ROM. 3.19, 20.

Now we know, that what things ſoever the Law ſaith, it ſaith to them who are under the Law, that every mouth may be ſtopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

Therefore by the deeds of the Law ſhall no fleſh be juſtified in his ſight, &c.

HAving ſpoken, as the Lord hath helped me, as to the weight of the pardon of ſin, and the way to it; I now come to open the compleating this mercy in a poor ſouls compleat juſtification before God. So it hath pleaſed the Wiſdom of God to order the way of his glorious mercy to poor Sinners that ſhall be ſaved, that he doth not only let forth free grace for the remiſſion of their ſins, and meerly pardon them, but hath ſo bleſſedly ordered the matter, to bring them in a ſtate of Righteouſneſs, a compleat and perfect righteouſneſs, as Adam in his perfect eſtate was in, not by making the Sinner perſonally holy and righteous in himſelf, in his own nature, but by giving out his eternal Son Jeſus Chriſt, to fulfill all righteouſneſs in their ſtead, by ſatisfying and keeping the perfect Law of righteouſneſs, which is imputed to the Believer as if he had fulfilled it, and were wholly righteous in his own perſon; in which lies the great myſtery of the Goſpel. I am not aſhamed of the Goſpel of Chriſt, ſaith Paul, &c. for therein is the righteouſneſs of God revealed from faith to faith, &c. Rom. 1.16. namely▪ that righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt whereby God will juſtifie, put in a ſtate of righteouſneſs, made over to them by faith that ſhall be pardoned and ſaved.

To endeavour to evince and diſcover the neceſſity of ſuch a juſtification, and the nature of it, and how a poor ſoul comes to be inveſted in it, to have a right unto it, is my deſign, as the Lord ſhall graciouſly aſſiſt in this enſuing diſcourſe. Oh that I might do it in the ſimplicity of the Goſpel, plainly, convincingly, ſpiritually, as I ought to ſpeak.

In the proſecuting hereof, I ſhall firſt ſhew that righteouſneſs is not to be attained any other way, not by the exacteſt keeping of the Law, ſo as to commend us to God; not by ſetting our ſelves to keep the Law of God as well as we can, and ſo we hope God will accept of it; which being naturally rooted in the hearts of all, I find it the hardeſt piece of conviction, and moſt hardly received of any other; ſouls are a thouſand times more eaſily beaten off groſs ſins, than beaten off the confidence of the good they think they do, and ſo come as Nothing elſe but ſinners to Jeſus Chriſt; want of this conviction makes all the Hypocrites in the world. This is that part therefore I ſhall firſt begin with, according to the Apoſtles Method in this Epiſtle.

The Apoſtle lays down his Doctrine, which he was to prove in the 17th. verſe of the 1ſt. Chapter, The juſt ſhall live by faith; to make way for which, he firſt proves in the remaining part of the firſt Chap. that the Gentiles knowledge of God, which they had by the things that are made. The Creation and Providence of God over the world, left them in unrighteouſneſs becauſe they held the truth (of the being of a God) in unrighteouſneſs, even the wiſeſt and learnedſt of them, ſuch as profeſſed themſelves to be wiſe, verſe 22. and brake forth into Idolatry and all abominations, for which cauſe God gave them up, &c. verſe 26, 28. At the 17th. verſe of the 2d. Chap. The Apoſtle undertakes the Jew, ſtrikes off all his priviledges, and at the 9th. verſe of the 3d. Chapter, concludes both Jew and Gentile, in the ſame condition, as to the obtaining of ſuch a righteouſneſs by the Law, that might commend either to God; What then are we, (who are Jews) better than they, (who are Gentiles?) No, in no wiſe, for we have proved that Jews and Gentiles are all under ſin; As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one: Which he further proves by ſeveral Scriptures to the words of the text.

In which the Apoſtle prevents an objection, namely, that ſome might urge, The Scriptures urged may concern ſome few and groſly wicked perſons, and not all mankind in general: No ſuch matter; whatever the Law ſaith, it ſaith to them that are under the law, which are all the Sons and Daughters of Adam, as in their natural corrupt eſtate; All under the Law, from whence the Apoſtle infers, (1.) That therefore every mouth is ſtopped, (2.) All the world is guilty before God. (3.) That no fleſh, within or without the Church, can be juſtified by the Law. From whence I draw theſe four plain obſervations, to prove what is my main deſign, viz. That no man can attain to ſuch a meaſure of righteouſneſs by all that ever he can do, in his beſt keeping the Law, as may commend him to God; which four are theſe.

1. Every Son and Daughter of Adam in their natural eſtate are under the Law.

2. That a Tranſgreſſor of the Law hath nothing to boaſt in, nor to excuſe himſelf from his ſin, or the righteous judgment of God due unto him. [That every mouth may be ſtopped.]

3. Every Soul in the world is under guilt and condemnation: [That all the world may be guilty before God.]

4. Every ſoul lies under an impoſſibility of reaching to ſuch a Juſtification, by the beſt keeping of the Law, as for God thereby to accept of him.

I intend briefneſs in the opening of theſe, and what plainneſs alſo the Lord ſhall help me with: This is a principle rooted in the hearts of all the Children of men: That ſtill there is a ſufficiency in them to keep the Law of God, in ſuch a meaſure as God will accept them for it; This being heightened, by the ignorance of times, and darkneſs of Goſpel light, and of the New Covenant of Grace, upon the ſpirits of this Generation, they are moſt hardly beaten off it; ſay poor ſouls, If I keep Gods law as well as I can, and worſhip God, and do not harm my Neighbour, God will accept me, and pardon where I fail; but to be convinced that all that keeping of the law is made void by one ſin, and ſo ſee an abſolute neceſſity of righteouſneſs, another way and out of themſelves by Jeſus Chriſt, though it be preacht by many good men, yet few, very few, in this Generation live in the practical ſenſe and ſight of it; yea, how many profeſſors (not hereby to reproach any) have confeſſed to the Glory of God, and their own abaſement, that ſince the breaking forth of a fuller light of the nature of the New Covenant, Goſpel Grace, the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, they have been ſhaken in their bottoms, being legal, and thought if they took up from their ſins, and had a kind of ſorrow for them, and then ſet themſelves to obey the law ſtrictly, be cloſe in the Sabbath, and ſome ſuch duties, that God would accept them, being ſtill ignorant, at leaſt practically, that when they were convinced of ſin, they were to ſee where to have a righteouſneſs, and how to get into Chriſt, and have life and ſtrength in and from him for their new Obedicence; which is that I drive at in this, and my afterwards diſcourſe in opening the New Creature, as in Chriſt.

Having premiſed this, I come to ſpeak to the firſt particular laid down, namely,

Obſerv. 1. Every ſon and daughter of Adam in their natural eſtate are under the Law.

By the Law, I do not mean the Moſaical or old Teſtament way of worſhip: But by the law, I underſtand that which we ſtile the moral law, the law of the ten Commandments, that was written in Adams heart, and afterwards given out by God unto Moſes at Mount Sinai; and promiſed in the New Covenant to be written again in the hearts of all that are really called into the grace of ihe Covenant, Ezek. 36.27.

To be under the Law, is an Expreſſion familiar to you, you know what it is to live under a law: To be under this law of God then beſpeaks theſe things.

1. To be under it, is to be bound over to the exact fulfilling it: See Rom. 10.15. For Moſes deſcribeth the righteouſneſs which is of the Law, that the man which doth theſe things ſhall live by them; that is it, to be bound over to the fulfilling and doing of the law, which if done exactly, without the leaſt deviation, there is life promiſed to it: But upon the leaſt tranſgreſſion of it, to be liable to the penalty which God hath pronounced againſt the tranſgreſſors of it.

2. It follows thence, that to be under the Law, is to be bound over to the whole Law, in its full and perfect latitude, as it reacheth the whole Man. Curſed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them: Mark well the tenour of theſe words: Here is required of every one an exact doing (not only purpoſing and thinking to do;) and that not only of ſome or the moſt of the Law, but in all things; and that not only for a time, but a Continuance of doing ſo, or elſe under the curſe: One ſinful thought hath a curſe belonging to it, as well as the breach of the whole Law, if under the Law. Whoſoever committeth ſin, tranſgreſſeth alſo the Law, 1 John 3.4.

3. To be under the Law, is to be ſubject to, and to be under all the curſes, threatnings, judgments, wrath, that it threateneth to the tranſgreſſors of it, here and for ever: Whatſoever the Law ſaith, in point alſo of judgment and wrath, it ſaith to all that are under it.

4. To be under it, is to be bound to make God ſatisfaction in our own perſons for the breach of it; I mean, while under it, every ſoul is ſo obliged to make ſatisfaction, to the juſtice of God: If a poor ſoul be in his natural eſtate, and ſo under the Law; he muſt ſtand or fall to the Law: God expects perſonal ſatisfaction from every ſoul that ſinneth againſt it, that will ſtand to his keeping the Law, in whole or in part, and God in his juſtice can bate nothing of what he hath ſpoken.

Now, That all Men and Women are by nature, as of and in the firſt Adam, thus under the Law, to wit, to be bound up to it, and to have life only upon the exact and perfect fulfilling of it, to be bound up to the whole Law, ſubject to the curſe of it, upon the tranſgreſſion of one part, bound to make God ſatisfaction in his own perſon for any breach thereof, I briefly prove.

Saith Paul, Rom. 6.14. Ye are not under the Law, but under grace; Implying, till a ſoul is brought under grace, the Covenant of grace, juſtifying and ſanctifying grace, in and by Jeſus Chriſt, he is under the Law, whoſoever he be; ſo Gal. 4.5. — To redeem them that were under the law, &c. implying alſo that all mankind are naturally under it, till under the power and efficacy and priviledge of Chriſt's Redemption.

The main reaſons of it are,

All are under this law, becauſe all Mankind were bound up under the ſame Covenant with Adam, who was a publick perſon, repreſenting all mankind, as a man may bind up himſelf and his poſterity to ſuch and ſuch Conditions; and ſuch a Covenant, decree, or obligation binds his poſterity in Law, ſo was Adam bound up to God; See Rom. 5.12. the ſpecial Scripture that proves this truth; Wherefore as by one man ſin entred into the world, and death by ſin, ſo death paſſed upon all men, for that all have ſinned: So verſe 16, 17, 18, 19. by one that ſinned, &c. by one mans offence death reigned by one; by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation: By one mans diſobedience many were made ſinners: Implying clearly, that the guilt of Adam, as repreſenting all his poſterity, was and is imputed to all; and therefore all were, and are bound over to the ſame Law; bottomed upon that word of the Lord to Adam, by which God put the Covenant upon him, Gen. 2.17. For in the day that thou eateſt thereof thou ſhalt ſurely dye▪ Adam had the law of Holineſs and Righteouſneſs, the Moral Law, written in his heart before, and his nature perfect, which bound him over to obey every command of his God; now God gave out that external law unto him by way of trial, in which the form of the Covenant was implied; but ſinning againſt that, he tranſgreſſed the Moral law, written in his heart alſo, which bound him over to obey God in all things; ſo that the ſin of Adam was (at leaſt virtually) a tranſgreſſion of the moral law, now abiding and obliging mankind; which law we all brake in him, as it was given to all in him, and being written in Adam's heart, it was as much as if it had been actually written in the hearts of all mankind; which doth alſo appear by the remnants of the Law, (as that there is a God, and man ſhould be juſt,) and remaining in the hearts of all: Therefore by nature we are all bound up to, and are under this law.

2. It doth appear that all do ſin and tranſgreſs this law of God, therefore they are under the penalty and condemnation of it: This Argument the Apoſtle brings to prove the ſame thing, verſe 9. of this 3d. of the Rom.— For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under ſin: And verſe 12. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doth good, no not one; Thefore ſeeing all do ſin, they are bound to anſwer the law (as you uſe to phraſe it,) and are ſubject to whatſoever the Law pronounceth againſt the tranſgreſſors of it.

3. All the partial keeping of the Law, will not deliver a Soul from that penalty that belongs to the breach of the whole: Keep me all or none, as to your deliverance from the curſe, ſaith the law. But this I am further to prove, when I ſpeak to the next verſe, The impoſſibility of a ſinners being accepted by his beſt keeping of the law.

Ʋſe 1. Are all Men and Women in the World, young and old, naturally under the law, bound over to the moſt exact and rigorous fulfilling it under a curſe, and are indeed under all the curſes and threatnings it pronounceth, and bound to make God ſatisfaction in your perſons, while you are under it? Oh! let every poor Sinner be convinced of it, what a ſtate is this for any poor ſoul to reſt it ſelf ſatisfied in? who is the man or woman that is not a tranſgreſſor of it? and therefore ſee to it, and that before the execution of judgment come upon thee without remedy. Sinner, if thou waſt condemned by the Law, and under a ſenſe of death, how wouldſt beg for a reprieve? and beg of all thy friends to interpoſe for thee; what an amazing word would it be to thee? Thou art condemned to dye. Ah ſinner, 'tis the caſe of thy precious ſoul, Thou art condemn'd to eternal death, by the law of God, the ſentence is pronounc'd from the righteous Judge of Heaven; Away Sinner, with all ſpeed to a Mercy ſeat. Acknowledge thy condemation juſt by the Law, go to the great and potent Advocate of Heaven, Jeſus Chriſt the righteous; put thy caſe into his hand, tell him thou baſt none elſe to make to, and that thou haſt heard he hath helped many a condemned Sinner, in the ſame caſe as thou art; and that thou haſt heard he hath laid down a price for ſuch as thou art to redeem them from the curſe of the Law: Follow him, and if he ſpeak but a word to the juſt and great God for thee, the ſentence of the law is remitted, a pardon of grace comes forth, and at laſt the Holy Ghoſt ſhall be ſent from the Father, and the Son to witneſs it, and ſeal it in thy own Conſcience; and that bleſſed word ſhall be thine, Therefore there is now no condemnation, &c. who ſhall condemn me, ſince Jeſus Chriſt hath cleared me? and hath made the Court of Heaven for me? Go and ponder in thy ſoul every day; and ſay, Is't nothing to be under a Curſe? condemned by a Law to be damned for ever? ſhall I let my poor ſoul lie in ſuch a caſe one hour longer, eſpecially when a way I hear is open'd to me to get from under it? Say, what ſatisfaction can I, wretched creature, make to the righteous God? None, but by ſuffering what infinite juſtice will lay upon me, which is no leſs than infinite puniſhment. Oh! get in upon thy conſcience, what it is to be condemned by the great God, to lye under guilt, to have no plea or excuſe by the Law left thee; which I will labour to prove to thy conſcience, and then further urge thee, which is the import of the next point.

Obſer. 2. A tranſgreſſor of the law, as he hath nothing to boaſt in, ſo he hath nothing to excuſe himſelf for his ſin, or from the righteous judgment of God due unto him; which is drawn from theſe words —That every mouth may be ſtopped, &c.

This the Apoſtle intimates, Rom. 2.1. Therefore thou art inexcuſable, O man, &c. ſpeaking to the Jew who went about to free himſelf. And the judgment of God is according to truth, againſt them which do ſuch things, verſe. 2.

Reaſon 1. A poor ſinner hath nothing to excuſe himſelf for ſinning againſt the law of God, becauſe the law is good and righteous, Rom. 7.12. Therefore the law is holy, and the Commandment holy, juſt, and good, ſaith Paul, when he was under ſuch a Conviction of ſinning againſt it as we are preſſing; So 1 Tim. 1.8. But we know that the law is good, &c. 'Tis a Law that gives glory to the Creator, and all good and bleſſedneſs (as in it ſelf) to the Creature▪ A Law that's full of all wiſdom and bleſſedneſs, takes care for the good, bleſſing, peace, order of the whole Creation, that man might not ſin againſt his Maker, nor, in the leaſt, harm (nor think to do ſo) his fellow creature, ſo that its proper end is goodneſs, preſervation to all; Now what excuſe for a creature, moſt concern'd in the good of it, for ſinning againſt ſuch a Law? what hath a creature to ſay for himſelf? how inexcuſable is he before God, Angels, and Men?

2. God writ this holy and bleſſed Law in the heart of Adam, as he was a publick perſon, whereby he, and in him all mankind, had power to keep it, therefore the ſinner hath no excuſe before God; He gave man a power, though he did not lay a neceſſity upon his will, but left them to the liberty of it, but man corrupted himſelf, Gen. 6.12. Whereby he diſabled himſelf from keeping the Law: Now if a man diſable himſelf, it can be no rational excuſe for neglecting the duty, ſo that his Mouth is ſtopped as to any plea or excuſe before the Lord.

3. Though man had blurred and defaced the fair and original Copy of this holy and good law written in his heart, yet God gave it forth again by Moſes in Legible Characters, one end whereof was to leave all Mankind without excuſe; therefore this ſtrikes off all plea for the ſinner, eſpecially to ſuch to whom it is revealed.

4. There is a remnant of this Law yet in the heart of Adam, which though not ſufficient to enable him to an exact performance of it, yet enough to leave him without excuſe; ſo Paul, Rom. 2.15. to prove this point we are now upon, ſpeaking of the Gentiles, — Which ſhew the works of the Law written in their hearts, their Conſcience alſo bearing witneſs, and their thoughts the mean while accuſing, or elſe excuſing one another. There is enough of the law remaining in every mans heart to accuſe him, when he doth evil; and excuſe him ſo far as he doth right, though man by habitual ſinning, doth much ſtifle it; ſo that this alſo helps to aggravate his ſin, and to leave him without all plea or excuſe.

5. There is that to be known of God, in the creatures, that may and doth leave a ſinner without all excuſe for ſinning againſt him; this the Apoſtle argues as to this very purpoſe, Rom. 1.20. For the inviſible things of him from the Creation of the World, are clearly ſeen, being underſtood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and god head, ſo that they are without excuſe, &c. The creatures could not ſay, we will make our ſelves thus and thus, and ſubſiſt in ſuch an order and harmony; therefore there was one firſt Infinite Being, who made all things, and by the ſame power doth uphold them, to which firſt Being, all the creatures muſt owe their homage and conformity: Now though ſuch a glimmering of light can never ſuffice to lead a ſoul to the true worſhipping of God, as the Apoſtle there argues, yet it leaves the creature without excuſe, which is that I am proving from it.

6. All the Children of men do ſin preſumptuouſly, wilfully, and obſtinately, againſt the Law of God; mans ſin being not ſo much from his weakneſs to obey the law, (though weak he is) but from the rebellion of his will againſt God and his law; as it is in the caſe of diſobeying the call of the Goſpel alſo: Now whatſoever a man doth preſumptuouſly and wilfully, it leaves him without all excuſe; and this is it that is charged upon the Children of men, by the holy Ghoſt in the word, that their ſin was obſtinate rebellion againſt the great God.

From all theſe, the truth of the Aſſertion doth appear, that every Tranſgreſſor of the Law is without all excuſe before God.

7. As the Creature hath no excuſe for his ſin, ſo it follows he hath no pretence againſt the righteous judgment of God; We are ſure the judgment of God is according to truth, Rom. 2.2. and Chap. 3.4. That thou may'ſt be juſtified in thy ſavings, and clear when thou art judged; that is, whatever any ſinner may diſpute to the contrary, God is righteous when he judgeth; if the Law be juſt, and holy, and good, once written in his his heart, and had a power to have kept it, that God hath given out this law again to him, the remnants of it in his heart, ſo much to be known of God in the Creatures, and that he ſins preſumptuouſly and wilfully againſt God, and ſo bleſſed a law, made for his own good, certainly muſt every ſinner conclude, the Lord is righteous when he judgeth, and every mouth muſt be ſtopped.

Ʋſe 1. If it be ſo, that no ſinner in the world hath any juſtifiable excuſe for his ſin, then let this truth come in into your conſciences, and ſtrike off all vain pretences, and wretched excuſes, when you have ſinned againſt the Lord; which uſually are ſuch as theſe, when ſinners break forth into this or that rebellious way, they cry, Oh! 'tis my nature, my natural diſpoſition; and then they think that excuſeth or allayeth the matter, whereas it aggravates, for we our ſelves corrupted our natures. Saith another, I have been ſo accuſtomed to ſuch a way, to drink to exceſs, ſometimes to ſwear, to uſe the Lords name vainly, and as a by-word; whereas the cuſtom of ſinning is the greateſt and moſt grievous aggravation of it. Saith another, 'tis my company that draws me, or the example of others, or 'tis my temptation, when they are under the Spirit that worketh in the children of diſobedience: Or, that they do keep the Law as well as they can, and think this will excuſe: Whereas nothing, no plea that ever a ſinful deceitful heart put up, or that the Devil ſuggeſts, can before God excuſe any ſinner in the world, rich or poor, knowing or ignorant, from the exact and perfect keeeping of the Law, (if they are under the Law) but upon one tranſgreſſion of it, the law doth moſt juſtly condemn and curſe them.

Nothing is more natural to fallen man, under ſin, than when having ſinned, to deviſe an excuſe, and thinks and ſurmiſeth, that becauſe ſuch an excuſe will be taken by his own blinded Conſcience, therefore God will alſo accept of it, and ſo flatters himſelf in his own eyes, till his iniquity be found to be hateful, Pſal. 36.2. Thus Adam as ſoon as he had ſinn'd, he thought how to excuſe the matter, puts it off to the woman, and the woman to the Devil, which trade ſinners have well learnt, and have driven it on ever ſince to their own damnation: Obſerve this, if every ſinner, yet under the law, and the power of ſin, had not ſome vain pretence and excuſe to enſilence conſcience, and fooliſhly thinks to inſinuate unto God, he or ſhe, muſt needs fall down before the Lord, ſee all their pretences and coverts to be damnable flatteries, and ſoul-cheatings, and ſo Judge themſelves, and pronounce God moſt righteous, if he damn them for ever.

Oh therefore, Sinners, Away with all your pretences, no more excuſing, but judging, and go to the great God, and fall down at his feet, crying out, Oh, I am a Tranſgreſſor, the Law condemns me, no excuſe will be taken, my mouth is now ſtopped; whatever God do with me, he is moſt holy and righteous. If I were going to Hell I muſt juſtifie God, and cannot ſay unto him, why doeſt thou thus? Thus 'tis with a poor ſoul, when the Lord by his word and ſpirit diſcovers ſin, reveals the law, lays it in upon the conſcience, diſcovers the Holineſs and Exactneſs of his Juſtice, that the law ſhews no mercy, but crys out for fulfilling, or pronounceth abſolute condemnation, then I ſay, a ſinner crys out, Oh I am caſt by the Law, I am gone by the Law, All my Pleas are found too light, All my endeavours to keep it is worth nothing, if guilty in the leaſt, while I am under the law. I muſt find out a righteouſneſs elſewhere, another way, or Condemnation, juſt condemnation is my portion for ever; Here's the firſt ſtroak of a convinced ſinner, when God is outing him from himſelf, and all his Coverts or Excuſes, and brings him naked to put on the righteouſneſs of his Son Jeſus Chriſt, freely held out in the Goſpel; which is the work in hand.

2. If no excuſe can be heard or taken, for the the tranſgreſſion of the Law, for but one breach of it, but every mouth is ſtopped; how much leſs will any excuſe be taken, for withſtanding the Goſpel of grace by Jeſus Chriſt. Saith our bleſſed Lord, If I had not come and ſpoken unto them, they had not had ſin, (that is not ſo great ſin and comdemnation) but now they have no cloak (nor excuſe) for their ſin; If a righteous law leave all the world without excuſe, much more a Goſpel that offers free grace, and pardon, and righteouſneſs, by Jeſus Chriſt to any ſinner, condemned by the Law, that will come in, as ſo condemn'd, and accept of the free gift of Righteouſneſs by him.

