and love that of God that yet is in them. All is thee thy desert! good that is of God. 4. If all things be of God, as the creator and conserver, we must hence remember on whom it is that ourselves and all things else depend. 'In him we live, move, and have our being.He upholds all things by the word of his power,' the earth stands upon his will and word. The nations are in his hands, so are the lives of our friends and enemies, and so are ourselves. Therefore our eye must be upon him; our care must be to please him; and our trust and quietness must be in him; and blessed is he that maketh sure of an interest in his special love. Would any of you support your enemy, as God doth you. CHAP. XI. As we must know God as our Creator, so also as our Redeemer; of which I shall say but little now, because I have mentioned it more fully in the Directions for Sound Conversion. It is life eternal to know the Father, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.' The Father redeems us by the Son, whom he sent, whose sacrifice he accepted, and in whom he is well pleased; and this must have these effects upon our souls. ful, miserable men. 1. We must be hence convinced, that we are not now in a state of innocency, nor to be saved 5. Hence also we must observe the vanity of as innocents, or on the terms of the law of our all creature-confidence, and our hearts must be creation: but salvation is now by a Redeemer: withdrawn from resting in any means or instru- and therefore consists in our recovery and resments. They are nothing to us, and can do no-toration. The objects of it are only lapsed, sinthing for us, but what they have or do from him Name the creature if you that made and preserves us. can, since Adam, that stood before God here in the flesh, in a state of personal, perfect innocency, except the immaculate Lamb of God. If God, as Creator, should now save any, without respect to a redemption, it must be on the terms of the law of creation: upon which it is certain that no man hath or shall be saved; that is, upon perfect, personal, persevering obedience. You cannot exempt infants themselves from sin and misery, without exempting them from Christ the Redeemer, and the remedy. There is none righteous (in himself without a Redeemer) no not one.--They are all gone out of the way.— That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.' And if all the world be guilty, none are innocent: therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.-All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.-Through the offence of one, many are dead.—And the judgment was by one to condemnation.-By the offence of one, death reigned by one. By the offence of one, judg ment came on all men to condemnation. By one man's disobedience many were made sinners. We were shapen in iniquity, and in sin did our mother conceive us. We were by nature the children of wrath, and dead in trespasses and sins. In Adam all die. We thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead-Christ is the Saviour of the body.-Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might 6. And lastly, hence also we may see the patience and goodness of the Lord, that as he refused not to make those men that he foreknew would live ungodlily, so he denies not to uphold their being, even while they sin against him. All the while that they are abusing his creatures, they are sustained by him, and have those creatures from him. From him the drunkard hath his drink, and the glutton his meat, and the voluptuous youth their abused health and strength; and all men have from him the powers or faculties of soul and body by which they sin. And shall any be so ungrateful as to say therefore that God doth cause their sin? It is true, he can easily stop thy breath while thou art swearing, lying, and speaking against the service of God that made thee: and wouldst thou have him do so? He can easily take away the meat, drink, riches, health, and life which thou abusest; and wouldst thou have him do it? He can easily keep thee from sinning any more on earth, by cutting off thy life, and sending thee to pay for what thou hast done: and art thou content with this? Must he be taken to be a partaker in thy sin, because he doth not strike thee dead, or lame, or speechless, or disable thee from sinning? Provoke him not by thy blasphemies, lest he clear himself in a way that thou desirest not. But O wonder at his patience, that holds thee in his hand, and keeps thee from falling into the grave and hell, while thou art sinning against him! While a curse or oath is in thy mouth, he could let thee fall into utter misery. How often hast thou provoked him to take thee in thy lust, in thy rage, or in thy neglect of God, and give sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of means of death for the redemption of transgreswater, by the word, that he might present it sions.' So that all scripture speaks this truth to himself a glorious church.' If infants have aloud to us, that there is now no salvation prono sin and misery, then they are none of the mised but to the church, the justified, the regenbody, the church, which Christ loved and gave erated, the redeemed; and that none can be cahimself for, that he might cleanse it. But what pable of these but sinners, and such as are lost further proof need we when we have the common and miserable in themselves. Till our necesexperience of all the world? Would every man sity be understood, redemption cannot be well that is born of a woman, without exception, so understood. They that believe that Christ died early manifest sin in the life, if there were no not only for this or that man in particular, but corrupt disposition at the heart? And should for the world, methinks, should believe that the all mankind without exception, taste of the pun- world are sinners, and need his death. He is ishment of sin, if they had no participation of called the Saviour of the world,' and 'the Sa the guilt? Death is the wages of sin; and by viour of all men, especially of believers.