Instructions About Right Believing, Sermon · Part 3
THE THIRD THING in the Text is the The Third Thing in the Text.PERSONS that may uſe this meanes, and ſo obtaine Chriſt: In thoſe Words: He that Commeth, He that Beleeveth. That is, Any One by theſe Meanes may obtaine Him; It is an indefinite Propoſition & is equivalent to a univerſall; It is as much as to ſay; Who ever Comes: (as it is elſe where put) Iohn. 3. 15. That Whoſoever beleeveth in Him, ſhould not perish, but have Eternall Life; upon the uſe of this Meanes, any Perſon whoever may obtaine Chriſt, & Salvation by him.
DOCTRINE. Doctrine.
CHRIST, and Salvation by CHRIST, are free for any PERSON whatſoever, to obtaine by Beleeving in CHRIST.
The meaning is not, onelyonly, that Chriſt is for all ſorts of People; for all Sorts of People ſhall actually have him, becauſe God hath Elect of all Sorts; both Men & Women & Children, Yonge & Old, Poore & Rich, Wiſe & Foolish, One Nation & Another &c. But the meaning is this, that there is no perticuler Perſon in the World, which may not by Beleeving have Chriſt, & Salvation by him; Chriſt is ſo freely tendered to all Commers, to all Receivers, to all that Beleeve in him; that there is no perſon of any Sexe, Age, Country, Condition, or Sinnes whatever but by Beleeving may have Chriſt & Salvation by Chriſt; This is expreſſe in the Text; whilſt our Saviour ſaith, He that comes, He that beleeves; that is, Whoever comes & beleeves:
As it was in the type; the Braſen Serpent cured onelyonly by being looked on, and it cured all that looked on it, ſo that whatever ſtung Iſraelite looked on it, by that meanes was cured; which tipyfied, that what Perſon ſoever, Came to Chriſt & Beleeved on Him, ſhould be Saved; for allthough, the Serpent helped none (as it is like) but the Iſraelites; yet Chriſt is larger then that type, being for all whoever, one or other, that come to him; as Himſelfe applyes, & expoūds it Iohn. 3. 14. 15. & in other Scriptures: And therefore, Marke. 16. 15. 16. He appoints His Diſciples to preach the Goſpel to every Creature, (that is to every one of Man-kind) and then adds, He that beleeves ſhall be ſaved; that is, whatever Creature of Man-kind, whoever among them doth Beleeve, ſhall be ſaved; Indeed where the Goſpel is not preached, the People are not Commanded to Beleeve; and ſo the Obedience cannot be exacted from them, nor they punisht for the want of it; Yet the Commiſſion of Mercy, & Pardon given out; is no way limited in regard of Perſons, but tenders Mercy & Pardon without limitation of Perſons, upon Beleeving, and therefore where ever it comes, and is preached, it offers Chriſt & Salvation free for every Perſon of them whatever, to be obtained by Beleeving; And it may be truly ſaid that Chriſt is free to be had, by any Perſon, by Beleeving; even as it was with the Iewes, in the Proclamation of Cyrus, 2. Cron laſt, two laſt Verſes. and Ezrah. 1. 1. 2. 3. any Jew might have liberty & freedome from Captivity, upon the tearmes of accepting it, for it was grāted to all whoever, to depart that would depart. Now though it is true all did not take it, and ſo were not delivered, yet Freedome was Free for every one, to be had by accepting it; So is it with Chriſt & Salvation by Him; although not every one, nor the moſt doe obtaine it, becauſe they uſe not the Meanes, accept not the Tearmes & Cōditions.
