The Sinners Sanctuary, Sermon 2
SERMON II.
Vers. 1.
There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ, who walk, &c.
ALL the promises are yea, and Amen, in Christ Iesus, they meet all in him, and from him are derived unto us. When man was in integrity, he was with God, and in God, and that immediatly, without the intervention of a Mediator; but our falling from God, hath made us without God: and the distance is so great, as Abraham speaks to the rich man, that neither can these above go down to him, nor he come up to them: There is a gulf of separation between God and us, that there can be no meeting. And so we who are without God, are without hope in the world, Eph. 2 12. no hope of any more access to God as before. The tree of life is compast about with a flaming fire and a sword; God is become a consuming fire unto us, that none can come near these everlasting burnings, much less dwell with them. Since there can be no meeting so, God hath …ound out the way how sinners may come to him and not be consumed: He will meet with us in Jesus Christ, that living Temple, and this is the trysting place. There was a necessity of this Mediator, to take up the difference, and make a bridge over that gulf of separation, for us to come to God; and this is his Humane Nature, the new and living way, the vail of his flesh. God is in Christ therefore, reconciling the world to himself: All the light of consolation and salvation that is from God, is all embodied in this Sun of Righteousness: All the streams of grace and mercy runs in the channel of his well-beloved Son. It follows then, that God is not to be found out of Jesus Christ; and whoever is without Christ, is without God in the world. God is in Christ reconciling the world, and therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ; but God out of Christ is condemning the world, and therefore condemnation is to all that are not in Christ. When all the sons of Adam were declared rebells, because of his and their own rebellion, the Lord hath appointed a City of refuge, that whosoever is pursued by the avenger of blood, may enter in to it, and get protection and safety. Without is nothing but the sword of the avenger, Justice reigning in all the world beside; within this City, Justice may not enter to take out any into condemnation: and therefore those souls that flee for refuge, to lay hold on the hope set before them in Jesus Christ, Justice may pursue them to the Ports of this City, condemnation may follow them hard, till they enter in; but these may not enter into the Ports of the City. What a miserable estate then are these souls in, that ly in their own natures, in the open fields without this City? How many foolish men apprehend no danger? but sport about the Ports of the City of Refuge, and will not enter in. O! the avenger of blood shall be upon thee ere thou know: and if it find thee out of the City, woe unto thee, all thy prayers and intreaties will not prevail; Justice is blind and deaf, cannot deal partially, or respect persons, cannot hear thy supplications. It is strange, that men are taken up with other petty inconsiderable things, and yet neglect to know what this is, to be in Jesus Christ, upon which their salvation depends.
Faith in Jesus Christ is the souls flight in to the City of Refuge, now none flyeth but when they apprehend danger, or are pursued: This danger that a soul apprehends, is, perishing and condemnation for ever: The pursuer is the Law of God, and his Justice; these have a sword in their hand, the curse of God, and the sentence of condemnation. God erects a Tribunal in his Word, wherein he judgeth men; whosoever he hath a purpose of good-will unto, he makes the Law to enter into their Consciences, that the offence might abound: he sends out some messenger o… affliction, or conviction, to bring them before the Judgment-seat, and hear their accusation read unto them. There the soul stands trembling, and the conscience witnesseth and approveth all that the Word challengeth of; so that the sinners mouth is stopped, and can have no excuse to this accusation: then the Judge pronounces the sentence upon the guilty person, Cursed is every one that abideth not in all things, &c. the soul cryes, guilty, O Lord, guilty, I deserve the curse indeed: Oh! what shall I do to be saved? Then the soul looks about on the right hand, and on the left hand, to seek some refuge, but there is none. Whither shall he go from him? he looks within himself, and behold nothing within, but the accusing witnessing conscience becomes a tormenter: the fire is kindled within, which feeds upon the fewell of innumerable sins; now the soul is almost overwhelmed, and spyes is there be any place to flee from it self, and from that wrath, and behold the Lord discovers a City of refuge near hand, where no condemnation is, even Christ Jesus, who hath sustained the curse, that he might redeem us from it. The vision of peace is here, and thither the soul flies out of it self, and from Justice, into that discovered righteousness of Christs, and so the more that the offence abounded: now, the more hath grace superabounded: so that there is now no more condemnation to him.