But that I may yet a little further labour to bring in the ſenſe of Guilt upon the ſoul, I ſhall prove every ſoul guilty before God of the tranſgreſſion of the Law, and ſhew what the ſenſe of guilt is, which few there are that have, in a ſaving way.

Obſerv. 3. Every ſoul in the world is guilty before God of the tranſgreſſion of the Law. — And all the world may become guilty before God.

This hath been proved, where we have ſhew'd that All have ſinned, and come ſhort of the glory of God.

This guilt is threefold, which is ſet home upon every ſinners heart, when convinc'd of ſin by the ſpirit.

1. The guilt of Adams ſin, which ſtands charg'd upon every ſinner in the world, while under the law, Rom. 5.18.

2. The guilt of the corruption of our natures, ſin in the fountain, as I have ſhewed, which is likewiſe upon every Son or Daughter of Adam, they are all corrupt, Pſal. 14.1. wherein lies the exceeding ſinfulneſs of ſin.

3. The guilt of actual rebellion againſt God, ſin brought forth, and acted in the outward man againſt God.

Now under this threefold guilt is every ſinner in the world, while under the Law, the effect of which, if not reconciled, is puniſhment ſuitable to the guilt; which is — Thou ſhalt ſurely dye, And The wages of ſin is death, Eternal Death, Rom. 6. laſt.

Ʋſe 1. This may therefore inform and convince, that every ſin brings guilt upon the ſoul, and ſo deſerves death and everlaſting wrath from God; you that make light of ſin, to lye, to prophane the Name of the Lord, be in worldly diſcourſes on the Lords day, in any way of ſin whatſoever, weigh this in thy conſcience, there's not the leaſt ſin but makes thee guilty before the Tribunal of God; God, the Law, Angels, Conſcience, are all witneſſes againſt thee; where's the ſoul that will think to avoid this charge? ſhall I prove every ſoul of you guilty, and that before God? If this were proved by the power of the word in the conſcience, I know what (and I ſhall ſhew it you) will be the effect of it; lay your Conſciences to the Word, and if thou art found guilty before the Lord this day, go home with the ſenſe of it upon thy ſoul, and do as a guilty ſinner ſhould do.

1. Conſider firſt, as to what concerns God, immediately; the Law requires, thou ſhouldſt have no other Gods but him, Exod. 20. which Jeſus Chriſt interprets, is, to love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, with all thy Soul: Now, hath God had thy whole Heart and Soul, dareſt thou ſay ſo? Hath not the world had more of thy Heart than God? Doſt not thou love the World, and the things of it? Do not thy Affections, Thoughts, Deſires of thy Heart, even day and night, go after it? Yea, you cannot but grant, that 'tis ſo? Then God and Angels are witneſs, that thou art guilty of the damnable ſin of Idolatry. And ſuch a one ſhall not, as ſuch, enter into the Kingdom of God, Eph. 5.5. Know by that Scripture, A covetous heart may ſend thee to Hell, as well as any ſin in the World: — No Covetous man who is an Idolater, ſhall enter into the kingdom of God. Read over the place every day, and tremble at it: Here's guilt already enough to damn thee.

2. Thou haſt worſhipped God ſuperſtitiouſly and idolatrouſly, after the Traditions and Commandments of Men: You that are elderly people, are all guilty here in a grevious manner in the time of your ignorance and ſuperſtition, coming to Sacraments with ſins upon your Souls, from which ſins your are not converted, and changed to this day, which the Apoſtle calls eating and drinking damnation, or judgment; under which guilt you ſtill lye, and would heap up more of this guilt, were not ſome more tender of your Souls than your ſelves? Art thou not now ready to cry out, Oh hold, hold, you need go no further, my Conſcience is ſmitten: Oh! guilt, great guilt lyes upon me! Oh that 'twere the cry of many Souls before the Lord, how might it end in mercy that ſhall be for ever!

3. But yet further to purſue thy Conſcience, (for that's the nature of guilt) doth not the Lord require in his law, that thou ſhouldſt not take his Name in vain, Exod. 20.7. Now ſinner, ſtave off this guilt if thou canſt: How oft haſt thou abuſed and profaned this great and dreadful Name, the Lord thy God, by ſwearing, or in thy by words, crying, Oh Lord, Oh God, for God's ſake, for Chriſt's ſake, upon every fooliſh vain occaſion, with no more reverence of His Name, than the moſt common name in the World? And ſome of you have, as many days as you have lived ſince your Child-hood, been frequently guilty of this great evil, which thou haſt made a ſmall matter of, which if ever God pardon it, it will appear to be odious guilt, from the height of thy Heart-Atheiſm. How oft haſt thou heard the Word, and thy Heart been after the World, and thine eyes gazing up and down, that 'tis eaſie to diſcern thou regardeſt not what is ſpoken from God to thee? and the ſame in Prayer: How oft haſt thou babled over the Lords Prayer like a Charm, with no reverence of Gods Majeſty upon thy Soul: In thy bed, it may be in a drowſie manner, or if otherwiſe, not underſtanding the Words thou ſpeakeſt, much leſs thy Heart affected with them; or, it may be, ſaying over the Creed, and the Commandments, or ſome Book of Prayers, as abundance do, grievouſly prophaning God's Name, and offering Lip-labour, which his ſoul abhorreth; yea, know, what hath been often proved, that thy prayers, and all thy worſhip, and good deeds, (as thou calleſt them) are an abomination to the Lord, while thou art in thy ſin, an unconverted and unholy perſon; yea, the way of thy worſhip, in which thou placeſt thy greateſt confidence, hath been the higheſt aggravations of thy ſin, in offering up to God that which his ſoul hateth; Iſa. 1.11, 12, 13, 14, 15. — When you make many prayers (ſaith the Lord) I will not hear you, &c.

And as to the ſanctifying the Sabbath, which thou ſhouldſt make a holy reſt unto God, thou haſt made it a meer fleſhly reſt, conſuming the day upon thy luſts, in vanity, idleneſs, carnal and worldly diſcourſes in families, in the ſtreets, to the high diſhonour of the Name of God, and hardening of thy heart againſt the truths of God, rendering thereby the preaching of the Goſpel wholly unprofitable to thy ſoul: A carriage far unlike a man that hath the grace of God upon him, and a moſt invincible argument to thy Conſcience, that thou makeſt not God, his word, ordinances ſabbaths, a holy delight, and knoweſt not the excellency and ſweetneſs of Communion with him; ſay, ſinner, and lay thy Conſcience to this conviction, is hearing and that with love, praying, praiſing, meditating, conferring of holy things, the very Heaven of thy ſoul, and ſo longeſt for ſuch Exerciſes, as the joy and ſtrength of thy heart? Nothing leſs! Thy own Conſcience being Judge; but hear drowſily and negligently, it may be deſpiſingly; revile the Preacher, ſpeak evil of the word, out of thy groſs ignorance, and hatred to be reformed, ſpeak vainly, carnally, worldly, with ſuch as are like thy ſelf. Here's guilt enough to ſend thee to a thouſand Hells, if God ſmite not thy heart for it, and thou turn not unto him for pardon and a better heart to be given to thee.

Add to all this, an unthankful and unholy uſe of Gods good Creatures; it may be thou haſt been betray'd by the devil, and thy own ready heart to ſome ſecret ſins, which thou thinkeſt enough if thou canſt hide from man, not conſidering the judgment of God that hangs over thee. But if not ſo, yet a heart full of uncleanneſs, envy, wrath, malice; which our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, in his opening the Law in its ſpirituality, Mat. 5.21, 22, 27, 28. convinceth to be murder and adultery, which it may be, thou haſt never conſidered of, ſo thou haſt not been an actual adulterer, or murderer. In a word, There's not a vain thought in thy heart, the firſt riſing of it, but brings thee under the guilt of condemation of the Law, and as thou art under the Law, as if a tranſgreſſor in thought, word, and deed of the whole Law; This may ſeem ſtrange to thee, but ſee it proved, Jam. 2.10. For whoſoever ſhall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point is guilty of all.

But it hath been proved that thou art guilty of the breach of every Commandment of God, from thy youth up.

But ſee further, ſinner, (that ſome word of God or other may hit thee) this Law could not condemn thee; wouldſt thou have been convinc'd of guilt, and made in to grace by Jeſus Chriſt, but thou art under the guilt of Goſpel-contempt; Come ſinner, ſaith Jeſus Chriſt, ſee what I can and will do for thee, I'll ſave thee from this condemning Law, I'll take away the curſe, I'll remove all thy guilt, blot out all the charge that is againſt thee, I'll put a righteouſneſs upon thee, I'll beſtow my ſpirit upon thee, I'll give thee a heart to love God and his Law, and in the inward man to delight to walk in it, and then take thee to Heaven, and fill thee with glory for ever. All this Heaven of mercy and free grace thou haſt ſleighted and ſinned againſt, and brought thy ſelf under greater condemnation, than by the law: And yet, by the way, Jeſus Chriſt will do as much for thee ſtill as I have ſpoken of, and more: Though thou haſt thus ſinned againſt Law and Goſpel, if thou wilt come a poor, undone, guilty ſoul, unto him, which is that I aim at in thus preſſing upon thee; and were the ſenſe of guilt indeed upon thy ſoul, thou wouldſt ſeriouſly hearken to me.

Therefore yet further bear with me, Take home this guilt to thy Conſcience, and ſay, Oh guilty, guilty, of all that hath been this day charged from the righteous God upon me! Oh may the Lord find thee out this day, and lay in the freſh ſenſe of the guilt of ſins, even of ſuch thou haſt long ſince committed! do not juſtifie nor excuſe thy ſelf any longer; for that's the natural way of thy heart, as thou haſt been ſhewed. Never did guilty priſoner at the bar find more ſhifts, more ſubtle pleas, than the proud and ſhameleſs heart of a ſinner will do, till God himſelf pronounce guilt in the conſcience, and then the guilt of one ſin laid in, brings in the guilt of all other, and they ſometimes come in like waves and billows upon thy ſoul; Oh, let the ſenſe of thy lying, ſwearing, prophaning the Sabbath, ſlighting the word, refuſing Jeſus Chriſt, out of thy ſecret hatred of holineſs, reproaching the people of God, becauſe in their practice they condemn thee, Oh let this, any, all, ſeize upon thee, go and lye low before the great God, judging, charging, condemning thy ſelf, and ſay; God and his Word hath found me out this day, and I go home with at arrow of God in my conſcience, I am the Man or Woman, that am found the guiltieſt ſoul in the Congregation; how to be delivered and ſaved from it, that's my buſineſs now. Bleſſed be the advice and counſel now, (which formerly I deſpiſed) of any good man that ſpeaks in the Name of the Lord unto me, and will ſhow me there is yet hope for ſo wretched a creature as I am.

Particularly, theſe are the effects of the ſenſe of the guilt of ſin, wrought by the Holy Ghoſt upon the conſcience of a poor ſoul, in order to his ſalvation.

1. Fear of wrath to come, more or leſs, poſſeſſeth the heart; can a man be guilty and not fear, if truly ſenſible of it? This was upon Adam, after he had ſinned, and heard Gods voice, which ſtruck him with ſenſe of guilt, Gen. 3.10. I heard thy voice and was afraid; ſo when guilt came upon Belſhazzar, his thoughts troubled him, Dan. 5.6. Felix trembled, Acts 24.25. The Jaylor came trembling, Acts 16.29. The fear of wrath, the fear of a miſcarrying ſoul, the fear of eternity, ſeizeth upon the ſpirit of a poor creature; and then 'tis an infinite weighty matter with a poor ſoul to be ſaved.

2. Shame is another effect of guilt brought in upon the conſcience: So Adam likeweſe was aſhamed, and hid himſelf, becauſe he was naked, Gen. 3. What fruit had you in thoſe things whereof you are now aſhamed; Rom. 6.21. So Ezek. 16. laſt. That thou mayeſt remember and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, becauſe of thy ſhame, when I am pacified towards thee, for all that thou haſt done, ſaith the Lord; See alſo Ezek. 43.10, 11. Oh how is a ſenſible guilty ſoul aſhamed before God, Angels and men, of ſuch ways and carriages, in which he impudently before delighted himſelf? and lies down in his ſhame and confuſion of face, even covering his face before God, and aſhamed to look up unto him.

3. The ſoul walks up and down with a burthened ſpirit, thoſe creature-comforts, delights, contentments, which before would ſtill the ſpirit, now will not; ſenſe of guilt eats out the hearts of them, the ſoul muſt now have ſomething elſe than wind and vanity, (for ſo are creatures become to ſuch a poor ſoul:) It may be the deceitful heart carries a poor creature to this thing and that, but finds no ſatisfaction there, the burden ſtill remains, the arrow that God hath ſhot ſticks faſt, till Jeſus Chriſt pluck it forth, and heals all with his Blood and Spirit.

4. Guilty ſouls make out for deliverence, ſue to Heaven, are enquiring how the law may be ſatisfied, how guilt may be removed, how attonement may be had, how bondage taken off; in a word, how he may come to ſee the face of a bleſſed God, reconciled in Jeſus Chriſt, and ſo love him, and bleſs him to eternity.

Why now, careleſs ſinner, Is't not better be thus, than be hardening for Hell? and have the guilt of ſin as nothing to thee, till the books ſhall be opened? all thy ſins written in Letters of Blood againſt thee, Conſcience accuſed, charged, and witneſſing againſt thee, and ſo away ſcreeking to Hell without all remedy, and canſt not be heard a word for thy ſelf, nor any one, Saint, or Angel for thee? Now thou mayſt be heard, if thou wilt ſpeedily acknowledge thy guilt, not cover thy tranſgreſſion nor hide thy iniquity in thy boſom, Job 31.33. but come with fear, and ſhame, burthen'd with thy guilt, to him whoſe arms are yet open to receive thee, and is ready to take away iniquity off thee, and take off thy burthens, put his hand under thy ſoul: And if thou wouldſt know who it is, 'tis that bleſſed Jeſus who loves to ſave ſuch a ſinner, as he loves his life; therefore away to him.

But the heart of a guilty ſinner will now urge; Well, if it be ſo, that ſome guilt is upon me, yet I have done many things well, or as well I could, will not that take off my guilt, and will not God impute the good to me, and paſs by the evil? Or will not God acept of the will for the deed? Or if I ſet my ſelf for the time to come, to keep the law as well as I can, will not that make God amends? Alas, poor ſoul, theſe refuges will undo thee, if thou get not out of them; No, No; Thy good ſhall not be imputed, nor thy will accepted, nor thy obedience for time to come ſatisfie; I mean, ſtill as thou art under the law, As well as thou canſt, will not be heard here; If thou indeed gets juſtified in Chriſt, and rooted in him, and ſo from a new principle of life in thy ſoul, thou bring forth new and holy obedience, then thy will is accepted, and thy new obedience, but not upon this account, as to juſtifie thee before God; or as to expiate and take off guilt from the ſoul.

This therefore is the next thing I am to prove to thy Conſcience, if God will, Namely,

Obſerv. 4. No man or woman under Heaven, can ever arrive at ſuch a keeping of the law, as to be accepted with God, for and by ſuch a keeping of it.

I would preſs this as plainly as I may, for till this conviction be thoroughly and practically received into the Conſcience, a ſoul cannot make a ſaving cloſe with Jeſus Chriſt.

What I mean by theſe deeds of the Law, is, I preſume, underſtood; I mean, The profeſſed owning the true God, and frequenting his ordained worſhip and ordinances, obſerving the Sabbath, making good prayers, doing ſome good, as to helping thy Neighbour, and giving of Alms, making conſcience of wronging or defrauding any man, and refraining many groſs ſins; I mention theſe things, becauſe moſt men that go thus far, as your more civil ſort of people, think that it is impoſſible, but God muſt accept them in and for all this; that 'tis for great ſinners to be damned, they thank God they are not ſo; by the way, ſoul, I ſhall not doubt to prove, that there's more hope of the vileſt drunkard in the Country, than of ſuch a one; and that this thy good keeping of the law, and that as well as thou canſt, will ſtand thee in no ſtead at all; and God looks upon thee no more for it, than if thou wert the greateſt ſinner in the world; How ſayeſt thou ſoul to this?

1. From clear Scriptures I ſhall demonſtrate it, and Scriptural reaſons, and examples of ſuch kind of perſons rejected of God, and ſo labour to drive this nail home upon thy conſcience.

What need we go further than the words of my Text; By the deeds of the law ſhall no fleſh be juſtified in his ſight? The Apoſtle ſpeaks of ſuch who profeſſed to own and make conſcience of keeping the law, as well as they could, ſuch as were within (as you call it) the pale of the Church, and frequented the worſhip of God, and were ſober people: See Act. 13.39; — From which (meaning their ſins) they could not be juſtified by the Law of Moſes: They could not! an utter impoſſibility of it, though they kept the law of God as well as they were able, and hoped for pardon thereby, yet ſaith Paul (which exceedingly troubled them) they could not be juſtified thereby; Rom. 9.31. But Iſrael which followed after the law of righteouſneſs, hath not attained to the law of righteouſneſs; Though they followed after it, and laboured to keep the Law of God to their utmoſt yet they fail'd of their purpoſe, Gal. 3.10, 11. &c, For as many as are of the works of the Law, are under the curſe, that is, ſuch as inſiſt upon works of the Law, they are ſo far from being the more accepted for all the good they did, and all the evil they refrained, that they were under the curſe, as well as any ſinners in the world beſides.

Briefly, Paul who well knew the experience of this, it having been his own caſe, as I ſhall ſhew, ſpends two Epiſtles, of the Romans and Galathians, to convince chiefly what I am now upon; therefore peruſe them over and over.

Now the Reaſons of it are theſe, namely, why any ſinners keeping of the Law to his beſt power, can not juſtifie him, or make him the better, or at all accepted with God for it.

This doctrine goes to the quick, and I know naturally you do not love it, and 'tis irkſom, and diſquieting; the Lord make it diſquieting and unſettling to purpoſe.

Reaſon 1. The beſt keeping of the Law cannot make a ſoul more accepted with God, (while under the Law, and not in Chriſt) becauſe of the holineſs of Gods Juſtice, which being violated by ſin, (it being alſo proved that all do ſin) cannot again be made up by any act of the Creature, the ſeverity of his juſtice cannot admit of it, therefore if the Law be tranſgreſſed, the ſinner muſt dye, as he is under the law, and ſtands to the law, or God is not righteous, which to aſſert is execrable blaſphemy. And if your thoughts ſhould prevent me, with a general notion of mercy, know, and conſider it well, that the law ſhews no mercy, but calls for juſtice, and juſtice it ſhall have upon every tranſgreſſor whoſoever, if he ſtand to his endeavour to keep the Law; The ſoul that ſinneth, it ſhall dye. From whence, by the law, I ſay, by the law, there's no appeal: What you may do when you renounce the Law, for righteouſnes, and fly wholly to a mercy-ſeat, is another caſe. This is the firſt reaſon.

2. The beſt keeping of the Law will not accepted, becauſe of the exactneſs of the Law; it requires full, entire, perfect fulfilling and obedience, or all ſtands for nothing; If this were throughly weighed and laid to heart, we ſhould come to an iſſue in the point. Mark that Word, Gal. 3.12. Curſed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the law to do them: I think I opened this place lately, but mark it well; the Law requires of every one, and therefore of thee, whoever thou art, a continuance (without intermiſſion) of doing (not only purpoſing and endeavouring) All things, not keeping nine, and breaking one Commandment; not keeping it outwardly, and breaking it in thy thoughts of ſin, but in All things, or Curſed, without remedy, by the law, the Law can give you no remedy; ſee Rom. 10.5. For Moſes deſcribeth the righteouſneſs of the law; The man that doth theſe things ſhall live by them; If he doth all things of the Law, not purpoſeth them only, but doth them, he ſhall live by them, but not otherwiſe, but ſhall dye, and that for ever, by the law: Now mark you, The ſame Law can't at once juſtifie and condemn, bleſs and curſe, quit and judge, ſave and condemn, if it therefore condemn in the leaſt, it cannot quit by all that ever a ſoul hath done, or may do, towards fufilling it. I inſtanced before, if a man that lives under the law of England, all the laws of it, and he be found a tranſgreſſor of one law, that is to be puniſhed with death; it will not be a good plea for him that he never brake any other law that deſerves death: No, ſaith the Judge, you muſt dye for this; ſo as I have ſhew'd, the law pronounceth death to the breach of any one Commandment, any part of one, as well as to the breach of the whole. Therefore he that pleads, as the Phariſee did, (and was never the more accepted,) that he is no murtherer, no blaſphemer, no thief, no adulterer; 'tis all one, as if thou haſt ever had an unholy thought in thy heart, (as thou haſt had thouſands) as thou art under the Law, thou art condemned; if this indeed had been the tenour of the law, as it was a Covenant between God and the firſt Adam, that if thou and thy poſterity ſhall endeavour to keep the law as well as you can, though you ſail in ſome part, yet you ſhall be accepted; then this had been a good plea before God, that you have ſo endeavour'd to keep it; but 'tis not ſo, the Covenant doth not run ſo, but, as hath been ſhewed, it runs thus; Here's a holy and righteous law, ſaith God, the matter of the Covenant between us, if you break it in any one leaſt part of it, and but once, you are condemn'd, and all your other righteouſneſs ſhall not be imputed to you. This hath been proved from ſeveral Scriptures; and I think 'tis the hardeſt thing in the World to be ſpiritually and practically convinced of it; ſuch is the exactneſs of the Law, that it admits of no bartering, of no terms whatſoever; it ſtill crys, fulfill me to the utmoſt, or dye.

3. The third Reaſon, which ſtrikes off all hope of acceptance with God, by keeping the Law as well as you can, is taken from the ſinfulneſs of thoſe very duties and works which you place ſuch acceptance in; There is a ſinfulneſs in every ſuch duty, though the matter of the duty be good, yet the manner of performing it by any natural man is wholly ſinful; yea, there's a mixture of ſin in the moſt holy performances of any regenerate ſoul in the world, which he is ſenſible of; but I am dealing with the natural man, as to his opinion of his good keeping the law; I ſay there's nothing but ſin in their performances, the principle they proceed from is wholly ſinful, viz. a corrupted, polluted heart and nature: Can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit? Mat. 7.18. Can a corrupt fountain ſend forth ſweet waters? James 3.11. No more can a corrupt defiled heart bring forth any duty or work, but what is loathſome to God, full of all impurity: This a natural man is not able to ſee, nor conſider of, till convinc'd by the Holy Ghoſt, and therefore 'tis that he reſts only in performing the matters and bulk of duties to God and his Neighbour; but with what heart, and the unholineſs of it, he weighs not. Upon this account it is, that the Scriptures ſpeak at ſuch a rate of natural Men, that they are an abomination to the Lord, Prov. 15.8. That his ſoul hates them, he cannot away with them, they are iniquity, they are a trouble to him, Iſa. 1. And that he caſts them back, as dung upon their faces, Mal. 2.3. Therefore if there be more than ſin enough, in that beſt keeping of the Law, towards God or Man, to damn a ſoul for ever; Certainly a ſoul ſhall be never the better, nor at all accepted for ſuch a keeping of it. That which in it ſelf hath ſin, nothing but ſin in the manner of it, cannot be a means to quit a ſoul from other ſin, by which he hath brought guilt upon himſelf, let this be well conſidered, and (nothing but a Chriſt) would be your cry to purpoſe indeed.

