for though the Saints proximately and immediately are united to Christ yet the Union is not so terminated in him but that through him they are united to the Father too Therefore 't is said Joh. 17.21 That they also may be one in us 't is not one in Me singly but one in Vs conjunctly And the Apostle saith 1 Thes 1.1 2. To the Church which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ the same you have 2 Thes 1.1 So * Of the Saints Union with the Father as well as with the Son see Burg. upon Joh. 17. p. 586. Newton upon Joh. p. 450. of the Moral Vnion that Believers in some respects are in both and united both to Father and Son But as to the Law-union arising from Suretyship and Vadimony that is only proper to Christ he of all the Persons being the alone Surety for Believers Thirdly There is a Moral Vnion between Christ and Believers 'T is called Moral from the Bond or Ground of it which is Love and the word Moral is us'd not as it stands in contradistinction to Spiritual but to Natural and Physical I say the Bond of this Union is Love for Faith unites mystically and Love unites morally Love is an uniting grace as well as Faith though it doth not unite in the same way therefore 't is said He that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him 1 Joh. 4.16 'T is all for union and it produces union take two persons who love each other their mutual affection makes them to be One there is a real Oneness between Friend and Friend The Philosopher very well defined Friendship by One Soul in two Bodies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A * Aristot Ethic. l. 9. c. 3.9 Friend is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alteridem another Self Thus 't is in that which is before us there is a mutual reciprocal hearty Love between Christ and Believers he loves them and they love him and by vertue of this mutual Love there is a real and close Vnion betwixt them The Husband and Wife are One not meerly upon the Marriage Covenant and external Relation but also and chiefly upon that Love and Affection that is betwixt them So it is 'twixt Christ and Saints * Qui scilicet dilect à Christo vicissim Christum amant Hocenim est in Christo esse non tantum Christo amari sed Christum amare Corn Mussus Qui Coristo incorporati sunt puro perfecto amore Idem Some therefore open this being in Christ Jesus or Oneness with him by Love in respect of this Love Believers are in Christ And so I have opened that threefold Vnion which is between Christ and Believers I have a little insisted upon the two latter branches of it but 't is the first the Mystical Vnion that I shall further mainly speak to for the truth is this is the Vnion which the Gospel principally sets before us Scripture-Resemblances by which the Mystical Vnion is set forth The Second Thing propounded was to instance in those several Scripture-resemblances by which the Mystical Vnion is set forth These are very many For this being a very high and mysterious thing it hath pleased God to make use of various Resemblances for the better describing of it that he might thereby make it to us more credible and more intelligible And 't is observable how the Spirit of God summons in all Vnions Natural Relative Artisicial that he might by all of them more clearly and distinctly shadow out the grand Vnion betwixt Christ and Saints Yet I must tell you though those are very useful as to the End designed and are very high the highest in genere Vnionis yet they all come short of the Mystical Union which they refer to they may illustrate it but they cannot reach or equalize it I will but briefly go over them both because they are fully handled by Others and also because that which is proper from them to the business in hand may be dispatched in few words The First is that of Husband and Wife A very fit and full Resemblance a * See Dr. Cudworths Union of Christ and the Church shadowed Type say some of the Mystical Vnion Upon the conjugal relation there is a very near and close conjunction If you please to look to its first institution you will find a deep foundation of Oneness laid therein Gen. 2.23 24. This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh Now Christ and Believers stand in this Conjugal relation each to the other he is their Husband they his Spouse they are espoused to Christ their Husband 2 Cor. 11.2 married to Christ Rom. 7.4 betrothed to God and Christ Hos 2.19 their name is Hephzibah and Beulah Isa 62.4 The Marriage-Vnion in the very height of it the Apostle brings down to Christ and Believers Eph. 5.28 29 c. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies he that loveth his wife loveth himself For no man ever yet hated his own flesh but nourisheth it and cherisheth it even as the Lord the Church For we are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall be joyned to his wife and they two shall be one flesh Well what of all this he adds This is a great Mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the Church As if the Apostle had said do not misapprehend me though I speak so much of the Vnion that is betwixt Husband and Wife according to the primitive Institution yet that is not the main thing which I drive at I aim at an higher Vnion than that namely at that Spiritual Vnion which is between Christ and the Church The Husband and the Wife are one Christ and Believers are so much more Another Resemblance is that of the Head and Members In the Body Natural there is a near and close Vnion between these two being fastened and joyned each to the other they make up one and the same body Thus 't is with Christ and Believers in the Body Mystical he is the Head they are the several Members belonging to that head Col. 1.18 He is the Head of the body the Church Eph. 1.22 God gave him to be the head over all things to the Church which is his body 1 Cor. 12.27 Now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular So Rom. 12.5 As truly and as nearly as the head and the members so truly and so nearly are Christ and Believers united also A third Resemblance is that of the Root and Branches There is also union betwixt these otherwise how should the One convey juice sap nourishment life growth to the Other So 't is with Christ and Believers he is the Root they the Branches Joh. 15.5 I am
5.8 If any provide not for his own and especially for those of his own house he hath denied the faith You are Christ's * Joh. 13.1 own of his house and kindred nearly related to him nay members of himself and therefore certainly he will provide for you And that he will do in all your concerns whether outward or inward that look as you must * 1 Cor. 6.20 glorifie God in you body and in your spirit for both are Gods so Christ will supply you in your bodies in your spirits for both are his Death shall not hurt them 5. Are you in Christ then you have no reason to be afraid of Death Though it be * Job 18.4 the King of terrours of all terribles the most terrible yet as to you there 's no cause of fear why because it can never dissolve the union that is betwixt Christ and you and so long as that abides death can never do you much hurt Hear me thou sincere Christian do'st thou live thou art in Christ do'st thou dye thou art in Christ neither life nor death therefore shall be hurtful to thee Nay 't is so far from that that death it self shall be thy advantage To me to live is Christ and to dye is gain Phil 1.21 You read of dying in the Lord Rev. 14.13 of sleeping in Jesus 1 Thes 4.14 the Saints dye their bodies are thrown into the grave that vast repository yet there they are united to Christ yea their very dust is so This Death cuts asunder all other knots but it cannot do so to the mystical knot it dissolves the union 'twixt soul and body 'twixt husband and wife c. but it shall never dissolve the union betwixt Christ and the believing Soul When the body of a Child of God shall be no better than a rotten carkass Christ will say O yet this very carkass is precious to me for 't is in union with me * Psal 102.14 David speaks of the Saints favouring the dust of Zion the very dust of dead Believers is valued by Christ insomuch that he will not lose the least atome of it They shall certainly rise again 6. Are you in Christ Here 's matter of Comfort as to the certainty of an happy resurrection Your bodies may be lock'd up in the grave for a time but Christ who hath the key of the grave they being united to him will certainly open it and take them out he will raise them up again and that with advantage too for they shall then * Phil. 3.21 be fashioned like to his own glorious body The head is risen and the members shall rise also by virtue of the union that is betwixt them Quod praecessit in capite sequetur in corpore as Austine speaks 1 Cor. 15.20 Now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that sleep Rom. 8.11 If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you So Joh. 6.54 Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day And this is not to be limited to a bare resurrection there is more in it than so for * Dan. 12.2 1 Cor. 15.22 all shall arise the resurrection shall be general and universal But yet there will be a vast difference in it 't will be an happy resurrection to them who are in Christ but a dreadful resurrection to others The wicked shall be raised by Christ as a judge in order to their tryal and the passing of the sentence of death upon them but the Saints shall be raised by Christ as an head virtute unionis in order to the receiving of the blessed sentence of life Joh. 5.28 29. Marvel not at this for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation How should Believers rejoyce in this Great is the love of the Father to them 7. Are you in Christ then great is the Fathers love to you Take Believers as they are in themselves the Father greatly loves them but now as they are in Christ and made one with him there 's an additional love an higher love belonging to them from the Father because they are so near to his own Son Therefore upon this union God loves them with the same love wherewith he loves Jesus Christ himself Joh. 17.23 I in them and thou in me c. that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me O Believers what a love hath the Father for you upon this And Christ's own love too is very great to you for you are his flesh and * Eph. 5.29 30. no man ever hated his own flesh yea he told his Disciples * Joh. 15.9 As my Father hath loved me so have I loved you So near an union must needs be accompanied with a very dear affection 't is not always so with us but as to Christ the strength of the affection from him shall always be answerable to the nearness of the union with him They shall persevere 8. Are you in Christ Jesus Here 's Comfort as to your perseverance stability and fixedness in the state of grace This upon which all depends a Child of God may be fully assured of for will Christ lose a member a part of himself shall one united to him finally and totally fall away from him no that shall not be So long as the union is firm and indissoluble do not fear I speak not against the duty of fear but the sin of fear 'T is not here in and out in to day and out to morrow but 't is once in Christ and ever in Christ there 's your safety Indeed the Saints stand firm upon several great foundations as the Fathers election the * Heb. 6.17 immutability of his council the tenour of the Covenant c. but this also must be taken in their inseperable union with Christ You are not only in Christ's hands out of which none shall pluck you Joh. 10.28 but you are in Christ as your head and who shall be able to sever the members from this head If Christ should lose a member he would be imperfect as an head you are * Eph. 1.23 his fulness as hath been said now he will be Christus plenus a full Christ as * Aug. in Ps 36. he speaks which he would not be if any of his members should be taken away from him If he might lose one he might then lose another and another and so he would be sure of none O your life is hid with Christ in God Col. 3.3 therefore 't is sure and
you not be fully convinced by all this that the Father's Love to you is very great and if so will you not admire him for it You must * Joh. 5.23 honour the Son even as you honour the Father and you must adore bless love the Father even as you do the Son God forbid that I should go about to lessen your most thankful sense of what the Son and Spirit have done for you but yet know that these the Father as the first Cause doth work by 't is He who by them doth do so great things for you 'pray think high of their love but then think high of his love too Further I would persuade you to entertain good thoughts of the Father 'T is a temptation though not so usual which some gracious Persons lie under they can with more comfort think of the Son than of the Father they do not so much question the Love of the Son as of the Father they cannot deny but that the Son is indeed a very gracious Person for he came from heaven * Luke 19.10 to seek and to save what was lost to * 1 Tim. 1.15 save Sinners yea the chiefest of them c. hereupon they can in some comfortable manner encourage themselves to hope in him But as to the Father they are not so confident they are more jealous and suspicious and have a greater dread of him than they have either of the Son or of the Spirit Doth Satan assault any of you in this manner or do such thoughts as these prevail over you O be convinced of your mistake You have as great encouragement for faith and hope from the Father as you have from the Son for you hear 't was He who sent Christ and whatever Christ was or did all was but in pursuance of his good pleasure therefore have you any reason to think otherwise than well of him Surely * 1 Joh. 4.16 God is Love this very thing his sending of his Son represents him as full of Mercy Goodness and Grace the Sinner hath not the least cause to be jealous or afraid of him O when unbelief and hard thoughts of God the Father begin to rise beat them down by arguing thus was not He the first spring from which redeeming Grace did flow the great contriver and willer of man's recovery who set Christ on work but he who sent him into the world to be a Saviour but he who imploy'd his own Son for the good of Sinners but he O that you would labour to get your Faith encourag'd and strengthened as to the first Person and that it might rise up to the first Cause of all and there fix and terminate that your faith and hope may be in God as the Apostle expresses it 1 Pet. 1.21 Christ sayes Joh. 14.1 Let not your heart be troubled ye believe in God believe in me also and let me say he believe in Christ believe in God also as the fountain and original of all your happiness Christ to be loved for his ready submission to his Father in sending him 3. It calls upon us to love