TH [...]se Words are a part of that famous Discourse which our Lord Christ enter­tain [...]d N [...]codemus with, a noted Ruler of [...] Jews, who came privately to Jesus by Night, not cra [...]tily, like the rest of the Pharisees, but with a Pious design of having some instructive Conversation with him. In which to vers. 13. the Lord opens the N [...]ture, and declares the necessity of the new Birth, in order to salvation. From the Thirteenth to the Nine­teenth verse, he preaches to him the great Fun­damen [...]al Doctrines of the Gospel, the last, and clearest Revelation of God's will to Mankind concerning their Salvation. Teaching him [...]hat himself was the only begotten Son of God, [...]he true Messiah that was ancien [...]ly promised, [...]nd now come to save Sinners by his Death; which he expresses v. 14 by being lifted up, i. e. [Page 2] upon the Cross; which was typified, Num. 21▪ 9. by Moses his lifting up the Serpent in the wilderness, upon a po [...]e, for the healing of the S [...]ung Israelites. And as the Israelites were not healed, only, by Moses lifting up the Serpent, but by their locking upon it: So Christ informs Nicodemus, that in order to partake of the Ver­tue and benefit of his Death, Sinners must have an Eye of Faith fixed upon him for it. This necessity of Faith in him, in order to Justification and Salvation by him, the Lord clearly insinu­ates thro' the whole context. And in this 18. v. He expresly urges it from two Considerations, viz. The Advantage that attends it, the great Benefit that accrues to the believer by it, and, upon the other Hand, the Disadvantage of the want of it. The first Consideration he expres­ses in these Words, He that believeth on him (i. e. on the Son of God,) spoken of v. 17. who was himself that was then speaking) is not condemned, i. e. he is delivered from Condemnation, which before he was under; Brought out of a State of Condemnation into a State of Justification. And in the Words of our Text, the Lord Jesus declares the wo [...]ul [...]ndition that (accord­in [...] [...]o the Gospel) all unbelievers are in. Where­in observe, 1st. The Subjects spoken of, He tha [...] believeth not, viz. on the Son of God, as b [...]fo [...]e. The Indefi [...]i [...]e, He, is equivalent to a universal; and signifi [...], whosoever, of all the f [...]ll [...]n P [...]ace of Mankind, believes not on the Son of God.

[Page 3]2dly. Observe, That which is predicated or spoken of the Unbeliever, He is condemned, That is, he is retained and held under the Guilt of his Sins, and Condemnation of the Law, Consider 3dly. The Time in which the Unbe­liever is in this condemnation, signified by the verb, Is, and the adverb, already. Christ says not, he will be condemned, or he is like to be condemned; but, he is condemned already. By sin he has laid himself under condemnation, and by Unbeleif resists the last and only Re­medy for 'his Recovery; And so is still in his condemned estate, every Moment, until he comes to Christ by Faith. This, O! this is the present Condition of every unconverted Person, of every Soul, until he closes with Christ by Faith for Relief.

The sense and meaning of our Lord in this Verse is to this purpose: as if he had said to Nicodemus, You have acknowledged me to be a Teacher come from GOD; I am indeed the Son of God, and promised Messiah, and so the greatest Prophet, I open, and clearly reveal the Gospel, the Way in which God will have Sinners to be saved. Now, this is the Language of the Gospel, He that believes in me, as his only and All-sufficient Saviour, unfeignedly, and heartily receiving me as such, shall be delivered from the Guilt of all his Sins, and brought into a state of Justification and Peace with God; but he that does not so believe in me comply's not with the Gospel, and refuses his only Reme­dy; [Page 4] and so shall not Enjoy the benefit of God, Gospe [...]-Law of Grace, but is still in his State of Con [...]mnation. And thus, the Lord teaches us, that the only Method for a Sinners Recovery, [...] Justification and Pe [...]ce with God, is t [...]ro' Fai [...]h in him. But the only Proposition of Tru [...]h [...]hat I shall speak to, f [...]om this Text (which is cl [...]arly contained in the Words, and b [...]st su [...]s my present purpos [...]) is this.

D [...]c That all such, as are not united to Christ by Faith, ar [...] in a guilty and condemned State.

This is the Present Condition of all Unbe­l [...]evers. They are under the Wr [...]th of the g [...]eat God, and so continue, until they savingly bel [...]eve it Christ. Joh. 3 [...]6. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting Life; and he that believeth not [...] Son, shall not see Life, but the Wrath of God abideth on him. And so tho' all are not in th [...] State, yet all have been in v [...]; even those that are in a justifi [...]d State, were in a condemned S [...]ate, un [...]l [...]hey fl [...]d to Christ by Faith.

In [...]eaking upon this Proposition, I shall 1st. shew you. What we are to understand by a guil [...]y and condemned state.

2dly How Unbelievers come to be in this State.

And 3dly Deduce some practical Inferrences from the whole. 1. As to the first then, a Guilty and Cond [...]mned State is such where [...]n a Per [...]on sen [...]enced and bound over to Punish­ment [Page 5] by a Law, for a Crime, for a breach of the Law. All Laws have their Penalties to [...]n­fores them, [...]ng [...]g [...] the Subject to Obedience, and main n [...] Justice, by prosecuting Trans­g [...]ession [...] with cond [...]gn Punishment: And so, the Transgressor i [...] conde [...]a [...]ed by the Law, so soon a [...] ev [...]r he ha [...] broken it, that is, the Law immedi [...]te [...]y sen [...]ences him, to the bearing of that Pu [...]i [...]hment which its Penalty has allotted to such a Transg [...]ession as he has committed, before he is formally condemned by the Judge, after a Law-Process; for the Judge's condemning him is nothing else, but hi [...] pronouncing upon him the damnatory Sentence which the Law it self passed upon him and whereby it condemned him to the same Pu [...]ishment before, even, so soon as he had broken i [...], only, with the addition of a posi [...]ive Order for the certain Execution of the Law u [...]on him. Now (to apply this to the present Case before us) A Condemned sta [...]e before God [...]s such, wh [...]rein a Person is sentenced and bound over to the Punishment of Hell, by his holy Law and wise Constitu­tion of Things. So that it is not barely a hableness to Punishments, but such a sta [...]e wherein the Person will certainly and infall [...]bly be punished, unle [...]s he is brought out of it, and the Condemnatory Sentence taken off. To be in a condemn'd estate, is to be in such a state as God adjudges to Hell and Wrath; So that it is not uncertain whether the Unbeliever will be damned or not, if he should now die in [Page 6] his present Condition; He need not wait till after Death, or to the Judgment of the great Day for the Decision of the Case; for he is cond [...]mned already; and the condemning Sentence which will then be pronounced against him, if he leaves the World in his present Condition, will be no other than that which he was always under, only then it will be formally and solemnly pass [...]d upon him, with an irrev [...]c [...]ble Order, like the Pe [...]sia [...] Laws, for the speedy execution of it. Thu [...], every Person in this World, is, at prese [...]t, either in a state of Condemnation [...]r of Justification; either fully under, or fully delivered from the dreadful and D [...]mning Guilt of a [...]l his Sins; either in such a State, wherein if he dyes, he shall as surely be d [...]mne [...] as he lives; or in such a state wherein he is secured against Damnation, and entitled to eternal Blessedness; For there is no Medium. The state of every Man and Woman is positively decided and determined in Gods Word, in one or other of these two, Sayings, Whosoever believeth on the Son of God, is Not Condemned; but whosoever believeth Not on the Son of God, is Condemned already.

Now, tho' (as I hinted before) there is a similitude between a Persons being in a state of Condemnation before God in this Life, and a Person's being condemned by a human Law, before his Trial, or Judicial Sentence from the Judge; yet there is this great Dissimilitude; a Person, in the latter Case, may from the secrecy [Page 7] of his Transgression, or upon many other accounts, hope that he shall never be brought to Trial, or, that the Crime can't be proved against him, and so, having to do with finite Crea­ture, like himself, that he shall escape the Execution of the Law; but none of these relieving Apprehensions can have any Place here. We have to do with an infinitely just God, who will see to the Execution of his Law, upon those that are held under Condemnation by it. A God of eternal Truth, who will do all that he has spoken; an Omniscient and All-knowing Jehovah, who sees the most concealed Actions and bosom Thoughts, and registers all the Sinners iniquities in the Book of his infallible Remembrance. So that he may truly say with Job, Chap 14.16, Thou numbrest my steps, dost thou not watch over my Sins? My Transgression is sealed up in a Bag, and thou sewest up mine Iniquity.

Now the Sum of what I have spoken upon this Head is, that a State of Condemnation, which all Unbelievers are in, is such as God, by that Method which he has constituted and esta­blished to prosecute Sin in, adjudges to the Pu­nishment of Hell for ever, which Punishment, the condemned Person (continuing in that State) can by no means escape, as the guilty some­times may before a human Bar.

But, that I may more clearly open up this matter to your understanding, consider these few Particular, 1st. That God has given Man [Page 8] a Law to obey, as a Rule to walk by. This is so evident a Truth that I think, none have so far put off Humanity as to d [...]ny, who acknow­ledge the b [...]ng of a God It is undeniably plain, from the co [...]sideration of the Glorious Ado [...]able Per [...]ections of God, and the Nature of Man as a R [...]t [...]n [...]l Creature, and his Rela [...]ion to God as h [...] Creator, that he must be under a Law to God.

2dly. That when GOD gave this Law to Man, be delivered t [...] with a P [...]nalty a [...]nexed to it, whereby, upon h [...] S [...]nning against God by the Transgression of his Law, h [...] wa [...] bound ov [...]r to suffer [...]hat Punishment which hi [...] sin deserved, either in his own Per [...]on, or by a Surety in his Room. This was the Method which God d [...]e [...]mined, and est [...]blished▪ as an invariable Law to [...]imself, to prosecute Sin in, that the Creatur [...]'s Transgression should not be pardon­ed without Sati [...]faction answerable to the De­merit of his Sin, Gen. 2, 17. In the Day that thou eâtest there [...]f, thou sh [...]t surely d [...]e, sa [...]d God. It is clearly evident, that sin deserves a punish­ment, and a dreadful one too▪ considering the adorable Pe [...]fections of God, and the infinite necessary Bonds, that are upon the Creature to ob [...]d [...]ence: So that there is nothi [...]g a [...] l [...]ast, to hinder why God may not annex t [...]is Penalty to his Law; and wi [...]h [...]u [...] the Divi [...]e Law had been desti [...]u [...]e of the wise Establishment that appears, even in human Laws; which are [Page 9] enforced with the Sanction of Penalties, as a Defence against Violation. And having esta­blished his Law with this Penalty, he is engaged by the Perfections of his Immutability, Truth and Justice, to act agreeable thereto, in the Prosecution of it.^(a)

And then 3dly, consider, That all Mankind have broken God's Law, and so actually laid themselves under the Condemning Sentence of its Penal Sanction. Rom. 3.19, 23.

Now from these Things it appears, that all Unbelievers, having no actual Interest in the Satisfaction made by Christ, for the Redempti­on of fallen guilty Sinners, are still in their state of Condemnation, and that that State is such, wherein they are bound over to the Punishment of Hell, every Moment they continue such. And is not this an awful case, Brethren! Hence you may see the stupid Blindness of many Un­converted Persons; they cannot think that they are in a fully justified State, that they have a general full Pardon of all their Sins, are actually entitled to Eternal Blessedness, and the Objects of God's special and complacential Love; No, they know that their Hearts and Lives don't [Page 10] evidence such a happy State; and yet, they a [...]e not aware that, being unjustified, the dread­full Guilt of all their Sins is bound upon them, and themselves in such a State wherein they are positively condemned to eternal Pains; but would f [...]in conceit themselves in some middle State, between Condemned and compleatley Justi­fied: A very foolish dream; for the Sentence of Condemnation can't be taken off a Person, but he must thereby be entitled to the Glory of God, and made an Heir of God with Christ; see­ing there is no middle State after Death. His Obligation to the Punishment of Hell can't be taken away, but he must therewith have a sure Claim to the Happiness of Heaven: And there­fore, you who Think that you are not Con­demned, tho' you be not Justified, bewray a lamentable stupid Ignorance; for it is plain, that by, not Condemned, our Lord understands, Compleatly Justified; and so divides the whole World into these two Ranks, he that believeth on the Son is not Condemned; but, he that believeth not is Condemned already.

