few 1. There are some that stumble at the Messenger some at the Message Some thought Christ a Friend of Publicans and Sinners and said He had a Devil and so they said of John Baptist There are some that can abide neither free nor fair Speaking and they think it 's not the Word but the Speaker that they offend at but Prejudices against the Carriers of the Word have never done good but much ill and ye would guard against them 2. Sometimes there is a stumbling at the Spiritual Truths of the Gospel and a sort of new-fangleness in the Hearers of it that lasts not John's Hearers rejoiced in his light for a season something of it also was in Christ's Hearers but they soon turned the Back on Him when He tells them of eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood and of the necessity of it else they could have no Life in them This say they is a hard saying and who can bear it If we would consider these things we might see convincing Causes of our little Thriving and they might also through God's Blessing be made use of for directions to Thriving and if we could once bring you to be single and serious in Hearing and spiritually Thrifty in making use of every Sermon and Sabbath for edification we had gained a great point of you SERMON XI ISAIAH LIII I Who hath believed our report And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed IF we would soberly consider the frame of the most part of Men and Women that live under the Gospel it would be hard to know whether it were more strange that so few should receive the Report and be brought to believe for all that can be said of Jesus Christ or whether that among the generality of Hearers that do not receive the Report there are so few that will let it light but that they Believe It 's wonderful and strange to see Unbelief so rife and it 's as strange and wonderful that among these many Unbelievers there are so few that think they want Faith Ye remember the last day we proposed to answer this Doubt or Question What can be the reason that when so few Believe all almost think they Believe and then to speak a word to the last Use that rises from the Matter that formerly we have handled on these Words We shew you and we think the Scripture is very clear for it That among the generality that hear the Gospel they are very rare and thin sawen that do believe it and yet go thorow them all there will not one among many be found but will assert they Bâ—lieve and they will to speak so be crabbed and picqued to tell them that they want Faith and so the most part of Hearers live and die in this Delusion a thing that Experience clears as well as the Word of God and a thing that doleful Experience will clear at the great Day therefore some are brought in saying Luk 13.26 We have eaten and drunken in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets to whom Christ will say I know you not depart fâ—om me which doth import this much that some will come as it were to the very Gate of Heaven having no doubt of their Faith and Interest in God or of their entry into it and will therefore in a manner plead with Christ to be in and who would never once doubt of it nor put it in question but they were Believers and in Friendship with Him Although there will be no such debate or dispute after Death or at the Day of Judgement yet it says this â—hat many Hearers of the Gospel have drunken in this opinion which goes to Death with them and no Preaching will beat them from it that they are Believers and in gâ—oâ—â—erms with God till the intimation of the Sâ—ntence of Condemnation do it and the Wrath and Curse of God meet them in the Face And O how terrible a disappointment will such meet with in that Day May it not then very reasonably and justly be enquired what can be the reason â—nd cause when this is granted so generally to be a truth that there are few Believers that yet it should be â—s true that few question or make any doubt of theiâ— Faith and how this comes to pass I shall give you some reasons of it which if ye would think upon and suffâ—r to sink down in your Hearts ye would not marvel that so many are in this Mistake and Desusion and would put many of you to have quite other thoughts of your own condition then ye have We shall only speak to such Reasons as are sinful culpable upon your part The Reasons then are these First The most part never seriously think on the matter whether they Believe or not or they never put their Faith to a tryal if the foolish Virgine light her Lamp and never look whether there be Oyl in it and take on a fair outward Profession of Religion and never look what is within it or how it is lined to speak so what wonder she go up and down with the Lamp in her hand and never know whether there be Oyl in her Vessel or not since she never considers nor puts the Matter to proof and tryal The People are expostulated with Isai 44. from ver 9. for making of Images That a Man should cut down a Tree and with one piece of it should warm himself with another piece of it should bake his Bread and of a third piece should make a god and fall down and worship it and this is given for the ground of it ver 18 19. They have not known and understood and none considereth in his heart or as the word is seeth to his heart they consider not that that cannot be a god Folks would think that natural Reason might easily discover this folly We are perswaded that some of you will think your Faith as great a Folly when there shall be as clear evidences to prove the roâ—tenneâ—s of your Faith and Hope as there were even to common Sense to prove the Image made of a piece Tree not to be God when it shall be found and â—eclâ—red that though ye were never convinced of Sin nor of your Misery and lost Condition were never humbled nor touched under the kindly sense of it never fled to Jesus Christ in earnest nor never had the exercise of Gâ—ace yet out over the want of all these ye would needs keep up a good opinion of your Faith and Hope We say the reason why ye entertain this conceit and opinion is because ye never sit down seriously and soberly before God to consider the Matter nor do ye put your selvâ—â— to Proof and Tryal Let me therefore pose your Consciences if ye who have this opinion of your Faith durst assert to Him that this Faith of yours is the result of your serious Examination and Tryal is it not rather a guessing of fanciful opinion that ye Believe
not mixed with Faith And that for making the Duty acceptable Faith is necessarily requisite we may clearly see Heb. 11.6 where it is expressly said that without Faith it is impossible to please God And how is it that Abel offers a more excellent Sacrifice than Cain it was nothing sure in Cain's Sacrifice it self that made it be casten nor any thing in Abel's that made it be received or acceptable but Faith in the Messiah to come that was found to be in the one and was a missing in the other Is there not reason then to press this Duty on you and to exhort you not to think this a common and easie thing though the most part think it to be so if we look to the benefites of it to the difficulty of it and to the rarity of it in the World there is no Duty had need more to be press'd than this even that Christ Jesus should get the Burthen of your immortal Souls cast on Him by this Saving Faith I shall therefore in the further prosecution of this First Shew what mainly ye would eshew and avoid as that whereat Folk more ordinarily stumble Secondly What it is we would press you to and on what Grounds For the first I know the deceits and mistakes in Men about the Exercise of Faith are so many that they are moe then can well or easily be reckoned up yet we shall in some generals spoken of before hint at a few of them for so long as ye continue in the same Snares they must be still pointed out to you and endeavours still used to undeceive and extract you out of them and therefore 1. Beware of resting on a Doctrinal Faith which before I called Historical We know it 's hard to convince some that they want Faith yet we would have you to consider that it is not every kind of Faith but Saving Faith that will do your turn it 's the want of that which the Prophet complains of And therefore to open this a little ye would consider That there may be really such a Faith as is an assent to the truth of the Word in a natural Man yea in a Reprobate but that Faith will never unite to Christ nor be waited with the Pardon of Sin First I do not say that every one that is in the visible Church hath this Doctrinal Faith to believe a Heaven and a Hell that the Scripture is the Word of God and that all that believe in Christ shall get Pardon of Sin and Life the carriage alace of many testifies that they have not this much whatever fleeting notions they may have of these things or whatever esteem they may seem to put on the Gospel and whatever profession they may make that they believe the truth of it yet in their deeds they deny it for if there were a fixedness in the Doctrinal Faith of the Gospel in Men they durst not for their Souls live as they do Neither yet Secondly Do we say that all they that have this Doctrinal Faith of the Gospel or somewhat of it do believe every passage in it alike but often as they please them they believe them Hence many believe what the Word speaks of Mercy and of Pardon of Sin and will not question that but what it speaks of Holiness and of the severity of God's reckoning with Men for Sin they do not so credit that part of the Word it 's true where the Faith of the one is the Faith of the other will some way be but because the one agrees better with their Corruption than the other therefore the one is not so so received as the other and it 's very frequent with such to be found diminishing from one place and adding to another of the Word of God Nor Thirdly Do we say that all Men do in a like and equal degree believe the truâ—h of the Word there is in some more Knowledge in some less in some moe Convictions in some fewer and though we preach to you all yet there are some that believe not this to be God's Ordinance albeit there are many who will not be saved that takes this Word to be the Word of God and believe what is the meaning of it because the Word it self says it is so And the reason of this is 1. Because there is nothing that is not Saving but a Natural Man may hâ—ve it now this Doctrinal Faith is not Saving and so a Natural Man may have it yea the Devils believe and tremble and James does not dispute with these to whom he writes on this account that they believe not thus but tells them that Historical Faith was not enough and we think a man in Nature may have a great perswasion of the truth of the Word of God and that what it says will come to pass and yet still continue but a Natural Man A second Reason is Because the Scripture speaks so often of many sorts of Faith that are not Saving as Exod. 14. at the close it 's said the People believed the Lord and Psal 106.12 then they believed His Word and sang His praise and John 2.23 many believed on Christ to whom He did not commit himself there was Faith in them which His Signs and Miracles extorted from them which was not Saving and Matth. 13. two or three such acts of Faith are spoken of in the Parable of the Sower that were not Saving however sound they might be in their own kind and 1 Cor. 13. we have such a Faith spoken of as a Man dare not deny the truth of the Word though he should bring his Body to be burnt by his avouching of the same A third Reason is Because as much credit may be given to the Word as is given to any other History that is creditably believed and it 's on this ground that we believe there was such Men as Cesar Pompey Wallace c. and it being certain that there may be impressions on the Consciences of Hearers that this is God's Word backed with some common work of the Spirit and that it is generally received to be the Word of God in the part of the World we live in what wonder is it that Folk believe thus and drink in this Historical or Doctrinal Faith of the Word so as they may even dare to suffer to Death for it and yet in the mean time they may want Saving Faith the Devils being as sure as any Natural Man is that God is true and that His Word will be performed and therefore they say to Christ Art thou come to torment us before the time the Paâ—gs of a Natural Conscience in Men will assure them of a Judgment coming though they tremble to think on it And therefore ere we proceed further take a word of Use from this and it may let you see the great and very general mistake of the most part of the Hearers of the Gospel in resting on this Doctrinal Faith If ye tell them that
