state equal with the Jews The general notion of Redemption is also set forth by these general Expressions viz. Christ dy'd for us all he was deliver'd for our Sins he suffer'd for Sin where the word us all signifies us Men of all Nations and the word Sin or Sins signifies the natural Apostacy and frequent Actings of it That us all is meant of Men of all Nations appears in 1 Tim. 2. where all in v. 6. refers to Men. In v. 1 4. it signifies Men of all Nations It 's also observable in reference to the general notion That the Work of Redemption and Reconciliation refers to certain Times and Seasons Rom. 5.6 Christ according to the Season dy'd for the Ungodly Christ was sent in the fulness of Times Gal. 4.4 He gave himself a Ransome witnessed in the proper seasons 1 Tim. 2.6 In the dispensation of the fulness of Times God gathers or reconciles all things to himself by Christ Eph. 1.10 Here Things signifies Persons as the Substantive is often put for the Adjective the Abstract for the Concrete More Hebraico This seems to be the true Universal Redemption which the Apostle seems to comprehend in one sentence with admiration of the Wisdom and unsearchable Ways of God the sentence is this viz. God hath set up all Nations in Unbelief that he might have mercy upon all Nations in their times and turns Rom. 11.31 32. Now concerning the Personal Reconciliation and Redemption which amounts to a Personal Election As the Reconciliation of our Nature in the Person of Christ is expressed by the Blood and Death of Christ for us so our Personal Reconciliation is expressed by the Righteousness of God manifested in all and upon all that believe Rom. 3.21 22. By the Righteousness of God is meant the Faithfulness of God in performing his merciful Promises especially touching his sending Christ and the Spirit to the Gentiles The Apostle saith This is witnessed as a distinct thing in the Law and the Prophets from the Law of Works For instance in the Law this Faithfulness of God is called the Name of God Exod. 34.6 In the Psalms it 's called the Mercy and Truth of God Psal 100. 117. and the Righteousness of God Psal 71.2 15 16. Psal 103.17 and Mercy and Truth and Righteousness of God are put together Psal 98.2 3. Salvation and Mercy and Truth Righteousness and Reconciliation are join'd together Psal 85.10 11. In the Prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah this Faithfulness of God in his merciful Promises in sending Christ and his Spirit which is the ground of the New Covenant is called the Righteousness of God and his Salvation Isa 56.1 In Jeremiah it is called the New Covenant Jer. 31.31 This Righteousness of God the Apostle saith is now manifested by the Faith of Christ This Expression of the Faith of Christ is often used to signifie the preaching the Doctrine of Faith in Christ whereof Christ is the Author by his Spirit which is also called the Law of Faith Ministry of the Spirit and Ministry of Reconciliation or of reconciling our Persons to God that we may partake of the Benefit of God's being reconciled to us by the Death of Christ This manifestation of the Righteousness of God by the Faith of Christ is in us and upon us that believe It is in us This in one word is the Work of Faith in two words it 's the Similitude of the Life and Death of Christ imprinted in our Hearts in three words it's Faith Hope and Love And this Righteousness is by the Ministry of Reconciliation upon us and apply'd unto us by forgiveness of Personal Sins with inward Peace and Joy and Adoption to Eternal Life This notion of reconciling the Nature and Persons of Men runs in the Veins of the Apostle's Discourse of Justification in Rom. 3.24 he saith We are justified freely by Grace This Grace is the Law of Grace and that Law he saith is the Redemption that is by Christ This is the general notion of Christ's taking our Nature And then he adds the notion of Personal Redemption when he saith that God hath set him forth ministerially to be a Mercy-seat through Faith in his Blood for the remission of our Personal Sins Rom. 4.25 He dyed for our Sins here is the Reconciliation of our Nature and he arose for our Justification there is the Reconciliation of our Persons And in Rom. 5. from v. 6 to 10. There is an Atonement made by Christ's Death when we were Enemies in the highest degree of Apostacy ripe for Destruction this is the Atonement in our Nature And then he mentions the Atonement received which is our Personal Reconciliation That Pattern of wholsome words in Tit. 3.3 4 5 6 7 8. is very remarkable for the method of Divine Wisdom in the Na tional and Personal Reconciliation put together as it is in 2 Cor. 5. from v. 16. to the end which place gives light to this in Titus and this to that