And this was typified by the Yeares of Iubile (which typified Chriſt; as is cleare by Luke. 4. 19. Chriſt is to preach the acceptable Yeare; that is, the Iubil; He is to Preach it; that is, in & by Him, it is performed & declared) In thoſe Yeares any Servant of the Hebrewes might goe from his Maſter, and if he would goe, and ſo accept of Freedome, he was to have it, Deut. 15 12. 13. any Hebrew was to have Freedom in this Yeare, if he would accept it (though if he would not accept it, he was not to have it as we ſhall ſee heerafter) which taught, that any Perſō (for though the Tipe was limited, yet the Antitipe is not, becauſe the Wall of Seperation is removed) I ſay it taught, that any Perſon whoever, upon theſe Tearmes by theſe Meanes, Viz: Accepting Chriſt & Salvation, that is, Beleeving in Him, ſhould have it: And this ſeemes to be implyed in Rom. 3. 22. 23. That as there is no difference among People till they beleeve, (they are all Sinners) So there is no difference in Gods offer of Mercy in the Goſpel, Its on the ſame Tearmes; to be had a like by All; and therefore with Chriſt, The Angels ſaid glad Tidings came to all People, Luke 2. 10. Now if Salvation might not be had by All, on the ſame Tearmes, then were it not glad Tidings to All, But this makes it glad Tydings to All; That All whoever, by Beleeving may have Salvation; therefore is that Luke. 2. 30. 31. Myne eyes have ſeene thy Salvation, which thou haſt prepared before the face of all People:
This is another maine thing to be knowne; as, that Chriſt is the All & onelyonly Remedy; and that He is to be had by Beleeving; So that any Perſon whatever, by Beleeving may have Him; As a Generall Pardon, offering Mercy to all Traytors which ſubmit & come in; any Traytor whatever upō thoſe Tearmes may have Mercy; Indeed Chriſt doth actually afford helpe to none, but to them that Beleeve, but his helpe is freely tendered all, upon their Beleeving, So that any One whatever Beleeving, ſhall have helpe by Chriſt; this is expreſſe, Revela 22. 17.
Neither let this Point be perverted, for it ſhewes not that any Perſon may have Chriſt & Salvatiō, on any tearmes (for ſo it ſhould juſtifie & incourage carnall Libertines) Nor that all, or the moſt ſhall have Chriſt on theſe tearmes; that is, actually injoy him by thus doing, for the moſt ſhall not have Grace to doe ſo, though by ſo doing, they may have him; But the Point ſhewes, that any Perſon may have it, on Chriſts tearmes; and that every Perſon (where the Goſpel is preached) may & ſhould indeavor to Beleeve, and Beleeving, ſhall have Chriſt; And this is moſt cleare, by thoſe Scriptures which expreſſe Chriſt by a Feaſt; Prov. 9. 1. Luke. 14. 16. &c. where all are invited, and upon comming might eate of the Feast; and the moſt unlikelieſt of all to be permitted to come, are inſtanced in; Viz: The Simple & Fooles, the Poore, and the Hedge & High way Perſons, to ſhew that None be excluded; out of the Offer, but on the ſame Tearmes any one whatever may come & injoye Chriſt.
REASONS. Reaſons.
Firſt, Becauſe this much magnifies & ſets out Gods Grace, & Free-Mercy; whilſt that Chriſt & Salvation, may not onelyonly be had for taking; but alſo may be had by any One whatever, for taking. So freely to offer Chriſt and Salvation to a few were greate Mercy, but to offer it ſo freely to every one, that is Wonderfull Mercy; As it is great Mercy for a Prince, to offer Pardō to one or two Traytors, upon the tearmes of accepting Pardon; but to tender it to all Traytors on the ſame free tearmes, is wonderfull Mercy; even as it was wonderfull Riches in Solomon in the 2. Cron. 1. 15, to make Silver at Ieruſalem as Stones; that is that any one whatever may have for taking up, if he deſires them (for ſo are Stones;) Even thus is the Riches of Gods Mercy, ſet forth: inaſmuch as Chriſt & Salvation (Things of more worth then Gold & Silver) are to be had by any whoever, if they accept thē, that is, Beleeve in Chriſt.
Secondly, Becauſe this Incourageth every one to obey the Goſpel, & beleeve in Chriſt; inasmuch as Chriſt is not limited, nor are any ſequeſtred & ſhut out from having Chriſt by Beleeving: Therefore there is good Incouragement for any one, ſo for every one, to indeavor to Beleeve.
And this is a wiſe Adminiſtratiō of God, for, by this meanes, they who live under the Goſpel, and yet beleeve not, are left wholy without excuſe, even as that Man Math. 22. 12. ſpeechles; for it will be cleare (even their owne ſelves being Judges,) that they miſſed Mercy, becauſe they cared not for it, but loved other things better, for when it was free to be had by any one; by Receiving & Beleeving, they would not doe that; even as the Traytor, who receives not the free and generall Pardon, hath no plea nor excuſe left him, when he comes to receive the Sentence; And this ſeemes to be implyed in Iohn. 3. 19. The Condemnation to them that have heard the Goſpel…, will be this, That Light came into the World, (which muſt be ſupplyed) and might have been had by every one of them if they would have received it, but they would not ſo much as take it, when they might have had it, becauſe their deeds were evill; This free tender of Chriſt, It diſcovers the wickednes of their Hearts, the evill Deeds of thē (for therefore they will not love, nor receive the light) and leaves them without all Plea, and makes their Deſtruction to be of themſelves, their owne willfull ruine, who doe periſh under the Goſpel: And as there is this effect.