Christ greatly O how should the consideration of this endear Christ to every gracious heart God sent him but not against his will how willing was he to be sent upon the errand of your Salvation he freely consented to whatever the Father was pleased to put him upon for your good He very well knew before hand what would follow upon this sending what he was to undergo how he was to be abased if he do engage to redeem and save you yet notwithstanding this no sooner did the Father call him to it but he most readily and cheerfully obeyed O the infinite Love of Christ He came down from heaven that he might carry you up to heaven he that was a Son for your sake stooped to be a Servant that you of slaves might be made sons What had become of you if Christ had refused to come when the Father sent him O love the Lord Jesus let his Person be very dear and precious to you admit him into your hearts who was willing to take the whole business of your Salvation into his hands what Love can be enough for a Father sending and a Son coming 'T is true God sent him but his obedience to his Father was no diminution of his Love to you and 't is true in this Embassy he acted in a way of inferiority to his Father but 't was his pity to you which made him willing to put himself into such a state of subjection and inferiority for that did not proceed from his Nature before he had assumed yours but meerly from his dignation and gracious condescention and now after all this will you not love him how can you do otherwise than love him Suppose you had heard him as soon as ever God had signified his pleasure to him and said Son the fulness of time is come I must send thee down to earth to redeem man saying Father I am ready here I am send me whithersoever and about whatsoever thou pleasest to promote thy Glory and the good of Souls I am willing to go where-ever thou 'lt have me yea I le stick at nothing which thou shalt judge necessary for the preventing of the Sinners everlasting ruine Send me to be made Flesh I submit to lie in a Manger I submit to die upon a Cross I submit lay what Commands upon me thou pleasest to further the Salvation of Souls they shall all be obey'd Suppose I say you had heard Christ uttering such Words to his Father doubtless it would have wrought very much upon you your Hearts would have been all in flames of Love to him O wretched Creatures we know all this was spoken and done too by our Lord Jesus and yet how cold how weak is our Love to him Christ a Pattern herein for imitation 4. It calls upon you to imitate Christ in his carriage with respect o his being sent Thus never go till you be sent then go readily both of these were admirably done by our Lord Jesus He went not till he was sent before he would move one step he would have his Father 's Mission and Commission a great Mind he had to be at Redeeming Work his Heart was exceedingly set upon it yet he would stay till he was sent called authoriz'd thereunto by his Father But as soon as he was so called how readily and cheerfully did he engage * Heb. 10.7 Lo T come to do thy Will O God Now in this his deportment he hath set us an excellent copy to write after teaching us alwayes humbly to wait for a Call from God and when it comes let it be what it will faithfully to comply with it Whatever rank or station God hath set you in see that you therein * 1 Cor. 7.17.20 24. abide and that you meddle with no Work Employment Office Vndertaking further than as you are called thereunto
and save undone Sinners if send he will why did he not send an Angel or a body of Angels to try their skill and see what they could do nay why did he not send an Angel as he once did with a * Gen. 3.24 flaming Sword in his hand to keep off Sinners from the tree of life O this did not comport with his gracious designs though it did too well with the Creatures merit therefore he would not do it no his own Son shall be pitch'd upon he 's the Person whom God will send And his End in sending this Son was as gracious as the Person whom he sent was glorious surely here was Love great Love great even to the degree of infiniteness Millions of Angels were nothing to one Son to one such Son the nearer the relation was 'twixt God and Christ the greater was the affection shown to us Christ God's own Son his first born his only begotten Son the Son of his Love who lay in his bosome had been his delight from everlasting for him to be sent to recover and save Man vile sinful wicked undone man the Son to be imploy'd for the Servant the Slave the Enemy O astonishing mercy O admirable goodness and condescension How may we here cry out Lord * Psal 8.4 Psal 144.3 what is man that thou art thus mindful of him and the †Joh. 3.16 Son of man that thou makest this account of him Here was God's so loving of the world so as can never be express'd he so loved the world as that he gave his only begotten Son c. So loved the world what is there in this so why so inexpressibly so unconceivably Joh. 4.9 10. In this was manifested the love of God towards us because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him Herein is Love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins God own'd it as a great discovery of Abraham's Love to him when upon his command he was willing to offer up his only begotten Son but alas how infinitely short did that come of his own Love in his sending and parting with his only begotten Son for the good of Sinners here he intended to give out the highest manifestation of his Grace and he hath done it to purpose The * Isa 1.2 heavens and the earth were once called upon to be filled with astonishment because of the ingratitude of a sinful people may not now Heaven and Earth Angels and Men all Creatures whatsoever be called upon to be filled with astonishment because of the stupendious Love of God O Christians what influence hath this upon your dull and sluggish hearts what are you made of that you are no more in the sense of it drawn out in the blessing loving admiring of God Pray if there be any holy ingenuity in you take some pains with your selves that you may be much more affected with it and give not over till you have such thoughts and affections upon God's sending his own Son raised in you as may in some measure answer to those thoughts and affections which you shall have about it when you shall be in Heaven Use 3. For Comfort from Christ's Sonship So much for Exhortation the third and last Vse shall be for Comfort and surely here is ground of strong Consolation to Believers that which may highly conduce to the furthering of their joy and the strengthning of their faith You who are such study this Sonship of Christ dwell upon it often in your most serious thoughts make the best of it and then tell me whether you do not find that solid Support and Comfort from it which you desire and need Shall I broach this full Vessel and draw out a little of that heart-chearing liquour which is in it then know that 1. As Christ is the Son of God so are you When I say SO are you you must understand me of the Verity not of the Kind or Manner of the Sonship you are not Sons as Christ is viz. by eternal Generation yet Sons you are in another way viz. by regeneration and adoption and though herein you come short of Christ you being but adopted Sons and he the natural Son yet as you are but such there is greater glory put upon you than if you were descended from or adopted by the greatest Monarch of the World May not this be matter of great comfort to you to consider that whatever Christ is that you are according to your capacity and necessary subordination to him that all that Grace which fell upon him falls upon you likewise and yet so it is is he the anointed of God so are you is he a Son so are you is he the beloved of God so are you is he the Heir of God so are you in these respects also 't is * Joh. 1.16 Grace for Grace I am upon your Sonship in conformity to Christ's Sonship the truth of which you have no reason to question since the procuring of this for you was one thing that God in special aimed at in the sending of his Great Son into the world Gal. 4.4 5. When the fulness of time was come God sent forth his Son c. that we might receive the adoption of Sons and therefore in this relation Christ takes you in with himself Joh. 20.17 Go to my brethren and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and your Father and to my God and your God 2. You may now upon this confidently expect the bestowing of all good For Christ being God's own Son and he having given him to you what can come after that can be too great or too good for him to give to you what will God now deny after the gift of such a Son He * Rom. 8.32 that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Saints let this be thought of as all blessings come to you from God as he is the God and Father of Christ for 't is * Eph. 1.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ so all blessings are assur'd to you from this relative consideration of God viz. as he is first the God and Father of Christ and then in him your God and Father too 3. You may he sure that there is an infinite value worth and efficacy in Christ's Obedience and that he was a person able to accomplish your Redemption Christ being such a Son this speaks him to be a Person of great dignity that dignity of his Person gives the highest assurance to Faith both that he was every way able to go through what he undertook and also that there must be an infinite Virtue and Merit in what ever he did or suffered What can be so
his invention and contrivance and his only the wisest Creatures in the world had they united all their wisdom could never have thought of such a way for the redeeming of lost man In so desperate a case God himself to speak after the manner of men was fain to set his own wisdom on work to find out a remedy and this was that which he found out and pitched upon O the infinite unsearchable incomprehensible Wisdom of God! The Apostle speaks of the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2.10 of the manifold wisdom of God Eph. 3.10 of his abounding in all wisdom and prudence Eph. 1.8 what may these expressions refer to but to God's deep and most wise designs and methods display'd in the work of man's redemption by a Christ incarnate And which was a great demonstration of his Wisdom see how the remedy was suited to the malady Man at first would be as God and that ruin'd him therefore now God shall be as Man and that shall restore him Man gave the wound and Man shall heal that wound O the wisdom of God! 2. His Power for Christ as he was the Wisdom of God so also the Power of God 1 Cor. 1.24 and as he was so in other respects so eminently in that which I am upon 'T was an act of mighty power for God so nearly to unite the Godhead and the Manhood the bringing of two Natures so distant together in one Person must needs be the product of infinite power For God to make something out of nothing that speaks the greatness of his Power but for God to be made Man there being in some respects a greater distance betwixt the Godhead and the Manhood than 'twixt Something and Nothing this speaks a greater power 'T is much that Soul and Body two such different Beings should be so conjoyn'd as to make a Man that such disagreeing Elements should be reconcil'd in corpore mixto but what are these to the joyning of the Godhead and Manhood in one hypostasis 3. His Justice Is sin committed the holy Law broken doth the Creature lye under guilt God stands upon the vindication of his Honour the making good of his threatnings the satisfaction of his Justice Satisfaction he will have and in that Nature too in which the offence had been committed and because the Creature was altogether unable to make it in order thereunto God will have his own Son to take flesh that he may be in a capacity to obey do suffer what Justice required and when this Son had so assum'd flesh God fell upon him charg'd him with the guilt of all Believers exacted of him that punishment which was due to them would not spare him in the least or ' bate him any thing O the severity and impartiality of God's Justice 4. His Mercy Goodness and Love And doth not this Attribute shine forth as brightly in our Saviour's being made flesh as any of the former Here was the tender mercy of our God Luk. 1.78 God's so loving of the world Joh. 3.16 the great manifestation of his Love 1 Joh. 4.9 his glorious grace and the riches of his grace Eph. 1.6 7. Did ever God give the world such a demonstration of his Love and Grace as in the Incarnation of his Son O matchless infinite unlimited Love and Grace He had done exceeding well for Man as he made him at first for he put him into a very good state stamp'd his own Image upon him made him above all other Creatures to be his favourite but he foolishly sin'd and fell from God and thereby lost all his happiness Well! what did God now do did he let Man alone shut up his bowels against him fall upon him with his utmost wrath did he say Nay since 't is thus let him even rise as he hath fallen since he would be so foolish as for a trifle to break with me let him rot and die and perish for ever I 'le do no more for him O no! not such a word or thought did pass from the gracious God towards his miserable Creature He pitied undone man found out help for him yea sent his own Son to restore him and how did he send this Son why in Flesh but in what Flesh surely it shall be altogether glorious flesh such as shall be of a quite other Nature than that is which we poor mortals have I so it was in some respects but in others but just like to sinful flesh put all this together and was not here Love God will have sin to be punished but then the punishment shall be laid upon his own Son and the sinner himself shall be acquitted O the heighth of Justice and yet O the heighth of Mercy too There 's more of Mercy in God's sending Christ and sending him in this way than there would have been in his absolute pardoning of sin without any sending or any satisfaction because alwayes the more costly a mercy is the more there is of Mercy in that mercy And meer pardon nay Salvation it self have not so much of Mercy and Love in them as what was in Christ's assuming our Nature for as to the first 't is more for a King to put himself into the Traytor 's stead and himself to make satisfaction for his Offence than just to pardon him and as to the second in Salvation there is our advancement but in Christ's Incarnation there was his abasement now 't is more for such a Person as Christ to be abased than 't is for such a Creature as Man to be advanced All which being consider'd what an obligation doth there lie upon us to get our hearts rais'd up unto and drawn out in the highest admiration of God's Mercy God the Son to be admired 't is shewn here also how or wherein Secondly God the Son or Christ himself the Person who was incarnate he too is greatly to be admired with respect 1. to his Love 2. to his Holiness 3. to his Power 1. For his Love which indeed was superlative and admirable transcending the reach of the highest finite capacity Christ knew what our flesh was how much it was below him to take it * Te propter vitamque tuam sum Virginis alvum Ingressus sum factus Homo c. Lactant. de Benefic Christi yet for our good he readily condescended to it and was willing to debase and depress himself if he might but advance and exalt us here was the mirror of Love The greatness of his Person speaks the greatness of his Love * Phil. 2.6 7 8. Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God But made himself of no reputation c. what a Person was Christ before his Incarnation what a fall was here thereby for such a Person * Jacet in pannis qui regnat in coelis Mundum implens in praecepi jacens Sidera regens ubera lambens c. Conditor Mariae natus ex Mariâ Filius David