being thus paraphrased We all were sometimes foolish disobedient c. but after the Kindness and Love of God our Saviour to Mankind appeared in sending his Son in the nature of Man by him to reconcile the World to himself in doing his Will in all his Commands against all Temptations to the contrary he was pleased to save our Persons not by Works of Righteousness which we had done or Surety for us or as imputed to us in a legal way but of his meer and absolute Free Mercy making us new Creatures which he did in this method He first brought us into a state of Regeneration and then perfected the Work of Regeneration by the Ministry of his own Spirit which he poured on us the Apostles by the Intercession of Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven to the end that we being by the operation of his Grace made righteous in the Gift of a new Heart and perfect Remission of Sin as by the Spirit and Blood of Christ we might by the Spirit of Adoption be made Heirs of Eternal Life whereof we hope according to his Promise John 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting Life In this Pattern of wholsome words our Apostle answers a Case of Conscience which every Soul is concerned in viz. How a Person that hath some time been foolish disobedient serving divers Lusts and Pleasures c. may have hope of Eternal Life He answers in effect thus much That there are three things done by Christ and three things to be done by the Sinner 1. Christ hath made an Atonement for Mankind that any that hath the Nature of Man may come to God in the way of his Mercy and in the day of Mercy 2. Christ hath provided Means of Grace to make them new Creatures which are Baptism and a Spiritual Ministry 3. When the Work of Renovation is truly wrought so as the Love of God is poured into
not admit to be justified by the Law of Works in any sense if it be of works in any sense then grace is no more grace Besides Christ is not a Second Adam because he is in the room of the First as the head of his Covenant as one King succeeds another in the same Government But he is a Second Adam on a new foundation the head of a new Covenant that should bring in a new and a living way not by legal satisfaction but by meritorious intercession Christ is represented in Scripture to be like and unlike the First Adam he is like in the humane Nature cloathed with humane Infirmities that are not in themselves sinful but he is unlike the First in any thing that is sinful and in the excellencies of gracious and spiritual Communications he is the Lord from Heaven and a Life-giving Spirit which the first was not R. 2. This Assertion doth not agree with the method of Divine Grace expressed in Rom. 8.3 4. Rom. 5.19 and 2 John 22. The method in Rom. 8 is Christ condemned sin in the Flesh that is obeyed God fully in Mans nature against all tentations by the power of the Spirit by which he was conceived to the end that one that is born of the same Spirit and walks by the same Spirit might be able to perform the righteousness not the rigour of the Law which he cannot perform by the power of Nature But this Assertion says in effect That Christ was condemned by our sin that his condemnation might be imputed to us for our fulfilling the righteousness and rigour of the Law tho we walk after the Spirit In like manner it doth as it were make Rom. 5.19 say as by the disobedience of one many are made Sinners so by the punishment of the disobedience of one many shall be imputed not made Righteous and 1 Pet. 3.18 must sound thus Christ suffered for Sin the Unjust for the Unjust And 1 John 2.2 We have an Advocate Jesus Christ the sinner such ill Interpretations seems to follow and our rejoycing must be that God accounts Christ a Sinner in our stead and punisheth him in our stead tho he was most Righteous R. 3. Christ is an Example to us in his Sufferings to follow his steps 1 Pet. 2.21 But if he suffered as punisht as a guilty Sinner in our stead his Sufferings are unimitable by us we can imitate them only as Tryals R. 4. In suffering punishments for sin Man is meerly passive Christ in his Sufferings was very Active and not meerly Passive Ergo his Sufferings were not Punishments The Activity of Christ in his Sufferings 1. His Sufferings were Voluntary John 10.17 18. He yielded himself to his Enemies when he might have avoided them He gave up his Spirit before they could take it away by compulsion 2. His Sufferings were Acts of Obedience Phil. 2.7 8. Heb. 10.7 I come to do thy Will thy Law is in my Heart 3. His Sufferings were Victorious he conflicted with and conquered in all Tentations he resisted unto Blood striving against Sin for the Joy that was set before him he endured the Cross and despised the shame His Agonies