is God as well as Man The Hypostatical union of the two natures in Christ is the Foundation of our spiritual and mystical union to God God and his Creature Man meet in Christ the Mediator We must not understand our union to Christ so grosly as if we were Deified I abhor that blasphemous Famelistical Notion of our being Christed and Godded no the new Creature in its nearest union and highest communion with God is but a Creature and never will be more nothing that is infinite eternal and uncreated can in its immensity enter into us but we may enter into it hence the Saints are said to enter into life Mat. 18. 8. Mat. 19. 17. As a Barrel cast into the Sea is in the fulness of the Sea tho the fulness of the Sea be not in the Barrel 't is filled according to its Capacity and can hold no more So is the life of Christ derived to us by gradual Communications in a way of influence from Christ the Fountain of life we live because he lives who hath life in himself and is a quickning Spirit in us certainly great things are intended by and implied in our union to Christ I remember a late eminent Divine now in Glory expresses it thus That provided we keep below the Hypostatical union of the two natures in Christ we cannot ascend too high in our thoughts and conceptions of the mystical union between Christ and his Members all that is below the hypostatical union may be allowed to this So that I would not have any interpret our union to Christ and communion with him into so low a sense as not to apprehend how Believers by vertue of their union to Christ stand in a nearer relation to God than the Angels do whose Nature Christ took not I say Believers are under a more special immediate influence of the eternal Spirit their life is hid with Christ in God and will be better understood by us in Heaven than it is here on Earth though we should be studying it more and more I am sorry to see the most spiritual expressions of the Gospel sealed up as it were by a common short exposition of them that goes with most for the full sense of the Text it contains it may be truth but not all the truth or at least does not fully express all the truth 't is looked upon as very unsafe to put a further and higher construction upon the words than others has done before though they will bear it I think while we keep within the Analogy of Faith not wounding any vital part or fundamental Principle of Religion nor wresting the Scriptures to a forced sense we may admit any farther light that shines through the word unto us waiting upon God to lead us by his Spirit further and further into the knowledge of the truth as 't is in Jesus that our light may shine out into the perfect day Christ being thus qualified for his Office is 1. Called the Messenger or Angel of the Covenant Mal. 3. 1. Because he does declare and interpret the terms of the Covenant between God and Man as Moses did Exod. 20. 19. Deut. 5. 5 27. In this he was a type of Christ Deut. 18. 15 18 19. Therefore Christ as Mediator is referred to in the Old Testament Isa. 7. 14. Isa. 8. 8. 2. The Angel absolutely Exod. 23. 20. 3. The Angel of his Face or Presence Isa. 63. 9. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 John 2. 1. An advocate The Holy Ghost has the same name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 John 14. 16. 26. Because as Christ makes intercession for us above his Spirit makes intercession in us here Rom. 8. 26. God is in Christ reconciling the World unto himself if ever we meet with God in peace it must be in and through this great Mediator Jesus Christ. 5. What are those special Mediotory acts that Christ puts forth CHAP. V. Of Christ's Mediatory Acts. WHAT are those special Mediatory Acts that Christ puts forth Some proper to his Prophetical some to his Priestly and some to his Kingly Office To his Prophetical Office 1. To know and rightly to state the case between God and Man 2. To propose and declare the terms of the Agreement between God and Man contained in the New Covenant To his Priestly Office 1. To make satisfaction in order to our Redemption 2. To make intercession for us by Arguments drawn from that satisfaction To his Kingly Office 1. To Protect and Govern his Church defending it against all the sworn Enemies of it 2. To give Rules Laws and Ordinances to his Church for the avoiding of all Will-Worship But I shall not tye my self to this Method But speak of Christ's Mediatory Acts. First As Mediating with God for us Secondly As Mediating with us on God's behalf 1. As Mediating with God for us 1. By giving satisfaction to his Father's Justice He undertook this as our Surety Heb. 7. 22. Heb. 10. 7. And actually performed this Undertaking 1 Tim. 2. 6. Mat. 20. 28. John 10. 15. To give satisfaction is tantum facere quantum satis est Christ as a Priest offering himself up to death for us was one of the chiefest acts of his Mediation that he might take away the guilt of sin bur this was not all for as our Mediator he puts forth a further act viz. 2. By promising to sanctify us to free us from the filth of sin Eph. 5. 25 26 27. He shews there that Christ upon giving himself for the Church laid himself under Engagements to sanctifie and cleanse it here the law of the spirit of life in Christ makes us free from the law of sin and death Rom. 8. 2. Thus Christ by himself purges our sins Heb. 1. 3. 3. By making Intercession for us 1. On Earth John 17. 9. 20. I pray for them and for all that shall believe on me through their word 2. In Heaven Heb. 9. 24. Rom. 8. 34. 1 John 2. 1. Heb. 7. 25. He ever lives to make Intercession for us 't is continual Intercession should it cease but for a Moment we should be in great danger therefore Christ is continually representing in Heaven what he has done and suffered for us in the flesh 2. As Mediating with us on God's behalf Christ as Mediator came about the Father's business Luk. 2. 49. And deals with us Prodigals about our returning to our Heavenly Father 1. By declaring the Father's Will to us John 1. 18. John 6. 38 39 40. John 17. 8 14. 2. By applying his Merits in the efficacy of them unto us The son quickneth whom he will John 5. 21. If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the deatb of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Rom. 5. 10. There is a mighty Power in the Death and Resurrection of Christ Phil. 3. 10. Rom. 6. 3 4 5. When we are planted in the likeness of both we shall then as Branches abiding in
is really in us we must needs be in him there is a mutual in-being in each other John 17. 21. That they may be all one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they may be one in us This is meant not of a Personal but of a Mystical Union a Spiritual Union Christ letting in the Virtue the Power of his Resurrection upon us Tit. 2. 14. 1 Pet. 1. 18. so purging our hearts from corruption and redeeming us from our vain conversation Secondly Christ must be in us because Christ hath much to do within us He hath a kingdom to set up Luke 17. 21. Many strong holds of Satan to pull down the strong man to cast out many lusts and corruptions to mortifie many Graces to raise up and strengthen He sanctifies us throughout not only in Body but in Mind and Spirit and therefore he must deal inwardly with us He takes away an heart of stone and gives an heart of flesh and this is inward work The Spirit of Christ strives with our Spirits about this deals with the hearts of men to turn them unto himself Many Checks many Calls many Pangs many Throws before Christ be formed in us Gal. 2. 19. He is a Jew who is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter Rom. 2. 29. This inward man is renewed and strengthned day by day by Christ living in us Gal. 2. 20. comp with 2 Cor. 4. 16. Tho Christ hath done much without us in dying for us yet if he did not come into us by his Spirit we should be little the better for all he hath done without us Christ is a Saviour out of us by his Merit and in us by the Virtue and Efficacy of his Spirit He makes a powerful entrance at our first Conversion he creates new Principles by which he works further and further upon the heart till he hath reduced it to perfect conformity to himself Now here may come in a Query Possibly some may say Could not Christ have done all within us What need he do any thing without us Might he not come and live in us without dying for us Might he not enter in the Soul and sanctifie us though he had not first suffered outwardly for us I answer No 1. Because the Justice of God had been then unsatisfied God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost were all unsatisfied They could have nothing to do with fallen Man in a way of Mercy till Satisfaction was made to Divine Justice 2. Supposing such a Sanctification man must be damned notwithstanding for his former sins Now no man will be at the pains to wash and cleanse a Vessel that must presently be broken in pieces and thrown away What Christ did in Person in our Nature without us that he doth Spiritually in our Hearts As he suffered on the Cross for us truly so he suffers much in us and by us meets with much opposition from in-dwelling Corruption The Fight of Faith is great and long even to our lives end our Warfare is not accomplished till then Tho Christ hath satisfied the Law and Justice of God in dying for us yet the same power must be put forth to make us believe this as in raising up Christ from the dead Christ meets with a Legal Conscience in every man that will not readily admit of the Grace of God till it be over-powered by the Spirit of Christ and sprinkled with his Blood It is a mighty work of Divine Power to bring over a trembling convinced sinner to trust in Christ for the Pardon of all his Sins There are many carnal Reasonings against this many thoughts and imaginations that do with a great deal of confidence exalt themselves against the Mystery of God's Grace in Christ. Now all these Thoughts must be brought into Captivity to the Obedience of Christ And this is a mighty work of Divine Power like levelling of Mountains and breaking Rocks asunder giving hearts of Flesh that may take in Impressions of God's Love to us in Christ and thankfully accept of Eternal Life as the Free Gift of God When it pleases God to open the wonderful Mysteries of his Grace to us by shining into our hearts he doth at last fully convince us of that which we could never believe before Were there more of this inward Religion among us more of the Power and Efficacy of the Gospel experienced in the hearts of Professors the savour of it would be much stronger in our lives Christ within makes every thing in the Soul bow down before him Let us not then keep at a distance from Christ but gather up nearer and nearer to him by Faith till we are united and joined to the Lord in one Spirit and then the Power of Christ will rest upon us 2 Cor. 12. 11. We shall be strengthned with might in our inward man Eph. 3. 16 17. It must needs be so if Christ be in us How strong is the Devil in the hearts of Wicked Men How doth he rage and rule in the children of disobedience Eph. 2. 2. Let Satan enter into Iudas what bold Attempts doth he make upon his Master How ready to betray him Thus when the Devil is in men how mad are they How doth he hurry them on to all manner of Wickedness till Christ who is stronger than this strong man enters in and binds him casting him forth Matt. 12. 25. Unconverted men act like so many mad-men the Devil is in them Satan reigns in them and it will never be otherwise till Christ comes into them The Power of Satan's Kingdom is founded in the Darkness of our Minds and when one beam of Saving Gospel-Light shines in upon us we are turned from the Power of Satan unto God the whole Soul is subjected to him every rebellious Thought is captivated to the Obedience of Christ. Till we feel Christ thus living in us we know not where we are nor what our state is If Christ be not in you I am sure you are not in Christ and what the sad consequence of that is you may see Ephes. 2. 12. At that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise without God in the world having no Hope But Christ in us is our Hope of Glory CHAP. III. I Shall now draw both Parts of the Text into one Doctrinal Observation which is plainly this That Christ in us is our Hope of Glory or Christ dwelling in our hearts by Faith now is the only sure ground and foundation of our Hope of Glory hereafter And therefore 1 Tim. 1. 1. Christ is called our Hope Why he is so called and how our Hope is grounded upon him I am now to shew 1. From the Nature of Faith by which we receive Christ. And 2. From the Object of Faith Christ received or Christ in us I shall shew you How Faith by receiving