now asleep and to some of you yet alive who I dare not doubt never allow your selves to expect with confidence and comfort to look the Lord Jesus in the face but as seriously and sincerely ye make it your business to be found in his Righteousness so much cleared and commended to you and in the study of Holiness in all manner of Conversation so powerfully pressed upon you here That these sweet and savoury Gospel-Sermons may come to you all and more particulary to you my dear friends at Glasgow Rom. 15.29 Act. 20.32 with the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel even of the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance amongst them that are sanctified is the serious desire of Your Servant in the Gospel J. C. SERMON I. ISAIAH LIII I Who hath believed our report And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed WE hope it shall not be needful to insist in opening the Scope of this Chapter or in clearing to you of whom the Prophet meaneth and is speaking It was once questioned by the Eunuch Acts 8.32 when he was reading this Chapter Of whom doeth the Prophet speak this of himself or of some other man And it 's so clearly answered by Philip who from these words began and preached to him of Jesus Christ that there needs be no doubt of it now To Christians these two may put it out of question that Jesus Christ and the Substance of the Gospel is compended and summed up here 1. If we compare the Letter of this Chapter with what is in the four Evangelists we will see it so fully and often so literally made out of Christ that if any will but read this Chapter and compare it with them they will find the Evangelists to be Commentators on it and setting it out more fully 2. That there is no Scripture in the Old Testament so often and so convincingly applyed to Christ as this is there being scarce one Verse at least not many but are by the Evangelists or Apostles made use of for holding out of Christ If we look then to the sum of the words of this Chapter they take in the sum and substance of the Gospel for they take in these two 1. The right description and manifestation of Jesus Christ And 2. the unfolding and opening up of the Covenant of Redemption Where these two are there the sum of the Gospel is but these two are here therefore the sum of the Gospel is here First Jesus Christ is described 1. In his Person and Natures as God being Eternal as Man being under Suffering 2. In all his Offices as a Priest offering up Himself as a Sacrifice to satisfie Justice as a Prophet venting his Knowledge to the justifying of many thereby and as a King dividing the spoil with the strong 3. In His Humiliation in the Cause of it in the End of it in the Subject of it in the Nature and Rise of all God's good pleasure And 4. In His Exaltation and Out-gate promised Him on the back of all His Sufferings and Humiliation 2. The Covenant of Redemption is here described and set out 1. In the particular Parties of it God and the Mediator 2. As to the Matter about which it was the Seed that was given to Christ and all whose iniquities met on him 3. As to the mutual Engagements on both sides the Son undertaking to make his Soul an offering for Sin and the Father promising that the efficacy of that His Satisfaction shall be imputed and applyed for the justification of Sinners and the terms on which or the way how this Imputation and Application is brought about to wit By His Knowledge All are clearly held out here This is only a touch of the Excellency of this Scripture and of the Materials to say so in it as comprehending the substance and marrow of the Gospel we shall not be particular in dividing the Chapter considering that these things we have hinted at are interwoven in it The first Verse is a short Introduction to lead us in to what follows The Prophet hath in the former Chapter been speaking of Christ as God's Servant that should be extolled and made very high and before he proceed more particularly to unfold this Mystery of the Gospel he cryes out by way of regrate Who hath believed our report Alace would he say for as good News as we have to carry few will take them off our hand such is Mens unconcernedness yea malice and obstinacy that they reject them And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed to point at the necessity of the Power of God to accompany preaching and even the most lively Ordinances to make them effectual how few are they that the Power of God captivates to the obedience of this Truth For the first part of this Verse Who hath believed our report To open it a little ye shall take these four or five Considerations ere we come to the Doctrines Consider 1. The Matter of this Report in reference to its scope it 's not every report but a report of Christ and of the Covenant of Redemption and of Grace In the Original it is Who hath believed our hearing actively that is that which we have proposed to be heard and the word is turned tydings Dan. 11.44 and rumour Jer. 51.46 It 's the tydings and rumour of a suffering Mediator interposing himself betwixt God and Sinners and it may be hearing is mentioned to point out the confidence which the Prophet had in reporting these News he first heard them from God and in that was passive and then actively he proposed them to the People to be heard by them 2. Consider that the Prophet speaketh of this Report not as in his own Person only but as in the Person of all that ever preached or shall preach this Gospel therefore this Report is not peculiar to Isaiah but it 's our Report the Report of the Prophets before and of these after him and of the Apostles and Ministers of the Gospel 3. Consider that Isaiah speaketh of this Report not only in respect of what he met with in his owntime but as foreseeing what would be the carriage of People in reference to it in after-times therefore John 2.38 and Rom. 10.16 this same place is alledged to give a reason of the Jews unbelief because Isaiah foretold it long before 4. Consider that when he complaineth of the want of Faith to the report and tydings of the Gospel it is not of the want of historical Faith as if the People would not give Christ a hearing at all but it is of the want of saving Faith therefore Joh. 12.37 38. it is said though he had done many miracles before them yet they believed not on him and this propherick Scripture is subjoyn'd as the reason of it that the saying of Isaias might be fulfilled who said Lord who hath believed our report applying the
that ye think not Faith and Holiness necessary but that ye may come to Heaven another way and this is an old Fault and Deceit it was in Moses his days for some are brought in Deut. 29.19 saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my own heart and add drunkenness to thirst though I tipple daily at my Four Hours though I follow my Lusts and Pleasures and take my fouth and fill of the World we cannot be all Saints c. The Lord will not spare that man but His anger and jealousie shall smoke against him and all the curses that are written in this book shall ly upon him and the Lord will blot out his name from under Heaven and though this be not now believed it shall be found verified There are many when they come to Judgment that will know to their cost the truth of many things they never believed before as we find in that rich Man who says to Abraham Send some to tell my brethren that they come not to this place of torment it says as much as that He in his life-time did not believe how terribly-tormenting a place Hell is and it is even so still Though Men and Women have immortal Souls yet they go on following their sinful way and believe not that any evil shall befall them till God's Curse and Vengeance overtake them A third Ground or Cause is That Folk never think themselves in hazard nor suffer their hazard to affect them and therefore they seek not after the Remedy hence the Jâ—ws Scribes and Pharisees rejected Christ why they were righteous Persons whole and needed not the Physiciâ—n And thus it is with many of you ye will take with it that ye are Sinners but not with the gracelesness of your Nature and this makes it that when Life and Reconciliation with God are offered we have almost none to accept of it why so ye are generally in your own opinion good Friends with God already none of you almost think that ye have hatred at God and so ye carelesly and unconcernedly let the opportunity of making your Peace with Him slip over even like these Jews spoke of Joh. 8.44 45. who when Christ said to them Ye have the devil to your father answered he had a devil and that God was their Father that they were come of Abraham and were not born of fornication So it is with many of you ye could never endure to even your selves to Hell nor to take with it that ye were heirs of Wrath as if ye had been born with other Natures then the ordinary Race of Mankind is and this keeps so many of you that ye get no good of this Gospel for it seeks Sinners to pardon them and Enemies to reconcile them and till the Feud be once taken with the Friendship will never be sought after nor will it find Merchants though when once the Enmity is taken with the Gospel hath many sweet peaceful and comfortable words to speak to the Man afterwards A fourth Ground is The love of Money and of the World which is the root of all ill This is given as a main Cause Matth. 13. why the Word profites not The seed is sowen among thorns and the thorns spring up and chock it the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches chocked the Word This is not oppression nor stealing but entanglement with and addictedness to the things of this present World Folks allowing themselves too much satisfaction in their Riches and Pelf counting themselves as if all were well if they have it and grieved if they want it as if there were nothing but that to make Happy being wholly taken up about it and leaving no room for the concerns of their Souls for Prayer and Seeking of God nor for Challenges to work on them they are so wholly taken up with their Callings and Business for they lay it for a Ground that they must be rich and then they give themselves wholly to all things that may contribute to that end and that chockes and suffocates the Word that it never comes up that nothing comes to perfection therefore Christ says Luke 21.24 Take heed ye be not overcharged with surfetting and drunkenness and cares of this life I am afraid that many moe among you who are civil and esteemed vertuous and frugal shall perish in this Pit of Worldly-mindedness then shall perish by Drunkenness Gluttony Fornication or the like and yet there is nothing more frequent in Scripture then words spoken to scar Folk from Earthly-mindedness How hard is it says Christ for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of Heaven and such a Man is he that is taken up with Riches and places his Happiness and Contentment in them whether he have more or less of them We speak not this to foster Idleness in any but to press Moderation in the use of lawful things Ye think it enough if we cannot charge you with Oppression Stealing Whoring and the like but this Gospel will charge you with the love of Money and if it find the love of the World in you the love of the Father will not be found in you Doth not your experience tell you that it 's not an easie matter to be much taken up with the World and to win at a suitable disposition for Duties of Religion and to be painful in them A fifth Ground is Folks little prizing of the Gospel and the Benefites that come by it They look not upon it as their Happiness to have Communion with God they who are invited to the Marriage of the King's Son Mat. 22. will not come and the reason is given they made light of it the Offer of the Gospel hath no weight it relishes not If a Market of fine things at a cheap Rate were proclaâ—med ye would all run to it but ye delight not in the Word of God ye prize not the Gospel and the precious Wares that it exposeth to sale amongst you And to evidence and make out this I would ask you these few Questions And 1. I would ask you how often or rather how seldom have you sitten down purposly and thanked God for sending the Gospel to you ye have given thanks for your Dinner but how often have ye given Him thanks that ye have the Gospel Sabbath-days and Week-days 2. How little do many of you wait on the Preaching of it were there a Message sent to you but from some ordinary Man let be from a great Man ye would straiten your selves and your Business too somewhat that ye might hear it and yet it 's a wonder to think how some in this Place except on the Sabbath will hardly be seen in the Church from one end of the Year to the other 3. Had ye any evident to draw of House or Land ye would seek to have it drawn very well and sure but many of you never sought to have the evidents of Heaven made sure ye
day cursing in Hell under the Wrath of God that they let slip and passed over so many golden Opportunities of the Gospel without improvement and know ye not that it will come to the same sad pass with you if ye do not receive it Do Men live always Is there not an appointed time for all Men upon Earth If before we have savingly exercised Faith on Him for making Peace with God we be drawn to a reckoning before His Tribunal what will come of it and are not our precious Opportunites apace and always sliping by and is not the work of Faith by delays still the more difficult are not our Bonds still the more strengthened and doth not our Indisposition still grow the greater and is it not very ordinary to see these who have slighted the work of Faith in their Youth to live stupid in their old Age and die Sensless 4. Consider what sort of Folk they are of whom the Scripture speaks as Unbelievers and whom the Word of God holds forth to be eternally secluded from the presence of God for the want of Faith Many think that it 's but the grosly Prophane or such as never had so much as the form of Religion and such as others would scunner and loath to hear them but mentioned that it's I say only such that are accounted Unbelievers But the Scripture speaks of some that seek to enter in and shall not be able that desire to be in Heaven and take some pains to win in and yet are never admitted to enter into it and what is the reason because they took not the way of Believing for the obtaining of Life and coming to Heaven they took the way of Works they took the way of Prayer of Purposes Promises and Resolutions to ammend and grow better quite overlooking Christ and the way of Believing in Him and so took the way of Presumption and promised themselves Peace when there was no true Peace nor any solid ground for it 5. Consider which is of affinity with the former Consideration them that are secluded from the presence of God for the want of Faith they are even Men and Women as we are that lived in the same Kingdom and City with us that prayed in the same Company with us that thought themselves as sure of Heaven as many of us do that were guilty of the same or like Sins that we are guilty of that have heard many of the same Preachings that we have heard and yet they perish for want of Faith for not believing in the Son of God Why then should we think that impossible as to us that is so common and frequent in others Is not the same Nature in us that 's in others and are not our Hearts naturally as deceitful and corrupt as those of others and so may not we be beguiled as well as others And is it not the same rule that He will walk by in judging of us that He walked by in judging of others What can be the reason that Folk will read and hear the Word and will promise to themselves Heaven when the same Word clears it plainly that Destruction is that which they have to look for from the Lord It is nothing else but this confident and proud Presumption that many take for Faith Let not your precious opportunities slip away and beguile not your selves in such a concerning matter as Faith is ye will never get this loss made up afterwards if ye miss Faith here Lastly Consider the great