But whofoever takes the Sentence of Condemnation unto them, and fubfcribes to the Righteoufnefs of the Lord's Curfe upon them, we do invite all fuch in the Lord's Name, to come in hither, even to Jefus Chrift, There is no Condemnation to them that are in him. If you stand is the Habitation of it, but Mercy and Lord's Name, you are under the Curfe of Truth goeth before the Judges Face, and God: Will you yet fit fecure, and put come nearest Sinners, to give them Accefs. the evil Day far from you. Oh! rather And this you may appeal unto, from trouble your Peace for a Seafon, with the that Tribunal of Juftice. But there is Confideration of your Sins, enter in Forgiveness with thee, &c. Pfal. cxxx. Judgment with your felves, till you fee 4, 5, And whoever comes here, Chrift nothing but perifhing in your felves, and Jefus fits on this Throne, to abfolve him there is no Hazard, because he is Salvatifrom that Sentence. If you ask what Eon brought near in the Gospel. If you quity is in it, is not this a Prejudice to Juf will not trouble your felves fo much, as tice, and an Abomination to the Lord, to to judge your felves, then you shall be juftifie the wicked and ungodly Sinner? I judged when there is no Mediator, to fay, it is no Iniquity, because Jefus Chrift plead for you, none to appeal unto. hath paid the Price for us, and was made a Curse for our Sins, that we might be the Righteoufnefs of God in him; and therefore it is juft with God to forgive Sins, to relax that Sinner from the Condemnation of the Law, that flies into Jefus Chrift. You many anfwer Juftice, I will not take this for God's laft Word, fcrupulous, making many Queftions in fuch I hear that all final Judgment is committed a Matter of fo great Neceflity, you wrong. to the Son, that he may give Life to your own Soul, and dishonour him; whom he will: He calls me, and to him know this, that God is in Chrift, reconwill I go, for be bath the Words of eter-ciling the World to himself: Therefore nal Life, he will justifie, and who fall thou condemned Sinner may come to condemn? God in Chrift: If you ask any Warrant, Now if any Man will not now arraign we think there shall be no fuch questionhimself before the Tribunal of God's Juf-ing, when you are in fo great Neceffity.. fice, if he will not fearch his Guiltinefs If a Man were starving without a City, till his Mouth be stopped; and hear his Sentence of Condemnation read, and take with it: That Man can come to Jefus Chrift, to be abfolved, for he justifieth none but Self-condemned and loft Sinners; fo your Day is but yet coming, when you must answer to Justice, the Tribunal of Mercy fhall be removed, and Chrift fhall fit upon a Throne of pure Juftice, to judge thefe who judged not themselves. Alas! for your Lofs, the moft part of you: I pity you, you live in great Peace and Quietnels without the Ports of the City of Refuge. We declare unto you in the and it were told him there is Plenty with in, were he not a Fool that would make any more Bufinefs, but labour to enter in. This is enough to croft all your Objections, your are in extream Neceffity, and like to perish within your felf, He is able to fave to the utmot all that come to him. What would more, let there be then a Clofure between abfolute Neceffity, and fufficient Ability to fave Will you yet. ftand difputing without the City, when the Avenger of Blood is above your Head? If you will yet prefs for fome more Ground and Warrant of believing, then I me, but I have chofen you, and loved you first. If ye will not yet believe this, look upon his Command; This is bis Command, that ye believe on the Son, I John iii. 23. What Warrand have ye to do any Duty he commands? and why do ye more question this? Is not this his Command? and is it not more peremptory, because a new Command, and his laft Command? And when withall he boafts us in to his Son, that ye may have Life. Oh! who should have the Face, to Question any more his Willingnefs? Other Grounds than thefe I know none: And I think if any come to Chrift, or pretend to come on other Grounds, he comes not right. If the most holy Man comes not in among ungodly Sinners, if he do not walk upon the Grounds of his own extream Neceffity, and Chrift's Sufficiency, he cannot come to Jefus Chrift. will tell you, all that I know is in the Word for a Ground of Faith, you have great Mifery and Neceffity within you; that you grant, and it is your Complaint; Chrift hath Mercy and Sufficiency of Grace in him, he is able to fave to the _utmoft, that you cannot deny: But I do add this Third, he is willing alfo to fave thee, whoever will be willing to be faved by him; nay, he is more willing than thou art. If you question this, I defire you but to confider the whole Tenor of the Gofpel; How many Invitations? How many Perfwafions? How many Promimifes to those who come? Yea, how many Commands, and that Peremptory, to believe on him? Yea, how many Threatnings against you, if you will not come to him to have Life? Hath he given himself for the Sins of the World, and will he not be willing that Sinners partake of that he was at fo much Pains to pur-There is a Conceit among People, which chafe? Think you that Chrift will be if it were not fo common as it is, I would Content his Death should be in vain? And not mention it, it is fo ridiculous: How it should be in vain, if he did not welcome can I come to Chrift fo unclean and so guilthe worst Sinners: Yea, it should be in ty, nothing but Condemnation in me? vain, if he did not draw them to him, If I were