2. I come now to speak to the other general He [...]d proposed, which was to shew, how Un­believers come to be in this Condemned State. And 1st. They are Condemned by the Imputa­tion of the Guilt of Adam's Transgression. The whole Human Nature, the whole Race o [...] Mankind became guilty and cond [...]mned be­fo [...]e God, upon the Rebellion of our first [...]. True Believers, indeed, are delivered [Page 11] [...]rom this Guilt, through the Imputation o [...] of Christs Righteousness, which the Apostle observes, is more efficacious to the Justification of those to whom it is applied, than Adam's sin [...] to their Condemnation, Rom. 5. v. 15, 16, 17. But Unbelievers, having no Interest in the Righteousness of Christ, are still under Con­demnation by it. This Doctrine of the Impu­tation of the Guilt of Adam's sin, is a Truth very clearly maintained in the holy Scriptures, how much so ever it is dis-relished by many in our Day, who are unwilling to submit to such a humbling Consideration. Through a great part of the 5th Chapter to the Romans, the in­spired Apostle very evidently maintains it. Vers. 12. he tells us, That by One Man sin entred into the World, and Death by sin; and so Death passed upon all Men; for that all have sinned. The meaning of which Passage, I think, is plainly this, That by the Transgression of our Pro­genitor Adam, Sin was imputed to the whole World of his Posterity; by which Imputation of Sin and Guilt, as they became subject to all other Miseries, so particularly to Death; and hence it is, that all men Dye, because they are looked upon as Sinners, by virtue of that Transgression. The Reason which the Apostle assigns why Persons Dye, is because they have sinned; but Experience abundantly witnesses, that many dye before they come to a capacity of sinning actually, and therefore he must mean Sinners by Imputation, and not by actual [Page 12] Imitation. To the same purpose he tells us, 2 Cor. 15.22. That in Adam all Dye. And in the 18. vers. He expresses it very fully, by the Offence of One, Judgment came upon all Men to Condemnation. And again, v. 19. He makes a plain comparison between the Disobedience of Adam and the Obedience of Christ, in their contrary Effects, As by one Mans Disobedience many were made Sinners: So by the Obedience of One, shall many be made Righteous. Whence it is evident that as we are made Righ­teous in Christ, by the Imputation of his Righteousness and Obedience to us, so we were made Sinners in Adam, by the imputation of his Disobedience and Transgression. And from this similitude between Adam and Christ it is that Apostle. v. 14. calls Adam the Figure or Type of him that was to come, that is, of Christ JESƲS. Very full to this purpose also is that of the Apostle, Ephes. 2. v. 3 We were by Nature, the Children of Wrath, even as others. In this Verse the Apostle relates the deplorable Condition that all the Godly themselves were in, before their Conversion, which he observes to be the Condition of all the Unconverted World; And first, He takes notice of th [...]ir Disposition towards God, Qualitatively, that they were averse to God and his Laws, follow­ing very contrary Lusts; and then he takes notice of their state towards God, relatively, in this last Claûse, He does not say, Children of Disobedience, signifying their Inherent Na­tural [Page 13] propensity to Evil; That he had spoken of in the first Part of the Verse; But, Children of Wrath, signifying their State of Condemna­tion before God, and such, he says, they were, by Nature, i. e. they came into this Con­demned Slate, and were subject to the Wrath of God, so soon as they received the Human Nature.

Thus you see, this Doctrine of Original Guilt is no Human Invention, but is learned from the Oracles of God.

2. I would further add, That the Imputa­tion of Adams Sin to his Posterity is evident from the Effects of it upon them; of which these two are obvious, to every one, viz. Na­tural Death, and the moral Corruption of Human Nature. By Sin Death entered into the World, says the Apostle. The World had been a stranger to Death had it not been for sin; and therefore, we find it entailed upon Man after the Fall, Gen. 3, 19. Dust thou art, and unto Dust shalt thou Return. The Reason why Death pas­ses upon all, is because all have sinned, Rom 5, 12. and we see Death, with a numerous train of painful Diseases, passes upon multitudes that have never sinned actually, or, (as the Apostle phrases it, v. 15.) after the similitude of Adams Transgression; and therefore, it must be because of their concern in his Transgression.

No less certainly is our Original Depravity a Judicial Effect of the Sin of our first Parent. That Mankind universally are averse to Holiness, and prone to Sin by nature, is [Page 14] evident to every Eye that is not stone blind. So soon as they set out upon the Stage of Action, so soon they begin to go away from God. They have not a knowledge of Divine Spiritual Things sufficient to determine their Wills to moral Goodness, and light them in the Ways of God. And if in any Instance it is otherwise, it is owing to the supernatural Renewing Grace of God, who can infuse the Principles of Sanctification and the New Nature as soon as he pleases. In short, it is obvious, that Man­kind come into the World altogether unfur­nished and unfit to attain the great End of their being, viz. the active Glorifying of GOD, and are bent the Backward way. To this pur­pose David says, Ps. 51, v, 5. I was sh [...]pen in Iniquity, and in Sin did my Mother conceive me. And Christ says, Joh. 3, 6. That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh. That is, sinful and cor­rupt, opposed to Spiritual, in the next clause. But certainly Man was not at first created thus sinful and depraved, Gen. 1. v. 27. GOD created Man in his own Image, which Image, the Apostle informs us, consists in Knowledge Col. 3, v. 10. And Righteoussness, and true Holiness, Ephes. 4. v. 24. Eccl. 7. v. 29. GOD made Man upright. The Wisdom and Goodness of God appears thro' the whole Creation, in fitting every Thing for the attaining of its End. And indeed every wise Agent, does so with his Work. It is evident, from the Natural En­dowments of Man, that he was made for the [Page 15] Active Glorifying of GOD for yielding a Rational Service to his Maker; and enjoying a rational Happiness in Him the Fountain of all Felicity. How comes it then that he now ap­pears altogether so unfit for the pursuit of this noble End? shall we impeach the Divine Wis­dom and Goodness in this Case? Of this no other Satisfactory Reason can be given, but the Interest which all Mankind have in the first Transgression; upon this Account God, in a Judicial Way, creates them destitute of the Principles and Powers of true Holiness.

What degrees of Punishment Mankind are condemned to, barely upon the Account of the Transgression of our first Parents, I neither do nor can determine; But this is certain, that thereby we lost all Claim and Title to the happy Enjoyment of God, were condemned to eternal Exile from his comfortable and glorious Presence, and are, naturally, divested and de­stitute of his beautiful moral Image, having a darken'd Understanding and perverse Will; averse to Holiness, and proneness to Evil encli­ning, and leading to all manner of Sin against the very dictates of Reason and Conscience; by which Actual Transgression the Soul is ex­posed to an aggravated and inconceivably dreadful Damnation. Thus, by the Fall we are plunged in a Deluge of Misery and Wo, fallen into a course of Actual Rebellion against GOD, and thereby exposed to the just and Awful Revenge of his offended Majesty for [Page 16] ever; so that we stood in the most absolute need of a Redeemer.

Let none here be so brutishly ignorant, as to say, How can we be the Worse for Adam's Transgression, at this Distance of Time? A Transi­ent Act that was committed almost Six Thousand Years ago? Consider, that one Day is with the Lord as a Thousand Years, and a Thousand Years as one Day, 2 Pet. 3 v. 8. See Ps. 90. v 4. If GOD at first, in his unsearchable Wisdom determined this Method to proceed with Mankind in, to find them Guilty upon the Transgression of their first Parent, what mean Conceptions must such have of the di­vine Majesty who think that this Establish­ment must fall thro' length of Time, without taking any farther notice of it?

Neither let the Difficulty of conceiving how the Sin of our first Parents could, in a rational way, be imputed to their Posterity, Prejudice any against the Reality and Truth of it; for seeing it is expresly revealed by GOD, it, surely, becomes us to believe it upon his Authority, and Rather charge our selves with Ignorance, than his Word with Falshood. But yet this Case will admit of reasonable Satisfaction, by considering, that all Adam's Posterity were equally involved and concerned with himself in that Covenant which God at first made with him, and himself constituted their Head and Representative therein; So that according to his Behaviour, it was to fare with them. [Page 17] The substance of this Covenant is briefly re­lated, Gen. 2.17. and the Tenor of it was, a Promise of an immortal Life of Happiness, in the blessed Favour and Enjoyment of God, to him and all his Off-spring, upon condition of his Obedience, and a Threatning of the contrary Miseries, upon condition of his Disobedience. Now, according to the Terms of this Covenant, upon Adam's Transgression, Guilt and Condemnation plainly and necessa­rily followed upon all the human Race. Th [...] Covenant Relation of Adam to his Posterity, is also plainly insinuated, Rom. 5. where the Apos­tle compares Adam and Christ together, particu­larly, Ver. 14.19. so that as Christ, when he was in the World, acted and suffered, not in a pri­vate Capacity, but, as a publick Person, repre­senting others, in the Covenant of Grace; so it was with Adam in the Covenant of Works, and therefore, ver. 14. he is called the Figure of Christ, who was to come.

But here the greatest Question of all is, How it can comport with the Justice and Goodness of God to involve all Mankind in such a Cove­nant, made with their first Parents, that has issued so much to their Disadvantage, and that without their Personal Consent?

For Answer to this, let i [...] be considered, 1st. That the Covenant was not adapted and com­posed to their Disadvantage, tho' it has even­tually proved so, but to their great Benefit; for, upon the Obedience of Adam, they had all been eternally Happy, secured against the [Page 18] Danger of sinning and perishing, confirmed in an Immutable State of Holiness, like the Angels that are in Heaven. And is it not account­ed Wisdom in Human Affairs for Persons to run some hazard of a considerable Loss, upon an apparent Prospect of a great Gain. Upon this Plan it is that the Mariner crosses the Ocean, and the Soldier fights in the Battle. And then, 2dly. Consider with this, that Adam was fully furnished and compleatly empowered for the Fulfilment of the Covenant condition, and as highly engaged to it, as any could be. He had every way as full Ability to perform the required Obedience, as any of them could have had separately for themselves, and as great Mo­tives to excite hîm to Watchfulness and Dili­gence, having his own Interest as much con­cern [...]d in it as theirs; so that our eternal Con­cern was every whit as safe in his hand as our own. These two Considerations compared and well weighed together, I think, may yield abundant Satisfaction in this case, and sufficien [...]ly make appear, that in this Method of Procedure with Mankind, which God in the D [...]pth of his infini [...]e Wisdom was pleased to fall upon, there was not the least Injury done them, but much to the Contrary. And surely the Sovereign God may do that which is Right and so highly Beneficial in its Tendency, without waiting the consent of the Creature; nay, whe­ther it will consent or not. But it is highly to be presumed, that had our Representative, [Page 19] Adam, persevered in his Obedience, and we now enjoyed the happy Consequences of it, we had been ready enough to applaud the di­vine Wisdom and Goodness appearing in such a Method. So that there is no room for those Tragical Out-cries in the World of injustice, in the Case of original Guilt. And whereas the Lord declares, That the Child shall not suffer for the Father's Sin, it is spoken with reference to the Sin of our near Parents, who, tho' they bear a natural, yet stand in no such covenant Relation to us, as our first Parents did.

But possibly some of my hearers may ap­prehend, That tho' the whole human Race did become guilty and condemned, upon them first Parents Transgression, yet all that Guilt is taken off and re­moved from all Mankind, thro' the the Death of Christ, so that none come into this World and par­take of the human Nature in a State of Condemnation. Such would do well to consider, when it was that this Guilt was done away; whether before or immediately after the Death of Christ. If it be said, that it was taken away from the begin­ning, to soon as the Covenant of Grace was published to Adam, after the Fall, Gen. 3.15. or at any other Time before the Death of Christ; how then could the Apostle, say in his Day, Eph. 2s 3. WE ALL were by Nature the Children of Wrath, even as OTHERS. It could not be taken away only after the Death of Christ, for his Death was of the same Virtue and Efficacy since the Fall of Man to this Day. [Page 20] It was thro' his Mediation and Death, that the Godly in all Ages were saved, even before, in reality, he died: And hence he is said to be slain from the Foundation of the World, Rev. 13.8. In short, if original Guilt was wholly taken away then, upon the Death of Christ, the Gospel must have been turned altogether into a new Model, from what it ever was before, agreeable to this new Article; whereas it has always been substantially the same, only under different Modes of Administrations, and in different Degrees of Light and Clearness, Gal. 3.8. the Apostle says, God preached the Gospel before unto Abraham, (Gen. 12.3) saying, In thee shall all Nations be blessed. And I may say, that he preached before the Gospel unto Adam, Gen. 3.15. saying, The Seed of the Wo­man shall Bruise the Serpent's Head.

Moreover, we see that very deplorable Ef­fects of the first Transgression, do yet remain upon Mankind, (as I have already observed.) And how these Effects Judicially inflicted up­on Man, on the Account of the first Trans­gression, such as will certainly, without ex­traordinary supernatural preventing Grace, lead him to a very dreadful Damnation, (as natural Blindness, Stupidity and a depraved Will, do many) how, I say, such Effects can remain, and yet all the Guilt be taken away, is hard to imagine.