I beseech you consider this, and let it be written on the table of your hearts: there are two tribunals that God sits upon, one out of Christ Jesus, another in Christ Jesus, there is a Throne of Justice, where no sentence passes but pure unmixed Justice, without any temperament of mercy; and this all men must once compear before. Ye know what a Covenant of Works God once made with us, If thou do these things thou shalt live, not, thou shalt die the death: according to this we must once be judged, that Justice suffer no prejudice. Therefore God speaks out of his Law, upon this Throne, the language of Mount Sinai, he reads our charge unto us, and because all the world is guilty, therefore the sentence of death is once past upon all. Now whoever of you come before this Tribunal to be judged, know that it is a subordinate Court, there is a higher Court of Mercy and Judgement, both Justice and mercy mixed together; though mercy be the predominant, Iustice and Iudgment i… … habitation of it, but mercy and truth goeth before the Judges …, and come nearest sinners, to give them access. And this … may appeal unto, from that Tribunal of Justice. But there is forgiveness with thee, &c. Psal. 130.4, 5. And whoever comes here, Christ Jesus sits on this Throne, to absolve him from that sentence. If you ask what equity is in it, is not this a prejudice to Justice, and an abomination to the Lord, to justifie the wicked and ungodly sinner? I say, it is no iniquity, because Jesus Christ hath payed the price for us, and was made a curse for our sins, that we might … he righteousness of God in him; and therefore it is just with God to forgive sins, to relax that sinner from the condemnation of the Law, that flees unto Jesus Christ. Ye may answer Justice, I will not take this for Gods last word, I hear that all final Judgement is committed to the Son, that he may give life to whom he will: he calls me, and to him will I go, for he hath the words of eternal life, he will justifie, and who shall condemn.
Now if any man, will not now arraign himself before the Tribunal of Gods Justice, if he will not search his guiltiness till his mouth be stopped; and hear his sentence of condemnation read, and take with it: that man cannot come to Jesus Christ, to be absolved, for he justifieth none but self condemned, and lost sinners; so your day is but yet coming when ye must answer to Justice, the Tribunal of Mercy shall be removed, and Christ shall sit upon a Throne of pure Justice, to judge these who judged not themselves. Alas for your loss! the most part of you: I pity you, ye live in great peace and quietness without the ports of the city of refuge. We declare unto you in the Lords Name, ye are under the curse of God: will ye yet sit secure, and put the evil day far from you. Oh! rather trouble your peace for a season, with the consi…eration of your sins, enter in judgement with your selves, till ye see nothing but perishing in your selves, and there is no hazard, because here is salvation brought near in the Gospel. If ye will not trouble your selves so much as to judge your selves, then ye shall be judged when there is no Mediator, to plead for you, none to appeal unto.
But whosoever takes the sentence of condemnation unto them, and subscribes to the righteousness of the Lords curse upon them, we do invite all such in the Lords Name, to come in hither, even to Jesus Christ, there is no condemnation to them that are in him. If ye stand scrupulous, making many questions in such a matter of so great necessity, ye wrong your own soul, and dishonour him; know this, that God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself: therefore thou condemned sinner may come to God in Christ: If ye ask any warrand, we think there should be no such questioning, when ye are in so great necessity. If a man we…e starving without a city, and it were told him there is plenty within, were he not a fool that would make any more business, but labour to enter in. This is enough to cross all your objections, ye are in extream necessity, and like to perish within your self, He is able to save to the utmost all that come to him. What should more, let there be then a closure between absolute necessity, and sufficient ability to save: will ye yet stand disputing without the city, when the avenger of blood is above your head? If ye will yet press for some more ground and warrand of believing, then I will tell you, all that I know is in the Word for a ground of Faith, ye have great misery and necessity within you; that ye grant; and it is your complaint; Christ hath mercy and sufficiency of grace in him, he is able to save to the utmost, that ye cannot deny: But I do add this third, he is willing also to save thee, whoever will be willing to be saved by him; nay, he is more willing than thou art. If ye question this, I desire you but to consider the whole tenor of the Gospel; How many invitations? How many perswasions? How many promises to those who come? Yea, how many commands, and that peremptory, to believe on him? Yea, how many threatnings against you, if ye will not come to him to have life? Hath he given himself for the sins of the world, and