necessity that the Loâ—d hath laid upon all Men and Women by a peremptory Command and Charge to believe in the Son of God He hath not with greater peremptoriness required Prayer nor dependance upon Him nor any other Duty then He hath required this 1 John 3.23 And this is his commandment that we should believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ yea it 's singled out as His main Commandment If that great iniquiry be made What shall I do to be saved this is the answer Believe on Jesus Christ Do ye think that our Lord who hath so marked and signalized this Command in so special a manner will never take account for the slighting of it or do ye think to satisfie Him by your other Duties without minding this It cannot be Suppose ye should mourn all your Life-time and your Life were a pattern to others yet if ye want this one thing Faith in Christ ye will be found Transgressours as having neglected the main work Now for the Question ye will say What this is we are bidding you do when we bid you Believe Answ When we call you to Believe we call you 1. To be suitably affected with the sense of your own Naughtiness Sinfulness and Hâ—zaâ—d Till there be something of this Faith in our Lord Jesus hath no access nor will ever get welcome Deep apprehensions of the Wrath that is coming and a standing in awe at the thoughts of our appearing before Him contribute much to it I am not preaching Desperation to you as some mutter but we would press upon you the Faith of the Word of God that tells you what we are and liveliness under that impression that ye may not be stopped or letted till ye come to a thorow closure with Christ The most part of Hearers come never this length and this is the reason why many stumble in the very Threshold and make never Progress 2. We call for and commend this to you that ye would study to be through and clear as to the Usefulness and Excellency of Jesus Christ as to the efficacy of His Death as to the terms of the Covenant of Grace whereby a Sinner comes to obtain Right to Him to be sensible of Sin and Hazard without this is only the way to make a Man desperate and mad but when this is clear it makes an open door to the Sinner that he may see whither to run from the Wrath to come I do not only mean that ye would get the Catâ—chism and be able to answer to all the Questions concerning the Fundamentals of Religion contained therein but that ye would also and mainly seek to have the Faith of these things in your Hâ—arts and to have Faith in God that ye may be perswaded that He that was and is God died for Sinners and that by the application of His Satisfaction Sinners may obtain Life and that there is a sufficient Warrand given to a Sinner to hazard himself upon Him The first of these speaks the necessity of some Sense the second holds out the necessity of a general Faith according to that word Heb. 11. He that comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him We must know that there is a Warrand to come and ground to expect Acceptance from God upon our coming or else we will never come to nor believe in Christ The third thing that we call you to when we call you
peculiar work it 's not all who hear Paul preach whose Hearts are opened but it 's the Heart of one Lydia 4. It 's in the nature of it a real work that makes a real inward change on her 5. It 's an immediate work for the Lord not only enlightens her Judgment but goes down to the Heart and opens it and works a change in it immediatly Paul indeed by his preaching opens the way of Salvation to all that heard him from which though many go away with their Hearts unopened yet the Lord hath a secret mysterious real inward work on her Heart which is evidenced by the effect for He not only enlightens her Mind but makes her willingly yield to the call of the Gospel by opening of her Heart In the second place To speak a little for confirmation of the Doctrine we would consider these four or five Grounds or Reasons to shew that there is such a work of the Spirit wherever Faith is begotten and that most intelligibly in them that are at Age. 1. It 's clear from these places of Scripture where there is an express distinction and difference put betwixt the outward Ministry of the Word and this inward powerful efficacious work of Grace on the Heart and wherein the great weight of Conversion is laid on this inward work and not on the outward Ministry of the Word as Deut 29.4 where the Lord by Moses tells the People how many things they had seen and heard and yet says he The Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear unto this day They had the outward Means in plenty when they wanted in the mean time the inward Power The gift of a spiritual Life and the making them spiritually active to exerce it was with-holden and therefore they did not savingly perceive see nor â—ear Joh. 6.44 Murmure not among your selves no man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him It 's written in the Prophets and they shall be all taught of God every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me where there is very clearly a distinction put betwixt the outward teaching and the Father's drawing betwixt the Ministers teaching and God's teaching It was one thing to be taught outwardly by Christ as the Prophet of His Church and another thing to be drawen and taught inwardly of the Father This inward teaching is called drawing to shew that it is not external Oratory or Eloquence consisting in words to perswade that can effect the business but a powerful draught of the Arm of the Lord reaching the Heart There are several other Scriptures full and clear to this purpose as Psal 110.3 and Acts 11.21 A second Ground of kin to the former Is from the many and various expressions that are used in the Scriptures for holding forth this work of the Spirit of God in Conversion that point out not only an Hand working and an work wrought but an inward powerful way of working and bringing about the woâ—k as Jeâ— 31.34 I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts Ezek. 11.19 I will give them one heart I will put a new spirit within them and will take away the stony heart out of their flesh Ezek. 36.26 27. A new heart will I give unto you and a new spirit will I put within you c. Jer. 32.40 I will put my fear in their heart that they shall not depart from me It 's called the Father's drawing John 6.44 as I shew In the Saints Prayers as Psal 51. it 's called even as to further degrees of this work or restoring of lost degrees creating of a clean heart and renewing a right spirit within And many moe the like expressions there are which shew not only Mans impotency and inability to convert or savingly to change himself but also that to his Conversion there is necessary an inward real peculiar efficacious powerful work of the Spirit of Grace 3. It 's clear and may be confirmed from the Power of God which He puts forth and applys in the begetting of Faith and in working Conversion It 's not a mediate work whereby He only perswades congruously as some love to speak but an immediate and efficacious work whereby with mighty Power He works Conversion It is God saith the Apostle Phil. 2 13. that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure and as he not only perswadeth but effectually worketh so he not only works on the Judgment to the enlightning of it but on the Will to encline and determine it by curing it of its crookedness and perversness backwardness obstinacy and rebellion and the Power whereby He worketh this great work is said Eph. 1.19 To be that same mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead that ye may know saith the Apostle what is the exceeding greatness of his powâ—r to us-ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand c. It is such a Power that works Faith and so exercised in the working of Faith as it was in the raising of Christ from the Dead Now could there be use for such a Power if there were no more requisite to Conversion but an objective swasion or a bare proposal of the object with external perswasion to embrace it wherein the Soul is left to it self to choise or refuse as it pleaseth certainly if there were no more considering our natural enmity at God â—nd His Grâ—ce the Devil and Corruption would have much more influence and a far greater stroak upon the Heart to closing up of the same in Unbelief then any outward perswasion would have as to the opening of the Heart and the begetting of Faith therefore His Power is necessarily called for and the Lord addeth it in converting Sinners else the work would for ever ly behind and if Men be spâ—ritually dead in Sins and Trespasses as all Men by Nature are as real a Power must be exerced in raising and quickening of them as there is exerced in raising and quickening of the Dead 4. It may also be cleared from some in whom this Power is exerced as some Children some deaf Persons and others whom we cannot deny to be reached by the Grace of God and yet there can be no other way how thâ—y are reached but by this effectual efficacious and immediate powerful work of the Spirit they not being capable of reasoning or perswasion by force of Argument We shall only add two Reasons further to confirm and some-way to clear why it is that the Lord works and must work thus distinctly inwardly really powerfully and immediatly in working Faith and converting of Sinners The first is drawen from the exceeding great deadness indisposition averness perversness impotency inability and
them to wit Sin therefore to such as he cured he says very often Thy sins be forgiven thee he studied to remove that in most of them he did deal with and so looking on our Lord as taking on our Sins complexly with the cause and as having a right to remove all the effects of Sin evidencing it self in the removing of these Diseases whereof Sin was the cause these words may be thus fulfilled and so they are clear and the Doctrine also We have here no meer exempâ—ary Saviour that hath done no more but confirmed his Doctrine and given us a copy how to do and behave but he hath really and actually born our Sorrows and Griefs and removed our Debt by undergoing the punishment due to us for Sin Observe here 1. That Sin in no Flesh no not in the Elect themselves is without Sorrow and Grief Tribulation and Anguish are knit to it or it hath these following on it or take the Doctrine thus Wherever there is Sin there is the cause of much Sorrow and Grief no more can the native cause be without the effect then Sin can be without Sorrow and Grief it 's the plain assertion of Scripture Rom. 2.8 9. Indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil which one place putting the four words together says 1. That there is Sorrow most certainly and inseparably on every Soul that hath sinned And 2. That this Sorrow is exceeding great which may also be the reason why this Sorrow is set out in two words in the Text therefore four words are used by the Apostle to express it It 's not our purpose here to dispute whether God in his Justice doth by necessity of Nature punish the Sinner These three things considered will make out the Doctrine which is That there is a necessary connexion betwixt Sâ—n and Sorrow and that this Sorrow must needs be very great 1. If we consider the exceeding unsuitableness of Sin to the holy Law of God and how it is a direct contrariety to that most pure and perfect Law 2. If we consider the perfectly holy Nature of God himself The righteous Lord saith the Pâ—almist Psal 11.7 loveth righteousness and the Prophet Hab. 1.13 says He is of purer eyes then that be can behold evil and he cannot look upon iniquity and though we need noâ— to dispute Gods Soveraignty yet it is clear that he is angry with the wicked every day Psal 7.11 and he will by no means clear the guilty Exod. 34.7 and thaâ— there is a greater suitableness in his inflicting Sorrow and Grief on a Sinner that walks contrary to him then there is in shewing him Mercy and there is a greater suitableness in his shewing Mercy to a humbled Sinner that is aiming to walk holily before him 3. If we consider the revealed will of God in the Threatning who hath said the day thou eatest thou shalt surely die we may say there is as they speak in the Schools a hypothetick necessity of grief and sorrow to follow on Sin and that there is a necessary connexion betwixt them and this may very well stand with the Mediator his coming in and interposing to take that Grief and Sorrow from off us and to lay it on himself but it was once ours because of our Sin If it be askâ—d wâ—at Grief and Sorrow this is We said it's very great and there is reason for it for though our act of Sin 1. As to the Subject that Sins Man And 2. As to the act of â—in it self a sinful thought word or deed that is soon gone be finit yet if we consider Sin 1. In respect of the object â—gainst whom the infinite God 2. In respect of the absolute purity of Gods Law a rule that bears ouâ— Gâ—ds Image set down by infinite Wisdom and that may be some way called infinitely pure and Sin as being against this pure rule that infinite Wisdom hath set down And 3. If we consider it in no respect of its nature every sin being of this nature that though it cannot properly wrong the Majesty of God yet as to the intention of the thing and even of the Sinner it wrongs him Sin in these respects may be called infinite and the wrong done to the Majesty of God thereby may be called infinite as these who built Babel their intention in that work breathed forth infinite wrong to God as having a direct tendency to bring them off from dependance on him and so every Sin if it had its will and intent would put God in subordination to it and set it self in his room and therefore Sin in some respect as to the wrong against God is infinite 2. Observe That the real and very great Sorrow that the Sins of the Elect deserved our Lord Jesus did realty and actually bear and suffer as we have exponed the words and confirmed the exposition given of them ye have a clear confirmation of the Doctrine from them 1. Griefs and Sorrows in the plural Number shew intensness of Sorrow and Grief 2. That they are called ours it shews our propriety in them And 3. That it 's said Christ bare them These concur to prove the Doctrine that the same Sorrow which the Sins of the Elect deserved Christ bare It not only says that our Lord bare Sorrows but the same Sorrows that by the Sins of the Elect were due to them and so there was a proportionableness betwixt the Sorrows that he bare and the Sorrows they should have endured he took up the cup of Wrath that was filled for us and that we would have been put to drink and drank it out himself suppose that our Lord had never died as blessed be his Name there is no ground to make the supposiâ—ion the cup of Sâ—rrow that the Elect would have drunken eternally was the same cup that he drank our for them It is true we would distinguish betwixt these things that are essentially due to Sin as the punishment of it and these things that are only accidentally due to it the former Christ bare but not the latter To clear both in a word or two 1. These things essentially due to Sin as necessarly included in the Threatning The day thou eatest thou shalt surely die and in the curse of the Law according to that Cursed is every one that abides not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them are Death and the Curse these are essentially the desert of Sin in which respect it was not only necessary that Christ should become Man and â—â—ffer but that he should suffer to death or shâ—uld die and not only so but that he should die the cursed death of the Cross as the Threatning and Curse put together hold out and as to all these things that he underwent and met with before and at his death they were the accomplishment of the Threatning due to us and fulfilled in and by him in our room