as practical as operative and powerful this this is that knowledge which is to be desired When Paul had spoken so high of the knowledge of Christ * Phil. 3.8 Yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord see how he opens that knowledge of him which he look'd upon as so excellent Vers 10. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death 'T is a poor thing to have light about this in the head if that light be not attended with power and efficacy upon the heart and life the clearest notions concerning Christ's death without suitable impressions within and that which in the Sinner himself may bear some analogie and conformity thereunto do not profit O therefore so study a crucified Saviour as to be * Gal. 2.20 crucified with him †Rom. 6.8 dead with him so as to feel the energie of his death in the heavenliness of your affections and holiness of your conversations this is the knowledge which we should study and pray for and aspire after For the Second Christ as a Sacrifice is also much to be meditated upon O how frequent how serious and fixed should our thoughts be upon this how should we be often reviving this upon our minds never suffering it to decay or wither in our memories This is so great and necessary a duty that we have an Ordinance instituted by Christ on purpose and for this very end often to inminde us of his dying as our Sacrifice and to keep it fresh upon our memories for ever * 1 Cor. 11.24 26. Do this in remembrance of me As oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lord's death till he come But 't is not enough to think of this just before or at the Sacrament but we should live in daily frequent meditation upon it I say we should do so but alas 't is to be feared we do not so O how little is a dying crucified Christ thought of the dying Friend or Relation is remembred but the dying Saviour is forgotten this proclaims to the world that we have but a low sense of his great love that we see but little in his oblation for surely if we did we should think oftner of it and after another manner than now we do Christians pray be sensible of former neglects and let it be better for the future let not a day pass over you wherein some time shall not be spent in remembring and considering what Christ your Sacrifice upon the Cross suffered for you Upon this also you would reap great advantages for certainly was Christ's death but duly thought of and improved Oh 't would highly imbitter sin effectually wean from the world and the sensual delights thereof mightily encourage and strengthen Hope and Faith strongly engage the Soul to Obedience c. therefore pray be persuaded to think less of other things and more of this And do not barely think of it but think what there 's in it yea labour to go to the very bottom of it and by serious meditation to press out all that juyce and sweetness which is in it the believer should be alwayes sitting upon this flower and sucking comfort from it What 's the full breast to the child that doth not draw it Christ as a Sacrifice for sin is a full breast but yet if Sinners by Faith Prayer and Meditation do not draw from this breast they will be little the better for it He was indeed but once offered but that one oblation is often to be remembred and continually to be improved with respect both to Duty and Comfort how that is to be done the following particulars will shew The Heart in the sense of this to be broken for sin and from sin 2. This should have a very powerful influence upon you to break your hearts for sin and from sin First for sin was Christ indeed made a Sacrifice as such was his body broken and his precious blood poured forth did he undergo such sufferings in his life and then compleat all in his dying on the Cross and all for sin how can this be thought of with any seriousness and the heart not be kindly and thoroughly broken what will cause the hard heart to melt and thaw into godly sorrow for sin if the consideration of Christ's Sacrifice and death will not do it Oh me thinks his blood as shed for Sinners should soften the most Adamantine heart that is Did we but consider our Saviours passion in the matter and quality of it in its bitter ingredients and heightning circumstances and then also consider that our sins were the meritorious cause of it that they brought him to the Cross and laid the foundation of all his sorrows did we I say but consider this certainly we should be more deeply afflicted for Sin than now we are What that I should be accessary to the death of the Son of God that I should bring the nails and spears which should pierce him that I should be the occasion of all his sufferings in Soul and Body what a cutting heart-breaking consideration is this Zech. 12. 10. they shall look upon me whom they have pierced what follows and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only Son and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first-born the true penitent cannot look upon a crucified Saviour especially when he considers what he hath done to further his Saviours crucifixion without the highest degree of holy grief But especially this heart-brokenness should be in us when we are at the Sacrament where we have such a sensible and lively representation of Christ's Death and Sacrifice Oh shall we there see his broken body and yet our hearts be unbroken shall we view him there shedding his blood and we shed no penitential tears shall we there behold what he endured and felt for Sin and we yet have no pain no contrition for it how unsuitable is such a frame to such an object under such a representation What was the temper think you of the Women who were * Mat. 27.55 spectators of Christ when he was hanging upon the Cross unquestionably they were filled with inexpressible sorrow why Sirs when you are at the Lord's Table in a spiritual way you see him also as dying upon the Cross he is there before your eyes evidently set forth and crucified among you Gal. 3.1 Oh how should your * Lam. 3.51 eye affect your heart even to fill you with Evangelical sorrow Three things in the Text to set men against Sin But this is not enough therefore 2. there must be brokenness from sin as well as for sin surely after such a thing as Christ's death Sin must be lov'd and liv'd no more the heart must eternally be broken off from it
heart such as thus * Math. 5.4 mourn shall be comforted these * Joh. 2.9 waters Christ will turn into wine As joy in sin will end in sorrow so sorrow for sin will end in joy But to return to our Apostle He had as to his outward state his abasements and his advancements too and he knew how to carry himself under both * Philip. 4.12 I know how to be abased and I know how to abound So as to his inward state he also had his abasements and his advancements Sometimes t is O wretched man that I am c. there 't was abasement then presently 't is There is no Condemnation c. there 't was advancement And let me add that Pauls comfort in this Chapter had never been so high so full as to himself so encouraging as to others if he had not in the former Chapter first smarted under the cutting and piercing Conviction of Sin O to have one who but even now was almost pressed down under Soul-burdens now saying yet there is no Condemnation to them c. how may this animate and strengthen the Faith of a poor Christian when ever troubles of Conscience by reason of sin shall be upon him The Prop. considered in its parts This being the Proposition I will consider it in its Parts And so you have in it First The Praedicate or the Priviledge asserted viz. exemption from Condemnation There is therefore now no Condemnation c. Secondly The Subject or the Persons described to whom and to whom onely the Priviledge belongs And to take the most easie division of the words at present they are described 1. By their Vnion with Christ in reference to their State they are such who are in Christ Jesus 2. By their Qualification or Property in reference to their Course they walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit I conceive this Clause doth more immediately refer to the persons who are in Christ and is properly descriptive of them yet mediately they may refer to and be descriptive of the persons to whom there is no Condemnation as I shall hereafter show Of the different readings of the words If you take the words in the body of them there is some yet no very great difference in the reading of them The latter branch but after the Spirit is wholly left out by the Vulgar Translation and by those Expositors who follow it I know not why unless it be because the Syriac Version did the same which * Proinde nulla est Condemnatio iis qui non ambulant secundum carnem in Jesu Christo Vers Syr. Version in the reading of the Words is not only defective as to this but very harsh in the misplacing of them There is therefore no Condemnation to those who walk not after the flesh in Christ Jesus Some other such Variations might be taken notice of but I 'le pass them by The General Proposition being taken in pieces will afford us these two Observations 1. That there is no Condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus The Obs raised 2. That such who are in Christ Jesus and so secured from Condemnation this is their Property or Course they walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit The discussing of these two Points will take me up some time Of the first Observation I begin with the First in the handling of which I will 1. chiefly speak to the Priviledge and only in a general way joyn the description of the Subject with it 2. I will then more particularly speak to that and show what it is to be in Christ Jesus or how persons may be said to be in Christ Jesus Of the First at this time For the better opening of which I must premise these seven things Seven things premised for explications 1. First the Apostle doth not say There is now no Affliction or no Correction to them who are in Christ but there is no Condemnation to them who are in Christ 'T is one thing to be afflicted another thing to be condemned God may and will afflict his Children but he 'le never condemn them it may be much affliction yet 't is no Condemnation Indeed God afflicts here that he may not condemn hereafter 1 Cor. 31.32 When we are judged we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the World God is so gracious that he will not condemn yet withall so wise so just so holy that he will afflict Grace in the Heart secures from eternal not from temporal Evils God cannot condemn and yet love but he can chasten and yet love nay therefore he chastens because he loves As many as I love I rebuke and chasten whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth And it may be even to them who are in Christ not only bare Affliction but there may be something of the nature of * Quamvis Deus absoâ—vit verè poenitentes ab omni poenâ satisfactoriâ propter Christi mortem non tamen illos liberat abomni poenâ medicinali castigatoriâ Davenant in Col 1.24 See of this Burg. of Justif Lect. 4.5.10 Eaxt. Aphor. p. 68. c. Boltons Bounds c. p. 163. c. Rutherfâ— Survay paâ—â—â— ch 31. Punnishment in that affliction though not in a vindictive way or upon the account of satisfaction The nearer a person is to Christ and the dearer he is to God the surer he is to be punished if he sin Tou only have I know of all the Families of the Earth therefore I will punish you for your iniquities Amos 3.2 God may pardon and yet punish temporal punishment is very consistent with pardoning Mercy Psal 99.8 Thou answeredst them O Lord our God thou wast a God that forgavest them though thoù tookest vengeance of them for their iniquities God had put away Davids sin yet he shall smart for it his own Soul shall live but his Child shall dye as a punishment for his sin See 2 Sam. 12.13 14. The Malefactor may not be condemn'd to dye as to his Life he may be acquitted yet he may be judged to be whipp'd or burnt in the hand for his offence so 't is here You must distinguish therefore betwixt no Condemnation and no Affliction or no Correction Saints are exempted from the former but not from the latter 2. Secondly The Apostle doth not say there is no Matter of Condemnation in them who are in Christ only as to Fact he saith there is no actual Condemnation to such There is a vast difference betwixt what is deserved and what is actually inflicted betwixt what is de Jure and ex Merito and what is de Facto Take the very best of Saints there is enough and enough in them which deserves eternal Condemnation and if God should proceed according to their merit it would be Condemnation over and over again for even they have sin and commit sin and wherever