4. The fourth Reaſon or Convincement of this truth, that the beſt endeavour to keep the law, will not give you more acceptance with God, nor take away any guilt from off thy ſoul, is becauſe ſuch duties, and keeping the Law, are but of the outward man, which is far from reaching the Compaſs of the law: The law is ſpiritual, Rom. 7.14. that is, it reacheth to the inwards parts, to the motions of the heart, as hath been before hinted, and not only to the outward man; therefore our bleſſed Lord, ſeeing the Jews inſiſting ſo much that they were outwardly blameleſs, ſpends a large diſcourſe Mat. 5.6, & 7. to beat them off their confidence, in being outwardly righteous, and proves a man a murderer by the Law, for one wrathful thought in his heart, Mat. 5.21, 22. Upon this conviction you have him, as oft as he ſpake to the Jews, (that we may ſee the weight of this Doctrine:) See Luke 16.19, 15. And the Phariſees alſo, who were covetuous, heard all theſe things, and they derided him, And he ſaid unto them, ye are they which juſtifie your ſelves before men, but God knoweth your hearts, for that which is highly eſteemed amongſt men is an abomination in the ſight of God; Jeſus Chriſt was convincing the wickedneſs of a covetous heart, the Jews, who were carnal and formal, made a ſlight matter of this, ſeeing they were outwardly blameleſs, and wronged no body; Ay, but, ſaith Chriſt, God knoweth your hearts, and his eye is moſt upon them, and though you are outwardly righteous before men, and this is a matter highly eſteemed of among men, that you are righteous and blameleſs, yet 'tis an abomination to God; ſee how ſevere the Lord is in preſſing of this, (it being the great let of his Miniſtery, and of the Jews ſtumbling at the Goſpel, as it is with us) Mat. 23. his laſt Sermon I conceive he preacht to them, verſe 25. Woe unto you Scribes and Phariſees, Hypocrites, for ye make clean the outſide of the cup and platter, but within they are full of extortion and exceſs; ſo with the ſame woe pronounced verſe 27. Ye are like unto whited ſepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead mens bones, and of all uncleanneſs; verſe 28. Even ſo alſo ye outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of Hypocriſie, and iniquity: Mark the Lords words, within ye are thus, and thus, as if the Lord ſhould ſay, God regards not what you are outwardly, and your obſerving the law with the outward man; ſeeing you have abundance of all iniquity within, which every unregenerate ſoul in the world hath; ſo you may ſee that an outward keeping of the law, ſtands for nothing in the account of God, whatever it do with men and your ſelves which you hear Jeſus Chriſt gives forth, as the mark of an Hypocrite. Now you have heard, the law requires inward as well as outward perfection, perfect holineſs within, as well as righteouſneſs in the outward man; I verily believe, want of this conviction upon the ſoul, ſends more ſouls to Hell than any other thing in the world beſides; how confident are poor Creatures if they are a little conſciencious in dealing, and ſober, and blameleſs to men? this you may be, and be no better than Devils (as in your ſelves) in Gods account, and thy beſt Character from Jeſus Chriſt, Mat. 23.26. is, a Blind Phariſee. Every place, I fear, abounds with them, therefore this inveterate curſed plea of being outwardly blameleſs in keeping the Law, will not in the leaſt render you more accepted with God, but 'tis at the beſt but painted Hypocriſie: And yet, wretched ſouls that you are, none ſo well perſwaded of themſelves as theſe. This is the fourth Reaſon.

5. All the beſt keeping of the Law, doth not, cannot, make ſatisfaction to God for one ſin of thy ſoul, therefore 'tis worth nothing; Gods Juſtice is wronged, and if the ſinner be remitted, God muſt be ſatisfied by the ſinner himſelf, or by another; Now all the obedience of a ſinner cannot make ſatisfaction to God in the leaſt; if he had the whole world to offer up to God, it could not ſatisfie him for the wrong of one Sin; See that known place, Micah 6.6, 7. Wherewith ſhall I come before the Lord, and bow my ſelf before the high God? ſhall I come before him with burnt offerings, with Calves of a year old? will the Lord be pleaſed with thouſands of Rams, or with ten thouſands of Rivers of Oyl? ſhall I give my firſt born for my tranſgreſſion, the fruit of my body for the ſin of my ſoul? Implying that there is nothing that a poor ſinner of himſelf can offer up to God, to make atonement of ſatisfaction to God, for the leaſt ſin of his ſoul; ſhould he offer up thouſands of prayers, rivers of tears, whole ages ſpent in ſervices to God, take up to a ſevere new obedience, if you ſhould ſo take to a new courſe as never to ſin more all your days, it would not make God ſatisfaction or atonement for one evil thought of thy ſoul: Now obſerve this, (for if thou art not rightly convinced of this thing, thou art loſt for ever) 'Tis naturally upon every man and womans heart, that hath ſinned, to imagine that when they have ſinned, they can put off God, as to his diſpleaſure, with ſomething or other, they will reckon what good they have done, gone to Church, (as you ſtyle it) given Alms, been juſt to Men, or ſome ſuch thing; and the poor blind Creature imagines and pleaſeth himſelf in it, that this good thus done will well enough pacifie God for his ſins, or at leaſt he will go over ſome prayers, and be ſtrict for a little while, and then they doubt not but God (becauſe alſo he preſently ſmites not with judgment) is well enough appayed, and he need no more trouble himſelf. Is not this the very way of your hearts, hath not the word found you out?

Object. But you will ſay; why cannot theſe duties and this obedience ſatisfie and pacifie God well enough for ſin?

Anſw. 1. Becauſe there is ſin mixt in them, they come from a prophane heart, as is ſhew'd in the laſt reaſon, (thou thou ignorantly, becauſe thou knoweſt not thy heart, call'ſt it a good heart:) Now that which is in it ſelf ſinful, cannot ſure ſatisfie for ſin.

2. Becauſe of the infiniteneſs of God's juſtice, as well as purity of it; a finite creature cannot offer up a proportionable attonement to an infinite God. Suppoſe a poor man were under the guilt of treaſon, and condemn'd to dye, and he ſhould go and offer up a little courſe broken bread to the Prince, would any one think that this would ſatisfie the Prince for his treaſon? So, poor deceived creature, thou art guilty of treaſon and rebellion againſt the great and moſt high God, and thou comeſt and offereſt up to him thy poor polluted broked obedience and duties, and thinkeſt he will be ſatisfied with this; whereas God may in the ſame moment juſtly ſend thee to Hell for the iniquity of them. A poor ſinful ſoul thinks, that becauſe ſuch doings and ſervices do ſatisfie himſelf, his own conſcience, therefore he thinks they will ſatisfie God alſo; becauſe they quiet him upon any trouble for guilt, he thinks they will alſo quiet God, and take off his anger and juſtice from puniſhing him: Poor Creature, this thy way is thy folly, and the ready way to come under the ſevere juſtice of the Almighty, who will not thus be dealt with, nor be thus bribed with thy curſed ſacrifices; this is a further convincement of the point; all the creature can do, cannot pacifie God for one ſin, and therefore all his beſt keeping of the law cannot juſtifie a poor ſinner before God, nor give him acceptance in the leaſt with him; till he ſees pacification another way, and takes up obedience from another principle, and to another end, as we are to ſhew.

6. All a mans endeavour in ſetting himſelf to keep the law to the utmoſt, cannot give him acceptance with God, becauſe it cannot give life to the ſoul; Gal. 3.21. For if there had been a law, which would have given life, verily righteouſneſs had come by the law: Man hath procured death and weakneſs upon his ſoul, and the law cannot give life, nor ſtrength to obey it. All that righteouſneſs which leaves the ſoul dead, comes to nothing; while a ſoul is under the law, and upon the fulfilling of it, (as he hopes in a good meaſure) ſtill the ſoul is as dead as ſin left it, and void of the life of God: True, a poor ſoul thinks himſelf alive by his legal performances, as Paul thought, Rom. 7.9. but he is dead in ſin, and under the ſentence of death by the Law, and all the performances towards the keeping of it, can never give a drop of life to ſuch a poor ſoul: They are dead works, and there's no life in them, or from them, therefore they ſtand no ſoul inſtead, while under the law, as under it he is, whiles he goes upon this account.

7. The main reaſon of all, which is now but to be touched, is this: If a ſoul endeavouring to keep the law of God as well as he can, may be accepted of God thereby, what need Jeſus Chriſt to have dyed: 'Tis Pauls great argument, Rom. 8.3, 4. For what the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the fleſh, God ſending his own ſon, in the likeneſs of ſinful fleſh, condemned ſin in the fleſh, that the righteouſneſs of the law might be fulfilled in us, &c. Mark ye, what the law could not do, that it could not give us a righteouſneſs whereby God might accept us, therefore God ſent his Son in the fleſh, and condemned ſin upon him, which otherwiſe had been condemned upon the ſinner himſelf: Another place to this purpoſe is, Gal. 2. laſt. I do not fruſtrate the grace of God; for if righteouſneſs come by the law, then Chriſt is dead in vain. If there were a poſſibility of a Creatures attaining to ſuch a degree of keeping the law as well as he can, that might render him accepted with God, and procure pardon wherein he failed, then the dying of Jeſus Chriſt was in vain, to no purpoſe at all. Take heed you that are outwardly righteous, that you do not fruſtrate the grace of God, and the death of Jeſus Chriſt for ever, to your own ſouls, by thinking you endeavour to keep Gods law as well as you can, and make ſome conſcience of it, and there fix your hope wholly or in part, and ſo be undone for ever. Another place in the ſame Epiſtle, Gal. 4.4, 5. ſpeaks out the ſame truth. But when the fulneſs of time was come, God ſent forth his ſon made of a woman, made under the law; to redeem them that were under the law; that we might receive the Adoption of Sons. What need Jeſus Chriſt to have dyed, to redeem the elect from under the law, if they had been able to reach forth to ſuch a keeping of it, that God might be well pleaſed with, and with them in it?

Now Jeſus Chriſt's being made under the Law, implies theſe things, which I now but hint forth.

1. His being under the puniſhment of the Law, which was due to ſuch as were under it; what ever the Law pronounced to the Tranſgreſſors of it, Jeſus Chriſt in effect did undergo it, See Gal. 3. Chriſt hath redeemed us from the Curſe of the law, being made a curſe for us: If good prayers, making a conſcience in dealing, outward ſobriety, harming no body, giving of Alms to poor people, could have taken away the curſe, did the wiſe and bleſſed God do well in giving out his Son to be made a curſe? were prayers, righteouſneſs, good deeds made a Curſe? They will be indeed, in another ſenſe, if thou thinkeſt to be accepted by them.

2. Jeſus Chriſt being made under the Law, was to ſatisfie Gods offended juſtice for the breach of the Law, for ſuch as ſhall be ſaved, to make attonement for God, Rom. 5.11. If now all that thou haſt done, or ſhalt ever do, could make the leaſt ſatisfaction or attonement to God, in thy good keeping the Commandments as well as thou canſt, (as hath been ſhew'd) God might have kept his Son in Heaven, and not ſent him to make attonement for any ſinners.

3. To reconcile ſinners unto God, Rom. 5.10. When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, &c. If reconciliation to God can be had no other way, but by the death of Jeſus Chriſt, will thy good endeavours for the time to come to keep the Law of God as well as thou canſt, and take up from a looſe courſe, will thoſe, I ſay, reconcile thee to God? See, poor creature, how little need thou thinkeſt thou haſt of Jeſus Chriſt, and what a meer notion a Saviour is to thee, when it comes to the Tryal!

4. Jeſus Chriſt died to work out Righteouſneſs for all that ſhall be ſaved: Now if thou could'ſt come up to ſuch a degree of being righteous, by thy fair and good carriage, as thou thinkeſt, to God and Man, this righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt was to little purpoſe, Rom. 10.4. Chriſt is the end of the Law for Righteouſneſs, to every one that believeth.

Now ſee, miſtaken Soul, how they hope to pleaſe God well enough, and make him amends for thy ſin, by thy good endeavours to ſerve him in his Law, as well as thou may'ſt, makes void the whole deſign of God, in the glorious gift of his eternal Son, (as much as in thee lyeth) and robs him of the Glory of his Grace; and makes thy Salvation (if it might be had in ſuch a way) not of Grace, but of Debt, Rom. 4.4. Now to him that worketh is the reward, not reckoned of debt but of grace; and thus thou in effect becomeſt thy own Saviour.

Yet bear with me a little further, (becauſe a ſinner can never be too thoroughly convinced of this matter) let me ſhew you ſome examples in the Scriptures, of ſuch that thought as you do, and as all men naturally do, that they by their honeſt and conſcionable endeavour to worſhip God, and harm no body, they ſhould be ſaved; and yet were found light in the ballance.

The firſt is that Phariſee, Luke 18.11. He thanks God, he was not as other men are, Extortioners, Ʋnjuſt, Adulterers, &c. Here was hope for his acceptance with God, He was not ſo bad as others, as many riotous prophane perſons were, not unjuſt in his dealings, no Adulterer, and ſhould any one queſtion his Salvation and going to Heaven? Enough for great ſinners to miſs of Heaven, and not ſuch as he was, reputed a good and honeſt man in his Country, and amongſt his Neighbours well thought of by moſt. And yet for all this confidence and ſecurity, a great ſinner was accepted before him, and he not juſtified in the ſight of the God, though he was in his own ſight, and the ſight of others.

See another, Mat. 19.20. (which place hath been at large opened to you) There came a young man, a man of parts, with the ſame confidence to reaſon with Jeſus Chriſt about his condition, the man conceived he wanted nothing that a man ſhould have or do for Heaven; All theſe things, ſaid he, I have kept from my youth up; meaning eſpecially the ſecond Table of the Law, which Chriſt gave out, not as thereby to put him upon the Law, but to find him out, and diſcover him under the Law. When Jeſus Chriſt ſearched the mans heart, and finds him under the power of the love of the world, as a reigning Soul damning Sin, (for all his outward blameleſneſs) and ſo to diſcover his heart to himſelf, puts him upon tryal of Self-denial; away the man packs as mute as a fiſh, and would hear no more, (as worldlings now) of ſuch Doctrine; unleſs he could be a Diſciple, and part with nothing, loſe or venture nothing, he would reſt as he was, and hope his being an honeſt ſober man, and well thought of, would bring him to Heaven; and ſo, for ought appears, cheated his Soul to Hell.

The caſe of Paul hath been often ſhew'd you; he was, as many of you think your ſelves, blameleſs, Phil. 3.6. lived in no known ſin outwardly againſt the Law, frequented the publick Worſhip, made Conſcience of his dealings, was zealous of the traditions and cuſtoms of his Fathers, and yet do you not hear him crying out of it all as loſs, ver. 7. and 8. He thought it was his gain before, that it would have gained him Heaven, but now tis all loſs, his keeping the Church, his outward blameleſneſs ſtands him not in the leaſt ſtead, but cryes out, 'tis All, all loſs for Jeſus Chriſt; the ſame Paul that before boaſted, and thought very well of himſelf, and was in much peace, and perſecuted all beyond his formal Profeſſion, now cryes out, away with this figleaf-righteouſneſs of mine own, 'tis as dung, I tread it under my feet for Jeſus Chriſt; he that thought himſelf ſo blameleſs before, now cryes out, I am the Chief of ſinners, 1 Tim. 1.15. And I am carnal, ſold under ſin, Wretched man that I am, who ſhall deliver me from the body of this death? A marvellous Change indeed, and ſuch that is made upon every Soul, that is really brought off from the righteouſneſs of the Law to that which is of Jeſus Chriſt.

Now to bring what hath been ſpoken to this point to a more particular Application.

Ʋſe 1. If it be ſo, that the beſt endeavour of any mortal creature to keep the Law of God as well as they can, will not give them acceptance with God; then you that have ſo imagined, and thereby ſpoken peace to your ſelves, namely, that you hope if you keep the Church (as you uſe to ſpeak) and harm no body, and do any body any good you can, live not in groſs ſins, be well thought of by your neighbours, you ſhall do well enough for Heaven, and you muſt hope well. Ah poor creature, thou erreſt, not knowing the way of the Lord, nor of thy own heart; how art thou befooling thy ſelf, and deceiving thy own ſoul. No ſinner in ſo ready a way to Hell as thou, if thou continue thus, and let not go thy hold, and get a new bottom for thy naked Soul, which I am to ſhew thee.

Conſider, man or woman, young or old, whoever thou art, thou haſt been proved guilty of the breach of the whole Law of God, thou haſt been ſhewed of the exactneſs of the Juſtice of God, and the ſpirituality of the Law, how it reacheth the inmoſt motions of the heart, thou haſt been ſhewed the Tenour of it, as it was given forth as a Covenant; that the Law will not admit of the leaſt breach, though but in thought, but it condemns as if the whole Law were tranſgreſſed, even every ſoul that is under it; here is the rigor of it; and thou haſt been ſhewed that the Law admits not of endeavours, nor of the Will for the Deed, (if thou wert once in Chriſt indeed, it would be ſo, but not as now thou art) thou haſt been ſhew'd that there's ſin enough in every one of thy beſt performances to damn thee for ever; that thy Righteouſneſs reacheth but the outward Man; within (didſt thou ſee it) thou art full of iniquity, that whatever thou haſt done, cannot make God the leaſt ſatisfaction (as thou flattereſt thy ſelf) for the leaſt ſin: All thy obedience and duties cannot give life to thy ſoul, but ſtill leave thee as a dead tree, dead in thy ſin, that by this vain confidence thou doſt utterly make void the death of Jeſus Chriſt, as to any vertue or effect to thy own Soul; here is thy very caſe plainly ſet forth, a thouſand thouſand ſins to damn thee, and that righteouſneſs, obedience, good, thou hopeſt thou haſt done towards God and Man, not in the leaſt able to reſcue thee, cover thee, deliver thee from the guilt of one of the leaſt of theſe ſins; nor ſave thee from wrath to come, but leave thy ſoul as ſinful, guilty, naked, wretched, condemned, as if thou hadſt been nothing elſe but ſinning all thy days: Oh wretched condition, that the Devil and thy own heart have flattered thee in!

Oh, let this ſerve to convince, unbottom legal Profeſſors, who have ſpoken peace to themſelves in being as good as they can, and obeying the Law as well as they can, and ſo hope God pardons where they fail: Oh, you are ignorant of the righteouſneſs of God, Rom. 10.3. Either what righteouſneſs God requires in the Law, as to be juſtified by it; or what is the Righteouſneſs of the Goſpel, which is of Jeſus Chriſt by Faith.

Oh you, who like that young man, have been righteous from your youth up, brought up religiouſly, look to this, whether you make not this your confidence, but (though under ſome kind of ſorrowings for ſin, and walking exactly) yet never emptied of your ſelves, and renouncing your ſelves, and all that was of you, and come poor and nothing to Jeſus Chriſt, to be found in him; who have not trembled as much at being found in your own righteouſneſs, which is of the Law, as at living in the greateſt ſin whatſoever.

You who have taken up from groſſer ſins of your life, your youth, and now think you are ſafe, and bottom your hope upon your new outward obedience, but have not the experience of your cloſing with Jeſus Chriſt for righteouſneſs, in which alone you could ſtand before God, nor rooted into Jeſus Chriſt in the carrying on of your new obedience, (which I am alſo further to open:) Alas, poor ſoul, thou art yet to ſeek for a bottom, for thy peace, and for Heaven, as much as the greateſt ſinner in the world, and if you go no further, you will certainly periſh for ever.

I beſeech you, Souls, Admit of this Conviction into your Conſciences; ſaith the firſt Covenant of the law, A whole law kept, or nothing; ſaith the Goſpel-Covenant, which you are now to look after, A whole Chriſt cloſed with, or nothing.

Mind it moſt ſeriouſly, you that ſtand upon your terms, and will not endure any thing that may ſhake you, and diſturb your peace; there's more danger of your righteouſneſs than your ſin; your ſin, it may be, you would leave, becauſe it may damn you, if continued in, but your righteouſneſs, your confidence in it, you would not leave, becauſe you hope that ſhall ſave you, and pacifie God for you; and this will be your ruine, if you ſtick here.

But firſt to ſtrike of ſome Objections, that the heart of ſuch a legal profeſſor doth put forth.

Object. 1. But you will object, Why do I ſpeak thus? would I beat people off a good coverſation? Is not a blameleſs converſation, and honeſt walking, a good ſign, and ground for ones hope for Heaven?

Anſw. I anſwer, not ſuch a Converſation as you mean; the formal Jews, which Chriſt preacht to, were outwardly righteous, and yet 'twas not a ſafe ground of Hope unto them, as you have been ſhew'd; a good converſation that witneſſeth a hope for Heaven, muſt be, firſt, of a ſoul that doth utterly renounce it, as to commend him to God, that when he looks up to God for his acceptance, his juſtification, he looks upon himſelf as nothing elſe but a ſinner in that reſpect, which, poor ſoul, thou doeſt not. (2.) A good converſation, that witneſſeth a hope of Heaven, is alſo a holy converſation, 1 Pet. 1.15. To be inwardly holy as well as outwardly righteous. Now thy care lyeth moſtly about thy outward blameleſneſs, and not thy inward holineſs, therefore thy converſation, which thou calleſt good, is not a ground of hope to thee. (3.) Or if thou doſt pretend to a little outward holineſs, and thinkeſt thou haſt a good heart, yet thou doeſt not walk in Chriſt, becauſe thou haſt not, as a poor ſelf-emptied ſinner, received him, Col. 2.6. Now thou muſt firſt be rooted in Chriſt, verſe 7. before thou canſt walk in Chriſt, that is, fetch all thy life and power for any ſpiritual duty, or thy walking before God, from Jeſus Chriſt, by vertue of union with him, John 15.5. the experience of which thou art ignorant of; (4.) 'Tis to walk in the ſpirit, Gal. 5.16. And thou haſt not the ſpirit of God dwelling in thee, quickening, renewing, mortifying, &c. which every gracious pardoned ſoul hath. In a word, a good converſation is a Goſpel-converſation, grounded upon Goſpel-principles, and for Goſpel-ends; now thou goeſt no further, but lookeſt upon the law, as to be obeyed as well as thou canſt, and in thy own endeavours, and thy own ſtrength, from ſome conviction of the law, thou ſet'ſt about it, and ſo hopeſt God and Chriſt will ſave thee; Is it not ſo with thee?

Object. 2. But would you then have me do nothing, leave off to do well? If you ſay, my good keeping of the law as well as I can, doth neither juſtifie me before God, nor is ſo much as an evidence of God's accepting me, to what purpoſe then is it? how ought I then do it? or may I not leave it off?

Anſw. I anſwer, Truly, ſoul, I muſt needs deal plainly with thee, 'tis to no purpoſe as yet, if this be thy condition, that thou haſt done any thing, as to the ſaving of thy own ſoul; and yet thou muſt not leave off, as if thou mighteſt live as thou liſt: No, Thou muſt begin anew, (as thou wilt be further more at large directed;) firſt, ſee all thy former doings, either towards God or Man, to be loſs, becauſe thou haſt done them by meer natural or legal principles, and wrong ends, and ſo it ſtands for nothing; and then fall down before Jeſus Chriſt, Oh 'tis thy righteouſneſs now, Lord, I come for; 'tis thy ſpirit, I muſt have to quicken and ſtrengthen me in the way of my obedience; and ſo pray and hear, upon other grounds, to be taught of God, to receive the Spirit, to have communion with God, but not thereby in the leaſt to be accepted. But this I ſhall open further, when I ſhew why and how a Soul muſt obey God, though he be not thereby juſtified. So this Objection is removed.

Object. 3. But, you will ſay, I hope I do not reſt upon my own doings, no more than others, I think no body doth ſo, will you ſhew me whether the heart is apt to do ſo?

Anſw. I will, and ſhall diſcover to you, that the heart of man is moſt naturally apt to reſt upon an outward keeping of the law, and to build a hope and confidence for Heaven upon it; this I muſt a little inſiſt on, as much conducing to help on the conviction I am preſſing, if the Lord by his power ſtrike in with it.

