Chap. 5.

Rom. 8. 1. It's
Rom. 8. 1. It's true, afflictions may fall upon a Be-
liever, but there is no Condemnation, there is not
a jot of Wrath in them; they are rather Caftigatory
than Penal, managed in the hand of Mercy, rather
than Justice. In the iffue it appears, that there was
Love and Faithfulness in them, that even in those
afflicting paths, Mercy and Truth are found: all
things Thall work together for good unto the Be-
liever, Afflictions and all. Thefe ferve for excellent
purposes, to fan off his Vanity, melt away his Cor-
ruption, alarm his fpiritual Watch, refine his golden
Graces, caft him into the Image of a meek fuffering
Christ, unearth, unfelf him, and elevate his affecti-
ons towards the everlasting reft which is above. Af-
fliction, after it hath budded and bloffomed with
fuch precious fruits, is no longer evil, but an excel-
lent good. It's true alfo, that death Temporal will
feize upon him, but the curfe is gone, the fting out;
death, which at first was a punishment, now hath a
bleffing in it. It was Originally introduced by fin ;
but through the admirable Grace of our Saviour it
carries away those reliques of fin, which no Tears,
Prayers, Watchings, Pious endeavours could utterly
extirpate, whileft we are in the body: it throws
down the earthen walls into their mother-duft. But
who would not dye, and with Hilarion bid his Soul,
Go out, that he might be rid of fin? There is in-
deed a paffage out of a Temporal life, but it is into
an Eternal one. The foul, when it leaves its old
friend the body, flies into the blessed Region, there
to enjoy God in an immediate manner; to read
truth in its Original, and taste goodness in the Foun-
tain: the body, which at prefent diffolves into duft,

fhall

fhall wake again, and be made like to the glorious Chap. 5. body of Chrift. Mortal fhall put on immortality, corruptible incorruption, death fhall be swallowed up in victory; it is no longer an evil,to the Believer.

Again, Man was under the Power of Sin, and fo under the Tyranny of Satan. Sin was a Lord, a Ruler over him; not only over his outward man, whose members were the weapons of it, but over the inward too. It had ftrong-holds in his Reason, and a throne in his Will; he was a drudg, a flave to his lufts, hurried up and down by one Corruption or other; wandring in error, or fwelling in pride, or pining in envy, or boiling in malice, or burning in luft, or drowning in fenfual pleasures, some way or other ferving his Iniquity. Satan, the Ruler of darkness, hath a Palace in his heart, and keeps poffeffion there; upon all occafions he blows up Original Corruption into finful motions, motions into confents, confents into acts, acts into habits. Thus he carries on the finner in a circle of finning, till inevitable ruin overtake him; but in and through Chrift there is deliverance from this horrible fervitude. The Holy Spirit comes and rescues the finner; it opens his eyes to fee himself standing, as he doth, at the brink of Hell and Death; it melts him into tears and godly forrows for fin; it breaks down the strong-holds and throne of fin in the heart; it cafts out Satan and the hellish furniture; it tranflates the poor finner from the power of darkness, into the Kingdom of Chrift, into a Region of Grace and Power, where Sin and Satan cannot have the Victory. Those precious Promises, that fin shall

N

not

not have Dominion, that Satan shall be bruised under our feet, are now fealed and experimented in the heart. The poor Captive is now brought out of Bondage, into the true liberty of Holiness and Obedience. Here we fee the matchlefs incomparable Love of God, which delivered us from fo many great Evils. Hezekiah being refcued from Death, made his acknowledgments: O Lord, thou hast in love to my foul delivered me from the pit of corruption: or, as the Original hath it, Thou hast loved my foul from the pit of corruption. Every Believer, who hath tafted of the great Salvation, may fay, Lord, thon haft loved me from Sin, Satan, Death, Hell, by delivering me from all these evils.

Moreover, as all evils were removed, fo all good things were procured by Chrift. Temporals were fo, the world owes its standing to him. Juftice, but for his expiatory Sacrifice, would have dashed it down about the finners years. Sin, but for the Cement of his blood, would have unframed all things in nature that right to the Creature, which we forfeited by our iniquity, was restored again by his Merits. The Believer fhall now have fo much of the world, as infinite Wisdom and Mercy (more competent Judges than humane Reason and Will), fhall think a fit portion for him; and what he hath, he fhall have with the Love of God, which, as it is the highest fuavity in it felf, fo it pours out a delicious relish into all outward things. Spirituals were fo; thofe initial Graces of Faith and Repentance, which. introduce us into an Union with Chrift, are from him. He is a Prince and Saviour to give repentance, Acts 5. 31. To you it is given in

the

the behalf of Chrift to believe on him, Phil. 1. 29. Chap. 5. As foon as we repent and believe, we are justified in his blood, and by a conjunction with him the natural Son we have power and right to become the Sons of God by Adoption and Grace. The Holy Spirit, the fountain of Graces and Comforts, which was upon him the head above meafure, will fall down upon us his Members in a proportion; every Grace, every piece of the glorious new-creature is created in him. In the power of his Merits and Spirit, every comfort, every beam of Divine Favour comes down to us through him. He is the true Mercy-feat, where God meets and communes in words of Grace with us. Eternals were fo too; all the weights of Glory, and Crowns of life in Heaven, were purchased by him. His blood opens the Holy of Holies, the pure River of life fprings out of his Merits, the gift of God is eternal life through Jefus Chrift, Rom. 6. 23. Had it not been for him, we could never have entred into fuch a bleffed Region as Heaven. What a Gift is Chrift, which virtually contains all gifts and good things in him! How incomparable that Love, which gave us fo comprehenfive a Gift!

In the laft place let us confider the excellent Evangelical Terms, which were founded on the Death of Chrift. Here two things are confiderable.

The one is this, The terms are easier. The Cove nant of Works was, Do this and live: The Covenant of Grace is, Believe, repent, and live. The firft called for pure, finlefs, perfect obedience: The laft stoops and condefcends to fallen man; it accepts of

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fincere,

Chap. 5. fincere, though imperfect obedience; uprightness paffes for perfection, the main of the heart for all of it the will is accepted for the work, pure aims are taken for compleat performances, infirmities are covered with indulgence, duties are taken into the hand of a Mediator, and perfumed with his infinite Merits; and hence they are acceptable, and as fweet Odours to God. O how low doth infinite Love and Mercy stoop to poor finners! It will fave a repenting believing finner, and how can it poffibly go lower? That God should justifie an impenitent unbelieving finner, is utterly impoffible to his Holiness, unless he would open a gap to all fin and wickednefs, and make it capable to have a Crown of happiness at laft. He could not more condefcend, than he hath done in the terms of the Gofpel: there is a Kingdom for the poor in spirit, a Comfort for the mourners, an acceptance for a willing mind, a favourable refpect for the least spark of grace, which is latent in a defire, and but as a little Imoke, or wiek in the focket (as the expreffion is, Matth. 12. 20.) And what condefcending Love is here? How could God stoop lower for the Salvation of Men?

The other is this, The terms are furer. It's true, Adam, had he stood in Righteousness, would have had a reward. But the difference is this, Under the first Covenant it was not certain, that Adam, though he had fufficient grace, should stand; but under the fecond it is as fure, as Gods Truth and Faithfulness in the promise can make it, that a people shall be gathered up out of the corrupt Mass of mankind; that Chrift fhall have a repenting believing feed

and