in Christ and how may that be known thus by our being New Creatures The Apostle sets it down indefinitely that he may reach every person if any man be in Christ c. This New Creature is one of the greatest riddles of Christianity to men that have it not 'T is that new creation which the Soul passes under in the work of Conversion or that great and universal change which follows upon Conversion a converted man is a changed man a quite other person than what he was before he may say with Austine I am not I all old things are pass'd away and all things are become new as it follows in the place alledged Upon Conversion understanding judgment thoughts will affections Conscience heart tongue life all is new when the Sinner is turned from Sin to God he hath new Principles from which he acts new Ends for which he acts new Guides and Rules by which he acts is not here a wonderful change Now are you acquainted with this New Creature what do you find of it in your selves it converns you to make sure of it for all is nothing without it * Gal. 6.15 In Christ Jesus and so in reference to the proof of being in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new Creature O this is all in all this must be the sure and infallible witness of your Union with Christ Therefore examine your selves about it I beseech you look back compare your selves with your selves hath any thorough change been wrought in you are you not the same you ever were just such as you came into the world Can any that hears me say O blessed be God! 't is not with me as it hath been Time was when I was blind as ignorant a Creature as any but I hope now in some measure I am enlightened God hath shined into me and set up such a Light in me that I see what I never saw before and I see it in another manner than I did before Time was when I could swear curse be drunk take Gods name in vain profane Sabbaths c. but I dare not now give way to such impieties Time was when Sin and I agreed very well but now my heart rises at it * Psal 119.104 I hate every false way Time was when I had no love for Duty I liv'd in the total omission of it but now I love Prayer I love the Word and all the Ordinances of Christ are precious to me Time was when I was all for the world my whole heart was taken up in it but now * Phil. 3.8 I count all but loss that I may gain Christ now None but Christ none but Christ Can any of you thus speak here 's a change indeed upon that the New Creature indeed and upon that Being in Christ indeed There 's a double change which evermore accompanies the Mystical Vnion 1. The State of the Person is changed He who before he was in Christ was a Child of wrath is now upon his being in Christ an heir of Grace he that before the Union was in a state of Condemnation is now after the Union in a state of Salvation 2. The Nature is changed there 's a new Nature a new Soul not physically yet morally infus'd into the regenerate person the * 2 Pet. 1.4 divine Nature it self is now communicated to him whereupon he doth not think speak or act as he did before he doth not love or live as before he walks in newness of life as 't is Rom. 6.4 This is the change which we are to make sure of for assuredly the Lord Jesus will put none into his bosome or make them a part of himself but first the New Creature shall pass upon them to prepare and make them fit for so near and so close an Union 'T is not consistent with his honour to take a Sinner just as he finds him and without any more adoe to own him as a member of himself There out any more adoe to own him as a member of himself There cannot be a passage-from one Head to another but there must be some not able alteration Christ will not break off a branch from the first root and ingraft it into himself but he will first alter the very nature and property of it 'T is not in the power of Creatures to change those whom they take into Union with them the Husband may take the Wife into his bosome but he cannot change her Nature temper disposition As Bernard saith of Moses Aethiopissam-duxit sed non potuit Aethiopissae mutare colorem he married an Aethiopian but he could not alter her Aethiopian complexion much less could he alter her inward temper But Christ can and doth thus work upon those whom he takes into near Union and relation if he joyns the black swarthy Soul to himself he puts a new complexion upon it he makes it comely with his own comeliness as God promises Ezek. 16.14 So then by this you may know whether you be truly really savingly in Christ viz if you be new Creatures without the new Creation there 's no Mystical Vnion 2. Another trying Scripture is that Gal. 5.24 They that are Christ's who are in him have crucified the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts This also is a very close Word and it speaks this No Crucifixion no Vnion The crucified Head will have crucified Members he that is planted in Christs person shall * Rom. 6.4 be planted in the likeness of Christs death O is Sin crucified in you did you ever set that upon the Cross which brought the Son of God to the Cross is there in you that death to sin which carries some analogy to Christs death for sin is the Flesh with all its cursed retinue the affections and lusts thereof mortified in you is the corrupt Nature dead as to its former power and soveraignty in the Soul for that 's the crucifixion here spoken of Assure your Selves Christ will not have a member in him to be under a foreign power the Flesh shall not be the Ruler where He is the Head where he brings about the Vnion he will have the Dominion My Text too speaks of this Flesh and it tells you that they who are in Christ Jesus do not walk after the Flesh but after the Spirit Paul here seems to rise and to go on step by step would you know who are exempted from Condemnation he tells you such who are in Christ would you further know who are in Christ he tells you such who walk not c. Here then is the Characteristical Note of all who are in Christ they live not the fleshly carnal sensual Life but the spiritual heavenly holy Life Sirs what is your walking 't is the Conversation that must discover the Vnion do but reflect upon your course of Life and that will plainly tell you to what Head you belong 1 Joh. 2.6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself
one do the imagination of his evil heart or as 't is Jer. 6.16 Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths where is the good way the way of the Spirit and walk therein and ye shall find rest for your souls but they said we will not walk therein Do you walk after the Flesh and resolve to do so still then 't is sad indeed but I would fain hope better of you 'Pray be intreated to read the Motives again which have been set before you and in your most calm thoughts to pause and dwell upon the things which have been spoken Shall I need to add any thing further in telling you that all your walkings yea every step you take is known to God Job 21.4 Job 34.21 Psal 139.3 Psal 119.168 that God judges of every man here and hereafter will judge every man at the Great Day according to his walking Eccles 11.9 2 Cor. 5.10 Eccles 12.14 that Death will come with a dreadful aspect where the life hath been carual and sinful that in the way of the Flesh you are in danger of treading upon Serpents Vipers Adders Scorpions every â—â—â—p you take that by this Course you * Psa 16.11 forsake the path of life and for a little flesh-pleasing put your selves into the broad way to everlasting damnation how much might I yet say upon this account but enough and enough hath been already said if God will but set it home upon the Conscience The Lord hedge up your ways with thorns and make a wall that you may not find the paths of the Flesh and thereupon may resolve to get into the paths of the Spirit for surely it will be better then than now it is I allude to Hos 2.6 7 VSE 4. To those that do walk after the Spirit Three things urged upon them There is one Vse more and that shall be directed to them who do walk after the Spirit Three things to such 1. First I would with the greatest earnestness stir up such to be highly thankful to God Are any of you through grace made spiritual and do you live the spiritual life have you received the Spirit and do you also walk after the Spirit what cause have you to bless God! yea what thankfulness can be high enough to him who hath brought you to this Why do you not walk just as others do why is not the Flesh as powerful as predominant in you as 't is in others why does not the very worst of the Flesh prevail over you why are not you Atheists Scoffers at Religion Drunkards Adulterers open and notorious Sinners surely all must be resolved into the discriminating grace of God that and that onely hath made the difference Time was when your walking was bad enough when you were as carnal as any and very tamely lacquey'd it after every base lust is not God to be admir'd upon that blessed change which he hath wrought in you Eph. 2.1 2 3. You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world c. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature the children of wrath even as others But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us when we were dead in Sins hath quickened us together with Christ Tit. 3.3 For we our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures See also Col. 3.7 1 Pet. 4.3 O what a sad course do the best follow before conversion and as to your selves if God by his distinguishing and almighty grace had not seized upon you as you began with that course so you had continued in it to this very day O let the Lord be forever magnified who hath delivered you from fleshly walking and brought you over to that which is spiritual and heavenly And this must the rather be done because you now have so clear so convincing an evidence of your being in Christ is not that a great thing The blessedness of this Vnion with Christ hath been fully set before you 't is all yours you not walking after the Flesh but after the Spirit Surely though you cannot in your praises reach so great mercy yet you should go as far as ever you can 2. Secondly such are to be exhorted to walk yet less and less after the Flesh and yet more and more after the Spirit For this walking admits of degrees there are none in the present state so freed from the Flesh and the fleshly conversation but that yet they may be more freed from it and so too there are none who have so much of the Spirit and walk so much after the Spirit but that yet they may be more spiritual in their walking 'T is mercy that 't is so well as to the main but surely it may yet be better Saints are you so universally acted by the Spirit of God and the sanctified Nature as you might be O do you so constantly live under the guidance and conduct of the Spirit as you might and should is he your guide no sooner to show you the right way but presently and * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arrian Epict. lib. 2. cap. 7. p. 186. readily you engage therein are all your affections so pure and heavenly as God requires are there not many strong inclinations to evil yet remaining in you are your Ends in all things so sublime and spiritual as the Gospel commands Ah! something is yet wanting there is yet room for growth you have not yet arrived at perfection as the Apostle speaks of himself Not as though I had already attained c Phil. 3.11 O that every day you might rise higher and higher in heavenly walking that the Flesh might decrease and the Spirit increase the carnal part like the house of Saul might still be going down and the spiritual part like the house of David might still be getting up that Heart and Life might be refin'd and spiritualiz'd yet more and more I beseech you do not stay where you are but still be * Phil. 3.14 pressing forward Walking 'tis motus progressivus so it should be in your walking after the Spirit as there is a going from strength to strength Psal 84.7 from faith to faith Rom. 1.17 so there should be also from spiritualness to spiritualness And Walking 't is motus uniformis are you so steady so eaven and uniform in your walkings as you ought In a * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Socrat. statue or piece of Art all the several parts are uniform and proportionable or else it loses in its exactness and curiosity and should it not be so too in the Spiritual Life but I 'le onely keep to the Metaphor of the cavenness of the Christians Walking O the many crooked wandring extravagant stops which you
the Spirit He 's the great agent in your Regeneration deliverance from Sins Soveraignty illumination conviction turning to God believing mortification c. from him your light life strength liberty joy peace do all proceed why do you not more love and honour the Spirit O love the Son for what hath been done without but love the Spirit also for what he hath done within the whole management of Soul-work within in order to salvation now lies upon the hands of the Spirit let him be adored and honoured by all Saints 2 To live under the Law of the Spirit As you have found the Law of the Spirit in your first Conversion so you should live under the Law of the Spirit in your whole Conversation There is the power of the Spirit at the first saving work that is here spoken of and there is in what sense you have heard the continuation of it in the whole life now this you are to labour after I mean two things 1. you are to live under the constant influences 2. under the constant government and rule of the Spirit Blessed is the man that hath it always working in him and ruling of him what a life doth he live who ever lives under the Spirits authoritative guidance Col. 3.15 Let the peace of God rule in your hearts c. I and let the Spirit of peace rule in your hearts 'T is a great motive to men to come under the rule of Christ to consider that where he rules there he saves and 't is also a great motive to sanctified persons to live under the rule of the Spirit to consider where he rules there he comforts his governing and his comforting go together he that is acted by the Spirits command and yields up himself to the Spirits guidance shall neither want peace here nor come short of Heaven hereafter 3 To set Law against Law Set Law against Law the Law of the Spirit against the Law of Sin You yet find too much of this latter Law and it goes to the heart of you that Sin should yet have so great a power over you well what have you to do in this case why set Law against Law power against power the power of the Spirit against the power of Sin this should humble you that should support you That power which could baffle Sin when in its full strength can it not subdue it in the remainders thereof that power which could bring you in to God in spite of all opposition is it not sufficient to keep you now you are brought in to God 1 Pet. 1.5 We are kept by the power of God through Faith unto salvation that very power is put forth for your establishment now which was put forth for your Conversion at the first ô fear not the Law of Sin against you so long as the Law of the Spirit is for you When you are beset and enemies press hard upon you see that you improve both for duty and comfort this power of Gods own Spirit Thus I have finish'd the three Observations which take in the summe of this Verse Rom. 8.2 Reader the Contents of this Chapter were insisted upon only in the close of a Sermon I having under the former Head the Law of Sin exceeded the bounds allowed by the Press cannot upon this Head the Law of Death make any considerable enlargement From the Law of Sin and Death CHAP. VIII Of the Law of Death The connexion 'twixt Sin and Death Where 't is the Law of Sin there 't is the Law of Death Regenerate persons are made free from this Law that opened with respect to Death temporal and Death eternal Vse 1. Men persuaded to believe that Sin and Death go together dehorted from