâ—â— who will deliver me from this body of death As much as to say Indeed till a man looke to Christ there is nothing but matter of bitternesse and evill to be seen as the certain fruits of sin and there can be nothing but bitternesse in sin in regard of the evill that is like to follow it But when persons can once looke to Christ the case is altered What doth he thanke God for He thanks God that though naturally a body of death grew up by sin yet there is no prejudice in this kinde can come to him through Christ Now that the Apostle doth plainly mean that he thanks God in that sin could not doe him or others any hurt mark how in his thankfulnesse he expresseth himself in the beginning of the 8. Chapter There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ that walke not after the flâ—sh but after the Spirit There you see the ground of the Apostles thanksgiving namely that now there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ No you will say no condemnation in Hell but yet as there is remainders of sinne in Gods owne people so there will some evill or other fall upon the commission of sin marke what the Apostle speakes of it in the 2. and 4. verâ—â— Would you have the clear minde of the Spirit â—in it There it is held forth The Law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ hath freed mee from the law of sinne and death for what the Law could not doe in that it was weake through the flesh God sent forth his Son in the similitude of sinfull flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ hath freed mee from the Law of sinne and death Here Christ stands for the deliverance of his people from condemnation from eternall wrath say some yea but saith the Apostle wee are delivered from the Law of sin and death what is the Law of sin but what the Law may do to persons for those sins which are committed by them Now what can sin do when it is condemned It is true take a Traytor as he is at liberty hee may do mischief but take him as he is arraigned and condemned and as he is bound and manacled he can doe no hurt Now sinne is condemned to the Believer it can do no hurt at all to him for what hurt can that doe unto a man which is carried into a Land of forgetfulnesse to avoid further prejudice of such persons that are indangered by it When men have been found dangerous unto the State 〈◊〉 hath been a common practice to banish them the Kingdome into a place far remote when they cannot have any opportunity of doing any mischief and when they are banished theâ— are not to returne againe upon paine of death Now beloved our Scape Goat hath carriâ— our sins into a Land of forgetfulnesse Consider further suppose a man be entered into many bonds and they are for great summes It is true while they remaine bonds in force such a man is subject to feare arrests but put the case these bonds are all cancelled that the debt in the Creditors book be blotted out what hurt then can these bonds do unto a man when the seal is torn off and all the writing in the bond is blotted out If a man saw a thousand such bonds in which he were obliged it would affright him no more then if he saw none at all True indeed every sin is a great debt and wee commit sins daily and hourly against the Lord and the torments of Hel is the merit of the least sin in the world for I speake not this to extenuate any sin but to shew the greatnes of Gods Grace and to ease upon good grounds distressed consciences Therefore such as look upon these sins as uncancelled and these debts as true debts it is true so long these sins may work a horror and trembling in persons but for Believers that are the members of Christ they may read fairly all the sins that ever they have committed they may read also the desert of these transgressions which should be executed and inflicted upon them if they were not cancelled and blotted out But marke what the Lord speaks in the 43. of Isaiah I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine owne name sake and will not remember thy sins Now what prejudice can that do that is blotted out I say every debt of a Believer is a cancelled debt so that the Lord himselfe hath nothing at all to lay to a Believers charge For how can that Scorpion do hurt that hath lost his sting and spent his venome in the sides of Christ and left it there It was Christ that was wounded for the transgressions of his people he was bruised for the iniquities of the faithfull the chastisements of their peace was upon him saith the Holy Ghost in the 53. of Isaiah and the 5. verse What hurt can there be to whom there is peace from God and nothing but peace It is true our sins themselves do not speak peace but Christ bearing the sinne and the wrath that these sins doe deserve his chastisement or the wrath hee sustained speaks peace to every Believer whose transgressions be did beare Therefore beloved be not affraid ye that are Believers and members of Christ for fear of wrath breaking down from heaven upon you for such and such sins which you have committed for they can do you no hurt all your sins together can do you no harme all the sting and poyson of your sins were spent upon the backe of Christ Marke that excellent expression of the Apostle in the 1 Cor. 15.56 57. he tels us there indeed that the sting of death is sin and the strength of sinne is the