love ye wouldflee to Jesus Christ and give him employment for making your peace with God and taking away your sin and sanctifying of you O but this be suitable to Sinners and if ye think your selves Sinners prejudge not your selves of the benefite of a Saviour This should be a distinct Sermon EVery expression that the Ptophet useth to set forth the grace of God in Jesus Christ to sinners by is more wonderful then another because indeed every thing that he expresseth is more wonderful then another And there is so much grace and infinite love in the way of the Gospel that it 's hard to know where there is most of it whether in its rise or in its execution whether in the decree of God or in Christs satisfaction whether in the benefits that we enjoy or in the way by which we are brought to enjoy them Sure all together make a wonder passing-great a most wonderful wonder even a world of wonders It is a wonder that as it is vers 5. he should be wounded for our transgressions bruised for our iniquities that the chastisement of our peace should be on him and that by his stripes we should be healed And when here he comes to explain this and to shew how it came to pass that Jesus Christ suffered so much he holds out another new wonder All we like sheep have gone astray c. As if he had said would ye know how it came to pass that the Mediator behoved to suffer and suffer so much All we the Elect People of God had gone astray like so many wandring sheep as well as others not one excepted And there was not another way to recover and reclaim us but this The Lord Jehovah laid on him the iniquity of us all To recover us when we were lost Jesus Christ was substituted in our room by the eternal Decree of God and the iniquities of all of us who are his Elect people as to their punishment were laid upon him This then is the scope to shew the rise of Christs sufferings and how it came to pass that our Lord suffered and suffered so much the occasion of it was the Elects sin and the Fountain cause the Fathers laying of their sin on him by an eternal Decree and making him to answer for it according to that Decree with his undertaking which was the Covenant of Redemption whereof Christ's suffering was the execution Thus we have the Fountain whence our Lord's sufferings flowed He is in the Covenant of Redemption substitute judicially enacted the Elects Cautioner and takes on their debt and being substitute in their room Justice pursues the Claim and Sentence passes against him for making him answerable and liable to the debt of their sins Which sets out as it were a Judge on the Throne Jehovah and two Parties at the Bar We and Him We the Principal Debtors and Him the Cautioner Jesus Christ in our room and place The Law by which the Judge proceeds is the Covenant of Redemption And we the Principal Debtors not being Law-biding he is made liable to the Debt and on this ground the Sentence passes against him for satisfying what we were owing and hereupon followed his sufferings So then the rise of his sufferings is that it was so transacted by the Wise Just and Gracious God and thus this vers comes well in to explain and further to clear what he asserted in the former vers Though the words be few yet they are a great compend and sum of the Gospel How therefore to speak of them so as to unfold them aright is not easie And because the Devil who seeks by all means to marr the beauty of the Gospel doth more fiercely assault where most of its beauty shines and hath therefore stirred up several sorts of enemies to wrest these words and to obscure the beauty of grace that may be clearly seen in them We shall a little open the few words that are in this last part of the verse And the Lord hath laid on hIm the iniquity of us all Having spoken to the former part of it the last day In these few words then we have 1. something spoken of iniquity which three Parties have some acts about to wit 1. The Elect us all 2. Him to wit the Mediator 3. The Lord to wit Jehovah Then we have the express act of the Lord to wit his laying on Him the Mediator the iniquity of us all 1. As for this word iniquity by it is meant sometimes 1. Sin formally taken as it hath a disconformity to the Law of God and supposeth a spot and defect and so it is commonly taken when we pray for pardon of sin And when David says Psal 51. My sin is ever before me And Psal 38. My iniquity is gone over my head And so it is the transgression of the Law of God 2. It is sometimes taken for the effect that sin procureth and so it 's in effect the punishment of sin as Levit. 7. the 18 and 20. verses being compared together vers 18. it 's said He shall bear his iniquity which vers 20. is He shall be cut off and so it is clearly meant of the punishment of iniquity For to bear his iniquity and to be cut off are the same thing there And that word of Cain Gen. 4.14 My iniquity or punishment is greater then I can bear hath a manifest respect to Gods curse inflicted on him for his sin and is as if he had sald I will not get lived under the punishment that is inflicted upon me for every one that finds me will cut my throat and sometimes it is translated punishment as in that of Gen. 4.13 The Question then is Which of these two is understood here in this Text whether iniquity or sin formally taken or iniquity taken for the punishment thereof These who are called Antinomians plead that it is to be understood of sin formally taken But though it be hard so much as to mention this it being so blasphemous-like to assert that our blessed Lord Jesus should be formally a sinner and have the spots and defilementt of sin on him which we wonder that any Christian should dare to assert or presume to maintain Yet because this Scripture is alleadg'd for it we shall clear that iniquity is not here to be taken for sin formally but for sin in the punishment of it And the 1. reason that we give shall be drawn from the plain scope of the words the Prophet having in the 5. vers said that he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities The scope of this vers is to shew how it came to pâ—ss that Christ suffered and suffered so much which he doth by declaring that it could not be otherwise because the punishment of all the sins of the Elect was laid upon him And that which was called wounding and bruising in the former vers is here called on the matter a bearing of their iniquities for if they
every one to their own way and the Lord 's laying on him the iniquity of them all The Elect that were given to Christ being naturally at enmity with God and having run on in the course of their sinful nature to the provoking God And there being no way for them to escape the wrath which by their sin they had deserved till the Lord found out this mids to wit the second Person interposing as their Mediator and Surety and ingageing to pay their debt On which followed the imputing of all their iniquities to him according to the transaction made about them Which transaction being laid down as we have heard the Prophet proceeds to shew Christ's executing and performing of the transaction And because it might be thought that it was so great matter as could not but have much sad and sore suffering following upon it to take on all our iniquities He answers that notwithstanding of all that yet he took them on and that very willingly and chearfully Or because it might be thought that the former words look as if God had laid the punishment of our iniquity on him and that he had not taken it on himself the Prophet tells us that it is nothing so but that there was a mutual Covenant betwixt God and the Mediator and that the Mediator was as well content to bear the iniquity of the Elect as the Father was content to lay it on him And that though he was exacted upon oppressed afflicted and suffered sad stroaks yet he rewed not the bargain but went on resolutely in paying the ransom of the Elect as singly as ever a sheep went to the slaughter or as it is dumb before the shearer so he opened not his mouth to speak against it There are three things asserted here that serve to make up the scope supposing the transaction to have gone before 1. The Fathers exacting the Elects debt of the Mediator 2. The Mediators yielding and satisfying 3. The manner how he did it willingly readily and chearfully We shall first open the words a little and then speak to some Doctrines from them reserving the Uses to the close of all 1. Where it is said He was oppressed the word signifies to exact And we find it three wayes applyed in Scripture 1. To the exacting of Tribute as 2 King 23.33 Where it is said That Pharaoh Necho who put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold it 's the same word that is here 2. Sometimes it 's applyed to the exacting of debts As when a man is put to the Horn and Caption and Imprisonment follows upon it So Deut. 15.2 When the Lord tells his people that the creditor shall not exact of his neighbour or of his brother in the year of release 3. It 's applyed to the exacting of labour as Isai 58 3. ye exact all your labour And Exod. 1.11 The word Task masters comes from the same root This being the ordinary signification of the word it 's turned here oppressing figuratively because such Exacters and Task masters in their rigorous usage of these whom they exact upon are often oppressive And there being no Noun prefixed to the words in the Original they may stand as well thus It was exacted of him That which he was ingaged to pay he was fully exacted upon for it to the least farthing Or take the words as they stand here he was oppressed that is as we use to speak stressed or distressed for our debt He was not only ingaged but according to his ingagement was put hard to it to satisfie 2. It is said He was afflicted which is sometimes rendered to answer And these two agree very well together he was exacted upon and he answered the debt As when a Bill of Exchange for such a Sum is drawn upon a man and he answers it And this Exposition runs well and smoothly with the words following Yet he opened not his mouth He used no defence to elude or shift the debt He said not that it was not his but he answered it indeed and in a word said nothing to the contrary Or taking the words as here they stand translated He was afflicted they signifie the effect that follows on his being exacted upon Though it brake him not yet it brought him very low even to an afflicted condition The 3. thing is that though he was brought thus low and though it was not for his own but for other folks debt which usually troubles men most Yet he opened not his mouth to shew his wonderful condescendency and the great love from which it flows He payed the Elects debt with as good will and as pleasantly as if it had been his own proper and personal debt Though he was the Son of God and God equal with the Father and might have brought Legions of Angels to destroy his enemies yet as the lambs brought to the slaughter and as the sheep before the shearer is dumb so he opened not his mouth And it may be that there is not only here relation or respect had to the sheep as it is an innocent harmless simple tractable creature and not untoward and refractory as a Bull or ox useth to be But also respect had to it as it was made use of in the Sâ—crifices And so the meaning is he yielded his life willingly when none could take it from him for performing the Indentor to say so and for satisfying the transaction past betwixt Jehovah and him So having shown how it comes to pass that Christ suffered and suffered so much and was brought so low under suffering And having told that he was ingaged to pay the Elects debt and that the Father had laid their iniquities on him Lest any might think that the Father would have spared his own Son no saith the Prophet He was oppressed and not only so but afflicted and humbled And lest it should have been thought that the Lord Jehavah had better will to the bargain than the Mediator had It is added that he did satisfie the debt as willingly as the Father laid it on him as these similitudes made use of plainly hold forth Take these Observations from the words 1. That our Lord Jesus having entered himself Surety for sinners he was really put at and Justice exacted the debt of him which he had undertaken and engaged to pay Read the whole story of the Gospel and it will make out this It 's said by himself Luke 24. It behoved the Son of Man to suffer these things and then to enter into his glory He must needs go to Jerusalem and suffer And when the Cup is in his hand and his Holy Humane Nature having a sinless scaring at it makes him pray Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me Yet seing here was a necessity that either he should drink it or that the Elect should perish In the very next words he sweetly subjoyns Not my will but thy will