of Glory because Christ without us is now personally in Heaven And if since his Ascension and Glorification he is pleased to descend down into us by his Spirit and dwell in us this is a sure sign he intends to bring us to the same place of Glory with himself Christ was to bring many sons to glory Heb. 2. 7. And he sends his Spirit as an earnest to assure us of this The Spirit never quite leaves that soul into whom he once comes He abides with us for ever John 14. 16. He comes to take possession for Christ he enters in in his name he sets his mark upon the Soul casts out the Devil seals up the Soul for Christ Thou art mine saith the Spirit of Christ The Spirit it self bears witness with our spirits that we are the children of God Rom. 8. 16. Saints are sensible of this and do give themselves unto the Lord As Christ gives himself unto the Saints so they give themselves unto the Lord. My beloved is mine and I am his they do mutually own each other And this is the happy day of our Espousals we are married unto the Lord and he is become an husband to us and ever after we dwell comfortably together in Love Brethren If we set our minds to know these things the Spirit will shew us out of the Word what Christ is now doing for us in Heaven That he is gone to prepare a place for us John 14. 2. To make intercession for us Rom. 8. 34. He is entred in for us as a forerunner Heb. 6. 20. that we may follow after He will come again and receive us to himself John 14. 3. We shall partake of his glory Joh. 17. 22. We shall sit down with him on his Throne Rev. 3. 21. These are good grounds of Hope we should seriously weigh and consider these things we should ponder them well in our hearts Some apply themselves with great earnestness to outward Duties of Religion Others they study the Controversial part and rest in an Orthodox Judgment in the bare knowledge of the Truth And may be neither the one nor the other do attend to the acting of their Faith upon Christ which only brings down Religion to our selves engages our Hearts and Consciences in it And I am sure till then let our Profession and Knowledge be what it will we are not real Christians in the sight of God Christ is not in us of a truth I see many Professors wrapt up close in their several Forms crying Lo here and Lo there each one contending for his own Opinion pleasing themselves with their different ways and methods of outward Devotion Here they rest and are no further concerned in Religion than to join to such or such a Party going under such or such a Name We may see many Professorts of all sorts and forms walking softly to Hell talking of Christ all the way they go This is Truth This is Gospel This is the Protestant Religion This and that is a good Sermon And yet it is visible that the most important Truths of the Gospel have not that weight with them as they should They do not carry on the grand design of their Profession They don't live and walk as if they really believed what they so solemnly profess This is the Charge I have against the Professors of this Age I am afraid of them I am afraid of you I am afraid of my self Let every one examine himself If you know these things happy are ye if you do them Let us either resolve to live up to our Christian Principles or lay aside that Name to live by which we deceive both our selves and others Let us lay aside all Hope of Salvation by Christ or study Christ more who is the only sure Ground and Foundation of our Hope of Glory CHAP. IV. THAT I may take occasion to look a little further into the Text I shall put this Query from the running of the Words as they lye before us Christ in us our Hope of Glory The Query is this If Christ be in us can we hope for any thing more If Christ be ours all is ours How then can Christ in us beget Hope of any thing further Is there any thing more than Christ Can Christ be nearer to us than to be within us Is any thing beyond Christ Any thing more desirable than Christ One would think that Christ in us should compleat our Fruition and not lead out our Souls to a Hope and Expectation of something else This is the Query I answer We must distinguish between the Spiritual and Personal Presence of Christ Christ is present with us in Spirit here but he will be personally present with us in Glory hereafter It is a great deal more or as the Apostle speaks far better for us to be with Christ that is with his Glorified Person than for Christ to be in us now by his Spirit This is in order to that to fit us for himself and to make us meet for the inheritance of the saints in light All is ours if Christ be ours All ours How Not in hand not in full possession but only in Hope in the account and reckoning of Faith all is made over and secured to us our Title is firm and good to the whole Inheritance and all that God hath promised but still the Inheritance is reserved 1 Pet. 1. 4. We are not yet entred into it are not yet invested with all that belongs to us God hath begun a good work here which he will not finish till the Resurrection Our Grace lies in the Spiritual Presence of Christ in us here our Glory lies in the Personal Presence of Christ with us in Heaven hereafter We must speak of these things as men and you must bear with our infirmity and with the weakness of our expression I beseech you consider what I am now saying The Glorified Person of Christ will not bear that which the Spirit of Christ bears now in the Saints The Spirit comes to sanctifie us comes where Sin is and casts it out Tho the Spirit never mingles with our Sins yet the Spirit will hold Communion with those in whom Sin dwells which the Glorified Person of Christ will not No unclean thing shall enter Heaven We must not think to come so near to the Person of Christ till we are perfectly sanctified We must be without spot or blemish or wrinkle or any such thing before we can have immediate Fellowship with the Father and the Son in Glory The Presence of the Spirit now tho it be an inward intimate Presence yet it is but a mediate Presence through the Word through Gospel-Ordinances But the mutual Presence of God and the Saints with each other in Heaven is an immediate Presence face to face We had need have no spot upon our face then but be throughly washed and cleansed that no filth may be found in our skirts Christ hath espoused us now by his Spirit to
to manifest the Name of God to his Elect Joh. 17. 6. to tell us all things relating to our salvation Joh. 4. 25. Therefore let us hear him Mat. 17. 5. by Christ Angels have a clearer knowledge of God Eph. 3. 1. He is seen of Angels as the Redeemer of the World and he only gives us understanding of those truths that lead unto Eternal Life 1 Joh. 5. 20. He is the way the truth and the life no man comes unto the Father but by him Joh. 14. 6. 4. What it is to know God in Christ Of this only in general to make way to the last Head which I shall more enlarge upon He that knows Christ to be God knows God in Christ this needs no proof But what is it know Christ to be God Answer To own him to be the Eternal Son of God When do we own him as such Ans. when we acknowledge him to be indeed the Christ the Saviour of the world Joh. 4. 42. Trusting in him for the Pardon of Sin Jer. 31. 34. They shall all know me from the least to the greatest saith the Lord for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more Till we know God to be a God of Forgiveness casting our selves by Faith upon Christ for the pardon of our Sins we do not savingly know the Lord. To know in the sense of the Text includes in it Faith Love and Approbation Faith in the Truth Love to the Truth and a hearty Approbation of the Truth which we profess to know testifying all this by our ready subjection and obedience to it As to know is to love and approve Psal. 1. 6. So not to know is to disallow to disown to disapprove to hate that which I do I allow not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 7. 15. I know not and therefore know not because I allow not I hate it So the Lord said to the foolish Virgins Mat. 25. 12. I know you not i. e. I do refuse reject and condemn you So Joh. 17 25. The World is said not to know the Father because they rejected that Revelation which he made of himself in Christ The Galatians in their Pagan state are said not to know God Gal 4. 8. some knowledge of God they had by the creatures but none in Christ and therefore are said not to know God This saving-knowledge of God in Christ is altogether Spiritual and lies in the spâ—cial light of Faith discerning the God-head of Christ and therefore inclining us to trust in the Merits of his Precious Blood for the Pardon of all our Sins 'T is a very gross corrupt Interpretation of that Text 2 Cor. 5 16. that the Lutheran Divines give Tho we have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we him no more i. e. say they in favour of their Ubiquity Tho we have known him as a Body circumscribed and limited to a certain place while on earth yet since his Ascention we know him so no more but suppose a Corporeal Ubiquity by virtue of his Divine Glorified Person which is in effect to deny the Truth of his Human Nature by ascribing that to it which is altogether inconsistent with it The Apostle's meaning is plainly this Henceforth know we no man after the flesh i. e. I and all true Believers since our Conversion bear no affection no carnal worldly respect to any man living Tho once we knew Christ after the flesh i. e. as the world knew him by his outward appearance only slighting and condemning that in him in his state of Humiliation which the world so much despised Then we looked upon him as a mere Man as an Impostor worthy of death therefore we blasphemed him and persecuted all his Followers This was the sense of the flesh But now we look upon him in the Light of the Spirit as the Son of God who died to save us from our sins They counted Paul's Ministry inferior to that of the other Apostles because he had not conversed with Christ on earth What tho says Paul I have not known him after the flesh as you have who boast much of this That you knew his Parents his Brethren and Sisters where he was born and bred c. Yet I spiritually know him by Faith as the Redeemer of the world tho I have not known him after the flesh as you have neither do I desire henceforth so to know him i. e. to account of him according to any mere human Endowments or outward worldly Circumstances but I judge of him according to his Divine Supernatural Excellencies and so I admire and magnifie him When Paul says We know Christ no more after the flesh flesh here is not taken for the substance of the flesh but for the quality or natural Passions of his Human body being liable to all those natural yet sin-less Infirmities of Human Flesh He was hungry athirst weary a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs 'T is not said we know no more the flesh of Christ but we know no more Christ after the flesh i. e. according to that mean outward appearance he made in the world in his state of Humiliation Our thoughts run higher now to Christ glorified in Heaven in our Nature These words Not to know Christ any more after the flesh must not be taken in Servetus's sense as if the Human Nature of Christ were now quite swallowed up by the Divine as if Christ had now put off his Human Body and was turned into a Spirit This overthrows the whole Foundation of Christian Religion Tho the Papists many of 'em seem to be against the Lutheran Ubiquity yet 't is evident That neither the Doctrine of Consubstantiation nor Transubstantiation can possibly stand without a Corporal Ubiquity and therefore both must fall to the ground as having no foundation in Scripture The Apostle's meaning is That we don't know Christ now according to the sense of the flesh but by a Divine Spiritual Knowledge as New Creatures Vers. 17. Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature CHAP. III. What a true saving Knowledge of God implies Being the Fifth and last Head WHat that Saving Knowledge of God in Christ that every new Creature hath does imply I shall more particularly shew some things first premised viz. 1. True Religion flows from and is grounded upon a right Knowledge of the True God 2. A Religion without a God is a very strange unaccountable thing no reason can be given for it 3. A man without a God is a very lonely solitary Creature he would not know what to do with himself under extraordinary difficulties and distresses if he had not a God to go unto and to rely upon 4. Man by Nature is a devout Creature he will have a God and a Religion he hath a Conscience and therefore he must have a God and a Religion of some sort or other 5. Man by Nature is prone to Idolatry grossly mistaken in the