If it were not natural, (nothing more) for a ſoul to bottom upon its keeping the Law, though fallen and unable to it; the Apoſtle would never have ſpent time in the Conviction of it, which he ſo induſtriouſly doth in this and the former Chap. It hath been the great evil upon the hearts of the Sons of Men, in all ages of the Church: One of the firſt Sons of Adam was under it; Cain, when he reſted upon the bare ſacrifice: 'Tis that the Prophets of God are reproving, convincing the Church of the Jews of, more than of any one thing whatſoever; See Iſa. 1. throughout; Iſa. 66. Jer. 7. Ezek. 33.31. The Prophecy of Hoſea, in the main bent of it, is to convince the formality of the Jews, and their falſe confidence in reſting in their heartleſs doings and performances.

In this caſe Jeſus Chriſt finds the Jewiſh Church in, at his firſt coming, in reſting in ſome heartleſs performances in God's worſhip, and outward righteouſneſs towards men, which he ſharply rebuketh, and convinceth them of the vanity of it, Mat. 5.6, 7, 9, 13, 15, 18, 21, 23, 25. Chapters of Matthew, with which you may compare the other Evangeliſts, and ſee how much ado the Lord Jeſus had to beat them off from this confidence, and how few of them were beaten off it: And Paul witneſſeth, that upon this very ground they were rejected of Jeſus Chriſt, Rom. 9.32. Not upon the account of groſs outward ſin, but for their being conceited of their good condition for Heaven, becauſe of their frequenting publick worſhip, and being blameleſs in the ſight of men; yea, from this natural principle (joyned with the deluſion of the Tempter) did the Church of God degenerate into the Synagogue of Satan, as Antichriſt roſe in the world, firſt truſting in the performance of their worſhip and works, which brought in penances, and ſuch kind of Sacriledge againſt Jeſus Chriſt, and all other Trumperies, to build fallen men upon his own bottom, and to deviſe a way of ſatisfaction to God, wherein they failed; to which the hearts of Men are moſt naturally carried, which made that Doctrine ſo eaſily and generally over-run the world. Againſt which accurſed Doctrine, that famous Witneſs of Jeſus Chriſt, Luther began his main battery; and though the Doctrine of Juſtification by Jeſus Chriſt be known to the Proteſtant World, yet practically to be brought over to it, by an Union with Jeſus Chriſt, is but (we may fear) thinly known or underſtood, yea, not only by the common ſpirits of England, that reſt in a Notion of being Proteſtants, but even amongſt many who have profeſt ſomething beyond it, as I before have hinted; yea, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt profeſſeth to expect to find multitudes of Profeſſors at his coming under this ſoul-damning ſnare, of being found in themſelves, and in their own righteouſneſs, and not in Jeſus Chriſt, Mat. 7. & 25, &c. By all which it may amply appear how eaſie, how natural a thing it is for the hearts of the Children of Men, to bottom their confidence in what they do towards God and Man, in their obedience of the Law, as to place their acceptance in it.

Add to this the reaſons of it, why the hearts of all the ſons and daughters of Adam, are naturally apt to reſt upon the law, and their own doings, and to hope for peace by it.

1. Every natural man, hath ſomething of the remains of the Law, which God at firſt wrote in the heart of our common Father Adam, Rom. 2.14, 15. which being a little drawn forth by the Letter of the Law, it makes a poor creature ſet himſelf to endeavour to keep the law, and hopes to attain to ſuch a degree as to be accepted with God for it: Now there is no ſuch thing in the heart to come to Chriſt, or to have righteouſneſs in another; therefore a ſoul ſets himſelf to the Law, and endeavours more or leſs, the keeping of it naturally.

2. Man would fain make up the breach he hath made with God, upon his own account: As a Man had naturally rather do a thing himſelf, than be beholding to another; therefore upon Conviction of guilt he ſets himſelf to make up the breach, to ſatisfie God by ſome attonement or other, that his own heart can contrive; his ſorrowing and repenting he hopes may pacifie God, or ſome new ſacrifice of more performances, or being better for the time to come: Thus the heart works ſecretly, and upon his own account; God letting forth ſome mercy (as he thinks) where he fails, he hopes to make up any breach that ſin hath made between God and his ſoul; and thus he is ſtill upon the Old Covenant, under the law.

3. A Sinner is more apt to keep to the Law, than go to Chriſt, from a ſecret pride of heart; he would not be found at a total loſs with God, to be wholly undone, and unable to do any thing towards his own peace and ſalvation: A ſoul naturally had rather part with all ſin, and have his nature made perfectly holy, than be quite undone in himſelf, and come to have all his righteouſneſs in another, in Jeſus Chriſt. And here it is, that moſt ſouls ſtick in the coming off their own bottoms, to be juſtified in Jeſus Chriſt. In a word, Man had rather do any thing, than come a poor deſtitute ſinner to Jeſus Chriſt for all.

4. Becauſe 'tis not ſuitable to the Light of natural reaſon, that a ſoul ſhould ſatisfie God, or become righteous any other way, than by his own endeavour; to be righteous in another, is of Divine Revelation, which till a Soul hath, he cannot let go the principle of ſelf-juſtification.

The next thing to be conſidered will be this, if all men are under the Law, and the curſe of it, under the guilt of the whole law, without all excuſe before God, under an impoſſibility of attaining righteouſneſs or acceptance with God, by the beſt keeping of the Law, and yet a natural and ſtrong aptitude to reſt upon the law, and that a ſoul may reform and take up, be ſtrict in obedience, and yet ſtill be under the law, how then may a ſoul know whether in the way of his Obedience, he be yet under the Law, and not under Grace? Some Diſcoveries I ſhall lay down at preſent, reſolving a fuller diſcuſſion of this.

And by the way, know and conſider, that though thou art under the the profeſſion of the Name of Jeſus Chriſt, and pretendeſt Salvation by him, yet practically and really thou may'ſt be ſtill under the Law.

1. If thou haſt never been convinc'd of this cloſe evil in thy heart, of reſting on thy praying, and repenting, and endeavouring to keep the Law as well as thou canſt, I ſay, if the Spirit of the Lord hath not convinced thee of it, and of the great danger of it, and ſo humbled thee, and brought thee off it, thou art certainly under the Law as yet.

2. If thou doſt not watch againſt this evil, and doſt not find a great difficulty, not to reſt upon a performance of any duty to God, thou doſt then certainly reſt upon it.

3. If thou art well ſatisfied, that thou art kept from outward groſs ſins; and the ſin of thy 〈◊〉 is not thy greateſt burthen, mourning under the weight of it, then thou muſt know that thou art yet under the law.

4. If thou thinkeſt God will accept of the will for the deed, if thou doſt as well as thou canſt in every duty, ſo as to accept thee thereby, as if it had been done perfectly; this alſo beſpeaks thee under the Law.

5. If thou canſt not experience, how the Lord by the light and working of his word and ſpirit hath brought thee off thy legal foundation thou waſt building upon, and ſhew'd thee, that ſuch things as thou didſt account gain, became but loſs unto thee, for Jeſus Chriſt, Phil. 3.7.

6. If thou art not troubled about the Hypocriſie of thy heart, and not abaſed for it, even in thy beſt performances; then thou art yet upon the bottom of the Law, and reſteſt in it.

7. If thou art not moſtly troubled about believing, and doſt not find it the moſt difficult work of thy ſoul, if no complaint to God of an unbelieving heart, then thou art indeed a Hypocrite, and under the Law.

8. If thou art not humbled to God for the ſinful mixtures of thy duties, the deadneſs, diſtraction of them, and ſo ſeeſt thy acceptance cannot be in them, but in Jeſus Chriſt; then thou reſteſt in them.

9. If thou doſt not give up thy ſelf to the leadings of the Spirit, and doeſt not find, that in the main of thy courſe, thou art led by the Spirit, then thou art under the Law, Gal. 3.18. But if ye are led by the ſpirit, ye are not under the Law.

10. If thou art not troubled about thy inward growth, in mortification of all ſin, and more holy Communion with God, then thou art alſo under the Law: One under the Law, that is ſomewhat ſtrict and conſcientious, may grow in the bulk of outward Duties, but not in inward Holineſs.

11. If thy care be not to live in the ſenſe of thy Juſtification by grace through Jeſus Chriſt, and to preſerve the light and peace of a juſtified ſtate, which thou haſt been called to by grace; then thou liveſt in ſelf-juſtification.

12. If thy great care be not, if thou findeſt it not thy greateſt difficulty, to be kept a poor empty creature in thy ſelf, and live in the fulneſs of Chriſt, if ſelf-fulneſs, ſelf-exaltation, be not the great evils thou watcheſt againſt, (at leaſt in ſome meaſure, thou art ſenſible of the roots of them) then thou art yet under all I have been proving, the law, guilt, and a curſe; and all thy duties and doings, as I have ſhew'd; abhorred of God.

Examine thy heart by theſe particulars over and over, and if by theſe thou canſt not make out that thou haſt been through rich grace, brought off from thy own foundation upon the law, and ſo come, with much difficulty, to the Goſpel-grace, and righteouſneſs by Jeſus Chriſt, and that if thou hadſt been let alone in peace in thy former ſtate, thou hadſt been certainly damned; ſure thou art then as yet void of any intereſt in the Goſpel ſaving righteouſneſs; thy pretended faith, and hope, and duties, and works, and conſcience, all's in vain.

Now the ſoul that hath the bleſſed experience of all theſe, and can ſay, I have through infinite mercy been brought off my own foundation, and I have found the difficulty of it, I find my heart apt to ſettle upon my own performances, and 'tis that I would watch againſt; and I can experience the ſin of my Nature the greateſt burthen, and cry out of it daily before the Lord; the Hypocriſie of my heart is an abhorring to me, I do find believing the hardeſt work of my ſoul, I do mourn under the ſinful mixture of my duties, I do give up my ſelf to the ſpirits leadings, I am troubled about my inward growth, and humbled for the ſhortneſs of it, I would learn more and more to live out of my ſelf for my Juſtification, and to be kept a poor empty nothing for ever before the Lord; if this, I ſay, be thy experience, then thou ſhalt have peace and joy in the Holy Ghoſt; thou may'ſt rejoyce in a juſtified eſtate, Chriſt, his Righteouſneſs, Grace, Spirit, Heaven are thine.

Having now laid open the Sinner, as under the Law, excuſeleſs, guilty and under Condemnation, under an impoſſibility of obtaining righteouſneſs and acceptance with God, by the beſt endeavours to keep the Law; I would now ſet upon the opening the Goſpel-Righteouſneſs by Jeſus Chriſt, through which only a poor condemned Sinner can find acceptance; but that I conceive it firſt needful to ſpeak a word to thoſe words in the cloſe of the 22th. verſe, (viz.) For there is no difference; which may further help on the conviction we have been upon.

The Jew might object to the Apoſtle thus; you by your Doctrine ſeem to conclude all under the Law equally, and under guilt; you make no difference between us Jews who have the Law, and endeavour to keep it, and the open prophane Gentiles and Sinners; in this, you do us wrong; No, ſaith the Apoſtle, There's no difference, you who in part keep the Law, are under the ſame condemnation as others; that which I ſhall lay down, will be this.

Obſerv. There is no difference between the moſt prophane perſon, and the righteous and ſober, as to juſtification or condemnation by the Law.

I mean this; the juſt ſober man, as to his keeping of the Law outwardly or in part, is in as damnable eſtate as the profaneſt wretch in the world: This will hardly go down, but 'tis moſt clear from the Apoſtles words read unto you, and hath been in part proved, by ſhewing all the Sons and Daughters of Adam, Jews and Gentiles, ſober and ungodly, all under the Law.

But a little further to proſecute this Doctrine; for, where a man or woman, who hath lived honeſtly or ſoberly in the eye of the world (but yet out of Chriſt) convinced that he or ſhe were in as bad and damnable a condition as any great ſinner in the world, it might be a ſtartling to them, and a means, through the Spirit's working, to bring them off their vain confidence, and to lead them to Chriſt.

Now that I may clear this, let us firſt conſider, what it was that might difference the ſober Jew from the prophane idolatrous Gentile; it being the ſame, which, ſuch as conceive themſelves ſober harmleſs people in this day, do put confidence in.

1. The Jew was Circumciſed, which was the firſt Ordinance of the Old Teſtament-Church, as Baptiſm is of the New, and it doth appear this was much inſiſted on by the Jew, by what the Apoſtle ſpeaks, Rom. 2. verſ. 18, 19. For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is that Circumciſion which is outward in the fleſh, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and Circumciſion is that of the heart, in the ſpirit, and not in the letter, whoſe praiſe is not of men but of God.

2. They had the Scriptures of God, Rom. 3.2. Ʋnto them were committed the Oracles of God; which indeed the Apoſtle calls an Advantage, (in the ſame place) as it might be a means to lead them to the knowledge of God, and to the Promiſe of Jeſus Chriſt, but no advantage at all, (as to the meer having them read and opened, and in a general Faith, believing them) as the more to juſtifie them in the ſight of God.

3. The Jews were under the publick Service of God, ſuch as was ordained by God himſelf, Rom. 9.4, 5.

4. They were for the moſt part righteous to Men, and ſober, and blameleſs in the outward man; Ye indeed are they which are righteous before men; as the Lord often ſpeaks of them: Now 'tis moſt clear, that theſe things did not difference the Jew, as to acceptation with God and Jeſus Chriſt, from the moſt profane ſinner; for the Lord Jeſus Chriſt rejected theſe, and call'd to himſelf Publicans and Harlots, and tells the Jews that ſuch ſhould enter into the Kingdom of God before them, Matth. 21.31. As might be further inſtanc'd in the caſe of the Phariſee and Publican, Luke 18.9.

Now the Reaſons of this point have been before hinted, namely, that a meer ſober Man under Chriſtian Priviledges, is no more accepted with Chriſt, nor in any nearer capacity to come to Chriſt, than the greateſt ſinner; becauſe one ſin puts a man under the condemnation of the Law, as well as a million of ſins againſt it; one fellony condemns a man as well as a thouſand, and the Malefactor muſt dye by the Law for it. All the good a man doth, will not be imputed to him, if he be found a tranſgreſſor in one part of the Law, Ezek. 18.24. All men come ſhort of the glory of God, in the fulfilling of the Law, and he that falls ſhort but in one mile is in as bad a caſe as he that falls ſhort twenty miles: Jeſus Chriſt accepts of no man for his righteouſneſs, but as a Sinner, nothing elſe but a Sinner; ſo that ſtill the caſe of a juſt man in reference to the Law, is as dangerous as the greateſt ſinners in the world.

Ʋſe. A little further to preſs this; you who are baptized, have a general belief of the Scriptures, are under part of the publick ſervice of God, are juſt and harmleſs as to men; but yet are under the power of Ʋnbelief, and ſee it not, are not born again of the Spirit, are not in Chriſt Jeſus: You who reſt ſatisfied in ſuch a condition, and think your hope for Heaven well-grounded, and will not be beaten off it, I muſt tell you, and 'tis proved unto your Conſciences from the Word of the Lord, that there's no difference between you and the vileſt ſinners in the Country, as to your acceptance with God: Though it be thus with you, yet, as you have been ſhewed, you may be under the Law, condemned for one tranſgreſſion; and what can you be more, than be condemned? Neither doth all this, as in it ſelf, any more prepare you for Jeſus Chriſt; and therefore let all the Convictions, Arguments, Demonſtrations, we have produced from the clear light of the Word of the Lord, at laſt prevail with you, that you who thus ſatisfie your ſelves, becauſe you are baptized, believe the Scriptures, frequent the ſervice of God, are juſt and ſober, therefore it is well with you, and you will trouble your ſelves no further in the matter of your Salvation, that the eſtate of your Souls is as unſafe and deſperate, how ſecure ſoever, as the vileſt Drunkard in the Country.

Therefore, let this Conviction have force upon your Conſcience, that you muſt come anew to Jeſus Chriſt, as a meer ſinner, having nothing to commend you to him.

Say, from the Light of the Word, though I have thus ſatisfied my ſelf, pleas'd my ſelf, in theſe Duties and outward Priviledges, yet there's no difference between me and the vileſt ſinner, in order to my acceptance with Jeſus Chriſt: Nay, if this Conviction take upon thee, thou wilt ſay to the glory of God, and thy own Confuſion; If there be any difference, 'tis that thou art the greateſt ſinner, having mock'd the Lord, reſted in out-ſide ſervice, dealt hypocritically with the jealous God, offered him abominable ſacrifice, and therefore fit to be abhorred of the Lord for ever: Oh! that this might be the poſture of thy Soul! and ſo thou may'ſt come and lye proſtrate at the feet of Jeſus Chriſt, crying, Oh! no more, no more, a righteous perſon! but a ſinner, a guilty ſinner, a condemned ſinner, a poor, blind, naked ſinner; nothing elſe but a ſinner! Away with all my former confidences, tear them from my heart, Lord. Now Lord Jeſus, I caſt my ſelf upon thee! Oh! let me creep unto thy bleſſed feet! Oh! I come to thee; not becauſe I am righteous, (for I would abhor my ſelf for ever in the thought of it) but as a poor periſhing ſinner, the worſt of ſinners, an hypocritical ſinner: Oh! that I could take hold of thy righteouſneſs, to cover my naked Soul; I expect it only upon the account of thy Free-Grace; Oh Lord, I come unto thee, do not, do not reject me.

And thus I have been endeavouring to lay the ſinner before Jeſus Chriſt in ſuch a poſture, having proved him under the Law, excuſeleſs in his tranſgreſſing of it, guilty before God, under an impoſſibility of reaching to an acceptance with God, by the beſt keeping of the Law; laboured to beat him off ſuch props and confidences that the Heart naturally cleaves to, and ſtript him of all, naked as Adam, when he had ſinned before the Lord, as nothing elſe but a Sinner, which is that I have driven at. I now come to ſpeak of the way of a poor Souls juſtification, and acceptance with God, by Jeſus Chriſt, as the Lord ſhall aſſiſt, to the capacity of the weakeſt.

ROM. 3.24.

Being juſtified freely by his Grace, through the Redemption that is in Jeſus Chriſt, &c.

I Am now come to open the Goſpel-righteouſneſs, wherein a poor ſinner finds acceptance with God; which in ver. 21. of this third of the Romans, is ſaid to be now manifeſted; that is, more fully manifeſted by the Revelation of Jeſus Chriſt in the Goſpel, being witneſſed (before) by the Law and the Prophets, Even the righteouſneſs of God, which is by the Faith of Jeſus Chriſt unto all, and upon all them that believe, ver. 22. called the righteouſneſs of God; namely, that whereby God doth only juſtifie and accept of a Sinner, wrought forth by the obedience of Jeſus Chriſt, and made over and imputed to a poor Soul that doth embrace it by Faith, whether Jew or Gentile, outwardly righteous or profane: All that ever come to God, muſt come this way, and ſtand before him in this Righteouſneſs, or periſh for ever; which I ſhall begin to open from ver. 24, 25.

1. Being juſtified freely by his grace, through the Redemption that is in Jeſus Cheiſt.

2. Whom God hath ſet forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his blood, &c.

We have endeavoured, in the former Diſcourſe, to go along with the Apoſtle, in proving, that by all the Deeds of the Law, all the beſt Obedience that a ſinner can reach unto, he cannot be juſtified before God, neither in part, nor in whole, that your good deeds will not procure pardon, nor poiſe down your ſins, but all, by the Law, equally under condemnation.

Of what importance then is it for poor condemned ſouls to be well acquainted with, and really and practically inveſted in that way of juſtification, that God in infinite wiſdom, mercy and love, hath ſet forth in the Goſpel, which is that I now deſign.

The Apoſtles arguing is thus: If all fall ſhort of righteouſneſs, and acceptance with God, by their own obedience; if all have ſinned, and come ſhort of the glory of God, then are all, and that equally, condemned: If ſo condemned, then acceptance with God, and juſtification, and remiſſion of ſins, muſt come in another way: The Riſe and Fountain of which, muſt neceſſarily be Gods free mercy and grace: If made righteous, it muſt be in the righteouſneſs of another, wrought forth by another: Juſtice muſt be ſatisfied by another, a price paid to God for a ſinners redemption by another, which is Jeſus Chriſt, bleſſed for ever.

From the words then, I ſhall firſt lay down this plain Obſervation, viz.

Obſerv. Gods free mercy and grace is the firſt Fountain of any ſinners ſalvation; or, 'Tis upon the account of Gods free grace that any ſinner is ſaved.

Thus runs the current of the whole Goſpel, the main deſign of the Goſpel being to glorifie the riches of Gods Free-grace by Jeſus Chriſt. Among many other Scriptures the Apoſtle doth moſt convincingly diſcourſe in Rom. 5. from the 15th. to the end; ſetting the Free-grace of God unto Juſtification, in oppoſition to a ſinners condemnation; But not as the offence, ſo alſo is the free gift; for if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jeſus Chriſt, hath abounded unto many. To the ſame import runs the reſt of the verſes, The free gift of many unto Juſtification, much more they which receive abundance of grace, and the gift of Righteouſneſs, ſhall reign in life by one Jeſus Chriſt: All of Grace, and of Free-gift, abundance of Grace, from firſt to laſt; That as ſin reigned unto death, ſo might Grace reign through Righteouſneſs unto eternal life, by Jeſus Chriſt our Lord, verſe laſt. So the Apoſtle in that Epiſtle to the Epheſians, wherein the Doctrine of Grace is bleſſedly given forth, drives all the ſpiritual bleſſings in heavenly things in Chriſt, mentioned Chap. 1.3. &c. to this bleſſed Fountain, Chap. 2.4. &c. But God who is rich in mercy, for his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in ſins hath quickned us together with Chriſt, (for by Grace ye are ſaved;) ſo verſe 7. That in the Ages to come, he might ſhew the exceeding riches of his Grace; and ver. 8. For by grace ye are ſaved, it is the gift of God.

Therefore the invitation of the Goſpel to ſinners runs upon this ſcore; Ho, Every one that thirſteth, come to the Waters of Life, Iſa. 55.1. And, Whoſoever will, let him come to the Water of life freely, Revel. 22.17.

I might illuſtrate this in all the particulars of a ſinners ſalvation, God's fore-ordaining and chooſing any to ſalvation, 'twas to the praiſe of the glory of his grace, Eph. 1, 5, 6. The gift of his Eternal Son Jeſus Chriſt, from free love and grace, John 3.16. The New Covenant, and all the Promiſes of it, freely given out for his own Names ſake, Ezek. 36. Effectual Calling, from free grace, 2 Tim. 1.9. The gift of Faith, actual Juſtification, Tit. 3.7. Sanctification, Perſeverance, Eternal Life and Glory, all flowing from the ſame fountain of Free-grace: Some Reaſons of the Deſign of the Bleſſed God in this, may be gathered from the Scriptures:

The Free-grace of God is the Fountain of all, in any ſinners ſalvation;

1. Becauſe, There is nothing in the Creature that may move God to ſave him: Nothing at all, all we know or do, could not move God to mercy, Deut. 7.7, 8. The Lord did not ſet his love upon you, becauſe you were more in number than any people, but becauſe he freely loved you, &c. Not for your ſake do I do this, &c. Ezek. 36.32.

2. As God ſaw nothing in him, ſo the ſinner is able to bring nothing to God, to draw out mercy of his own, therefore ſaith the Lord, Iſa. 55.1. let him come without his price: As the ſinner loſt all his good, ſo he can procure none anew to bring to God, that may in the leaſt move the heart of God to give out more to him.