Law so that here seems to be a sting in sin even to death it selfe But mark what follows thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ that hath given us the victory What doth he meane even the victory of overcoming of sinne and death that is his true meaning Though naturally sin hath a sting yet there is a victory over this sting Christ is the death of it as he tooke away the sting of it so that the sins of Believers set up to affright them by Satan or his instruments they are but Scare-crows and Bugbears things to fright ignorant children indeed but men of insight and understanding are able to see that they are counterfeit things It is true before men come to see the light of the Gospel of Christ their sins stare in their faces seeming to spit fire at them but just as you shall have children it may be put one of their company into hideous postures and a fearfull and terrible representation causing every one that knowes it not to run from him so sinne
is now offered unto us I have peradventure in the hearing of some present made entrance into these words I have read now unto you I shall give you but a taste of what I have formerly spoken so much as may serve by way of introduction to that in which I mean to spend the remainder of this time The occasion of these words you may see in the former passage of this Chapter At this present instant a great tumult and uproar was raised upon the raising of the righteous Man from the East that is the setting up of Christ Such a noyse there was that God was fain to call for silence vers 1. and for their plea at the latter end of the verse If they have any thing to say against this businesse of setting up of Christ let them bring their strongest reasons saith the Lord. Having thus obtained silence the Lord makes his plea against their tumultuous opposition vers 2. Who is he that hath raised him up and hath given Nations to him and made him to rule over Kings I the Lord did it saith he vers 4. What have you to say to me He shall prosper and he shall prosper with facility and ease he shall go softly he shall never run for fear of being circumvented Hee shall go in a way that his foot hath not trode before he shall go further then he hath gone and what say they to this when God speaks Yet the tumultuous men will not be quiet they lay their heads together as you finde they consult to finde out helpe nay they conspire the Carpenter and the Smith have laid their heads together Now because there is such a combustion when Christ is set up lest the people of the Lord should be possessed with dismayednesse and feare of miscarriage the Lord turnes his speech to these opposed Fear not I am with thee be not dismayed I am thy God Christ when ever he is exalted did doth and will finde great opposition but in spite of all opposition Christs exaltation shall prosper all their opposition shal not hinder nay he wil go softly that the world may see that he is not afraid of all opposition whatsoever First in this Text the Lord is pleased to provide a pillow as for a King for the heads of his people or a staffe for their trembling hand a pillow to support their sinking spirits they are apt to be discouraged it seems the Lord is pleased to take their condition into his hand to speak to the occasion of their trembling and to give out such words that may be a stay that they may stand fast though blustrings grow greater then they are The Textis nothing else but a gracious incouragement or a comfortable support of a sinking spirit The incouragement is in these words Fear not be not dismayed the grounds and arguments by which he would prevaile with them not to fear nor be dismayed are in these words I am with thee I am thy God I will helpe thee I will up hold thee with the right hand of my righteousnesse The point is this That they that have God for their God need never fear nor be dismayed seeing this their God is with them will helpe them strengthen them and uphold them with the right hand of his righteousnesse Concerning this feare and dismayednesse we spake largely the last time we spake upon this occasion 1. What it is not to be afraid 2. What we are not to be afraid of 3. What the inconveniences of such feare are In brief not to feare is no more but a composednesse and setlednesse of spirit against any evill that commeth Excellent is that expression in the 112. Psalme vers 8. They shall not be afraid of evill tidings What is that Their heart is fixed their heart is established they shall not be removed Here is the expression of a fearlesse heart a heart fixed a heart established a heart not moved You have it likewise excellently set out in Daniel 3. in an example the 16. vers in the story of the three children being sentenced to be cast into the fiery furnace they came before the great King Nebuchadnezzar and hee spake big to them and tells them what they must trust unto if they will not fall down and worship his Gods Mark now how their fearlesnesse and dismayednesse is expressed We are not carefull to answer thee in this matter our God whom we serve be will deliver us See what a disposition this fearlesnesse is and then what is the ground of it We are not carefull to answer thee in this matter here is a true fearlesnesse if when ever evill comes men can say it matters not we are ready for it And look into