God's grace comes to us we either receive it or put it from us and 't will be no joy of heart to us in a dying Hour to think how often we have refused our own Mercies offered to us which nothing but our final unbelief can hinder us of you who do not now believe know assuredly that you will never believe 'till God turn your hearts and he then begins to turn them when he puts you upon seeking earnestly to him for it as that which none can do besides I wish this sign of Conversion were more apparent in us all how diligently should we wait upon God for converting Grace in the use of means the reason why many receive so little benefit from the word is because they expect so little from it they do not come with raised expectations of a powerful Revelation of the Arm of God upon their hearts you that do have I doubt not seen and felt the mighty works of God upon your Souls Faith begins at the promises is raised from thence and ever after waits for the performance of them it shall be done according to your Faith Some think they must bring Faith to the Covenant as a preparatory Qualification for all the Grace that is there promised whereas we must come to the Covenant for our first Faith and fetch it thence the Spirit by the outward proposal of the Covenant kindles Faith in us by which we cast our selves upon the free Grace of God in Christ We have nothing to believe till then Do this and then look for the Law written in your hearts for the Spirit of God and all the fruits of the Spirit in your repentance Love Obedience and holy walking with God all Graces flow from the Covenant of Grace Pray that God will give you a heart to assent to and close with Christ upon the terms of the Covenant and then see if all be not made good to you God will do much for the Glory of his Grace but he will do nothing to nourish your Pride and Conceitedness of your selves and your own righteousness seek all from Grace and you have all but if you go about to establish your own righteousness you will never attain unto righteousness if you seek it not by Faith Rom. 9. 32. 3. How come we to discern God to be our God in Christ or what is there in Christ that makes out this unto us 1. Christ as Man does own God to be his God and the God of all who are in him My Father and your Father my God and your God John 20. 17. God is not only the God of Christ Personal but of Christ Mystical his Head both ways 1 Cor. 11. 3. When we are one in Christ then the God of Christ is our God we cannot since the fall have an Interest in God but through a Mediator he is the great Peace maker 't is Christ makes God to be ours who otherwise would be against us not for us God is in Christ reconciling the World unto himself As Christ owns God to be his God so God the Father owns Christ incarnate as his wellbelovedSon and the same love he beareth to him he beareth to all his Members John 17. 23 26. We can have no immediate Knowledg of God in his own Divine Essence So he is perfectly known only to himself all that concerns us to know of him he has revealed in Christ Without a personal knowledge of God in Christ we cannot act our Faith upon him nor have any real Communion with him Notions are not Persons or Subsistencies but Mental Conceptions neither can we apply our selves to those Speculations if we know not the Person to whom they belong all Divine Attributes relate to their proper Subject nay more all Divine Attributes are of the essence of God they are God himself neither do our thoughts of Omnipotency Allsufficiency c. signify any thing to our relief unless we know him who is all this we cannot know Omnipotency to be God himself unless we see it acted and expressed by him who is God 't is a hard matter to prove the reality of that which was never acted and 't is impossible to know that such Attributes have been exerted unless we know by whom None of the idol gods were ever able to act over any one of the essential Attributes of God by the help of the Devil they pretended something that way but it was a mere pretence easily disproved by any considering man strictly examining either their Predictions of future Events or their feigned Miracles which were all mere Delusions false and groundless Christ out-did them all he did the works of God indeed and for his work-sake ought to be believed to be God indeed 2. In Christ we see God's Wrath appeased his Justice satisfied for all our Offences all causes of Enmity between God and us are taken away by Christ Eph. 2. 13 14. The body of sin destroyed Rom. 6. 6. We Crucified to the World Gal. 6. 14. The Image of God restored his Law writ in our hearts 3. The Spirit of Christ dwelling in us tells us so teaches us to cry Abba Father As no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 12. 3. So none can say that God is their God but by the Holy Ghost By the Spirit of Christ which is the Spirit of God Rom. 8. 9. When God himself tells you by his own Spirit that he is your God he makes you to understand what he says and to see how happy you are in having God for your God Till we come to some sense of this we lose the comfort of our Religion it has little Influence upon us whence does the power of godliness arise but from the power of God who is the Author of true Religion and puts that power into it that belongs to true godliness take away the relation that is between Godliness and God and you quite destroy the power of godliness Religion is a weak thing if it be not maintained and supported by the authority and power of God himself 4. We see that of God in Jesus Christ that makes us fall down and Worship him as our God crying out with Thomas John 20. 28. My Lord and my God When we look upon Christ with an eye of Faith we do with open face behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. 18. God causes his glory to pass before us le ts out some beams of his Divine Majesty that we may know him to be the Lord such Manifestations of God to the Soul through Christ have I hope fallen under your own experience many a time and that you are not now without such a sight of God in Christ as does create in you a holy Reverence towards him a holy trembling at his word if you receive it as the word of God of your God it must have this effect upon you any thing from our God that bears his
which we are raised up unto in this World by the Power of Christ's Resurrection which hath a quickning influence upon our Souls raising us up to newness of Life There was some distance though but a little at first between the Death and Resurrection of Christ only Three Days during that time they could not draw comfort from his Death till he Rose again But since the time of his actual Resurrection the Death and Resurrection of Christ stand closer together in our thoughts and have a joint Spiritual influence upon our Hearts we presently pass in the actings of our Faith from one to the other from the effects of his Death in the Pardon and Mortification of Sin to the effects of his Resurrection in our Spiritual Vivification and quickning up to new Obedience thus the Death of Christ lets us into his Life being planted together in the likeness of his Death we shall be also in the likeness of his Resurrection Rom. 6. 5. We deal with the Blood of Christ for our justification from Sin and with the Spirit of Christ risen from the Dead for our Sanctification Did we clearly discern how our Sanctification flows from the Resurrection of Christ as a consequent of that forgiveness of Sin purchased by his Blood Eph. 1. 7. we should not so confound Justification and Sanctification as some do So much as we ascribe to our works in justification so much we take off from the Blood of Christ to which the whole of our Justification is ascribed 'T is a Righteousness without works by which we are Justified therefore it can never pass thorough our hands no part of it is wrought by us 't is all imputed to us for Pardon of Sin that we may live and not die and this is Justification unto life Justification has different names in Scripture from the different respects it bears to us as we are obnoxious to Punishment 't is called Remission as it relates to a state of Sin which is a state of servitude and bondage 't is called Redemption as we are Enemies to God 't is called Reconciliation Remission of Sin is absolutely necessary in order to Salvation I will shew you the necessity of pardon and of Preaching this Comfortable Doctrine to all Having given you a general account of that comfortable Gospel Doctrine concerning the full and free remission of all our sins through Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and shewed you from Scripture how the remission of sin implies our Justification I opened to you that common distinction by which Divines do well express the whole nature of Justification as consisting in the Remission of Sin and imputation of Righteousness and shewed you how these Two are inseparably linked together whereever the former is viz. Remission of all Sin there is also the latter viz. Imputation of Righteousness I shall now proceed to the further opening of the nature of Remission of Sin in these following Particulars 1. Remission of Sin does not change the nature of Sin that that which is Sin should be counted no Sin that Evil should be called Good Isa. 5. 20. Sin is as really Sin after Pardon as before only Pardon frees us from the guilt of Sin takes away meritum poenae the deserved Punishment This it takes away not from the Sin but from the Sinner only still the wages of sin is death i. e. Sin deserves Death even after 't is Pardoned but this Death is not inflicted upon him to whom Sin is Pardoned and this absolving from Guilt is properly the Justification of a Sinner as such in himself but now looked upon by God as Righteous in Christ by virtue of his Pardon To make this yet more clear take it thus Any act contrary to Law is properly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Transgression or Sin and Sin in respect of its guilt binding us over to Punishment is called a Debt The fact or action it self cannot be Remitted because that which is done is done and cannot be said not to be done yet the guilt of that evil act may be Remitted and is Remitted when the Punishment which we have deserved is Remitted and this is properly pardon of Sin Sin is not imputed To impute is an act of Reason and Judgment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rationem ineo ratiocinando deduco 't is a mental act a rational inference or conclusion from such premises So when applied to God 't is an act of Divine Reason and Wisdom to impute Sin is to deal with men according to the just demerit of sin to give it its due reward its wages according to reason and justice 't is an act of the Divine understanding God does think with himself what Sin deserves and doth resolve upon the Punishment of it as a thing most just and reasonable So not to impute Sin or to forgive Sin is not to enter into Judgment with the Sinner Psal. 143. 