That passage, 1 Cor. 15.22. As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive, is [Page 21] nothing to this purpose; for the Apostle is there speaking only of the Resurrection of the Dead at the last Day, as appears through the whole Chapter. The being made alive, which he here speaks of, is such whereof Christ himself is a Partaker; for it immediately fol­lows in the next Verse, But every Man in his own order; Christ the first Fruits, afterwards, says he, they that are Christ's (and the Time when they are to be made alive is) at his coming, and that is at the End of the World, Then cometh the End, says he, when he shall have deli­vered up the Kingdom, &c. and so the Meaning of the Words is plainly to this purpose, that as by Adam all his Posterity were subject to Natural Death, in a way of Judgment, so by Christ all his seed, i. e. they that are Christ's, as v. 23. shall be quickened and raised from the Dead, in a way of Mercy and Love, to the full Consummation of their Happiness. This verse is only another way of phrasing the same Thing that he had said, v. 21. Since by Man came Death, by Man came also the Re­surrection of the Dead.

Another place of Scripture also is made use of in this case, Rom. 5.18. As by the Offence of one, Judgment came upon all Men to Condemna­tion, even so by the Righteousness of one, the free Gift came upon all Men to Justification of Life. For the right Understanding of this Scripture, you must observe, that the Apostle compares the Offence or Disobedience of Adam, and [Page 22] the Righteousness or Obedience of Christ to­gether, in the first Place, in that neither of them were meerly Personal, but both of publick Influence: Herein, he observes, they exactly agree; and therefore he says, As by the Offence of one, Even so by the Righteousne [...] of One. And then, Secondly, he compares them, not as to the Extent of their Influence, that is, as to the Number of Persons to whom they extend in their Effects, but as to the Efficacy and Power of it And in this part of the comparison, he observes, that the Righteousness of Christ has much the Advan­tage, that it is much more Powerful in its Effects, than the Disobedience of Adam; for tho' the Disobedience of Adam was of suf­ficient Efficacy to Condemn, yet the Righteous­ness of Christ exceeds in Power, in that it is of sufficîent Efficacy to Justifie after this Condemnation, and that to everlasting Life; as he that rescues a Captive from an Enemy, must be stronger than he. This is very evi­dently the Design of the Apostle, through this whole Context. To this purpose he says, v. 17. For if by One Man's Offence, Death reigned by One, much more they which receive abundant of Grace, and of the Gift of Righteous­ness, shall reign in Life by one Jesus Christ. And then the Meaning of this 18 v. is, as if the Apostle had said, seeing it is so that the Righteousness of Christ is of much more Ef­ficacy and Virtue, than the Disobedience of [Page 23] Adam; therefore it is plain, that as all those upon whom the Offence of Adam came, were Condemned by it, so, all those upon whom the free Gilt, by the Righteousness of Christ comes, are justified thereby, and delivered from this Condemnation, with such a com­pleat Justification as is followed with everlast­ing Life. Or, to vary a little from the very Words, As all those to whom the Sin of Adam is imputed, are thereby condemned, so all those to whom the Righteousness of Christ is imputed, must thereby be delivered from that Condemnation, justified and glorified So that the Apostle's design, is not to signify, that as many as were condemned by Adam, are justified by Christ, but that Christ's Righte­ousness is much more Efficacious than Adam's Disobedience; so that those to whom it is ap­plied, must thereby be justified from their Condemnation in Adam, and restored to that Life which they had lost in him.^*

It remains then an unshaken Truth, that all Mankind come into this World in a State [Page 24] of Condemnation, by their Apostacy and Re­bellion, in their first Parent, out of which none are delivered, through the Redemp­tion [...]hat is in Jesus Christ, until they are re­newed and regenerated by the holy Spirit, even such as it pleases the Lord to remove out of this World, and save in their Infancy, must have the supernatural Principles of Faith, and all other Graces infused into their Souls, i. e. must be fitted and disposed for the exer­cising of them, otherwise than they are by Nature; without which they cannot be meet to be Partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light; for that which is born of the Flesh is Flesh, altogether unfit for the Enjoyment of God. And such as are advanced to a riper Age, to the Exercise of Reason, must actually believe in Christ, before they can be freed from their original Condemnation, or any other Guilt; for an Interest in Christ's justifying Righteous­ness, and partaking of the Benefits of his Me­diation, is in the Gospel, suspended upon believing in him. But supposing it were so, that Mankind were not by Nature the Chil­dren of Wrath, and came not Guilty and Condemned into the World, yet this would not much help the Case of Unbelievers. For,

2dly, They are condemned by their Actual and Personal Sins. By these they are laid under the Condemnation of God's Law, sen­tenced and bound over to Hell and Wrath. [Page 25] The delivering of Mankind barely from origi­nal Guilt had been of small Service, (indeed of none at all) to such as live to any Years, unless the inherent Depravity of their Na­ture, were removed with it, and God's moral Image, in which they were at first Created, again Restored upon them, and so provi­sion made against their sinning actually in their own Persons. But, alas! we plainly see it is not so, for all have sinned, and come short of the Glory of God, Rom. 3, 13. and if we say that we have no Sin, we deceive our selves▪ and the Truth is not in us, 1 Joh. 1, 8. yea, v. 10. if we say, that we have not sinned, we make God a Liar; and his Word is not in us. And the Law of God sentences the Person to pu­nishment, that has broken it, and condemns him, to a heavier Damnation, than he was condemned to by his original Guilt. This condemning Sentence of the Law, is that which is called the Curse of the Law, which it issues out upon the Subject, so soon as ever he has, in the least, failed of perfect and exact Obedience to it, Gal. 3, 10. As many as are of the Works of the Law, are under the Curse, for it is Written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all Things, which âre writ­ten in the Book of the Law, to do them. Here you see the Law curses and condemns the Sinner, and that if he should but break it in one particular, if he do not All things which are written in the Book of the Law; yea, if he [Page 26] continues not in this perfect Obedience, when­soever he swerves from the Law in one Point, he is condemned by it. The Law will justify upon no other Terms, but an exactly perfect Obedience, without the least Flaw. If there is one Failure in it, the Per­son is rejected and laid under the Curse, Jam. 2, 10. Whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet Offend in one Point, he is Guilty of all, i. e. he is as really condemned by the Law, and laid under the Curse, as if he had par­ticularly broken every Precept: For it is a striking at the Foundation of the whole Law, a contemning of that Authority upon which the whole is established. And if this be so, then Oh! what an awfully aggravated Punish­ment, must such be exposed to, who are yet in their condemned State, and have Thousands of Transgressions to answer for! Who spend their whole Lives in Sin, as all unconverted Persons do. The Furnace is daily waxing hotter for you, as you heap up the Measure of your Sins. Sin is not such a light and trivial Thing, as blind and stupid people Imagine: It is soon committed, and soon forgotten, and they don't commit it, as they think out of any mischevious Design, but only for some personal Satisfaction and Plea­sure: And multitudes of Things wherein they come not up to the Strictness of the Divine Law, are only the Infirmities of hu­man Nature, common to Man, which the [Page 27] Divine Majesty, will easily overlook. With these, or such like thoughts, if not with a more irrational and brutish Banter, they plaister over the Filthyness, the Detestable and Cri­minal Nature of Sin, that that may not be discovered by them; But, Oh! Sirs, there is an infinite Evil in Sin; which the Damned see and feel. It is the Rebellion of a Crea­ture, endowed with Rational Powers for a very contrary End, against the Author of its Being; against infinite Majesty and eternal Sovereignity. And those who can Sin so lightly against God, and be so stupidly un­concerned about it, discover the Enmity and Hatred, that is in their Hearts against him. They hate his Holiness, and so his very Na­ture; in all Sin there is an inexpressible de­merit; so that it deserves an inexpressible Pu­nishment, and accordingly God's Holy Law dooms the Sinner to it. Those indeed, who have received Christ by a true Faith, whereby they are Sanctified and made sincerely Holy, (blessed be the gracious God) are brought out of this Condemnation, thro' his answering the Law for them: So that there is No Con­demnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, Rom. 8.1. but Unbelievers have no interest in the Gospel Righteousness, viz. that which is by the Faith of Christ, as the Apostle calls it, Phil. 8.9. and so still stand condemned by the Law, under the Damning Guilt of all their Sins: For as many as are of the Works of the Law, are under the Curse.

[Page 28]Thus I have shown you, how Unbelievers have come into this Condemned State, which they are in: But yet this does not fully reach the Design of this Head, which is, also, to show how they come to be at present in this State of Condemnation, and that, when others are in a justified Estate, who have been actual Transgressors, and by Nature the Chil­dren of Wrath, even as they. And therefore,

3dly, They are kept in their condemned State, by their Unbelief.

Now Unbelief has a two-fold Influence upon a Sinners Condemnation, viz. Privative and Positive, the 1st. has a Privative influence upon it, as it keeps them under their former Guilt, in their antecedent Condemnation, which they were brought into by the Imputation of the first▪ Trrnsgression and their own personal Sin; and so deprives them of being justified: And that without the Consideration of its making any addition to their Guilt. The only Relief of guilty Sinners, from their Condemnation, is thro' the Righteousness and Mediation of Christ. But, according to God's wise Constitution in the Gospel, they [...] have no Interest in the Righteousness of Christ, without the Grace of Faith; so that Unbelievers are altogether destitute of the Benefit of the Redeemers Mediation; and so st [...]ll held in their Condemned State, by their Unbelief. Joh. 3.36. He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting Life; and he that believeth [Page 29] not the Son, shall not see Life, but the Wrath of God abideth on him. The Wrath of God abi­deth on him. He does not say, it then comes on him, but it abides on him; signifying, that it was upon him before on other Ac­counts, and still Continues so by reason of Unbelief, whereby he comes short of the on­ly Remedy. To the same Purpose our Lord tells us in our Text, he that believeth not it condemned already; and the Reason of his be­ing in this Condemned State follows, because he hath not believed in the Name of the only Be­gotten Son of God. And then 2dly, Unbelief has a positive Influence upon the Sinners Condemnation, i. e. it not only keeps him under his former Condemnation, but it adds to it, as a Crime; by aggravating and heighten­ing of his Guilt. How much heavier must it make the Sinners Condemnation, when he will not humbly acknowledge his condemned deplorable Condition by Sin, and heartily receive the Lord Jesus, wholly depending up­on him for his Relief, as he is offered to him by the Lord of his infinite Compassion for that End, at least not using all possible En­deavours to do so, but proudly slights Re­deeming Mercy, and refuses his only Re­medy.

And now you see Brethren, that Unbelie­vers, such as are not united to Christ by Faith, are condemned both by the Law, and by the Gospel, the Law says, He that performs not all [Page 30] Things, which are written in the Book of the Law, shall be Damned, Gal 8.10. This is the Curse which it pronounces against him: But the Unbeliever has not done this. It's true there is an Appeal from the Law to the Gos­pel; wherein Life and Salvation through Christ, is offered to Guilty and condemned Sinners that receive him by Faith, but the Gospel says, He that believeth not shall be Damned, Mar. 16.18. and he has not complied with the Gospel; and so is condemned by it. And there is no other Court of Grace to appeal to, and Oh! how dreadful is it when a Sin­ner's last Remedy flashes the Fire of Hell in his Face.

3dly, I proceed now to improve this Sub­ject I have been insisting upon, by some Practical Inferences drawn from it. And,

1st, If it be so that all Unbelievers, with­out Exception, are in a condemned State; then it Informs us, that justification cannot be ob­tained by our own Righteousness. No Per­son, by their strictest obedience to the Law of God, can be delivered from that Condem­nation, which they are laid under by it. The Lord does not say, the profane Unbe­liever, or the careless Unbeliever, that makes no Practice of the Duties of Religion, is con­demned, but He that believeth not, indefinitely, without any Limitation, be he who he will, or do he what he will, Until he believes in Christ he is Condemned, and the Wrath [Page 31] of God abideth on him: And indeed, Justifi­cation by our own Righteousness and Personal obedience, is inconsistent with the very Nature of Faith; wherein the Believer rejects all Dependance upon his own Goodness and Obedience, and leans entirely on the Righ­teousness of the Redeemer. Moreover, you have heard, that whosoever would be justi­fied that Way, by a Law of Righteousness, must produce a compleat one, without the least Imperfection; upon no other Terms can any Person be justified by his own Righte­ousness. The Law will have a compleat exact Righteousness, in every Point and Degree, or none at all: If there is a defection in it, the Law is so far from justify­ing, that it positively Condemns. And the Law of God in this Form, is no other than his wise Establishment, which he has enga­ged himself to stand by. And therefore, as many as are of the Works of the Law, are under the Curse, because they have not done all Things which the Law required; for it says, Cursed is every one that continues not in All Things which are written in the Book of the Law, to do them. Unbelievers are so far from perfectly fulfiilling the Law, that, the Truth is, no Person can yield any Obedience, that is any way pleasing to God, till he is first justified: Justification and Renovation always go together, and the one is never without the other; and so an Unjustified Person, being an Uncon­verted [Page 32] Person, cannot obey God in any Thing, with a Gospel Sincerity; all his Obe­dience flowing from an unsanctified Heart. Rom. 8.8. They that are in the Flesh cannot please God. And how then can all their Obe­dience, remove their Condemnation, and re­commend them to God's Love? When his holy Eye sees no Beauty but much Unclean­ness in it.