thence not to sin Vse 2. Of the happiness of Gods people Of the Law of Death THe Apostle here sets a twofold Law before us the Law of Sin and the Law of Death the former I have been large upon the latter I must dispatch in a few words And Death The word Law is not repeated but according to that interpretation which some put upon the Words 't is to be * Ut Lex ad utrumque ex aequo referatur Erasm Of the twofold Sense of the Words repeated 't is the Law of Sin and 't is the Law of Death too as if the Apostle had said The Law c. hath made me free both from the Law of Sin and also from the Law of Death In the * See pag. 152. opening of them I told you there is a twofold Sense given of them 1. Some tell us there is in them the Figure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherein one thing is set forth by two words therefore they render this and Death as being onely an Adjective or Epethite of Sin thus the Law c. from the Law of Sin and Death that is from deadly Sin or from the Law of Sin which is of a deadly nature 2. Others take the word substantivè making the Law of Death to be a Law by it self as well as the Law of Sin as if this Death was not to be melted into Sin and the deliverance from it into the deliverance from Sin but that they are distinct things and point to distinct deliverances Now both of these Senses are very true and good and indeed I know not which to prefer From the First The Matter contained in them one single point offers it self to us viz. That Sin is a deadly thing From the Second these three which mutatis mutandis perfectly answer to the three former under the Law of Sin 1. That men by Nature and before Regeneration are under the Law of Death 2. That upon Regeneration or such as are Regenerate are made free from the Law of Death 3. That 't is the Law of the Spirit of Life which frees from the Law of Death The due handling of these Heads would take up a great deal of time but I having already staid too long upon this Verse and upon some other Considerations I am necessitated to contract and therefore for the better shortning of the work I must pitch upon another method wherein I may draw all into a narrow compass Three things abserv'd in the Words That Sin and Death go together Three things onely shall be observ'd 1. That Sin and Death go hand in hand together There 's an inseperable connexion or conjunction betwixt them they come here in the Text very near each to the other there 's but an and betwixt them and that too is copulative the Law of Sin and Death And well might the Apostle put them together when God himself in the methods of his Justice and in the threatning of his Law hath so put them together and surely what he hath so joyn'd no man can put asunder When Sin came into the world Death came along with it the one trod upon the heels of the other if man will sin he shall
have been some ground of fear that he would not have been able to have gone throught such a work but when Christ is pitch'd upon all ground of fear is removed to be sure he can and will finish what he engages in And 't is evident that he perfected what he came about from the Father's re-admitting him into Heaven had there been any thing left undone by him would the Father have given him such a reception as he did Believers do not fear all is * Joh. 17.4 finished Christ gave not over till he brought it * Joh. 19.30 to that You do your work by halfes very weakly and imperfectly but Christ did his compleatly yea though the Law it self through your flesh was weak yet Christ in your flesh was strong he did that throughly which the Law was altogether unable to do 4. Did God send Christ know to your Comfort he hath not yet done As to his own Satisfaction he hath no more to do but as to Your Glory and Happiness he will yet do more He sent Christ once into the Flesh and he will send him again in the Flesh not to suffer and die again no Christ †Rom. 6.9 being dead dies no more there 's now no further need of any suffering and dying but to appear * c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Athan. de Incar Verbi p. 110. like Himself in Glory and then to take you up into Glory Once already he came down from Heaven to Earth from thence hee 'l come again for what end why to carry you up from Earth to Heaven Heb. 9.28 Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many that 's past and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto Salvation this is yet to come O long for it and rejoyce in it His First-Sending was to make the Purchase his Second shall be to put you into Possession which shall be done as certainly as the former is done and then there will be nothing further to be done 5. Wherefore did God send Christ for most gracious ends and purposes 1 Tim. 1.15 Christ Jesus came into the World to save Sinners c. 1 Joh. 4.9 10. In this was manifested the love of God towards us because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him herein is Love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins Joh. 3.17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved Now were these God's Ends and shall they not be accomplished may not Faith fetch strong encouragement from these for in order to the strengthning of Faith we are to look to God's Works and their great Ends as well as to his Word and Promise 6. Did God send Christ set this against All. Against the weakness of the Law that which the Law could not do Christ did that which was too hard for it was not too hard for him the Text tells you he was sent on purpose to make up what was defective in the Law Set it also against the guilt of Sin upon Christ's Sending presently you read of the condemning of sin God sent his own Son c. and for sin condemned sin in the flesh Sin was to be destroy'd and the Wise God took a fit course imploy'd a fit messenger for that end as the Scape-Goat with the Sin of the people was to be sent away by the hand of a fit man into the Wilderness Lev. 16.21 Several Other things might be instanced in whatever it is which troubles the dejected Christian let him therein study a God sending a Son sent and there he may find very proper and considerable satisfaction in every Case 7. God sent Christ for whom for you who see your lost and undone condition Matth. 15.24 I am not sent but unto the lost Sheep of the house of Israel so his Commission was straitned at first but afterwards it was enlarged to the lost sheep of the Gentiles also Luke 19.10 The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost Matt. 9.13 I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Tim. 1.15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save Sinners of whom I am chief 8. He that sent Christ was also pleased to lay a special Trust and Charge upon him to secure all the Elect and to look to it that not One of those should perish Here 's a Truth which is like the full Honey-comb you cannot touch it but Honey and sweetness drops from it And I the rather here take notice of it because I find our Saviour himself when he is speaking of his Sending to make mention of it or when he mentions it to take in also his sending as Joh. 6.39 40. This is the Father's Will which hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day And this is the Will of him that sent me that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day O when the Father sent Christ he made this known to him as his Will and Pleasure that he should take special care of all his Elect and see that not one of them should be lost And this Christ submitted to as a part of his Surety-ship and ever since he hath with all faithfulness observed this his Father's Will and made good his Trust in the securing of every sincere Christian And for your Comfort know that this Trust doth as much lie upon Christ's hands now as ever it did that even as to your individual Persons if you be true Believers it is the Father's Will to Christ that he should not lose one of you or let one of you perish A child of God perish O by no means that neither Father nor Son will permit Rather than that should befal any of the Elect God would send his Son again to do and suffer all over again if such a thing was to be imagined Here then Believers is matter of strong Consolation for you viz. as to your Spiritual and Eternal State you are safe Christ is under a special obligation to secure you For the Father did not only send him in order to the bringing of you into a good estate but he did also then entrust him with the keeping of you in that estate when he should have brought you into it and what can be spoken higher for your support and comfort But I must leave these things with you O that you would often think of them especially in Soul-distresses and be ever drawing from them till your Hearts be even brim-full of Heavenly Consolation A Third Vse offers it self
for the nature and quality of the Love though not for the degree of it Joh. 17.23 c. and hast loved them as thou hast loved me I say it being so if the Love of the Father to Christ was the proper ground of his Sonship it would then follow that they are Sons just as Christ is only in a lower degree But surely the Scripture holds forth more than a gradual difference betwixt his Sonship and theirs that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 †Heb. 1.4 more excellent name which the Apostle speaks of carry's more in it than barely an higher degree of Sonship it points even to a different kind and order thereof 3. As to the Instances alledged for that use and signification of the word which might undermine that which we put upon it 't is answered that Isaac is called the only Son and the only begotten of Abraham not only because of all the Sons he had his greatest love but there were other grounds and reasons of it he was the only Son by Sarah the only Son by Promise and the only Heir of the Promise upon which accounts as well as upon the highest proportion of his Fathers love to him he is stiled the only begotten Son The same under different Circumstances may be said concerning Solomon But suppose that this was the only thing held forth in the Vnigeniture of these Persons will it follow that therefore 't is all in the unigeniture of Christ too when there is so great a disparity 'twixt Person and Person Sonship and Sonship as hath been already and might yet further be demonstrated if it was needful 4. There is in Scripture another Title given to Christ to which the Father's greater love towards him than towards others doth more properly belong namely his being the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first-born or the first-begotten Heb. 1.6 When he bringeth in the first begotten into the world c. Col. 1.15 The image of the invisible God the first-born of every Creature And elsewhere upon some special and particular Considerations with respect to his Resurrection he is called the first-born from the dead Col. 1.18 the first-begotten from the dead Rev. 1.5 but as the Title in that reference is applied to Christ I am not now to meddle with it What doth his being the First-born or First-begotten hold forth Answ * Quomodo primogenitus esse potuit nisi quia secundum Divinitatem ante omnem creaturam ex Deo Patre sermo processit Tertull. Some expound it of his eternal Generation by the Father Some of the preheminence and dignity of his Person as also of the immunities and priviledges which belong to him above others As the First-born under the Law had an excellency put upon him from his Primogeniture to him the dominion and †Gen. 27.29 49.8 authority over the Family did belong as also the ‖ Deut. 21.15 16 17. double portion in the inheritance and he was the most beloved In reference to which the people of Israel are stiled Gods first-born Exod. 4.22 Israel is my Son even my first-born because of that great glory which God put upon that people and that singular affection which he bore to them In all these respects Christ is God's First-born if you understand it of his eternal Generation so 't is incommunicable to any Other so he is primogenitus unigenitus first-begotten and only begotten too but if you understand it of the excellency of his Person and of the Other particulars mentioned so in such a degree 't is communicable to others For Israel you see in a subordinate and allusive sense was stiled God's first-born and all Believers too may be so stiled in respect of the dignity of their Persons and of God's special love towards them As Christ is the Only begotten of the Father that 's exclusive to all as he is the first-begotten of the Father that signifies praelation but not exclusion Saints are excellent though not so excellent as Christ beloved though not so beloved as Christ heirs though not such heirs as Christ And therefore had Christ been called only the first-born and that too in its second import and significancy something then might have been inferred from it for the nulling of that Sonship which we plead for as only belonging to him but besides this he is also called the only begotten wherefore he must be alone in this relation And though the Saints do in a lower degree share with him in the Father's love as he is the first-born yet they do not at all share with him in the glory of his eternal Generation as he is the only begotten A Sixth False Ground of Christ's Sonship 6. Sixthly we are told that Christ is the Son of God in respect of Adoption that he is not the Natural or Essential only the adopted Son of God This our Opposers are not afraid nor ashamed to assert O how low will they bring the Sonship of our blessed Lord and Saviour Christ not Gods Son in respect of Adoption they 'l make him any thing rather than grant what indeed he is but for Answer This is no novel Opinion or that which was never broached in the Church before 't was the old Heresie of those two Spanish Bishops * See Forbesii Instruct Historico-Theolog L. 6. C. 1. Felix and Elipandus condemned in a †Concil Tom. 20. p. 82. c. secundum Edit Reg. Paris Council held at Frankford very near a thousand years ago both ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyrill Hierosol Quod si etiam unigenitùs Filius dicitur ex Gratiâ non verè genitus ex naturâ proculdubio Nomen veritatem unigeniti perdidit postquam Fratres habere jam caepit Privatur enim hujus veritate nominis si in unigenito non est de Patre veritas naturalis Fulgent Si quaeritur an Christus sit adoptivus Filius secundum quod Homo sive alio modo Respondemus Christum non esse adoptivum Filium aliquo modo sed tantum Naturalem quia Naturâ Filius Dei est non Adoptionis gratiâ Lombard Vide alios è Scholasticis in Hoorneb Socin Confut. tom 2. c. 1. de Christo p. 30. è Patribus in Zanch. de Tribus Elohim p. 249. Fathers and Schoolmen all but Durandus argue much against it Take in brief these Four Arguments against it 1. In all the * Legi relegi Scripturas Jèsum Filium Dei Adoptione nusquam inveni Ambros Scriptures Christ is never stiled the Adopted Son of God nay there 's nothing there to be found in the least to countenance the attributing of such a Sonship to him 't is a meer forgery of man to evade and put off what the Word expresly asserts We read much of God's adopting of Saints but nothing at all of his adopting of Christ 2. Then Christ and Believers would have the same Sonship they being Sons by Adoption as well as he
