not only to the Eternal Woe of one Offender but at least of all those Sinners who escape it Consider these and the like Things and see if the Law of Works which all Men were perfectly to Obey did injoyn all that Obedience which Christ was to yield as the condition of his Reward of which Manâ— Salvation is but part especially when it s a Reward adjusted by strict Governing Justice abating nothing of the Meriting Price thereof I mention these Things to let you see the danger of confining Christs Obedience to the idem of what the Law injoyned on Man or promised to him Alass we should be infinite Loosers thereby we could expect at best no moâ—e Happiness than what the Law of Works promised Nay I think a Pâ—â—demption of Sinners in a way of Justice would be more exceptionable than some Persons think who dare much because they see too little A Suretiship of Christs confined to what the Covenant of Works includes would be an uncomfortable Doctrine But the Obedience of Christ was not only super-equivalent to all that Man was to do by the Law but equal to all the Reward promised in the Covenant of Redemption The Dignity of his Person the Things he did and suffered and the Intenâ—ness of his Obedience His Unobligedness to do or suffer these but on the accoâ—â—t of Glorifying God by satisfying for Sin and opening a way for exerting Grace to Sinners with many more concur to Aggrandize his Obedience Of this more elsewhere Obj. Will not the Dignity of his Person let in all Happiness to us by a Suretiship in the meer Covenant of Works Ans. No but yeâ— I ask Where doth the Law of Works require this Dignity in the Person Obeying Or How can it put such a value on what it requir'd not And how can it impure that Dignity to us which it never exacted And if it could Where are many of those fore-mentioned Rewards promised in its Sanction and if they be not so included How can that Covenant conveyâ—â— Right to them God hath better contrived for his own Glory and for our Good for which we should for ever Praise and Adore him He hath taken the Essentials of the Law into the Covenant of Redemption and added these to other superadded Articles Promising Christ a Seed and their utmost Felicity as also Rewards to himself in the Humane Nature if he performed these Articles These Christ undertook and performed to a title And what Christ hereby acquired he is dispencing in a Gospel way of Grace and yet of Government and Blessed be his Name he is our Surety that we shall not violate the Terms of the Gospel Covenant and a Witness for God that we shall obtain the good promised in the said Covenant 8 Pro. Our Redeemer did fully vindicate the Glory of Governing Justice from the injury offered by Sin and caused his Government by his Obedience to appear venerable notwithstanding all the Forgiveness and Blessings which Grace should bestow in Christs Right upon any Sinners Forgiveness is a Mercy which the Devil foresaw not and besides according to Gods Methods with himself he could hardly suspect it possible because he knew God would nâ—â— reflect on his own Justice or Purity nor prostitute his Glory as a Governor nor hazard the ends of Government by Pardoning Delinquents He therefore tempted Man with confidence of his final Ruin if persuaded to Trangress A Satisfaction by an equivalent he understood not But infinite Wisdom Triumphed over Satans Wiles and spoiled his Glorying over his Captive Prey God â—â—â—ds a way of Forgiveness without Tempting any to offend the more and appeareth exactly just whilst yet he shews as much Pardoning Mercy as the Offendors needed yea makes Sin appear more Awful and his Government more Sacred by the Satisfaction on which he Pardoned than in the Punishment of all that had Transgressed Rom. 3.26 To declare at this time his Righteousness that he might be Iust and the Iustifier of him which believeth in Iesus In v. 25. The Apostle had affirmed That the Pardon of Sins committed before Christs coming was on the account of Christs Propitiation as well as of those since He adds That in the Propitiation whereby any Sins were remitted God appeared Righteous whilst he Pardoned though he justifies the Believer yet he appears Gloriously just in that Propitiation whereupon he justifies 9 Pro. The Lord Jesus thus Glorified God as he satisâ—ied and Merited by perfectly Obeying the Will of God and by the whole of his Humiliation especially in offering up himself an Atoning Sacrifice by Death upon the Cross. His Active and Passive Obedience concurred in the whole of Redemption 1. He perfectly Obeyed the Will of God Whatever was adjusted as his Duty he performed He made the Authority of the Law-giver manifest and exemplified the perfect Purity of the Law He was habitually Holy without defect and blemish and actively Obedient to the extent and spirituality of the Precept Heb. 7.26 He was Holy harmless and undefiled separate from Sinners He fulfilled all Righteousness Mat. 3.15 not refusing Obedience to the Institution Ministred by Iohn the Baptist He fulfilled the Moral Law yea observed the Ceremonial Law and filled up every Relation wherein he stood He not only did what we are to do but whatever act of Obedience was consistent with his Circumstances He pleaded no Exemption because of his Dignity nor waved any thing as too mean or difficult An accurate observance of the Divine