best Sacrifice to his Father and preferred the service of God before the love and kindness of his dearest Friends Heb. 10.7 chusing rather to die than to sin against God For when his Enemies were most furiously inraged against him and consulted to put him to death he makes no evasion nor unjust excuses he denies not the truth nor distrusts his Father but committing his Case to the providence of God Mat. c. 26. c. 29. he meekly endures their affronts and injuries and when their malice was so great as to put him to death he patiently bears their indignation their fury and their wrath like a good man and a glorious Martyr praying for his Enemies till he gave up the Ghost Behold here a Mirrour of Piety the Wonder of the world for his Devotion and Charity Was there any action of his life or the least circumstance attending his actions that might justly bear the charge of sin None certainly for from his birth to his death he was a most virulent Enemy to that wicked One and a perfect hater of his works The Devils themselves confess he was the holy One of God His most malicious Enemies could not but say he did all things well Mark 5.7 Pilate that sate in Judgment upon him could find no evil in him and therefore according to his Wife's admonition Mat. 27.19 23 24. proclaims him before a full Assembly of Scribes and Elders to be a just person So that his whole Life was but one continued Series of actions perfectly designed against that wicked One. His Baptism was his solemn inauguration into this Office His Conversation the most plain and easie Mat. 11.28 29. the most full and comprehensive the most encouraging and authentick Pattern for his Followers to imitate in their Christian course of life in defiance to that grand Impostor that while they behold him as the Captain of their Salvation despising the World confronting the Devil bearing Afflictions with patience Persecutions with cheerfulness resisting and overcoming Temptations forgiving and loving his Enemies willing to live so long as God pleased yet ready to die the most ignominious accursed death since it was the determinate counsel of God Whilst his Disciples thus consider his regular Piety his undaunted Courage they may learn to do likewise and in opposition to the Prince of Darkness be encouraged to do to suffer and to be whatever God shall be pleased to call them to 'T was Plato's opinion as Tully reports that if Vertue could but admit herself to view she would appear so amiable in the eyes of all men that Vice in the most costly dress and gorgeous array would appear most contemptible and bare if compared with her If incorporated Vertue in the Philosophers judgment would be so attractive of mens affections certainly the unspotted innocency of an incarnate Deity should be much more powerful to invite and perswade his Followers to the love and practice of Piety and Goodness than the former conceit would be to engage men to the love and practice of Vertue So that if men would consider that grand Exemplar of Piety the life of the holy Jesus his Example must needs inspirit their minds with the most active diligence undaunted courage to fight manfully under his Banner â—eb 12.1 2 3. as the Captain of their Salvation against the World the Flesh and the Devil to run with patience the race that is set before them and to continue in that spiritual Combat his faithful Servants and Souldiers unto their lifes end 2. From some remarkable actions of his Life and especially the bitter passions of his Death whereby he hath given a fatal blow to the power and designes of the Devil The Son of God is not to be considered onely as a meer man though just and innocent but in reference also to that grand undertaking The Redemption of the World from its slavery to Sin and subjection to Satan the Saviour of the World the Redeemer of Mankind His very Birth struck a terrour to those evil Spirits his Life shone with so glorious a light that it confounded the Kingdom of Darkness But the most signal Conquest he obtained over Death Eph 2.13 c. and the Devil that had the power of it was by his meritorious Death and powerful Resurrection For when the Jews had crucified the Lord of Life and laid him full low even in the dust that they began to triumph and applaud themselves in their supposed Victory the Devils also rejoyced as if they had vanquished the power of God How miraculously did the Counsels of Heaven defeat the carnal policy of men and the malicious designes of the Devil too That death which they executed upon the Lord 's Anointed was converted to their own destruction and contrary to the Devils expectation most happily proved the greatest Engine to rout his Forces and destroy his Kingdom For can God die or his holy One see corruption No the price of man's Redemption being paid by the Sufferings of the Son of God Rom. 6.9 10 he broke through the powers of the Grave and in despight of the Devil Hell and Death arose a mighty Conquerour