and the Travail of his Soul were not his Punishments but his Fightings the good Fight of Faith and Patience and Love conquering distrust impatience and revenge by Prayer Watchfulness and Praying for the Transgressors wherein tho as the natural Adam he was weak and subject to fear yet as the Spiritual Adam he was ready undaunted and fearless and by Death overcame him who had power to put him to Death Heb. 2.12 4. His Sufferings were Sacrificing Sufferings in Obeying he Conquered in Conquering he offered himself a Sacrifice or Acceptable Gift to God he loved us and gave Himself for us Eph. 5.2 which Sacrifice or Holy Gift was adumbrated by the Legal Sacrifices in respect to our Nature he was a whole Burnt-offering and an Offering of a Sweet Smelling Savour in respect of our persons he was a Sin-offering and a Peace-offering He was an Holocaust or whole Burnt-offering presenting Himself in Soul and Body blameless in Flames of Faith and Love to his Father He was a Sacrifice of a sweet smell by reason of the Bloud and the Fat both which were reserved to God of every Sacrifice as most Holy Numb 18.17 Eph. 5.2 He was a Sin-offering in respect of remembrance of personal and particular Sin with profession of Faith and Repentance in the person that brought the Sacrifice Heb. 10.17 18. He was a Peace-offering because by him our Gifts and Sacrifices of Thanksgiving are acceptable to God Heb. 13.15 5. His Sufferings were a Meretorious price for Mans Redemption 1 Pet. 11.8 19. To put all together the Sufferings of Christ were all acts of voluntary obedience to the command of the Father to break the head of the Serpent in all his injurious Tentations and present the nature of Man as an acceptable Gift to God and a valuable price of Mans Redemption from the Guilt Power and Condemnation of the Law of Works into the enjoyment of a full Remission a new Heart and Adoption to Eternal Life by the Law of Grace But if the Sufferings of Christ were punishments of him as a Guilty Sinner in our stead they were not these acts of Obedience but mere Passions Ergo his Sufferings were not punishments R. 5. In Heb. 5.8 9. there are three Expressions against this Assertion 1. Christ learned Obedience by his Sufferings 2. He was perfected by his Sufferings 3. Christ being Consecrate by his Sufferings became after that the Author of Salvation to them that obey him in his ministerial call for if this Assertion be true we are in Christ before his Sufferings and perfect by his Sufferings as by our surety for debt but by this Text we are not accounted saved by Christ until we obey his call R. 6. David was a Type of Christ in his Sufferings and Glory as appears in Ps 2. and Ps 22. He suffered many injuries and Tentations but none of them Punishments for Sin And God is represented in Ps 2. as Judge betwixt Christ and the Rulers deriding their false Judgment but not Condemning Christ with them I have set my King c. R. 7. This Assertion describes our Salvation by a penal satisfaction by a Surety to make good the Debt by a Covenant of Works But the Scripture describes our Salvation by the obedient satisfaction of the Captain of our Salvation as a surety to confirm the promises to forgive the debt on seeking Mercy The Third Inquiry Why it was necessary Christ should enter into Glory as well as suffer these things Our Blessed Saviour explains this he says John 17. That the hour is come wherein he finished the work God gave him to glorifie him on Earth and says on the Cross it is finished and prays that God would now glorifie him with himself by which it appears that Christ was to do the Will of the Father in
the Soul he hath provided a Seal to confirm his Adoption to the Inheritance of Eternal Life by the Witness of his own Spirit filling his Heart with Joy and Peace in hope and expectation of it The three things to be done on Man's part are 1. He is to believe the Atonement and receive it with all readiness notwithstanding his many and great Offences though his Sins be of Crimson of a deep dye for Christ came into the World to save the Chief of Sinners 2. He must yield himself to the Means of Grace for his Renovation 3. In the conscionable use of the Means of Grace he must pray for the Manifestations and Confirmarion of Christ's Love and wait for the Motions of the Spirit of Adoption rejoycing in Hope Thus a Sinner may be truly said to convert himself to God and no Glory due to Man in the Work and Christ truly said to work all things in all Persons And it 's observable that the Apostle in directing a Sinner how to know his Salvation doth not begin at the eternal purpose of God in Election but at the way of working out his Salvation for although it's God's way to work all things according to his