joice in the Lord, and let no earthly trouble or affliction ever have power to interrupt their joy for a moment, after fuch a deliverance as this.

Inf 2. How unreasonable and wholly inexcufable is the fin of apoftafy from Jefus Chrift? What is it but for a delivered captive to put his feet again into the fhackles; his hands into the manacles; his neck into the iron yoke, from which he hath been delivered? It is faid, Mat. xii. 44, 45. "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, "he walketh through dry places, feeking reft and findeth none: "Then he faith, I will return into mine houfe from whence I came "out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, fwept, and

garnished; then goeth he, and taketh with him feven other "fpirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell "there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” Even as a prifoner that hath escaped, and is again recovered, is loaded with double irons. Let the people of God be content to run any hazard, endure any difficulties in the way of religion, rather than return again into their former bondage, to fin and Satan. O Chriftian! if ever God gave thee a fight and a sense of the misery and danger of thy natural state, if ever thou haft felt the pangs of a labouring and diftreffed confcience, and, after all this, tafted the unspeakable sweetness of the peace and reft that are in Christ, thou wilt rather chufe to die ten thousand deaths, than to forfake Chrift, and go back again into that fad condition.

Inf. 3. How fuitable and well-becoming is a free Spirit in believers to their fate of liberty and freedom? Chrift hath made your condition free, Olet the temper and frame of your hearts be free alfo; do all that you do for God with a fpirit of freedom; not by constraint, but willingly. Methinks, Chriftians, the new nature that is in you should stand for a command, and be instead of all arguments that use to work upon the hopes and fears of other men. See how all creatures work according to the principle of their natures. You need not command a mother to draw forth her breasts to a fucking child; nature itself teaches and prompts to that. You need not bid the sea ebb and flow at the stated hours. O Chriftian! why fhould thy heart need any other argument, than its own fpiritual inclination, to keep its ftated times and feafons of communion with God? Let none of God's commandments be grievous to you : let not thine heart need dragging and forcing to its own benefit and advantage. Whatever you do for God, do it cheerfully; and whatever you fuffer for God fuffer it cheerfully. It was a brave spirit which actuated holy Paul," I am ready, "(faith he) not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerufalem "for the name of the Lord Jefus," Acts xxi. 13.

Inf. 4. Let no man wonder at the enmity and oppofition of Satan to

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the preaching of the gospel: for by the gospel it is that souls are recovered out of his power, Acts xxvi. 18. It is the exprefs work of ministers" to turn men from darknefs to light, and from the "power of Satan unto God." Satan (as one faith) is a great and jealous prince: he will never endure to have liberty proclaimed by the minifters of Chrift within his dominions. And, indeed, what is it lefs, when the gospel is preached in power, but as it were by beat of drum, and found of trumpet, to proclaim liberty, fpiritual, fweet, and everlasting liberty, to every foul fenfible of the bondage of corruption and the cruel fervitude of Satan, and will now come over to Jefus Chrift? And O what numbers and multitudes of prisoners have broken loofe from Satan at one proclamation of Chrift, Acts ii. 41. But Satan owes the fervants of Christ a fpite for this, and will be fure to pay them if ever they come within his reach; perfecution is the evil genius of the gospel, and follows it as the thadow doth the body.

Inf. 5. How careful should Christians be to maintain their spiritual liberty in all and every point thereof! " ftand faft (faith "Paul) in the liberty wherewith Chrift hath made us free, and "be not again entangled in the yoke of bondage," Gal. v. 1. And again, "Ye are bought with a price, be not ye the fervants "of men." It is Chrift's prerogative to prefcribe the rules of his own houfe; he hath given no man dominion over your faith, 2 Cor. i. 24. One man is no rule to another, but the word of Chrift is a rule to all: follow not the holieft of men one step farther than they follow Chrift, 1 Cor. xi. 4. Man is an ambitious creature, naturally affecting dominion; and dominion over the mind rather than over the body. To give law to others, feeds pride in himself: fo far as any man brings the word of Chrift to warrant his injunctions, fo far we are to obey, and no farther: Chrift is your Lord and Lawgiver.

Inf. 6. Laftly, Let this encourage and perfuade finners to come to Chrift; for with him is fweet liberty for poor captives. Oh that you did but know what a bleffed ftate Jefus Chrift would bring you into!"Come unto me (faith he) ye that labour and are "heavy laden :" and what encouragement doth he give to comers? Why this, "My yoke is eafy, and my burden is light." The devil perfuades you, that the ways of obedience and strict godliness are a perfect bondage; but if ever God regenerate you, you will find his ways, "ways of pleafantnefs, and all his paths peace: you "will rejoice in the way of his commandments as much as in all "riches" you will find the worft work Chrift puts you about, even fuffering work, fweeter than all the pleasures that ever you found in fin. O therefore open your hearts at the call of the gofpel: Come unto Chrift, then shall you be free indeed.

SERMON XIX.

The Saints coming home to God by Reconciliation and Glorification, opened and applied.

1 PET. iii. 18.

For Chrift hath once fuffered for fins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.

THE

THE fcope of the apoftle in this place is to prepare and fortify Chriftians for a day of fuffering. In order to their cheerful fuftaining whereof, he prefcribeth two excellent rules of mighty ufe for all fuffering Christians.

First, To get a good confcience within them, ver. 16, 17. hie murus aheneus efto.

Secondly, To fet the example of Chrift's fufferings before them, ver. 18. For Chrift hath once fuffered for finners;" the fufferings of Chrift for us, is the great motive engaging Chriftians to fuffer cheerfully for him.

In the words before us we have,

First, The fufficiency and fulness of Chrift's fufferings intimated in that particle [once]; Chrift needs to fuffer no more, having finished and completed that whole work at once.