-We sin death entered into the world, and it passeth have seen and do testify that the Father sent upon all men, for that all have sinned.' Infants the Son to be the Saviour of the world. And from have sickness, torments, and death, which are what doth he save them? From their sins,' and the fruits of sin. And were they not presented from the wrath to come.'-' For this is a faithful to Christ as a Saviour, when he took them in his saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ arms and blessed them, and said, 'of such is the Jesus came into the world to save sinners.' Inkingdom of God?' Certainly, none that never fants then are sinners, or none of those that he were guilty, or miserable, are capable of a place came to save. Christ hath made no man rightin the kingdom of the Mediator. For to what eous by his obedience, but such as Adam made end should he mediate for them; or how can sinners by his disobedience; For as by one he redeem them, that need not a redemption? man's disobedience, many were made sinners, so or how should he reconcile them to God, that by the obedience of one, many shall be made never were at enmity with him? Or how can righteous.' Infants are not made righteous by he wash them that never were unclean? Or how Christ, if they were not sinners: and sinners can he be a physician to them that never were they cannot be by any but original sin. 'God sick; when the whole have no need of the phy- commended his love to us, in that while we sician.' He came to seek and to save that which were yet sinners Christ died for us: much more was lost, and to save his people from their sins.' being now justified by his blood, we shall be They are none of his saved people therefore, that saved from wrath through him: when we were had no sin. He came to redeem those that enemies, we were reconciled to God by the were under the law.' But it is most certain, death of his Son,' so that it is sinners that that infants were under the law, as well as the Christ died for, and sinners that are justified by adult and they were a part of his people Israel, his blood, and sinners that are reconciled to God. whom he visited and redeemed. If ever they be Infants therefore are sinners, or they are none admitted into glory, they must praise him that of the redeemed, justified or reconciled. And redeemed them by his blood. when Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, did taste death for every man, infants are surely included. There is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all. Therefore all had sin and misery, and needed that ransom. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.' And is it not plain then that the whole world are sinners? : 6 God doth first justify those whom he glorifies, and they must be born again, that will enter into his kingdom.' There is no regeneration or renovation but from sin, nor any justification but from sin, and from what we could not be justified from by the law of Moses, nor any justification but what contains remission of sin; and where there is no sin, there is none to be remitted. Nor is there any justification but what is through the redemption that is in Christ Je- I speak all this for the evincing of original sin sus, and his propitiation. He is made of God only, because that only is denied by such as yet redemption to us.' And the redemption that we pretend to Christianity; for actual sin is comhave by him is remission of sins by his blood. monly confessed, and shows itself. And truly -By his own blood entered he once into the so doth original sin, in our proneness to actual: holy place, having obtained eternal redemption and in the earliness and commonness of such evil for us the eternal inheritance is received by inclinations; and in the remnants of it, which the sanctified feel, though they are such as were sanctified ever so early, before actual sin had time to breed those evil habits, which therefore certainly were born with us. If the image of God, consisting in true holiness, be not natural, or born in every infant in the world, then original sin must needs be born with them: for that sin is either only or chiefly the privation of that image or holiness. He that will say that this image is not requisite to infants, and so that the absence of it is a mere negation, doth make them brutes, and not of the race of man, whom God created after his image and leaves them incapable of heaven or hell, or any other life than beasts have. He that thinks so of infants to-day, may think so of himself tomorrow. He that will affirm that this image or holiness is born with every infant into the world, so wilfully contradicts common evidence, which appears in the contrary effects, that he is not worthy to be further talked with. One thing more I will propound yet to the contrary-minded; can they say that any infants are saved or not? If not, either they perish as brutes, which is a brutish opinion, or they live in misery; and then, they had sin that did deserve it; yea, if they think that any of them perish in the wrath to come, it must be for sin. If they think that any of them are saved, it is either by covenant, or without: there is some promise for it, or there is none. If none, then no man can say that any of them are saved. For who hath known the mind of the Lord without his revelation? It is arrogancy