Will ran as a constant Line through his whole Life according to the various opportunities presented to him And every Act of his Obedience was filled with that Love Zeal and Alacrity as might prescribe Instruction to the highest Angels and convince them how just meet good and excellent a thing the profoundest Obedience is when God in Flesh was thus Observant Thus he made the Law honourable and thereby the Lawgiver Is. 42.21 2. He was Humbled and suffered the utmost punishment which Justice required and God proposed for the expiation of Sin He was Incarnate and therein emptied himself Phil. 2.7 He was a Man of Sorrows as if they made up his Constitution and was acquainted with Grief even with the inwards of it as his Familiar Is. 53.3 He endured reproach so as to cry out they have broken my Heart Ps. 65.20 So low was he brought as to express his Estate by those Words I am a Worm and no Man Ps. 22.6 He was beholding to others for Necessaries Luc. 8.3 which seems felt by him in the commoness of that passage with him it s more Blessed to give than to receive Acts 20.35 He received Comfort by the Ministry of Angels Matt. 4.11 Luc. 22.43 How oft was he Blasphemed Mock'd by Men grieved by his Followers and deserted by his Friends His Blood was often shed at Circumcision when Stoned Whipp'd Crowned with Thorns Crucified and at last his Heart Blood let out Iohn 19.34 Oh! the direful Agony which so amazed him Forced
a Saviour ordained to recover and actually save a certain number of these And for this to be in his suffering Nature to be rewarded and eternally exalted receiving the Praises of his saved ones fully answers the Account the Scripture gives of the Oeconomy of Redemption Rev. 1.5 6. Man is supposed thus fallen in all the. Texts which Mr. M. cites for God's Design of a Revenue of Glory to his Son from the Elect Eph. 1.3 4 5 6. We are chosen in Christ in what State You 'll see that by the Nature of the Blessings we are to obtain by him to be holy who were by the Fall unholy To be without Blame before him in Love who were so reproveable and hateful to the Adoption of Children who had by Sin lost our natural Birthright and become Aliens accepted in the Beloved to the Praise of the Glory of his Grace who had made our selves unacceptable and Condemnable in the Eye of Justice Redemption in him and Forgiveness of Sin according to the Riches of his Grace who had enslaved our selves committed Sin and were incapable to redeem our selves make Atonement or merit our Recovery And then he addeth Vers. 8. That in all this he abounded towards us in all Wisdom and Prudence Amazing Wisdom To find a Way to sanctifie the depraved justifie the blamable love the hateful adopt the alien accept the vile and unworthy whom Justice condemned redeem the captive and forgive the guilty Sinner Here 's Work for all Wisdom and Prudence to abound much more than it was to resolve first to glorifie the Son of God and then find out a Way for it by designing to make Men fall into Misery and Death that he might come to this Glory by it Look into Vers. 9. and you 'll see that according to what I have shewen to be the Apostle's Model he concludes this is the Counsel of God's Will and his Purpose in himself even to recover by Christ Sinners thus in his Eye fallen and miserable The same Sense is plain in Rev. 5.11 12.2 Thess. 1.10 Eph. 4.13 I confess when I consider some Mens Temper I am at a Loss whether they are led by what themselves are to think of God as so cruel and far from Goodness or that the strange Representations of God which they believe do form them to what they think is his Resemblance Would any Divine else dare to preach that God took the Sin of Adam and squeezed out the Quintessence of it into the Humane Nature to propagate to the World And God took delight to see the Wicked Sin as one that sets Rats-bane to kill Rats looked through the Key-hole with delight to see the Rats eating the Rats-bane knowing it would kill them so God looked at the Wicked through his Fingers with Pleasure to see them Sinning knowing it would destroy them And the Spirit of God striving with Sinners did Enlighten them Reform them c. But why did he thus strive with many whom he did resolve he would never Save It was that they might be brought to those higher Degrees of Torments in Hell which he had fore-ordained them to As Iudas went to his own place that is to the higher Torments in Hell which God had decreed him to he could not come to this but by falling from his Apostleship he could not fall from his Apostleship if he had not been an Apostle and he could not have been an Apostle if the Spirit of God had not striven with him Mr. M. I suppose hath not forgotten these unsavory Passages which I do not think I have varied a word of at least I am sure this is the Substance and not aggravated at all as I have abundant Witnesses to prove 3. He mistakes what is the Glory of God as to its principal Sense this consists in his Essential Perfections as in himself yea the Manifestative Glory of God Father and Son is not so much in the Creatures Acknowledgments as in the display of his own Perfections in a way commanding their Admiration and Love Mens Hosanna's are a poor-thing comparatively even therewith He made all things for his Glory i. e. To express thereby his Wisdom Goodness Power Justice c. His Glory