and the exacting of the price according to the transaction is the ground of his expectation of the benefit of Christs purchase And there is Justice for it as the Apostle intimats Rom. 8.34 35. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again c. And upon this follows the believing souls triumph O! but there is much need to be thorowly acquainted with the mutual relations that are betwixt Christ and believing sinners with the ground of their approaching to him and with the good they are to expect through him Use 4. This word is made use of 1 Pet. 2.21 To give us a notable and none such pattern of patience Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that we should follow his steps He did bear all wrongs patiently and packed them up quietly to say so and opened not his mouth He could have told Pilate and Caiaphas what they were but spoke not a word save one to the High Priest notwithstanding all his provoking carriage and a very meek one too If I have spoken evil bear witness of the evil and if well why smitest thou me Among other Copies then that Christ hath casten take this for one make him a Copy and Pattern for Patience It is to be regrated that folks are so unlike to Christ in this respect they think it a disdainful thing to pack up a wrong and they will scorn and rush at it But what if Jesus Christ had been of that temper and disposition if it be fit to make such a supposition ye had been without a Redeemer and had perished for ever When he calls you to be followers of him and to suffer patiently as he did though most unjustly as to men for you to think or say that ye scorn it and that ye are not so mean spirited what is it else but to think and say on the matter that blessed Jesus in his patient and silent carriage under all the injuries that he suffered very unjustly from men shewed himself to be of a low and base spirit and that ye disdain to follow his way O! intollerably saucy and proudly blasphemous reflection The many contests the many high reâ—entments of wrongs the great grudging frettiâ—g and foaming at them that there are in Châ—istians say plainly that there is little of the meek and patient Spirit of Christ in and amongst us and that many of us know not what spirit we are of SERMON XXVIII ISAIAH LIII VIII Vers 8. He was taken from prison and from judgement and who shall declare his generation For he was cut off out of the land of the land of the living for the transgression of my people was he stricken WE need not tell you of whom the Prophet is speaking here every verse and every word almost do make it manifest that he speaks of Christ the Saviour and indeed it can be applyed to none other It 's the same verse Acts 8.34 from which Philip proceeds to preach Christ to the Eunuch The Prophet hath been largely holding forth Christ's sufferings in the former verse and we conceive he takes a turn to speak of Christ's exaltation and out gate from these sufferings It 's true as if he had said He was brought to Prison and Judgement He was indeed straitned and pinched and laid very low but Prison and Judgement did not keep him He was taken or as the word is He was lift up from both And for as despicable as he was in man's eyes yet he was not so in himself for who shall declare his generation There is a wonderfulness in him who suffered that cannot be reached but must be left with admiration And a wonderfuâ— glory whereunto he was after his humiliation exalted and there is a reason of this given for preventing of offence if any should say how then could he suffer and be brought so low in suffering if he was so glorious a persoâ— He answers it is true that he was cut off out of the land of the living but for no offence in himself but for the transgression of Gods Elect was he stricken or as the word is The stroak was upon him Yea this as we conceive is given as a reason of his exaltation Because in the lowest steps of his humiliation he condescended to fulfil his ingagement to the Father in satisfying Justice for the sins of the Elect according to that of John 10.17 Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life that I might take it again Because according to his ingagement he suffered for the sins of his Elect People therefore he could not but have a comfortable and glorious outgate There are these three things in the words 1. Somewhat asserted concerning Christ Jesus He was taken from Prison and from Judgement 2. Something hinted at which cannot be expressed Who shall declare his generation 3. There is a reason given in reference to both For he was cut off c. which we shall expound when we come to it For the first He was taken from Prison and from Judgement We conceive these words look both to his humiliation and to his out-gate from it the one being clearly supposed that he was in prison or straits and brought to judgement and the other being expressed that he was brought from prison and from judgement 1. Prison here may be taken generally for any strait pinch or pressour thaâ— one may be brought unto which we conceâ—ve both the Words and the Prophets scope will clear Christ never having been properly in prison at least for any considerable time but straitned and pinched And he was taken from that being in his humiliation and in his sufferings in the room of the Elect pursued by the Law and Justice of God 2. Judgement is taken passively for Judgement past on him and it looks not only to the procedour of Pilate of the Chief Priest and of the Scribes and Pharisees but to a Judicial Process which the Justice of God led against him in which respect he answered as the words after will clear for the sins of God's people 3. The word He was eaken sometimes signifies to deliver as a Captive is delivered when he is taken from him that took him Captive as it is Isai 49.24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty or the lawful captive delivered To which the Lord here answers It or he shall be taken So then the scope and meaning of the words is that the Prophet subjoyns a narration of Christ's Exaltation upon the back of his Humiliation as it is usual in the Scripture to put these together and in this order as namely Philip. 2.8 9. He bumhled himself and became obedient unto death even to the death of the cross Wherefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a name c. He was exceedingly straitned and pinched for the Elects sins but death had
no dominion over him he had a glorious out-gate He was taken out and set free from the prison or straits wherein he was held And from these judgements that past upon him The reason of the Exposition is drawn from the plain meaning of the words which must run thus He was taken from judgement the very same which is in the following expression He was cut off out of the land of the living that being the ordinary signification of the preposition from the meaning must be this that he was taken out of the condition wherein he was It agrees also best with the scope of the very next words Who shall declare his generation Wherein he proposeth an admirable aggravation of this delivery The 2d thing hath a connexion with the former and therefore take a word or two for clearing of it What to understand by Generation here is somewhat difficult to determine the word in the Original having several meanings yet generally it looks to one of two as it is applyed to Christ 1. Either to the time past and so it 's used by many to express and hold forth Christ's God-head and so the meaning is though he was brought very low yet he was and is the eternal Son of God Or 2. as commonly it is taken it looks to the time to come and so the meaning is who shall declare his duration or continuance Generation is often taken thus in Scripture for the continuance of an Age and of one Age following another successively as Joshua 22. This Altar shall be a witness to the generations to come So then the meaning is he was once low but God exalted him and brought him thorow and who shall declare this duration or continuance of his exaltation As it is Phil. 2.8 9. He humbled himself c. Therefore God highly exalted him As his humiliation was low so his exaltation was ineffable it cannot be declared nor adequatly conceived the continuance of it being for ever There is no inconsistency betwixt these two Expositions His duration or continuance after his suffering necessarily presupposing his Godhead brought in here partly to shew the wonderfulness of his suffering it being God that suffered for the man that suffered was God Partly to shew Christ's glory who notwithstanding of his suffering was brought thorow and gloriously exalted And these reasons make it evident 1. Whatever these words Who shall declare his age or generation do signifie certainly it is something that can be spoken of no other but of Christ and that agrees to him so as it agrees to no other Now if we look simply to the eternity of his duration or continuance that agrees to all the Elect and will agree to all men at the Resurrection Therefore the Prophet must look here to his continuance and duration as he is God 2. Because Who shall declare his genaration is brought in here to shew the ineffableness of it and so to make his sufferings the more wonderful it was he who suffered whose continuance cannot be declared 3. It 's such a continuance as is brought in to shew a reason why death could not have dominion over him nor keep him according to that Rom. 1.4 He was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead And the reason subjoyned to this will someway clear it for he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people was he stricken Thereby insinuating that because of the great work which he had to do there behoved to be some singularness in the person that had the work in hand who notwithstanding of the greatness and difficultness of it came thorow and was hereby exalted However it be the Prophets scope being to set out Christ's Humiliation and Exaltation his Humiliation before and his Exaltation after which is as we said ordinary in Scripture We conceive the meaning we have given is safe and agreeable to the Prophets scope We may observe three things from the first part of the words 1. That our Lord Jesus Christ in his performing the work of Redemption was exceedingly straitned or pinshed or held in as the word is elsewhere rendered bound up and hemmed in as men are who are in Prison and by these straitnings we mean not only such as he was brought into by and before men whereof we spoke before but especially these that were more inward and these being amongst the last steps of his Humiliation more immediately preceeding his Exaltation and spoken of as most wonderful we conceive they look to these pressures that were upon his spirit and we shall instance several places of Scripture that serve to hold them out the first is that of John 12.27 28. Now is my soul troubled and what shall I say Father save me from this hour here our blessed Lord is troubled in Spirit and so pinshed and hedged in as in a Prison that he is holily non-plussed what to say The 2d Scripture is Matth. 26.38 My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death which is like the expressions used by the Apostle 2 Cor. 11.8 We were pressed above measure above strength in so much as we despaired of life and we had the sentence of death in our selves there was no outgate obvious to humane sense and uptaking so is it here wherein we are not only to consider his Soul vexation but that his Soul vexation was very great extreamly pinshing vexing and in a manner imprisoning to him The 3d Scripture is Luke 22.44 He being in an agony prayed more earnestly and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground there was such a striving wrestling and conflicting not with man without him but with inward pressures on his spirit that he is like one in a Barrace or Cockpit or engaged in a Duel with a mighty Combatant sore put to it very far beyond ought that we can conceive of so that he swat great drops of blood and says father if thou be willing remove this cup from me nevertheless not my will but thine be done it is in Matthew if it be possible and thereafter if it be not possible which says there was no winning out of the grips of the Law and Justice till they were fully satisfied and these dreadful words uttered by him on the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me hold out that from the sinless humane nature of Christ the comfortable and joyful influence of the God-head for a time was in a great measure suspended though the sustaining power thereof was exercised mightily on him so that he looks on himself some way as forsaken and left in the hand of the Curse To clear this a little we would consider these pressures that were on our Lords Spirit 1. In respect of their cause 2. In respect of their effects 1. In respect of their cause There is upon the one side his undertaking for