2. according to the strict terms of the Law of Works For when God so enters into Judgment with us the reason of the Law and Justice of God must needs carry it against the Sinner and yet not to impute Sin is an act of Judgement too an act of Divine Reason and Understanding in God But in this act of Judgement whereby God does not impute Sin God judges of sin according to the terms of the New Covenant having in his Eye and under his Consideration the full satisfaction that Christ has made for Sin upon this account he judges it most reasonable not to impute Sin to those for whom Christ has died Civilians do admit of a supposed imaginary solution when really nothing is paid this among men is to forgive the Debt acceptum ferre Whence comes the term Acceptilatio the Creditor counting the Money as Received which he forgives the Debtor But in God's forgiveness there is a great deal more than this here is real payment made full satisfaction given by Christ our Surety and the Grace of Pardon lies in the free application of all this unto us this is God's Grace towards us yet the Pardon of the Sins of Believers is but justice towards Christ 't is Grace towards us that God should accept of satisfaction from the hand of another but upon full satisfaction given 't is an act of Justice to remit the Debt 2. Pardoning Grace takes away that that makes a man unrighteous in the sight of God it takes away sin how that is I have in part shewed already and shall more fully demonstrate 'T is evident that Gods counts them righteous whose sins are pardoned and that he has nothing in his eye then but the full satisfaction Christ made for sin which is the Foundation of Pardon and also meritorious of eternal Life it was not only bare satisfaction that Christ made for that is but Justice paying what is due not a Penny over or under but in Christ's satisfaction there is a redundancy of Merit procuring Grace and Glory for us the Merit of Christ procures the
favour of God for us and a right to all the blessings promised in the Gospel and his Spirit effectually applies all this to us and works all this in us 3. Remission of sin as it is held forth and offered in the Gospel presupposes nothing in man as the cause and condition of it moving God to pardon him but only denotes God's gracious Indulgence towards him not reckoning his sin to him upon his believing in Christ see how pardoning Grace finds us Col. 2. 13. And you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickned together with him having forgiven you all trespasses So Heb. 8. 10 11 12. God does not eye any Qualifications in us but promises to do all himself I will and they shall c. 'T is objected That Faith is the beginning of Sanctification and if Faith be required unto Justification then some part at least of our Sanctification is required unto justification Answ. No part at all for though Faith be a supernatural Principle infused by God in order to our Sanctification as well as our Justification yet it first Justifies before it Sanctifies I speak of Faith now not in its first Principle but in its first actings I say it first acts upon Christ by receiving him before it begins actually to sanctify us there is a great difference between the Instrumentality of Faith in receiving Christ for our Justification and the efficacy of Faith applying Christ received for our Sanctification to speak properly 't is not God's working Faith but Faith working in us and upon us that Sanctifies God always gives Christ in and with our first Faith for Justification and Pardon this must be first finished and compleated before Faith will or can begin to sanctifie us because Faith fetches all its sanctifying Virtue from Christ received but our first act of receiving Christ is that that justifies Sanctification always follows upon it and is gradually carried on by a justifying Faith to our lives end in is not pardoned because it is mortified but because it is pardoned therefore it 's mortified Remission of sin presupposes no real change in the man himself as moving God thereunto Neither does remission of sin alter the nature of sin but only the state of the Sinner his sin is not imputed to him To forgive sin is not to remember it Jer. 31. 34. There 't is but God won't look towards it his thoughts are so taken up with the blood of Christ and the Interest that Believers have in that blood that he willingly forgets their sins he will not deal with them after their sins nor reward them according to their iniquities Psal 103. 10. And that they may be sure of this he casts their sins into the depths of the sea Mich. 7. 19. As far as the east is from the west so far hath he removed our transgression from us Psal. 103. 12. Not only from himself but from us he sees no iniquity in Jacob. If pardoning Grace does not presuppose but make a real change in a man for the better yet forasmuch as we are imperfectly Sanctified the Pardon of sin and the being and presence of sin may and do consist together in every true Believer here below provided they do not allow themselves in the practise of it 4. Remission of sin is an act of Mercy not Justice yet not contrary to Justice because the sins that are pardoned to us are punished in Christ 't is from God's Justice that he will not pardon sin without satisfaction 't is from his Mercy that he will accept of satisfaction from the hand of another This answers that plausible Objection that is commonly made against our Salvation by Grace viz. Wicked men are condemned for their evil works therefore Saints are justified for their good works Answ. This does not follow because one is an act of Justice and the other of Mercy Rom. 6. 23. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Death is wages due by Law eternal Life is a free gift through Jesus Christ. 5. Remission of sin as 't is an act of Mercy so 't is act of Power too God has Power to forgive sin none but the Creditor can forgive the Debtor God is the greater Creditor and we are all his Debtors against thee only have I sinned therefore God only has Power to forgive sin but yet it is not an act of mere absolute Power neither but an act of Divine Jurisdiction that carries in it a due respect unto the Law which God as the righteous Judge and most wise Governour of the world will not violate Therefore Remission of Sin under this provision that God has made in Christ for the satisfaction of his Law and Justice is called Justification Rom. 4. 5 6. God is Just as well as Merciful in Pardoning Sin Rom 3. 25 26. So that Pardon flows from the Love of God acting towards us for Christ's sake i. e. upon the account of his Merit and Satisfaction which respect the Justice of God The truth is the satisfaction of Christ is the foundation of Pardon this satisfaction lyes in the expiatory Sacrifice offered by Christ upon the Cross hence expiation or atonement is joyned with pardon in Scripture Numb 15. 25. Levit. 4. 20. The priest was to make an atonement that the sin should be forgiven An expiatory Sacrifice led the way to forgiveness under the Law and so it does now under the Gospel without shedding of Blood there is no remission of sin If you have not the Blood of Christ is your eye when you go to God for Pardon never think to speed CHAP. IV. The APPLICATION I Shall shut up all with a word of Exhortation urging every one of you to a frequent deep serious consideration of this grand fundamental truth concerning the only way of Salvation by the remission of sin through Faith in Christ Jesus I know the time will shortly come when all our Notions and Disputes must be resolved into our believing or not believing in Christ for Pardon of sin therefore be perswaded to begin your Religion in pure Faith trusting in Christ only for the remission of all your sins through the merit of his Blood begin here lay this as the Foundation of all your Religion make this sure and then you will more clearly see upon what account you stand righteous before God if you joyn any thing with Christ here and miss your way in the first setting out you 'll go wider and wider from the Gospel every stop you take and be forced to wrest the Scriptures all along to make good your first grand mistake therefore I say beg of God to bring your hearts to a true reliance upon the free-Grace and Mercy of God in Christ Jesus for the pardon of all your sins Take this as a clue in your hands to guide you into such an understanding of all other truths as is consonant to this
the word fresh in their Memories by reflecting often upon it conversing much with it Whilst I am exhorting you to a more frequent Consideration of the fundamentals of Christianity don't mistake me as if I were putting you upon reading many Books upon studying Controversies and knotty Disputes no no study your own hearts and the Bible more keep under the power of those truths that are plainly revealed We lose much of the joy of Faith by diverting our Minds to things of an inferior Nature I observe among all sorts of Professors there is more stir about uninstituted things more zeal for their own unscriptural Traditions and Customs than for the grand fundamentals of Faith and Holiness there is utterly a fault among us in this matter If you would keep up the joy of your Salvation you must consult often with your Faith about the prime fundamentals of Religion and muse often upon them examine your Faith about them consider what a priviledg it is to have all your sins blotted out and laid upon Christ who shed his Blood for the remission of them you must think and think again upon this till you find your hearts overcome with the sense of God's Free-Grace towards you in Christ. You cannot conceive before-hand what further Light will break forth what further Discoveries God will make of the Mystery of his Grace one thought rises strangely out of another in holy Mediation things come into our minds that all our hearing and reading could not furnish us with when we are in our thoughts pursuing spiritual truths through all the consequences of them there is that let into our minds which before we were not in a fit posture to receive or understand but when Faith hath set all before us which we have attained unto and drawn as it were a Scheme of the whole Gospel in our minds the Spirit knows how to carry on his work further in such a Soul Having already given you a general and also a more particular account of the nature of remission of sin I shall now proceed to the 2 d. Head propounded whicâ— is this viz. To shew you 2 How Salvation consists in the remission of all our sins And to make way to this I shall speak something of the necessity of remission of sin in order to Salvation which can never be attained without it The necessity of Forgiveness and of Preaching this comfortable Doctrine to all 1. Because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God Rom. 3. 23. and are therefore liable to Condemnation 2. No man is able to make satisfaction for his sins if we could we should not need a Pardon 3. There is no escaping Divine Vengeance no flying from Justice and it 's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God if this be so then either sin must be Pardoned or we must perish under it therefore blessed is that man whose Iniquities are forgiven Further to evidence the necessity of Pardon consider this viz. That all our Sanctification all our inherent holiness all our good works will stand us in no stead without a Pardon because of the imperfection and sin that cleaves to them this makes Pardon so necessary to remit sin is not to condemn us for sin he that belâ—eveth on him is not condemned John 3. 