to tell the world of the saving of any whom God did no way reveal that he will save. But if they plead a revelation or promise, it is either the covenant of nature or of grace; a promise contained in nature, law or gospel. The former cannot be affirmed, not only because the dissenters themselves deny any such covenant to have been in nature, or any way made to Adam, but because there is no such covenant or promise in nature to be found, for the salvation of all infants; and if not for all, then for none and because it is contrary to abundance of plain passages in the scriptures, that assure us there is but one covenant of salvation now in force: and that all the world shall become guilty before God, and every mouth be stopped,' and that by the deeds of the law no flesh shall be justified in his sight,' and if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. For as many as are of the works of the law, are under the curse.- -And that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, is evident; for the just shall live by faith; and the law is not of faith; but the man that doth them shall live in them.' Certainly the law of nature requires not less than Moses' law to a man's justification, if not more. And if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.' By the fulness of this evidence, it is easy to see, that infants and all mankind are sinners, and therefore have need of the Redeemer. He 2. To know God as our Redeemer, contains the knowledge of the great ends of our redemption, and of the manifestation of God to man thereby. Having treated of these on a former occasion, I shall now say but this in brief. It is beyond dispute, that God could have made man capable of glory, and kept him from falling by confirming grace, and, without a Redeemer, settled him in felicity as he did the angels. that foresaw man's fall, and necessity of a Saviour, could easily have prevented that sin and necessity: but he would not; he did not but chose rather to permit it, and save man by the way of a Redeemer. In which his infinite wisdom is exceedingly manifested. And in Christ, who is the power and wisdom of God, among others these excellent effects are declared to us, which the way of redemption attains, above what the saving us on the terms of nature would have attained. 1. God is now wonderfully admired and magnified in the person of the Redeemer. Angels themselves desire to pry into this mystery, as the frame of nature is set to us to see God in, where we daily as in a glass behold him and admire him; so the person of the Redeemer, and work of incarnation and redemption, is set to the angels for their contemplation and admiration, as well as to us: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known, by the church, the manifold wisdom of God.' In the glorious perfection and dignity of the Redeemer, will God be for ever glorified; for his greatest works do most honour him: and as the sun doth now to us more honour him than a star, so the glorified person of the Redeemer, doth more honour God than man or angels. 'He is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels, authorities, and powers, being made subject to him.-Being raised from the dead, God hath set him at his own right hand in heavenly places, far above all principalities, powers, might, dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they?' Here a very great truth appears, which very many overlook, that the exaltation of the person of the Redeemer, and the glory that God will have in him, is a higher and more principal part of God's intent in the sending of him to be incarnate and redeem us, than the glorifying of man, and of God by us. Christ will be more glorious than men or angels, and therefore will more glorify God; and God will eternally take more complacency in him than in men or angels: and therefore, though in several respects he is for us, and the means of our felicity, and we are for him, and the means of his glory, as the head is for the body, and the body for the head, yet we are more for Christ as a means to his glory, than he for us: I mean he is the more excellent principal end. For to this end Christ both died, rose and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living;-who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross: wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name, which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, both of things in heaven and things in earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts, and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands: saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing: and every creature which is in heaven, and in earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, honour, glory and power be unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.-The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it; for the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. -The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him; and they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads.' These and many other scriptures show us, that God will be for ever glorified in the person of the Redeemer, more than in either men or angels; and consequently that it was the principal part of his intention in the design of man's redemption. In the way of redemption man will be saved with greater humiliation and self-denial than he should have been in the way of creation. If we had been saved in a way of innocency, we should have had more to ascribe to ourselves. It is meet that all creatures be humbled and abased and nothing in themselves, before the Lord. 3. By the way of redemption, sin will be the