So alſo, by this meanes, the Perſons (as the Apoſtle ſpeakes 1. Theſ. 5. 9.) are appointed by God to obtaine Salvatiō by Chriſt; they are brought on to Beleeve, and ſo to be ſaved by Chriſt; For God, doth not firſt, ſhew People that he hath Elected them, and then & thereby perſwade & bring them to beleeve, but Election is concealed as a ſecret thing, and by Gods offering Chriſt freely to every one to be had by Beleeving His free Offer incourageth them to labour to Beleeve, and they finding themſelves not ſhut out of Mercy, they labour to Beleeve, and God helpes & gives them the Gift of Faith, and ſo they Beleeving, come to knowe that they are ordayned to Life Eternall, Acts. 13. 48. This is a wiſe courſe & way to bring in the Elect, and diſcourage or hinder none.
USE. Vſe.
Incouragment.For ſpeciall Incouragement to every one of you To come to Christ & beleeve in Him; I now in Gods Name, as his Meſſenger & Embaſſador; Tender & Offer Chriſt to every One of You, on theſe Tearmes, that ye Come to Him, Receive Him, Beleeve in Him, and aſſure you, that ſo doing, Ye ſhall be ſaved by Him: I tender Chriſt to you All, onelyonly annexing theſe Two Cautions leaſt ye ſhould miſtake or abuſe this Doctrine:Cautions.
Firſt, That none muſt meddle with Chriſt, but they who be willing to have him on His owne Tearmes Viz. To be Lord & King to them aſwell as Preiſt.
Secondly, Whoever doe get Chriſt, they are ſurely Changed by Him, and made New Creatures.
Theſe being premiſed; I doe this Day, Offer Ieſus Chriſt to yee All, and aſſure yee He is to be had by you if ye Come to Him, Receive Him, Beleeve in Him; that is, If ye Entertaine Him, and give up your Selves to Him in all his Offices; upon theſe Tearmes, He may be had by any of you; It is moſt probable there be Some of You to whome God intends good; where He ſo freely ſends his Goſpel; Now let every one hope it is he. And indeavor to make it ſo; as men doe at a Dole: and let Heaven Suffer Violence.
Oh Receive Him then! Give up your Selves to Him in Covenant; Accept Him for your King, Preiſt, and Prophet; Reſolve this Day, The Lord Jeſus Chriſt, ſhall be my Prophet, I will in all Things labour to be Taught & Guided by Him; And he ſhall be my King; I will in all Things care to be Ruled by his Lawes: And he ſhall be my Preiſt; I will reſt on Him for Attonement and Satisfaction to God-wards.
I muſt addreſſe my Selfe to Two Sorts of People among you.