2dly. What has been spoken, clearly Informs us of the great Blindness and Stupid Ignorance of such as Think they are in no great Danger; because they are small Sinners. From hence they derive the Peace and secure Quiet of their Consciences, that they are not Guilty of such gross Immoralities as many others, they have taken care to abstain from such Things as are offensive to God, and have committed but little Sin against the divine Majesty; And therefore, they think they can be in no great Danger of Perishing, but if any are in a safe State, sure they must. Ah, poor unhappy Creatures! None under Heaven are in greater Danger than you, Witness the Moral Pharisee, Luk. 18, v. 11, 12. In the first Place, it is explain evidence of the gross Darkness of your Minds that you think you have been Guilty of so little Sin; when perhaps, in the mean Time, you go on in the continued neglect of Gods positive Com­mands, as if that were no Sin. But however this be, it is plain, you do not see the secret Wickednessess of your Heart, which are a very [Page 33] Mystery of Iniquity: For you have an inward dislike at real holiness and walking with GOD; And so entertain a secret enimity in your Hearts against God, and hate his moral Image. You have no gust nor relish of Spiritual and Divine Things of experimental Piety in your earthly Souls. You have not th [...] Love of God in you, that sensibly Affects and captivates the heart, are Strangers to the lively Actings of Faith in the Lord JESƲS, and know not what humble Self Ab [...]sure before GOD, Heart-Contrition and godly Sorrow means. You have no true Zeal for God, and make not his Honour and Glory the principal Mark of your Pursuits in the World, having it for your aim and End above all Things to glorify and please him; but are seeking of your selves, Idolatrously setting your selves up in the Room of GOD, making your selves your last End in all you do; And so living without God in the World, as if you were not Creatures made to serve him. And is all this no Sin? are not here Iniquities of the Vilest Nature? Now, this being the gene­ral Temper and Disposition of your Minds, your Lives can be nothing else but one con­tinued scene of Sin, Prv 30. v. 12. There is a Generation that are pure in their own Eyes, and yet is not wasted from their filthiness The Apostle Paul had the same Opinion of himself before hi [...] Conversion, before his Eyes were opened to se [...] himself. Rom. 7. [...].9 I was alive without the Law once, says he, that is, I was aliv [...] in [Page 34] my Own Apprehension: I tho't my self in a happy and safe estate, Guilty of very little Sin; being, as to the Righteousness which is in the Law, blameless, to my Own and others view. This Apprehension I had of my self before I had a right Discovery of Gods Law; But, says he, when the Commandment came, Sin revived, and I died. As if he had said, when the Law of GOD was set home to my Conscience, in a clear and just Light, and I saw the Spiritual Nature and extent of it, then I lost all my Former Opinion of my self, and saw what a blind mista­ken Creature I had been. Then I discovered a Body of Sin in me, as if it had just then started into Life; and then he cries out, v. 24. O wretched Man that I am, &c. see Rev. 3. v. 17. But then Supposing you were Guilty of as little Sin as your selves imagine, yet your Conclu­sion from hence of the Safety of your Condi­tion is very foolish and pernicious; you have committed Sin enough to sink you into Ever­lasting Destruction; For I suppose you will readily acknowledge, that you have been guilty of one Sin, at least, in all your Life; And then you see you are laid under the Curse and Con­demnation of the Law; For it is written, Cursed is every one that Continueth not in All Things, &c. And whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, he is Guilty of All. Were you Guilty but of one Transgression, it must either be washed away by the Blood of Christ, or you are undone for ever; for you are by [...]t [Page 35] condemned to deserved Punishment; He tha [...] believeth not on the Son is condemned, whether he be a great or small Sinner; there is no ex­ception.

2dly. This Doctrine speaks Terror and matter of the deepest Humsliation to All Unbe­lievers. But that this Use may the better An­swer its design, I shall, in the first Place offer some Marks and Characters of such as are Unbelievers, whereby I entreat you to Exa­mine your selves, and try what State you are in; And then I shall a little consider, what Terror this great Truth speaks to such. And 1st, such as have never been so throughly convinced of their Condemned, Wretched, Undone and Helpless Condition, as humbly and affecti­onally to receive Jesus Christ for their only Saviour, rejecting all other Dependance, and deriving the only Peace of their Consciences and Comfort of their Souls from the Consi­deration of his Mediation and Righteousness; these I say, are Unbelievers, and yet in their Sins. Herein consists the very Substance and Life of Justifying Faith; it is the Souls flying under a sence of Guilt and impending Wrath to Christ, as his only Relief; so that Christ as Me­diator, is the alone Foundation of the Believers Hope, inward Peace and Confidence toward God, Phil. 3. v. 3. We rejoice in Christ JESƲS, and have no Confidence in the Flesh, Eph. 3. v. 12. In whom we have Boldness and Access with Confidence, by the Faith of him. So that those who have [Page 36] never been heartily and feelingly sensible of their Misery and Undoneness in themselves, have never come to Christ by Faith; for the Whole will not apply to the Physician, but the Sick. And such as make any Thing else but the Redeemer's Merit the Foundation of their Peace, thinking well of their Condition, either because they are Guilty of little Sin, or because they Perform the external Duties of Religion, are sorry for their Sins, or the like, are utter Strangers to a saying Faith. Neither is it enough to profess, and superficially believe that you are miserable and undone without Christ, and that no other way you can possibly be saved but thro' his Mediation; Persons may maintain all this, and profess it as their Judgment, and yet never, in reality, came to Christ, but rest on something else, Unless the Dispositions and Actings of your Hearts be agreeable to these Truths, unless you so believe them as to be answerably affected by them, what signifies your Orthodox Belief: It is but a dead Faith, that will not profit you. And yet, alas! this is all the Faith that many Professors content them­selves with. They Think well of themselves because they profess these great Truths of the Gospel, as the Articles of their Faith, and pity such as don't know so much, or maintain a contrary Opinion; but a true Faith in Christ is a sensible and lively Operation of the Soul, wherein the Person is affected suitably to what he believes, and does, in an active manner, lean, [Page 37] with deep Poverty of Spirit, upon Christ, and him alone for his Deliverance from Condemna­tion and Wrath, for Reconciliation and Peace with God. And hence it is held forth in the Scripture by such expressions as Receiving of Christ, Joh. 1.12. Coming to Christ, Matth. 11. v. 28. Leaning upon him, Cant. 8. v. 5. and the like. And therefore you that have never felt this in your Hearts, have never closed with Christ by Faith, but are yet in a state of Con­demnation▪

2dly, Those that have not a Transcendent Love to GOD in their Hearts, such as neces­sarily, and yet freely engages them to a Life of Holiness and Obedience, are Unbelievers; For Faith worketh by love, Gal. 5. v. 6. And Love by a chearf [...] Obedience Joh. 14. v. 23. If a Man love me, [...] will keep my Words, i. e. he will obey my Commands, you that have not an abiding and prevailing Love to the Glorious GOD in your Hearts, so that your Wills and Affections are sweetly determined to God and Holiness whereby you are fill'd with pure and vehement Desire after Likeness to him and the Enjoyment of him, have never believed in JESƲS Christ. None are united to him by Faith, that are not united to him in Love. Faith, by Love, sanctifies the Heart, and turns it from all the vain things of this World to God alone, the Fountain of all Excellency. Joh. 5. v. 4. What­soever is born of God overcometh the World, and this is the Victory that overcometh the World even your Faith.

[Page 38]3dly, These are Unbelieve [...] who have not a very dear Value and High esteem for JESƲS CHRIST. 1 Pet. 2. v. 7. Ʋnto you therefore which believe, He is precious. The Spouse speaks the Language of all true Beleivers concerning Christ, Can. 2. v. 3. As the Apple Tree among the Trees of the Wood, so is my Beloved among the Sons: I sat down under his Shadow with great delight, and his Fruit was sweet in my taste. O Sirs! Believers, behold a Commanding Excel­lency and Glory in Jesus Christ, the very Glory of God shining in his Face. 2 Cor. 4. v. 6. So that their Hearts, their whole Hearts are capti­vated after him, and He is dearer to them than their own Lives, Luc. 14. v. 26. How is it with you in this, Hearers? Is Christ so precious to you or not?

4ly. Such are Unbelievers as have never felt the inexpressible Consolations of Faith. You may see the Joyful Fruit of Faith, 1 Pet. 1, v. 8. In whom (tho' now ye see him not, yet) believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of Glory. O what unknown Sweetness does it introduce into the Heart, when the Soul hears Christ's Voice, saying, Son, or Daughter, be of good cheer, thy Sins are forgiven thee! It fills the mind with that Peace of God that passeth of all Ʋnderstanding, Faith is of a Discovering and Prospective Nature, and brings the most distant▪ Things into n [...]r view, Heb. 11. v. 1. It is the Substance of Things hoped for, the Evidence of Things not seen. When Faith is in a lively Exercise, it opens the daw­ning [Page 39] of Heaven in this lower World, and shoots forth celestial Rays upon the Soul. It ascends with Moses to the Top of Pisgah, and takes a beautiful Landskip of the Heavenly Canaan, and descries the distant Glories of Immanuel's Land. Now, those that have no intellectual Views and discoveries of this Nature, in such measure, at least, as yields them a pure Delight and sweeter Satisfaction than all this World can afford, and draws forth their Hearts in sensible affectionate Longings after GOD, are utter strangers to a saving Faith. Those that are in Christ by Faith, have the blessed Fruits and quickening influences of his holy Spirit in their Hearts, Rom. 8. v. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And Gal. 5, v. 22. The fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, &c. But you must observe here, that Persons are liable very grosly to deceive themselves by their extraordinary Frames and Elevations of Spirit. And for your direction in this Case, take this general Rule, viz. That whatsoever extraordinary Impressions and Emotions of Heart Persons may have, while in the general Disposition of their Hearts, and Tenor of their Lives, they continue still the same Persons, Carnal and Earthly, they are not the Fruits of Faith, nor of the same kind with those of true Believers, which are of a Soul-Sanctifying Nature, Unless the habitual Bent and Biass of your Hearts are spiritual and holy, unless there is a new and heavenly Nature in you, all your [Page 40] transient fits, either of Love or Sorrow, are of no value. Your most Rapturous Frames of Spirit are not to be regarded; And if you do take Peace from them, you'll wofully deceive your Souls, tho' they were as high as Saul's, 1 Sam. 19.23, 24. who continued the Old Man still.

And now, Hearers, have you closed with Christ by Faith, or not? How stands the Case with you, according to these Marks of Trial? Are there none in this Assembly that see them­selves thereby to be in a Faithless, Christless Con­dition? I am sure, many of you cannot but clearly see, if you use any Consideration, that, according to these Evidences you have never yet received Christ nor believed in him. Your own Consciences must needs test [...]fie it to your Faces: And I intreat you not to put away the tho'ts of it, but deeply lay it to Heart, if you have any value for your Souls. And indeed if you did but see the Wretchedness and Misery of your Condition, you could not lightly forget it: Oh! it would make the stoutest of your Hearts to ake within you, and bow to the Earth before a jealous GOD; For you are this Moment in a Condemned State bound over to the Never-ending T [...]rm [...]nts of Hell, the Vengeance of Eternal Fire; so that if you come not to the Lord JESƲS, and g [...]t not an Interest in his Righteousness, by Faith, P [...]sh you must▪ without Remedy You were by [...] Children of Wrath, and ca [...] condemned into b [...]ng; [...]nd [Page 41] how unspeak by have you encreased your Guilt, and made your Condemnation many Thousand Times heavier by a continued series of Sins against GOD! Which are all Regi­stered and written in Heaven against you; And yet, for all this, you have proudly carried it off with a stupid insensibility, and have not humbled your selves, as it becomes Creätures in such deplorable Circumstances, to the Feet of Christ, and fled to him for your Relief; and so you are Condemned from Heaven, both by the Law and Gospel, and the Wrath of GOD abides upon you. Wher-ever you go, you walk up and down upon the Earth, condemned Caitiffs before the great GOD, with the sentence of Eternal Death upon you, which in a little Time will infallibly be executed upon you, to the utmost, unless you come to JESƲS Christ. And, O Sirs! you'll find that it is a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of the living God, Heb. 10.31. Is your Case so dismal, and are your Hearts unmoved? have you no concern about it! O lamentable Stupidity! are you not afraid to enter the Lists with the Almighty God! Can your Hand be strong, or can your Heart endure in the Day that he shall deal with you? Ezek 22, 14. Sure you have reason enough to be filled with the deepest Distress and saddest Sorrows: Is it not a dreadful case to have all your Sins Unpar­doned, standing upon Record against you, in th [...] Book of Gods Remembrance? Is it not a dreadful Case to be under the Wrath of GOD, [Page 42] having it hanging over you as a gloomy Cloud of Horror, stored with the Instruments of Death, charged with Thunderbolts, ready to be dis­charged upon your guilty Heads, to strike you down to Tophet's Burnings? Is it not a dread­ful Case to be in such a State, wherein, if you should dye, you would as surely be Damned as you are now alive? and you know not how soon Life's feeble Thread may break, your last Breath depart, and your wretched Souls with it to the Habitation of the Damned, to take up their Lodgings there. This is the present case of every one of you that have not by Faith come to the Lord Jesus, Mar. 16.16. Joh. 3.36.