fuch and foch, I would come to and make them willing. But befides this, him. Alas there can nothing be imahe hath promised fo abfolutely and freely, gined more abfurd, or contary even to and fully, as there should be no Exception Senfe and Reason. If thou wert fuch and imaginable against it: Him that cometb, fuch, as thou fancies a Defire to be, thou I will not in any Cafe caft out, John vi. wouldft not come to Chrift, thou needed 37. Why do you imagine any Cafe where him not; that which thou pretends as a Chrift hath made none? Why do you Sin Reason why thou should not come, is the against your own Souls? Oh! if I were great Reason preffed in the Gospel, why in Chrift, fay you, I would be well; and, thou should come. What Madness is this? Oh that he would welcome fuch a I am fo unclean, I will not come to the Sinner. Chrift anfwers thee in exprefs Fountain to wash: Wherefore was the Terms, Whosoever will, let bim take Fountain opened, but for Sin and Unand drink freely. Thou declares thy cleanness? and the more Uncleanness, Willingness in fo fpeaking, and he declares the more Need, and the more Need, his Willingness in fo promifing. Nay, the more Reason to come: Necef thy looking afar off on him, is a Fruit fity is a great Errand, and our Errof his Willingness: Ye have not chofen rand is a fufficienty Warrand. I am pur. purfued by the Law, I have Condemnation who are delivered from them through within me, and nothing but Condemnati Chrift; and my Reafon is, that ye may on: Well then, come to Chrift Jefus, know how great a Salvation ye have rethe City of Refuge, where no Condem-ceived, how great a Condemnation ye nation is. Wherefore was this City ap-have efcaped, and may henceforth walk pointed, but for this End? I befeech as these who are bought with a Price.. you every one who ufeth thofe Debates, Your Creation makes you not your own, and taketh a kind of Delight in them, know but his, because he gave that Being: But what they mean, how they wrong your your Redemption should make you twice own Souls, how they difhonour Chrift, more his, and not your own, because, and fo God the Father; nay, how foolish when that Being was worse than if it had and ridiculous they are, that if it were not not been at all, he made it over again ; your Perplexity indeed, they deferved no fo ye are twice his: First he made you Anfwer, but a Rebuke, or Silence. have with a Word, but now he hath bought with feen. People take Delight in moving Ob- a Price, and that a dear Price, his Blood. jections against the Truth, yea, and ftu- Again, the keeping this Curfe always in dying earnestly how to object against any your View and Sight, and Application of Answers given from the Truth Alas! it unto your Sins, will make much Imthou meddles to thine own Hurt, thou art ployment for Chrift: O how will ye of upon a Way which shall never yield thee ten flee into that City? I think they are any Comfort, but keep thy Soul from the greatest Enemies of Jefus Chrift, and Eftablishment, as a Wave toffed up and his Grace, who would have a Believer down. If ye believe not, but difpute, have no more ufe of the Law: I know ye fball not be eftablished. not who can use the Law, if he do it not; I know not who can apply it unto Chrift the End of it, but he: Certainly he hathnot only ufe of the Commands as a Rule of Obedience, but the Curfe alfo, not to make him fear again unto Bondage, no, no, but to make him fee always the more Neceffity of Jefus Chrift, that he may take up House in him, and dwell in bim. But I would fpeak a Word to these that have believed, that have fled for Refuge to Chrift, Oh it concerns you most of all Men to study to know this Condemnation that ye are delivered from, that ye may be thankful, and may keep clofs with in this City. I fay, there is no Man within the World should have more Thoughts, more deep and earnest Meditations on the Curfe and Wrath of God, than these SERMON III. Verfe 1. That walk not after the Flesh, but, &c. Tis difficult to determine which of] demnation, or that he is made to walk Chriftian, that he is delivered from Con- Creature: Whether we ow more to Chrift Chrift for our Juftification, or Sanctification? For he is made both to us: But it is more neceffary to conjoyn them together, than to compare them with other; the one is not more neceffary to be delivered from Wrath, than the other to walk according to the Spirit. I think it were an Argument of a Soul efcaped Condemnation, to have the great Stream and Current of its Affections and Endeavours towards Sanctification, not that they may be accepted of God, but because they are accepted of God. It is not faid, there is nothing condemnable in those that are in Chrift, but there is no Condemnation to them. There is indeed a Body of Death, and Law of Sin within them, a Nature defiled with original Pollution, and many Streams flowing from it, which the fprinkling of the Blood of Chrift in Juftification doth not take away. If any Man fay there is no Sin in him, he is a Liar, and the Truth is not in bim: But here is the Grace and Mercy of God in Jefus Chrift that removes the Curfe, where the Sin is, that takes away the Condemnation, where all worthy of Condemnation is. And thus the Soul's Juftification is parallel to Chrift's Condemnation; there was in him nothing condemnable, no Sin, no Guile in his Mouth, yet there was Condemnation to him, because he was in ftead and place of Sinners, our Iniquities was laid on him, not in him; he who knew no Sin was made a Curfe for us, that we might be