3. If it were not all of Grace, then the Creature would have occaſion of boaſting; but the Lord in infinite wiſdom, ſo laid the Project of a ſinners Salvation, that no Creature ſhould have the leaſt ground of boaſting: So the Apoſtle having given out the Doctrine of Grace in this Scripture we are upon, draws this concluſion, ver. 27. Where is boaſting then? It is excluded, &c. So in the 1 Cor. 1.29. the Holy Ghoſt lays down this as the main ſcope of God in the Goſpel: That, No fleſh ſhould glory in his preſence, Therefore Salvation is all of Grace, of Free-grace.

4. If it were not ſo, The glory of God would not be ſo great in the Salvation of a ſinner. 'Tis now ſo laid, that all might be, to the praiſe of the glory of his Grace, Epheſ. 1.6. It being the higheſt piece of glory, that the Wiſe and Bleſſed God did ever deſign unto himſelf, that his free, rich, abundant, infinite grace might be made known in the Salvation of a Sinner: That he might make known the riches of his glory on the Veſſels of Mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Rom. 9.23.

Ʋſe 1. If God's Free-grace be the Fountain of all in a poor Sinners Salvation, then let it eſtabliſh our judgments in this Doctrine: Therefore God had no reſpect to any fore-ſight of Faith or Works in the Creature; God had no reſpect to the freeneſs of his Will, for he knew he had none: God had no reſpect to any conditions to be wrought in us; but all he did, and doth, was from abſolute Independing Grace: Nothing moved him but his own Free-grace. The ſame Free-grace that pardons, gives and works, all in us; all from the ſame Fountain.

2. If all be of Free-grace, then there is no meritorious procuring Cauſe in us, that moves the Lord to mercy: Now the contrary is naturally rooted in our hearts, poor Souls are moſt apt to conceive, that if they can grieve for their ſins, repent, and reform, this will ſure move God to mercy and pardon. A moſt dangerous ſnare, from which a Soul, after much conviction, is hardly wrought off: Now, though God in the way of a ſinners Salvation, hath promiſed to give Repentance, Act. 5.31. and a Spirit of mourning for ſin: Yet a poor ſoul muſt take heed that he make not this a procuring cauſe of Pardon: Many a Soul ſticks here, before emptied of himſelf, even of his very repenting, and ſo come for grace and mercy, upon the account of the Free-promiſe only: How many a Sinner might have been ſaved, if he would have been ſaved freely?

3. If God hath ſo laid the Deſign to ſave a Sinner freely, then how great, how juſt is the Condemnation of guilty ſinners, that will not haſten in unto it; how could the Lord have laid it more freely than he hath? Oh that any ſinner, for ever condemned to Hell without it, ſhould withſtand it! Why ſinner? Shall the bleſſed God, that might have much glory in condemning thee to all Eternity, be willing to ſave thee freely; and wilt thou not come and bow unto him, and accept of it? All the contempt of God in all his holy Commands, is not like this, to turn the back upon Free-Mercy, Free-Salvation: This will be the Worm that never dies, to any of your Souls that ſhall not come into, and rightly accept of Goſpel-Salvation, that you might have been ſaved freely, have had grace, remiſſion of ſins, Jeſus Chriſt, the Spirit, Eternal Life freely, and yet turned your backs upon it? But you may demand, How is it that any ſinner doth ſo? What is it that cauſeth any Soul to forego Free-grace and Mercy, when held out unto him, that we may beware of ſuch hinderances?

I will therefore ſhew you ſuch Hinderances, that keep Souls from accepting of God's Free-grace in Jeſus Chriſt, when held out unto them.

1. Wilful Obſtinacy, Joh. 5.40. Ye will not come unto me, that you might have life: Ye will not; ſuch is the ſtubborneſs and rebellion of the heart of a ſinner, that he will not, as we ſpeak, becauſe he will not; to ſuch a height hath ſin raiſed the heart of the rebellious children of men; for every natural man, till made ſenſible of unbelief, thinks he hath power of himſelf, (though he hath not) but his Rebellion lies in his Will: I would have gathered you, and you would not, Mat. 33. laſt.

2. A ſinner doth not accept of Free-grace, becauſe he ſtands upon his ſelf-juſtification; he will not be perſwaded he hath ſo much need of all Free-grace, as the Goſpel diſcovers; as hath been ſhewed at large, though he hath ſinned, yet alſo he hath obeyed, and ſo he puts one againſt the other, his obedience againſt his ſin, and ſo hopes to get that mercy he hath need of. And upon this ground, more ſinners, even that profeſs the Name of God, do miſs of Heaven, than any other in the World: 'Tis not ſo eaſie a matter to ſubmit to God's Free-grace alone, as many do imagine: Upon this Snare, many of the Jewiſh Profeſſors of Chriſt fell ſhort, as 'tis clear from the Epiſtle to the Galathians, and did fruſtrate the grace of God.

3. A Sinner hath a ſecret thought of making God ſatisfaction, by his ſorrow and amendment, and ſo makes void the Free-grace of God: 'Tis the eaſieſt thing in the World to put up legal ſorrow, and amendment of life to God, as that which may make God amends; yea, to make an attonement of every Duty, which is the cloſeſt and moſt deſperate evil of the heart: So did the Jew by his ſacrifices and obedience, which cauſed the Lord to pronounce them, That his ſoul loathed them, Iſa. 1.

4. A Sinner doth not ſavingly cloſe with free grace, from ſecret pride of heart, he would not be found ſo poor and helpleſs, ſo unrighteous and ungracious, as to be beholden to free mercy for all; many perſons will rather ſtarve than beg, than live upon another mans mercy: 'Tis ſo between a ſinner and the Lord, till God humble him, he'd rather venture Hell, than come and acknowledge utter Condemnation, nothing but ſin upon him, and ſo ſtoop to free mercy.

5. The ſinner ſtands off from Free-grace, becauſe he will make his own terms: He will condition for his carnal caſe, his ſelf-intereſt, his boſom luſt, the love of the World, and hopes God will allow him his terms, which he propoſeth to himſelf; and herein he is ruined. Now God hath drawn up the tenour of his free-grace in the way of a Covenant, and though there are no conditions left to the creature to make good on his part, by his own power, (for that will eaſily imply a ſelf-ſufficiency in him, and is abſolutely derogatory from the grace of God in the Goſpel-Covenant) yet God hath drawn up (as I may ſo ſpeak) what other good things he will beſtow on the ſubjects of his free-grace, Namely, The Law to be new written in their hearts, the gift of the Spirit, Newneſs of heart, with the making good of all thoſe promiſes, in a degree, that hold forth Holineſs and new Obedience, which muſt accompany the free pardon of ſins, and make indeed the free grace of God more glorious: Inaſmuch as when he pardons them he will ſave them from the ſervice of ſin, work his Image upon them, bring them to a bleſſed conformity to himſelf, which conſider'd aright, ſweetens and heightens the free-grace of God, and makes the terms of it more bleſſed. In a word, Mercy and Holineſs muſt go together, a Saviour and Sanctifier, which a ſinner from the curſed love of eaſe and ſatisfaction to his luſt ſticks at, and ſo comes not up to Gods terms, (which are bleſſed and holy) and ſo miſſeth of grace and mercy for ever, becauſe he chooſeth Sin rather than Holineſs.

6. Yea, a ſinner (and I ſpeak all this while of ſuch as pretend to an intereſt in free mercy) miſſeth of this grace, becauſe he takes up the terms of God in his Covenant-grace in his own ſtrength, will repent and come up to new obedience before he comes to the promiſe, to the free grace of God for it; which is alſo a dangerous ſnare. A Sinners firſt work (being convinced as we have opened) is to throw himſelf upon the free grace of God for all, to give all, to work all, and to follow God by vertue of Promiſes, of ſuch good and Grace as the tenour of the Covenant holds forth: 'Tis an uſual thing for poor Souls firſt to think to convert themſelves, make themſelves holy, and then come to God, and Jeſus Chriſt, this is an indirect courſe, Oh! a poor Soul muſt begin at the Foundation of Gods free Grace, for Chriſt, for Pardon, for the Spirit, for Converſion, for Holineſs, for all, as held out in Promiſes, and then the work will be ſure, and proſper, and nought ſhall hinder it.

7. Sinners fail of this free Grace of God, from a neglect and a ſleighting of it, Heb. 2.3. How ſhall you eſcape, if you neglect ſo great ſalvation? Sinners do hear that, though they are ſinners and condemned, in a damnable eſtate, yet Jeſus Chriſt will ſave them; if they will come unto him, ſit them for Heaven, and do it himſelf for them, and in them; yet through a deſperate folly, ſecurity and careleſs temper, the heart being in a dead ſleep, they wretchedly neglect it.

8. From the power of Unbelief, which they are under, and ſee it not.

Thus have I ſhewed thoſe ſpecial hindrances that cauſe poor Souls that hear of Goſpel-grace to withſtand it, and for ever to miſs of it.

Oh that this word of the Lord might find you out, and might be as a glaſs to ſhew you your own hearts; you who by a wilful obſtinacy have withſtood the Goſpel-calls hitherto, Oh, now fall down before the Lord, and cry, I yield, I yield, thou bleſſed God, thy Patience, thy freeſt Grace hath overcome me; Lord, take away a rebellious obſtinate heart from me! Ah Lord! Thou haſt waited to be gracious, and Chriſt, and Mercy, and Heaven have been offered to ſo vile a Wretch freely: Now, Lord, I throw my ſelf at thy feet, a thouſand Hells are too good for me: But if grace, infinite grace, be free, there's yet hope for me. If there be not grace enough in Heaven for me, let me go to the depth of Hell But Lord, I take hold of thee, I deſire to do it Oh, do thou take hold of me, and I ſhall not periſh.

You who have ſtood upon your terms, and hoped you had righteouſneſs enough to cover you, and God would look upon that, and not upon your ſin, you are the moſt abominable in God's ſight: You, who ſecretly in your hearts think your ſorrowing and reforming, makes God amends: You who have wrapt your ſelves in theſe Cobwebs, and through pride of heart, will not lay them down; Oh, if thou wilt have mercy, thou muſt have all in a way of mercy and grace, all freely, or nothing at all; ſee all thy righteouſneſs made void by one ſin againſt the Law, and therefore curſed and condemned by it; therefore thou haſt no Plea but free mercy and grace: Oh lay down all thy other Pleas, they will never be heard in Heaven! and now cry out, Oh 'tis of grace! Proud ſelfiſh Wretch that I have been; 'tis all of free grace, if ever I am ſaved: If God cannot pardon freely, beſtow Jeſus Chriſt freely, I am undone for ever: Oh the wicked caſtings of my heart this way and that way! Oh there's nothing, nothing but infinite miſery to move mercy! All my goodneſs is an accurſed thing as from my ſelf: There's an infinite Fountain of ſin and ſelf-righteouſneſs in men: Oh could I come to an infinite Fountain of grace! Thus thou wilt come to God, when he ſhall ſmite thy heart, which now look up unto him to do.

You who have been making your own terms of eaſe, and luſts, and world: Oh render up your hearts to the gracious, bleſſed, holy terms, that God propoſeth: Why ſhouldſt thou not be willing to be made holy? Why ſhould not the Lord rather rule thee than ſin and the Devil? What more beautiful and glorious than the Image of God? Oh accept of Holineſs with Mercy, through the Lord Jeſus Chriſt! Come unto him for both; be willing to be ſet apart for God, a Veſſel purged and ſanctified for his uſe, and thou ſhalt behold the face of God ſhining upon thee; and whatever is laid up in Chriſt, in Promiſes, in Heaven and Glory, ſhall be thine.

You who have thought to make your ſelves holy, and then come to Chriſt to be juſtified; be convinced of your great Error, and now come as ſinners to Jeſus Chriſt, to be juſtified and ſanctified in him, and ſee all grace laid up in Jeſus Chriſt for ſuch as come unto him. Say, Oh bleſſed Lord Jeſus, I cannot fit my ſelf for thee! If thou canſt not accept me as a poor undone helpleſs ſinner, coming unto thee, I never expect a bleſſing from thee.

And you who have ſleighted this free, rich and glorious grace, ſee what you have done, and be abaſed for it; ſee how you caſt back mercy upon the face of God, who would freely be reconciled with you, paſs by all the grievous injuries you have done him, enter into a Covenant with you, beſtow his Chriſt upon you, fit you for communion with himſelf here and for ever: And all this you have ſleighted, and yet muſt unavoidably be for ever damned without it. Sinner, who can plead for thee, when thou ſhalt go on to deſpiſe, neglect, ſlight ſuch grace? To Hell, without pity of God, Angels or Men, when freeſt mercy and grace ſhall be ſlighted.

I do therefore ſtand this day in the Name of Jeſus Chriſt, to acquaint you, that he will ſave you freely, if you will come unto him, be your ſins what they will, ſo you come not as righteous, but as ſinners to him; ſo you take his Righteouſneſs to cover you, and his Spirit of grace to unite you to him, and make you holy, and will give up your ſelves unto him: All which he will help, if you will come and cry to him, yea, if you cannot come, he will draw you; if you are unwilling, he will make you willing, if you have no heart, he will give you heart: What more? Wretched man or woman, that ſhall ſtand off one moment longer! Is not Hell too good for thee, if thou ſhal • now turn thy back upon ſuch grace? Let me have your Anſwers this day: Let me know that ſinner that will go home reſolved to be as careleſs as he formerly hath been, as well-opinioned of himſelf, as much reſolved againſt Holineſs, as thoughtleſs of being damned, if he withſtand the Lord in his Free-grace one day more? Oh! Will not your hearts ſtir? dead, ſtupid Souls! Shall God's Free-grace, his Chriſt, go a begging this day, and will not a ſinner come up to his terms? Old ſinners, that are going into the grave, and Hell too, will not you accept of Free-grace, of Chriſt, the Spirit, this day? that are upon the brink of the grave and everlaſting burnings, and have many a thouſand ſins yet unpardoned? Is all this nothing to you? but reſt in a blind hope of mercy, without coming to Jeſus Chriſt, without care of being made holy, and fit for Heaven: Oh, you have been faſt aſleep in ſin, deceived by your own hearts, abuſed by the Devil, forty, fifty, ſixty years, Is't not time for you to bethink your ſelves, to go and cry to the Bleſſed God; Oh, Grace, Pardon, Chriſt, Heaven, upon any Terms! My righteouſneſs I have truſted in are poor Cobwebs, my Confidences vain; Oh, for a drop of Free-mercy and grace, from that Ocean that is in God, and 'twere better than all I have done for Heaven yet: Oh Lord! Now, now I come to thee: Is there free-mercy and grace for one that hath ſlighted it? Yea, though thou haſt gone on frowardly in thy own heart, yet he can heal thee, Iſa. 57.17, 18.

And you that are younger, 'tis a deſperate thing now in times of Goſpel-Light, when it glares upon your faces, to ſhut your eyes, to go on in the way of your own hearts, to ſlight Goſpel-Grace, to harden your ſelves, and cry, hereafter, hereafter. Alas! thou knoweſt not what ſhall be on the morrow; the Thread of thy life is quickly cut with a ſtroak from God. Beſide, to go on long, from year to year, againſt the loud and frequent Call of Jeſus Chriſt, againſt Convictions, that thou ſhouldſt do otherwiſe, is the way to be given up to utter hardneſs, and the Lord to move upon thy heart no more. There's a day of grace to every Soul, which if he ſuffer to ſet and go down upon him, he is irrecoverably loſt for ever: Look to it, you younger men and maidens, that have yet no work upon you; that are the ſame you were, under the means you have lived; that have not the Spirit of grace and mourning upon you, when others are praying and wreſtling with the Lord, and taking the Kingdom of Heaven by violence. Oh up, and be ſtirring, the day of grace hath ſhined long upon you: Hold out no longer, Come, Come, Come, you careleſs Sons and Daughters, and the way is open to you: The door of Free-grace is open, Chriſts Arms are open; you may be ſaved and bleſſed for ever, if you come in, now you are invited; I can take no excuſe: Come, or ſay, I am reſolved for Hell, and to venture the utmoſt in the condition I am in: Oh, bold and fearleſs Atheiſm! What ſhall I ſay to thee, if that be thy Reſolution? But I cannot be ſo anſwered: Say, you Sinners, as if I ſhould name you; are you for Heaven, or Hell; for Free-grace, or your own patch'd-up righteouſneſs; for carnal eaſe, or any Pains for Heaven; for your Luſts, or for Holineſs; for Jeſus Chriſt, or the Devil? let thy heart anſwer in good earneſt this day.

Now ſhall I at leaſt have this Anſwer: Hold! I am reſolved for the Free-grace of God, for the Lord Jeſus Chriſt; If all the ſinners in the Congregation, yea, in the World, ſhould turn their backs upon him; The Word of the Lord hath overcome, Oh Lord Jeſus, may I come? ſuch a Wretch as I come? Yea, ſaith the Lord Jeſus, Rev. 22.17. Whoſoever will, let him come. Grace is as free as ever it was: Say then, Oh Lord, I come; draw me, and I will come: Into the Arms of Free-grace I throw my ſelf, my Righteouſneſs is an abominable thing: Ah! a Chriſt upon any terms; Oh let, let me creep unto thy Bleſſed Feet; let me have the loweſt Room in thy Heart: Take what way thou wilt to purge me, ſo I may but get well unto thee. Now Lord, as much Holineſs as thou wilt, let thy precious blood waſh me all over. Well, go thus, and acquaint the Lord Jeſus with it from day to day; wait, he will ſpeak to thee, love to hear more from him, and of him in his Goſpel, and thou biddeſt fair for Heaven; yea, there will preſently be joy in Heaven for thee.

In a word, I proteſt againſt you in the Name and Authority of God, and the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who hath ſent me, if you ſhall withſtand the grace of God in Jeſus Chriſt, freely, moſt freely offered you, I ſhall be a Witneſs againſt you: And if any ſinners in the World ſhall be certainly damned, you are they, who neglect this great Salvation: 'Tis come to this, I would, ſaith Jeſus Chriſt, and ye will not. What ado to have a ſinner that's ſinking to Hell, to come to the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, to be freely ſaved? What ſhould a guilty ſinner do, but come to a free Saviour to be ſaved, and accept of his terms (which are ſo bleſſed) with a thouſand hearts if he had them? Now ſay, how am I ſtraightned, till I get to him; I would go and weep my heart out to him, had I a heart to do it.

Now I leave what hath been ſpoken to the good pleaſure of God, and the work of his Power, who is able to ſend away every Soul trembling and reſigning up themſelves to him.

Only a word to any poor humbled doubting ſoul, that thinks infinitely well of all this, but ſaith in his heart, all this grace is too good for me, I have ſinned againſt it, and ſlighted it; I fear, whether ever I may be accepted. Oh remember, and conſider, that Grace were not Grace, if 'twere not free; God can ſave a ſinner freely; that's enough to ſtay thee; yea, though thou haſt ſlighted grace, (as where is the Saint but did ſo, before effectually called?) yea God will ſave a ſinner freely, that will come by Jeſus Chriſt unto him. He will: What would'ſt have more? Do not ſtand reaſoning thus; but, if thou art a ſinner, undone without him, caſt off from thy own Confidences, go to him in the Name of God, and believe him upon his own Word: Say, I take thee, Bleſſed Lord, upon thy own Word; thou ſayeſt, Whoſoever will, let him come: And Lord, therefore I come; I durſt not come, were I not invited freely; and if I muſt be ſaved freely, if ever, then thou art to beſtow all, work all, begin and perfect all; Oh bleſſed Lord, I come unto thee for it; go and do thus, and thou ſhalt be comforted, and rejoice in his Salvation.

I might alſo here preſs bleſſed Souls, who have been drawn to Jeſus Chriſt, and overcome by Free-grace to do it, to live in the Admiration of that grace, and to be low, and poor, and emptied in your ſelves, in the abundant ſenſe of it all your days. Let your enjoyments and attainments be what they will, be it known unto you, that by grace ye are ſaved; and you had, and have as much need of it, as any ſinner in the World. God's Deſign in ſaving you, was to glorifie Grace, and it muſt be your Deſign alſo here, and for ever.

Having thus opened, in ſome meaſure, the grace of God, to be the Fountain of a ſinner's Salvation, I ſhall now proceed to diſcover the way of the conveyance of this grace, which is by Jeſus Chriſt: (Being juſtified freely by his grace, through the Redemption that is in Jeſus Chriſt.) Though God reſolved to beſtow grace upon ſuch as ſhall be ſaved freely, yet in a way of his own moſt wiſe and bleſſed Deſigning, by his Eternal Son Jeſus Chriſt, to whom this Diſpenſation of Grace was committed; which I ſhall further open in this Doctrine: Namely,

Doct. All that Grace and Mercy which GOD gives out freely to ſinners, is conveyed to them by his Eternal Son, Jeſus Chriſt.

I might be abundant in the proof of this: See in that 5th. of the Rom. v. 17, 21. — Much more they which receive abundance of Grace, and of the gift of Righteouſneſs, ſhall reign in life by one Jeſus Chriſt. And verſ. 21. That as ſin hath reigned unto death, even ſo might Grace through Righteouſneſs unto Eternal Life, by Jeſus Chriſt our Lord: All the Grace that ſhould reign unto Life is given out by one Jeſus Chriſt. The Law was given by Moſes, but Grace and Truth came by Jeſus Chriſt, Joh. 1.17. All the Treaſures of Grace were laid up in him; and therefore he ſaith of himſelf, Matth. 11.27. All things are delivered unto me of my Father, and none can come unto the Father but by me; which he makes as the great Argument why ſinners ſhould come unto him, verſ. 28. Now, ſo far as the Lord hath revealed the wiſe and holy Counſels of his heart in his Word unto us, let us enquire into the Reaſons why he took ſuch a way to give all his grace to the children of men.

Reaſon 1. The firſt is this, That as Mankind loſt all in the Fall of the firſt Adam, as he was a publick perſon, repreſenting all that came of him: So it was the Wiſdom of God in the recovery of loſt-man to bring forth another perſon, that ſhould be fully ſtockt with Grace and Righteouſneſs, as a publique perſon to repreſent all the Elect unto the Father; upon which account Jeſus Chriſt is called the Second Adam, 1 Cor. 15. And the Apoſtle ſets the firſt Adam in his offence unto Death, and the Grace and Righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt, as the Second Adam, one againſt the other, Rom. 5.15, 16, &c. For as by one mans Diſobedience many were made ſinners; ſo by the Obedience of one ſhall many be made righteous: And ſo the Apoſtle ſets the Life, Grace, Righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt, as the Second Adam, againſt the Death, Condemnation, Diſobedience of the firſt man that ſinned in the ſeven laſt Verſes of that Chapter. And herein the Wiſdom of the Father is moſt excellently ſet forth, and the ground of Conſolation to Believers laid upon a moſt ſure Foundation: That whatſoever they loſt in the Firſt Adam, they recover with much more abundance in Jeſus Chriſt; for ſo the Apoſtle hath [that much more] in the Scripture mentioned, three or four times; that Saints may ſee how abundantly compleat they are in Chriſt.

Reaſon 2. All Grace is conveyed by Jeſus Chriſt, becauſe there needed a perſon to ſtand between GOD and Sinners, as a Mediator to work forth Reconciliation between them. Now who was meet but the Lord Jeſus Chriſt to undertake this? He being the Eternal Son of God, equal with God, was near unto God. A meer creature was infinitely unfit for ſuch an undertaking, and he being alſo the Son of man, cloathed in the nature of man; he thus partaking of the nature of God, who was to be appeaſed; and of the nature of Man, who was to be reconciled, he became a moſt meet Undertaker of ſo glorious a Work; Whence he hath that bleſſed Title given him of Mediator: Jeſus the Mediator of a New Covenant, Heb. 12.24. There is one God, and one Mediator between God and Man, the Man Chriſt Jeſus, 1 Tim. 2.5.