the root of it and you shall finde it in their answer our God is able to deliver us that made them so carelesse in so weighty a thing Our God whom wee serve he will deliver us Secondly what it is we should not fear I answer first we should not fear God himself as to do us any hurt fear him with awfull reverence we must A Believer that is the servant and chosen of God need not fear that God will do him any hurt It is God that justifieth therefore it is not God that will harm thee The heart of God is to his people My bowells are troubled for thee saith God to Ephraim Can he hurt them while he is troubled for them Secondly they must not fear their own sins I do not say they ought not to fear to commit sinne but they ought not to feare what hurt their sinnes can doe them seeing they are blotted out If a man have subscribed unto and sealed a hundred Bonds and all these Bonds be quite cancelled and blotted out he need not fear no hurt these Bonds can do him Paul in the 7. of Rom. complaineth indeed of a body of death and the power of sin but in the closure of the Chapter he shews how little he fears any thing that sin could doe Thanks be unto God through our Lord Jesus Christ What doth he thank the Lord for that though his firts were so great yet they could not do him any hurt nor any of Gods people Look into the beginning of the 8. Chapter it is plaine There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ who walke not after the flesh but after the Spirit For the Law of the Spirit of life that is in Christ hath freed me from the Law of sin and death For what the Law could not do in that it was weake through the flesh God sending his owne Son in the likenesse of sinfull flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh What hurt can this do Now beloved give me leave to tell you if you be Believers and weak in faith I dare bee bold to say nothing cuts the heart so much in respect of fear of evill as the sins you do commit these will be swords to your hearts But if you be
longer therein The summe and substance of the objection is this Is there so much Grace that where sin hath abounded Grace aboundeth much more then it seems that the more sin a man doth commit the more will the glory of the Grace of God appear in the pardoning of these sins and so I shall glorisie God best when I commit sin most will some say So that the preaching of the abundance of grace where sin hath abounded seems to let men loose to the commission of sin as much as possibly The Apostle answers this with God forbid as if he had said God will never suffer any Believer though never so weak through any such truth reveal'd to break out into any sin because wher sin hath abounded grace hath abounded much more God will never have them to make any such abominable inference from such truths And he also gives the reason why they cannot make such use of the grace of God How shall we that are dead unto sin live any longer therein to the Apostle the inference of the objectors from this argument seems so absurd that he doth appeal to the adversaries themselves how such an inference as this can follow such a Proposition He doth not say positively that they cannot live in sin that are dead to it but he puts the question to them how it can be And whereas some may answer yea they may easily do it No saith the Apostle they that are partakers of this Grace are dead unto sin and how can they live in it when they are dead to it The glorious power of this Grace revealed strikes sinne dead in men or rather strikes men dead to sin Sinne shall not have dominion over you saith the Apostle for you are not under the Law but under Grace And as you shall heare by and by the Apostle makes the very Grace of God to have that power in it as to breake the neck of sin in the Believer This is the most certaine truth of the Text and springs directly from it There is a death unto sin where there is a revelation effectually of the Grace of God to persons to whom it doth belong It brings a dart with it to slay sin The law of the Spirit of life that is in Christ hath freed mee from the law of sin and death and what the law could not doe in that it was weake through the flesh God sent forth his Son in the simili tude of sinfull flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh so that although to reason and sense the preaching of the free Grace of God to men and to publish what the Lord hath done for them for his own sake and that before-hand may seem to be a doctrine that gives liberty to sin and so to be a licentious doctrine yet it seems to the Apostle that there is nothing that doth more establish a restraint from sin then the manifestation hereof In the 11. to the Romans towards the latter end of the Chapter the Apostle tells us that God hath concluded all men under sinne that hee might shew mercy upon all and therefore he falls out into admiration O the depth of the riches both of the Wisdome and Knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes ast finding out Now what follows Having prevealed this unsearchable Grace see how hee begins in the 12. Chapter and 1. verse I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice acceptable to God which is your reasonable service And be not conformed to this world but bee transformed by the renewing of your mindes that is I beseech