over them all and as a Trophey of Victory led captivity captive and treated them as he pleased And when he had given sufficient demonstration of his Resurrection Acts 1.9 he ascended gloriously into Heaven from whence immediately he sent down the Holy Ghost upon his Disciples and prevalently interceding with his Father received power and authority to demolish the Kingdom of Satan Eph. 2.19 20 21 22. and by delivering men from his insulting Tyranny to constitute a Kingdom of his own and to preserve and keep it from the furious assaults of the Devil by the power of his Providence and the conduct of his Spirit And now he is set down at the right hand of God he continueth for ever and having an unchangeable Priesthood is able to save his Church and People to the utmost seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them Heb. 7.24 25. By which and other such remarkable passages preceding accompanying and following his death he hath obtained a considerable interest in the very Forts and Dwellings of the Prince of this World by turning many souls from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God 3. From the grand intent and designe of his Doctrine which is most aptly contrived to destroy the works of the Devil to deliver men from the power and dominion of sin and to direct and encourage them to Righteousness and true Holiness For First The Christian Religion delivers the strictest Precepts for the rule of good living with the greatest Majesty and Authority conceivable In general it commands men to love the Lord their God with all their heart Mat. 22.37 38 39. and with all their soul and with all their mind and their neighbours as themselves Mat. 7.12 to do as they would be done unto to
reject the Devil and despise the World to avoid every occasion of sin Jam. 4.7 1 Joh. 2.15 1. Thess 5.22 and appearance of evil and whatever things are true whatever things are honest whatever things are just whatever things are pure whatever things are lovely whatever things are of good report if there be any vertue and if there be any praise seriously to think of these things and faithfully to do them Phil. 4.8 9. More particularly Heb. 11.3 1 Tim. 6.15 16 it requires men to acknowledge one God the Creator and Governours of the World to conceive him as an infinite and incomprehensible Being to testifie the inward reverence and devotion of their hearts Rom. 12.1 2. by the most ready and universal obedience to his Will to love him for his Goodness to stand in awe of his Justice and his Power 1 Joh. 4.8 Mat. 10.28 Mat. 6.25 1 Thess 5.18 Joh. 4.24 to depend upon his Providence for their protection and to express their thankfulness for the receipt of his Mercies to be serious in all parts of his Worship to live always as in his presence and to manifest their respect to God by their reverend behaviour to every thing that is appropriate to his service or participates of his nature Faithfully to believe all divine Revelations humbly to submit to all the dispensations of his Providence and sincerely to observe all the manifestations of his Will and Pleasure To believe on the Son of God as the Saviour of the World the great Doctor and Governour of the Church Mat. 1.21 Jam. 4.12 1 Tim. 2.5 and the alone Mediator between God Man It prescribes the particular Offices engaging men to a due regulation of all their thoughts words and deeds that do immediately respect their own persons Luke 21.34 It directs them to Temperance and Moderation in eating and drinking in sleeping and recreation to Chastity and Purity both in the married and unmarried estate to Humility and Modesty in the disposition and carriage of men Acts 24.16 To restrain every unruly Passion within the bounds of Reason and to regulate every the most lawful Affection according to the rules of Religion To guide and manage their Behaviour with sobriety and understanding and to order their Discourse with gravity and discretion It lays down also the most excellent Rules of Charity and Justice toward their Neighbours obliging every man to the greatest Sincerity Uprightness and Integrity to each other Mat. 5.23 24 25. Rom. 13.7 to an universal Innocence and Harmlesness in all actions to make Compensation where Offences have been committed to carry a due Respect and Reverence proper to the several Orders and Degrees of men to observe all the positive Acts of Justice distributive and commutative according to the Offices of that Calling wherein divine Providence hath disposed man's Station and to observe all the duties of Love and Charity which the necessities of others require Gal. 6.10 and the abilities of men do qualifie them for In a word the Christian Profession is so pure so undefiled a Religion that it prohibits the least impurity and gives no license to the smallest sin for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity Tit. 2.11 12 13 14. and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Secondly