1. To ſuch of you as are Willing that Chriſt ſhould raigne over you, but dare not, or cannot truſt in Him for your Salvatiō; be ye incouraged, for there is none ſuch but be wellcome to Chriſt, that is all he ſeekes, to raigne over you, it is all the tearmes he ſtands on, ye having granted him his owne Conditions, why ſhould ye queſtion his Mercy; This I ſay to you, 1. that if ye be made willing to give up your Selves to Chriſt in all things to be guided by him, and covet his Kingly Office in your Soules, and ſtudy & ſeeke for Holynes, And 2. If ye find, that hope of Mercy, makes ye feare to offend, & care to pleaſe God in all things, and doth not make you preſumptuous, ſecure & bold to Sinne; Then you may, and ſhould apply Chriſt for Mercy, and expect it from him; And doe it now, Now He is offered to you this Day, as a Preiſt to ſave you, & reconcile God to you, accept it, in that Office & put your truſt in him, Is he not free for every one upon theſe tearmes, and why will you neglect ſo free Mercy? You have ſinned againſt it hitherto, in doubting & queſtioning of it, Oh now ſinne not any longer! but boldly venture thy ſelfe on Chriſt; feare not thy Wellcome, or being permitted to apply Chriſt, the free generall Pardon is given out; & ſue it forth, whoever layes hold on Chrſt muſt be ſaved: Chriſt puts this out of doubt: Iohn. 6. 37. He that comes I will in noe wiſe ſend away; Limitt not, where God hath not limitted; doe not ſhut out thy Selfe, where God hath not ſhut thee out; doe not inquire whether thou art choſen or no, but looke to the Goſpel, in which Chriſt is freely tendered to every one on the tearmes of beleeving, and labour to beleeve; Therefore againſt all malitious ſuggeſtions of Satan, and againſt all carnall reaſonings of thine owne Heart, boldly indeavour to rely on Chriſts Merrit for thy Juſtification and ſo doing thou ſhalt be ſaved; Thus reaſon with your Selfe; Doth God freely offer Chriſt to ſave all that entertaine him, and requireth nothing but our accepting him, why then ſhould not I venture my Soule on him, and reſt Confident? How can the God of Truth but be as good as his Word? And if he be ſo, how can I but obtaine Salvation by Chriſt, if I truſt in Chriſt? I would beleeve a Man whome I thought honeſt upon his word; and ſhall I not God, when I have his Word & Oath?
2. I am to ſpeake to another ſort of People; Viz: Such of you, as mind not Chriſt at all, or if you doe, yet not ſo much as to let him raigne over you, but are ſtill bent on your Luſts, & your old & former Wayes; Yee are they, who yet mind ſome thing in the World, to much, and are not willing to entertaine Chriſt for your King; Be ye now exhorted to receive him, and let him raigne over you; He may be had upon theſe Tearmes even by you (for he is free for every one on theſe tearmes) therefore entertaine him, let the World & your Luſts goe, and chooſe Chriſt; Reaſon thus with your Selves; Is not the Love of the World enmity to God, ſo that He that is a friend to the World, muſt be Gods Enemy? The Things of the World they are but periſhing, uncertaine, inſufficient Helpers, & Comforters; And as for my Luſtes & Wayes, are they not deceitfull, vaniſhing, & damnable? Is not the Fruite of every Sinne, Shame; and the Wages Death? muſt I not leave them, & get Pardon for them, or goe to Hell? Why then ſhall I prefer the World & Sinne before Chriſt? And (as the Jewes in an other caſe) chooſe Barrabas a Murderer, and let Chriſt goe? At the Day of Judgment I ſhall need Chriſt; But how can I thinke, Chriſt will owne me heerafter, if I now will not owne him, and let him rule over me? Will he not one Day, bid me depart, and ſay He knowes me not, if I be a Worker of Iniquity? Wherefore ſince Chriſt is ſo free, that I may receive him as well as any other, ſo that I will but renounce all my ſinnfull wayes, and give up my Selfe to Him; I will ſo doe: Whats the World & my Luſts to Heaven & Chriſt; which thus I may have?
Oh! that ye would be perſwaded this Day, to abandon the World & your Sinnes, and Entertaine Chriſt for your Lord & King; Doe it, when as you heare, that if you now accept Chriſt, ye ſhall be wellcomed; and though hitherto ye have been great Sinners; Yet now if ye abandon your Luſts, and embrace Christ; ye ſhall have him given, and all that is paſt freely forgiven: Oh! why will ye neglect ſo great Salvation? Doe not ſo, but doe this; Receive Chriſt; and now doe it; doe not defer the doing this, But now make this Covenant with Chriſt, even this Day, at this Time: Covenant in your Spirits with Chriſt; that you will accept Him in all his Offices to be yours, and give up your Selves to be his, and reſt on him for your Salvation; Now I ſay doe it, whilſt it is called too Day, and defer not; if now you will indeavor to doe it, Chriſt will helpe you forward; Incline to this happy worke, and the miniſtry of the Goſpel ſhall promove & farther you; It is the Miniſtry of the Spirit, and not of the Letter; Gods Spirit accompanyes it, both to worke in you a Will to doe thus, and to Helpe them that are willing & doe indeavor it; But if ye ſhall defer Chriſt; and excuſe your not Comming, and put him off, ye can expect no other returne but that, Luke. 14. 24. For I ſay unto you, that none of thoſe men which were bidden ſhall taſt of my Supper: and ye may well feare, it ſhall fare with you, as with the Iſraelites, who becauſe They would not accept Gods offer & enter Canaan, when he tendred it, allthough a while after, they would have done it, and did indeavor, yet God would never let them come into it: Where Gods Mercy is moſt free; he is uſually moſt quick & ſevere; and they that may & will not goe free, are ſerved, as the Servant that might, and would not. Deut. 15. 16. 17. No after Yeares of Jubile, could free them.