3. God reſolved that his bleſſed Son Jeſus Chriſt ſhould have the Honour in this bleſſed Tranſaction, to convey his Grace to loſt Sinners, James 5.22, 23. That all men ſhould honour the Son: So the Apoſtle fully, Col. 1.16, 17, 18, 19, 20. All things were for him: And that in all things he might have the preheminence, &c. For by him, and to him, and for him are all things. This Honour the Father committed to the Son, to bring about this great Contrivance of bringing Man back again unto God.

4. God letting out his Grace by Jeſus Chriſt, renders his love more abundant and acceptable to poor Sinners, John 3.16. God ſo loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, &c. So loved it, that he could not give forth a greater manifeſtation of his love. Now the Father purpoſed to render his love to ſinners, by the gift of his Son, moſt full and glorious; and therefore gave him out of his Boſom, and all the Riches of his Love and Grace by him.

5. This way of the Father's Diſpenſation of Grace by his Son Jeſus Chriſt, hath rendered the Grace of God moſt ſure and unchangeable to his own. The Covenant of Grace being now eſtabliſhed between the Father and Jeſus Chriſt; Jeſus Chriſt being the Undertaker in it for all the Father gave him, it is certainly founded upon a ſure Bottom: This was the Fathers Promiſe, Iſa. 42.6. — I will give him for a Covenant to the People. Jeſus Chriſt, as a common perſon, did repreſent all the Elect in the Covenant, as the firſt Adam in the firſt Covenant did repreſent all his; and Jeſus Chriſt did undertake to bring them to God, to bring them into the Covenant, and ſo to eſtate them in all the grace, and Mercy, and Bleſſing of it; Therefore the Mercies of the Covenant are ſtiled, The ſure mercies of David, Iſa, 55.3. As a Type of Jeſus Chriſt, coming of the Seed of David, wherein is ſet forth the excellency of the New Covenant, the whole Tranſaction of it entruſted in the hands of Jeſus Chriſt, and therefore not one drop of the Mercy of it, can ever fail thoſe that are taken into it.

6. By the giving forth of Jeſus Chriſt, the whole of Goſpel-Salvation is rendered more glorious: The Wiſdom, Juſtice, Holineſs of God, as well as Mercy and Love, do ſhine forth in Jeſus Chriſt: And therefore the Goſpel-Myſtery is ſtyled, The manifold Wiſdom of God, Epheſ. 3.10. Every Attribute of God is glorified in the giving out of Jeſus Chriſt.

7. Yea, had not God taken this way of making out himſelf by Jeſus Chriſt, the world had dwelt in groſs darkneſs of him; therefore Jeſus Chriſt is ſtyled, The Image of the Inviſible God, Col. 1.15. The expreſs Image of the Father; The brightneſs of his glory, Heb. 1. And in 2 Cor. 2.6. The light of the knowledge of the Glory of God, is ſaid, to ſhine in the face of Jeſus Chriſt. The Creation is but a dark ſhadow of the glory of God, as to what is revealed of God in the manifeſtation of Jeſus Chriſt. There are the Footſteps of God in the Creatures, but his Character and Image in his Bleſſed Son Jeſus Chriſt.

8. There could not have been acceſs to God, but by Jeſus Chriſt; for through him we both have acceſs by one Spirit unto the Father, Eph. 1.18. How could polluted Duſt draw nigh to the abſolute Majeſty and Glory of God, had not he let forth himſelf in Jeſus Chriſt, as in our own Nature, and ſo makes way for a poor ſinner to come before him.

9. Had God let forth Mercy to Sinners, and not given out his Son Jeſus Chriſt, his juſtice muſt have been violated, which is the main of all. The word of the Lord was abſolute; In the day that thou eateſt thereof thou ſhalt dye, Gen. 2.17. which was meant of the Eternal Death of the Soul, in its ſeparation from the life of God; as is clear in Rom. 5. laſt. where grace unto eternal life by Jeſus Chriſt, is put in oppoſition to that death which was by ſin, which muſt therefore needs be meant of Eternal Death. So Rom. 6. ver. laſt. Now this Death muſt be executed upon all the Poſterity of Adam, or elſe God muſt take ſome other way to ſatisfie his Juſtice, he will ſave the Sinner, which was upon his own Son Jeſus Chriſt; as will further be evidenced in the following Diſcourſe.

10. The bleſſed God took this way of letting out himſelf, his Grace, by Jeſus Chriſt, that thereby Saints might have Ʋnion with him, which was a holy Deſign of the Father in ſaving them; — That they may be one in us, John 17.21. The deepeſt and moſt unconceivable Myſtery in our Salvation: Now Jeſus Chriſt, as the Eternal Son of God, taking upon him our natures, we became capable of being united to him, through the Spirit, and made one with the humane nature of Chriſt, whereby we are alſo united to the God-head, and ſo become one with the Father and the Son, which is the top of the Saints perfection.

Ʋſe 1. Now what hath been ſaid, as to the grounds and reaſons of God, in giving out his eternal Son, and letting forth all grace by him, may ſerve to acquaint us with this rich and glorious Myſtery, as it is ſtyled, Col. 1.27. Namely, God reconciling the world by Jeſus Chriſt, letting forth the knowledge of himſelf, glorifying all his Attributes, making ſuch diſcoveries of his Glory, providing ſuch a way of Mediation, ſuch a glorious Mediator, laying the bleſſed project of a ſinners glorious Salvation ſo ſure, rendring his love ſo acceptable and glorious, making way for free acceſs unto himſelf, and how we might become one with him: Oh! the depths of the Wiſdom and Love of God; which of them may we admire moſt? Well may Angels pry into this Holy Myſtery, well may it be the aſtoniſhment of Heaven and Earth, of the whole Creation: How much more of a ſinner, for whoſe ſake it was thus ordered! Oh, that we might fall upon our faces, and adore the Wiſdom and Grace of God, in ſuch a contrivance as this, Oh, unmeaſurable Goodneſs! unfathomed Wiſdom! Eternity is but enough to admire it! To behold God in Chriſt, will be the viſion which the ſouls of bleſſed Saints will be wrapt up into, to all Eternity.

2. Oh! therefore what infinite Mercy is it to be brought forth in the New-Teſtament-times, when the Myſtery hid in God, hid from ages, kept ſecret ſince the world began, 1 Cor. 16.25. is brought to light, and ſparkling upon the darkneſs of the world; when the glory of God is riſen upon the World: Now if this Goſpel be hid, 'tis hid to them that are loſt, 2 Cor. 4.3. Wo unto them that cloſe their eyes, when the light ſhines round about them; Oh, you that yet ſit in darkneſs, and the ſhadow of death, Ariſe, Awake, look up, that Goſpel-light may ſhine into you; Oh cry, and wait that your eyes may be opened to behold God coming forth, in the Revelation of Jeſus Chriſt in the glorious Goſpel, wait for the Spirit, and that the Goſpel in the preaching of it may become the miniſtration of the Spirit, 2 Cor. 3.8. Oh guilty world, that ſo ſlight the Knowledge of Jeſus Chriſt, and contemn the Miniſtration of it; wo unto them.

3. If God doth let forth no Grace and Mercy, but by Jeſus Chriſt, it may ſerve to unbottom poor ſouls from a general carnal hope of Mercy, not being acquainted with the way of Grace by Jeſus Chriſt, nor coming as loſt ſinners in themſelves to be found in Chriſt, and juſtified by Jeſus Chriſt; this they utterly neglect, having an empty notion of Chriſt's dying, but know not for what; and upon what grounds and how a ſinner gets to God by him; Oh! let this reprove you for this groſs and damnable neglect, and convince you that all your pretended hopes of Mercy will vaniſh, unleſs you learn the Knowledge of Jeſus Chriſt.

4. And therefore, If no way to the Father, no Intereſt in Mercy, no acceſs to God? but by Jeſus Chriſt, let it ſerve to teach poor ignorant ſinners, yea all of us, how to get to God, to Mercy, into his Covenant; Oh! No way but by Jeſus Chriſt; Oh! I can never come to the preſence of God's Majeſty, but by Jeſus Chriſt, who is appointed Mediator to bring a poor ſinner to himſelf, to make way for him into the preſence of God, to conveigh Mercy and Grace to a poor ſinner; Oh, ſay, that I could acquaint my ſelf with Jeſus Chriſt, take hold of his skirts, and he will bring me into the favour, love, covenant, viſion, union of God; this is the way for a ſinner to come unto him, John 14.6.

5. Let it call upon Saints that know Jeſus Chriſt in the Spirit, that they do not grow ſtrangers to him, that they neglect not Jeſus Chriſt: Oh! Neglect him not in his bleſſed Mediation, Grace, Love, Fellowſhip, Appearance, Ordinances: 'Tis a grievous thing, and very apt are Saints to it, to neglect Jeſus Chriſt; Oh! ſtill know and conſider, that as your acceſs to God was by him at firſt, ſo it is ſtill; His Mediation for you, his love and grace, and fellowſhip, is as good as ever, as precious as it ever was; therefore have high and precious thoughts of him, of your bleſſed acceſs to God by Jeſus Chriſt.

The next thing that I come to open is, how Jeſus Chriſt wrought forth Salvation and Juſtification for a Sinner, ſo that the free grace of God might by him be freely let out upon a ſinner, namely, the work of his Redemption, [through the Redemption that is in Jeſus Chriſt,] verſe 24.

I ſhall not inſiſt upon the many difficulties that the wiſdom of the fleſh hath ſtarted about the word or work of our Redemption, but endeavour, as I have promiſed, to give it out in a plain, Scriptural, practical manner, for the uſe of poor ſinners.

Redemption ſignifies a deliverance from Captivity, by a price or ranſom laid down.

Man had ſinn'd himſelf into captivity, and a juſt condemnation; God from his own free Mercy, was willing he ſhould be ſet at Liberty, but this ſhould not be done but by a price or ranſom being paid to God, which was the intervening death of Jeſus Chriſt, who being the eternal Son of God, came down from Heaven, took upon him the nature of man, was willing to ſtand in the room of ſinners, bearing their ſins, in the undergoing the puniſhment for them, whereby God laid upon Jeſus Chriſt the Iniquities of all that ſhall be ſaved, Iſa. 53.6. proceeded againſt him as if he had been the ſinner, in a way of Juſtice, executed his wrath upon him; Thus he is ſaid to dye for the ſins of his own, 2 Cor. 5.15. Heb. 9.15. and to give himſelf for us, and to give his life a ranſom for many, which death of Jeſus Chriſt is ſtyled an expiatory Sacrifice, an attonement and Propitiation, all which, do imply, that by the death of Jeſus Chriſt ſatisfaction was made to the infinite Juſtice of God, as if the ſinners that are ſaved by it, had ſuffered the utmoſt of Divine Juſtice in their own perſons; Thus much may ſerve briefly, to open the nature of Chriſt's Redemption.

The Doctrine I ſhall lay down from the words will be this.

Doct. To the Salvation and Juſtification of a ſinner, (in order to God's letting out his free grace upon him) there was required the death of Jeſus Chriſt, as a price laid down to the juſtice of God for his Redemption.

I might urge many more Texts beſides what have been named, As 1 Pet. 1.18, 19. — Redeemed not with ſilver and gold, &c. but with the precious blood of Jeſus Chriſt, Eph. 1.7. Col. 1.14. In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveneſs of our ſins: This was it which was typified by all the Sacrifices in the Old-Teſtament-Diſpenſation, as in the Epiſtle to the Hebrews at large; eſpecially in the 9th. Chapter, verſ. 12, 13, 14, 22. — And almoſt all things are by the Law purged with blood, and without ſhedding of blood is no remiſſion.

From hence the Reaſons of Divine Wiſdom, thus proceeding, ſo far as revealed in the Word, will be clear.

Reaſon 1. That the Juſtice of God might be glorified in the Salvation of ſinners, as well as Mercy. Now there being attonement made to Juſtice by the death of Jeſus Chriſt, the Righteouſneſs of God hath a ſhare in the glory of mans Salvation, with the Grace and Mercy of God.

2. The Purity and Holineſs of God's juſtice did require it, which being violated by the ſin of Man, it was moſt equal that ſatisfaction be made, which no meer creature was able to do; and therefore the eternal Son of God, bleſſed for ever, was appointed of the Father to it: Therefore 'tis ſaid verſe 25. of this third of the Romans. — That he might be juſt, and the juſtifier of them that believe in Jeſus; given as a reaſon of God's ſetting forth his Son to be a propitiation.

3. The expreſs word of the Lord did require it, who pronounced to all mankind in Adam, that the tranſgreſſor ſhould ſurely die, Gen. 2.17. Therefore upon his tranſgreſſion, the ſinner muſt either die in his own perſon, or another in his ſtead, which God in his infinite wiſdom might order as he pleas'd; Now God being willing to glorifie his mercy, choſe to lay this puniſhment on his own Son Jeſus Chriſt, and not on the condemned Sinner, which Jeſus Chriſt alſo voluntarily undertaking, the word of the Lord was fully made good, and Jeſus Chriſt dying for the ſinner, (being made a curſe for him) 'twas all one as if the ſinner himſelf had died.

4. God gave out a holy and righteous Law, written in the heart of Adam; which Law was juſt, and holy, and good, Rom. 7. Now this Law being broken, God would not diſpence with it, in ſhewing mercy to the ſinner, unleſs his Law was ſatisfied, which Jeſus Chriſt undertook, Rom. 8.3. For what the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the fleſh, God ſending his own Son in the likeneſs of ſinful fleſh, and for ſin condemned ſin in the fleſh, that the righteouſneſs of the Law might be fulfill'd in us, &c. Gal. 4.4. But when the fulneſs of time was come, God ſent forth his Son made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the Law, &c. So that the Law was fulfilled by Jeſus Chriſt, as if the ſinner had kept it fully in his own perſon, by Chriſt's becoming obedient to the death of the Croſs, and ſo ſuffering the puniſhment of the Law, (ſtill in the ſtead and name of the ſinner) and by his keeping the Law, in the pure original righteouſneſs of his nature, 2 Cor. 5.21. and Heb. 7.26, 27. and by his actual obedience to it, in the perfect obſerving of it, Rom. 5.19. For as by one mans diſobedience many were made ſinners, ſo by the obedience of one many were made righteous: Namely, by the obedience of Jeſus Chriſt, which he gave unto the Law: Now all ſinners being condemned by the Law, the Law could not remit them, till it was ſatisfied, it call'd for puniſhment, and full obedience, which Jeſus Chriſt gave unto it.

5. God could not ſo freely (to ſpeak after the manner of men) let out grace and mercy, unleſs ſuch ſatisfaction had been given by Jeſus Chriſt: Now it can come eaſily, delightfully, chearfully from the righteous and gracious God, ſeeing his juſtice will not plead againſt it, but for it, being bleſſedly ſatisfied, and Jeſus Chriſt by his death did fully merit it and deſerve it at the hands of God, and laid down as much as God in infinite juſtice would require, therefore 'tis now as well juſtice as mercy, for God to remit a Sinner that comes to God by Jeſus Chriſt. 1 John 1.7. God is juſt to forgive us our ſins.

Now, hereupon, God having ordained and accepted of ſuch a way of attonement, his juſtice glorified and ſatisfied, his word (that the ſinner ſhould die) made good, his Law to the utmoſt ſatisfied; what remains, but that the bleſſed God can remit the bondage, guilt, condemnation of the ſinner, having thus accepted of ſatisfaction? what remains, but that he ſhould pronounce, as he doth, Job 33.24. Deliver him, for I have found a Ranſom; God can now pardon the ſinner that comes believingly by Jeſus Chriſt to him for it, without any regret, his juſtice ſhall be glorified by it, as well as his mercy; God hath charg'd all upon another, and accepted of full payment, call'd himſelf to witneſs of it, and will never repent of it.

Object. If any ſhould Object, Wherein is free-grace glorified, if God hath received full ſatisfaction to his juſtice?

Anſw. I anſwer,

1. 'Twas infinite free grace for God, to give out his bleſſed Son Jeſus Chriſt, when there was no obligation upon him; he gave him, and ſent him freely, John 3.16. from his own free love; therefore there's infinite of free grace in Man's ſalvation.

2. 'Twas infinite grace towards the ſinner, to accept of ſatisfaction by a ſurety, Heb. 5. and not on the ſinner, the party offending, himſelf; what abundant grace and love, to lay the ſins and guilt upon another, eſpecially the only Son of his boſom, who was without all ſin, 2 Cor. 2.21. and not to condemn the poor helpleſs ſinner for ever.

3. 'Twas infinite free grace, for God himſelf to contrive the way of ſuch a Redemption: Had it been left to ſinful man to have found out a way, how juſtice might be ſatisfied, he could never have done it: It could never have entred into the heart of Man or Angels, to have offered to God a ſatisfactory way for the making up of his wronged juſtice, but he muſt have periſhed for ever.

4. The Father was at Liberty to impute this Redemption of Chriſt to whom he would, to this ſinner, and not to another, Rom. 9. He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy, &c. So that 'tis indeed a debt to Chriſt; but all of free mercy and grace, to any ſinner that is ſaved.

Ʋſe 1. If then Salvation and remiſſion of ſins came in this way, by the death and blood of Jeſus Chriſt, then it may diſcover to us the infinite hatred that God bears to ſin, that, to make expiation and attonement to his juſtice, there could no ſacrifice be found but the death of his eternal Son Jeſus Chriſt; Oh! that ever a ſinner ſhould delight in that, which the holy God ſo much hates and abhors?

2. Let it be for convincement to poor ſinners of the infinite neceſſity of this way of Redemption by Jeſus Chriſt, in laying down his life to ſatisfie the juſtice of God, and of getting their part in it; you have heard the caſe of a Sinner, condemn'd by the Law, liable to eternal death, ſubject to the rigour of divine Juſtice, no way able or in a capacity to make ſatisfaction to God, mercy as it were bound up by juſtice; Oh! therefore what neceſſity of a Mediator, of a Redeemer, to work forth deliverance; to lay down a Ranſom for ſinners, dye and undergo the curſe and wrath of the great and dreadful God, fulfill the Law, make ſatisfaction to the wronged juſtice of God to the utmoſt; this Jeſus Chriſt hath done for miſerable ſinners that will come unto him. Now the moſt of poor ſouls, have but a Notion of Chriſt's dying, but know not what is meant by Chriſt dying for me, though ſometimes in their Mouths; Oh! ſinner for Chriſt to die for thee, (if thou getteſt a part in his Death) is to undergo the puniſhment, and curſe, and death, that thy ſoul was liable to, which otherwiſe muſt have come upon thee to the utmoſt; it was to be made ſin and a curſe, for thee, to bear thy Sins, and ſtand in them; Oh! that thou couldſt really be convinc'd of the neceſſity of this Redemption, that thou couldſt never come to God without it, and therefore to get thy poor ſoul ſtated in it!

3. If ſatisfaction to Gods juſtice can only be by the blood of Jeſus Chriſt, then let me again preſs you, that you take heed of performing your duties and repentings as if thereby you did ſatisfie and pacifie God for the ſin of your ſouls. This is the moſt dangerous ſnare upon poor ſouls, that though they have ſinned, yet they hope God will be pacified with ſome praying, and ſorrowing, and amendment: Now, though this ſhall be in a ſpiritual manner, upon every pardoned ſinner, and 'tis a capacity God puts the ſinner into, when he applies the death of his Son, and ſo gives out mercy and pardon, yet you muſt moſt carefully take heed, that you offer not up ſuch duties, as if they did make God amends, and pacifie him for your ſins; but look above and beyond them, as if they were not, and ſo to caſt your eye to the great ſacrifice of the blood of Jeſus Chriſt, which Alone makes attonement to God, and makes way for a poor ſinner to come to him.

4. That as ſinners would learn the bleſſed Myſtery of this Redemption, and the neceſſity of it, and how it makes attonement, merits mercy and pardon, procures peace and reconciliation with God, ſo they would come and accept of it, and fall down before the righteous God, and plead it to him; Thou haſt heard the way of God's letting out mercy to ſinners, and no mercy but in that way, but by juſtice being ſatisfied by the death and blood of Jeſus Chriſt, whereby he becomes the Saviour of ſinners; now this blood is offered up to God, the price is paid and accepted with God, and in the Goſpel of God 'tis revealed and preach't to the guilty world, and 'tis freely offered to any poor ſinner, that will come and accept of it, and make claim to it, and plead for mercy and forgiveneſs upon the account of it, and will come to the terms of it, which is to be accepted and pardoned alone by vertue of it, to be waſhed and ſanctified, and actually deliver'd, not only from the guilt and condemnation of ſin, but the power, and reign, and pollution of it.

Oh Sinner! be awakened and ſtirred up by the word of the Lord, to get actual deliverance from the guilt, bondage, reign, ſervice, of thy ſin; go and cry to God, offer him up the blood of his own eternal Son, tell him thou ſeeſt he may let out juſtice upon thee to deſtroy thee, and damn thee for ever; of thy ſelf thou haſt no plea againſt it: But ask the bleſſed God, if it may not be more glory to him, and his grace and mercy glorified by it, if he will accept of ſatisfaction by his own Son Jeſus Chriſt? plead to him, that thou heareſt he died in the room of guilty, condemned ſinnners, ſuch as thou art, ungodly, Rom. 5.6. yea, tell him, with an humble adoration of his mercy and love in it, that thou heareſt in his bleſſed Goſpel, that 'tis offered to any ſinner that will come and accept it, and that 'tis proclamed from Heaven, and there's ſatisfaction made by the blood of a Jeſus for the greateſt Sinner, ſuch as thou art; Oh! cry unto him, that therefore thou comeſt and begg'ſt to be heard in thy plea, and that it may be entred in Heaven, that thou comeſt for all the ends of his death, thou art weary of the ſervice of thy luſts, and the pollution of thy nature, and therefore thou wouldſt have thy nature cleanſed, thy conſcience purged, all which thou findeſt the blood of Jeſus Chriſt is able to do; yea, tell him, and plead it with ſome humble boldneſs, that thou art acquainted that Jeſus Chriſt prays in Heaven, for ſuch ſinners that come and plead his blood to thee, and that he is heard in what he prays, and that therefore forgiveneſs muſt be had; yea, ſay, thou wilt hold on thy plea, thou haſt no other, and art reſolved againſt any other: If thou ſhalt to Hell pleading the blood of a Saviour, be it ſo, but I am reſolved to plead it to the utmoſt; yea, tell him, and cry to him, that it cannot repent him, that he hath ordained the ſacrifice of the blood of his own Son, and therefore why ſhould'ſt thou be rejected? Yea, Come to this Iſſue, through the Spirit of Faith upon thee, that if it can be, that a Sinner crying out for pardon, upon the account of the death and blood of Jeſus Chriſt, and for ſanctification, may go to Hell, then thou wilt willingly lay thy hand upon thy mouth, and open it no more, but ſink under Divine Vengeance to Eternity.

Oh! That every poor ſinner might go home with this plea in his heart, written there by the Holy Ghoſt; and peirce Heaven with his or her crys and groans, and put the blood of Jeſus Chriſt before him, and plead for mercy and holineſs, to be pardoned and ſanctified, till God ſay, Go in peace, thou art pardoned, redeemed, and bleſſed for ever.

Yet a little to excite a poor drowſie ſinner to this eternal Concernment.

1. Conſider, thou art under the guilt of thouſands of Sins, one whereof is enough to ſink thee to Hell: Guilt, if continued, is Hell begun, and wants nothing but the execution of Vengeance upon thee. Oh what ſhould a guilty ſinner do, but cloſe with a Saviour, and get an intereſt in Redemption from it!