being in themselves blind may come to Him for light being poor may come to Him for Gold to inrich them being â—â—ked may come to Him for garments to cloath them being ungodly may come to Him that He may Justifie them But alace People are for the most part sensless and regardless of their Sin and misery and therefore He gets no imployment from them Many sit very brave and fine here and have no Legal Bar on them to keep them from the Communion who yet have sleepy and sensless Souls and are ruining and destroying themselves This we assure you is the condition of many of you who never knew to make use of Christ and of His Righteousness and yet will boast of your Faith and of your good heart to God Away with your old presumptuous Faith take with your unbelief and presumption Say not ignorantly that ye shall do as ye can though ye cannot do as ye would ye are unsound at the heart mistaken about your spiritual state and know that the Devil by a deceitful heart is speaking out of you such language For it's enemies we are Commissioned to reconcile and it 's lost Sinners that Christ came to seek and save and ye see not your selves to be such and therefore ye care not for such offers of Grace But ah many of you if Grace prevent not will get a cold welcome from Christ at that Day and will be made sadly to smart for the slighting of many Precious Opportunities which God did put in your hand and whereof to make use ye had no heart SERMON LI. ISAIAH LIII XI Verse 11. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many c. THere hath been much spoken from this sweet Scripture of Our Lord Jesus His Sufferings and somewhat also of the Promises made to Him that His Sufferings should not be for nought in these Words we have a compendiouâ— explication of the Effects that â—â—ow from them by which He shall be Satisfied for them all which ye may take up in these Four 1. The great benefit it selâ— that is holden out here and that is Justification 2. These to whom it shall come it is many so that His having a Seed spoken of v. 10. Is exponed here by this that many shall be justified 3. The way how this is derived to them by his knowledge which we shew is to be understood of Faith in Him 4. The ground from which this flows and on which it is built and that confirms it For he shall bear their iniquities And as it 's in the following v. He bare the sin of many And therefore they must be Justified it being but reason that these many whose iniquities He bears and whose Debt of Sin He payes should be Justified We may speak more particularly to the Explication of each of these as we come to them we shall then first expone and give the meaning of this Word Justification or to Justifie ere we come to the Doctrine because it will serve to clear it and will make way for it and so much the rather as it is the very hing of the Gospel and that on which our Salvation depends though yet but very little and very ill understood there being many that cannot tell what it is though there be not many Words more frequently mentioned in the Scripture and though it be that whereby a Person is translated from the State of Enmitie into the State of Friendship with God As for this Word To Justifie or Justification then there are three senses given of it Two whereof are Erronious and the last only is according to the mind of the Spirit of God speaking in the Scripture which we shall Clear and Confirm 1. Some take this Word Physically as if it were to make Just by the infusing of habitual Grace or by a Physical and Reall Change and so taken it is the same with that which we call Sanctification but in all the Scripture we know not one Place where necessarily the Word is so to be understood Although this acceptation of the Word is the great rise of the Popish Error in that Controversie concerning Justification 2dly Others take it for Gods Revealing Manifesting or Declaring the way how a Guilty Person comes to be Just and so to Justifie is for Ministers to teach the way to People how they may live holily As it is said Dan. 12.3 They that turn many to Righteousness c. By whâ—ch sense some Wickedly and Blasphemously detract from Christs Satisfaction as if His Justifying were no more but a teaching of Sinners the way how to be Juâ—â—â—fied to wit by living holily and justly But the Word that follows in the Text For he shall bear their iâ—iquities Cuâ—s the Throat of that Exposition for it is by Christs bearing of the punishment of the Elects Iniquities and for paying of their Debt that they come to be Justified Therefore the one is given for a Reason of the other 3dly Considering the Word according to the meaning of it in Scripture we take it for a Legal forensick or Court Word borrowed from mens Courts wherein a Person arraigned for such a Cryme is either Condemned or Absolved And when he is Absolved and Declared to be acquitted or made free from that which is laid to his Charge he is said to be Justified so is it before God and in His Court Justification is the freeing of a Sinner from the Charge that the Law giveth in against Him and the absolving and declaring of him to be free from the Guilt of Sin and from the punishment thereof which by the Sentence of the Law is due to Him The former two senses run to the making of a man to be inherently holy or without a Fault Which is as if a Guilty Man or a Criminal being sifted before a civil Court of Judicature were declared to be Innocent But this true meaning of the Word sets out a Man arraigned before Gods Tribunal and charged with Guilt and found Faulty but Absolved and Acquitted not because he wants Sin but because his Debt is payed and his Sins Satisfied for by a Cautioner Even as a Man that is called before a Civil Court for such a Sum of Money and is found lyable to the Debt but his Cautioner coming in and paying the Debt for him there is both in Reason and in Law just ground why that Man should be absolved and declared free of the Debt So is it here Christ Jesus taking on and satisfying for the Debt of the Elect and procuring Absoluâ—ion for them for whom He payed the Price there is Reason and ground in Law that they should be Justified and Absolved All these Opinions agree in these two 1. That Men naturally have Sin and that they must compt for it 2. That this Jusâ—ification whatever it be where it is doth fully Absolve and Acquit the Sinner and makes him free of Sin as to the Guilt the Punishment and Consequents of it Death and the
done to Him but Heaven to procure by their own merits for they lay down this a ground that Glory in it's full being the proper reward of merit which say they is not founded on God's Promise for that were to merit Congruously only and not Condignally nor is it founded on Christ's merit for that were to reward His merit which to them is absurd though they grant an intrinsick worth to be in both But it 's merit in strict Justice on and by which they expect Heaven and Glory and having Heaven as we say to procure by their own Merit because they cannot thus Merit it especially if Mans Nature be looked on as corrupted they invent two things or forge two divices for that 1. To deny Concupiscence to be Sin And 2. To distinguish betwixt Mortal and Venial Sins and Venial Sins they make to be consistent with Merit in which they take in a world of things as not deadly And if a Man have not Merit enough of his own they have a Treasure of Merits of many Saints who have Satisfied for more than their own Guilt amounted to and have merited more than Heaven to themselves And the Pope being by them supposed to have a right and power to dispense these Merits he gives to them that want a right to such and such a Saints Merits And when all is done they confesse that this way of Justification is not certain that it cannot give Peace that it may be lost and that being lost it cannot be recovered but by a new Grace gotten by the Sacrament of Pennance the very rehearsing of which things may let you see how unlike their Justification is to the Gospel and to the way of Justification that it layes down and what ground of thankfulness ye have to God who hath not only contrived but revealed unto you a more solid and comfortable way of Justification 1. Though their way hath much Pains Labour and Toil in it yet ye see what it amounts to and how much Uncertainty Anxiety and Horror do accompany it neither do they ever attain to Justification before God by it And this is the 2d thing we would speak a Word to even to shew that this way of Justification is inconsistent with the Gospel and that wherein a Soul can neither have solid Peace nor Comfort and we shall speak a little to this 1. In general and then 2. More particularly 1. In general their way of Justification is the very re-establishing of the Covenant of Works For it supposeth that God hath conditioned Life to none but on condition of their Works which in their value are Meritorious It is true they First allow to Christ's Merit this much that He hath thereby procured this Merit to their Works And 2. that He hath procured to them habitual Grace to work these works though as we said before they must dispose themselves for that Grace but that doth not alter the nature of a Covenant of Works seing the terms are still the same For consider Adam before the fall he was to expect Life according to the terms of that Covenant Do this and live and here the terms of the Covenant are the same though their use be different and if the Scriptures so opposes these two That if it be of grace it is no more works and contrarly then sure this way of Justification that puts a Man to the same terms of the Covenant that Adam had to expect Life by must necessarily be inconsistent with the Gospel This will be the more clear if we consider how they themselves illustrat their Meriting by 〈◊〉 Works of the Saints by Adam his Merâ—â—â—ng of Life while he stood the which Meriting flows from an intrinsick worth in the Works themselves without respect to Christ's Merits And if the Covenant of Works hath these same terms then their Justification no doubt must be a Re-establishing of that Covenant 2. The Scripture speaks of our obtaining of our Justification and Righteousnesse alwayes in this sense to wit by Gods imputing the Righteousnesse of Christ to us not only for coming at the first Grace but for attaining Heaven and Glory It 's that which Paul leans to when he comes before God Phil. 3. That I may be found in him not having mine own righteousn ss which is by the Law but the righteousness which is through the faith of Christ He layes by the one and betakes himself to the other as his only defence and that whereon he doth ground his Plea before God Now this being the Scripture way of Justification and their way being quite contrare to it for if they were asked how think ye to answer before God they behoved to say by the merits of our good Works It must needs be inconsistent with the Grace of the Gospel and that which Paul would by no means hazard his peace upon We will find nothing more frequently mentioned in Scripture for the making of our peace with God then Covenanting with God the imputation of Christ's Righteousness and Justification by Faith But all â—hese Three are here in their way of Justification shut out and excluded For they have no such thing as Covenanting they scorn the imputation of Christs Righteousnesse as but a putative and imaginary thing and they cannot endure Justification by Faith But 2dly and more particularly Behold and consider how universally it corrupts and even destroyes the Doctrine of the Gospel 1. It corrupts and destroys the nature of Grace for it hangeth it on mans free will he must dispose himself for it and it gives him liberty to choose or reject it as he pleaseth and it makes tâ—at to flow from man himself that satisfies Gods Justice as if Remission of Sins were not free And in the Second Justification and Admissâ—on to Heaven and Glory It utterly excludes Grace and takes in Merit and makes Heaven the proper rewaâ—d of Mans own Merit 2dly It enervats the Merit of Christ and His Purchase though it seem in words to acknowledge it Because it neither admits of the Merit of Christ as the Satisfaction to Justice by which the punishment is taken away nor to be that by which Life is procuâ—ed but it takes in Works Satisfaction by Pennance Whippings Pilgrimages c. And all that it leaveth to Christs Death is the procuring of a new Covenant of Works and the buying of a Stock of habitual Grace to Man to send for himself but it layes not the removing of the punishment on Christ as our Cautioner in our name satisfying the Justice of God for our Sins but it leaves it on our selves and on our keeping the Covenant of Works as that whereto the Promise is made 3dly It overturns the nature of Gods Covenant for either it makes no Covenant at all or it transforms the Covenant of Grace into a Covenant of Works putting us to expect Life through the Merits of Works For they will have no Promise of Life to be made on condition of Christs Merit
and please Him with Duties they will ingage Him to give them pardon and in this they have to speak so an under hand Covenant of Works They will do something to please the Mediator and wherein they come short they expect that he will make it up and this is very ordinary in practice If ye ask some what hope have ye of Justification They will answer through Christs Righteousnesse and that is good in so far but ask them again how they will get it they will answer that they will do what they dow or may and they hope that He will pity them ye would look in upon your own hearts and see whether it be not secretly making something of this kind the ground of your title to Christ and of your Justification And yet all this may be and often is in them that will not stoop to the way of Grace nor submit themselves to the Righteousnesse of God They will speak of Christs Righteousness and yet they will needs give Him some compensation and so come never really to renounce their own Righteousnesse and to flee unto His and to hold it up as their defence before God Take but an impartial view of these steps and many of you who suppose that ye are believers will not be found to be so nor Justified before God because ye lay nor claim to it by Faith but as it were by the works of the Law Use 3. There is here ground for all that neglect Christ and do not by Faith take hold of Him to look for a most dreadful Sentence and ground for others who seek Righteousnesse through Faith to look for a most comfortable Sentence 1. Then is this a Truth that Justification is through Faith in Christ then many of you are not Justified And if the Lord prevent it not ye will never be Justified If so then it must be a most dreadful thing not to believe If ye would know what is your condition ye may read it John 3.18 36. He that believeth not is condemned already and he shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him and Gal. 3.10 As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse For it is written cursed is every one that continues not in all things written in the book of the law to do them If ye really believed this many of you would be under horror to hear what a sad condition ye are in even condemned already and having the Wrath and Curse of God abiding on you because the Word curseth and condemneth all that are not in Christ by Faith This I fear belongs to very many who are altogether secure and carelesse and yet are in reputation amongst us And is it not very sad to be professing fair to have the offer of life and to be treating with God about your peace and yet to be still in the State of enmity with Him So that if death were within twenty four hours march to you you could have nothing to expect but the ratifying of this Sentence of Gods curse upon you We are sure there is as much in this as might in reason put you by all means to study 1. To be Believers for without Faith ye are never over the borders of Gods curse which may lay a chase to you and put you to the necessity of fleeing to Christ for refuge 2. To take some pains to try whether ye be in the Faith as the Apostle exhorts 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether ye be in the faith prove your selves know ye not your own selves how that Christ is in you except ye be reprobats His meaning is know ye not that this is a truth that ye are in a reprobat or unapproven condition except Christ be in you and Christ is in none but in the Believer If so ought ye not to try your selves if ye be in the Faith if ye be Believers There is no ordinary way to win to the sure and comfortable Knowledge of it but by tryal and if ye be not Believers is there not reason and is it not of your concernment to endeavour by tryall to come to the Knowledge of it As this is ground of terror to the unbeliever so it 's ground of notable consolation to the believer who if he were even put to the reckoning with Paul I was a blasphemer a persecuter injurious yet here is hope for him that he shall be found in Christ not having his own Righteousnesse but Christs believing in Christ will obtain Justification to such a person His Righteousnesse taken hold of and put on by Faith is as pleasing and acceptable to God as the unrighteousnesse of the Sinner is displeasing to him This was it that made David to sing sweetly Psal 32. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no iniquity to wit through the imputation of Christs Righteousnesse as the Apostle clears Rom. 4. As the first branch of the Use shew the necessity of Faith for Chasing Sinners to Christ so this branch is a sweet motive to draw them to Him and if there were moe sensible Sinners amongst us whose own Righteousness misgives them and who are brought to that pass that the Jaylor and Peters hearers were in crying out what shall we do to be saved This word believe in the Lord Jesus and ye shall be saved would make them come in cheerful as he did from the brink not only of Temporal but of Eternal Death It 's this Faith by which we have access to stand before God ye would therefore be earnestly intreated to betake your selves to it and to Jesus Christ by it for your pardon and peace even for your Justification before God 2dly Consider these Words as they hold out the Object of Justifying Faith which is the great thing in them even to discribe Justifying Faith as to it's Object and Effect and in it's concurring to produce this effect And here there are mistakes and errors both in the doctrinal and practical part of all these 1. The Object of it then is Him Jesus Christ the knowledge of him or the Faith of Him or Faith in Him as other Scriptures have it Or looking more nearly to the words it 's Faith in Him as Suffering as Satisfying for Sin as in Soul-travel bearing our iniquities Hence Observe That Christ Jesus His Rightnousnesse holden forth in Gods promise of free Grace is the native and proper Object that saving and justifying Faith takes hold of and rests upon or to the same purpose the saving Grace of Faith that Justifies is that Faith that does peculiarly apply and rest upon Christ Jesus holden forth in Gods promise in the Gospel as the Righteousnesse of a Sinner that believes on him hence the Prophet calleth it here Not Knowledge more generally taken but the knowledge of him and that as He is holden out in this Chapter to wit as surety for Sinners and suffering for
hast given me be where I am to behold my glory That longing and effâ—ctual desire â—nd will of his presented by him in heaven is continuing still effectuall for all the Saints in the Câ—urch militant There is ground of quieâ—nesse anâ— comfort from his Intercession â—nd by verâ—ue of it to have hope that not only presenâ— but coming snares and tentations shall not prevaiâ— Therefore the Apostle Rom. 8.38 â—o his speaking of Christs Intercession â—ubjoâ—nes his highest triumph I am perswaded that neither death nor life principalities nor p wers things present nor things tâ— come and because it 's impossible to numâ—â—r all things hâ— sayes nor any other creature shal be able to separat us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord Now if all â—hese be put together beside many moe that may be gatherâ—d from Scripture what wants a Beâ—iever for his own privat and particular consolation which this one word That Christ is an intercessour doth not answer But 2. There is not only consolation for a Believers particular condition from this ground but also in reference to the publick case of Gods Church Thâ—re are Four things especially that seem very heâ—â— to the Church and publick work â—f God in reference to all which we will find consolation from this ground The 1. is the fear of a scarcity or weakness of the puâ—â—ick Ministry that being the great gift wâ—ich he hath given for the edifying of hiâ— body and it being a prejudice to the Church when she hath not Pastors accordâ—ng to Gods own heart But compare Psal 68 18. with Ephes 4.8 12 13 14. and we will find that his Intercession answers that fear In the Psalm it 's said Thou hast ascended on high thou hast led captivity captive thou hast received gifts for men wâ—ich suppoâ—es his seeking of or making suite for them or as the word is thou hast received gifts in the man that is being in our nature he procured them And Ephes 4. It 's said he gave gifts to men and compare these Two places with a Third to wit Acts 1.4 Where he bids his Apostles tarry at Jerusalem till he send the promised spirit and immediatly after his ascension as it is Acts 2. He poured it out which abode on them in the likness of cloven tongues of fire It 's likewise said John 11.39 That the spirit was not given for Jesus was not yet glorified All which shew an influence that Christ's ascension hath on the pouring out of the Spirit and on the gifts given to men whether Ministers or others There is nothing amongst men readily lesse cared for then a Ministry some would have none at all others would have them of such a stamp as would please and humour them But our Lord haâ—h received gifts to give unto men And he that poured out such gifts on the Apostles and others haâ—h what gifts he pleaseth and sees needful for his Churches edification yet to give And that he gives such gifts to men that his people are not praying much for whence is it but from his Intercession Therefore Revel 1. we will find that he delights in this propertie as a piece of his spiritual state and grand our That he holds the stars in his right hand such is his respect to them and his it is to dispose of them 2. It 's a greatly exercising difficultie to the Church of God to think of the mighty opposition that is made by enemies Mahomet Heathens Antichrist false Brethren threatning to swallow up the little flock the Church of Christ which is like a bush burning with fire and not consumed But for this there is a consolation in Christs intercession according to that word Heb. 10.13 He sat down on the right hand of God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool He hath this for his suite at the Fathers Bar and is backing it upon this it followed and as a fruit of it that all the first persecutions were broken On this it hath come to pass that Antichrists kingdom is tottering and it 's on this ground that his bearing down and utter breaking wi l be accomplished Hence it 's most emphatically said 1 Cor. 15.24 That He must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet According to the promise made by Jehovah to him Psal 110. 1. The Lord said to my Lord sit on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool He cannot be an Intercessour but his enemies must down For who I pray wiâ—l be able to stand when he gives in his complaint against them who will plead Antichrists and other persecutors cause when he appears against them â—nd he is so certain of his enemies being mâ—de his footstool that he is waiting till he see it done he must reign till then maugre all the malice and might of Devils and Men. 3. It 's a difficultie to the Church and people of God to think on such great confusions as are in the world there are but few Judicatories that are for Châ—ist but few Governours higher or lower that do consult his honour or regard him It 's others that have the Throne and Court and the guiding of things thâ—â— friends and fâ—vourers of his interest for most part But here the consolation lyes that there is a Court in Heaven that gives out orders where the Church hath an Agent constantly lying where the Devil and the World hath none Jesus Christ is the Churches Agent and Intercessour there Daniel Chap. 10.13 Hath a word to this purpose The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty dayes but Michael the chief prince came to help me And v. 21. There is none in all the court of Persia that holdeth with me in these things but Michael your Prince The great Intercessour was at Court looking that nothing went wrong seeing that no decree were past to the prejudice of the people of God and his work in the time when they were building the Temple He Zech. 6.13 is said to build the temple of the Lord to bear the glory and to be a Priest sitting and ruling on his throne having the government committed to him what hazard then is there here when heaven guids all when the Church hath an Agent at the Court to see as I said that nothing go wrong when Michael the Prince is there and sees all the Acts and Decrees of the Court and readeth them yea draweth them and looks well that there be nothing in them hurtful to his Church And O! may we not and should we not thank God for this 4. A Fourth thing that troubles the Church of God is the abounding of offences in her self and the spreading of errour which like a flood threateneth to drown the Church and great stormy winds come that are like to blow down the house of God offences and stumblings abound and errour which I just now said as a flood is like to drown all when the
nomination of the person may strengthen Faith yet it is never to be so understood as if they were a different Object of worship or as if there were lesse accesse to Christ's Intercession or to the benefits thereof in the one form then in the other Yet 3. we say there is often a readiness to miscarry in this form of Petition For ye would consider and examine 1. If it doth not often flow from a mis-informed judgement within and if it hath not a tendency in it to obscure the nature of the unity of the Object of our worship and readily disposing to or flowing from this opinion that praying to the Mediator is not the same that praying to God is as if there were two distinct objects of worship Or 2. If there be not a readiness to consider the person that 's Mediator to be of less Glory and Majesty then the Father and to consider the Father to be of lesse loving kindnesse and tendernesse to sinners then the Son and other things of that kind which move people to put up a suite in such a form which makes it more difficult to keep the thoughts of one Object of worship under such a form then otherwayes Yet 4. we say it may be used by and accepted of God from many that have not that distinctions and clearnesse in the ridding of their thoughts in this Mystery that is requisite because there may be real faith under such a form of words though infirmity in the use-making of Christ's Intercession and God respects that wherever it is And under such a form there may be these two things 1. A Soul-sensibleness that the person hath no accesse to God but through a Mediator 2. A resting on the Mediator for acceptance and where these two are though the form be used it may be accepted although if Faith be though this form be not it mars not the persons acceptation For no question many of the people of God both before Christ came and sometime after had not that distinctness in use-making of the Intercession of Christ as now is holden forth as Christ sayes to his Disciples John 16.24 Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name and Cornelius mentioned Act. 10. and others their prayers were accepted of God though they rested by faith on the Mediator in a more confused dark way and had not that distinctnesse in them of use-making of him which was afterward more clearly revealed And therefore 5. and lastly Though we will not be peremptory in condemning such a form altogether yet we think it largely as safe to abstain from any such form of words in the use-making of Christs intercession as may have in them any appearance of or tendency to the dividing of the Object of our worship or the Mediator from his God-head especially in praying with or for others where it may stumble more then edifie and when it is used it would be very warrily and well guarded remembring alwayes that the improving of Christs Intercession consists more in Faiths resting on it and in making addresse to God through him and according to the usual manner of the Scripture then in any other thing or way whatsoever The 4 thing we proposed to speak a word to was some Practical Doubts or Questions that may puzle some Christians who having observed what hath been spoken on this subject may be ready to think and say That the improving of Christs Intercession is to them a greater mystery then ever it was many times they have prayed and minded it not and when they mind it they are not distinct in their improving of it and they are never like aright to mind it For Answer 1. Ye would look to what is essential to the improving of Christs Intercession and make that sure And if ye ask what it is It takes in these Four which where they are His Intercession is made use of though there may be unclearnesse in many other things 1. That a person pray to God that he be called on and worshipped 2. That our addresses be not founded on any thing in our selves but that there be a renouncing of our own righteousnesse as it was with Daniel Chap. 9.18 We do not present our supplications unto thee for our own righteousness c. 3. That there be a believing of our acceptation through Jesus Christ though there be a distance betwixt God and us yet that there is a way through use-making of Christ to come over that distance and to win at nearnesse to Him And 4. Upon that account to enter our