of the hands of your enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the dayes of your life Luk. 1.74 75. Partly too because upon Christ's sending in the flesh you have so full a demonstration of the evil of sin how hateful it was to God c. for it having got into the world nothing could expiate it unless God's own Son will take flesh yea and suffer and die in that flesh and so bring about the expiation of it O what an evil is sin Now notwithstanding and after all this will you yet love it and live in the commission of it what will this be but in effect to say you regard not what Christ was or did that you desire as far as in you lies to make this his great act the taking of flesh to be insignificant and to no purpose as also to declare to the world by your practises that you have quite other thoughts of sin than what God himself hath Especially they must shun those sins which do most disparage and debase the Humane Nature 3. Of all sins be sure you shun those which do most directly disparage and debase the Humane Nature such as drunkenness intemperance bodily uncleanness c. what a sad thing is it that ever such things should be done where there is such a Nature When Christ hath assum'd that Nature and by assuming it hath so dignified and advanc'd it nay when he hath so highly glorify'd it as to carry it up with him to Heaven and there to sit with it at the right hand of God shall we by such and such sinful courses the gratifying of such base lusts * Agnosce O Christiane dignitatem tuam divinae consors factus Naturae noli in veterem vilitatem degeneri conversatione redire Leo de Nativ dishonour and disparage it God forbid Sinners let me intreat you when ever the temptation comes to excite you to those Evils which in special do entrench upon the glory of the Humane Nature as to drink to excess to defile your bodies by fleshly lusts c. do but seriously think with your selves that you are Men and shall such carry it as beasts that your Saviour hath just such a body as you have and doth he abuse it by the committing of such Evils that he hath your Nature and doth he so and so sin in it that he hath restor'd it as 't is in himself to its pristine glory and will you as 't is in your selves keep it as vile as ever surely if such who are drown'd in sensuality did but seriously think of this they would abandon their base lusts rather than by them debase their excellent Nature They must love God and Christ 4. Love God and Christ yea love them strongly ardently to a very intense degree of love * 1 Joh. 4.16 God is Love he hath made it appear so in his sending of Christ in flesh therefore he deserves love he hath sufficiently acted and declared his love to you how will you act and declare your love to him c. he loved and * Joh. 3.16 so loved you will you not ‖ Si amare pigebat saltem reamare non pigeat August de Catech. Rud. return love for love I and so love him too to the utmost of your capacity What will fire the cold heart with love to God if this will not do it viz. his sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh he that knows and considers this certainly he cannot but be full of divine Love And then Love Christ was he willing to put on your rags to cloath himself with your flesh did he take your Nature and that too under those circumstances which have been mentioned doing this not for himself but wholly for your good was he pleas'd so far to condescend as to become one of you nay to put himself not only into your Nature but also into your stead he might have been a Man and yet not a Surety O let him have your Love your most hearty and cordial Love pray let it be your greatest grief that you have no more love for him who deserves so much alas 't is but a drop when it should be an Ocean but a poor spark when it should be a vehement flame And I would have you to love Christ who is incarnate as well as because he was incarnate what an alluring attracting object of Love is Christ God-man God loves him as he is in our flesh the Angels love him as in our flesh the glorify'd Saints love him too in that notion will not you also love him as he is so considered Christ in our Nature is a Person very amiable what is there in mear man to draw our love to him which is not in Christ God and Man with great advantage he indeed is the Deliciae humani generis * Psal 45.2 fairer than the children of men the †Cant. 5.10 chiefest amongst ten thousand ‖ 16. altogether lovely those excellencies which are but scattered in us do all like lines in the Centre concur in him A Christ incarnate is the love of heaven let him be the love of earth too 5. So love Christ as to be willing nay ambitious to do to suffer Be ambitious to do and suffer for Christ to be abased for him O Sirs what shall we * Deus Homo factus est quid facturus est Homo propter quem Deus factus est Homo August tom 3. p. 1070. do for him who hath done such inexpressible things for us shall we be loth to take his Cross who was so willing to take our Nature he had but the likeness of sinful flesh and yet how willingly and patiently did he suffer we have the reality of sinful flesh shall we hang off from suffering or be impatient under it what abasement can be too much for the sons of men when the Son of God was thus abased what service can be too mean for us when Christ stooped to the form of a Servant He that knows how much Christ's love was above him will never think any work or service to be below him 6. As Christ was pleas'd to partake with you in your Nature Labour after the participation of the divine Nature so let it be your desire and endeavour to partake with him in his I mean that which the Apostle speaks of when he saith that by these you might be partakers of the divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 even man in such a sense is capable of this and therefore should pursue after it 'T was part of Christ's humiliation to take our Humane Nature but 't is our highest exaltation to be brought under the participation of his divine Nature of which though we cannot be partakers as he was of the former for then we should be properly and formally deify'd which is high blasphemy yet in the fruits and effects of it and in regard
Senses are included in this and do most naturally incorporate with it as you will perceive in the following discourse What is meant by in the flesh 3. There is a Third thing to be opened which in a very few words shall be dispatch'd 't is said here For Sin God condemned Sin in the Flesh now this being indefinitely propounded it may be ask'd of what or of whose Flesh doth the Apostle speak I answer of the Flesh of Christ God sent him in the likeness of sinful Flesh and in that very flesh sin was condemn'd I know * Augustinus exponit de nostra Carne in quâ peccatum tyrannidem possidet extra Christum Muscal Sed melius est ur dicamus debilitavit fomitem peccati in carne nostrâ Aquin Some interpre it of our flesh but the most apply it to Christ's Flesh there is in dafferent respecis a truth in both for in our flesh sin is condemn'd as to the effect and benefit thereof but in Christ's Flesh it was condemn'd meritoriously and causally The Syriack therefore to make this the more express turns it and for sin condemned sin in his Flesh Sin shall be punished and expiated in that Nature wherein it had been committed Man in the flesh had committed sin and God in the flesh of him who was Man will condemn Sin ut caro humana quae peccaverat eadem pro peccato lueret Our Saviours being †Sacerdos noster à nobis accepit quod pro nobis offerret accepit enim a nobis carnem in ipsa Carne victima factus est August in Psal 129. a Sacrifice pointed to his Flesh 't was the Humane Nature wherein he offered up himself and therefore in that God is said to condemn sin And as Sin shall be expiated in that Nature wherein it had been committed so Satan too shall be bafled in that Nature over which he had been victiorious Christ will beat him upon his own ground he had overcome Man and Man shall overcome him O the Wisdom Mercy Power of God! but these things were under the former Head much enlarg'd upon I will only further take notice of two things 1. This condemning of sin is here brought in as God's act God sent his own Son c. and for sin condemned c. But is not this applicable to Christ also yes if you consider him as * Quamvis de Christo ut est Filius Dei posset verè dici eum expiare authoritativè judicialitèr quatenus ipse cum Patre potestatem habet remittendi peccata quia tamen hic consideratur non ut Deus sed ut Mediator ut Sacerdos victima non potest aliter expiatio fieri quam per poenae lationem succedaneam vicariam mortem explicari Turret de Sat. Christi pars 6. p. 204. God and as the eternal Son of God so 't was and is his act as well as the Fathers to abolish acquit and absolve from Sins guilt in an authoritative way but in the Clause which I am opening Christ is not spoken of in that notion as he was God only as he was Man and as a victime and Sacrifice for sin and so he acquits from Sin not authoritatively but as the Way and Means which God made use of for the bringing about of this mercy for Sinners 2. The Flesh of Christ here is not to be considered simply absolutely but under this restriction or special consideration * Hoc factum est per carnem i. e. per mortem quam in carne juxta humanam Naturam passus est Zwingl In Carne i. e. per Carnem Filii sui suspensam mortificatam in Cruce Estius as dying and thereby satisfying divine Justice I would take in his whole humiliation but this being the highest degree thereof therefore eminently by it sin was condemned O when this Flesh of Christ hung upon the Cross then sin received its condemnatory Sentence its mortal wound then when Christ was condemn'd Sin in another sense was condemn'd also This I say was brought about in his flesh as suffering the penalty of Death so the Apostle puts it in Col. 1.22 In the body of his flesh through death I 'le add nothing farther upon this The Observation raised The Words being thus explain'd 't is high time that I come to that Doctrinal Truth which they mainly hold forth that 's this The Lord Jesus submitting to be a Sacrifice for sin and offering up himself as such to God he did thereby take away abolish explate all sin in all its guilt so as that it shall never be charged upon Believers to their eternal ruine In the language of the Text 't is in short For Sin Sin was condemned You heard but now in the opening of the condemning of Sin that that admits of more senses than that one which I now instance in in the Observation yet however this being most agreeable to the nature of a Sacrifice in reference to which Christ is here set forth I therefore only mention it In the handling of this Point which carries me again into the very midst of the Socinians Camp where I should not choose to be but I must follow the Word whithersoever it leads me there are two things to be spoken to 1. To Christ's being a Sacrifice for Sin 2. To the blessed Effect of that blessed Sacrifice viz. the condemnation or expiation of Sin Of Christ's being à Sacrifies for Sin I begin with the first Christ was a Sacrifice for sin Which though in the General none deny yet when we come to particulars about it as namely the true notion of his being so the efficacy ends effects of his Sacrifice the time when and the place where it was offered with several other things which are incident about it there many differences do arise Certainly there are none who believe the Scriptures but in some sense or other they must grant Christ to be a Sacrifice because they are so plain and express about it Isa 53.10 When thou shalt make his Soul an Offering for Sin 1 Cor. 5.7 For even Christ our Passeover is sacrificed for us 2 Cor. 5.21 He that knew no sin was made sin a Sacrifice for Sin c. Eph. 5.2 Walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an Offering and a Sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour where the Apostle seems to allude 1. to the * Cloppenh Schola Sacrif p. 3. Franzius Disp 13. thes 2 3. Mincah and Zebach amongst the Jews the Former of which did refer to their oblations of the Fruits of the Earth set forth here by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Latter to the Sacrificing and offering of living Creatures set forth here by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. He alludes to the pleasinguess and gratefulness of the primitive Sà crifices to God Gen. 8.21 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour c. Noah's Sacrifices spoken of Vers 20. were highly