3dly, I shall now conclude, with a Use of Exhortation to these Unhappy Persons, who, having never received Christ by Faith, are in a Condemned Deplorable Estate. And sure it might be rationally expected, that the Thoughts of the Woful Undone Condition you are in, would make you very desirous and attentive to hear any thing that may be offered for your good and happiness: And 1st. then let me en­treat you, with the tenderest Regard to your precious Perishing Souls, to acknowledge your Miserable and Condemned State, and take it solemnly to Heart. Be sensible, that this is surely your Condition, if there is any Truth in Gods Word. And, O, let your Tho'ts dwell much upon it; be not so stupidly Insensible as to cast it out of your Minds, and lightly [Page 43] disregard it. How lamentable is it, tha [...] Rational Creatures, when they hear of the unspeakably Miserable Condition which their precious and immortal Souls are in, will either not apply it to themselves, nor so much a [...] consider, whether it be their Case, or if they do, will presently divert their Tho'ts to other Subjects, betake themselves to their vain Irreli­gious Companions, & please themselves with the little Amusements of this Life, while, in the mean Time, they are hasting every Moment nearer to the Regions of the Damned; and yet this is the bruitish Course that many take. I beseech you, to whom belongs the fore-mentioned Characters of Unbelievers, to consider, and be sensible, that you are in this condemned State, I have been speaking of; and flatter not your selves with unreasonable Apprehensions to the con­trary, saying to your selves, Peace Peace, when there is no Peace. And is not this a reasonable Request? for I now desire you to believe the Truth; and is it not reasonable to believe that which is true, when there is such abundant evidence of the Truth of it? And what advan­tage will it be to you to believe a Falshood, by thinking you are not in such a State? Alas! you cannot flatter your selves out of your Con­demned State, tho' you may flatter your selves out of the Apprehension of it. You cannot flatter Truth out of its being, nor, by a groundless Apprehension, alter the being of things as the [...] are. It is not highly Reasonable then, to [...] [Page 44] knowledge your Wretched Perishing Condi­tion? It will do you no good to deny it, but un­speakable hurt; for, so long as you flatter your selves with a groundless Conceit of your safely, you will not effectually bestir your selves to get into a safe Condition, but he still in your blind Security, until you perish: And, Ah! It is too late to be convinced by feeling those Miseries you wou'd not fear. Its true, Unholy and Un­believing Sinners, thro' their natural Blindness and pride of Heart are very averse to believe any Evil of themselves; And therefore wicked Ahab hated the Lord's Prophet, 1 King 22.8. But, O! should you not act like Rational Crea­tures, and yield to sufficient matter of Convic­tion? laying aside all byassed Prejudices, believe the thing as it is, whether it be as you would have it, or not? especially when it is the most likely way for your eternal Happiness? as it is in the present Case. O! beware, lest while you are saying Peace and Safety, then sudden Destruction cometh upon you, as Travail upon a Woman with Child, and you shall not escape, 1 Thes. 5.3. And consider the fearfulness of a Con­demned State: Let nothing yield Ease or Peace to your Minds until you have good Evidences of Reconciliation and Peace with GOD, thro' the Lord JESƲS Christ. Think with your selves, what Blind, Tho'tless, Deceived Creatures you have been. Some of you perhaps, have thought [...] was no [...]hing to have a Sin forgiven; That as [...]s an easie Thing; If you did but check your [Page 45] selves, and were sorry for it afterwards; But here you may clearly see, if you are not resol­ved that you will not see, that your Sin has brought you into a fearful Condemnation, under the Wrath and Curse of the Eternal GOD, out of which your Souls can never rise, but by the Righteousness of the Redeemer Christ, accepted for you, which, alas! you have no share nor interest in, having never savingly believed in him. And, O think what is all the World to you, when you are out of Christ, and the Love of GOD▪ under the Damning Guilt of all your Crimson Sins.

2dly, I exhort and intreat you, in Christ's Name, earnestly to seek for Deliverance from this Condemnation, for Peace and Reconciliation with the great GOD, thro' the dear Saviour. You should be saying with Peters convinced Hearers, Act. 2 37. What shall we do? And with the trembling Gaoler, Act. 16.30. What shall I do to be saved? O Consider! there is no resting in your present Condition; if you stay there, you are undone for [...]ver; humble then your hard Hearts before Jehovah, and cast your selves down at the Feet of Christ, as Guilty Rebels, Condemned and Undone Creatures. Implore the Lord God of Hosts, that, of his mere and infinite Mercy, he would look down upon helpless Creatures in the most abj [...] Misery, and give you an Interest in his dear [...] the Redeemer; that he would teach you [...] o come to Christ, and give you Faith to [...] [Page 46] him. But beware you don't take your Encou­ragement for Acceptance from a [...]y Goodness you conceit to be in your serves, or Worthiness in what you do; The Lord will surely Reject such Proud and Haughty Suppliants; He fills the Hungry with good Things, but the Rich he sends empty away. There is nothing in you can induce him to help you, but your absolute Poverty and necessity: There is infinite Mercy in the Heart of GOD, whereby he is wont to pity the Needy and Distressed. I call upon you this Day from the great GOD, that you go no longer on in a Course of Sin and stupid Thoughtlesness about your precious Souls, which are in a State of Death: Is it not highly reasonable and necessary, that, in such miserable Circumstances, you should bow your haughty Hearts before the Lord, and in the deepest Distress, perseveringly seek him, until he have Mercy upon you? This you must do, unless you are willing to P [...]ish forever, Hos. 10.12. Break up your fallow Ground▪ i. e. break and humble your hard stubborn Hearts; For it is Time to seek the Lord, till he came and rain Righteous­ness upon you.

MAN, by Sin, having fallen under an awful Condemnation and the dread Displeasure of [...]he great GOD his Maker, it highly con­cerns us, who are parts of his fallen Species, to enquire whether there be any possible Way of Recovery, any possible Method of escaping the Wrath to come, to which we are condemned by Gods broken Law, and if there be, what Way that is, lest we be deceived in our Appre­hensions [Page] of it, and the Mistake prove fatal and deadly. The glorious God, in the unsearch­able Depths of his Wisdom, has laid out and established a compleat and most astonishing Method for the Deliverance of condemned Sin­ners out of their Condemned State, and bring­ing them to a state of Life and Happiness in the Favour and Enjoyment of himself. He also of his infinite and distinguishing Goodness has given us the invaluable Blessing of his holy Word, wherein he has clearly revealed that Way in which alone condemned Creatures can be justified and delivered our of their Condem­nation, and requires our hearty and thankful Complyance with it; so that most undone Creatures shall we be, after all, if through our own Wickedness, we mis-apprehend it, and set up a Way of our own in Opposition to his, which was the fatal Case of the Unhappy Per­sons spoken of in our Text. The Persons here spoken of were the greater part of the Jewish Nation, who rejected the Lord Jesûs, and would not believe in him as their Saviour. In vers. 1. the Apostle expresses a very tender Re­gard and Compassionate Concern for them, viz. My hearts Desire and Prayer to God for Israel is, That they might be Saved. And vers. 2. he offers one Thing, which excited and much moved his Concern for them, For (says he) I bear them Record that they have a Zeal of GOD, but not accor­ding to Knowledge. That is, they have a Zeal in things respecting God, in the things which [Page 49] they look upon to be the Laws and Ordinance [...] of God, but it is a Zeal attended with very great Ignorance and Blindness, so that they come short of the true, Motives that should excite their Zeal, and miss the principal Mark, to which their Zeal should bend. And tho' the Apostle had a universal and Unlimited Compas­sion for the perishing Souls of Men, yet this Consideration concerning those of his own Nation, very intimately touched his Heart, that they had such a Zeal for God, and yet altoge­ther one of the Way of God. This he also observes of them, to introduce him to what he was further about to say concerning them in our Text; wherein he tells us a very great and weighty Thing, which they were ignorant of, with the miserable Tendency and issue of their Ignorance in this point, They were Ignorant of Gods Righteousness. It will give Light to this whole Text, rightly to understand what the Apostle means here by God's Righteousness. —— It is not to be understood of the Moral Perfection of his being, whereby be is a Holy and Righteous GOD; this the Jews were not so ignorant of; they knew that God was a Holy and Just God; but it is to be understood of that Righteousness which God has appointed for the Justification of a Con­demned Sinner; which he distinguishes from the Righteousness of the Law, v. 5. and calls it The Righteousness which is of (or by) Faith, vers. 6. Here observe, Th [...] whatsoever is available for [Page 50] the Pardon of Sin and instating the Sinner again into the Love and Favour of God, so that he is again entitled to that Eternal Blessedness which he had forfeited by Sin, as fully as if he had never Sinned; that, I say, is fitly called a Righteousness, and that upon two Accounts: 1st. Because Righteousness consisting in a Per­fect Obedience to Gods Law, was the only Condition upon which Gods Favour and our Eternal Happiness was at first promised; hence therefore, whatsoever answers in the Place of that Personal Perfect Righteousness, is fitly called by the same Name, is as much as it supplies the Place of it, and answers to the same End. And 2dly, whatsoever is sufficient to obtain the foresaid Ends, is called Righteousness, because it is such in its own Nature; for nothing can be available to the Justification of a condemned Sinner but a perfect Conformity unto, and ful­fillment of the Law, both in us Precept and Penalty; So answering the Demands and Char­ges which the Law lays in against the Sinner: Thus, the Merit of JESƲS Christ is called Righteousness in both these Respects, as it obtains that End for us, when received by Faith, which a Personal Righ [...]eousness of our own would have done; And as it is properly Righteousness in ît self, being an Obedience yielded to the Law of God, as you shall further hear by and by.

Now, i [...] is about this Righteousness, whereby a Sinner can be justified, who has broken [Page 51] Gods Law, and is thereby Condemned to Hell, and rendred utterly incapable of ever obtaining Happiness upon the Terms of the first Cove­nant, that the Apostle is here speaking. And it is that Righteousness wich God has provided and established for this End, which he calls the Righteousness of God; because it is of God [...]s appointing, and that Righteousness which he only will accept of for the Sinner.

And then by their own Righteousness he means their Personal obedience to the Law of God, which they set up as that Righteousness by which they would, and expected to be Justi­fied: which is the meaning of their going about [...]o establish their own Righteousness: It i [...] their setting it up as a Righteousness to recommend them to God's favour, and be Justified by, and their Diligence in obeying the Law of GOD with that view and for that End, viz. That they might work out a Righteousness sufficient to deliver them from their Condemnation, and instate them in the divine Favour. But Mark the deplorable Consequence and Effect of this Practice of a Legal and self-dependance; It kept them out of the way tha [...] God has appoint­ed for a Sinner's Justification, beside which there is no other: for, going about to estab [...]sh their own Righteousness, proposing that, to obta [...]n Reconciliation & Peace with God by, they did not submit themselves to the Righteousness GOD: [Page 52] They did not comply with that Method which he had appointed, did not submit to that Righ­teousness which he had established for that End Whence it is plain that the Righteousness which GOD has appointed for a Sinner's Justification, is some other than our own Personal obedience▪ For the Jews were Ignorant of it, and did not submit to it while they were establishing their own Righteousness. The Expression of, not submitting themselves, shews that their Pride and high Conceit of themselves as well as their ignorance was a great Cause of their following scuh a device for their Justification, and keeping out of Gods Way Here observe, that thei [...] Ignorance of God's Righteousness was a grea [...] cause of their High conceit of, and dependance upon their own: And both together was the cause of their not submitting to God's Right [...] ousness.

And then, vers. 4. the Apostle declares what this Righteousness of God is, which he has set forth for the Justification of a Sinner. And that in the Way of Argument, so as it proves what he had charged upon the Unbelieving Jews; For Christ is the End of the Law for Righte­ousness (says he) to every one that believeth. As if he had said, it is plain that the Body of th [...] Jews have not submitted to God's Righteousness, for they have not submitted to Christ nor belie­ved in him, and it is he alone that is the End of the Law for Righteousness by God's appoint­ment and acceptance; according to Rom. 3 25, [Page 53] Him God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his Blood, to declare his Right [...]ousness for the Remission of Sins.

