The Substance of Christian Religion, Lecture 5
The Fifth Lords-day.
Rom. 8. 3.
For what the Law could not doe, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likenesse of sinfull flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.
THe Apostle in this place expounds, why the faithfull may be freed from sin and death by Christ: The reason is given as it were from the cause moving God to this giving of Christ. And this moving cause was the needinesse of our want, which appears in the defect of power in any other means to produce such an effect, as if the Apostle had said; because it was needfull for us, to be delivered from sin and death; and yet this could be effected by no other means, therefore God performed it by Christ. The strength and necessity of this consequence depends upon the will of God, which tacitly supposeth, that God would not have mankinde fall, utterly to perish, but to be restored again. The whole syllogism or reason is this. If by no other means faln men could be restored, but by Christ, then that way was to be taken, because God would that some way it should be done: but the first is true; and therefore also the latter. The assumption is proved, to wit, that man could be restored by no other means; by the most likely instance of the law, which once had been of great power, and of force sufficient to bring man to happinesse: For except Christ and the Gospel, never any thing was given of God to man, that was more perfect and divine than the Law. That therefore which the Apostle says here of the law, hath the force of such an argument as this: If by vertue of the Law man could not be restored, than by no other means could he be but by Christ; but the first is true, and therefore the latter also. The Apostle both proves and expounds the Assumption at once, from the reason or cause of this defect or weakness of the law, to restore man; that it is not properly inherent in the law it self, but in our flesh or corruption, whereby it is, that we cannot fulfill the law, that so it might save us; much lesse by the Law rise up again from Death to life.
Doct. 1. It is the will of God, that miserable men may be delivered from their misery, and restored to life eternal.
This is here presupposed by the Apostle, as granted, and is used by him as the ground of his reasoning.
Reas. 1. Is taken partly from Gods mercy, partly from his wisdome, partly from his power, and partly from the stability of his decrees: from his mercy God would relieve miserable men, therein to shew the glory of his grace and free mercy, as it is called Ephes. 1. 6. the riches of his mercy, his great love, and the supereminent riches or treasures of his grace and bounty, Ephes. 4. 7. for unlesse God had helped miserable men, that were all drown'd in sin and death, he had not accomplished above the half of his goodness and bounty towards mankind. For that bounty that was manifested in the creating of us, was neither fully compleated in its last perfection and end, because no man by it arrived to eternal happiness; neither was it in its self the greatest, the highest, the fullest goodness of God; because an higher, fuller, and more surpassing sort of goodness appeared in the preservation of the elect Angells; and that also is far greater, which is now revealed in the Gospell, and brings perfect salvation to mankind that is fallen. Now this was most sitting, that the goodness and mercy of God should as well be perfected towards men, as his justice. From his wisdome God knew the best way, whereby he could conveniently help miserable man, and therefore it was meet that his wisdome should be made manifest in its effect. And this is it, which the Apostle every where teacheth, that in this mystery of the Gospell there was a wisdome of God, which was kept up, and hidden from all the Heathen; which therefore by way of excellencie, he calls that wisdome of God, into which the Angells themselves with desire and wonder are said to look, 1 Pet. 1. 12. For such was our misery, that not onelyonly we could not rise out of it ourselves by our own power; but could not so much as think upon, or devise a way or means, whereby we might be delivered: But this was the proper work of the wisedome of God himself conjoyned with his own mercy. From his power also, he had the ability of helping and bringing to perfection therein, what he would. For so our redemption in Scripture is not onelyonly usually adscribed to Gods grace and mercy, but also to his power. For the highest power and soveraignty was required to dissolve the works of the Devill, and the bonds of death and the grave, for raising of dead men to life again, for guiding and protecting them so, as they might be brought to life eternal, maugre all opposition of their enemy; and most of all for laying that groundstone of the whole, and uniting the second person of the Deity, his own Son, and the nature of man, into one Person. From the immutability also of his decree, it was in some sort necessary for God to procure their deliverance from death, whom from eternity he had chosen, and appointed unto life. Hence a twofold necessity of the restauration and liberation of mankind is rightly by some determined; on our part, the necessity of want; on Gods part, the necessity of his immutability.