more dishonoured, and holiness more advanced, than if sin had never been known in the world. Contraries illustrate one another. Health would not be so much valued, if there were no sickness: nor life, if there were no death: nor day, if there were no night: nor knowledge, if there were no ignorance: nor good, if man had not known evil. The holiness of God would never have appeared in execution of vindictive justice against sin, if there had never been any sin; and therefore he hath permitted it, and will recover us from it, when he could have prevented our falling into it. 4. By this way also, holiness and recovering grace shall be more triumphant against the devil and all its enemies: by the many conquests that Christ will make over Satan, the world and the flesh, and death, there will very much of God be seen to us, that innocency would not thus have manifested. 5. Redemption brings God nearer unto man: the mystery of incarnation gives us wonderful advantages to have more familiar thoughts of God, and to see him in a clearer glass, than ever we should else have seen him in on earth, and to have access with boldness to the throne of grace. The pure Deity is at so vast a distance from us, while we are here in flesh, that if it had not appeared in the flesh unto us, we should have been at a greater loss. But now without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory.' 6. In the way of redemption, man is brought | God as friends and children, with love and thankto more earnest and frequent addresses unto fulness, than to serve him merely as the most God, and dependence on him: necessity drives loyal subjects, or with an obedience that hath less him and he hath use for more of God, or for of love. God in more of the ways of his mercy, than else he would have had. 7. Principally in this way of saving miserable man by a Redeemer, there is opportunity for the more abundant exercise of God's mercy, and consequently for the more glorious discovery of his love and goodness to the sons of men, than if they had fallen into no such necessities. Misery prepares men for the sense of mercy. In the Redeemer there is so wonderful a discovery of love and mercy, as is the astonishment of men and angels. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God!'-' God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness towards us by Christ Jesus; for by grace ye are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.'-'For we ourselves were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, &c. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.' Never was there such a discovery of God as he is love, in a way of mercy to man on earth, as in the Redeemer, and his benefits. 8. In the way of redemption the soul of man is formed to the most sweet and excellent temper, and his obedience cast into the happiest mould. The glorious demonstration of love, doth animate us with love to God; and the shedding abroad of his love in our hearts by the Spirit of the Redeemer, doth draw out our hearts in love to him again: and the sense of his wonderful love and mercy fills us with thankfulness: so that love is hereby made the nature of the new man; and thankfulness is the life of all our obedience: for all flows from these principles, and expresses them: so that love is the compendium of all holiness in one word; and thankfulness of all evangelical obedience. And it is a more sweet and excellent state of life, to be the spouse of Christ, and his members, and serve 9. In the way of redemption, holiness is more admirably exemplified in Christ, than it was, or would have been in Adam. Adam would never have declared it in that eminency of love to others, submission to Cod, contempt of the world, self-denial, and conquest of Satan, as Christ hath done. 10. In the way of redemption, there is a double obligation laid upon man for every duty. To the obligations of creation, all the obligations of redemption and the new creation are superadded: and this threefold cord should not so easily be broken. Here are moral means more powerfully to hold the soul to God. 6 11. In this way there is a clearer discovery of the everlasting state of man, and life and immortality are more fully brought to light by the gospel, than, for ought we find in scripture, they were to innocent man himself. No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son that is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.'-' For no man hath ascended up into heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man, which is in heaven.' 12. Man will be advanced to the judging of the ungodly and of the conquered angels: even by the good will of the Father, and a participation in the honour of Christ our head, and by a participation in his victories, and by our own victories in his strength, by the right of conquest, we shall judge with Christ, both devils and men, that were enemies to him, and our salvation: and there is more in that promise than we yet well understand; he that overcometh, and keepeth my words unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers, even as I received of my Father.' 13. That which Augustine so much insists on, I think is also plain in scripture, that the salvation of the elect is better secured in the hands of Christ, than his own or any of his posterities was in the hands of Adam. We know that Adam lost that which was committed to him: but we know whom we have believed, and are persuaded, that he is able to keep that which we commit to him, against that day.' Force not these scriptures against our own consolation, and the glory of our Redeemer, and then judge, as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast |