destroyed those that came to apprehend him as he drave them backwards and felled them to the ground John 18.6 to rid himselfe out of the hands of his enemies as he might have done Mat. 26.53 But besides when he came to his answer he doth not so much as plead for himselfe When he doth not so much as plead for himselfe either before the high Priest Mat. 26.63 or afterwards before Pilate Mat. 27 12 14. but as it was foretold of him by the Prophet Isaiah 53.7 stood as a sheepe before the shearer dumbe and opened not his mouth And lastly when he was nailed to the Crosse And breathes out his Soule into his Fathers bosome while his life was yet whole in him he voluntatarily breathed out his Soule into the bosome of his Father as it is evident both in that he was dead a good space before the two theeves that were crucified with him whereas by reason of the strength of the naturall constitution of his body he might have subsisted under those torments longer thē they And besides by yeelding up his life when it was yet whole in him as it evidently appeared by that lowd cry which he uttered at the very instant of his death as is testified Mark 15.37 39. Luk. 23.46 All which are undeniable evidences of our Saviours voluntary resigning up and laying down his life by the wil of his Father for his peoples sins The third and last circumstance in our Saviours Passion which the Evangelists lay down before us is that without which the rest had been of little worth that his sufferings were both reall and sufficient And for the former of these That Christs Sufferings were reall is cleared that they were reall and not feigned appeares evidently by the whole narration of our Saviours buffeting scourging and crucifying at last and by his death which followed thereupon By the souldiers who found him dead and therefore forbare to breake his legs By the wound which they gave him in his side By the Centurions Certificate to Pilate of his death By his buriall The truth whereof is sufficiently testified sundry wayes First the Souldiers forbare to breake our Saviours legs because they saw apparently that he was already dead Iohn 19.30.33 Secondly it appears by the wound which the Souldiers gave him in his side which pierced his very heart as appeared by the water which issued out of the wound Thirdly by the Certificate which was given in to Pilate by the Centurion that he had bin a good while dead Marke 15.44 45. Fourthly by the buriall of his body by Ioseph of Arimathea Mat. 27.60 together with the preparations which the women made to embalme it Luke 23.56 And Lastly by the watch which the chiefe Priests and Pharisees set about his grave to prevent the stealing away of his body by his Disciples Mat. 27.66 It is true That they were sufficient that those divers torments and death at last yea the most cruell painfull and accursed of all deaths the death of the Crosse which our blessed Saviour endured in his body were but a part of that debt Appeares not only by his death part of the punishment of sinne which we ought unto God for sinne and which as our surety he tooke upon him to satisfie for us For the death outward paines of the body were neitheral nor the greatest part of that curse which was brought upon man by sinne The heaviest weight of the wrath of God lay upon his soul So that it was needfull But besides by his suffering in Soule that the Soul of Christ also should beare the wrath of God and be made an offering for our sin as was foretold Isa 53.10 The Evangelists therefore are very carefull to set before us the pangs and anguish of our Saviours Soule So great that himselfe professeth his Soul was heavy to the death That it caused him to sweat great drops of blood the agonies whereof were such that himselfe professed that his Soul was heavy to the death Mat. 26.38 and the violence thereof so great that he did sweat great drops of blood which fell from him to the ground Luke 22.44 So that we cannot conceive that a person of so incomparable fortitude as our Saviour was could have so deep an impression made upon his Soule by any other thing then by the sense of his Fathers wrath wherewith he wrestled in that conflict God withholding from him at that time And to cry out upon the Crosse My God my God c. the comfort of his favour as himselfe implies when he cries out in the anguish of his Spirit upon the Crosse My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Mat. 27.46 That such speeches and such effects could proceed from no other cause then the sense of his Fathers wrath So that he might truly say that work of our Redemption was finished and the debt fully paied cannot be denied In what manner or measure he felt it is too much vanity and curiosity to enquire It is enough unto us that it was so much as God accepted in full satisfaction for our debt which also our Saviour himselfe seems to imply in the words uttered immediately before his death It is finished Iohn 19.30 He meanes both his Sufferings and the price of our Redemption This work of mans Redemption discovers 1. Gods unconceiveable love to man This great and glorious work of God in Redeeming and Reconciling himselfe to the world by the blood of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ discovers unto us in the first