It propounds the most convincing Arguments to encourage men against the Wiles and Temptations of the Devil and to perswade them to the sincere and constant practice of Vertue and Goodness It threatens the Wicked with the Wrath and Indignation of God at present and promiseth to the Vertuous and Good the Providence of God as his infinite Wisdom shall judge most expedient for them But because it is manifest God doth not call Mankind to an account in this World nor deal with them in strict Justice according to their deserts for his external Dispensations are very promiscuous both to the Good and Bad therefore the Gospel doth seriously present to the consideration of men an infallible certainty of a Judgment to come when God shall render to every man according to his works Acts 17.31 2 Pet. 3.10 2 Thess 1.7 Mat. 25.30 ad fin 2 Cor 5.10 It informs us of the nature of the Judge the dreadful preparation for his coming to Judgment the terrible appearance of his Majesty the great proceedings of that day and the irreversible Sentence past upon all concerned in it that we may be confidently assured there are Rewards in store for every man that the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him and the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him It represents the greatest fulness and exuberancy of divine Love Rom. 2.7 8 9 10. Life and Immortality to the Vertuous and Good but the utmost severity of divine Justice Indignation and Wrath Tribulation and Anguish to the Vicious and Bad. It assures to all that live according to the Rules of that holy Institution eternal and solid Bliss both in Body and Soul that the one which was corruptible shall put on incorruption which was sown in dishonour shall be raised in glory which was sown in weakness shall be raised in power 2 Cor. 15.42 43. And the faculties of the other so eminently transformed that the Understanding which now seeth the most perspicuous things but darkly and through a Glass shall be endued with the greatest measure of knowledge and entertained with the clearest sight of the divine nature to behold with infinite satisfaction the glorious attributes of God and the wonderful Counsels and effects of them all in his works of Providence toward his several Creatures The Will and Affections shall be perfectly transformed into the divine likeness that Anger Envy Hatred and such troublesome Passions shall be utterly abolished Desire shall be sped into Fruition and Hope shall be swallowed up in Victory and those delightful and ravishing affections of Love and Joy shall survive and remain to the eternal consolation of Soul and Body But it threatens the Wicked that they shall be turned into hell and all the people that forget God Mark 9.24 26. where are Flames so quick and scorching that they shall seize upon Soul and Body Torments that shall always be beginning never ending which the damned themselves by their Malice shall increase and by the gnashing of their Teeth shall help to be their own Executioners So that those who comply with the Wiles and Temptations of the Devil must expect a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour them Heb. 10.27 but those who resist that evil Spirit and seriously renounce his works may expect that glorious
recompence of reward which God hath prepared for those that love and serve him Heb. 11.39 40. Thirdly To this purpose that divine Oeconomy which according to the Sanctions of the Gospel is administred in the Christian Church was instituted by the Son of God That the Ministers of the Gospel as opportunity serves and necessity requires administer the sacred Rites of the Christian Religion in the Church of God Mat. 28.19 by baptizing such as are duly disposed for that solemn Ordinance that thereby they may be listed into the service of Christ and by that religious Sacrament be obliged to fight manfully under his Banner against the World Luke 22.19 20 the Flesh and the Devil And distribute the Holy Communion to those pious and humble Souls that are religiously disposed to celebrate the honour of God in that sacred Institution that they may be encouraged to quench the fiery darts of the devil and have grace to serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear To them 't is commanded to solemnize the Worship of God in publick Mat. 10.12 13 1 Tim. 2.1 2. either as Priests to wait at the Altar of the Lord to intercede with his Majesty in the behalf of his people and to present in their stead Prayers and Supplications and Thanksgivings to him or as Embassadors to treat with the People in the business of Religion Mat. 28.20 2 Cor. 5.20 and reveal the Will of God unto them to explain and confirm to their Understandings the Principles of Christianity to represent to their Judgment and Reason the vileness of sin and the reasonableness of Gods service that men may be reclaimed from their sinful and wicked ways and become a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God But when sinners are obstinate and hard to be entreated the Censures of the Church are put into their hands to exercise the power of the Keys in punishing the pertinacious and casting them out of the Church that they may be brought to a just and lively apprehension of their sins and from the Judgment of God executed upon them by his Ministers in the Church be perswaded to reform and amend their lives that they may not fall into the hands of divine Justice in the World to come and so upon sufficient Evidence of their Repentance receive Absolution be dissolved from the Bonds of Satan and admitted into the bosome of the Church again For this power our Lord and Master committed to his Apostles and in them to the succeeding Governours of the Church Mat. 18.18 Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Which Commission was renewed again after his Resurrection when he breathed on them the Holy Ghost Joh. 20.22 23. These are the principal means delivered in the Gospel and instituted by the Son of God to deliver men from the dominion of sin and Satan and thereby to destroy the works of the Devil by taking men off from the love and practice of sin 4. From the mission and descent of the Holy Ghost into the World where divine Inspiration is in two respects very remarkable to take away and the sins of the World and to promote the service and honour of God First By enduing the Son of God and his holy Apostles with power from above whereby they were enabled to confirm and ratifie the truth of the Christian Doctrine by the working of Miracles If Christ had not done those works which no other person did he would not for in truth he could not have obliged mankind to believe and obey it which is the proper import and meaning of our Saviour's expression Joh. 15.24 'T was therefore extreamly necessary that he should manifest the Divinity of his person and confirm the truth of the Gospel by such signal Testimonies as were uncontrolable And such was his infinite Wisdom and Power that while he was conversant among men he gave the World all the satisfaction that was possible that he came from God when he wrought such miraculous works as were never heard of from the beginning of the World presented them boldly to all Spectators and committed the tryal of their reality to the test of their sences which was an infallible evidence that the spirit of the Lord was upon him and the power of God had overshadowed him Heb. 9.14 Rom. 8.11 But because he was mightily declared to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead as through the eternal spirit he offered himself to God so by the mighty assistance of the same holy Spirit he arose again from the dead and continues alive for ever And because he committed the promulgation of the Gospel to his Apostles whom he sent as Embassadours to preach Salvation to the World and exhort sinners to be reconciled to God the powers of the Holy Ghost was indispensably requisite to inform their Understandings with the Mind of God to reveal the sacred Mysteries of Religion clearly to their apprehensions that they be assured of their heavenly Call to the divine Employment therefore they had apparitions of Angels and received the Bath-col voices from Heaven So St. Paul by a most miraculous Light from Heaven is stricken down to the Earth and called to the Apostleship Acts 9. Hereupon he became so serious and earnest to assert both his Calling and Gospel to descend from Heaven Gal. 1.1 Paul an Apostle not of men neither by men but by Jesus Christ and God the Father They had extatical Visions Peter was in a Trance Paul wrapt up to the third Heavens They had monitory Dreams and Impulses from the Spirit by all which they had a full assurance of the Divinity of their Message and the truth of their Call to the Apostleship But 't was equally necessary for the Conviction of the Unbelieving World that they should confirm the divine Authority of these things by sufficient external Arguments therefore they were endued with the gift of Tongues and the power of working Miracles when according to the promise of our Lord the Holy Ghost descended from Heaven upon a full Assembly as they were met together to solemnize the Worship of God Acts 2. that they began to speak with other Tongues and to utter divers sorts of Languages insomuch that their Auditors admired the marvelous works of God when they heard the Servants of Christ speaking every one in their own Tongue Thus they were qualified by an extraordinary Inspiration to teach all Nations and to preach the Gospel throughout the whole World And as they had diversity of Gifts and different Administrations so they were enabled by the power of the Holy Ghost to work Miracles 2 Cor. 12 8 9 10 11. and in the Name of Christ to do even what they list To them was given the power of healing all manner of Diseases the raising the Dead to life But one great and signal Gift they received which to the