suite and to put up our prayer to God with the one word disclaiming our own righteousnesse and with the other pleading on the account of Gods mercy through Christ as Daniel doth Not for our righteousness but for thy mercies sake and for thy names sake Now I suppose that Souls should not be able to answer several questions about the Object of worship and the way of improving of Christs Intercession yet if they call upon God if they renounce their own righteousnesse not knowing any ground in themselves to lean to or to put up their suite on and make use of Christ for the ground of their acceptance with God and if it were asked them what gives you ground to expect a hearing of your prayers they would answer even the same that gives us ground to expect pardon of Sin and we would never expect to win to either without a Mediator they are amongst them who are improving Chrisâ—s Intercession and such would silence and ush other questions if they be clear in this 2. We answer That there may be a real use making of Christs Intercession and it may be accounted so where there is much indistinctness in the uptaking of it as these instances clear of Cornelius Act. 10. And of the Disciples John 16. who prayed not on the account of their own righteousnesse or of the Covenant of works for they made confession of their sin yet the Mediator and his Intercession was not so distinctly as such considered by them in their so doing For they did not distinctly take up him as Christ sayes Hithereo ye have asked nothing in my name yet there was an actual resting on him by Faith and their prayers were no doubt accepted of God He not being so distinctly known to be the Intercessour as now he is and therefore there is required a more distinct use making of him now and not a resting on him indefinitly but particularly and distinctly He being clearly revealled now to be the Mediator 3. We answer That Believers may sometimes be making use of Christ's Intercession in approaching to God by him and yet they themselves not know distinctly that they are doing so As we see in the Disciples John 14.4 Christ sayes Whether I go ye know and the way ye know And v 6. speaking of coming to the Father by him He sayes I am the way the truth and the life and yet v. 5. Thomas sayes Lord
an hundreth pound Scots ye would not be so secure till ye knew that ye were fred of it And if it be true that this is your Condition by Nature to be under the standing Sentence of the Law and the Curse of God How is it ye never try if ye be come out of that Condition I ask the most Prophane Men among you were ye never under this Sentence If ye say not the word of God will stand up against you and say to you that ye lie falsly and if ye be under it is it not hazardous to be so But I fear that many of you dream that the Curse of God wears away as ye grow up 3dly Think ye never of coming to Judgement and of Gods proceeding in Judgement against you Think ye never that ye will die and after death come to Judgement according to the general appointment past upon all Men How cometh it that ye are not thinking on it and what may be the Judges procedour towards you He will Judge you according to this Word and all that are out of Christ and not Justified by Him will be cast into the Pit of Hell There is no new Sentence to be past or to be executed upon you but that which was standing over your head before 4ly Know ye how long He may treat with you or how long ye may be in Capacity to get your state changed Are there not many taken suddenly away of whose estate we shall not Judge but may it not be so with you why are ye then so secure why decline ye the Word and refuse to let it search you while ye know not whether the Curse be removed and whether the Sentence be changed or recalled Some of you perhaps will say The Lord knows that it is not for us to know And that sayes that ye do never so much as essay to know and to win to clearness about your state Others of you will it may be say that ye hope all will be well and yet that at the best is but a guessing and ye would be loath to speak so of a Decreet that were past against you about a Sum of Money in any poor Court of Judicature on Earth and will ye suffer this terrible Sentence to stand over your head in the Court of Gods Justice and not study to be distinct and at a point upon solid and good grounds that it is repealled If ye did really believe that it was once so with you and that yet ye are in hazard of this Sentence ye would not ye could not I am sure ye should not be at rest till ye knew that it were removed It would put you to make use of Christ in good earnest for your Peace and to seek after an extract of the repealled Sentence and of your Absolution Sealed up in your Bosome And this is the thing that we aim at in all this even that as ye would not have a terrible meeting with God before the Bar of His Justice that ye would seek to have the Curse that ye are naturally lying under removed and to have your peace made with God and to have some well grounded clearness about it that ye might live comfortedly and die with solid confidence and Christian Courage without which ye can do neither SERMON LII ISAIAH LIII XI Vers 11. He shall see of the travell of his soul and shall be satisfied By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities THE way of Absolving a Guilty Sinner in the Justice of God is the great sum and scope of all the Gospel Even to shew how a lost Sinner Obnoxious to the Sentence of a transgrest Law may without prejudice to the Justice of God come to be Justified we are perswaded that there is nothing of greater concernment to Sinners And if we knew our Debt and our Hazard we would think that there is nothing of greater concernment to us in particular The Sum of the Covenant of Redemption runs on this and it is the great thing aimed at in all this Chapter wherein the Prophet lets us see 1. What is the great thing that Satisfies Justice And for this end much hath been spoken of Christs Sufferings and Soul-travel 2. He lets us see what is the benefit that comes to us by Christs Sufferings and that is Justification or Absolution from the guilt of Sin and from the Curse which it deserves 3. He lets us see the way how this benefit is derived And it is by his knowledge This faith He shall be the great result of Christ's Sufferings Many shall be justified And this shall be the way how it shall be derived to these many and that is by his knowledge or by Faith in Him resting on His Righteousnesse and Satisfaction We opened up the meaning of the Words the last day and pointed at two Doctrines from them 1. That all Men and Women have a Judgement to abide before God an Arraignment and Indictment there to which they must answer They must all come to get a Sentence from God 2. That all Men Naturally are lyable to the Sentence of Condemnation This is supposed here For in as far as Sinners are only by Faith in Christ Justified in as far the Sentence of the Law and of the Covenant of Works is standing against them and over their heads who are not by Faith united to Christ Jesus and Justified by His Righteousnesse The 3. Doctrine Which is almost the very Words of the Text that now we intend to speak to is this That although all Men naturally be obnoxious to the Sentence of the Law and to the Curse of God yet there is a way laid down how a Sinner so obnoxious may be Justified and fred from that Sentence and this is by Faith in Jesus Christ only If any Doctrine be of concernment for us to know and to be well and experimentally acquainted with This is of concernment to us By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many There are Three things in this Doctrine implyed which by one and the same labour will be proven and therefore we shall put them together 1. That although all Men be naturally obnoxious to the Wrath and Curse of God yet He hath appointed away how guilty Sinners may be Justified and Absolved 2. That the way of attaining to this benefit of Justification and freedome from the Curse is by Faith in Christs Righteousness It 's by his knowledge saith the Text. 3. That there is no other way by which a Sinner obnoxious to the Curse can be Justified but by Faith in Christ's Righteousnesse allanarly This last branch of the Doctrine sayes not only That there is no other mean to Satisfie Justice but Christs Merit and Satisfaction But that there is no other way but the way of Faith to win to the application of His Satisfaction whereby many Questions may be Answered and many Errors in Doctrine and Practice confuted But our
present purpose is to shew how a guilty Sinner may be Justified And therefore we shall 1. Give you a general view of the Truth of the Doctrine by confirming it from Scripture in all the parts of it 2. We shall â—peak more paticularly to the severall branches of it And 3ly To the way of attaining Justification in the severall Causes of it as it is here holden forth For Confirmation of the General Doctrine ye shall 1. Look upon some Scriptures And 2. To some Grounds of Reason As for the Confirmation of it by Scripture If we look through the Gospel it is Our Lord Jesus Christ His own Doctrine which He preached and the way which He laid down therein for Justifying and saving a Sinner So John 3. Where it is three or four times repeated As v. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have eternal life v. 18. He that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God v. 36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him And v. 14 15. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have eternal life And that is all one as to say he that believes shall be Justified Mark 16.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned These are the terms on which the Apostles are by Christ warranded to preach the Gospel and to make the offer of Life to every Creature And therefore if we look forward to their Preaching we will find it to run in the same sâ—rain A Acts 13.38 39. Be it known unto you therefore men and brethren that through this man is preached unto you the forgivenness of sins and that by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses Where while Paul is summing up the whole Message that he had to deliver he goes upon the same ground And wherein we have these three clearly holden forth 1. That all Mâ—n are lyable as in their Natural Estate to God's Curse and by the Law cannot be Justified 2. That there is a way laid down through Jesus Christ to come by Justification and Remission of Sins 3. That the way how Sinners came by this is Faith in Christ All that believe are justified Look to the Epistles especially these written to the Romans and Galatians Where this question about Justification is exprâ—sly and of purpose handled and we will find that it is the sum of both As Rom. 3. Where having said v. 23 That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God And so that all are lyable to Gods Judgement he subjoyns v. 24. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ Where is the great mean of our Justification and then he adds v. 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood Where we have the mean of Application to wit Faith and Chap. 4.5 To him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness Which place demonstrats this That an ungodly Person taking hold by Faith of Christs Righteousnesse may be and is Justified and Absolved and fred from the guilt of Sin as if he had never Sinned So Gal. 2.15 16. We who are Jews by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles or not without the Covenant as they are Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified Which place shews not only this that through Faith in Christ is Justification and Life to be had but it also excludes all other wayes of Justificâ—tion Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith But that which we are now speaking to is only the positive part of the Doctrine To shew that a Guilty Sinner obnoxious to the Curse May by Faith come to be Justified and made free from the Guilt of Sin and from the Curse as if he had never Sinned nor been under the Curse For further Confirmation of the Doctrine ye would consider these Four Grounds and ye will see from them good reason for it Only remember this That Justification looks alway to a Judicial Procedour as we hinted before Wherein the Lord is as it were on the Throne and the Guilty Sinner at the Bar pleading through Christs Righteousnesse and Satisfaction to be Absolved which is even as if a Debtor were arrested for Debt should plead for a Liberation not because he is not owing the Debt neither because he hath payed the Debt but because his Cautioner hath payed it for him This being supposed and remembred ye would we say consider these Grounds or Reasons for confirming the Doctrine 1. The Sufferings that Christ hath endured and the Satisfaction that He hath made in the Room of Sinners as the next Words hold out For he shall bear their iniquities And v. ult He bare the sin of many Nay this is the great scope of the Chapter Therefore it 's said That he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows and that the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all This makes a Ground of Confirmation 2. Consider How that there is not only a sufficient price payed but there is a Covenant of Redemption warranding Him to pay it and accepting it off His hand as compleat Payment and Satisfaction for the Elects Debt And except there be a look had to this Covenant Faith hath not a sufficient Ground to rest on for Justification through Jesus His Satisfaction because otherwayes we see not a Reason why His Sufferings can be accepted for us For suppose if such a supposition may warrantably be made Christ to have Suffered yet it was free for God to have accepted that as a Satisfaction for our Debt or not But the consideration of the Covenant of Redemption removes that Doubt and gives Faith a Ground to lay hold on Christ's Sufferings as Satisfactory to the Justice of God because in the Covenant of Redemption it 's so transacted and agreed upon betwixt God and the Mediator Therefore the Apostle speaking Heb. 10.8 9. and forward from Psal 40. of this Covenant shews That when Sacrifices and Offerings will not do the turn Christ comes in Saying Lo I come in the volume of thy book it is written of me I delight to do thy