Seven Treatises, Treatise 1 · Chapter 3
CHAP. 3. Of the knowledge of redemption and deliuerance.
THis remedie therefore I will firſt lay foorth,It muſt be knovvne as vvell as our miſerie. and then ſhew how God will hauehave him to vnderſtand and know it, that when he is inlightened to know the will of God both in the miſerie of man and in his redemption, he may (as God hath appointed) hauehave them both, worke kindly on him, and ſo know himſelfe the child of God, and heire of ſaluation; ſeeing without ſome knowledge of both, no man is either rightly humbled or exalted. And although there be many which know both points, ſo as ſome can teach them to others, and yet hauehave vſe of neither: yet can none be ſaued without the knowledge of both. The ſumme of all, which is to be knowne of him, is contained in this ſhort ſentence: Chriſt Ieſus preached (as he is reuealed in the Goſpell) is ſaluation vntounto all that beleeue: Ioh. 3.16. 1. Tim. 1.15. 2. Cor. 5.21. Act. 4.12. 1. Ioh. 2.1.and more fully in this ſaying of S. Iohn: God ſo loued the world that he gaue his onelyonly begotten ſonne, that whoſoeuer beleeueth in him ſhould not periſh, but hauehave euerlaſting life. And againe, S. Paul: This is a true ſaying, and by all meanes worthie to be receiued, that Chriſt Ieſus came into the world to ſaue ſinners.
Out of theſe places, as alſo many other, to the full and plaine declaration of this remedie, theſe foure things are to be conſidered. Firſt, what it is, and wherein it conſiſteth. Secondly, by whom it is wrought. Thirdly, how it is brought to light and reuealed. And fourthly, how it is receiued and imbraced. Now as concerning the firſt,The firſt point about the remedie. the onelyonly ſufficient remedie for the ſauing of man, is to ſatisfie Gods iuſtice, which by ſinne is violated: without which ſatisfaction, the wrath of God cannot be appeaſed, nor his fauour obtained, and ſo there can be no redemption. For how ſhould the Lord be perfectly iuſt, if he ſhould chaunge this righteous ſentence of his law, that eueryevery tranſgreſſor is curſed, and only the perfect keeper of the law bleſſed? Now then Gods iuſtice is ſatisfied only by theſe two meanes: Firſt,Gal. 3.10.12. by ſuffering the puniſhment due to ſinne, which is the curſe of God; and the perfect keeping of the law,Heb. 9.22. and 12.14. without which there can be no deliuerance from ſinne and condemnation. The onelyonly remedie of our miſerie conſiſting herein, wee may cleerely ſee that it is out of our ſelues, and not in any other creature: for neither we, nor any other creature for vsus, is able either to ſuſtaine the curſe, much leſſe to ouercome it: or perfectly to fulfill the law, which is impoſſible to fleſh. Whereby is quite ouerthrowne the foundation of Poperie,Rom. 8 3. and all opinion of merite, or of any thing in man to auaile to his iuſtification.
But to goe forward to the ſecond point, to ſhew by whom it is purchaſed:The ſecond point about the remedie. This remedie, which could be had by no other, is appointed by the Father, vndertaken and wrought by Chriſt, and ſealed in mens hearts by the holie Ghoſt. It is wrought (I ſay) and found only and wholy in Ieſus Chriſt, God and man, who being perfect God tooke our humane nature on him; and in both became a moſt mercifull Mediatour betwixt his father and vsus, to reconcile vsus to him: and both ſuffered the full weight of Gods curſe due to our ſinne, by the power of his Godhead ouercomming the ſame, as alſo fulfilled the law for vsus, whereby he fully ſatisfied the iuſtice of God. So that moſt truly it is ſaid,Act. 4.12. that ſaluation is in no other, but that in him onelyonly is the whole remedie of the miſerie of mankinde to be found: There is giuen no other name vnderunder heauen (as the holy Ghoſt ſpeaketh) whereby we muſt be ſaued: So that whoſoeuer hath the Son (as S.1. Ioh. 5.12. Iohn ſaith) for to redeeme him, hath life, and he that hath not the Sonne, hath not life. And to make vp the whole matter: if any ſhould aske how Chriſts redemption is made mans, he is to know, that God his father of his marueilous louelove gaue him freely (euen as hee had long before promiſed him) with all his whole worke of redemption, as the Apoſtle ſaith:Rom. 58. God declared his louelove to vsus, that when wee were yet his enemies, he ſent Chriſt to die for vsus, that whoſoeuer beleeueth in him, ſhould not any longer lie vnderunder Gods wrath and periſh, Ioh. 3.16.but hauehave euerlaſting life; he being giuen vsus of his father to be our wiſedome, righteouſnes, ſanctification and redemption, 1. Cor. 1.30. Now if by him alone God hath brought this moſt ſoueraigne remedie to mankind, againſt the intolerable woe, which by ſinne is come into the world, and is (as hath been ſaid) gone ouer all men, the popiſh practizers may bluſh and be aſhamed, who part ſtakes betwixt him and creatures, and ſo aſcribe not the whole worke of our ſaluation to Chriſt alone.