In this Verse two Things are to be taken notice of, 1st. A great benefit by Christ, ex­pressed in these Words, Christ is the End of the Law for Righteousness And, 2dly, the Persons to whom it belongs, every one that believeth. Here then we must enquire what is meant by Christs being the End of the Law for Righteousness? And first, Negatively, the meaning is not that he has disanulled, abrogated and taken away the Law, so as Believers are rendred Lawless, and no more bound to Obedience; For says the same Apostle, Chap. 3.31. Do we then make void the Law thro' faith? God forbid: yea, We establish the Law. It's true, Christ in this sense, was the End of the Ceremonial Law consisting of Sacrifices, Offerings, &c. But the Apostle here speaks of the Law in general, especially of the Moral Law, comprized in the ten Com­mandments, and understands the End of the Law, in another sense, when he says, he is the End of the Law for Righteousness; That is, he is so the End of it as to furnish the Sinner with a Righ­teousness sufficient to answer the Demands of it for his Justification This way he is the End of it; which is quite another Thing than the Abolishing of it. This [...]s further evident from the Apostle's limitation, to them that believe; for n [...]ither B [...]lievers nor Unbelievers, since [...], are under any Obligation to the Ceremo­nial [Page 54] Law. Again, it is plain, that the Law which the Apostle here speaks of, is that Law by the obeying of which the Unbelieving Jews, in the former Verse, looked to be justified, which was the Moral as well as the Ceremonial Law. I am not saying, that the Ceremonial Law is not here at all intended, but that it is not only intended; and that by the End of it, is not meant its abrogation, otherwise than by a necessary consequence. And therefore in the next Place, positively, Christ is said to be the End of the Law for Righteousness, in respect of the Cere­monial Law, as it was instituted and designed for the End, to typifie and prefigure him in his Mediatorial Office. As his Mediatorial Righ­teousness was the End which the Washings, Sacrifices and Incense of the Ceremonial Law pointed at and held forth. This was the mise­rable Blindness of the Unbelieving Jews, that they lean'd upon their Ceremonial Observances as proper Atonements for their Sins in them­selves, and that their Guilt was thereby taken away. And the Apostle here Informs them, that the Righteousness of Christ is that alone by which a Sinner can be justified, which all [...]he Ceremonial Blood and Incense, with many other Things of that Law only signified and pointed at. They were never designed for the Justifi­cation of Sinners by any proper Virtue of their own, but to shadow forth the great Ato­ning Sacrifice of Jesus Christ: For it is not possible that the blood of B [...]lls and of Goats should take away [Page 55] Sins, Heb. 10 4. In Christ only is that Righ­teousness which can deliver the Soul from the Guilt and Condemnation of Sin, and whereby all that truly believe in him are justified: It was not in all the Ceremonial Services of the Law; they only pointed at and referred to it in him; and thus he is the End of the Ceremonial Law for Righteousness to every one that belie­veth.

And then as to the Law in general, Christ may be said to be the End of the Law for Righteousness, in two respects, 1st. By answering the End for which the Law was given, by fullfilling it, and so working out a Righteousness for the Justification of those who had broken it. The Law was given for that End, that it should be obeyed, and that Man by obeying it, should have everlasting Life; Now Christ submitted himself to the Law, and perfectly obeyed it in what it required of the Sinner, both as to its Precept and Penalty; and by that Obedience has wrought a sufficient Righteousness for Believers to obtain Eternal Life by. And so when Christ is said to be the End of the Law for Righteousness, in this sense the meaning is, that by his Obedience which he has yielded to it, he has obtained for Sinners that End for which the Law was given, and which they should have attained by it, had man never sinned, but per­fectly fulfilled it, viz. Everlasting Life and Happiness, This is the Language and Tenor of the Law, Th [...] man which doth these Things shall [Page 56] live by them, Rom. 10.5. So that the End which the Law proposed to the subjects to ob­tain by it, was Eternal Life and Happiness: And the Righteousness which it required, for the obtaining of this End, was a perfect obedience to it, upon the least defect it lays the Person under condemnation, Gal. 3.10. But all mankind have wofully broken the Law of GOD; either, representatively, in their first Parent, or both representatively, in him, and Personally themselves; and therefore can never obtain Happiness by the Law, that is, upon the Law's terms of an absolutely Perfect and Personal Obedience. Now the Lord JESƲS has perfectly obeyed the Law, in the utmost of its demands upon the Sinner, which Obedi­ence is, by God's appointment, for a Justifying Righteousness to those who by Faith receive him, so that thereby they obtain that Life and Happiness which was at first proposed upon the terms of the Law, but is now utterly Un­attainable that way. And thus he is the End of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth, see Rom. 8, 3.4. But then▪

2dly, Consider, in the Law there are two parts, viz. [...]s Precept, whereby it requires Obedience, and its Penalty, whereby it requires Punishment for Disobedience. Now tho' Christ is not the End of the Precept of the Law, so as to take away the Believers Obligation to Obedience; yet, he is the End of the Penalty, Malediction and Curse of the Law, so as to take [Page 57] away their Obligation to punishment. He takes away the Law's Process against them; So that it no longer requires Punishment or Satis­faction of them, he having satisfied and under­gone the Penalty of the Law in their Room, and thereby furnished them with a sufficient Righteousness to answer all the Charges and demands which the law has to lay in against them, as Bars in their Way to Happiness and Glory. The Laws Penalty has no more to require of them; according to Gal, 3.13. Christ has redeemed us from the Curse of the Law, being made a Curse for us. And tho' the Law, as to its Precept, remains an unalterable Rule of Righteousness, and so requires Obedience from Believers; yet, it is not required as the Term or Condition of their Justification before GOD Their Justifica­tion is put altogether upon another Foot, than it was in the Law, or Covenant of Works: The Spotless Obedience which the Lord JESƲS paid to the Precept of the Law being accepted in the Room and Place of the Obedience requi­red by that Covenant in the case of Justification.

And thus is he the End of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth And here it is to be observed, that in all these Senses, the general Scope and design of the Words is the same, viz That the Righteous­ness whereby a Sinner can only be Justified and delivered from the Condemnation of the Law, is in JESƲS CHRIST. To him alone the Sinner must come for it, or be forever undone

[Page 58]The second Thing to be taken notice of in this Verse, is, the Persons who are justified by the Redeemers Righteousness, Every one th [...]t believeth. This Clause, as it extends Justifica­tion by Christ to all Believers, so, it limits it to them only, and shows the necessity of Faith in Christ, in order to an Interest in his Righteousness.

Having thus explained the Text, and put it in a just Light, it affords us the following Pro­posi [...]ion [...] of Truth for our Instruction;

THese words (according to what I before observed to you in the Explanation) are brought in here to shew what is the Righteousness which God has appointed for the Justification of a Condemned Sinner; for the freeing him from the Claims and Charges of the Law against him; Teaching us, that it is only [...] be found in Jesus Christ; and (as I have f [...]ll▪ made appear from the holy Oracles) [Page 95] Consists in what he has done and suffered in the Discharge of his Mediatorial. Undertaking, when he was Bodily present in this World. And the inspired Apostle not only, in the gene­ral, declares what the Sinner's only justifying Righteousnes is, but particularly Characterizes the Persons that are accou [...] [...] thereby, pointing forth what is the great Qualification requisite in order thereunto, telling us, That Christ is the End of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth. By which last Words (as I before observed) he not only extends the Bene­fit of Justification to all Be [...]vers, but also, limits and restrains it to them only. And so the Point of Truth from hence, now to be insisted upon is, that

Faith in Christ is necessary in Order to Justification by him.

The Truth of this Proposition is sufficiently attested by the Word of God, Mark. 16.16. He that believeth shall be saved, but he that believeth not, shall be Damned. Joh. 3.18. He that believeth on the Son is not Condemned: But he that believeth not, is Condemned already; Because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of GOD. So vers. 36. The Wrath of God still abides upon the Ʋnbe­liever. Gal. 5.5, 6. We, through the Spirit, wait for the Hope of Righteousness by Faith; for in Jesus Christ neither Circumcision availeth any thing, nor Ʋn­ [...]ccision, but Faith which worketh by love. And [...]) the Righteousness of Christ is called Th [...] Righteousness of Faith, Rom. 4.11. and 10.6. and [Page 96] and The Righteousness which is by Faith, Phil. 3.9 Rom. 3.22. because of this Necessity of Faith, i [...] order to the Soul's saving Interest in it.

The Method in which I propose to speak to this great Truth, is,

First, A little to open up the Nature of Faith in Christ, and show you what it is.

Secondly, To show you its Necessity, in this case of a Sinner's Justification, by considering the Interest and Concern that it has in it.

And, Thirdly, To consider something of the Excellency and Beauty of this Method of a con­demned Sinner's Recovery, thro' Faith in the Righteousness of Jesus Christ.

First, I return to the first of these, where [...] I am to open the Nature of a true Faith in Christ. It is well described in our shorter Catechism to be A saving Grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Christ alone for Salvation, a [...] he is freely offered to us in the Gospel. Agreeable to his (that I may speak as clearly upon it as I can) take this Description of it, viz. Faith in Christ is a saving Grace, whereby a Person receives him for his only Saviour, leans and depends upon his Righteousness, and that only, for his Justification before GOD, and all things that he stands in need of.

In this Description you may especially take notice of these two or three things. 1st. That [Page 99] a very Principal Benefit which a Person in be­lieving rest [...] upon Christ for is his Justification, to be [...]elivered from the Guilt of Sin, and Condemnation of the Law, and consequently, from dese [...]ved damnation▪ and to be entitled to Eternal Happiness, and, consequently, in the End, actually to obtain it, and be glorified in Heaven. This a Person in believing, especially in his first Closure with Christ, Principally respects, and has his Eye primarily upon; for this he is most intimately and awefully concerned [...] But yet he stops not here, but all things that he wants, and that GOD has promise [...], he looks for tho' Christ alone, upon the Account of his Mediation; for Christ is the Mediator, thro' whom all Blessings come from God to his People; therefore he directs his Disciples to ask whatsoever they want in his Name, Joh. 14. [...]3, 14. and 15, 16. and 16.23, 26. All things that the So [...] needs are treasured up in him as Mediator▪ to communicate to his People, Col. 1 19. It p [...]eased the Father that in him should all Fullness [...]. And He is made all things to his People. 1 Cor. [...] 30. Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemp­tion.

Secondly In the Description you may observes that the Person in believing puts trust and con­fidenc [...] in nothing else but Christ for his Justi­fication. This the holy Apostle disclaims all o [...]her trust in this Ca [...], Phil. 3.8, 9.

But, 3. The Soul in b [...]lieving, not only rejects all confidences besides Christ, but, the [Page 96] positively and really depends upon the Righ­teousness of Christ, for his reconciliation and Peace with GOD. Justifying faith consists not only of negatives: The true Believer, as he rejects all other dependance, so, he positively, with a sweet Satisfaction of Soul rests on Jesus Christ. By a positive real Act of his Soul he lays hold on him, as the only sure Foundation and Pillar for his sinking Soul to be supported and upheld by: So the Church is represented, Can. 8.5. leaning upon her beloved.

That I may more fully open up to you the Nature of Faith in Christ, as it is revealed in the holy Scriptures, I shall briefly show you,

1st, How it is that a Believer receives Christ, and leans upon his Righteousness.

2dly. That this is the Scripture-Doctrine concerning Justifying Faith.

3dly. The Grounds and Encouragement upon which the Believer, with such Satisfaction leans on Christ, a [...] a adventures his Soul upon him.

As to the first, you must consider, the Terms here generally made use of to signifie the Souls acting of Faith on Christ, are not to be under­stood in a Corporal Sense; as when we conceive of the leaning of one Body upon another. We cannot, in this gross notion, lean or rest on Christ; But the Believer relies upon Christ by [Page 97] the Assent of his Mind, and the free Consent of his Will. In these two Acts of the Soul, is comprised the whole of saying Faith. His Assent is nothing else but his firm belief and certain undoubted Perswasion of the Truth of these things which God has revealed in the Gospel, especially concerning his Undone Condition by Sin, and absolute need of a Saviour, and con­cerning the Way of Recovery and Salvation thro' the Righteousness of Christ only. These great Truths he certainly and firmly believes, with a particular Application to himself, so as to be answerably affected by them; he so believes them as to feel the Power of them upon his Heart, producing those Affections and Disposi­tions which they have a native tendency to ex­cite in him, and which the true Belief of them will certainly effect. In this assent is necessarily included a distinct Knowledge, of the Things believed. The blind implicite Faith which the Papists Teach as sufficient to Salvation (viz. if Persons do but believe as the Church believes, i. e. if they believe that the Church believes Right, tho' they don't know one thing distinctly which the Church does believe) is of no value. It is altogether insufficient to sanctifie the Heart, not having the least rational Tendency, as a means, that way: whereas a true Faith purifies the Heart. Acts 15, 9. And overcomes the World, 1. Joh. 5, 4. Also, it makes the Soul Spiritual and Heavenly, that before was Base and Earthly, led away with the Honours, Pro­fits [Page 98] and sordid Pleasures of the World; it breaks the Interest which these Things of the World had in the Heart; but surely a blind Faith, without the Knowledge of Gospel-Truths, can never Effect this; it is by beholding in the Gospel, as in a Glass, the Glory of the Lord, that the Soul is changed into the same Image, from Glory to Glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord, according to 2 Cor. 3, 18 There can be no true Faith in Christ without a com­petent Knowledge of the Substance of the Gospel. The Person that believes in Christ, perceives and understands that it is the Report of the Gospel, and as firmly believes it to be God's Truth, that he is a guilty and condemned Creature by the Law of God which he has broken, helpless and undone in himself, that the only way of Relief is thro' the Righteous­ness of JESUS Christ; there he must come, and have an Interest in it, or perish: He ap­prehends that Christ has laid no Bar against him in the Gospel, more than others, but of­fers himself a Saviour to the most Guilty, Wretched and Undone.