shines forth more in the Impresses of his Excellencies on any Being than in their Thankful Returns of Gratitude to him or Oral mention of his Praises Men by these do their Duty and contribute to their own Good but add not to his Glory yea his manifestative Glory is not hereby so promoted by those Men as by his Image on them and his Authority acknowledged by their Obedience and Good Works Matt. 5.16 God is glorified by Christ as Redeemer in our Nature as his Government was honoured Justice satisfied his Hatred to Sin expressed his Image restored his Authority among men acknowledged his Blessed Nature exemplified in the Humane Nature and Behaviour of Christ his Love and Mercy to Sinners made manifest by his Death By these I say much more than that some few Men do own him to be the Son of God yea our Redeemer even as in our Nature is more glorified by honouring God vindicating his Government from Contempt opening a way for Mercy to exert it self without Injury to God's Holiness or Justice accomplishing God's Purposes and Promises having all Fullness of Grace in him Authority and Judgment committed to him defeating Satan's Projects and breaking his Strength and Power even by the Humane Nature his giving his Spirit restoring the Image of God to a degenerate World rendring Men subject to the Divine Laws Imitaters of his Example subject to his Authority 2 Thess. 1.10 raising the Dead judging the World his wise equal and effectual Managing his Kingdom c. he is by them honoured I say far more than in a few Persons acknowledging his Sonship and being that his Sonship became obscured by his dwelling in Flesh I admire that Mr. M. would place the Vpshot of Christ's acquired Glory in the Elects Acknowledgment of his Sonship as if he took a Vail to do and suffer so much chiefly if not only to buy off its being a Vail 4. He leaves out the Holy Spirit as to the mention of any Gâ—â—â—y designed to him in the Oeconomy of the Salvation of Sinners Yet sure the Eternal Spirit hath a Glory Superior to Christ's Humane Nature and a Right thereto Superior to Christ's acquired Right Yea we are Baptised as Redeemed ones into or in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Matt. 28. But with these Men his Honour is little regarded he shall not have a Hand so much as to render some Sinners to be the Persons that shall rather than others be invested in Christ's Right to any Saving Benefits according to a Gospel-Rule Though God hath so wisely contrived the Acknowledgment of Father Son and Spirit in the Saving of Sinners the Father gives and sends his Son to Redeem the Son pays the Price of Redemption the Holy Spirit applies it by rendring Sinners
of ours to any of these Purposes and this is all they pretend But if it prove that Christ never intended his Righteousness to be instead of true Faith and Repentance Sincere Love to God and Men and Perseverance in True Holiness and Fruitfulness And that Christ will judge us according to these as things he required to our actual enjoying of promised Benefits in his Righteousness They who pursue and by Grace have these will be safer than such as neglect them yea Mr. M. owneth P. 67. Such are thy bounden Duties and God will Damn thee for neglecting them It were easie to shew how these Men contradict each other as well as themselves but I forbear exposing them That the Faâ—her of Light and Love would guide all of us into the way of Truth and Peace is the unfeigned Prayer of Thy Servant in the Kingdom and Patience of Christ Daniel Williams THE Errata's are such as may easily be Corrected Any who consider what Men I have to deal with will excuse my frequent Repetitions and sometimes less accurate words as object for subject when I would most plainly distinguish between Justifying Righteousness with its Causes and the Person partaker of it SERMON I. Of Christ's Obedience Rom. 5. the last part of the 19th Verse So by the Obedience of One shall many be made Righteous THE Text represents to us First A saving Priviledge and Dignity Made Righteous It supposes us Unrighteous ere we are made Righteous and so subject to the Curse till we are Absolved as well as Disobedient to the Gospel while Unconverted The Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oft though not always denotes an act of Authority as Mat. 25.21 Luk. 12.14 42. Act. 6.3 c. thus it s properly enough applicable to the Matter before us We are constituted Righteous Juridically and all other Benefits included here in the term Righteous are Authoritatively Conferred and this according to a Divine enacted Constitution of which hereafter Secondly The sole procuring Cause of our being made Righteous It s by the Obedience of One This One is the Lord Jesus He alone was capable to make fallen Men Righteous by his Obedience and it s by his Obedience that Sinners are constituted Righteous Mercy prompted the recovery of miserable Man Wisdom contrived this as a way sufficient effectual and congruous to that End God as our Judge and Ruler admitted and accepted this and in his adjusted way applies it for our Pardon and Adoption Faith is the Moral Instrument or Condition of that Application the Gospel Promise is the express Sign of the Divine Will or the Instrument whereby God doth apply it But the different Interest of each of these prevents not the appropriation of all the Causal Merit