18. Not to condemn is to justifie to justifie is not to impute sin but to impute righteousness without works either the sin that cleaves to all our good works must be imputed to us or else a righteousness must be found out for us without works that does not touch upon any of our works but is imputed to us not done by us man fell by his own sin but he rises by anothers righteousness which covers all his sins CHAP. V. How Salvation consists in the Remission of Sin THE knowledge of Salvation that the Law gave was by a legal Righteousness in keeping the whole Law That which the Gospel gives is by the remission of sin How Salvation consists in this viz. remission of sin Because it takes away that which hinders our Salvation viz. The guilt of sin and the wrath of God The expiatory Sacrifices under the Law were called Sin-Offerings because the sin of the people i. e. their guilt was transferred to the Sacrifice and laid upon that it was to bear the iniquity of the Congregation to make atonement for them before the Lord Levit 10. 17. i. e. The sin was imputed to the Sacrifice the wrath of God and the Punishment due by Law for sin was inflicted upon the Sacrifice in this sense Christ is said to be made sin for us 2 Cor. 5. 21. Because he suffered in our stead his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree 1 Pet. 2. 24. He bare our sins alluding to the Sacrifices that were lifted upon the Alter this is to offer up sacrifice Heb. 7. 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sursum tollo So Christ lifted up or took up the heavy burden of all our sins upon his own back God looked upon Christ lying under the imputation of our sins as the object of his wrath and vengeance that he might ever after look upon us under the imputation of his righteousness as the objects of his love and delight to bear iniquity is to suffer the punishment due for it Levit. 5. 1. To bear iniquity and to be cut off for it is all one Levit. 20. 17. He shall bear his judgment Gal. 5. 10. The blood of the sacrifice was to make atonement for the soul of man Levit. 17. 11. I am shewing you how remission of sin takes away guilt by a non-imputation of it to us God forgives as men forgive Mat. 6. 12 14. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our Debtors So Mat. 18. 21. 35. Among men Debts are remitted when nothing is required of the Debtor the Creditor counts the Money as received which he remits to the Debtor so it 's in our Justification God deals with Believers as with those for whose sins he hath received satisfaction though not from their hands yet from Christs so their sins are Pardoned and taken away The same word 1 Sam. 15. 25. That we render Pardon signifies to take away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nunc tolle peccatum meum from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abstulit condonavit pardon so takes away sin that God will not visit it upon us he will not require it which Joseph's brethren feared their brother would Joseph will peradventure hate us and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him Reddendo reddet in requiting he will requite i. e. he will fully requite this evil he will make it revert upon our own heads so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 redire fecit Both these significations are to be carried into the Construction of these Texts viz. That remission takes away sin and the taking
away of sin is the remission of sin by which a sinner is freed from the guilt of sin from the curse of the Law and from the wrath of God hence it appears that Salvation lies chiefly in remission of sin Psal. 32. 1 2. Blessed is he whose transgressions is forgiven blessed is he whose sin is covered blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity Neither does the consideration of any good works done by man come in as a motive for God to pardon our sins because to pardon sin is to impute Righteousness without works i. e. God looks upon pardoned sinners as righteous through Faith in Christ though their works be not answerable to the Law of Righteousness laid down in the Covenant of works Christ comes in in the room and place of our Good Works and Free Grace confers that upon us for Christ's sake which our own Good Works were to procure for us under the Law For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast Eph. 2. 8 9. Thus Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth Rom. 10. 4. The end of the Law under the Mosaical Dispensation whether Moral or Ceremonial was to lead a sinner to Christ for Righteousness this Righteousness lies in the full satisfaction that Christ made to the Law for the sin of man we must bring to the Law either a perfect Righteousness of our own or a full satisfaction for all our sins which is equivalent to man's perfect Righteousness and not only equivalent but much beyond it for our own perfect Righteousness had we continued in it would have kept us in a happy Paradisical state here on earth I know Divines speak of our Translation afterwards into Heaven but of that the Scripture is silent 't is evident that had we kept the Law we had not died but upon the satisfaction Christ has made to the Law we obtain Eternal Life have a more abundant entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven and this satisfaction accepted for us is in the infinite merit of it our Righteousness Thus the Law obtains its end in that full satisfaction that Christ gave it for the sin of man and can demand no more of any believing sinner for his Justification it becomes the Law to bring things to a righteous Conclusion between the Justice of God and a sinner The Law cannot do unjustly but is righteous in condemning the Unbeliever and righteous in passing by the Believing sinner If any ask How comes a Believing sinner to escape the Vengeance of the Law to get out of the hands of a sin-revenging Law Answ. Because the Law hath obtained its end in Christ and done full execution upon him for the sin of man to its own satisfaction and this secures a man from the curse of the Law as much as his own perfect righteousness would have done The Papists deny the imputation of Christ's Righteousness and derive Remission of Sin from inherent Righteousness whereas inherent Righteousness never frees us from all Sin in this World he is a liar who says he hath no Sin But imputed Righteousness is opposed to all Sin in us and covers it all We are holy and unblameable and unreproveable in the sight of God Col. 1. 22. New Obedience and the practice of Holiness is the consequent of Pardon which must not be taken for a permission or licence to Sin Pardoning-Grace lays a strict injunction upon us to Sin no more as Christ did upon the man whom he healed at the Pool of Bethesda Behold thou art made whole sin no more lest a worse thing come upon thee John 5. 14. Christ Died primarily for our Justification from all Sins committed by us and also for our Sanctification to prevent the Commission of further sin To that end he purchased for us his holy spirit that we might live to God 2 Cor. 5. 15. That being dead to sin we should live to righteousness 1 Pet. 2. 24. The blood of Christ purges the conscience from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. There are two special parts of the covenant of grace Heb. 8. 10 11 12. viz. Remission of sin and a change of Heart and Nature they always go together to fancy a change of State without a change of Nature is but a fancy Though Justification be a continued act yet that it may be continued to us in a comfortable sense of it Believers must sue out their Pardon for every new sin and by renewed acts of Faith apply the Blood of Christ in particular for the Pardon of this or that sin In Justification all sin is Pardoned past present and future that no place may be left for Condemnation John 5. 24. Sins to come are virtually Remitted to a Believer i. e. we are by Faith put into a state of Pardon Faith knows whither to go for Pardon upon all occasions Tho the Commission of new sins does not cast a Believer out of a state of Grace does not null and make void his former Justification in the sight of God yet he may lose the comfortable sense of it in his own Conscience and lye under though not judiciary Punishments yet under such castigatory Chastisements from an Angry Father that may be a great bitterness of Soul unto him till by a renewed act of Faith he does apply himself to Christ for Pardon and make his peace with God Faith it self can't speak peace to an impenitent Believer who as to this or that sin may be called impenitent though as to his state he be a Believer Till Faith do bring down the Blood of Christ by a particular application of it to the Conscience of a man for the Pardon of this or that particular sin he may and will be very uneasy under it and the longer Repentance is deferred the more angry reflections will Conscience make against that man he may be brought to question his own state by deferring his Repentance so long Care must be taken to set upon this work of Repentance out of hand and when we go about it we must still keep Christ in our eye and not sorrow as without hope that sorrow for sin that in the beginning may be Godly sorrow may by the cunning of the Devil rise so high as to become ungodly sorrow sinking the Soul into despair Many do begin in the Spirit and end in the Flesh therefore care must be taken to keep our selves in a due temper of mind that we be not overwhelmed with sorrow that sorrow for sin that hinders us from coming to Christ is sinful and not to be allowed in a Christian. So that Repentance is required not as a previous condition of our Justification but as that without which no man can or will ever come to Christ for Justification Faith first works Repentance under a secret hope of Pardon and then applies Christ not
for the sake of Repentance but because by Repentance a man becomes willing to receive Christ 't is a vain thing to pretend to Faith in Christ for Pardon unless we see the Fruits of Faith in our selves in the exercise of all other Graces and in those good works of Holiness that always accompany Saving-Faith Faith never speaks but in some act it never gives a comfortable sense of it self but in some present act now 't is impossible truly to act Faith without an universal consent of the Soul to this act it diffuses its influence all over the Soul touches the Soul in every part strikes upon every string puts the whole Soul in tune every thing in a man does answer and correspond to such an act of Faith you may see your Faith in your Hope Love fear Zeal Repentance c. All Graces rise or fall as Faith does 't is like the spring of a Watch it sets all the Wheels in motion We may have a clearer discerning of Faith by a reflex act whence all assurance springs then we can by a direct act though you cannot see your selves closing in with Christ for Pardon whilst you only intend that thing and would fain prove Faith by it self and by its own justfying act yet if you look through your Love your Repentance through all the fruits of Faith in your Lives you will more clearly discern it in its Saving Justifying Act that you do really and sincerely take Christ as your only Righteousness and to shew that you do so you produce those things as proofs of your sincerity which this Faith hath put you upon and which you could never bring your selves to till Faith came drawing the whole Soul after Christ and strongly inclining you to a holy life this is God's way of teaching his Children by putting Principles of Faith and Holiness into their Hearts powerfully inclining them to live to God this is set forth by God's teaching the Ants to provide their Meat in the Summer Prov. 6. 