Eternal Purpose and known to God are all his Works from the beginning of his Purposes yet our way of knowing his Purposes is by his Work in the dispensation of the fulness of Times Eph. 1.10 unless it be by Special Revelation Another Observation to demonstrate the manifold Wisdom of God in the Work of Man's Redemption considered generally and particularly is from that word to himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 applied distinctly to the Father in 2 Cor. 5.18 19. Eph. 5.2 3. to Christ God the Father hath reconciled the World of Mankind were they Jews or Gentiles by Jesus Christ to himself which seems to signifie to his own use and service as that wherein he delights to display his Glory and the Riches of his Grace It 's by Christ's Atonement that Mankind lives and moves and have their being continued that God causes his Sun to shine on the Just and Unjust that Seed-time and Harvest are yet continued that rare Inventions are found out that a Blessing attends Mens honest Endeavours that Princes decree Justice and Human Societies are preserved It is from Christ's Atonement that Sentence against an Evil Work is not speedily executed and Judgments executed have an end many times and Sin no longer imputed and Mercy revived in God's Government of this World This Love of the World of Mankind God gave them on the account of Jesus Christ who was the Lamb slain in God's holy purpose from the beginning of the World of Mankind to take away that Confusion which Sin had brought into the World of Mankind But besides this common Love which God hath to Mankind from Christ's Atonement he hath an higher degree of Love for Mankind on the account of Christ's Atonement which respects Eternal Life which Adam lost which is noted by the Word So in John 3.16 He so loved to such a degree he loved all Mankind in the positive but his Church in the superlative degree and fence This superlative Love in bringing many Sons unto Glory Christ hath a peculiar Commission from the Father to take care of and to promote Mat. 28.19 20. which he accordingly doth in washing with Water them that believe his Word Eph. 5.26 or washing them from their Sin with his Blood Rev. 1.5 for the Water and Blood go together 1 John 5.6 and are both signified in Baptism as containing the compleat Work of Regeneration by the Blood and Spirit of Christ and being so made clean without spot or wrinkle he presents them to himself as true Members of his mystical Body and then presents them to the Father to be justified in Judgment and being judged righteous to be adopted to Sonship or glorified Ephes 1.5 1 Tim. 4. GOD is the Saviour of all Men especially of them that believe The Wisdom of God in Christ's Ministerial Work is set forth in Gal. 3. from v. 19 to the end The Apostle had positively asserted in Gal. 2.16 That we are Justified by the Law of Faith and not by the Law of Works c. and here he enquires the Reason in the Divine Wisdom why the Law was given after the Promise and answers to this effect After the Promise of Salvation by a reconciling and redeeming Mediator was made to Abraham God gave a Law at Sinai by way of Covenant solemnly transacted as between two Friends by a Friendly Mediator which seemed contrary to a reconciling Mediator And verily Man should have been justified by this Covenant if he had kept it for God is One and constant to one way of Salvation bue God foreseeing the Weakness of Man's Nature without a farther Special Grace and that he would break this Covenant declareth in the Scripture that this Law was given after the Promise not to abolish but to establish it not to seek Righteousness by doing it in our own Strength but to be ministred as our Covenant only as a Means to make us know our Sin and Misery and cause us to hunger and thirst not after the Mediator of Friendship but after the Mediator of Reconciliation and Redemption Thus Faith is an Act of Obedience to the Law of Grace and as it is written Christ is the Author of Salvation to them that obey him Of the Third End The third End or Effect according to our manner of conception why Christ ought to suffer these things and enter into Glory was to vindicate the Severity of Divine Vindictive Justice against the Neglect or Contempt of God's Promise of Mercy to miserable Mankind by a Mediator in the first place freely offered This is hard to be explain'd but probably thus Mankind for the first Sin was presently judged to the loss of Eternal Life on Earth and after a sorrowful Life to perish in Death as the Beasts do as may be gathered from Psal 49.12 and last Verse Man being in henour abideth not he is like the beasts that perish he became a rational Beast compared with John 3. Immediately after this Judgment it pleased