you by the mercies of God that you refraine from sinne What mercy doth he meane Even the mercies of God concerning the freenesse of his Grace manifested before in all the 11. Chapter Now if the Apostle had beene of some mens mindes that the preaching of the free Grace of God were a dangerous doctrine to set men loose to sin he would never have used the mercies of God as an argument to prevail with men to refrain from sin Hee would not have published that which should have been of such dangerous consequence but he would rather have been filent so far would hee have been from revealing of it as an argument to the contrary were the revelation of it the way to bring men to loosenesse and licentiousnesse it had been the wisdome of Paul and the other Apostles to have concealed it which certainly he would have done had it been so But the Apostle was not of that judgement and therfore in 1 Corinth chap. 6. and towards the latter end he draws his argument after the same manner You are not your owne you are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your bodies and spirits for they are Gods Observe here that the injunction which the Apostle gives the Corinthians is that they should glorifie God in their bodies and spirits and what is the argument by which he would perswade them to it You are bought with a price But will some say it seems I am bought and the price is laid downe for me now I am sure enough I am safe the gates of hell cannot prevail against me I may live as I list for no danger will follow now I may take liberty to sin Now if the Apostle had known that this consequence would justly have followed upon the preaching of this Crace he had dealt very discourteously with the people of God and absurdly by inforcing a conclusion from a ground contrary to it by revealing such a doctrine as this is Therefore surely the Apostle would never have used this expression of being bought with a price if he had knowne that this would follow but contrariwise he knew that there is no way in the world will so much prevaile with Gods people to leave their sins as by telling them before hand that their sins are forgiven them and that they are bought with a price In 2 Titus from the beginning to the 12. v. you shall finde how the Apostle urgeth Titus that hee presse a holy conversation answerable to old men and old women as also to young women and young men and also a conversation suitable to servants and especially he writes concerning them that they should not purloin from their masters but shew all faithfulnesse But what is the argument now by which the Apostle urgeth all these things upon these men See in the 12. and 13. verses and you shall finde that the argument is the same we have now in hand For the Grace of God saith he that brings salvation hath appeared teaching us to deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and that we should live righteously soberly and godly in this present world As much as to say The Lord hath made known and revealed his salvation to you and you see it before you Salvation is brought unto you and not your well-doing but the Grace of God is
all these but that Christ is an Advocate we cannot finde where it is mentioned in all the Scripture but in this place and therefore it will be the more difficult to finde out the intention of the Holy Ghost what he means by this office of Advocateship The word Advocate in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the some word is used by John in the 1 of John and the 26. verse and attributed unto the Holy Ghost and is there translated the Comforter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Text The Comforter will come Now the same word that we have here Advocate is also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And indeed the proper singification of the word is A Comfortable Advocate But the thing it self What is this Advocateship will you say It is a borrowed expression and an allusion opening the prevalency of Christ with the Father for his owne people it is taken from an office among men Advocates in the Common Law you call them Counsellors but in the Civill Law they have this very title of Advocate The office is this namely being well experienced in the nature of the Law and the Rules and Principles of Justice when ever a cause comes to be tried they are to make clear the Principles of Justice and so to plead out Justice on the behalfe of the client for whom they plead I say the office of an Advocate is to plead the cause of a person as it stands in equity and justice and to demand and require a sentence of acquittance and discharge from Justice and equity it selfe Herein an Advocate differs from a Suppliant a Suppliant makes only requests and depends altogether upon favour alone so as if hee should stand to the rigor of Justice he must bee gone and his cause must miscarry I say this is the proper office of a Suppliant or Petitioner but an Advocate hee stands to the justice of a person whose cause hee doth plead and puts the issue of the triall even to Justice it selfe that as the cause can bee cleared to bee a just cause so the Judge would passe a sentence upon the cause just so I say is it with Christ pleading the cause of his own people with the Father in respect of indempnity from sin for his Advocateship is this namely to