8. i. e. God inclines them naturally to do this so does God Spiritually incline his Children by his Spirit dwelling in them to act as Christians ought to do The sum of all is this The Justifying-Righteousness of a Believing sinner before God lies in the Remission of sin and God's Gracious acceptation of sinful man upon the sole account of the Obedience of Christ our Mediator apprehended by Faith and imputed to him for Righteousness thus the Righteousness of God without the Law is manifest In humane Judicatories Forgiveness implies a meer non-imputation of the fault only but no imputation of Righteousness because in our Courts a man is Tried for some particular Offence and if he be found Guilty and through the Favour of the Prince obtain his Pardon that Pardon looks no further than that time for the after-course of his life he is accountable to the Law and must be Judged by it he stands upon his good Behaviour and must be a doer of Righteousness to avoid the Condemnation of the Law if not he must answer for his misdoing and be judged according to Law But 't is not so in Divinity for when we obtain the Pardon of sin by Faith that Pardon is general and universal to a man's life's end 't is not only a Pardon of this or that sin to such a time but a Pardon of all sins for ever such a Pardon does necessarily imply in it an imputation of Righteousness because no sin can ever be imputed to him his Pardon is valid in all times to come though the Law be still a rule of Obedience yet he is no longer under the Law as a Covenant of life but under Grace and for all his miscarriages under the New Covenant he must apply himself to the Grace of that Covenant for Mercy and Pardon but he shall never be judged by the Law more the satisfaction of Christ is instead of all legal Righteousness to him and to that he stands the Law having accepted of it delivers him up to Christ untouched by the hand of Vengeance to be governed ever after by the Law of Grace which establishes the holiness of the Law though it shuts it out of our Justification yet not out of our lives but strictly enjoins it CHAP. VI. The APPLICATION SINCE God hath given us the knowledge of Salvation by the Remission of sin let us act according to that knowledge and begin our Religion with Remission of sin I mean let us first study that point well when we are over that are got into the Mystery of that great Gospel-Truth we shall more clearly see upon what account it is we are dealt with looked upon and accepted as Righteous in Christ unto Eternal Life Faith ought to have both the active and passive Obedience of Christ in its eye but I would not too nicely distinguish between them abstracting the active from the Passive ascribing the Remission of sin to one and our title to life to the other because I find some who do so apt to drop the Righteousness of Christ that will not serve the turn they must have a Righteousness of their own an Evangelical righteousness to strengthen their title to Life thus while they set up a Law of Grace requiring such and such things to be done by us in order to our Justification they turn Grace into Works set up a New Covenant of Works differing from the first only in this that whereas the first Covenant in Innocency justified upon the account of perfect Obedience this upon the account of our imperfect Obedience We know but in part there will be some difference among us in our Notions and Conceptions of these things and more in our Words and Expressions the same thoughts in one and another seldom come forth in the same words I have offered you what I take to be most agreeable to the Mind of God Do you search the Scriptures and judge I do conceive that the New Covenant of Grace requires as compleat and perfect a Righteousness nay a higher Righteousness for the Justification of a Sinner than the Law of Innocency did for the Justification of a sinless man That was but the Righteousness of man this must be the Righteousness of God reckoned or imputed to us not his essential Righteousness but that which is wrought out for us by him who is God and which God approves of and being thus justified God does graciously accept of our sincere imperfect Obedience together with our persons Let us not puzzle our selves about a second Justification get the Pardon of all your sins sealed to you in the Blood of Christ and fear no after-charge at the last day that will answer all I see no room for a Second Justification Can it be imagined that defects of our Grace here in this imperfect state should be brought in as proofs against the truth of Grace in our perfect state hereafter If Grace in its perfection cannot sufficiently evidence its Truth I see
17. The Law was given 430 Years after the promise made to Abraham threatning the sinner not with an intent that the Curse should be executed or the hand-writing against us fulfilled but rather blotted out Col. 2. 14. Is the law then against the promises Gal. 3. 21. 'T is certain the Law as threatning is against the Promises against us and contrary to us as Col. 2. 14. But not so against the Promises as to vacate and abolish them but is rather subservient to them stirring up the sinner to fly to the Promise for a Pardon When the people just after the giving of the Law had grievously sinned in making the Calf and God threatned to consume them Exod. 32. 9 10. Moses does not plead the Mount Sinai Covenant but the Covenant made with Abraham vers 13. So Deut. 9. 27. 2 Kings 13. 23. The condition of the Sinai-Covenant being performed by Christ the New Covenant becomes absolute to us nothing more can be demanded of us in a way of satisfaction for sin Heb. 10. 14. Christ as our Advocate pleads this and that we ought to be discharged from the Curse of the Law All doing for life is over in the New Covenant our Surety has done that and therefore is become the Mediator of a better Covenant Heb. 8. 6. Having made way for our receiving the Promise Heb. 9. 15. This full satisfaction is the main thing we are to believe in order to our Salvation this is the sense of every act of Justifying-Faith to which Salvation is annexed we must mean this in believing or we mean nothing neither do we understand those Scriptures Mark 6. 16. Joh. 3. 16 36. The Obedience of Christ comes instead of our doing for life he is the Lord our righteousness Jer. 23. 6. Christ being made of God our Righteousness for Justification it is the will of God that he should by his Spirit sanctifie us and make us inherently holy Our Mediator does not only take away the guilt of sin which legal Sacrifices could not do they only purified the Flesh Heb. 9. 13. but not the Conscience the Blood of Christ only does this v. 14. So the Spirit of Christ by Faith purifies the Heart sanctifies the whole person 1 Thes. 5. 23. since we are come to the Mediator of the New Covenant let us see we don't abuse the free Grace of God Heb. 12. 25. In the New Covenant great Grace is revealed to Believers and great wrath against all Unbelievers Mat. 3. 7 10 12. Isa. 61. 2. vide 3. The necessity of a Mediator between God and Fallen man If one man sin against another the judge shall judge him but if a man sin against the Lord who shall intreat for him 1 Sam. 2. 25. This necessity appears 1. From God's just anger against us 2. From our inability to appease his wrath I put them both together Adam was the Son of God by Creation Luk. 1. ult but soon alienated himself and all his Posterity from God his Father and Creator neither could we ever become the Children of God again but by Christ John 1. 12. Heb. 2. 10 c. Angels though they need no Redeemer yet they need a Mediator a Head in and through whom they have access to God and communion with him much more does fallen man need a Mediator by whom he may come unto the Father Joh. 14. 6. 'T is impossible to see God any otherwise than through Christ John 1. 18. if any man sin as every man does let him not despair for we have an Advocate with the Father 1 Joh. 2. 1 2. in whom God is well pleased Mat. 3. 17. We cannot have immediate access to God himself but through a Mediator we may 3. By those terrors of Conscience which we are under when our hearts smite us for any sin accusing us Rom. 2. 15. telling us that God knows all this evil and much more by us 1 John 3. 20. Then whither shall I go from thy spirit whither shall I flee from thy presence Psalm 139. 7. How terrible is God out of Christ to a convinced sinner 4. The dreadful Punishments that are inflicted upon sinners upon the fallen Angels upon the old word many particular instances in former and latter times do render it a very fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God Heb. 10. 31. When a guilty sinner has none to speak for him what trembling must needs seize upon him lest God tear him in peices and there be none to deliver him Psal. 50. 22. 5. By the Sacrifices of the Old Testament and also of the Heathens which were designed to pacifie God some means was to be used all the Sacrifices of old appointed by God himself could never expiate sin nor pacifie God but as they pointed to the great Sacrifice in the New Testament Christ is the great Reconciler Col. 1. 20. We come to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant to be freed from the curse of the Old and invested in the priviledges of the New The Covenant of Works made at the Creation with Adam in Innocency being broken and the legal Administration of the Mount Sinai-Covenant being faulty and unprofitable Heb. 8. 7 13. Our Father 's not continuing in it God regarded them not Heb. 8. 9. And being thus alienated and enemies in their minds by wicked Works God thus provoked gave up man a child of wrath to be a slave to sin Satan and Death Rom. 1. 28. Heb. 2. 14 15. Yet God so loved the world John 3. 16. Whilst we were yet without strength Rom. 5. 6. when we were sinners v. 8. and enemies v. 10. Then did God reconcile us to himself by the death of his Son entring into a New Covenant with us by appointing Christ to be the Mediator 1 Tim. 2. 5. and Surety of a better Covenant Heb. 7. 22. Heb. 8. 6. so reconciling us to himself 2 Cor. 5. 18. God the Father provided this Mediator John 3. 16. Rom. 3. 25. Isa. 49. 1. 1 Cor. 1. 30. You may see the greatness of the sin and of the Punishment too in the greatness of the Mediator God himself in the person of his Son became our Mediator and Redeemer 6. The Law was ordained in the hand of a Mediator to shew that 't is not in the power of any man since the Fall to satisfie the Law Gal. 3. 19. By the hand of a Mediator we must understand not only Moses but the virtue and power of the great Mediator Christ of whom Moses was a Type Thus you see the necessity of a Mediator Fallen man himself could not deal with God because of sin Angels could not being not of Humane nature and since there is but one God then either the Majesty of Heaven must descend down to us immediately which could not be or else this one God must become our Mediator our Immanuel his Godhead and our humane Nature being joyned together in the Divine Person of the Son The low estate
