Spirit with believers; John xiv. 16. opened. The promise in those words equally belonging to all believers. Mr. G.'s objections answered. No promise of the Spirit abiding with believers on his principle allowed. The promise given to the apostles personally, yet given also to the whole church. Promises made to the church, made to the individuals, whereof it is constituted. The giving of this promise to all believers farther argued from the scope of the place; and vindicated from Mr. G.'s exceptions. The third testimony of the Holy Spirit himself proposed to consideration; his testimony in sealing particularly considered; 2 Cor. i. 22. Eph.i. 13. iv, 30. Of the nature and use of sealing amongst men. The end, aim, and use of the sealing of the Holy Ghost. Mr. G.'s objections and exceptions to our argument from that sealing of the Spirit, considered and removed. The same farther carried on, &c. THERE remains nothing for the confirmation of the first branch or part of the truth proposed, but only the consideration of the oath of God; which, because it ought certainly to be an end of all strife, I shall reserve the handling of it to the close of the whole; if God be pleased to carry us out thereunto, that we may give the oath of God its due honour,' of being the last word in this contest. The order of our method, first proposed, would here call me to handle our steadfastness with God, and the glory created upon our grace of sanctification: but because some men may admire and ask, whence it is that the Lord will abide so steadfast in his love towards believers, as hath been manifested upon several accounts, that he will, besides what hath been said before of his own goodness and unchangeableness, &c. I shall now add, that outward consideration, which lies in the mediation of Christ, upon the account whereof he acts his own goodness and kindness to us, with the greatest advantage of glory and honour to himself that can be thought upon. Only I shall desire the reader to observe, that the Lord Jesus is an undertaker in this business of perfecting our salvation, and safeguarding our spiritual glory, not in one regard and respect only. There is one part of his engagement therein, which, under the oath of God, is the close of the whole; and that is, his becoming a surety to us of his Father's faithfulness towards: us, and a surety for us of our faithfulness to him; so that upon the whole matter, the business on each side, as to security, will be found knit up in him, and there we shall do well to leave it, though the handling of that suretiship of his be not of our present consideration; men will' scarce dispute him out of his faithfulness; Henceforth he dieth no more, death hath no dominion over him, he sits at the right hand of God, expecting to have his enemies made his footstool.' This then I will do, if God permit. And for the steadfastness of his saints, in their abiding with God, I shall, I fear, no otherwise insist peculiarly upon it, but as occasion shall be ministered by dealing with our adversary, as we pass on. That which I shall now do is, to consider the influence of the priesthood of Christ in those two grand acts thereof, his oblation and intercession, into the perseverance of saints, according to that of the apostle; Heb. v. 27. Wherefore he is able also to save to the uttermost, them that come unto God by him, seeing he liveth ever to make intercession for them.' And I will do it the more carefully, because though it be one of the greatest strengths of our cause, yet I shall walk in a path, wherein none shall meet me, for the most part of the way, to make any opposition. My entrance into the consideration of the procurement of our glory by Christ, shall be with that, whereby he came into his own, viz. his oblation, which hath a twofold influence into the perseverance of the saints, or into the safeguarding of their salvation to the utmost. 1. By removing and taking out of the way, all causes of separation between God, and those that come unto God by him; that is, all believers. Now these are of two sorts: 1. That which is moral, and procuring such separation or distance, which is the guilt of sin. 2. That which is efficient, and working as the power of Satan and of sin. The first of these, being that alone, for which it may be supposed, that God will turn from believers; and the latter, that alone, whereby they may possibly be turned from him. Now that both these are so taken out of the way by the oblation of Christ, that they shall never actually and eventually work, or cause any total, or final, separation between God and believers, shall be demonstrated. 1. He hath so taken away the guilt of sin from believers, from them that come to God by him, that it shall not preil with the Lord to turn from them; he hath obtained for a Isa. lix. 2. * Eph. I. 10, il. 13-16. Col. i. 20—22. 2 Cor. v. 19, 20, 1 John i. 7. us, 'eternal redemption;' Heb. ix. 12. eternal and complete ; not so far and so far, but 'eternal redemption' hath he obtained; redemption that shall be completed, notwithstanding any interveniences imaginable whatever; this redemption, which he hath obtained for us, and which by him we obtain, the apostle tells us what it is, and wherein it doth consist; Eph. i. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.' He hath obtained for us everlasting forgiveness of sins; as to the complete efficiency of the procuring cause thereof, absolutely perfect and complete in its own kind, not depending on any condition in any other whatsoever, for the producing the utmost effect intended in it; there shall be no after reckoning or account for sin, between God and them, for whom he so obtains redemption. And the apostle, in the tenth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, disputes at large this difference, between the typical sacrifices, and the sacrifice of the blood of Christ; he tells you, those were offered year by year, and could never make the comers to God by them. perfect (or acquit them from sin); for then they could have had no more conscience of sin being once purged: but now, saith he, there was a remembrance again of sin renewed every year;' ver. 3, 4. If sin had been taken away, there would have been no more conscience of it; that is, no such conscience, as upon the account whereof, they came for help unto, or healing by, those sacrifices; no more conscience condemaing for sin: conscience judges according to the obligation unto punishment, which it apprehends upon it. Conscience of sin; that is, a tenderness to sin, and a condemnation of sin, still continues after the taking of the guilt of it away; but conscience disquieting, judging, condemning the person for sin, that vanisheth together with the guilt of it; and this is done, when the sacrifice for sin is perfect and complete, and really attains the end for which it was instituted; and if any sacrifice for sin whatever do not completely take away that sin for which the oblation is made, and the atonement thereby, so that no after charge might come upon the sinner, it is of necessity that that sacrifice be renewed again and again. The reason the apostle gives of the repetition of the legal sacrifices, is, that they c Rom. v. 1. made not the comers to them perfect; that is, as to the taking away of their sins, and giving them entire and complete peace thereupon; all this the apostle informs us, was done in the sacrifice of Christ; ver. 14. with one offering he hath for ever perfected' (or made perfect that work for them as to this business of conscience for sin) 'them that are sanctified;' his one offering perfectly put an end to this business; even the difference between God and us, upon the account of sin; which if he had not done, it would have been necessary, that he should have been often offered; his sacrifice having not obtained the complete end thereof: that the efficacy of this sacrifice of his, cannot depend on any thing foreign unto it, shall be declared afterward. Also, that the necessity of our faith and obedience, in their proper place, is not in the least hereby impaired, shall be manifested. That they may have a proper place, efficacy, and usefulness, and not be conditions whereon the effects of the death of Christ are suspended, as to their communication unto us, is by some denied; how weakly, how falsely, will then also appear. Now this Christ doth for all that are sanctified, or dedicated, or consecrated unto God (which is almost the perpetual sense of that word in this epistle), in and by that offering of his. And this the apostle farther confirms from the consideration of the new covenant with us, ratified in, and whose effects were procured by, the bloodshedding and offering of Christ; ver. 17. Their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more.' Saith God, upon the account of the offering of Christ, there is an end of that business, and that controversy, which I have had with those sanctified ones and therefore, let them (as to this) as to the mak ing satisfaction for sin, trouble themselves no more, to think of thousands of rams, or the like; for there is no more offering for sin required; and on this foundation, I may say, there doth not remain any such guilt to be reckoned unto believers as that with regard thereunto, God should forsake them utterly, and give them over unto everlasting ruin; and this is the sum of the apostle's discourse in that chapter, as it looks upon the matter under present consideration. That sacrifice, which so taketh away the sins of them for whom it is offered, as that thereupon they should be perfect, or d Mic, vi. 6, 7. d perfectly acquitted of them, and have no more conscience (which is a judgment of a man's self, answering to the judgment of God concerning him) of sin, so to judge him and condemn him for it, as not to have remedy of that judgment or condemnation provided in that sacrifice; that, I say, doth so take away the guilt of sin, as that it shall never separate between God and them, for whom and whose sin it was offered; but such was the sacrifice of Christ : ergo, &c. The reason of the consequence is clear from the very form of the proposition; and nothing is assumed, but what is the express testimony of the apostle, in that and other places? So Dan. ix. 24. The design in the death of Christ, is to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, and to make reconciliation for iniquities, and to bring in everlasting righteousness.' Christ makes an end of sin, not that there should be no more sin in the world, for there is yet sinning to the purpose, in some respect, much more than before his death; and there will be so to eternity, if those under the ultimate sentence may be thought to sin; but he makes an end of it, as to the controversy and difference about it, between God and them for whom he died; and that by making reconciliation; on the part of God, atoning him towards us, which atonement we are persuaded to accept; and by bring ́ing in for us as righteousness which is everlasting, and will abide the trial, which God will certainly accept: now when God is satisfied for sin, and we are furnished with a righteousness exactly complete, and answering to the utmost of his demand, whence can any more contest arise about the guilt of sin, or the obligation of the sinner unto punishment, that from the justice and law of God doth attend it? This also the apostle urgeth, Rom. viii. 34. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died.' He argueth from the death of Christ" to the ablation or removal of condemnation for sin; because by his death he hath made an end of sin, as was shewed, and brought in everlasting righteousness. To suspend the issue of all these transactions between God and the Mediator, upon conditions by us to be accomplished, not bestowed on us, purchased for us, and as to their e Heb. vi. 4, 5. x. 28. Isa. xxvii. 3, 4. xlv. 24, 25. Rom. v. 10. |