what could there be in them to pacisie an angry God or to to purifie a guilty Sinner what was the blood of a Beast as considered in it self to expiate the sin of a Man The Apostle plainly tells us Heb. 10.4 It is not possible that the blood of Bulls and Goats should take away sin therefore he sayes there was no perfection by the Levitical Priesthood Heb. 7.11 and the Law made nothing perfect Heb. 7.19 in which were offered gifts and Sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the Conscience Heb. 9.9 So that whatever virtue those Sacrifices had further than the taking away of civil guilt ritual uncleanness securing from Church and State-penalties it wholly depended upon the institution of God and the merit of Christ The brazen Serpent heal'd such as were stung yet not from any intrinsick power in it self but only as God was pleas'd to give that power and efficacy to it and so 't was here in the case of the old Sacrifices These four things I have laid down both to clear up the Sacrifices themselves and also because they are of great use to set us right in our conceptions about Christ the great Sacrifice which must be opened by them Answerably now to these two great Ends and Effects of the Mosaical Sacrifices the same were designed to be done and were actually done by the Lord Jesus when he offered up himself to God upon the Cross whereby he also 1. atoned God 2. expiated the sin of the Elect. As God was angry and offended with the Sinner so Christ by his death procur'd atonement pacification reconciliation as the Sinner lay under guilt so Christ brought about the purgation or expiation of his guilt both of these were done by him and that too not only really but in a much higher way than what was done by the old Sacrifices therefore he was a true proper expiatory Sacrifice yea the most eminent expiatory Sacrifice Of atonement and reconciliation by Christs Sacrifice 1. For atonement or reconciliation By Adams Fall a sad breach had been made 'twixt God and Man Sin had greatly incens'd the holy God against his sinful Creatures nay there was a mutual and reciprocal enmity contracted between them Things being in this dismal state the blessed Jesus interpos'd himself in order to the appeasing of an offended God and the reconciling of him and the Sinner the two parties that were at variance For the effecting of which he did not only as a bare Internuntius treat with both or only offer up prayers to the one in which respect Moses atoned God Exod. 34.10 11 12 13 14. and intreaties to the other 2 Cor. 5.20 and so proceed by some verbal interposures but when nothing else would do it he was willing even to lay down his own Life to die as a Sacrifice upon the Cross by this means to bring God and Man together again in amity and love By which death of Christ the offended God was perfectly atoned and reconciled to the Sinner so as that now upon the satisfaction made to him therein he could without any injury to his Justice and Holiness receive the Sinner into his favour and not inflict upon him that wrath and punishment which he had made himself obnoxious unto this is the true notion of atonement and reconciliation by Christ and all that we * Non statuimus Deum irato propriè factum esse propitium sed Christi Satisfactione causas irae divinae obliteratas esse ut salvâ justistiâ suâ possit gratiam exhibere Essenïus p. 253. mean by it But that this was thus done by him what one thing is there in all the matters of Faith wherein the Gospel is more clear and full 1 Joh. 2.2 And he is the propitiation for our sins 1 Joh. 4.10 Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his blood c. Rom. 5.10 11. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life And not only so but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the atonement 2 Cor. 5.18 19. All things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself Col. 1.20 21. And having made peace through the blood of his Cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself c. And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now hath be reconciled in the body of his flesh through death So Eph. 2.13 14 c. Isa 53.6 the chastisement of our peace was upon him i. e. by his penal sufferings our peace was made with God 'T is true which our * Socin de Serv◠p. 1. c. 8. Adversanies would fain improve to their purpose that all along in these Scriptures the reconciliation is said to be on Mans part as if Sinners were reconcil'd to God not God to them but there 's a special reason for that viz. * Baxters Life of Faith p. 189. because they were the first in the breach they fell out with God before he fell out with them as also because the averseness to reconciliation is on their part wherefore if they be willing to be reconcil'd to God and are actually reconciled to him there 's no question of it but that he is willing to be reconciled to them and is so actually Some would have the reconciliation as on God's part to be spoken of Heb. 2.17 that he might be a merciful and faithful high Priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is according to the Hebrew Enallage as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as * De Satisf p. 93. Grotius well observes Howerver supposing that this Text doth not so expresly hold forth the thing yet there is enough in those convincing Reasons Arguments and Consequences which the Word elsewhere affords to prove the reconciliation to be mutual as is fully proved by divers Which reconciliation you see was accomplished by Jesus Christ yea by his death and blood so that he exactly answers to the first effect of the Jewish Sacrifices Of the Expiation of Sin by Christ's Sacrifice 2. The for the Second the expiation of sin that also was done with great advantage by Christ his death carried indeed a Sin-expiating virtue in it and was most truly of an expiatory nature Let us a little look into the Scripture see what it saith about this and that we shall find not only to assert the thing but so to assert it as withal to set down and determine the nature and true notion of it I mean this
* 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 2. p. 97. PORPHYRY's Objections against Sacrifices in general viz. they would encourage men to be wicked All to labour after an interest in Christ's Sacrifice and in the benefits thereby procured 3. Thirdly I would excite you to labour after and to make sure of a personal interest in this great Sacrifice and in the benefits resulting from it For 't is a thing to be resented with the greatest sadness imaginable that where â—ere is such a Sacrifice so at first offered up to God and now so revealed to men that yet so many millions of Souls should perish and as to their spiritual and eternal state be little the better for it because they regard not as to themselves either the thing or the good that flows from it My Brethren I beseech you if you have any love for your Souls let it not be so with you but let it be your greatest care to secure an interest in this Sacrifice and to partake of the blessings procured by it be often considering and questioning with your selves here 's a Sacrifice for expiation and atonement but what 's this to us here 's a dying Christ but did he die for us shall we be ever the better for his death if this propitiatory oblation be not ours what will become of us Under the Law the Gentile-strangers were to offer Sacrifices as well as the born-Jews see Numb 15.14 15. Lev. 17.8 and amongst the Jews the poor as well as the rich with respect to which difference in mens outward condition God accordingly appointed different Sacrifices Lev. 14.21 but yet something or other both were to Sacrifice and in their offerings for the ransome of their Souls all were to give alike Exod. 30.15 The rich shall not give more the poor shall not give less than half a Shekel Now all this was to shadow out two things about Christ's Sacrifice 1. its equal extent to all men notwithstanding all national or civil differences be they Jews or Gentiles rich or poor 't is the same Christ to all if they believe for there is no difference Rom. 3.22 2. the equal obligation lying upon all men to look after make sure of and rest in this one and the same all-sufficient Sacrifice none in order to remission justification atonement eternal life need to carry more to God by Faith and Prayers and none must carry less Sirs let us all put in for a share in Christ's offering and in the benefits purchased thereby for if we should come short of that we are lost eternally Are not reconciliation with God the expiation of sin eternal redemption c. things most necessary and most desireable if so where can we hope to have them but in a sacrific'd Redeemer but in the imputation of the merit of his death and Sacrifice And I add do not only make sure of the thing objectively considered but labour also after the subjective assurance of it Oh when a Christian can say Christ dy'd for me * Gal. 2.20 gave himself for me his body was broken and his blood shed for me he took my guilt and bare my punishment how is he filled with †1 Pet. 1.8 joy unspeakable with | Phil. 4.7 peace that passes all understanding what a full-tyde of comfort is there in his Soul This is the receiving of the atonement as some open it and that is very sweet Rom. 5.11 And not only so but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the atonement This is to be ey'd and only rely'd upon 4. In the actings of Faith eye Christ as a Sacrifice for sin and there let all your hope and confidence be bottom'd I say in the actings of Faith eye Christ as a Sacrifice for indeed this grace hath to do with him mainly and principally as dying and sacrific'd the Apostle speaks of Faith in his blood Rom. 3.25 't is a bleeding crucified Saviour that is the great and most proper object of Faith true it takes in a whole Christ all of Christ his Nativity holy Life Resurrection Ascension Intercession c. but that which it primarily and chiefly fixes upon is his death and passion When a Soul is brought into Christ to close with him in the way of believing what of him is first in its eye in that act is it a Christ as ascending as sitting at the right hand of God as interceding no thus it beholds him for the after-encouragement and support of Faith but that which it first considers is a Christ as dying upon the Cross and so it layes hold upon him And no wonder that 't is so since all the great blessings of the Gospel do mainly flow from Christ's death they are assur'd and apply'd by his Resurrection Ascension and Intercession but they were procur'd and purchas'd by his death as the Scriptures abundantly shew Rom. 5.9 10. Eph. 1.7 et passim now tnat which hath the most causal and most immediate influence upon these that deserves to be first and most eyed by Faith Here 's the difference 'twixt Faith and Love this chiefly looks to the excellencies of Christ's Person but that to the merit and efficacy of his Sacrifice When the Apostle Gal. 2.20 had spoken so high of his Faith in the Son of God he tells you in what notion he did therein consider him by adding who loved me and gave himself for me The stung Israelite was to look upon the brazen Serpent as lifted up and so he was healed do you desire to find healing redemption salvation by Christ O look upon him as lifted up upon the Cross so all good shall come to you Further I say let all your hope and confidence be bottom'd here this is that firm rock which you must only build upon for pardon peace with God salvation for all Oh take heed of relying upon any thing besides this Sacrifice Gal. 6.14 God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ he that glory 's or trusts in any thing besides that his glorying is vain The forlorn undone Sinner should be alwayes clasping and clinging about this Cross resting upon the merit of Christ thereon and upon that only for all that hope will be but dying hope which is not solely bottom'd upon a dying Saviour The * Quum sis ipse nocens moritur cur victima pro te Stultitia est morte alterius sperare salutem Heathens could not believe that ever the death of Sacrifices should do the guilty person good they look'd upon it as folly to hope for life by anothers death but blessed be God we see that which they did not we firmly believe and steadily hope for expiation and Salvation by Christ's one offering of himself and lay the sole stress of our Faith and happiness upon that which they counted folly But let us be sure we do not mistake here I mean let us indeed
the Gospel answers to the hyssop under the Law Well! after our Saviours being an offering for sin as we have nothing further to do but only through Grace enabling of us * Vid. Cameron Misc p. 529. to perform these Evangelical conditions so nothing less than that will serve our turn for a share and interest in the great effects and fruits thereof Frequent application to be made to this Sacrifice 6. Sixthly you are not to rest in some one single application of your selves or in the first application of your selves at your first believing to this great Sacrifice for expiation and remission but you are to repeat and renew it daily For though 't is true all the guilt of believers is removed thereby yet that is done in this method 't is removed as 't is contracted and as the benefit of it is accordingly drawn forth by the fresh applications of it O do not rest in what you did at your first Conversion but be you every day applying your selves to a sacrific'd Christ new guilt must have new pardons and daily sins call for daily expiations 'T is observable that Christ is set forth not only by the yearly expiatory Sacrifices or by those that were but seldom offered but also by the daily Sacrifices Joh. 1.29 Behold the Lamb of God c. We should not lie down in our beds at night before we have applyed our selves to a dying Christ for the cleansing of our persons from the guilt of the sins of the day past Yea we should never go to God in duty but we should revive upon our thoughts and make use of this Sacrifice Under the Law the blood was to be sprinkled even upon the Mercy-seat Levit. 16.14 God sits upon a Throne of Mercy but even that requires the blood of Christ no mercy from him no acceptance with him can be expected but upon the intervention of this Sacrifice God and Christ to be admired and adored upon this 7. Seventhly Upon this Sacrifice and what followed thereupon God and Christ are highly to be admired and adored by you This holy admiration hath been already again again press'd upon you under the foregoing gracious acts mention'd in the Text but surely that which is now before us doth as much deserve and call for it as they or any other whatsoever Is God to be admired because he sent his own Son because he sent this Son in flesh yea in the likeness of sinful flesh and is he not to be admired also for his making of him to be a Sacrifice for sin and for the condemning of sin in his flesh doubtless he is What Christ a Sacrifice a Sacrifice for such as we such great things brought about thereby O what matter is here to draw out admiration what so great so wonderful as this how much are the highest thoughts the most raised affections below the greatness of this mystery It hath my Brethren been largely set before you now I would ask How are your hearts affected with it 't is very sad if we can hear of such stupendious mercy and yet be but little wrought upon under the hearing of it Pray fancy to your selves what the Angels thought of this what frame they were in when they saw the Son of God hanging and dying upon the Cross as an expiatory Sacrifice Oh you may well suppose that it fill'd them with astonishment they were even amaz'd at this strange and wonderful spectacle never such wondring in Heaven as when the Lord Jesus was thus suffering on earth now shall that be little to you which was so great to them shall they thus admire and will you who were most concern'd in the thing and the greatest gainers by it be stupid and unaffected In Christ's being a Sacrifice God on his part hath display'd and advanc'd all his Attributes yea they by this have received their utmost advancement infinite Wisdom Justice Holiness Mercy could go no higher than a Christ crucifi'd and on your part by this your work is done your happiness being every way secur'd and your misery fully prevented by this you are reconcil'd to God and God to you condemning-sin is condemn'd it-self all its guilt expiated the righteousness of the Law fulfill'd c. by a strange and unthought-of method God hath fetch'd the greatest good out of the greatest evil by Christ's dying you live all which being considered is there not sufficient ground why you and all should admire and adore God And amongst other things pray in special admire his love his transcendent superlative matchless love what manner of love was this that God should give his Son to be a sacrifice for you 1 Joh. 4.10 Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins Rom. 5.8 But God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us Had not Christ been a person infinitely dear to God the thing had not been so much but that he should devote him to be sacrific'd whom he so dearly lov'd there 's the incomprehensibleness of his love 'T is reported of the PHOENICIANS that in their Sacrifices they did not use to Sacrifice an enemy or a stranger but * Porphyr do Abstin l. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some one that they had a special love for this I 'm sure was done by God in his giving of the Son of his love to be a Sacrifice for us therefore what admiration can be high enough for him When * Gen. 22.10 c. Abrahaham had the knife in his hand and was just going to offer his Son Isaac God stop'd his hand and provided a cheaper Sacrifice for him this was more than what he did for his own Son him he would have to be offered up and would admit of no other Sacrifice and when the hand of Justice was lifted up ready to destroy us then God to secure us interpos'd and found out a Sacrifice of propitiation not a Ram but his only begotten Son O the heights bredths lengths depths of his love And must not Christ be admired also surely yes was not his love too admirable as well as the Fathers Oh well might the Apostle say Gal. 2.20 Who loved me and gave himself for me Eph. 5.2 And walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour Vers 25. as Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it Rev. 1.5 Vnto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood this was loving indeed When the * Joh. 11.36 JEWS saw Jesus weeping over LAZARVS they said Behold how he loved him but alas what was Christs weeping over him to his dying for us what was the shedding of a few tears to the shedding of his blood how may we come with a more emphatical Behold behold how he