had a Son from eternity yet he had none of humane race none of our kind all being fallen in Adam 4. Our spiritual Sonship runs thus If children then heirs 't is not so among men all Sons are not Heirs but only the eldest but we shall every one possess the whole Inheritance Come ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdom c. Mat. 25. 34. 5. Adoption among men implies a succession into the inheritance after the death of the Adopter Haereditas est successio in universum jus defuncti Civil A Testament is of force after men are dead Heb. 9. 17. The Heir whether Natural or Adopted has nothing to do with the Estate till then But our Heavenly Father never dies our Elder brother never dies and yet we enter into possession have a present Copartnership with the Father and the Son Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ 1 John 1. 3. Nay we actually enjoy the whole inheritance with the Father and the Son indeed they are our inheritance the only portion of our Souls Had God left us never so much to be enjoyed by it self apart from God 't would be as nothing to us Heaven would not be Heaven if God were not there therefore we are said to be glorified together Rom. 8. 17. Christ will be always among his Brethren John 17. 24. Their Glory lies in beholding his the Father and the Son will have all things to be in common between them and the Saints and that to all Eternity Here is a Glorious Adoption indeed the world never knew the like What manner of love is this that we we should be called the children of God Tho our Heavenly Father never die nor our Elder Brother never die yet we must die before we can have full possession of the whole inheritance so did the Man Christ and so must we If we suffer with him we shall reign with him 2 Tim. 2. 12. CHAP. III. Fourthly The signs of Adoption 1. A Loving peaceable disposition Blessed are the peace-makers for they shall be called the children of God Mat. 5. 9. Who is the God of peace and hath commanded us with great earnestness if it be possible and as much as lies in us to live peaceably with all men Rom. 12. 18. So far as may be without wrong to the truth and our own Consciences we must so follow Peace as not to quit Holiness Heb. 12. 14. A zealous contending for the Truth is very consistent with the peaceable Temper of a true Christian We may have salt in our selves and yet have peace one with another Mark 9. 50. Adoption is an uniting principle the Saints should live together in Love as the Children of one Father as joined in the same interest Behold how good and how pleasant is it for brethren to dwell together in unity Psal. 133. 1. What Abraham said unto Lot Gen. 13. 8. we should say to each other Let there be no strife I pray thee between me and thee for we be brethren I wish there were more of this sign of Adoption among the Children of God this day We have reason all of us to pray for more of that Wisdom that is from above Which is first pure then peaceable gentle and easy to be intreated James 3. 17. 2. A spiritual and holy Conversation Abraham's children do the works of Abraham Joh. 8. 39. Walk in the steps of his faith Rom. 4. 12. Who is the father of us all V. 16. The Children of God should not debase themselves to the sordid practices of the men of the World they should shine out as lights in the midst of a crooked Generation making streight paths for their feet walking evenly and uprightly as those who are led by the Spirit of God and thereby do approve themselves to be the Children of God Rom. 8. 14 3. A reverential Fear of God in all our ways 1 Pet. 1. 17. Mal. 1. 6. joined with filial Obedience 1 Pet. 1. 14. which they are led to not from a mercenary hope of reward but from an innate Principle of Love to God as their Heavenly Father they cannot but take after that will of God of which they were begotten 4. A restless breathing and panting after God when he hides his face from us in any displeasure A child of God can't bear the least distance between God and his soul Psa. 42. 1 2. There is nothing that a gracious Soul more desires than the presence of God Psal. 84 10. Psal. 65. 4. He is carried out by a Divine instinct after God his joy is full when he is in communion with God and he is presently troubled when his face is hid The more God sheds abroad his Love in our hearts the more are our hearts captivated to him made more willing in the day of his power to serve him The Love of God is a conquering Love a heart-subduing Love it has a mighty constraining power over us drawing the will after it The Law presses duty but gives us no strength to perform it it pricks us forward as with the point of a Sword but does not bear us up in doing it The Law commands Holiness but under the Gospel Holiness commands us the Principles of it being inlaid in our renewed Natures We consent unto the law that it is good we delight in it after the inward man Rom. 7. 16. 22. 'T is written in our hearts we are a Law to our selves and therefore not without Law to God but under the Law to Christ 1 Cor. 9. 21. The Grace of the Gospel suits our wills to the will of God the free Spirit of Christ inclines us to new Obedience God knows how to commend his Love to us how to ingratiate himself with us till he has so taken our hearts that we begin to be sick of love towards him Cant. 5. 9. Full of vehement desires and longings after him David's heart was ready to break under this most holy frame Psalm 119. 20. Till we are Adopted children we are as to our state under the Law To be under the Law is to be without a Spirit of Grace to be a debtor to the Law when we have nothing to pay to be under the curse and servitude of the Law acting out of Fear not Love We can't Love God or Godliness till we Believe God loves us in Christ this molifies and changes the heart we are holy by choice now are a Law to our selves ergo the Doctrine of Free-Grace is no licentious Doctrine as some would make us believe 'T is not wrangling about Faith and Works but living by Faith that gives us an experimental knowledge of the truth and power of the Doctrine of Free-grace which makes us own God as our God We must break the First Commandment before we can break any of the other Nine In a dying hour Bellarmine's Tutissimum est will be good Doctrine When we bring things to an issue between God and our own
bear him out in this act then certainly we may safely rely upon this precious Blood for our Justification That which Justifies God in his act of Justifying a Believing sinner must needs be a sufficient cause of our Justification else it could not justifie God in his Justifying act there would be no equitable reason for it besides to say that the Blood of Christ is the only procuring Meritorious cause of our Justification i. e. of the acceptance of out Persons and Performances This is truth but not all the truth belonging to Justification For my next Query is What is it that gives us an interest in the Blood of Christ in the satisfaction he hath made for sin Here nothing must come in as instrumentally necessary to our receiving and applying Christ but Faith only Repentance and new Obedience are the effects of the Faith either they are the effects of Faith or of Unbelief None will say the latter then they must necessarily flow from the real interest that Faith gives us in Christ if not I don't see how we can attain to them At this rate they must be done in our own strength not in Christ's for being conditions as some say of our interest in Christ they must be performed before we can have an interest in him It is an excellent Note of Calvin in his Commentaries upon Rom. 8. 30. Whom he did predestinate them he called and whom he called them he justified c. Scimus enim ubi de salute agitur libenter homines à seipsis incipere fingeréque sibi praeparationes quibus Dei gratiam antevertant i. e. 'T is natural for men in the business of Salvation to begin at themselves fancying some preparatory Works by which they may prevent the Grace of God and do something for themselves in their own strength that may fit and qualifie them for an interest in Christ. In this rotten Principle do many begin their Religion which corrupts their minds ever after from the simplicity that is in Christ and puts them upon seeking Justification Not by Faith but as it were by the works of the law Rom. 9. 32. Supposing something in themselves to be the first cause of their acceptance with God I wish all who call themselves Calvinists would read that place and seriously consider the sense of that Holy man in this main point of our Religion Some through mistake have counted Luther an Antinomian but none call Calvin so 'T is good to be zealous in promoting practical Holiness and Gospel-Obedience but let us be sure it be Gospel-Obedience flowing from a principle of Faith in Christ Jesus For to Preach up Holiness from any other Principle then that of Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ is not to Preach like Ministers of the New Testament Faith only is required in Justification rather than to it I so phrase it because they are simultaneus Repentance and New Obedience do follow Faith let them be kept in their due place and be allowed no causal concurrence unto our Justification and we shall avoid all confusion else there will be a fundamental difference between us while some hold that Faith only gives us an interest in Christ others that Repentance and New Obedience do equally with Faith give us an interest in Christ. Some carry it as if the end of Christ's coming into the world was only to set up a New Covenant of Works upon milder and easier terms of sincere imperfect Obedience which all men are to be exhorted to and urged to the performance of upon a supposed general sufficient Grace purchased by Christ enabling all men who do not wilfully refuse to come up to the terms of this New Covenant This Opinion hath many ill consequences in it viz. Of a General Redemption taking away Original sin restoring man to a freedom of will in doing good setting him upon his own legs again to stand or fall as he comes up to or falls short of the terms of this New conditional Covenant So that all is resolved into mans own power and will all being now put into an equal capacity of Salvation by Christ and having said this they have done with Christ have all in their own hands may set up for themselves and love to be put upon duty as persons sufficiently furnished for it already But notwithstanding this specious new scheme of rational Divinity as some call it I must in faithfulness to God to my own Conscience and the Souls of them that hear me tell you plainly That they who trust in a general Redemption will fall short of their particular Salvation upon the Principles that those Universalists go upon We are all by nature dead in trespasses and sins reprobate to every good Word and Work and shall so remain till we do by a particular personal act of our own Faith come to Christ for life that we may be quickned by his Spirit and made alive unto Righteousness We must have life before we can live or put forth any vital operations we must be first quickned by Christ the great quickning Spirit before we can live to God or do any thing that is Spiritually good 'T is Faith that unites us to Christ which is the gift of God to some for all men have not Faith and till this Faith comes by hearing the Gospel we are dead in sin Christ came not only as a Lawgiver to prescribe rules of living to dead sinners but to create in us a principle of life to give us strength to perform what he requires of us as new Creatures created in Christ Jesus unto good Works All our own endeavours after Holiness while we are out of Christ will prove ineffectual we must be first engrafted into the true Olive-Tree deriving all our fruitfulness from the root that bears us else we shall quickly wither away and come to nothing No acceptable service ever was or can be done by man till Faith brings us to Christ without whom we can do nothing when Faith comes life comes strength comes a Spiritual ability to do the will of God in some measure And as this Faith increases by the daily exercise of it so we increase in Spiritual strength perfecting Holiness more and more in the fear of God Let no man think to be made perfect in the flesh Christ came not to reform corrupt Nature but to destroy it and utterly to extirpate it the old man will never learn to lead a new life die he must and be Crucified he must be put off that we may put on the New man which after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness Eph. 4. 24. This is the only way to true Holiness here and to Eternal Happiness hereafter To as many as the Lord our God shall effectually call to this Faith to them and to them only doth the promise of Salvation by Christ belong 'T is the command of Christ that all should Believe on him they that do and they only shall be saved by him