God out of his Love to Mankind and not from any other legal satisfaction to make a voluntary Promise of a new way to Eternal Life by a Mediator which Promise should have Mercy in the first place with sufficient strength to resist Temptation attending it but should be attended with greater Punishment upon the neglect and contempt of it which was an Hell in the Conscience in this Life and a Second Death after the Resurrection of the Body in fellowship with the Devil and his Angels but such as were obedient according to the measure of their Light should receive Eternal Life as a Reward according to the measure of Mercy Hos 10.12 Sow to your selves in righteousness reap in mercy Hereupon those of Mankind who embraced not the way of Mercy remained under the Law of Works with
wrought by that Law The full sence of Justification is that it signifies to make just by the Law of Faith and then to judge to be just upon tryal So the sence is we are made just by the Ministry of the Law of Faith working Faith in us and not by the Ministry of the Law of Works And we are judged to be just upon tryal upon the exercise of Faith believing in God who raised Christ from the dead or believing in Christ who was delivered for our Sins and rose for our Justification or believing in the Death Resurrection and Intercession of Christ Rom. 8.33 and not by the Works of the Law according to the Law of Works Justification considers Faith in its relation to the Death Resurrection and Intercession of Christ and the Death Resurrection and Intercession of Christ in relation to Faith Touching Sanctification There is a Sanctification before Justification which signifies a Dedication to God to be made righteous by Christ in the Means of Grace 1 Cor. 6.11 Ye are washed ye are sanctified ye are justified There is a Sanctification after Justification which signifies the Spirit of Adoption upon the compleating of the Work of Justification 1 Cor. 1.30 Christ is made unto us wisdom righteousness sanctification Sometimes Sanctification comprehends the Work of Justification as often in the Epistle to the Hebrews cap. 10. ver 10. and there is a Sanctification included in Justification Rom. 4.25 Rom. 5.1 Touching Baptism All Infidel-Sinners of what Nations Sex Age Condition soever have right to come to Christ by Baptism for Salvation as they are of Mankind upon the account of the general Atonement in the Nature of Man All that are baptised have right to the Teachings and Government of Christ's Ministry upon the account of their Baptism that they may be made new Creatures All that walk orderly under the Means of Grace have right to have good Hope through Grace that is to have an assured perswasion of Remission of their Sins and Adoption to Eternal Life from the Testimony of their Consciences enlightned by the Spirit of God according to the revealed Word That they love the Lord Jesus in sincerity Ephes 6.24 for our blessed Saviour saith He that keeps my Commandments is he that loves me and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and manifest my self unto him John 14.21 Touching Preaching the Gospel They that preach to Infidel-Sinners must exhort them to come to Christ in the Baptismal Engagement from the consideration of the National Atonement that he hath made and his great love to Mankind They that preach to baptised Professors must exhort them to look on themselves not as Infidel-Sinners but as dead to Sin and alive to God by Profession and Engagement They that preach to baptised Prodigals must exhort them to return to God from the consideration of the danger of Apostacy They that preach to baptised persons walking orderly in the Faith ought to exhort them to walk comfortably rejoycing in the Lord under the assurance of Forgiveness of Sins and hope of Eternal Life Touching the Lord's Supper The Lord's Supper is a Festival-remembrance of Christ's Sufferings and entring into Glory When our blessed Saviour said Do this in remembrance of me it was a word of institution and the word This related to the taking Bread and a Cup of Wine blessing distributing eating and drinking And when he said This is my Body which is broken for you it was a word of explication of the signification of Bread and the word This referred or pointed unto his Body then present as it did in these words Destroy this Temple and upon this Rock and there is an emphasis in the Article joyn'd to the word Body which signifies This is that Body of mine and so relates to the Body the Father gave him to suffer in Heb. 10.5 and the Body which he promised to give for the Life of the World and to be the Bread of Life John 6.51 And when our blessed Saviour said of the Cup This is the New Testament in my Blood which is shed for the