And, then, the second and Compleating Act of Faith is the Consent of the Will, whereby the poor and humbled Sinner freely consent, and Chearfully Complies to take Christ for his Saviour; and to lean the whole weight of his guilty Soul and all his Eternal Concerns upon him. The Person, seeing his Condemned Un­ [...]one Estate by Sin, is deeply humbled, and made [Page 99] poor in Spirit, altogether strip'd, and left quite empty of all hopes of Relief from himself: And, seeing the way of Salvation thro' Christ, which is revealed in the Gospel, he heartily closes with it, and, by a sensible lively Act of his Soul receives Christ, and leans upon him for his only Saviour, with a sweet Satisfaction he rolls over himself upon Christ to save him, thro' the Virtue of his Merits and continual Intercession, He is well pleased with this way of Salvation thro' Christ, and lays up all his hopes in him. And this Faith in Christ is not only a transient passing Act, but a settled Habit and abiding Principle in the Soul, which is often, more or less, in a sensible feeling Exercise, in a Believer's Heart; So that the whole Life which he now lives in the Flesh, he lives by the faith of the Son of God, who loved him and gave himself for him, Gal. 2.20.

Now this Knowledge of the Truths of Gods Word, which discovers the miserable Undone Condition of the Soul without Christ, and the Way of Salvation thro' his Mediation and Righ­teousness, with the Powerful Belief of them, and the hearty unfeigned Consent of the Will to this Way of Salvation, whereby the Soul freely quits all other hold, and sweetly rolls it self over on JESƲS Christ, is the substance and Sum of Saving Faith. And, by these Actings of the Soul, the Believer truly r [...]sts and leans on the Son of God, and him only for his Eternal Salvation, has his Eyes fixed upon his Media­tion alone for it, and makes him the ground of [Page 100] all his Hope, and the Foundation of his Confi­dence towards God.

From those Things you may see the Reason, why this Grace is so frequently in Scripture expressed by the terms of Knowing, believing, and ordinarily by this Name of Faith, which properly signifies the Believing of some Doctrinal Proposition; and not only by the terms of, leaning, depending, trusting, &c. The Reason is, because it consists in a knowing and certain Belief of the Gospel-Revelation of the Way of Salvation thro' Christ's Righteousness, together with the Souls free and affectionate Compliance with it's And in this Faith, the Soul necessarily receives Christ for his Saviour, and rests upon him.

Hence also, you may see, that such as are not firmly perswaded of the Truth of the great Foundation Truths of the Gospel (particularly, th [...]se which I have show'd you, the Soul, in believing, gives its hearty assent to) much more such as positively deny and misbelieve them, have no true Faith in Christ; for it is by the Believing of those that the Soul comes to close wi [...]h the Lord JESUS, and to put a sa [...]ng Trust and Affiance in him; and without [...] he cannot, it is impossible. There are many, who don't dispute those Truths; yea, farther, th [...] give a kind of a dead, and ineffectual Cre­ [...] to them, ou [...] yet they are not Certainties and Realities with them. They are enclined to believe they are true; but yet, for what they know, they may be otherwise. They would [Page 101] be far from venturing to lay down their Lives upon the Truth of them. It is evident that the Faith of such Persons is nothing else but a doubtful Opinion: whereas the Language of true. Faith is that of the Disciple, Joh. 6, 69. We believe, and are sure. This is witnessed by all the holy Martyrs of JESUS, who have laid down their Lives for the Truths of the Gospel; who were slain for the Word of God, and for the Testimony which they held, Rev. 6.9. O Sirs, here is the great danger and m [...]schief of Ignorance in the Understanding, of Unfixedness and Er­ror in the Judgment; that they keep the Soul from Union with Christ, and dishonour GOD, For he that believeth not, God hath made him a Liar▪ Because he believeth not the Record that God gave of his Son. And this is the Record, viz. that God hath given to us eternal Life, and this Life is in his Son, 1 Joh. 5, 10.11.

2dly. Having thus far opened the Nature of Saving Faith, I am next to show you, that this is the true Notion of it taught in the holy Scriptures; that this is the Faith which GOD requires in his Word. Which very evidently appears, 1st. In that the Wretched, Condemned Condition of Sinners, and the Way of Justifi­cation, and Relief thro' the Virtue of Christ's Obedience and Sufferings alone, is the true Scripture. Doctrine▪ as I have sufficiently made appear in the former Sermons.

Now, if these are the Truths of Gods [Page 102] Word, then, sure, they are to be believed; and it is as certain, that the Person who truly believes them, in so doing, must necessarily acknowledge, and be sensible of his most Miserable Undone State by Sin, renounce all Confidence in his own Righteousness, all trust in himself or any thing that he can do, and put his whole Trust in Christ alone, his whole dependance upon his Righteousness; for any other Trust and Depen­dance in this Case would be both contrary to the Doctrines of the Gospel, and inconsistent with the real Belief of them. Thus, the Lord offering Christ to Sinners, in the Gospel, as their only Saviour, certainly he requires them to receive him as such; and this, when it is done really, freely and affectionately, is the Faith which I have described. So that these Doctri­nes taught in God's Word, sufficiently discover the Nature of a true Faith in Christ. But,

2dly, The Scriptures hold forth the Nature of Faith by such expressions as, necessarily and clearly determine it to this believing De [...]en­dance upon Christs Righteousness▪ Rom. 3, 24 25. Being justified freely by his Gracy thro' the redemption that is in Jesus Christ; whom God hath set forth to be a [...]ropitation, thro' faith in his Blood. Far him his Blood, here plainly signifies a Dependance upon his Death and Sufferings, as the only price of or Redemption and Peace with God, as that thro' which only, a condemned Sinner must be Justified; and ca [...] [...]ntend nothing else. To thi [...] [...] the Apostle declares the Nature [Page 103] of his Faith, Phil. 3, 7.8.9. Expressing his entire Dependance upon the Mediatorial Righ­teousness of Christ, Renouncing all Trust upon any other Righteousness. After he had particularly related his strict legal Righteousness, and Personal Advantages, in the former part of the Chapter; But, says he, vers. 7. What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. As if he had said, Those things I have now relat­ed, and all others of the like kind, upon which before, I highly valued my self, and which I counted great gain, by which I thought to gain Heaven; I came to see that they were so far from being such gain, that they were but as dross without Christ; and so I quit all Dependance upon them for him: for whom, (says he) I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but Dung, that I may win Christ; and be found in him, not having mine own Righteousness which is of the Law, but that, which is thro' the Faith of Christ In a Word, his whole Doctrine in the case of Justi­fication, discovers this to be the Nature of his Faith; as when he says, Christ has redeemed us from the Curse of the Law, (by) being made a Curse for us. The Lord Christ himself shows this to be the Nature of Faith in him, Joh. 6. from vers. 51. When he speaks of it under the Notion of eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood.

3dly. And now, to conclude this head of the Nature of Fai [...]h, I shall endeavour to show you, how a Person comes to put such Trust in the [Page 104] Lord JESUS; upon what Ground and Encou­ragement he leans on Christ with such Satis­faction and Peace; so as, Rejecting all other Dependance, to adventure his guilty Soul wholly upon him. And in the first Place, Negatively, you must consider, that he takes not his Encou­ragement from the Consideration of any peculiar Privileges, or Personal Righteousness of his own, thinking thereby to recommend himself to Christ, or render himself any way worthy of his Righteousness; for this is but a more plausi­ble way of seeking Justification by Works, by our own Righteousness; and laying the Foun­dation of it upon something in our selves, and not entirely upon Christ.

But, in the next Place Affirmatively, The Progress of Faith in Christ is much according to these several Steps, 1st. The Soul sees that he is brought into a Miserable and condemned State by Sin: That he is a most undone Crea­ture forever, unless he can find some way of Relief, wherein he shall obtain a full Removal of his awful Guilt, and total Discharge of his Obligation to Punishing and vindictive Justice, 2dly. He sees and is sure that there is no other way of Relief for him but thro' the Mediation and Righteousness of the Redeemer Christ; according to the Scripture, and these places in particular, among others, Joh. 14.6. Acts. 4.12. Rom. 3.20 to 26. And 3dly, He conceives a strong Probability, at least of Relief this way, [...]r himself in particular; a probability of Peace with God, and e [...]caping his Wrath [Page 105] thro' Christs Righteousness; That GOD will receive him to his Love and Mercy, Poor, Wretched and Hell-deserving as he is, in his beloved Son. And this Encouragement, and Ground of Trust in Christ he takes, not from a conceit of any Worthiness in himself or his own Doings (as I have but now said) which will Recommend him to his Acceptance; But, from the All-sufficiency and Fullness which he discovers in Christ himself, and the free Offers of him in the Gospel. He sees that Christ is an All sufficient Saviour, able to save them to the utmost that come unto God by him; seeing he has offered himself for sin, a Sacrifice of infinite Value; and poured out his Soul unto Death; and not only so, but, has risen again from the Dead, and ascended up into Glory, sits at the Right Hand of the Majesty on High, and now ever liveth to make Intercession for them. He discovers likewise that Christ is fully and freely offered in the Gospel, as a Saviour; to the most Unworthy and Hell-deserving. As, Isa. 55 1. Ho, every one that Thirsteth, come ye to the Waters, and he that hath no Money; come ye buy and eat, yea, come, buy Wine and Milk without Money and without Price, Matt. 11, 28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy lader, and I will give you Rest. Now, sure, here is En­couragement enough for the convinced Sinner to receive Christ; and a sufficient Foundation for his Trust in him And thus, the poor humbled Soul seeing that he is Miserable and [Page 106] Undone by Sin, and that there is no other way of Relief or Help for him, and a high Probabi­lity, at least, this way, considering the Suffi­ciency of the Redeemer, and the Freeness of his Offer; He lets go all other Dependance, and Resolves to venture himself entirely upon the Lord JESUS; to him he will cleave, and will not let him go; for there is none else that can help him; like a Man among the devouring Waves in the open Ocean that lays fast hold upon a single Plank that's by him, with which he will not part, utterly dispairing of help any other way. The Case of the Soul in believing, sometimes, is much like that of the four Lepers at the Gate of Samaria, when the City suffered a Seige from the Enemy without, and a cruel Famine within, 2 King. 57.3.4. There were four Leprous Men at the entring in of the Gate; And [...]hey said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? If we say we will enter into the City, then the Famine is in the City, and we shall die there: And if we sit still here, we die also: Now therefore, come, and let us fall unto the Host of the Syrians, if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, We shall but die. These Men in their Extremity had some Proba­bility of help from the Syrians in their view, but quite gave up all hope any other Way; the truly humbled S [...]nner sees himself in the same strait; but he has much more Ground offered him in the Gospel to trust in Christ for his Relief than these men had to confide in the Syrian Army; he considers, like them, that if he sits still where [Page 107] he is, he shall die; if he continues in that con­demned State in which he is without Christ, he shall surely die; and if he goes any where else but to Christ, he shall die there; If he trusts to his own Righteousness, depends upon his Per­sonal Obedience and Reformation, that cannot save him, but he shall die there also. Thus being reduced to the greatest Extremity, and upholding the Glorious Encouragement opened in the Gospel of Relief and Help in Jesus Christ, he joyfully lays hold on him for his Saviour, and there he rests his weary Soul. And this is saving Faith, called, the Faith of Adherence or Dependance only, being short of a bright and full Assurance; yet it has very precious and sweet Effects: It causes the Soul to dart out the beams of a pure and transcendant Love to the Glorious God: It Introduces a sweet Joy into the Soul, and brings a balmy Peace to the wounded Conscience, in proportion to the degree of Faith and Trust which the Soul re­poses in Jesus Christ. I pray you to compare these things with the experiences of your own Souls, as I pass along, and examine whether ever you have so received Christ. O Sirs! It is much to be truly sensible of your utter Undone­ness without Christ, and absolute need of him, that nothing else can help the condemned Sin­ner: Without a sense of this, it is impossible to come to Christ; the Soul is not a [...] all in the way to believe in him. Although a Conviction of a Sinners Misery, and the deepest Poverty of Spi­rit [Page 108] renders the Sinner no way more worthy of Christ, yet it's necessary to put the Soul in the way to close with Christ, and believe in him. It's necessary in order to the acting of Faith upon him. But to proceed,