place such a measure of Gods unspeakable and unconceivable love to man as passeth all knowledge to use the Apostles phrase Eph. 3.19 Secondly 2. His wonderfull Wisdome it gives an evidence of his wonderfull and infinite wisdome in devising and finding out a meanes by which that holy God who will by no meanes pardon the guilty Exod. 34.7 might yet without any empeachment unto his Justice at all pardon sinnes yea more then that might admit men into an holy Communion fellowship with himself being before enemies and by sinne wholly separated from him by joyning God and man together in the person of his Sonne who assuming unto himself our nature 3. His mighty Power thereby came Emanuel God with us Mat. 1.23 Thirdly herein God manifests his wonderfull power not only in spoyling Principalities and Powers and triumphing over them Col. 2.15 but besides in conquering death by dying and leading captivity captive by becomming a Captive unto those whom he subdued wholly and triumphed over in his Crosse Fourthly 4. His infinite Justice God made known his Justice and Holinesse in the hatred of sinne when he spared not his owne Sonne when he became our surety and tooke our sinnes upon him but would bruise him and put him to griefe when he made his Soule an offering for sinne though himselfe had done no violence neither was any deceit found in his mouth
effectuall work of grace yet there may ensue by the knowledge of the ways of godlinesse some restraint from evill and the practise of some good duties as Herod did many things upon Iohn Baptists preaching Mark 6.20 though he were far from effectuall reformation SECT I. The description of a spirituall man A Spirituall man is a member of Christ A spirituall man is 1. A member of Christ endowed by his Spirit with an habituall power to comprehend and embrace all things spiritually We call him a member of Christ because he becomes such an one in the very instant of his regeneration being united to him by the Spirit of sanctification For seeing there is no fountain of life but God alone nor any means of conveighing it to us but onely by Christ especially the life of grace Iohn 5.26 who therefore cals himself the life Iohn 14.6 and with whom our life is hid in God Col. 3.3 we cannot receive this spirituall life any way but by our union with him Wherefore every regenerate person is said to abide in Christ Iohn 15.4 to live in him Gal. 2.20 to dwell in him Eph. 3.17 to be a member of his body 1 Cor. 12.27 to be quickned in him Eph. 2.5 to be created in him Eph. 2.10 to bee nourished and encrease in him Col. 2.19 So evident a truth it is that every regenerate person is made a member of that body whereof Christ is the head This person thus made a member of Christ 2. By his Spirit abiding in him hath the same spirit by which he is united unto Christ continually flowing unto him from him who is the head and fountain of life and quickning him with that habituall power which enableth him to do all things spiritually A power it must be to distinguish it from those acts of illumination wrought sometimes in unregenerate men as in Balaam Num. 23.5 24.15 16. and Saul 1 Sam. 10.10 whereby they have some light at present and remain afterwards in darknesse like the Air illightened by the Sun which retains that light no longer then the Sun shines into it because it hath no fountain of light in it self whereas a regenerate man hath an anointing abiding in him 1 Iohn 2.27 a mind to know God 1 Iohn 5.21 We call this power habituall 3. And planting in him a spirituall ability wanting a fitter name to expresse it because it abides constantly in him that receives it as habits doe in those that have them from which notwithstanding it differs because habits are partly and sometimes wholly acquired by use and often practise whereas this is not gotten but infused And besides this cannot be lost as naturall habits may but abides for ever Iohn 14.16 as flowing to him that enjoys it from the never-failing springs of Gods all-sufficiency and immutability and conveighed unto him and continued by the infallible means of his inseparable union with Christ by the eternall Spirit We tearm it for distinctions sake a power or ability though in proper speech names of natural things cannot in all things expresse or fit those which are spirituall Called a seed The Scriptures tearm it a seed 1 Iohn 3.9 as being indeed the beginning of spirituall renovation from which it grows and encreaseth to farther perfection sometimes they tearm it a spring or fountain A spring or fountain as Iohn 4.14 yeelding a lasting supply of grace as a fountain doth of water sometimes from the Authour from whom it is derived The life of Christ Aspirituall principle the life of Christ 2 Cor. 4.10 11. There are that call it a spirituall principle and that is the name that we shall most frequently use in the ensuing discourse What name soever we give it we may not conceive it to be a new faculty added unto those which are in men by nature A man when he is regenerate hath no more faculties in his soul then he had before he was regenerate Which is no faculty added to those which are naturall But a natural faculty altered Only in the work of regeneration those abilities which the man had before are improved