remission of Sins He doth sufficiently clear his Sufferings from a reputation of making satisfaction as a guilty Sinner for Adam's breach of the Old Covenant Touching the explication of some Texts of Scripture according to Paul's Rule of interpretation viz. Comparing spiritual things with spiritual 1 Cor. 2.13 I. Gen. 2.17 In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye the death The word Thou in this place comprehends both Sexes and the Posterity of both Sexes in case of punishment which the Apostle affirms in Rom. 5.12 but to conceive that it comprehends a Surety to pay Adam's Debt if he sinned seems not agreeable to the Scripture which saith The Soul that sins shall dye For as Man cannot sin by a Deputy so it seems he cannot be punished by a Deputy Our blessed Saviour is called a Surety Heb. 7.22 but it is of the better Covenant for confirmation of it being of free and absolute Grace II. Rom. 3.25 That he might be just That these words are not meant of the Vindictive Justice of God in punishing Christ as a guilty Sinner in our stead but of the Justice of his Promise of Forgiveness in the New Covenant appears by the scope of ver 24 25 26. being to set forth the absolute freedom of the Grace of God and comparing them with 1 John 1.9 God is just in forgiving Sin to those that confess Sin III. Isa 53.6 And the Lord hath laid upon him the Iniquities of us all That these words do not signifie the Wrath or Vindictive Justice of God translating the Guilt of all men or any man on Christ to suffer as a guilty Sinner in their stead but sets forth the Wisdom of God in ordering Christ to conflict with the injurious dealings of all sorts of men and the admirable Faith and Patience of Christ in conquering without any guilt of Sin seems manifest from the precedent and consequent expressions comparing them with the History of Christ's Sufferings and our Saviour's own explication in the History Now is your hour and the power of darkness IV. Psal 22.1 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me That these words do not declare the Wrath of God against Christ as a guilty Sinner in our stead but are a Prayer of Faith of a righteous man conflicting with a natural fear in a sense of great tryal appears in that 1. These words are the words of David who used so to expostulate with God and with his frail Nature in the power of Faith in the time of his Tryals Psal 13. 42. 2. The rest of the 22d Psalm is an Exposition of the first Verse and describes the long and fierce Conflicts and glorious Conquests and that was not a conquering of God but of the Devil and his Instruments 3. God promises not to forsake Isa 42.6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousness
Eph. 1.13 3. That a Christian doth not walk worthy of his baptismal calling unless he endeavour after the Power which is Faith working by love to GOD and to Man in Deed and in Truth 4. That the Power is attainable by constant Prayer to our God Now it 's beyond all dispute that St. James agrees with St. Paul in the Faith as the Apostle of Christ and therefore when he says Not by Faith only he means not by the form only or the notion and profession of Faith only and when he saith by Works he doth not mean Works of the Law which Paul excludes but Works of the Power of Faith as the Instances in Abraham and Rahab shew which Works Paul includes And when he says a Man is justified by Works he means as Paul doth a Man is not only made just by Faith by the Ministry of Faith but he is also accounted a just man in the sight of God on tryal of his Faith when the power of it appears in the truth of the Work Touching the distinction of the Righteousness of our Persons into inherent and imputed This distinction seems not according to Scripture for that which was imputed to Abraham for acceptable Righteousness in the sight of God was inherent in him and it 's said Faith was imputed unto Abraham for Righteousness and not Righteousness imputed to Abraham's Faith This distinction may seem to be rectified thus Inherent Righteousness is spoken of in Scripture in reference to GOD and to Man 1. In reference to God his Righteousness is his Mercy and his Truth his Mercy in making Promises his Truth in performing Promises which is his rewarding Justice and inflicting Punishment for contempt of Mercy which is his revenging Justice Psal 98.2 3. Psal 103.17 2. In reference to Man inherent Righteousness is imputed or not imputed 1. Inherent Righteousness imputed or accounted by God for acceptable Righteousness is the Righteousness of Faith Rom. 4.11 13. 2. Inherent Righteousness not imputed of God for acceptable Righteousness in his sight 1. Is Pharasaical Righteousness Mat. 5.20 Or 2. Philosophical Righteousness Galat. 