The third point about the remedie.The third thing, namely how this diuine myſterie and ſecret is brought to light, is (in the peaceable and flouriſhing eſtate of Chriſts Church) the glorious Goſpell: which becauſe it containeth the moſt worthie and acceptable meſſage of mans full redemption by Ieſus Chriſt, is called of S. Paul, the power of ſaluation to all that beleeue. Rom. 1.16.The vſe of the which Goſpell is, to manifeſt that righteouſnes in Chriſt, whereby the whole law is fully ſatisfied and ſaluation attained. The which being ſoundly and plainly publiſhed and preached by the faithfull miniſters and meſſengers of God, and namely this part of it, that mankind is fully redeemed by the bloud of Chriſt Ieſus, the onelyonly begotten ſonne of God, manifeſt in the fleſh, doth bring great and exceeding ioy:Luk. 2.10. and is imbraced of them which know the value and price of it,Matth. 11.12. with all poſſible welcomming of it. And this, though more darkly, as the times were, the Lord cauſed to be taught vnderunder the law in types and ſhadowes, prefiguring Chriſt to come and to be exhibited; euen as he ſaith in Ioh. 5.46. Moſes wrote of me: though indeede now vnderunder the Goſpell farre more cleerely and plainly, that it may now be verified, if euer, that Chriſt by preaching him, hath been crucified in our eyes. So that by this, is this myſterie of ſaluation (purchaſed by his death) manifeſted vntounto vsus.
The fourth point about the remedie.Now the fourth point remaines, how this tidings of Chriſts deliuering man from the feare of the wrath to come, is receiued in the world: and that is by faith. For there is no way to receiue Chriſt and all his merits (the full medicine of mans miſerie) but by faith. This true faith therefore is to be knowne, what it is, and how it is wrought: that ſo by it hee may receiue Chriſt and be ſaued. Now this true faith, which for the worthie effect of it, we call iuſtifying faith, is nothing elſe but a ſound beleefe in that promiſe of life,Matth. 11.28. that poore ſinners comming vntounto Chriſt, he will eaſe them, that is, free them from all woe, and reſtore them to all happines here and for euer:Act. 26.18. and to be ſhort, ſo to giuegive credit to Gods word,Hebr. 4.1. Rom. 10. as hee reſt thereon that hee will ſaue him. Which true faith is wrought in him by the miniſterie of the word, reuealing this merciemercy and truth of God: and by theſe, the holie Ghoſt inlightening him to conceiue, and drawing him to beleeue, and ſo vniting him to Chriſt: which whoſoeuer hath thus receiued, is hereby made the child of God (ſo as he himſelfe ſhall ſee it) and an inheritour by ſure hope of eternall life. This therefore is to be knowne of him who ſhall be ſaued, and his iudgement is to be ſetled in this truth, before he enioy it as his owne, or can hauehave his part in it. He muſt be able to ſee cleerely and ſoundly that God hath made this Chriſt Ieſus his ſonne Lord ouer all creatures, conqueror of the diuels, deliuerer of the captiues, & comforter of the heauie hearts: ſo that by him there is as full pardon of ſinne purchaſed,Rom. 5. as euer was by Adam procured guiltines and condemnation. And thus much of theſe two firſt points, that he whom God will effectually call to the aſſurance of ſaluation, muſt hauehave knowledge in generall of mans miſerie and Gods merciemercy by Chriſts redemption.