and receive a farther strength to comprehend and work spiritually as they did naturally before regeneration Thus our bodies in the resurrection from the dead shall have no more nor other parts then they have at present onely those which are now naturall shall then be made by the power of God spirituall 1 Cor. 15.44 But a more lively resemblance of this change in the faculties of the soul And brought under the government of the Spirit in this work of regeneration we may discern in those naturall and sensitive faculties which we have common with beasts For they having no higher principle then sense use them sensually but a man enjoying the same faculties under the command of a reasonable soul useth them rationally So happens it in a regenerate man his understanding will and affections which when they had no other command but reason had no more but rationall operations now being under the guiding of the Spirit of Christ ruling in him work spiritually Hence it is that a regenerate man every where in Scripture is said to walk after the Spirit Rom. 8.1 to be led by the Spirit Gal. 5.18 to walk in the Spirit ver 25. This principle of spirituall life Which is the root of spiritual habits improperly so called planted in a regenerate person by his union with Christ is the fountain or root of all those habits of spirituall grace which are severally distinguished by the names of faith hope love fear c. although to speak properly Properly onely diversifications of the actings of that spirituall principle they are but the diversifications of the actings of that spirituall principle within us distinguished by these names which withall after the manner of naturall habits are much encreased and strengthned by the use and much exercise of them and are as much weakned by disuse and neglect of exercise Out of that which hitherto hath been spoken we may see that a regenerate man hath in him these three things First a principle of spirituall life Secondly spirituall habits of faith hope love fear c. which flow or spring from that principle Lastly spirituall motions and operations according to those habits The manner of giving or planting this spirituall principle in a regenerate man 4. Given by way of infusing or shedding we expresse by the tearm of endowing now that wholly excludes all working or endeavours of men in gaining it as indeed it must be acknowledged to be Gods gift Iohn 3.10 In a more strict signification it is called infusing or pouring in or out as that phrase is applyed Ioel 2.28 and Acts 2.35 to expresse the large and plentifull bestowing of the gift of tongues as it is in other places to signifie the like manner of giving other spirituall graces which the Apostle affirms God shed on us abundantly through Christ Tit.
by it to direct our practise and tender it unto God as a duty required and commanded in his owne law For which end both our Saviour Christ himself and the Apostles also after him even then when both the Judiciall and Ceremoniall laws were abolished yet upon all occasions presse the observation of the Morall Law And is therefore urged in the very letter of it by the Apostles and that too in all the duties thereof and that by vertue and from the letter of the commandement it self Rom. 13.8 9. Ephes 6.2 James 2.10 11. As for those who because the Apostle encourageth us to obedience Object 1 because we are not under the law but under grace Rom. 6.14 We are not under the Law but under Grace plead that we are therefore now no more under the command and rule of the law they mistaking the end and scope at which the Apostle aims put a sense upon his words Answer It is only an encouragement to mortifie our lusts which the Law forbade but brought us no power to subdue as Grace doth which he never intended For he makes use of this Position in that place only as a strong motive to encourage us to resist sin and not to suffer it to reigne in our mortall bodies to obey it in the lusts thereof Rom. 6.12 because we have now under the Gospel power to master and means to obtain victory over it which we may be assured of upon this ground that we are not under the Law which indeed forbids sin but in the mean time furnishing us with no power to resist it by the corrupt inclination of our rebellious spirits rather awakens and quickens our corrupt lusts by restraining them then subdues them but under Grace and consequently under the government of the Spirit which supplies us with ability to resist sinfull motions and to conform to the law that our thoughts may be brought under the obedience of Christ which the law of it self could not give us So that by that Spirit we have the fear of God planted in our hearts that we shall not depart from him Jer. 32.40 Yea but will some object the Apostle tels us Object 2 We are no longer under a School-master Gal. 3.14 15. that the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ but after faith is come we are no longer under a school-master To which we answer that the Apostle intending in that place to prove against those who pressed the observation of the law to establish their own righteousnesse for the obtaining of eternall life Rom. 10.3 and laying before himself this scope to make it evident that there can be no justification by the