5.6 Tit. 3.5 Ephes 2.8 9. Which is also called our Righteousness Isa 64.6 our own Righteousness of the Law Phil. 3.9 the birth of the will of man John 1.13 the Flesh Rom. 4.1 And the Righteousness of Faith is also called the Righteousness of God by Faith Phil. 3.9 the Righteousness of God by Christ ministerially 2 Cor. 5.21 and Righteousness regnant Rom. 5.21 and the New Creature Gal. 6.15 which consists in a new Heart with Forgiveness Jer. 31.31 Touching the measure of Knowledge in a weak Christian If a Christian sincerely believes that God forgives his Sins for Christ's sake he humbly seeking for Mercy and do also believe the love of Christ in giving himself a Sacrifice and Offering of sweet-smelling savour unto God and be willing to follow God and Christ as a Child according to the measure of Light he hath received or may receive he may walk comfortably and joyfully in the assured hope of Eternal Life although he know very little of the method of Divine Grace or it may be misunderstand much This is gathered from the compendious expressions in Eph. 4.32 and Eph. 5.1 2. Be ye courteous and tender hearted forgiving one another as God for Christ's sake forgave you Be ye followers of God as dear Children and walk in love as Christ hath loved us and given himself for us an offering and sacrifice of a sweet-smelling savour unto God And we know but in part and prophecy but in part Touching the Righteousness of Christ The Righteousness of Christ the Mediator is an incomprehensible Mystery but according to our manner of conceiving the Righteousness of Christ may be said to be inherent imputed and communicated or imparted or applyed 1. Inherent is the same with the Father in Mercy and Truth I and the Father are one 2. Imputed is the Righteousness of Christ's Person imputed to the Nature of Man in his Person making his Sufferings meritorious 1 Cor. 11.24 This is my body which is broken for you Here the Son of God owns the Body or Human Nature and the Sufferings in Man's Nature to be his Acts 20.28 John 16.14 Gal. 2.20 3. Communicated Isa 45.24 They shall say in the Lord have I righteousness and strength Isa 54.17 Their Righteousness is of me saith the Lord. Jer. 23.6 They shall call him the Lord our Righteousness Psal 96.12 In righteousness shall he judge the world and his people in truth Touching admitting to the Lord's Supper The requiring admittance to the Lord's Supper upon declaring Experiences is dangerous and unknown to the first Churches The safe way of admittance is upon owning the Baptismal Faith and Engagement not denying it by Works Acts 2.41 42. Touching Election There is in Scripture a threefold Election or three degrees of it 1. Election in the Divine Purpose Eph. 1.11 2. Election in the Baptismal Calling 2 Pet. 1.10 Col. 3.12 as there was Election in the Circumcision Calling Deut. 7.7 This is called the Spiritual Beginning Gal. 3.3 the Beginning of the Good Work Phil. 1.6 and the Doctrine of the Beginnings of Christ Heb. 6.1 3. Election made sure confirmed sealed witnessed earnested by the peculiar Spirit of Adoption 2 Pet. 1.10 11. Mat. 22.14 1 Pet. 5.10 Revel 2.17 THE CONCLUSION TO THE READER THIS kind of Writing may be excused from the Words of our Apostle in Phil. 1.10 That you may discern things that differ and in 2 Tim. 2.16 Studying to divide aright the word of truth For the Church is much dis-edified by false and impertinent Distinctions And it is excusable upon this Subject from what Dr. Owen says in his Book entituled The Doctrine of Justification by Faith through the imputed Righteousness of Christ In Page 38. of that Book he saith This is the substance of what is pleaded for That Men should renounce all Confidence in themselves and every thing that may give countenance thereto betaking themselves to the Grace of God by Christ alone for Righteousness and Salvation There is nothing said here contrary to this Saying of his and what is said different to his Sentiments is excused by what he says in the last words of his Preface to the Reader his words are these Whereas saith he the principal design of this Discourse is to state the Doctrine of Justification from the Scripture and to confirm it by Testimonies thereof I shall not esteem it spoken against unless our Exposition of Scripture Testimonies and the application of them to the present Argument be disproved by Just Rules of Interpretation and another sence of them be evinced Thus he Nothing is supposed to be said here that will be offensive to any that are not too much addicted to a Party which Humour is under a severe Reprimand by our Apostle 1 Cor. 4.8 Now ye are full now ye are rich ye have reigned as Kings without us and I would to God ye did reign that we might reign with you FINIS