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I.

F

SECT. I.

Itft, this is one comfort in the Text, that they are in the way to heaven. Naturally we are out of our way as foone as we enter into the world, as foone as they be borne they go afide, faid David, and, the way of peace they have not known; and nothing fets us in the right way but faith, for braft is the way, and it is faith which findes a Chrift: It was not Philips natural eye, but his fpiritual faith, which fpied the Meffias: Chrift is the way to heaven, and faith is the way to Chrift "Salvation,it is the great object of the greateft defire, and indeed I know no more excellently defitable thing then God, in a glorious union with whom is the perfection of our ta vacion, Now if thou be a true beleever, thou art in the way to fal

vation.

1. Not in a by way in a falfe way, but in a true and direct way: If God doth skill the way to heaven, if he hath laid out to finners the right way, then believing is it, Eph. 2. 8. By grace you are faved through faith, Heb. 10. 39. We are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that beleeve to the faving of the foul.

2. Not in an uncertaine, but firme way; It's an infallible way of falvation: Heaven is the affured mansion for thy foul, if thy heart be the true lodging of faith. 1 Pet. 1.4. To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reJerved in beaven for you.

Object. True, that may not fade away,but we may that may remain, but we may be loft?

fall away; Sel. No faith the Apoftic, but as that is referved for you, fo you all be preserved unto that; as mercy and truth will keep your portion fure, fo truth and power fhall keep your perfons fure. Ver. 5. who are kept by the power of God through faith unto falvation, therefore he addes a word more, ver. 9. Receiving the end of your faith, even the Salvation of your fouls. Now is not this a comfort to a man, that he is in the true and fure way to heaven? Every man is in a journey, in a way; wicked men have their wayes, but the end of them is bitterneffe, and hell after all their jollities and pleasures, yet their

wayes

wages are the pathes of death. But the beleeving foul is in the way of life, and therefore he is faid already to have eternal life, John 3. and to be faved. O what is this, I am going to my God, to my Father, to my inheritance.

SECT. II.

Secondly, here is another comfort to true beleevers, there Pis a real and bleffed exchange 'twixt them and Chrift. As upon the conjugal knot, there is a mutual refultancy of communion: The wife partakes of the eftate of her husband and the husband (interchangably) of the eftate of his wife: for the perfonal union draws with it the real union; Ifthou be mine, thine eftate is mine; So is it in the fpiritual efpoufing of the foul and Christ by faith, Chrift partakes of our eftate, and we fhall partake of his eftate: He is ours, and all his are ours, we are his, and therefore ours are his.

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This exchange confifts in these things.

1. Chrift doth take our fins and debts upon himself. Look as the man who marries the woman, if he take her perfon he muft take her debts, and fatisfaction too: So doth Chrift, when he takes us to be his, he takes our finnes alfo to be his; How to be his? not by way of infufion and infection, as if our fiaful qualities were tranfmitted from our perfons into his nature, (O no, he never takes upon him our finnes to make his nature finful,) but by way of imputation, and of fatisfaction. The guilt of our finnes is imputed unto him as to a willing furety, who doth prefent himself in our ftead, to make payment and fatisfaction. As Paul faid to Philemon concerning his fervant Onefimus, If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that upon mine account. So faith Chrift to the penitent and belee ving foul, if thou haft any guilt and debt to be answered for unto God, put them all upon my account, if thon haft wronged my Father, I will make the fatisfaction to the ptmofty for I was made finne for thee, 2 Cor 5.19:20. I poured on my fout for thy tranfgreffion;, It coft me my heart blood to reconcile

thee

2.

Simile.

Rom,4.8,

thee to my Father, and to play enmity. And as Rebekah said to Jacob in another cafe, upon me,my fonne, be the curfe, so faith Chrift to the beleeving foul. Why, thy finnes did expofe thee unto the curse of the Law; but I was made a curfe for thee, I did bear that burden my felf upon the croffe, and upon my shoul ders were all thy griefs, and forrows borne; I was wounded for thy tranfgreffions, and I was bruised for thy iniquities: And therefore we are faid to have redemption and remiffion of fins in his blood, Epb.1.7.