works of the law but only by the righteousnesse of faith because for want of ability to fulfill the law perfectly in every point vvhich is impossible to us through the vveaknesse of the flesh Rom. Answer 8.3 we are so far from being justified by it that it leaves us under a curse he takes in hand and hath just occasion to make it appear that one speciall use of the law is to drive us unto Christ The morall law drives to Christ for justistification in which respect he is said to be the end of the law to those that believe Rom. 10.3 Which is true indeed even of the Morall Law especially if we take in with it the promises and threats annexed thereunto vvhereof neither the one can be obtained nor the other escaped but by Christ alone But the Apostle speaks there of the ceremoniall law especially But in this place the Apostle especially points at the ceremoniall lavv vvhich under types and shadows represented Christ unto that Church of the Jewes vvhich now by the coming of the body of vvhom they were shadows are vvholly taken away Now whereas the same Apostle tels us 1 Tim. 1.9 Object 3 that the Law is not made for a righteous man The law is not made for a righteous man he meanes not that the Law was not made for such a man for his direction to be the rule of his life but seeing a just man voluntarily submits to the Law both desires endavours to walk according to it Answer that man needs not the Law as a bridle True as a bâ—idle because he hath a stronger means to hold him in a sanctified spirit within him to hold him in by way of restraint because he is kept within his bounds by his own spirit which inclines in it selfe unto Gods Testimonies Psal 119.112 chooseth the way of his Truth v. 99. vowes to keepe Gods judgements ver 106. makes them his desight ver 143. and finds delight in them ver 103. and therefore having within himselfe a principle that enforceth more strongly to the duties of obedience then the terrors of any law can doe the law in that respect is not given to a righteous man who is a law unto himselfe and yet so that he guides himselfe by the rule of that Law alone Psal 119.24 105. But as he adds in the words that follow it is made for the lawlesse and disobedient and the like who need this Law both as a bridle to keepe them within their bounds by the terrors thereof and besides as a Judge to condemne them for their disobedience when they become transgressors and walke contrary thereunto It is true indeed Christ indeed freed us from the ceremonial Law that from the Ceremoniall law we are wholly freed by the comming of Christ into the world who is the body of those shadowes and it is as true that the Judiciall law is likewise made void to us And Judiciall as being given to the Iewes as such a State not as a Church and therefore cannot be continued not only because the State of the Iews to which it was given is and was shortly after Christs Ascension dissolved but besides because the Church being spred over so many different Nations and States it was impossible for them all to be grounded by the same rules of civill Policy Not from the Morall But for the Morall Law seeing it sets down rules of governing a man as a man it is communicable to all men of what Nation soever and is therefore universally and perpetually to be observed Notwithstanding even concerning that Law we gaine ease and reliefe by Christ three waies by which that yoke if we think fit so to tearme it is made easie unto us although to speake truly the Commandements in themselves are not grievous as the Apostle testifies 1 Iohn 5.2 First therefore we are by Christ freed from the rigour and curse of the Law Christ also hath freed us from the curse of that Law which required of us full and exact obedience thereunto in all things and that under the penalty of an everlasting curse to rest for ever upon our bodies and soules if we failed in the least duty required therein as it is denounced Deut. 27.26 Now Christ being
as the originall corruption and Propension of the heart thereunto with all the evill thoughts and motions of the minde that flow from thence are forbidden Thus our Saviour interprets murther to reach not only to the outward violence done to the person of our neighbour but to the hating of them inwardly in the heart yea even to rash and unadvised anger towards him And he extends adultery as far as the lusting after a woman in ones heart Mat. 5.22 28. In the Third place take speciall notice of the names which God gives unto every sinne forbidden in the Law 3. We must judge of sins as God in his Law judgeth of them anger is murther lust adultery c. by which we may easily judge both how God himselfe values it and how he would have us to value it As in the sixth Commandement where he forbids anger and malice he calls them murther In the seventh where he forbids lust and wantonnesse he calls them adultery In the eight where he forbids idlenesse fraud mercilesnesse to the poore he names them all theft Now God we know is the only impartiall Judge of all things and we are sure he speakes of things as he iudgeth of them and consequently seeing he calls the thoughts and motions to sinne by the names of the acts of it we learne so to judge of our sins not as the world judgeth of them but as they