Secondly, The meritorious caufe of the sufferings of Christ, and that is fin, Chrift once fuffered for fins; not his own fins, but ours; as it follows in the next claufe, which is the third thing here obfervable, viz.

Thirdly, The admirable grace and unexampled love of Chrift to us finners, the juft for the unjust; in which words the fubftitution of Chrift in the room and place of finners, the vicegerence of his death is plainly expreffed. Chrift died not only noftro bono, for our good, but also noftro loco, in our stead.

Fourthly, Here is alfo the final caufe, or defign and scope of the fufferings of Chrift, which was to bring us to God.

Fifthly, Here is alfo the iffue of the fufferings of Chrift, which was the death of Chrift in the flesh, and the quickening of Christ after death by the Spirit. Many excellent obfervations are lodged in the bofom of this fcripture; all which I muft pafs over in filence at this time, and confine my difcourfe to the final cause of the suf- | ferings of Christ, namely, that he might bring us to God: where the obfervation will be plainly and briefly this.

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Doct. That the end of Chrifl's curfed death, and bitter fufferings, was to bring all thofe for whom he died unto God.

In the explication and preparation of this point for ufe, two things must be spoken unto, viz.

1. What Chrift's bringing us to God imports?

2. What influence the death of Chrift hath upon this design of bringing us to God?

First, What Chrift's bringing us to God imports? And certainly there be many great and excellent things contained in this expreffion: more generally it notes our state of reconciliation, and our state of glorification. By reconciliation we are brought nigh to God, Eph. ii. 13. "Ye are made nigh," i. e. reconciled, "by the blood of Christ," Heb. xii. 22, 23. we are faid " to come "to God the Judge of all." By reconciliation we are brought nigh unto God now; by glorification we fhall be brought home to God hereafter, 1 Thef. iv. 17. "We fhall be ever with the Lord." But more particularly this phrafe," that he might bring us to "God," imports,

First, That the chief happiness of man confifteth in the enjoyment of God: that the creature hath as neceffary dependence upon God for happiness, as the ftream hath upon the fountain, or the image in the glafs upon the face of him that looks into it. For as the fum of the creature's mifery lies in this, depart from me; feparation from God being the principal part of damnation; fo, on the contrary, the chief happiness of the creature confifteth in the enjoyment and blessed vifion of God, 1 John iii. 2. Pfal. xvii. 15"I fhall be fatisfied when I awake with thy likeness.”

Secondly, It implies man's revolt and apoftafy from God, Eph. ii. 12. "But now in Chrift Jefus, ye who were fome time afar off, "are made nigh by the blood of Chrift." Thofe whom Chrift bringeth unto God were before afar off from him, both in state and condition, and in temper and difpofition: we were loft creatures, and had no defire to return to God*. The prodigal was faid to go into a far country, Luke xv. 30.

Thirdly, Chrift's bringing us to God, implies our inability to return to God of ourselves; we must be brought back by Chrift, or perifh for ever in a state of feparation from God: the loft fheep is made the emblem of the loft finner, Luke xv. 5. The fheep returns not to the fold of itself, but the fhepherd feeks it, finds it, and carries it back upon his fhoulders. And the apoftle plainly tells us, Rom..v. 6. That when we were without ftrength, i. e. any

Although the faculties of the foul were not extinguished by the fall, yet their inclination to ipiritual objects was wholly loft, Zeam. on the image of God.

ability to recover, help, or fave ourselves, in due time Chrift died for the ungodly.

Fourthly, Chrift's bringing us to God evidently implies this, that God's unfatisfied juftice was once the great bar betwixt him and man. Man can have no access to God but by Christ: Chrift brings us to God by no other way but the way of fatisfaction by his blood: "He hath fuffered for fins, the just for the unjust, that "he might bring us to God." Better ten thousand worlds fhould perish for ever, than that God fhould lofe the honour of his juftice. This great obex, or bar to our enjoyment of God, is ef fectually removed by the death of Chrift, whereby God's justice is not only fully fatisfied, but highly honoured and glorified, Rom. iii. 24. And fo the way by which we are brought to God is again opened (to the wonder and joy of all believers) by the blood and fufferings of Christ.

Fifthly, and laftly, It fhews us the peculiar happiness and privilege of believers above all people in the world: thefe only are they which shall be brought to God by Jesus Christ in a reconciled ftate: others, indeed, shall be brought to God as a Judge, to be condemned by him: believers only are brought to God in the Media- «tor's hand, as a reconciled Father, to be made bleffed for ever in the enjoyment of him: every believer is brought fingly to God at his death, Luke xvi. 22. And all believers fhall be jointly and folemnly prefented to God in the great day, Col. i. 22. Jude, ver. 24. They fhall be all prefented faultlefs before the prefence of his glory with exceeding joy. Now the privilege of believers in that day will lie in divers things.

First, That they fhall be all brought to God together. This will be the general affembly mentioned, Heb. xii. 22. There fhall be a collection of all believers, in all ages of the world, into one bleffed affembly; they fhall come from the eat, and weft, and north, and fouth, and fhall fit down in the kingdom of God, Luke xiii. 29. O what a glorious train will be feen following the Redeemer in that day!

Secondly, As all the faints fhall be collected into one body; fo they shall be all brought or prefented unto God, faultlefs and without blemish, Jude, ver. 24. " A glorious church, without spot or "wrinkle, or any fuch thing," Eph. v. 27. For this is the general affembly of the spirits of just men that are made perfect, Heb. xii. 23. All fin was perfectly feparated from them when death had feparated their fouls and bodies.

Thirdly, In this lies the privilege of believers, that as they shall be all brought together, and that in a state of abfolute purity, and perfection, fo they fhall be all brought to God: they fhall fee his face, in the vifion whereof is "fulness of joy, and at whose right