Remarkeable is the Speech of Francis Spira, (one of whome I told you before) when he languished under the torture of his Conſcience, for preferring the World, before Chriſt: Oh ſaith he! that I could but hope in Gods Mercy; Oh! what would I give for one of thoſe ſweete Motions of Gods Spirit, to incline me, which I have had before & ſlighted; A pittifull Caſe; and yet the like and worſe may yours be, if ye neglect or defer to take Chriſt, now that he is offered to you all; Therefore, if ye have any ſence or apprehenſion of Things Spirituall, Eternall & to Come, If ye have any feare of Hell, or deſire of Heaven; If any reſpect or reverence to God who thus condeſcends & ſtoopes low, ſo as to Offer Chriſt & Salvation to you, and Invite you to come & take it; Be Exhorted to Come & Beleeve in Ieſus Chriſt.
But if all this will not move you, then breifly Conſider what the Lord ſaith in his Word; where Chriſt is offered, and not received; Oh! how fearefull is that Peoples State?
1. They are in a more Speciall deſperate ſubjection to Sinne then others; For Light is come into the World, and ſuch Men Loved Darkenes, rather then Light, becauſe their deedes are evill; Iohn. 3. 19. Chriſt, Who is ſet for the riſing againe of many, is ſet alſo for the fall of others; Luke. 2. 34. 35. And for a ſigne which ſhall be ſpoken againſt, that the thoughts of many Hearts may be revealed; And heerein the Iniquity of Sinne is diſcovered.
2. They muſt Perish; you heard before, how they that were Invited, and Came not, ſhould not taſt of the Supper, Therefore 2. Theſ. 1. 7. 8. The Lord Ieſus ſhall be revealed from Heaven, with his mighty Angells, in flaming Fire, to take Vengance; But on whome? On them that knowe not God, and Obey not the Goſpel of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt. And the ſame Apoſtle tells us, If the Goſpel be hid, it is to them that perish 2. Cor. 4. 3. Such ſhall call for Chriſt & Mercy, as Pro. 1. 24. &c. but ſhall be anſwered, Him ye would not have; Such ſhall have in them as much feare of Chriſt, as of God, and as much danger from Chriſt, as from God; For Chriſt will be Wroth, and will certainely Have thoſe his Enemyes, which would not that he ſhould raigne over them, brought, & ſlaine, before Him, Luke. 19. 27. Chriſt the Lambe, will be wroth, and ſuch ſhall be the day of his wrath, ſo great, & terrible, as that men ſhall ſay, who ſhall be able to ſtand? & therefore unbeleevers of all rankes, Kings, Great men of the Earth, Rich men, and the Cheife Captaines, Such as now dare looke Death in the Face, ſhall then Call to the Mountaines & Rockes to fall on them, to cover them from that Wrath, Revel. 6. 15. 16. 17. And how can Such want ruine, When the Goſpel ſhall Iudge them; as Chriſt tells you it ſhall doe thoſe who heare it and doe not beleeve, Iohn. 12. 47. 48. The Word that I have ſpoken, the ſame ſhall Iudge them at the Laſt Day:
And Such ſhall not onelyonly periſh, but Perish worſe thē Others; The Goſpel is a Savour of Death unto Death to them, 2. Cor. 2. 15. 16. They are dead allready, but ſhall dye worſe; They are fallen in Adam, but ſhall fall farther Luke. 2. 34. Therefore that Place is very Conſiderable, Math. 10. 12. to. 16. And when ye come into an houſe, ſalute it. And if the houſe be worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it be not worthy, let your peace returne to you. And whoſoever ſhall not receive you, nor heare your wordes: when ye depart out of that houſe or city, ſhake off the duſt of your feet. Verily I ſay unto you; It ſhall be more tolerable for the land of Sodome & Gomorrha in the day of Iudgement, then for that Citie.
Thus much for the third Thing in the Text; Viz: the Perſons that may uſe theſe Meanes, and ſo obtaine Chriſt: Now the Laſt followes.