loved us He that * 2 Cor. 5.21 knew no sin was willing to be made sin †1 Pet. 2.24 to bear our sins in his own body vpon the tree to put himself in our stead yea to die in our stead for our sakes to be ‖ Phil. 2.8 obedient to death even the death of the Cross to let out his precious blood for the expiation of sin when nothing else would do it and when all Mosaical Sacrifices were weak he by a far higher Sacrifice undertook the work * Heb. 10.7 Lo I come to do thy will O God was not here love even love †Eph. 3.19 passing knowledge such high affection on his part should draw out high admiration on our part Let me here add we should so admire God and Christ as to love them and to be thankful Have they ‖ Joh. 3.16 so loved us and shall not we return love for love what monsters and prodigies shall we be if after such a manifestation of their love to us there be not reciprocation of our love to them God design'd and prepar'd the Sacrifice therefore he must have our love Christ was the Sacrifice therefore he must have our love too both deserve it both must have it Joh. 10.17 Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life now doth the Father love him for this and shall not we much more did we but think of this Sacrifice and hold our hearts close to it in holy meditation surely it would cause them to love Christ Then I say be thankful yea let your whole Soul upon this go out in thankfulness be ever praising magnifying God for his unspeakable mercy in Christ your Sacrifice your Redeemer your Saviour often call upon your sluggish hearts and say Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his holy name Did God * Rom. 3.25 set forth Christ to be a propitiation did he †Isa 53.5 6. lay upon him the iniquities of you all was the chastisement of your peace upon him and by his stripes are you healed that guilt and wrath which would have ruin'd you for ever are they now both done away so as that they shall never hurt you did Christ die * Mediator noster puniri pro seipso non debuit quia nullum culpae contagium perpetravit Sed si ipse indebitam mortem non susciperet nunquam nos à debitâ morte liberaret Gregor l. 3. moral c. 13. that you might not die but live for ever did you sin and he suffer was the †innocent person punished that the guilty might be acquitted was sin condemned for you who deserv'd to be condemn'd for it what praise and admiration can be high enough for such things as these The JEWS in the day of atonement were to make the trumpet sound throughout their land Lev. 25.9 So we having received the atonement by Christ's Sacrifice should evermore be sounding forth the praises of the most high You reade of the Elders Rev. 5.8 c. they fell down before the Lamb having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odours which are the prayers of Saints And they sang a new son saying Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood c. * Peccat iniquus punitur justus delinquit reus vapulat innocens offendit impius damnatur pius quod meretur malus patitur bonus c. Quò Nate Dei quò tua descendit humilitas quo tua flagravit charitas c. Ego iniquè egi tu poenâ mulctaris ego facinus admisi tu ultione plecteris c. Me ad illicitam concupiscentiam rapuit arbor te perfecta charitas duxit ad crucem ego praesumsi vetitum tu subiisti aculeum c. August in Quest in V. N. Testam Qu. 55. Christians why are not your harps alwayes in your hands why are not your Souls alwayes full of holy affections as the golden Vials full of odours in the remembrance of him who was slain and sacrific'd for you Christ having offered his Sacrifice we are to offer ours 8. Lastly Do you offer to God the Sacrifices proper to you as Christ offered to God the Sacrifice proper to him For expiatory Sacrifices as you need them not Christ's one Sacrifice being every way sufficient for that end so you are not able to come up to them for you can present nothing to God properly and formally expiatory yet there are other Sacrifices which you may offer up to him And though the external and fleshly Sacrifices of the Law are out of date yet there are the internal and spiritual Sacrifices of the Gospel which you now are as much oblig'd to observe and offer as ever the JEWS were the former What are they why you are to present your selves your bodies Souls the whole man a living Sacrifice holy and acceptable to God Rom. 12.1 you are to dedicate your persons to Christ so as to live to him who dy'd for you 2 Cor. 5.15 yea so as to be ready to be offered in sacrifice by dying for him to allude to that Phil. 2.17 You are as an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 2.5 which spiritual Sacrifices are spiritual Dutys and Evangelical Worship prophesy'd of Mal. 1.11 in every place incense shall be offered unto my name and a pure offering Here come in * Oratio purè directa de corde fideli tanquam de arâ Sanctâ surgit incensum August in Psal 141. Prayer and Praise those two eminent Sacrifices under the Gospel Psal 141.2 Let my Prayer be set forth before thee as Incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening Sacrifice Psal 116.17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call upon the name of the Lord so Psal 107.22 Psal 54.6 Heb. 13.15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name this is set forth as here by the fruit of the lips so elsewhere by the free-will-offerings of the mouth Psal 119.108 by rendring the calves of our lips Hos 14.2 And for the pleasingness of this to God above all the Levitical Sacrifices see Psal 50.13 14. Psal 69.30 31. O this is a Sacrifice which we should often be offering up to God through Christ Jesus Another Evangelical Sacrifice is a broken Spirit than which next to a broken Christ nothing more acceptable to God Psal 51.16 17. For thou desirest not sacrifice else would I give it thou delightest not in burnt-offering The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise So also bounty to the poor distressed Saints this is an odour of sweet smell a sacrifice acceptable well
any one person who ever did so fulfil the Law I know some are mentioned but all that is said of them doth amount only to integrity of parts not to perfection of degrees to eminency in Grace and Obedience but not to Law-exactness to Evangelieal but not to legal perfection Obj. But doth God enjoyn the Creature that which is * Bellarm. de Lib. Arb. l. 5. c. 18. impossible Answ Just thus the PELAGIANS of old argued for the possibility of mens keeping the Law and †De Nat. Grat. c. 43. De Peccat Mer. Rem l. 2. c. 6 7 9. AVSTINE writing against them was fain again and again to answer this very Objection We say what is ‖ Vid. Chamier tom 3. l. 11. p. 328. Thes Sedan Vol. 1. p. 479. Pet. Martyr in loc Quanquam si quis rectē c. simply and absolutely impossible God doth not impose upon the Creature but what he himself hath made impossible voluntarily and by his own default that the great Law-giver may and doth impose This impossibility doth no way entrench upon the goodness of God because the Sinner hath contracted and wilfully brought it upon himself I hope the Creditor may demand his debt though the debtor cannot pay it if through sloth prodigality bad husbandry he hath disabled himself thereunto that 's the Sinners case with respect to perfect obedience to the Law God may demand his right though the Creature hath lost his power This Objection at the first hearing seems to have something in it and it is very plausible to put an ugliness upon the PROTESTANTS doctrine but when 't is look'd into and duly weighed there 's nothing at all of strength in it Others for brevity sake I must omit It appears then that the fulfilling of the Laws righteousness in this sense viz. of the Saints perfect and personal fulfilling thereof in themselves is not according to truth and therefore must be rejected Second Interpretation The Laws righteousness is fulfilled in Saints personally but not perfectly 2. Secondly 't is said that the Law is fulfilled in and by the Saints inherently and personally but not perfectly Thus some of our own Divines do expound the words they making them to refer to that Obedience which belongs to Sanctification and which sanctified persons in themselves come up unto who though in the high and rigid notion they do not fulfil the Law yet in a soft and mild notion * Lex data est ut gratia quaereretur gratia data est ut Lex impleretur August de Spir. Lit. l. 1. c. 19. they do There is a begun inchoate Obedience in them thereunto which is continued and carried on higher and higher till it be consummate they do not only love and like the Law and consent to it that 't is good but they obey it in part which though it be but in part yet they being sincere therein and desiring to arrive at what is perfect God accepts of them as though they did perfectly fulfil it thus Evangelically though not Legally the Laws righteousness is fulfilled in them 'T is not unusual in Scripture to set forth inchoate partial imperfect Obedience by the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 2.27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by Nature if it fulfil the Law judge thee c. Rom. 13.8 He that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law Vers 10. Love is the fulfilling of the Law Gal. 5.14 All the Law is fulfilled in one word even in this Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self Gal. 6.2 Bear ye one anothers burdens and so fulfil the Law of Christ Now in this sense the Saints in themselves in this life may be said to fulfil the Laws righteousness They who go this way differ in this * Id quod nonnulli de justificatione interpretantur c. ideoque de Sanctificatione vitae intelligitur Nam quod objici potest nos non esse perfectos ideoque c. illud non sequitur quia etsi legem non compleamus simpliciter ac simul complemus tamen secundum quid secundum omnia praecepta inchoatâ obedientiâ successive Gomar in loc Balduin Deodat c. Some interpret the words solely of inherent and personal Obedience †Pareus in Dub. p. 780. P. Martyr Others take in that also which is by imputation I cannot deny the truth of what is here said as to the thing but whether it be the proper interpretation of the Text that I question I think not My reasons why I so think are these 1. The Apostle speaking of that Obedience or fulfilling of the Law which was one of the great Ends of God in sending his Son it must be most proper here to understand that Obedience and that fulfilling of the Law which was first effected in the person of this Son and then made over to Believers by imputation 2. This Lawfulfilling coming in as the high product of the Love and Wisdom of God it may very probably be conjectured that if there be one fulfilling of the Law higher than another the highest here must be taken and therefore it must not be that which is but inchoate and imperfect in us but rather that which was compleat full perfect in Christ 3. Though the fulfilling of the Law be sometimes taken in that lower sense which hath been mentioned yet the Law-righteousness more usually notes that exact universal Obedience which the Law requires which notion therefore we may the rather be induced here to follow 4. The Interpretation given by these worthy persons will not so well suit with what the Apostle is now upon he is in short summing up the grand benefits that Saints have by Christ shewing how they are secured from Condemnation and restored to a state of happiness In order to which he first sets down the expiation of Sin the satisfaction of God's Justice c. which were done by Christ's Sacrifice or passive Obedience in dying Then he goes on to that which was further to be done the Holiness of God and of his Law must be satisfied also eternal Life must be merited now these must be done by Christ's active Obedience or fulfilling the Laws righteousness therefore that he adds that the righteousness of the Law c. Wherefore we must here understand Christ's Obedience as imputed not our own as inherent if that word be proper otherwise we shall leave out one of the great benefits which we have by Christ viz. that which results from his active Obedience and one of the wayes wherein he did promote our salvation whereas the Apostle designs to set down both distinctly Third Interpretation the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in Saints perfectly yet not personally but imputatively 3. Thirdly Others open it thus the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in Believers perfectly yet not personally but imputatively Their meaning is this the Lord Jesus in his own person whilst he was here on earth did fully obey