2. Eſpecially conſidering that all the Duties and Obedience thou haſt performed towards God, or ever ſhall, have not made (nor ever will) the leaſt payment to God for thy ſins, thou art as much in debt to God as ever thou waſt, as much behind with him: All the Items for the ſin of thy Nature, thy thoughts, words, and actual Wickedneſs, and thy ſinful neglects, ſtand uncancelled, all ready to be charged upon thee, and nought will be accepted for payment but the Death of Jeſus Chriſt, the only price that God will hearken to: Nothing will cancel the Book where all thy ſins are recorded: Nothing will blot out the Hand-writing that is againſt thee, but the Blood of Jeſus Chriſt, Col. 2.13, 14.

3. God is reſolved never to forgive you the Debt, till you have put in this Plea, and it be recorded in Heaven, and you have it in a Goſpel-way: No forgiveneſs of Sins, but by Redemption pleaded, claimed, poſſeſſed, and ſealed by the Holy Spirit, Epheſ. 1.7, 14.

4. Thou art yet under the Bondage and Reign of thy ſin, and therefore under condemnation; the Law is gone out againſt thee, thy Sentence pronounced; Curſed is every one that tranſgreſſeth, &c. ſaith the Law; and thou art in bondage yet, and haſt not procured actual deliverance from it. If a Priſoner be condemned, and lye in Fetters in a Dungeon, and hears of a Ranſom paid for him, what's this to him, till he have Liberty. So for a Sinner to be in the Fetters of his Luſts, held faſt by them, a Bond-man to the Devil, and hear of a Chriſt laying down a Ranſom, what is this to him? unleſs he ſue it out, and get actual deliverance and liberty, the liberty of the Sons and Daughters of God, and have a Spirit of Adoption, to cry Abba Father, Gal. 4.4, 5. That being made free from ſin, (the Reign and Power of it, by the Power of the Lord Jeſus revealed in him) you may become ſervants to God, and have your fruit unto Holineſs, and the end everlaſting Life, Rom. 6.

5. Conſider, as thou ſtandeſt in thy filth and uncleanneſs of thy Sins, thou art unfit for God, either to pleaſe him in any thing thou doeſt, or to be with him in Heaven hereafter; thy perſon and ſervices are loathſom to the Soul of God; therefore get waſhed and purified in the blood of Jeſus Chriſt; Go on to cry, and wait, (and beg a heart to do it, and that in Faith) till thou ſhalt feel Peace coming in, by thy conſtant Plea of the blood of Chriſt, till thou ſhalt feel cleanſing vertue of it upon thy Soul, till thou ſhalt experience the power of his death deſtroying Sin in thee, and ſo ſhalt find, thou haſt fellowſhip with him, and ſo a part in this bleſſed Redemption we have been treating of.

6. Now to encourage a poor Sinner to this coming to God, with the Plea of Chriſt's blood in his heart and mouth, and to draw forth the Faith of a poor humbled doubting Soul.

Conſider the All-ſufficiency and worth of the price of the Death of Jeſus Chriſt, to ſatisfie the juſtice of God, and procure Pardon and Sanctification for a poor Sinner; which may appear from ſuch like Scriptures. The Apoſtle in the 7th. of the Hebrews, having been opening the excellency of Chriſt's Prieſthood, which is chiefly converſant in this Work of Redemption, in the offering up of himſelf a Sacrifice, concludes, ver. 25. of that Chapter. Wherefore he is able to ſave them to the utmoſt that come to God by him. To the utmoſt, that is, with a perfect Salvation, that nothing more can be deſired to it. So in the 9th. Chap. ver. 11, &c. The Apoſtle reaſoning from the Levitical Sacrifices, to this of the blood of Chriſt, argueth the full perfection of it. — By his own blood he entred in once into the holy place, (namely, into Heaven) having obtained eternal Redemption for us; and thence concludeth, ver. 14. How much more ſhall the blood of Chriſt purge the Conſcience? &c. A much more upon that, above all the Sacrifices that were offered up to God; which will appear,

1. Becauſe of the eternal Godhead of Chriſt's Perſon, by which he offer'd up his blood unto his Father, Heb. 9.14. — Who through the eternal Spirit offered up himſelf without ſpot to God. Which put an infinite value and efficacy upon the offering of his blood, inaſmuch as Jeſus Chriſt was God as well as Man; though he could only dye in his humane nature, yet the efficacy of his Godhead had an influence upon the price of his dying, which put an infinite worth upon it, and ſo renders it full and perfect Redemption.

2. The price of the blood of Jeſus Chriſt, did not only give a bare Satisfaction to the juſtice of God, but it had an infinite Merit in it, a redundancy of Merit, whereby it deſerved at the hands of God, that Sinners that are intereſſed in it, ſhould have remiſſion of Sins, grace, the love of God, and glory to come, ſpiritual bleſſings, which the death of Chriſt purchaſed for the elect; which being alſo by the free purpoſe and compact of God, there muſt neceſſarily ariſe an infinite Merit in it.

3. The All-ſufficiency of the price of Chriſt's blood is evidenced by his Reſurrection and Aſcenſion into Glory, implying that he wrought forth full and perfect Redemption by his Death, therefore he is ſaid to riſe again for our Juſtification, Rom. 4. laſt. and to be juſtified in the ſpirit, 1 Tim. 3. laſt. that is, God by raiſing him from the dead, juſtified him in the attonement he had made by his Death, and that he did chearfully accept of ſatisfaction by it.

4. The Blood of Chriſt procures boldneſs of acceſs to God, therefore there is an infinite worth in the price of it; Heb. 10.19. Having therefore, Brethren, Boldneſs to enter into the Holieſt, by the blood of Jeſus; which boldneſs doth ariſe from the full ſatisfaction that is made to Divine Juſtice, in as much as God, upon the Acceptance of it, hath nothing to charge upon the Sinner himſelf, no quarrel againſt him, having charged his ſins upon Chriſt, and therefore the poor ſinner may come with an humble boldneſs into the Preſence of God; and this is that which puts boldneſs into the Conſcience of a Believer, when he appears before God.

5. From the Experience of it; the ſouleſt Sinners that have come unto it, have been waſhed from their ſins by it, as 1 Cor. 6.11. Idolaters, Adulterers, Sodomites, Drunkards, Revilers, have been waſhed, and juſtified, and ſanctified by it. The blood of Jeſus Chriſt his Son cleanſeth from all ſin, 1 John 1.7.

6. It cleanſeth and perfects them for ever, therefore called eternal Redemption; once for all, and for ever, Heb. 10.10, 19. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are ſanctified; once juſtified, and for ever.

Now from this Satisfaction, Merit, All-ſufficiency of the Sacrifice of the blood of Jeſus, to cleanſe a ſinner, to commend him to God, how ſafely may a ſinner venture his Soul upon it, (which is the firſt act of Faith?) A poor ſinner when under conviction, and the terror of the Lord hath taken hold of him, lies trembling before the Lord, whether God will let out Juſtice or Mercy upon him; he is ready to give glory to the juſtice of the Lord, if he reject him for ever. But now if a poor ſoul get a ſight of the blood of Chriſt, how it deals with the juſtice of God, what full and all-ſufficient Satisfaction it hath made to God, for the ſins of ſuch as plead it to him, how God more delights in it, than in the condemning of the ſinner, what a ſtay is this to the wavering, doubtful ſpirit of a poor ſinner? when he can come to ſee juſtice to have its due, and ſo God can freely let out Remiſſion to a poor Soul, upon the very firſt Act of a poor ſinners cloſing with it, though not preſently evidenced in his Conſcience; Oh, ſinner, venture the Iſſue of all upon this price of the Blood of Jeſus, thou may'ſt ſee thou haſt the greateſt reaſon in the world to do ſo, thou wilt never come to have a ſafe bottom for thy Soul, till thou comeſt thus to deal with the juſtice of God, as fully ſatisfied by the blood of Jeſus Chriſt, thou wilt ſtill be off and on about Free-Mercy, till thou come to fix here, and be in ſome good meaſure eſtabliſhed in it: Be daily in exerciſing thy Soul in ſuch ventures and caſtings upon it, and the Spirit will at laſt witneſs Peace and Reconciliation to thy Conſcience.

In a word, Sinners you that have had no ſtay to your ſpirits for the forgiveneſs of your ſins, but a blind hope of Mercy, look up, look up to the juſtice of God, and ſee this way of acceſs to God for you, by the blood of Jeſus: Oh! let not any prophane ſinner trample it under foot, caſt it back upon the bleſſed face of God; ſay not in thy heart, Let God take the blood of his Son to himſelf, I'le not be waſhed from my Sins, I'le not be ſanctified, I'le reſt as I am! Deſperate Sinner, of how much ſorer puniſhment ſhalt thou be thought worthy, than any Sinner under Heaven, who rejecteſt the only worthy price of a Sinners Salvation? Know, the great God will let out all his juſtice upon thee to the utmoſt, and Oceans of his Wrath ſhall fall upon thee, if thou thus abuſe the blood of his Son; a greater guilt than all thy Ungodlineſs thou haſt hitherto been wallowing in from thy youth up; Oh! come thou deſpiſer, and caſt thy ſoul under the droppings of this blood, and it ſhall cleanſe thee, though thy ſoul were as black as Hell, Zach. 13.1.

And thou poor formal out-ſide Profeſſor, who never didſt feel the vertue, healing life and warmth of the blood of Chriſt upon thy heart: Oh, reſt not in good thoughts of it only, but come believingly to it, as thou haſt been exhorted: Say, and that with thy heart, Now, Lord, I would know the power and efficacy of this Redemption upon my poor ſoul: Waſh me, Lord, waſh me; I renounce all but the blood of this Chriſt, as to making way to God for me: Oh! let it pacifie my Conſcience, and purge my Conſcience, and I ſhall be clean.

If the Spirit of the Lord ſhall work thy heart to come as a guilty, helpleſs, unholy ſinner in thy ſelf, to this blood of Jeſus, and make thy approaches to God daily, and argue for Grace and Remiſſion upon it, and purging thy Soul; theſe ineſtimable bleſſings will be the iſſue of it, which I will but name to thee.

1. Thou ſhalt certainly find forgiveneſs of thy ſins; In whom we have Redemption through his blood, the forgiveneſs of our ſins, Epheſ. 1.7. God will remember them no more againſt thee; and thou ſhalt have peace with thy God for ever.

2. God will let forth an infinite unchangeable love upon thee, Rom. 5.5. which love he bore thee from Eternity, but will now manifeſt it to thee, and eſtate thee in it for ever.

3. Thou ſhalt have boldneſs of acceſs to God, Rom. 5.2. even into his intimate preſence, to ſpeak with God face to face, and ask of God what thou wilt, according to his will, Heb. 10.

4. All the Promiſes of Mercy, Grace, and all bleſſings here and for ever, ſhall be thine; made over, ſealed in the blood of Chriſt.

5. Thou ſhalt rejoyce in the hope of the Glory of God, Rom. 5.2. with all Saints, and ſee thy ſelf an heir of Heaven.

6. Thou ſhalt be ſtill a waſhing, and purifying, and fating for Heaven, till thou ſhalt be taken up unto God, and live in the Ocean of his Love to all Eternity.

Now if eaſe in thy ſin and the world can do better for thee, than this that I have named, then keep in; but if not, (as moſt certain it cannot) Ariſe, and come, to this bleſſed Redemption, and get thy part and portion in it; and thou ſhalt ſay, Bleſſed be thy counſel and advice for evermore.

But now upon this Redemption of Jeſus Chriſt, how is a ſinner ſaid to be juſtified; that is, to be put into an actual Poſſeſſion, of the Redemption of Jeſus Chriſt, through the Free-Grace of God?

1. When the compact was made between God the Father and Jeſus Chriſt, as to the Salvation of thoſe that the Father gave to Jeſus Chriſt, and Jeſus Chriſt undertook the fulfilling of the Condition of the Covenant, God did purpoſe in himſelf to juſtifie them from Eternity, and look'd upon them as in Chriſt, 2 Tim. 1.9. Epheſ. 1.4. So they were juſtified as to the purpoſe of God from all Eternity.

2. When Jeſus Chriſt performed the Condition of Obedience in his dying, and paid unto God what he required at his hands, for the ſinners redemption, then did God, as in the Court of Heaven, diſcharge the ſinner, (though not in the Court of Conſcience) and when Chriſt aroſe and came to Heaven, the Father gave him in an abſolution of them all, from the guilt of ſin, and obligation to death; and ſo at the death of Chriſt all the Elect were meritoriouſly juſtified, inaſmuch as the price was paid and accepted of the Father, Rom. 5.10.

3. When according to the purpoſe of God, through the purchaſe of Jeſus Chriſt, a Sinner is called by grace, hath Faith given him, (as purchaſed alſo for him) to embrace Jeſus Chriſt in the Promiſe, to receive him as offer'd in the Goſpel, and with him all ſpiritual bleſſings; then is the Soul put into the actual poſſeſſion of what God, in his purpoſe and love, determined to give him, and Jeſus Chriſt by the purchaſe of his blood gave him a right to before, and ſo there is an Act of God's pardoning Mercy paſſeth upon the ſinnner, he hath an actual diſcharge given in unto his Conſcience, hath the Obedience of Jeſus Chriſt imputed to him, and ſo is look'd upon by God not as a Sinner under guilt, but as righteous in the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, which beſpeaks him juſtified, that is, made juſt and righteous before God, by the imputation and making over Chriſts Righteouſneſs to him, as if righteous in his own perſon: Upon which Act of God there is a full Remiſſion of ſin, as in the Text, and the believer is put into another State, a State of juſtification unto life through Jeſus Chriſt, Rom. 8.1. who before was in a State of Death and Condemnation.

Before I ſpeak of that Faith which, through Grace, puts a Soul in his pardoned and juſtified State, I will briefly apply this to the capacity of the weak.

1. It may inform and inſtruct you in this great Myſtery, that any ſinner that is ſaved muſt be thus juſtified, made righteous by the Obedience of Jeſus Chriſt; he muſt come to ſee the juſtice of God made up, a price paid unto God, and this to be actually made over to him: As we ſhall preſently ſhew; moſt of ſinners, 'tis to be feared, do not conſider this, that ſpeak of mercy, and pretend they hope in mercy, but are never convinc'd of the Righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt, and what it is to paſs from a ſtate of guilt to a ſtate of righteouſneſs by Jeſus Chriſt, from a ſtate of condemnation, to a ſtate of juſtification without which, there can be no Salvation.

Oh be convinced, ſinners, of this great matter of the neceſſity of the righteouſneſs of Chriſt, his obedience in fulfilling the Law to be made over to you, to be brought into a juſtified ſtate, or you can never have pardon of ſin, and be accepted with God; you can never ſtand before God, but in the righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt. Say, If I do not get the righteouſneſs of Chriſt made mine: If I do not get thus juſtified, I muſt never expect pardon of my ſin, and acceptance of my poor ſoul at the great day of the Lord. This is the Work of the Spirit, to be ſavingly convinced of this, John 16.8. Oh look up to the Father for the Spirit thus to convince you, not only of ſin, and the damnableneſs and ſinfulneſs thereof, but of your infinite need to get, not only ſome general hope of Mercy and Pardon, but the righteouſneſs of the Son of God, to bring you into a ſtate of Pardon, Reconciliation, Peace with God.

2. It may further clear unto you, that your juſtification before God is not within you, but without you, wrought forth by Jeſus Chriſt, for ſuch as are, or ſhall be called by grace, and imputed to them, not inherent, or wrought in them: 'Tis not grace in you, that doth or can juſtifie you, though renewing grace ſhall be wrought in all that are ſo pardoned and juſtified. Therefore, though thou muſt be changed in thy ſelf, pray and be holy, and obey God in all things, yet thou canſt not be hereby juſtified, but ſtill thy juſtifying righteouſneſs is in Chriſt, and not in thy ſelf, as the only procuring meritorious cauſe of Pardon, and Peace with God, Jeremiah 33.16. Iſaiah 54. laſt.

3. The great queſtion therefore that ſhould come upon thy heart, is, Whether thou art in a ſtate of condemnation or juſtification? If not juſtified, thou art ſtill, as I have ſhewed, under the condemnation of the whole Law: Nothing thou haſt yet done or ſhalt ever be able to do, will ſtand between Wrath, and Hell, and thy poor ſoul, till thou comeſt to be juſtified in the blood and righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt. Oh ſinners! ponder of this great thing that is now laid before you? Can you ſay from a Teſtimony within you? Oh! I was thus and thus once under the reign, power, guilt, condemnation of ſin; but now, now, (bleſſed be rich and free grace) I am waſhed, juſtified, in the Name of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt: See that Word, 1 Cor. 6.10, 11. And ſuch were ſome of you, but ye are waſhed, but ye are ſanctified, but ye are juſtified in the name of our Lord Jeſus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Or at leaſt, that I may ſpeak to poor, weak, willing, trembling ſouls: Is this it that your ſouls are reſtleſs after? Oh that I were, that I were, in ſuch a bleſſed ſtate! Oh that I could but believingly ſay, the righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt were mine, and that now I am, I am juſtified! Oh what peace, and ſweetneſs, and joy, would fill my heart! Why Soul! If this be indeed the breathing of thy Soul, Jeſus Chriſt is thine, and thou art juſtified and pardoned, and God will at laſt give in unto thee (if thou continue to follow him) the ſenſe and comfort of it in thy poor Soul: Only by the way take a Diſcovery or two of the reality of thy Heart in this matter.

1. If thou Soul, from a Spiritual Conviction, be under a real making out after juſtification by Jeſus Chriſt, then thou wouldſt alſo be as really ſanctified, be made holy. 'Twas as much in the purpoſe of God to call thee out of a ſtate of ſin, and to ſanctifie thee, as to pardon and juſtifie thee, 1 Ep. John 5.6.

2. If thou art brought into a juſtified ſtate, thy ſoul making out after it, thou art made alive in the Spirit, Rom. 8.1. Thou art in Jeſus Chriſt, and wouldſt walk no more after the fleſh and the luſts thereof, but after the Spirit, Gal. 5.18. If ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the Law; namely, to condemn you, but are free from the curſe of it: And verſe 23. Againſt ſuch there is no Law; that is, ſuch as would walk after the Spirit, be led by the Spirit; and ſhew forth the fruit of the Spirit: And this is that which the Apoſtle intimateth, 1 Ep. John 5.10. He that believeth on the Son of God, hath the Witneſs in himſelf, namely, of the Spirit: So that every juſtified perſon hath the Spirit of Chriſt (according to the meaſure of the grace of God) dwelling in him, is quickened in the Spirit, being once dead; prays in the Spirit, mortifies ſin through the Spirit, is taught by the Spirit, and ſo in all other ſaving and ſanctifying vertues of it: If it be not thus with thee, thou, as yet, haſt no part in this bleſſedneſs, but art under condemnation unto death. And therefore, ſinner, come before God in the ſence of thy condemned eſtate, and give up thy ſelf to Jeſus Chriſt to be waſhed, juſtified, ſanctified; and then bleſſed for ever.

3. Let called and ſanctified Believers labour to live in the ſenſe of a pardoned, juſtified ſtate, that God is not off and on with them, in the matter of juſtification, though it may be ſometimes darkned and clouded, as to the evidence of it. Oh! do you labour to preſerve the ſenſe, and ſweet and bleſſed peace of it in your ſouls, and give glory to the riches of grace; for, now there is No, No, condemnation to you; you are paſſed from Death to Life, and the Bleſſed God imputes no ſin unto you: Let this be the higheſt and ſtrongeſt Argument to Holineſs, and love to the glory that poſſibly may be; and if indeed you walk in the comfort of it, it will be ſo unto you.

Only let me give caution here to young Converts, whoſe hearts, at the firſt diſcovery of the free and glorious grace of the Goſpel, and of Jeſus Chriſt, are wonderfully taken and affected with it, but after a time, are apt to wanton with it, (unleſs the firſt humiliation be the deeper) and to wax ſleight in Duties, and ſo their Luſts recover ſtrength again, and return upon them; and either they fall, or are near unto it, to the freſh wounding of their Souls. This hath been the condition of many; therefore be well caution'd in it, and walk with fear in the midſt of your joyous apprehenſions of the ſweetneſs of grace, and the endearing love of the Lord Jeſus to you.

Having briefly ſhewed what the nature of juſtification is, what it is to be in a juſtified ſtate before God, I now come to open more particularly how a Soul comes to be partaker of this juſtification, through the Redemption of Jeſus Chriſt; namely Through Eaith in his blood, ver. 25. of this 3d. of Rom.

Obſerv. As God, through Free-grace, hath ſet forth Jeſus Chriſt to work forth Redemption for ſinners; ſo there muſt be a ſpecial believing on, and applying the blood of Jeſus Chriſt, for the forgiveneſs of ſins, by every one that is ſaved.

Therefore juſtification is attributed to Faith, Rom. 5.1. Therefore being juſtified by Faith, we have peace with God by our Lord Jeſus Chriſt. So Gal. 2.16. and 3.11. In all which places. Faith is put in oppoſition to the works of the Law. And ſo the righteouſneſs of Chriſt is called the Righteouſneſs of Faith, Rom. 9.30. and 10.6. in oppoſition to the righteouſneſs by Works: Not as if Faith were the matter of our juſtification, that it did, as an Act or Work in the Soul, juſtifie before God; but that God doth thus make over the blood and righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt to a Soul, by enabling the Soul to come unto to take hold of, to apply to it ſelf, to appropriate the merit of the blood of Jeſus Chriſt for its own Redemption and Salvation, which may afford us a plain Deſcription of juſtifying Faith, preciſely conſidered; Namely,

Faith is a Work of the Holy Ghoſt in the Soul, enabling it to appropriate, or apply to it ſelf the blood and righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt, for the Remiſſion of ſin, and its juſtification unto eternal Life.

So it is called the work of Faith with power, 2 Theſ. 1.11. and 'tis expreſſed by receiving of Jeſus Chriſt, Joh. 1. and believing on his Name, coming unto him, reſting upon him: So that, plainly, Faith is a going out to, believing in, truſting on another; namely, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt: For what it can never be able to find or bring about in or by it ſelf, which may lead us to the more particular way of the Holy Ghoſt's working this power in the Soul, in the ſaved ones of God.

1. In the working of Faith in the Soul, it is firſt brought to ſee an impoſſibility of coming to God, as in its ſelf, or by its ſelf, concluded under an utter unability to pacifie God, or make up a righteouſneſs in it ſelf, to get acceſs to God. The ſoul is emptied from veſſel to veſſel, till all the things that it counted gain before, become loſs for Jeſus Chriſt; this is the firſt work of the Spirit, it empties a poor ſinful Creature of all its refuges, all its dependencies, all its ſufficiencies, and ſo becomes naked in its guilt before God, and therefore is brought to this, that its acceptance to God, (if ever it be accepted) muſt be out of its ſelf; what ever become of him, he muſt periſh as in himſelf.

2. In the work of Faith, the Soul is brought to ſee that this was the end of the Revelation of Jeſus Chriſt, of God's ſetting him forth to be a propitiation, that he might work forth Redemption and Righteouſneſs, that this is a way of God's own ordaining, Jeſus Chriſt was ſet forth for this very end, even by God himſelf, and therefore the ſoul is brought to this concluſion, to venture the Iſſue of its life, and eternal ſalvation upon it; and ſo throws it ſelf, as in a ſinking condition, upon the grace, blood, righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt, ſink or ſwim, live or periſh, ſaved or damned; there the ſoul caſts Anchor, there it pitcheth, to this it will ſtand or fall before the righteous God; if there be not enough in the blood of Jeſus, to give it acceptance with God, the Soul reſolves, to Hell it muſt. There ſaith a poor ſelf-emptied Soul, I caſt even away my ſelf (if it might be) upon it, Phil. 3.9.