will he not be willing that sinners partake of that he was at so much pains to purchase? Think ye that Christ will be content his death should be in vain? and it should be in vain, if he did not welcome the worst sinners; yea, it should be in vain, if he did not draw them to him, and make them willing. But besides this, he hath promised so absolutely, and freely, and fully, as there should be no exception imaginable against it; Him that cometh I will not in any case cast out Joh. 6.37. Why do ye imagine any case where Christ hath made none? Why do ye sin against your own souls? Oh! if I were in Christ, say ye, I would be well; and, Oh! that he would welcome such a sinner. Christ answers thee in express tearms, Whosoever will, let him take and drink freely. Thou declares thy willingness in so speaking, and he declares his willingness in so promising. Nay, thy looking afar off on him, is a fruit of his willingness: Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and loved you first. If ye will not yet believe this, look upon his command; This is his command, that ye believe on the Son, 1 Joh. 3.23. What warrand have ye to do any duty he commands? and why do ye more question this? Is not this his command? and is it not more peremptory, because a new command, and his last command? And when withall he boasts us in to his Son, that we may have life. Oh! who should have the face to question any more his willingness? Other grounds than these I know none: And I think if any come to Christ, or pretend to come on other grounds, he comes not right. If the most holy man come not in among ungodly sinners, if he do not walk upon the grounds of his own extream necessity, and Christs sufficiency, he cannot come to Jesus Christ. There is a conceit among people, which if it were not so common as it is, I would not mention it, it is so ridiculous: How can I come to Christ so unclean and so guilty, nothing but condemnation in me? if I were such and such, I would come to him. Alace! there can nothing be imagined more absurd, or contrary even to sense and reason. If thou wert such and such, as thou fancies a desire to be, thou would not come to Christ, thou needed him not; that which thou pretends as a reason why thou should not come, is the great reason pressed in the Gospel, why thou should come. What madness is this? I am so unclean, I will not come to the fountain to wash: Wherefore was the fountain opened, but for sin and uncleanness? and the more uncleanness, the more need, and the more need, the more reason to come: Necessity is a great errand, and our e…rand is a sufficient warrand. I am pursued by the Law, I have condemnation within me, and nothing but condemnation: well then, come to Christ Jesus, the City of Refuge, where no condemnation is. Wherefore was this City appointed, but for this end? I beseech you every one who useth those debates, and taketh a kind of delight in them, know what they mean, how they wrong your own souls, how they dishonour Christ, and so God the Father; nay, how foolish and ridiculous they are, that if it were not your perplexity indeed, they deserved no answer, but a rebuke, or silence. I have seen people take delight in moving objections against the truth, yea, and studying earnestly how to object against any answers given from the truth. Alace! thou medles to thine own hurt, thou art upon a way which shall never yeeld thee any comfort, but keep thy soul from establishment, as a wave tossed up and down. If ye believe not, but dispute, ye shall not be established.
But I would speak a word to these that have believed, that have fled for refuge to Christ, Oh! it concerns you most of al… men to study to know this condemnation that ye are delivered from, that ye may be thankful, and may keep closs within this City. I say, there is no man within the world should have moe thoughts, more deep and earnest meditations on the curse and wrath of God, then these who are delivered from them through Christ; and my reason is, that ye may know how great a salvation ye have received, how great a condemnation ye have escaped, and may henceforth walk as these who are bought with a price. Your Creation makes you not your own, but his, because he gave that being: but your Redemption should make you twice more his, and not your own, because, when that being was worse than if it had not been at all, he made it over again; so ye are twice his: first he made you with a word, but now he hath bought you with a price, and that a dear price, his blood. Again, the keeping this curse alwayes in your view and sight, and application of it unto your sins, will make much imployment for Christ: O how will ye often …ee into that City? I think they are the greatest enemies of Jesus Christ, and his grace, who would have a believer have no more use of the Law: I know not who can use the Law, if he do it not; I know not who can apply it unto Christ the end of it, but he: Certainly he hath not only use of the commands as a rule of obedience, but the curse also, not to make him fear again unto bondage, no, no, but to make him see alwayes the more necessity of Jesus Christ, that he may take up house in him, and dwell in him.