4thly. There is yet a higher degree of Faith, a more f [...]ll and sweet recumbency on the Lord Jesus, that more effectually frees the Soul from anxious Fear and Mistrust, which a Believer may advance to, and for which he has answerable Ground and Encouragement from God. The GOD of Truth, who cannot deceive, has po­sitively promised, that whosoever comes to Christ in this manner, and leans his guilty Soul wholly upon him, be he never so Vile. Poor and Unworthy, shall be accepted in him. What a blessed Assurance is that which Christ himself, the Lord of life gives, Joh. 6.37. All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me; and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. And v. 40. He assures us, that it is the Fathers Will and Pleasure, that such as so believe in him, should be eternally saved. And this, says he, is the Will of him that sent me, that every one which hath the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting Life, and I w [...]ll raise him up at the last Day. What a sweet Word is that to a Believer, 1 Pet. 2.6. Behold, I lay in Zion a Chief Corner-Stone, elect, precious; And hê that believeth-on him shall not be confounded. Now when the poor and humble Soul disc [...] this, he receives Christ, and leans [Page 109] upon him with the greater Confidence, for he has the sure Word of God for his Warrant, the Infallible Promise of Jehovah for the Foun­dation of his Faith, When he has a sight of this Security for his Acceptance in Christ, and the Acting of his Faith in Christ thereupon, is so full and sensible as to be clear to his own View, then it is the Faith of Assurance, and he is as sure that GOD is reconciled to him in Christ, as that there is a God, or that himself lives upon the Earth.

Thus, I have laid before you the Nature of a true and saving Faith: and from what has been said upon it, you may conceive how humble, low and base in his own sight a true Believer is: How deeply sensible of his Wretchedness and Poverty in himself. Hence you may see what a strong and unspeakable Love must needs fill his Heart to the Gracious God, who has pro­vided such a Remedy for so undone and vile a Creature. O Sirs, his Heart within him burns with the purest Love to the Dîvine Majesty: How exceeding dear is Christ to his Soul! well might the Apostle say, To you that believe he is precious, 1 Pet. 2.7. Christ is to him as the Apple Tree among the Trees of the Wood: His very Name is as Ointment poured forth, Cant. 3.4. What a sweet Peace and Satisfaction possesses his Soul in leaning upon his Saviour! In a Word, how freely and fully does he give up himself to Christ, to serve him while he lives to be for him, and none else forever. And now,

[Page 110]2dly. I proceed to show you the necessity of faith in Christ, in order to Justification thro' his Righteousness. That it is indispensibly neces­sary to this End, is beyond dispute with all that understand and believe the Scriptures. But I am to consider upon what account it is so necessary: what is the concern which it has in the Justifi­cation of a Sinner, upon the account of which he cannot be justified without it. Here then you must know that Faith is not concerned in Justification, as a Qualification that is any Way meritorious of it: Nothing has any Hand or part in Justification, as a Merit or Price, but the Righteousness of the Lord JESUS, as I have sufficiently made arpear, which is so full and sufficient that nothing else is necessary this way. To Christ belongs the whole honour and praise of the Purchase of Salvation. But Faith is concerned in Justification, as the Hand or In­strument which receives the Righteousness of Christ, and applies it to the Soul, according to the wise Constitution and Appointment of God in the Gospel. Upon this account it is so ne­cessary to Justification. By Faith the Soul lays hold on Christ for its Saviour; and as the Belie­ver receives Christ and depends upon his Righ­teousness, the Lord then imputes his Righ­teousness him; that is, he receives it for him, and accepts him upon the account of it, as fully as if he had produced a Righteousness sufficient of his own. The Lord now looks upon it as the Believer's Righ [...]eousness, he having laid [Page 111] hold upon it, as his only Justifying Righteous­ness, and put all his hopes in it, This is the Way which the Lord, has appointed, for the Sinner's interest in Christ's Justifying Righte­ousness, viz. By his receiving and laying hold upon it by Faith: so that as soon may a Man be saved from drowning by a Plank in the Wa­ter without laying hold upon it, as soon may a Begger be enriched by an Alms offered him, without putting forth his Hand to receive it, as a Person can be Justified by Christ, without receiving him by Faith. And indeed, it can­not in reason be expected that any should be benefited by the Gospel-Method of Grace and Salvation without their hearty Compliance with it: The Lord will save none in any way against their Wills; and none do consent and agree to this Way of Salvation thro' Christ, which God has appointed, until they embrace Christ, and close with him by Faith, but are still for being saved some other Way▪ But, O Sirs, there is no other Way in which you can be saved; and therefore, if you agree not unfeignedly to this, you are eternally Undone. And so I pass on to the

Third General Head proposed, which was, to lay before you something of the Glory and Excellency of this Method which God has esta­blished for the Justification of a condemned Sinner: it consists you see of two parts: of Merit and Purchase upon Christs part and Faith in the same, on our part. I shall a little con­sider [Page 112] the beauty of it in both these respects.

First, Then, as to the Meritorious cause of Ju­stification, the Obedience and Suffering of the Son of God: This is certainly a Scheme every way worthy of God to project for the Recovery of a Fallen and Condemned Creature; for in it his adorable Perfections receive a very Glorious Display. How glorious does his infinite Wis­dom appear in it! The Law of God, or the first Covenant Treaty of God with Man, requires a perfect Obedience in all things, and at all times, as the Condition of Eternal Life; Thie Con­dition must be fulfilled; o [...] Eternal Life can­not be obtained; but Mankind has here uni­versally come short, and so is condemned to a privative Misery, the loss of Glory and Hap­piness forever. And as upon consideration of the bare non-performance of the Condition of Life, Man is shut out of Heaven, and deprived of a a glorious Immortality by this first Covenant; so, upon consideration of his transgressing the Law of GOD, he is by the Law, according to the tenor of this Covenant, condemned to that positive Punishment which his Sin deserves, which is very dreadful and unspeakable, and which must be sustained. Now Man is utterly incapable to answer these Demands of the Law for his Recovery; and there is no other Creature able to answer the Law for him, nor willing to undertake it: Which Way then shall the Law be answered, and yet the Sinner relieved? He can not answer it himself any other Way [Page 113] than by suffering Eternally: And supposing he could in a limited duration bear all that positive Punishment which the Law doomed him to, for his Sin, yet he could have no access to the glorious everlasting Enjoyment of GOD; because he had failed in his Obedience, and not fulfilled the Condition upon which this happi­ness was promised: O then how shall both the Law be answered, and the poor Sinner saved! Would not this one Question have put the whole Creation to silence? and eternally Non-plus'd the highest reach of Creature-Thought? The Resolution of it exceeds the utmost bounds of all Creature-Invention. It would appear utterly impossible that the Law could be answered any other way than by the Sinners falling a Sacrifice to vindictive Justice. But, O Sirs, behold and admire the astonishing Wisdom of Jehovah, whereby he has made foolish the Wisdom of the World: The Second Person in the glorious Godhead, the eternal Son of God, who is God equal with the Father, takes upon him our Nature, a human body and Soul into a Personal Union with himsel [...], and thereby becomes capable of fulfilling the Law which Sinners had broken, and bearing its awful Penalty; and the infinite Dignity of his Person adds an infinite Value to his Mediation; So that the Law is fully answered in the utmost of its Demands, and a door of Hope opened for Guilty and Wretched Creatures. Oh, Asto­nishing Mystery! Without controversy great is the [Page 114] Mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the Flesh, 1 Tim. 3.16. Tho' a Crucified Christ be to the Jews a stumbling Block and to the Greeks foolishness, yet to them that are called, whether Jews or Gree [...], He is the Power of God and the Wisdom of GOD, 1 Cor. 1.23, 24. Such Wisdom as astonishes all the Saints on Earth, and all the Hosts in Heaven: Infinite Wisdom shines all round the Contrivance, such as strikes us with Astonish­ment and Wonder to behold. What a strange Method has God proposed to answer the Law and save the condemned Sinner, by the Union of God and Man in one Person; so that Wonder­ful, is justly put as the first part of our Immanuel's Name. Isa. 9.6. How difficult, and even, to a created understanding, impossible was the disco­very of any Method sufficient for the Compas­sing of this great End; But it was no difficulty with God, he has found a Ransom; And how fit and sufficient is the Mean proposed for the obtaining of the End designed. Again, the unspotted Holiness and inflexible Justice of God are clearly manifested in this Method of Salvation: Therein he has testified the dreadful desert of Sin, and his infinite Abhorrence of it; rather than it should go unpunished, he would punish it in his own dear Son; & so he has main­tained the Honour and awful Respect due to his Royal Law. But, in the last Place, how gloriously is the infinite Love of GOD, the Riches of his Grace and Compassion declared [...] O admirable Love, that God should give [Page 115] his own Well-beloved Son a Sacrifice for Hell-deserving Sinners! that the Son of God should stoop so low to save Rebellious Worms! O Sirs! How does this thought endear God to his Peo­ple, and enflame their Hearts with a returning love to him: So that by this Method of Salva­tion God eminently displays his sweetest Glory to his People, highly endears himself unto their Hearts, and advances their Happiness and Delight in Heaven, even above the Angels, who have only to sing, the Praises of creating Goodness, but they shall also sing the Praises of Redeeming Love to the Father, Son and holy Ghost for­ever while they behold the Lamb that was [...]ain in the midst of the Throne of God. How dreadfully then do they err, to the dishonour of God and the ruin of their own Souls, who, from a conceit of raising Religion to a very sublime heîght of Spiritualness, look upon a crucified Jesus as too mean and carnal a thing to be the Object of a Believers Faith, or to have his Heart much influenced and affected by: This is Spirituality, indeed, so to undervalue and despise the most glorious Expression of the divine Perfections that ever the World was acquainted with; the most beautiful Scene that ever was opened to the view of God's Rational Creation; such is the Method of Redemption thro' a crucified Saviour; and such as are truly spiritually enlightened, see it so: tho' Christ Cru­cificed be to others Foolishness, to them he is the Power of GOD and the Wisdom of God, 2 Cor. 4.6. God [Page 116] who commanded the Light to shine out of Darkness hath shined in our Hearts, to give the Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of JESUS CHRIST.

And then 2dly, As to Faith, the Instru­mental Cause of Justification: The Gos­pel Method of Salvation appears amiable and beautiful in that Faith in Christ is therein made of indispensible Necessity for the Application of his Righteousness to the Soul: for is it not very becoming a Guilty and vile Creature, deserving of God's Wrath, that he should be sensible to whom he is beholden for his Salva­tion, especially when it has been purchas­ed for him at so dear a Rate; and so, that he should give the whole Glory and Praise to the Author of it, and take to himself Shame and Confusion of Face? Is it not reasonable that the Lord JESUS should have the whole Glory of redemp­tion given to him by his redeemed Ones? Now these Things are only provided for by this appointment of Faith: without Faith Christ should not have the just Honours of his Mediation paid to him; the Unbeliever robs him of them. And then again, By this Constitution of the necessity [Page 117] of Faith, there is Provision made for [...]e Sanctification and Holiness of those who are Justified by Christ▪ had there been no Provision made this way in the Gospel-Method of Justification, had Provision only been made for the Salvation of Sin­ners from the punishment of Hell and not also from the Power and Dominion of Sin, this, had been a Stain and Ble­mish in it, and matr'd all it's Beauty: But Faith in Christ has a powerful in­fluence upon holiness of Life; as evi­dently appears from its very Nature, as I have before explain'd it to you; for Faith endears Christ to the Soul, and fills it with the purest Love to his Ma­jesty; It works by love, as the Apostle tells us, (Gal. 5.6.) and Love works by Obedience; a Person that truly loves Christ, delights to honour and Please him, by obeying his Commands, and therefore himself tells us, Joh. 14 23. If a man loves me, he will keep my Words. A total Rejecting of all Dependance upon our Obedience, and depending intirely upon Christ, is the surest Foundation of Obedience, and the only Principle from whence a pure Obedience flows: GOD [Page 118] regards not that Mercenary Obedience which blind Sinners perform from a legal Principle, thinking by their faithless, graceless Services to recommend them­selves to the Acceptance of the holy God: When Obedience, I say, flows from this Spring, it is no true Obedience to God; He detests and abhors it; that is only pleasing in his sight which proceeds from a pure love kindled by the Grace of Faith.