lay the Law to the Father to plead justice in the discharge of the sinner that doth commit sinne that it is but right and justice to discharge him and it were an unrighteous thing and in justice if he should not I say it is most certainly true that Christ stands here upon justice and he will in righteousnesse have God to discharge his own people from all the sins that they do commit and hee pleads that it is an unrighteous thing to charge them with them or to plague or punish them for them Object But some peradventure will be ready to say this cannot be that Christ as an Advocate should plead for indempnity upon terms of justice for in the strictnesse and the rigor of justice the soule that sinneth must die And the Gospel seems to say it is onely and solely Grace that any person is discharged from sin For in justice there cannot be a claime made of pardon and discharge from sin but all the plea must be meerly bounty and favour Answ This objection seems to have a great deale of strength in it How may these two things stand together that Christ pleading justice God must forgive and yet notwithstanding justice doth sentence a person unto death if he sins For answer to this you must learn to distinguish and I desire you warily to observe this distinction that so you may plainly see a reconciliation of that which seems impossible to be reconciled I say observe this distinction namely first consider the pardon or discharge from sin in regard of any thing laid down in consideration of the sin committed by the person who doth partake of this pardon And secondly consider this pardon or indemnity and discharge from sin in reference unto Christ who gets this discharge Now I say in the former consideration that is in respect of us that do partake of this discharge from sin and in regard of any thing that we can bring in recompence for that sin or satisfie in this regard it is meerly and only Grace that sinners being the members of Christ are discharged When you or I commit sin that God doth discharge us that God doth not lay our sins to us that God doth not give sentence of damnation upon us for such and such sins as we do commit I say it is an act of meer Grace alone Justice cannot 〈◊〉 pleaded in this case But secondly consider the indemnity from sin in respect of Christ who doth get this discharge and doth purchase it of the Father Then Christ is to bee considered two wayes First as Christ is allowed by the Father to stand in the room of such persons whose cause he pleads Or secondly Christ is to be considered as he hath actually made full payment unto the Father his satisfaction being allowed and admitted before thereunto Now I answer considering Christ in his being allowed by the Father to stand in the room of the persons whose cause he pleads so this discharge from sin by Christ it is an act of Grace Christ cannot plead justice that he should be allowed There was not a tye upon the Father that Christ should bee in mans room and that the Father should be unrighteous if hee did not ordain him to bee so it was an act of free Grace in God when men were under the curse and became miserable bankrupts that Christ should make satisfaction for them When one man doth owe another money it is not an unrighteous act in this creditor to refuse a surety he may make the debtor pay the debt himselfe if he will it is matter of grace it is meer courtesie so to doe Even so it is matter of grace that Christ is admitted to come in the roome of man and to stand in the stead of man 〈◊〉 to beare the sins of man For him to be 〈◊〉 to beare the wrath of God for these sins that another hath committed this is an act of grace and in regard of these particulars is the Scripture so frequent in these expressions of the free Grace of God in communicating this discharge and pardon of sin unto sinners But secondly consider Christ allowed of the Father to stand in the room of men as he hath come forth and paid down the utmost farthing that God in justice could demand for or in consideration of these sins that are committed by his people I say when Christ hath deposited or delivered up into the hands of his Father the utmost farthing that hee could charge upon Believers or demand on their behalfe this being received by the Father acknowledgement being made by him upon the receipt of what Christ hath paid this I say considered it is an
As a wife of youth so the Lord for a moment hid his face but as a wise that is grown up so the Lord will not be wroth with her nor rebuke her any more The Apostle Paul doth most excellently expound this different estate of the Church in the time before and after Christ In the 3. Chapter of the Epistle to the Galatians and the latter end of that Chapter and the beginning of the 4. Chapter There was saith he a time of minority wherein even an heir being but a childe differeth nothing at all in respect of outward carriage from a servant though even then he be Lord of all In the 4. Chap. and verse 1. to the Galatians and this time of being a servant is not for ever saith the Apostle but till the time appointed of the Father Here in respect of outward usage during this minority there is no difference between such a person and him that is not an heir at all but he is under Tutors and Governours that is he feels alike of the rod and still this is till