made the Righteousness of God in bim: So then, the Soul that flyeth in to Jefus Chrift his Righteoufnefs, though it have in it, all that deferveth Condemnation, yet there is no Condemnation to it, be caufe his Righteoufnefs is laid upon it, and Chrift hath taken away the Curfe. The innocent Son of God was condemn ed, therefore are guilty Sinners abfolved: The Curfe was applied unto him who had no Sin, but only was made Sin, or Sin laid on him, and therefore the Sentence of Abfolution from the Curfe is applyed unto them who have no Righteousness, but are made the Righteousness of God by free and gracious Imputation. This I fpeak, because of many unfavoury and unfound Expreffions in this loofe Generation, that there is no Sin in the juftified, that Juftification removes it clofs, as if it had never been at all. I fay, as the Condem nation of Jesus Christ did not blot out his Innocency and Holiness within him, but only Juftice confidered him in that Account as a Tranfgreffor, who yet was the holy and fpotlefs Lamb of God in himself, fo likewife the Juftification of a Sinner before God, doth not remove or blot out the very Corruption and Defilement of our Natures, but only scrapes out our Names out of the Roll of his Debtors, as having fatisfied in our Cautioner, and confiders us as righteous in that Account before God. And this likewife I fpeak for your ufe, that ye may loath and abhor your felves, as much in your felves, who are made clean by the Blood of Jefus Chrift, as if ye were not washen. Nay, so much the more ye ought to remember your own Sins, which he doth not remember as Debt any more; and to be ashamed and confounded because they are pardoned: It is ordinary for Souls to look on themselves with an Eye of more Complacency in themfelves, when they apprehend that God looks favourably on them: I do not think that any Soul can duely confider the gracious Afpect of God in Jefus Chrift-to them, but they will the more loath them. felves: but I find it ordinary, that flight and inconfiderate Thoughts of Pardon,begets jolly Conceits in Men's Hearts of them themfelves; and this is even the Sin of God's Children, fomething is abated of our felf abhorring, when we have Peace and Favour spoken in to us: But I befeech every one that believes there is no Condemnation for them, to confider there is all Things worthy of it in them, yea, nothing but what deferves it; and therefore let that Afpect of God beget Selfloathing, and Self-deteftation in you: The more you apprehend he is pleafed with you, be ye the more difpleafed with your felves, because it is not your felves he is pleafed with, but his own well-beloved Son. The Day of Redemption is coming, when there fhall be no Condemnation, and nothing condemnable either: In Heaven you thall be fo, but while ye are here, this is the most important Duty ye are called to, to loath your felves, because of all your Abominations, and because he is pacified towards you, Ezek. xvi. at the close, and Chap. xxxvi. 31. and xx. 43, 44. There is a new and ftrange Mortification, now pleaded for by many, whofe higheft Advancement confifteth in not feeling, or knowing, or confeffing Sin; but in being dead to the Senfe and Conviction of the fame. Alas! whither are these reforming Times gone? Is not this the Spirit of Antichrift? I confefs it is a Mortification of Godliness, a crucifying of Repentance and Holiness, a crucifying of the new Man; but it is a quickning of the old Man, in the Lufts thereof; a living to Sin; this a Part of that new (but fallly fo called) Gospel that is preached by fome; which if an Angel would bring from Heaven, we ought not to believe it. Other Foundations can no Man lay than which is laid already, up-our State and Condition, from the Conon which the Prophets and Apoftles are builded; even Chrift Jefus. Lord give the Spirit to understand thefe Myfteries already revealed; but fave us from these new Difcoveries and Lights. That which we have received is able to make us per fect to Salvation. Every one pretends a Claim and Right to this Privilege of Chriftians, to be pardoned and abfolved from Condemnation, who doth not put it out of Queftion, though in the mean Time, their Iniquities teftifie against them; and their Tranfgreffions fay in the Heart of a godly Man, that there is no fear of God before their Eyes? Therefore the Apoftle defcribes the Man that is in Jefus Chrift, to be fuch an one, That walks not after the Flefb, but after the Spirit. Not only to guard against the prefumptuous Fancy of thofe that live in their Sins, that pretend to hope for Heaven, but to ftir up every juftified Soul to a new Manner of Converfation; fince they are in Jefus Chrift. We would fpeak a Word of two Things from this: Firft, That the Scripture gives Marks and Characters of juftified and reconciled Perfons, that they may be known by, both to themfelves, and others. Next, That the Chriftian efcaped Condemnation," hath a new Manner of walking, and is a new Creature in Chrift. It might feem ftrange Thing, that this first, were queftioned in this Gene-ration (if any the moft clear and important Truth could pass without scanning ;) the very Tenor of the Scripture holds out fo much of it. I wonder that any Man that reads this Chapter, or the Epiftles of James, and John, fhould have any more Doubt of it. Hereby we know that we know him, if we keep bis Commands: Is not this a Conclufion of formity of our walking to the Will of God? What Divine Truth can we be fure of, if this be uncertain? When the beloved |