to this Obedience God justifies regenerates and saves but it s with an Eye to this as the only procuring Cause Thirdly The Subject actually partaker of this Blessing Many they are Men and not Devils Fallen Men and not Innocent Many and not simply few nor yet all though it s for final Impenitency and Unbelief that any of the Sons of Men remain Condemned These many are equal to the number of Godly Believers in all Ages Fourthly The futurity and certainty of many being made Righteous both which the Future Tense imports Shall be made Righteous it notes Futurity With respect to the effect of Adam's Sin it 's said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they were made Sinners That Guilt is entailed on all his Seed and Filth derived to them as soon as they subsist yea its true they were all Offenders and Corrupted in Adam as being Seminally in him But by Christs Obedience it s affirmed many shall be made Righteous i. e. when it is applied and not before The Elect since Christs time remain Unrighteous whilst Unbelievers notwithstanding that Christs Obedience is long since finished as well as all Believers before Christs coming were made Righteous by this Obedience tho' it was not then actually performed Heb. 11.14 15. The Reason of both is the same viz. That we are made Righteous not immediately in the moment of Christs Obeying nor meerly on the Acts done but upon Gods applying this to us by the Word of his Gospel and Work of his Spirit Therefore believing Abraham was made Righteous many Ages before Christ Obeyed Rom. 4.22 And the Elect Corinthians were unjustified all the time of their Infidelity though Christ had finished his Work before 1 Cor. 6.11 The Gospel Promise confers Righteousness for Justification on all Believers and none but Believers tho' Christs Obedience be that for which alone when they believe any are justified This Righteousness is offered to all Hearers on the terms of the Gospel Its designed Infallibly for all the Elect but neither offer nor design constitutes any Man Righteous There must be another act even imputation and that terminates on no other object but the Believer 2. The Words denote certainty q. d. many shall eventually be made Righteous by it A may be made Righteous if they will believe is a Mercy to Mankind above Devils But a meer may be is too low a reward for Christ and incongruous to an Obedience so Astonishing Strange were it that the Lord of Life should Die for Sinners and it remain contingent whether any of them should Eternally speak his Praises or be happy by his Merits But my Text is an unerring Prediction which will be still accomplishing till Christs shall Judge the World His Seed he shall see whom by his knowledge he will justifie Is. 53.11 He will not violate the Gospel Constitution by justifying the Unbelievers because he is Elected but the Elect shall believe that they may be justified by his Obedience The Eternal Counsel shall be executed in the way enacted by Governing Grace 5. The Redditive Note which refers to the first clause in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So The Apostle had said As by the Disobedience of one many were made Vnrighteous So c. He principally intends hereby to affirm That by Christs Obedience all his Regenerate Seed shall as certainly be made Righteous as Adam's Natural Seed were made Sinners by his Disobedience Christs Obedience is as effectual to the one as Adam's Disobedience was to the other Adam is said to be the Figure of Christ v. 14. They were two publick Persons in this respect All Men were made Sinners by Adams fall all Men that ever are made Righteous are made so by Christ's Obedience This is the main scope of the Apostles reasoning in the Parellel between the First and Second Adam but he intends not to infer a Similitude in all things between Christ and Adam who in so many things differ Nay in this Chapter you have sundry instances of that difference given Doct. By the Obedience of Iesus Christ GodMan our Redeemer many shall be made Righteous Good News to a lost World that thô we are undone as Adam's Posterity yet help is laid on Christ who is mighty to save Psa.
way of its application Rom. 10.3.4 For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God They not knowing the Righteousness which God had contrived and appointed for the Salvation of fallen Man proudly thought they could by a tale of Works made up with operous costly Sacrifices merit Life at the hands of God and by this conceit they despised a Crucified Christ as needless refused to believe in Christ for Justification by his Merits and went on in Impenitency as above the necessity of Pardon by his Blood Which Impenitent persisting in rejecting of Christ was their non-submission to the Righteousness of God Oh the danger of a Heart too proud and a Will too stubborn to stoop to Christ and his Gospel Alas our own Garments are too scant for a covering and unless we accept of a whole Christ we shall be naked notwithstanding the largeness of his Robe His Stripes will not heal us if we return not unto this Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls 1 Pet. 2.24 25. A Righteousness to procure Acceptation or Merit Life we cannot work out but blessed be God Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth Rom. 10.4 The end of the Ceremonial Law is what the Tipes signified The end of the Law of Works as being the scope and issue of it for if it had been perfectly obeyed by Man right to Impunity and its Reward was the utmost which that Law could confer on Innocent Man And blessed be God Christ hath by his Obedience merited both these and all that will truly believe shall in Christ's Right be Entitled to both tho' for any thing wrought by them they could never attain either Impunity or Glory If you peruse v. 5. to the 11. you will find that God hath put us past all solicitousness concerning the sufficiency and certainty of a Christ who hath a fullness of Righteousness for the Salvation of Sinners But the thing incumbent on us to be sollicitous about is that we comply with the Gospel that we may be saved by his Righteousness V. 10 11. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and believe with thy heart thou shalt be saved for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made to salvation Without these neither his coming to Dye nor his Resurrection from Death will avail us to Salvation Oh! then accept of Christ and yield up your selves to him and to a due and faithful Confession of him as your Lord and Iesus 4. Prop. Jesus Christ by the gracious Dispensation of God as our Law-giver was admitted and in our Nature did so fully answer the demands of Governing Justice as that to its own very Glory it admits the Grace of God to exert it self in forgiving Believing Sinners and in conferring on them Saving Benefits in the Righteousness of Christ. It was not so small a matter as most account it to bring Justice and Pardoning Mercy to consist to honour the Government of God and save Believing Sinners who before were Sentenced to Dye But having spoken to some part of this Proposition in my former Discourse I shall reduce it to these Particulars which I shall briefly hint at 1. It was in our Offending Nature that Christ answered the Demands of Justice tho' it was not in our Person Rom. 8.3 God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh If without this it had been possible to vindicate the Government of God in general yet without assuming our Nature it would not have been a Vindication of the Government of God over Men in particular the Sufferings had not been a satisfaction for Human Offences as Human. 2. Nothing was abated to Christ that Governing Justice exacted the Substantials of the Law were inserted into the Rule of his Active and Passive Obedience and Justice adjusted his Work to his Wages There 's no Common nor Special Benefit promised or given on the account of his Obedience to any but the value of his Obedience is proportionable thereto tho' yet the Benefits much exceed what Adam forfeited and therefore his Obedience must transcend what was injoined Man by the Law of Works 3. Gods Government and Justice were not only Vindicated by Christs Obedience but greatly Honoured Oh! the lustre cast on Gods Laws hereby Never did the Authority of Gods Precepts appear so Royal as when God in Flesh so accurately obeyed them even to that of Dying for Sinners Never was the awfulness of Gods Penal Sanctions discovered as in the Tears Sweats Agony and Blood of his Glorious and Beloved Son There 's no instance of the Riches of Gods Praemiant Sanction as in the Rewards which our Saviour received How Exalted is his Human Nature above Angels And how great are his Rewards in his Members Yea no Blessing given to lost Man but it 's on his account What an attesting Eccho have you Ioh. 12.28.27 Father glorify thy Name Then came there a voice from heaven saying I have both glorified it and will glorify it again Christ spake his part when he had inspected the united force of Terrors just besetting him Now is my soul troubled Father save me from this hour but for this cause came I unto this hour q. d. As heavy as it presseth as awful as it is yet Father glorify thy Name abate nothing that will make for thy Honour however my Flesh trembleth and my Soul is distressed Be thou great however low I must be brought Spare not for my crying so as to abate whatever tends to make thy Authority Sacred and Justice Exact The Father Answers I have persued the Interest of my Glory hitherto in thy Debasement Poverty Contempt Sorrows Shame Temptations and Torments which are now just a finishing my Sword is giving its utmost blow and then I will be Glorious in Exalting and Rewarding thee I 'll get my Remunerative Justice as great a Name in thy Triumphs as my Punitive Justice hath acquired in thy Debasements So Christ explains it v. 31 32. Now shall the prince of this world be judged and when I am lifted up I 'll draw all men to me 4. Tho' all was fulfilled by Christ when appointed to it yet it was by a gracious Dispensation of God as Law-giver that Christ was allowed to work this Righteousness for the Salvation of Sinners The Law-giver is above the Law and tho' the Law knew no Sponsor whose Obedience should procure Pardon and save the Guilty alius was aliud in its accounts Noxa Caput sequitur is its Language The Punishment must fall on the Sinner it could appoint no other to bear it and imputing to the Sinner what another endureth is above its Dialect Yet God the Law-giver had not signified his whole Will by the Law of Works he had reserved a Prerogative whereby he could secure the Glory of his Government and spare the Rebel satisfy Justice