the time appointed of the Father See how the Apostle expounds the words even so we saith he while we were children in our non-age were in bondage under the elements of the world we did partake of the common calamities of the world but how long was this VVhen the fulnesse of time was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sons There was a redemption even in the minority of the Church when the Church was at the youngest age there was redemption but not a redemption in respect of that which he speakes of here that was a redemption from that condition wherein the heire did not differ from a servant therefore most properly according to the coherence of the words the redemption most properly and specially spoken of here was a redemption from a condition wherein they did not differ from servants into a condition wherein they should differ So in the 54. Chap. of Isaiah verse 8. there is such a difference in this two fold estate of the Church as is between a wife of youth and a wife grown up What is that you will say I answer you know even among men they marry children when they are but two or three yeares of age the childe she is a married wife and yet for all this while she is foure or five yea six or seven yeers of age she is used as one that is not married there is no difference between this childe and one that is not married both are corrected and both are whipped but when she cometh to riper yeers of age and hath the actuall fruition of her husband then she cometh to be freed from the rod and receiveth all the immunities and priviledges of a wife which she though a wife did not enjoy before And so in this Text the Church as a childe under age and wife of youth is visited for a moment and there is a kind of hiding the face of God while she is as the wife of youth but when the time of riper age is come then this shall be as the waters of Noah to me as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more drown the earth so have I sworn that I will not be worth with thee nor rebuke thee Thus beloved you see that God once reconciled he never falls out with his people any more It is true indeed he doth chastise them hee doth correct them but he never doth it in wrath he never doth it in sury In the 27. of Isaiah and the 4. verse speaking of his Church that he would watch it night and day he saith fury is not in me he hath no acquaintance with fury in reference unto such persons And therefore although it be true there may be afflictions and these afflictions may be exceeding tart to the flesh even when a person is grown and when a Church is grown up yet notwithstanding there is not wrath in these afflictions Every sonne saith God I love I rebuke and chasten There is love even in chastisements and the fruit of it is love to take away sinne The end why God sends these afflictions is not in wrath for sinne but to purge them from their filth God takes occasion when his people doe sinne to chastise them in love but that chastisement is no fruit of the wrath of God it is no fruit of the curse of God nor sentence of the Law but the tender compassions of a loving Father that makes use of them for his childrens good There is as much reconciliation with God under the rod as when persons are not under the rod A father may love a childe as dearely when hee corrects him as when he gives him plums It is thus with God children reconciled to him as he corrects a child committing a fault he never whips him but there is feare he will commit it againe and therefore he doth chastise him to prevent a fault He doth not punish him to pacifie his anger for the fault committed So God in respect of the Church for the purging of his Church and for triall in these respects he will chastise and in chastising he will convey the Spirit of amendment to them but in respect of what is done were it not to have them purged for the future he would never afflict his people for that which is past So that I say though this be the great Objection that troubles mens spirits they fall daily into troubles and afflictions here is wrath and enmity reconciliation is not firm God is now fallen out yet beloved know that God is not fallen out with his people when he chastiseth them No man under Heaven can suffer under afflictions more then Christ himself did yet saith God hee is my beloved Son not my hated Son but my beloved Son I afflict It is true indeed as the Apostle Paul speaks No affliction at first seems joyous but grievous yet afterwards it bringeth forth the pleasant fruits of righteousnesse to those that are exercised therewith Consider this one thing Can God poure wrath when he intends onely the good of his people to purge his people to bring them as gold out of the fire Certainly what David had experience of shall be the fruit of all the afflictions of all the members of Christ though they be never so many and great Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have learned to keep thy Laws Whereupon hee saith that it was good for him he was afflicted God afflicts to teach God afflicts to draw home God afflicts to refine and purge You know the Merchant doth not in wrath fling away his gold when he puts it into the refining pot it is no argument of lesse love onely he would have his gold tried and refined and the drosse taken away out of it It is so with God