Use, Of Exhortation, that with all admiration we behold and look into this good will of God, and with all thankfulness as well in our thoughts, as in our speeches, all our life time we publish and praise it.
Doct. 2. The Law cannot deliver miserable men from their misery.
It is clear enough in the Text; and is grounded moreover on the following reasons;
Reas 1. Because the Law promiseth no good to miserable sinners, but onelyonly to just persons, and such as keep it.
Reason 2. Because in it self, it hath no force of taking away sin, but onelyonly of punishing it.
Reas 3. Because by no sinner can it be fulfilled, and that because of the weakness of the flesh, or the impotency of carnall and fallen mankind, as it is in the Text.
Reas. 4. Because though it might be fulfilled for time to come, yet by-past sins would take away all hope of receiving the reward of Life from the Law. Hence is it that the Law is called a killing l…tter, and the minister of death and of condemnation.
Use, Of Re…utation, against such as put their trust in their own workes, and look for salvation from their good intentions and endeavours: which is the errour of Papists, Remonstrants or Arminians, and Anabaptists, who cry up alwayes an honest life, and good works.
Doct. 3. No sinner can deliver himself from this misery.
This is thus gathered, because none go above the Law. For if the Law cannot for the weakness of our flesh, then neither can we our selves, for the same weakness of our flesh.
Reason 1. No debt can duly be blotted out by the debtor; till payed.
Reas. 2. Because, though any one never augmented his first debt, by sinning, yet should he in all this do no more, but pay what he owes, in so doing; and so could not by that means make satisfaction for his former transgression.
Reas. 3. Because, if man could not preserve himself, nor did not do it, in that integrity wherein he was created, it cannot reasonably be thought that now he can recover it again.
Reas. 4. If he could recover his first integrity, he would be as subject and easy to lose it again, as our first Father was at first.
Use, Of Direction, that we put no confidence in our selves, nor in our own strength, but denying our selves, we depend altogether on Gods grace and mercy in Jesus Christ.
Doct. 4. No meer creature in heaven, or in earth, can deliver miserable men from sin and death.
It followeth from the Text, because no such creature is above the Law.
Reason 1. Because no external thing, that is a meer creature, hath in it self that worth, that it can be a compensation for sin to Gods justice and truth, and so a price of redemption from death, Mat. 16. 26. Yea, not all the world. For that is it that i… hinted, 1 Pet. 1. 18. where all corruptible things, amongst the best whereof are gold and silver and the like, are determined to be below the redeeming of man.
Reas. 2. Because whatsoever any meer creature, whether man or Angell, can do, ows all that for its self, and on its own behalf.
Reas. 3 Because if we were redeemed by a meer creature, for this very cause we should become the servants of that meer creature, and that of justice and gratitude; as we are the servants of Christ our Redeemer, because our Redeemer, as is already taught. But this would be an unworthy thing, and would infer a kind of contradiction to it self: For seeing man before his fall was not the servant of any creature, but of God alone; if by redemption he should become the servant of any creature, he should not be redeemed and restored into that perfect liberty, from which he fell; and so though redeemed (as we suppose) yet he should not be properly redeemed, that is, by redemption made free.
Reas. 4. The evills that are to be removed from us, are greater than can be taken away by any meer creature; as the wrath of God infinite and eternal, the guilt of sin confirmed by the force of an eternal law; the command that sin and death hath over us. Of these that is true which we have, Luke 10. 21, 22.
Reas. 5. The good things to be imparted, and before that to be purchased, are of greater worth, than that they can be communicated to us from any meer creature; as namely a righteousness going beyond the righteousness of the Law; and the resurrection as well corporal as spiritual; the communication of the divine nature, life eternal, and a happiness that surmounts that of Adam in his innocency; that is, a Kingdome that cannot be shaken, Heb. 11. last verse.
Use. Of Instruction, that in the business of our salvation we turn away our eyes from all creatures, and lift them up above in manner aforesaid to the fountain of salvation.