are weighed out unto us by the balance of the Sanctuary not small and scarce worthy the observation but foule and abominable Thus whereas men think vaine thoughts scarce worthy the least censure David hates them Psal 119.113 and whereas we take no notice of idle words our Saviour tells us we shall answer to God for them Mat. 12.36 This valuing and esteeming of sinne according to the foulnesse of it as it is just in it selfe so is it of singular use unto us as well to make sinne so hatefull unto us Which will move us 1. To tremble at motions to sinne that we may flie from it as from a Serpent trembling at every motion or allurement thereunto as also to bring us to an abhorring and loathing of our selves Ezek. 36.31 2. Loath our selves 3. To esteem and embrace Christ and lastly to raise up our hearts to an high esteem of Jesus Christ hungring and thirsting after him and admiring and adoring the riches of Gods mercy in giving him out of his free love to be a meanes of purchasing our peace and taking away from us the guilt of so many foule and abominable transgressions A Fourth direction for the making a right use of the Morall Law Rule 4 is to consider the force and weight of every Commandement thereof 1. In respect of the authority all Commandements are equall wherein we are to take speciall notice of three things First that in respect of the authority that commands all the Laws are equall as S. James tels us 2. In respect of the object the Commandements of the first Table are groatest James 2.11 upon which ground he infers in the same place that whosoever offends by transgressing of any one of these Laws is guilty of the breach of all the rest because he offends against that authority by which all those Laws are established In the second place in respect of the objects of the duties commanded in that Law the Commandements of the first Table are of grcatest importance according to our Saviours owne determination Mat. 22.38 because the services therein required are more immediately directed unto God and consequently his honour is more immediately concerned in them then in the duties of the second Table in the observing whereof although we honour and serve God yet our services therein are immediately directed to men Consequently infidelity love feare and dependence on the creature we are to abhorre as the sins of the highest nature by which above all others God is most dishonored although the world judge of them farre otherwise Lastly 3. The negative binds more strongly then the affirmative the negative Commandements bind us more strongly then the affirmative in this respect because the negative oblige us alwaies and to all times as a man is not to commit Idolatry to blaspheme Gods name c. at any time whereas the affirmative Commandements although they bind us alwaies yet they bind us not to all times as though one is still bound to pray heare c. yet he is not found to perform them at all times Fifthly Rule 5 although we find not the promises of rewards and mercy The promises and curses belong to every Law although they be not expressed and threatnings of wrath and vengeance expressed in every Commandement and annexed thereunto yet that which we find expresly set down in some of the Laws we must understand and conceive to belong to the rest of the Laws in which there is no such thing expressed even a curse denounced against every one that confirmes not all the words of the Law that is every Commandement and every duty required in any one of them to doe them And a blessing promised to the keeping and yeelding obedience to the whole Law Both which we must not limit as some doe to outward and temporary blessings And are not only temporary but spirituall and eternal and curses but must extend beyond them to those which are spirituall and eternall even the powring out of the full measure of the wrath of God upon the body and soule of every person who is a transgressour of the Law and that to all eternity and the rewarding of every man that yeelds sincere and constant obedience in every thing which the Law requires with all manner of blessings upon soule and body for evermore Sixthly Rule 6 all those premises of blessings and threats of curses Yet they must not be the ground of obedience be annexed to the whole Law yet our ground of yeelding obedience to that Law must not be so much either the hope of the one or feare of the other although by reason of the infirmity of the flesh both for the awing and quickening of our hearts we may make profitable use of both But subjection to the authority that commands with the Prophet David Psal 119.120 166. as the submitting of our selves to the righteous and holy will of God whose we are wholly and therefore owe unto him all that we can doe with our best abilities whence the Psalmist presents his earnest request unto God to teach him to doe his will Psal 143.10 that is both what God wills and because he wills it And the way to interest our selves in Gods Promises is as the Apostle tells us Heb. 10.36 The doing of his will Indeed as the Lord is our God by the strongest and justest of all titles both because we are his creatures and beyond that his redeemed ones so the manifesting of his will unto us either in his Law what he would have