3. The ſoul is brought on to believe the report, that God in his word makes concerning his Son Jeſus Chriſt, and of the price, value, merit, and all-ſufficiency of his blood to ſave a poor ſinner, even to the utmoſt, that comes to God by him, Heb. 7.25. to anſwer all the wants and diſtreſſes of a poor ſoul, namely, in pacifying the Juſtice of God, fulfilling the Law, making attonement, removing guilt, procuring remiſſion of ſins, reconciling to God, Rom. 5.9, 10. Much more being now juſtified by his blood, we ſhall be ſaved from wrath through him: For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled we ſhall be ſaved by his Life: In all which things, the ſoul is enabled to believe the report of the Goſpel, that the blood and death of Jeſus Chriſt can do all this for poor ſinners that ſhall pitch upon it.

4. In this working of faith, the ſoul comes to ſee and faſten upon an abſolue, unlimited Free promiſe, where any ſinner that will, may come to Jeſus Chriſt, and ſo have the vertue of his death and blood applied to it; and therefore that he as well as any other ſinner in the world may come to him, and make claim to his blood, and plead it before God; whoſoever will, let him come! Rev. 22. Now ſaith a poor ſelf-emptied ſinner, I do not find that I am any where excluded, but invited and called upon, to come to the Lord Jeſus, and claim an intereſt in his blood, and that I may plead it even at the throne of his Juſtice, and that I may warrantably, ſafely, upon good grounds, given out from the mouth of God himſelf, take hold of the Lord Jeſus in ſuch a Promiſe, and there is no ſin or unworthineſs can exclude me, unleſs I will frowardly and wretchedly exclude my ſelf: I do not find, ſaith the poor ſoul, that any ſin is too great for the Sacrifice of that blood of Jeſus, ſo the ſinner will come to it, yea, that 'tis the greateſt ſin, and the top of condemnation, not to come to it; that I more injure God, by ſtanding off from Jeſus Chriſt, than by all the filthineſs, blaſphemies, ungodlineſſes, my Soul ever wallowed in, Heb. 10.29. The Blood of Chriſt is a price ſufficient for the ſins of the whole World, therefore, ſaith a poor ſoul, for mine; He is the Lamb of God, that taketh away the ſins of the world, and therefore he can take away mine; and I am freely called and invited to it, and 'tis my Rebellion not to come, what can I have more? And ſo ſenſe of Peace, and Reconciliation falls in upon the Soul.

5. The Soul by its often renewing of ſuch Acts of Believing, comes at laſt to ſee the blood of Jeſus Chriſt appropriated to him; now it can ſtay it ſelf upon the word of promiſe; and can ſometimes rejoyce in believing. If I roll my ſelf upon the blood of Jeſus, I have the Word of God for it, that I ſhall be ſaved, we ſhall be ſaved from Wrath through him; not, it may be, but, we ſhall be ſaved, and all upon the account of being juſtified by his blood, Rom. 5.9. which juſtification ariſeth upon this believing we have mentioned.

Thus have I opened the nature of Faith, as it is preciſely juſtifying, as it applies and appropriates the blood and righteouſneſs of the Lord Jeſus, for Remiſſion of ſins, and Juſtification unto eternal Life; I might inſiſt upon the diſcovery of the effectual operations of Faith in the Soul, as may diſtinguiſh it from a meer belief of the Hiſtory of the death of Jeſus Chriſt; take two or three.

1. When the Soul by Faith doth act upon the blood of Jeſus Chriſt for juſtification, it doth alſo bring the power and efficacy of it, for purging of the Soul, Heb. 9.14. How much more ſhall the blood of Chriſt, who through the eternal Spirit, offer'd himſelf without ſpot to God, purge your Conſcience from dead works, to ſerve the living God; So Acts 15.9. Purifying your hearts by faith. There is a purifying vertue in the blood of Jeſus Chriſt upon the ſouls of Believers; they are for the purging away the filth, as well as the guilt of ſin; there's no believing ſoul but crys out, Purge me, Oh Lord, purge me, and throughly, from my filth.

2. The ſoul hath a ſecret, yet real fellowſhip with the death of Jeſus Chriſt, to crucifie and deſtroy the body of ſin in a juſtified believer which ariſeth from its union with Chriſt, Rom. 6.5, 6. For if we have been planted together in the likeneſs of his death, we ſhall be alſo in the likeneſs of his Reſurrection; knowing that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of ſin might be deſtroyed, that henceforth we ſhould not ſerve ſin. Every true believer can really ſay, I am, or I would be, Crucified with Chriſt, Gal. 2.20. Which the Apoſtle there brings in as an effect of Juſtification by Faith.

3. Every juſtified believer looks upon this as one great end of his Juſtification, that he might live to God, Gal. 2.19. That I might live unto God. Likewiſe reckon ye your ſelves to be dead indeed unto him, but alive unto God through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord, Rom. 6.11. Every juſtified Believer doth thus reckon of himſelf, I am to be dead to ſin, but alive to God, I am to yield my ſelf to God, verſe 13. To have my fruit unto Holineſs, verſe 22.

4. Faith that juſtifies, doth through the Spirit work the Soul to Goſpel-obedience, to all the Laws and Ordinances of Jeſus Chriſt, which ſhall be revealed to be the Will of Chriſt, from the Command of Jeſus Chriſt, and from a principle of love to Jeſus Chriſt, John 15.10.

5. A juſtifi'd believer will deny himſelf for Chriſt, take up his croſs and follow him; let any ſufferings be propoſed to a called believer, and let him know it is for Jeſus Chriſt, and that ſoul (unleſs under a temporary deſertion or temptation) will chooſe and embrace thoſe ſufferings, and undergo them with ſome chearfulneſs, Luke 14.26, 27.

7. Every juſtified believer hath a Marriage Ʋnion with Jeſus Chriſt, Epheſ. 5.25, 26, 32. The ſoul hath choſen Jeſus Chriſt, having broken off from all other lovers, hath betrothed it ſelf unto Chriſt, in an everlaſting Bond and Covenant, hath given it ſelf to Chriſt; as Jeſus Chriſt beſtows himſelf and all he hath upon the ſoul, ſo doth the ſoul beſtow it ſelf, and all it hath, upon Jeſus Chriſt, and having ſo done, reſolves to be contented with him in every condition; whom have I in Heaven but thee? and none on earth in compariſon of thee; ſaith every gracious Believer.

7. Every juſtified Believer lives by his Faith; Gal. 2.20. lives upon Jeſus Chriſt for all, and fetcheth all from him, ſees him as a Treaſury of all Grace, hath recourſe unto him, this being the moſt proper act of Faith, to make the ſoul live out of it ſelf, upon another, Namely, Jeſus Chriſt for all.

8. Faith that entitles the Soul to Jeſus Chriſt, works by love to all Saints, Gal. 5.6. When the Soul cloſeth with Jeſus Chriſt, it will alſo cloſe with his Diſciples, as diſtinguiſhed from carnal, unſavoury, dead Profeſſors. What makes the living among the dead? a living Soul, alive in Chriſt, highly priſeth fellowſhip with ſuch as are alive.

I might name many more particulars, but theſe may ſuffice, as the moſt diſtinguiſhing.

1. Let what hath been ſpoken ſerve to diſcover to you, Whether you have Faith that doth entitle you to the blood of Jeſus Chriſt, and the forgiveneſs of your ſins. Can you ſay, Your Souls are carried out after more purging, and 'tis your daily cry to Heaven? Can you ſay, that you are often crucifiing with Jeſus Chriſt? And Oh that I were, that I were but crucifi'd with Jeſus Chriſt, that I might reckon of my ſelf as dead to ſin! and oh that I might live to God, and might walk in Goſpel-obedience! That I might throughly deny my ſelf for Jeſus Chriſt, and chooſe to ſuffer with him and for him. Oh I would more clearly ſee the Marriage-union between Chriſt and my poor Soul! I would, I do, beſtow my ſelf upon him, and all that's mine; I do give my ſelf to him! I will be content with him here, and for ever: Whom have I, whom have I, but him? Oh, have you found, in ſome good degree, ſuch Workings of heart towards Jeſus Chriſt! And do you live by your Faith, upon Chriſt, upon Promiſes? and do you maintain your Souls this way: And do you love, and delight in the Fellowſhip of living Souls, ſavoury Souls; or do you, at leaſt, long that you may have ſome opportunity to do ſo? If you cannot, in ſome meaſure, experience theſe things, your Faith is a dead empty Speculation; ſuch a Faith that is ſo far from uniting you to Chriſt, that indeed it keeps you on this ſide Jeſus Chriſt: And therefore ſay of it, 'tis a Faith that is in vain, that keeps me dead in my ſins: Oh therefore, ſay in thy heart, I will now wait on the Word, the Miniſtration of it, that is ordained of God to beget Faith; I will go and pray the Father to draw me to Jeſus Chriſt, and that my Soul may be united to him, that I may have Fellowſhip in his Death and Reſurrection; that I may be made alive unto God; that I may feel the pacifying, purging vertue of the blood of the Lord Jeſus upon my poor Soul.

By what hath been ſaid, Believers may try their Faith; and if they find their Souls to have experienced theſe things, they may take comfort that they are juſtified by Faith in the blood of Jeſus, and therefore ſhall be ſaved by his Life.

To wind up all in a word of Exhortation.

1. God hath ſet forth Jeſus Chriſt to be a Propitiation, that through Faith in his blood, a ſinner may become juſtified from his ſin, then what encouragement is there for ſinners to come to him, and believe on his Name, to venture the Iſſue of Eternal Salvation upon him, ſince God himſelf hath ſet him forth for that end and purpoſe, that ſinners might come unto him, and be waſhed, juſtified, ſaved from their ſins. 'Tis not then to be doubted but that God as he hath therein taken care for the Salvation of the ſinner, ſo for the glory of his own righteouſneſs: So that the ſinner hath no reaſon to doubt, that comes to Jeſus in the way propoſed but that God can take pleaſure to accept of him through the blood of Jeſus. 'Twas the moſt deliberate Act that ever the Wiſdom of God was taken up about the ſetting forth of Jeſus Chriſt, to be the Saviour of Sinners through his Blood: 'Twas the firſt Foundation that God laid from all Eternity; and after he had promiſed Jeſus Chriſt, it was ſome thouſands of years before he ſet him forth to the world: And therefore God cannot repent nor change his mind and purpoſe as to accepting, pardoning, juſtifying, ſanctifying poor ſinners, that caſt their Souls upon it, by the Blood of his Son Jeſus Chriſt. Upon which it is, that bleſſed Souls are brought in, in the Scriptures, magnifying the grace of God for their cleanſing by the blood of Jeſus, 1 John 1.7. The blood of Jeſus Chriſt cleanſeth us from all ſin: So are the Saints brought forth triumphing, Revel. 5.9. Thou waſt ſlain, and hath redeemed us to God by thy blood: And Chap. 7.14. Theſe are they who have waſhed their Robes, and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb. Therefore, I ſay, with what boldneſs may poor ſinners come unto it? and how certainly are they in God's way to Salvation? in which way bleſſed Souls have been ever found, and none did ever miſs of this end, the Salvation of their Souls.

I have now diſpatcht what I ſhall ſpeak at this time, as to the Doctrine of Juſtification, by the Free-grace of God, through the Righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt, and of ſaving Faith therein, and ſhall commit it to the Lord to work it upon the Conſcience; I ſhall a little inſiſt upon the laſt verſe, in the removal of that Objection which the heart puts up againſt this bleſſed Truth.

ROM. 3. laſt.

Do we then make void the Law through Faith? God forbid; yea, we eſtabliſh the Law.

THE former Verſes intermitted, might have afforded us much choice matter, in the opening the Doctrine of Grace, and the Righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt; Namely, that God is juſt in the remiſſion of a Believer, upon Faith in the Blood of Jeſus, from verſe 26. And that the Doctrine of Grace excludes all boaſting from the Creature, from ver. 27. That Jew and Gentile, all that are ſaved, muſt come to God, and be juſtified in this way, and no other, from ver. 29, 30. But I muſt contract my ſelf. I come now to the Objection, that the Heart, ſo far as it is carnal, doth naturally make againſt this Doctrine: Namely, If a Soul be only juſtified by Grace, through the Righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt, doth not this then make void the Law, and all Obedience to it? What need then of our Obedience? God forbid, ſaith Paul, we eſtabliſh it, that is, the Doctrine of Juſtification by Faith, doth rather eſtabliſh it. The Law doth ſtand eſtabliſht in a threefold ſenſe.

Firſt, Jeſus Chriſt hath eſtabliſht it by fulfilling it, whereby the righteouſneſs of the Law is fufilled upon us, Rom. 8.4. Jeſus Chriſt perfectly fulfilled the Law, and kept it, and ſo makes over the righteouſneſs of it to Believers, as hath been ſhewed; and ſo the Law ſtands eſtabliſht.

Secondly, The Law ſtands eſtabliſht as a means, through the Spirit, to convince of ſin, and of our ſhortneſs of the righteouſneſs of it; as ver. 20. And ſo Chriſt often made uſe of it for ſuch ends.

Thirdly, The Law ſtands eſtabliſht as an Everlaſting Rule of righteouſneſs and holineſs, promiſed in the New Covenant to be written in the Heart, Heb. 8.

So that, through Jeſus Chriſt, in juſtifying by his blood, hath quit the ſinner from all guilt and condemnation by the Law; yet he hath not given the Believer a diſcharge from all obedience of it: And therefore to evince this, I ſhall lay down this Poſition, that

Obſerv. Though all a Believer hath done, or can do, cannot juſtifie him before God; yet there are other bleſſed ends, why he ſhould obey God, and delight in his Law.

1. Obedience to God is placed as the great End of our redemption, Luke 1.74, 75. — That we might ſerve him without fear, (a ſear of bondage) in holineſs and righteouſneſs before him all the days of our life. God hath not only in his purpoſe the remiſſion and ſalvation of the Sinner, but that thereby he would have all that are called into this grace to ſerve him in Holineſs. And this end is to be upon the heart of the Believer, when juſtified by Faith: The purpoſe of God in this, is, that I ſhould ſerve him in holineſs, 1 Tim. 1.9. That I ſhould live to God Rom. 6.11. as hath been ſhewed.

2. From the Sovereign Command of God, who ſaith, Be ye holy, 1 Pet. 1.15, 16. This is enough to a Believer, that God hath commanded it, though there ſhould be no other end in it.

3. Holineſs and Righteouſneſs is the Soul's conformity unto God; it is a Beam of God, an Image of God, which he deſigns to be renewed upon all that ſhall be ſaved; as ſhall be further ſhewed.

4. Juſtified Believers do ſee an equity, goodneſs, and bleſſedneſs in the Law of God, in all his holy and righteous Precepts, though they were not commanded. The Law is holy, juſt and good, Rom. 7. ſaith Paul, ſpeaking after the regenerate part. So David, Pſal. 119. often, Thy Commandmeats which I have loved. They give God his due, and the Creature his due; and therefore to be walkt in, though not thereby juſtified.

5. There is a principle of love to God, ſhed abroad in the heart of every juſtified Believer, from the ſenſe of his rich, pardoning grace, the freeneſs of his love which acts and conſtrains a Soul to take delight ſo far as it is regenerated, in every Command of God Rom. 5.5. 2 Cor. 5.14, 15. For the Love of Chriſt conſtraineth us, becauſe we thus judge that if one died for all, then were all dead; and that he died for all, that they which live ſhould not live to themſelves, but to him that died for them.

6. Called and juſtified Believers have bleſſed ſights of Jeſus Chriſt, that wonderfully take their hearts: They have glimpſes of the Beauty of his Holineſs and would therefore be made like unto him, 1 John 3.2, 3. They would obey the Will of the Father, as Jeſus Chriſt did: They would be holy and righteous, and wiſe, and patient, and Heavenly, as Jeſus Chriſt was.

7. Believers, in the way of their Duty and Obedience, have bleſſed Fellowſhip and Communion with God: Saith God of his Ordinances, Exod. 25.22. There will I meet thee, and commune with thee: And Exod. 20.24. — In all places where I record my Name, there will I come unto thee, and bleſs thee. They are everlaſting Promiſes to all the ways of obedience, wherein the people of God do walk before him in. They pray, they read, hear, they partake of the Supper in Chriſts way, and there they have life and bleſſing to their Souls, and many a ſweet intimation of love and mercy they have whiſpered into them; they ſet themſelves to walk with God in his fear and counſel, and God walks with them; and their lives, if they keep cloſe to God, are ſweet and comfortable to them. And this is even as much to them, as if they were thereby juſtified: They would not miſs the ſweetneſs they meet with in ſuch ways of Duty for all the World.

8. By their Sanctification and Obedience, their juſtification is comfortably evidenced to them, Rom. 6.16. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield your ſelves ſervants to obey, his ſervants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of ſin unto Death, or of obedience unto Righteouſneſs: And — Ye know that every one that doth righteouſneſs is born of him, 1 John 2.29. We know that we have paſſed from Death to Life, becauſe we love the Brethren. So that, no doubt, Believers may come to a ſweet and bleſſed Evidence of their good eſtate, and of their juſtification by the work of Sanctification in them, and their willing obedience to God, though a Believer doth not always, and at all times, fetch in his evidence of Believing, and of comfort, this way; but ſometimes from the Promiſe, and from the more immediate Teſtimony of the Spirit. But though a Believer doth not, and it may be cannot always fetch in his conſolation and peace from Sanctification and Obedience: Yet that ſoul that wholly neglects it, and ſlights Evidences from Humiliation, Sanctification, and Obedience, had beſt timely look to it, that the Witneſs in himſelf he pretends to, be not from imagination of his own heart, from the wicked ones deluſion, and from ſome overly notions of grace that may affect his heart, but leave him on this ſide Regeneration.

9. Believers do perform their Duties, as returns to God: Every called Believer ſaith in his heart, as David, Pſal. 116.12. Oh! What ſhall I render to thee? How gracious hath God been? and now how holy ſhould I be? Who ſhall love the Lord, and fear before him, and praiſe him, If I ſhall not? To whom ſhall his Name, Laws, Ordinances, be precious, if not unto me? Who is more bound to love the bleſſed God than I? and how ſhall I love him but by obeying him? Thus doth a Believer perform his obedience, as a Teſtimony of a thankful return to God; though I do not ſay, that this is all his motive.

10. By the Obedience and Holineſs of Believers, God is much glorified in the World; 'tis the greateſt glory that God deſigns to himſelf in the World, even by the holineſs, and willing, gracious obedience of his people to him. When the World lies in wickedneſs, and makes war againſt the great and Holy God, this is that which honours God, that he hath a people, called by his grace, that ſet forth the glory of holineſs in the world, that are witneſſes to the holineſs of God, the holineſs of his Worſhip, and all his ways, and profeſs and endeavour to walk in them! and by this, others are brought on to glorifie God on their behalf, 1 Pet. 2.12.

Ʋſe 1. It may ſerve for inſtruction and information of your Judgments and Conſciences, that there are other bleſſed, and neceſſary, and holy Ends, in the Sanctification and Obedience of a Believer, though they do not pacifie God, nor juſtifie the Believer, nor procure mercy by way of worthineſs, to a poor Soul called thereunto, which may therefore ſerve to diſcover the damnableneſs of ſuch kind of Doctrines, that teach and cry in this day, Grace is free, Chriſt hath done all; what need you pray, and have Ordinances, and be holy? This is of the wicked one, and comes from his Inſtruments and Factors, who are ſent abroad to damn Souls: You may ſee, that not one of thoſe Ends mentioned, but is of weight enough to convince a Soul of the neceſſity of Holineſs, Duties and Obedience; and ſuch mens preten • es, are not a Scripture-way of Free grace.

2. If there are bleſſed and holy Ends of a Believers Duties and Obedience, though he is not there • y juſtified, it may ſerve to take off that prejudice of heart, through miſunderſtanding and Ignorance, that is apt to be upon the hearts of ſuch as are Car • al, when they hear that all their Duties, Sobriety, and Righteouſneſs, is to be accounted as loſs for Chriſt. You ſee there are good and neceſſary Ends of all Duties of Obedience; only ſtill take this with you, and to your Conſciences, that till you come as poor and naked to Jeſus Chriſt, for your juſtifying Righ •• ouſneſs, and ſo get life in and from him, and ſo are •• rried on in a way of Duty; elſe your Duties ſerve • u for no end and purpoſe, unleſs for a leſſer degree of Torment in Hell, only be encouraged to wait upon the means for the receiving of the Spirit, for the Knowldge of Jeſus Chriſt: And theſe things I have ſpoken may be your Experience.

3. It may further direct Believers, what ends they are to propoſe to themſelves in the way of their Duties and Obedience, to be carried on in them through the Grace of GOD, and the daily ſupply of the Spirit, as one great end of your Redemption, that you ſhould ſerve the Lord in Holineſs, to eye the Soveraign and Abſolute Command of God over you; that thereby you are made conformable to God, and ſhew forth his Image, and to the Death and Reſurrection of Jeſus Chriſt, that there is an equity and goodneſs in all the Holy and Righteous Ways of God.

And ſee that the Love of God be ſhed abroad in your hearts, to draw out your love to him, and ſo be acted in your Obedience. Get your hearts taken with the beauty and glory of the Lord Jeſus, and ſo long after likeneſs to him: See that you look after Communion with God in your Duties, and that you do not neglect your Evidence for the Pardon of your ſins, by the ſight of your ſanctification, and your Univerſal Obedience: And perform them not as to procure mercy, by any proportion thereunto is your Duties, but as Returns to God, and conſider how much God is glorified in the World by the Obedience of his people.

And thus may you carry on your progreſs in Holineſs, and a ſweet and coſcientious performance of Duties, and walking with God; and yet live by your Faith for your juſtification, by the rich and Free grace of God, through the righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt, as if you had never obeyed at all.

In a word, If thou haſt felt the power and vertue of the blood of Jeſus Chriſt upon thy ſoul, coming as a poor, naked, polluted, guilty Soul unto it (as thou haſt been ſhewed) and haſt received life from Jeſus Chriſt, by a believing cloſing with him; and art waiting for a ſight and ſenſe of thy juſtification, but doeſt yet want it; remember ſtill, that in the performance of thy Duties, thy Heart (which it is very apt to do) lays no ſtreſs upon them, as in them to appear before God, and to procure the favour of God, but ſtill go forth to the grace, blood, righteouſneſs, promiſes of Chriſt, and there fix for thy acceptance with God, and be much in renewing of Acts of Faith; that is, caſting thy Soul upon them, and Evidence will come in; yet go on in humbling, praying, waiting, reforming, ſanctifying, obeying, as to the ends mentioned; and the peace of God fill thy heart.

2. Believers, that have ſome ſenſe of your juſtification, do you remember that you obey God, not that thereby you were, are, or ever may be juſtified; but becauſe you are juſtified: Therefore you obey the Lord, and delight in his ways; keep this in your eye, and 'twill keep the heart from going to bottom upon your ſelves, as gracious, and partly righteous, which mixtures render Duties uncomfortable, and keep ſouls from Aſſurance: No Believer performs his Duties ſo ſpiritually, ſweetly and comtably, as that ſoul that labours to keep the ſight of his Juſtification, ſtill upon the Account of Free-grace, and out of himſelf, that ſoul enjoys ſweeteſt Communion with God in the way of his Duties, and gets to Heaven with moſt comfort and aſſurance, AMEN.