Now what a comfort is this to a Beleever,thar Chrift hath eafed him of his great debts, that he hath laid down the price for him, he is his furety, and hath discharged and hath cancelled the Law of Ordinances, and hath blotted out the hand writing. God was in Chrift (faith the Apostle) reconciling the world 2 Cor. 5. 19. to himself, not imputing their finne unto them, mark it, not imputing their tre/paffes unto them; what is the not imputing of finne, but the not charging of it, the not reckoning for it: And what is it which he faith (unto them) trefpaffes were not imputed unto them, as if God should fay. let them go, I have nothing to fay unto them, my Sonne hath fatisfied my jaftice fully for them. Now, faith Paul (out of David) Bleed is the man unto whom the Lord will not impute finne. Yea, he is bleffed indeed, for if the Lord fhould fingle out the most able tranfgreffour for the leaft moity and fcruple of guilt, and arreigne his confcience with a judicial and straight severity; O how the finews of the foul would flie affunder, and eternal defpaire of ever fatisfying fo great, and pure, and infinite a juftice, would fwallow up the thought and imaginations? Till a man knows where to lay down his finful burden, his foul will be miferably afflicted; but now,if a man beleeves in Jefus Chrift, Chrift will take off his burdens;I will answer for thee faith Chrift, I will fatisfie for thee. As David spake in another cafe, when Goliah prefented himself against the Host of Ifrael. Let no mans beart faile because of him, thy fervant will go and fight withthis Phyliftian. So faith Chrift to the belee 1 Sam.17.32. ving foul, be not dejected, do not despaire, though thy fins

be many and great, yet I have overcome them, I have difchar ged them, my Sacrifice was prefented, it was fufficient, it was effectual, it was accepted for thee.

Second

Secondly, Chrift doth bestow his righteousnese upon us. This is a great comfort to a fenfible and understanding oul, that there is a righteoufneffe for it,which it may fafely and confidently prefent unto Gods justice.

These things are most true.

First, that we are by nature all of us wretched finners, the whole Rom. 3.19€ world is guilty before God.

Secondly, Divine justice bath a quarrel against every guilty foul, and will have compleat, and full, and perfect fatisfacti

on.

Thirdly,no,not our best graces & performances are commensurate and fquare payment in the eyes of pure juftice: all of them as in berent in us, and acted by us, are but imperfect excellencies: No man bath fo much holineffe as is required, nor doth he fo much as he is obliged. Every particular grace, though it be of an heavenly and divine original, yet it is like the starres twinkling,though placed in the heavens; and every duty though it be a motion, yet it is like that of Jacobs thigh, which was touched, and balted to his dying day. So that if God fhould enter into judgment with the righteous perfon, even the righteousnesse that is in him, would not be safety and defence unto him. As a man that hath a precious lading, dares not to adventure it in any crackt and broken veffel,lo no Christian may or can dare to adventure the fafety of his foul upon the leaking veffels, and bottoms of his own holineffe or fervices. This very (moak of doubtings which ftill mount up with our flames of faith, and the groffe affections which cling to the root of our most heavenly love, and part of that rock of hardnesse, is feated and complanted with the frefbest spring of softneffe, and mournings, and those infinite and frequent intermiffions, both of our prayers, and hearings, and readings, and any kinde of dutiful doings, that we are fo fhufled away from our devotions, by the invafions and entertainment of ftrange thoughts in the times of our devotion: I fay, thofe and infinite emaculations or spots, do fo adhere and cling about, and defile our felves and that which comes from us, that (in proceeding of pure juftice) we may caft down our felves on the ground, and beg for mercy, much rather then to stand at the barre, and plead for reward: But now here is the great stay of a Q

Be

beleeving foul, (which hath truly received Chrift) that Chrift will finde a full, exact, compleat, moft aceptable righteousnesse for ir, in which the fool fhall ftand boldly before the judgement feat.

́ous.

Rom. 3. 19. By the obedience of one shall many be made righte 2 Cor. 5.21. We are made the righteousnesse of God in him. i Cor. 1. 30. Te are of him in Christ Jefus, who of God is made unto u wisdome, and righteousnese, &c. Jer. 23.6. In his dayes Judab shall be (aved, and ifrael shall dwell (afely, and this is the name whereby they shall call bim, The Lord our righteoufnesse.

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The righteoufneffe of Chrift is therefore called the righte oufneffe of God, Rom 8.17, because it is it which God hath defigned, and which God doth accept for us in our justification; and for, and in which he doth acquit and pronounce us righte on. Now in this lies our comfort thus, viz.

1. That though our inherent holineffe be imperfect, yët Christs righteoufnesse is abfolute.

2. That as it is a full righteousnesse, and every way anfwerable, fo it was defigned by God, to be that which should justific the beleeving finner.

3. That God accepts of that righteousnesse, and will clear any

who hath it.

4. That, if by faith we have taken Chrift, Chrift doth affuredly bestow his righteousnesse on us, not by putting it into our perfons, but by improving it to our good; It is, though not infused into us, yet imputed unto us, and God will through it pronounce us clear.

3.

SECT. III.

Thirdly, a third comfort to a beleever in Jefus Chrift is this, That he is in fingular Covenant with God: for the Covenant is with faith in Jefus Chrift, it was to Abraham and to his feed (that is) to all the faithful.

Obferve a few things here.

1. The Covenant of grace (in the offer and revelation of it)

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