See how the Psalmist Psal. 77. 7 8 9. under a fit of Unbelief doth not so much question himself as God's Faithfulness and Truth Is his Mercy clean gone doth his promise fail for evermore hath God forgotten to be gracious He had forgot himself and he thought that God had forgot himself But as I told you before Faith in the Power of Christ will carry it at last against all our fears At what time I am afraid I will trust in thee As there is something in Fear that makes us draw back from God so there is something in it that puts us forward The greater the extremity is the more apt we are to venture As a man pursued by an Enemy and running for his life tho he may boggle at some difficult pass he tries and tries again draws back his foot thinks he feels the ground sink under him but the Enemy being now at his heels he must through or Perish and so he ventures without any more ado and glad he is to find firm ground under his feet he did not think so till he was upon it And so it is with a weak Believer Faith doth not presently drop all its fears when it is coming to Christ. Act reliance upon Christ and you will find support which was the thing you doubted of by taking hold of Christ you will stay your selves and feel your selves upheld A Soul when actually come to Christ is rid of many fears it was under all the while it was coming and lives under a more comfortable Hope ever after Thus you see how Faith begets Hope how naturally it arises out of Faith In the Next place I shall shew you how Christ received or Christ in us doth cherish maintain and keep up this Hope in Believers Christ in us the hope of Glory saith the Text. Brethren Glory is a great thing and the Hope of Glory is a great Hope And great hopes must have a great foundation to support them There must be that in the ground of my Hope that will at least make it probable to me that the thing I Hope for is attainable that way else it is not a rational ground of Hope Now I will make it evident to you That a Believer is the most rational man in the world in all the actings of his Faith and Hope He goes upon sure ground he hath the clearest Evidence the fullest Conviction the most demonstrable Proof on his side that can be which heightens his Hope exceedingly Do you make good the foundation that Christ is in you of a truth and I will make good the Hope built upon it and prove it to be sufficiently grounded provided you are grounded and setled and stablished in the Faith Col. 1. 23. comp with Col. 2. 7. I am sure you will not be moved away from the Hope of the Gospel I shall shew you that Christ is the only foundation of a Christians Hope of Glory I prove it many ways First Christ removes all that may obstruct our Hope of Glory Secondly He hath done all that may raise and strengthen our Hope of Glory All that conduces to it that any ways tends to invest us in it and make it ours Thirdly Christ hath given us a famous instance of the full actual accomplishment of his whole Undertaking for us in himself Fourthly He hath given us some present earnest of all this in our selves Fifthly and Lastly Lest Death should dash all our Hopes he hath assured us of a Glorious Resurrection If I make out all this to you there will be no scruple left in the Case you must needs be convinced That Christ in you is your hope of Glory I begin with the First Christ hath removed all that may obstruct our Hope of Glory 1. He hath overcome the Devil that grand Adversary to our Souls The strong man is bound Matth. 12. 29. Captivity is led captive Ephes. 2. 4 8. Satan falls like lightning from heaven Luke 10. 18. He that had the power of death is destroyed Heb. 2. 14. The prince of this world is cast out Joh. 12. 37. Principalities and powers are spoyled triumphed over Col. 2. 15. And thus the head of the old serpent is bruised Gen. 3. 15. We are turned from the power of Satan unto God Acts 26. 18. And for this very purpose the Son of God was manifest that he might destroy the works of the Devil 1 Joh. 3. 8. You see how full how particular the Scripture is in setting forth the Victory that Christ gained over the Devil And all that he might secure unto us this Hope of Glory The devil was once in Hope to bring us all into the same place of Torment with himself but Christ hath appeared and hath destroyed and overcome that great destroyer of Souls 2. Christ hath freed us from the Curse of the Law and the Wrath of God Gal. 3. 13. comp with 1 Thess. 1. 10. He hath redeemed us from the curse being made a curse for us and hath delivered us from the wrath to come He was wounded for our transgressions He was made under the law Gal. 4. 4. He fulfilled all righteousness required in the law Matth. 3. 15. And 3. Christ hath taken away all Sin that causes shame and is therefore directly opposed to this Glory in the Text. Sin is a reproach to a man it fills him with shame and confusion of Face is a blot upon him leaves a note of infamy upon him Now Jesus Christ he bore our Sins in his own body on the tree 1 Pet. 2. 24. That we being dead to sin might live to righteousness While we live in Sin and live unto Sin we live to the dishonour of God to the reproach of our Profession and of all the pretended Hopes that we were under of our Eternal Salvation He was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5. 21. He gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity Tit. 2. 14. Thus you see how Christ hath removed all that may obstruct our Hope of Glory Secondly He hath done all that may raise and strengthen our Hope of Glory All that conduces to it that any way tends to invest us in it and make it ours 1. He satisfies the Justice of God in order to the free Remission of our Sins We are justified freely by his Grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Rom. 3. 24 25 26. 2. Christ doth not only justifie us procure Pardon of our Sins but he also reconciles us to the Holiness of God by his sanctifying Spirit Before we were Enemies to God in our minds by wicked works but being justified God doth immediately begin to sanctifie to reconcile us to himself to the Power Purity and Strictness of Gospel-Holiness he transforms us more and more into his own Image from Glory to Glory all this tends to Glory you see by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. 8. God's
Holiness inclines him to hate Sin and his Justice to punish it And till these Two Attributes of God be for us there is no Hope of Glory Christ by taking our Nature put himself into a capacity of suffering for us He took not on him the Nature of Angels this is some ground of Hope to Man and having drawn his heart to believe in him rely upon him it is a sure sign he intends good unto him Christ being become Man he doth through our own nature convey himself to us in the most intimate familiar manner that can be His Spirit enters into us passes through all the Faculties of our Souls leaving a Spiritual Inclination in them all towards God which by degrees prevails over all the sinful inclinations of our corrupt natures making us at last perfectly conformable to the Son of God and this is our Sanctification Christ in us demonstrates the Love of God to us sheds it abroad in our hearts by his Spirit We hope for little from those who have no kindness for us no love to us But the love of God most eminently appears to us in Christ Ephes. 2. 4. God having given us his Son how shall he not with him give us all things There is ground enough for Hope Faith having Christ raises our Hope for every thing else If Christ be ours all is ours Thirdly Christ hath given us a famous Instance in himself of the full actual accomplishment of his whole Undertaking for us which I find insisted upon in Scripture as an Encouragement to Believers Saith the Apostle Heb. 2. 9. There are many Promises and Prophesies not yet come to pass many things we do not see fulfilled But do we see nothing fulfilled Ay saith he we see Jesus entred into Glory that is enough for us so 1 Pet. 1. 21. saith he God hath raised up Christ from the dead and given him Glory to what end pray That your Faith and Hope might be in God Believers by virtue of their Union to Christ their Head and Representative they are in Heaven already made to sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Ephes. 2. 6. All is already fulfilled in Christ that you hope for You hope for full pardon of Sin full sense of Comfort full sense of your Justification you hope for thorough Mortification of your Sin perfect Sanctification you hope for full deliverance from all afflictions for a Resurrection from the Grave you hope to ascend up to Heaven to be Glorified there All this is past upon Christ already he hath finished Transgression as to what concerns the business of our sins Christ hath finished it he hath finished Transgression and brought in Everlasting Righteousness It is not a thing to be done but already actually done he hath finished Transgression Sin when finished brings forth death saith James this is the perfection of Sin in the utmost extent of its fatal Energy and Efficacy when it is finished it brings forth Death But Christ's finishing Sin was to prevent Death the dispatching it out of the World He by finishing Sin utterly abolished Death and Sin too by the infinite Merit of his precious Blood Christ's finishing Transgression was the blotting it out the undoing and reversing of all that Evil that Sin had brought upon us that it might not be able to bring down a Curse upon us any more The consideration of this famous instance is a wonderful support to our Faith Let me tell you this that a bare word of Promise concerning things to be done for us by God without this famous instance of their being done and actually accomplished in the Man Christ Jesus would not have been such a confirmation of our Faith tho in it self it ought to be yet through our weakness and infirmity it would not have been such a convincing confirmation as now it is in conjunction with this undeniable instance It strengthens the very Word of God and helps us with more confidence to settle upon it There is nothing we hope for but the Man Christ Jesus is already possessed of he is Risen he is Ascended he is sate down at the right Hand of God upon his Throne he is Glorified in our Nature and what is done to man may be done again So that Christ is the most rational ground of a Christians Hope that can be Fourthly Christ hath not only given us a famous instance in himself of the coming to pass of all that is promised to us but in the Fourth place he gives us present earnest of all this in our selves We have the first fruits the earnest of the spirit in our hearts 2 Cor. 1. 22. We are sealed by the holy spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance Ephes. 1. 13 14. They who are so sealed do walk in the comfort of the Holy-Ghost Acts 9. 31. as well they may under so great an Assurance of Glory hereafter Some Rays of this Glory do shine in upon the hearts of Believers here A spirit of glory rests upon them now 1 Pet. 4. 14. Now from these Beginnings we may hope for all that is to follow Our Light is come and the Glory of the Lord is risen upon us in some measure already and is continually rising higher and higher towards a Noon-day Light which is our perfect day Thus we are transformed now from Glory to Glory Believers find it so in themselves And therefore experience should beget Hope Rom. 5. 4. And then Lastly Lest Death should dash all our Hopes Christ hath assured us of a Glorious Resurrection If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable 1 Cor. 15. 19. Christ hath taken off this Objection that we might not be in bondage through fear of death Heb. 2. 16. It is evident he hath power to raise the dead as he hath raised himself from the Grave They deny matter of Fact who deny the Resurrection 1 Cor. 15. 13. If there be no resurrection then Christ is not risen but that is matter of fact he is risen we know it Christ is the first fruits of them that sleep in the Grave The first begotten of the dead Rev. 1. 5. The first who rose from the dead Acts 26. 23. He is the first-born from the dead Col. 1. 18. And he will change our vile body that it may be fashioned like to his glorious body Phil. 3. 21. See what ground there is for your Hope of Glory from the Resurrection of Christ. That which is sown in dishonour shall be raised in glory 1 Cor. 15. 43. This still maintains your Hope of Glory Therefore my beloved brethren saith Paul be stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know your labour is not in vain in the Lord v. 58. Were there no Resurrection all the pains we take in Religion would be labour in vain but we know our labour is not in vain Thus you see how Christ in us is our Hope