no; and this is one good argument, when the infinite holineffe of God hath made you fee your uncleanneffe, and upon that hath humbled you. Laftly, what need have we all of Jefus Chrift! if God be glorious in holineffe, we should all of us fay, who can ftand before fo holy a God! were it not for the holineffe of the blessed mediator who ftands between the father and us, and prefents his infinite satisfaction to the father for our finnes, and clothes us with his righteoufneffe, woe, woe unto us: if you could poffibly imagine that all the excellencies of heaven and earth were put into one creature, except holineffe, yet if that creature had but the leaft drop of uncleanneffe and unholineffe in it, God would eternally hate that creature; and were there not a mediator between that creature and God, God would eternally let out his wrath upon it; for God is fo glorious in holineffe that he doth infinitely hate filthineffe: we wonder to heare of fuch great mifery threatned to wicked men, but we should not wonder,did we know Gods holineffe: God doth fo infinitely hate finne that he did inftantly fend all the Angels that fell,downe in chaines of eternall darknesse, and refufed to enter into the leaft parly with them, or to be reconciled to them for ever. Now what is the reason, that though we have fo much uncleanneffe in us, yet God is pleased to be reconciled to us, and to admit us into his prefence, and give us hopes to fee his face with joy to all eternity? 'tis this, because we have a mediator, and they have none: were it not for that, could we weep Areames of blood from our eyes, yet God would hate and abhor us, and his wrath would eternally feize upon us. therefore, though you may rejoyce in inherent holineffe, yet let your hearts especially be upon the perfect holineffe of Jefus Christ, and tender up that to God: and though thou haft much uncleanneffe in thy felfe and in thy duties (for alas what is it for us to tender duty to the holy God) yet let this comfort thee, thou haft not to deal with God in thy felfe, but through Chrift; and in him thou haft liberty to come, and mayeft look upon Gods face with boldneffe; this is the great miftery of godlineffe, revealed in the Gofpell, that notwithstanding the infiniteneffe of Gods holineffe, yet there fhould be a way for us polluted And polluted creatures to looke upon this God with joy. This mystery is onely taught in the Gospel. Though men now thinke they can come and ery to God for mercy; yet hereafter when God fhal let out the brightneffe of his holineffe to thee,and thou comeft to fee thy uncleanneffe,then thy heart will finke down in eternall defpaire;thou wilt not endure to behold God then: And if thou beeft not acquainted with God in this way of reconci liation, thou art undone for ever; therefore ftudy the mystery of the Gofpell, and make use of Chrift, that the glory of Gods holineffe may not be to thy terrour, but to thy comfort. This Sermon was preacht March 21. 1640. Colof. I COLOS. 3. V.II. latter end of it. But Chrift is all in all, Tis not long fince (as fome of you may remember) that in this place that fubject was handled of the Saints enjoyment of God, to be all in all, out of 1 Cor.15.v.28. and then I told you we had fuch an expreffion in Scripture but onely twice: applyed to God in the happineffe of the Saints enjoyment of him in heaven, and applyed here to Chrift, of what Chrift is to them for the prefent. That which was handled about Gods being all in all, is the end: this that is to be delivered concerning Chrift being all in all, is that which brings the foul to that blessed end. Wherefore then, as Chrift himselfe fayes, John 14.1. Tee believe in God, believe alfo in me: So I fay, as God fhall be all in all eternally to the Saints, doe you believe in that? believe alfo in this, that I am to deliver to you this day, that Chrift, he is all and in all. The Apostle Saint Paul was a chofen veffell to beare the name of Chrift, to carry it up and downe in the world; and indeed his fpirit was full of Chrift, he defired to know nothing but Chrift, to Preach nothing but Christ, to be found in none but Chrift; the very name of Chrift was delightfull to him: he feekes in all his Epiftles to magnifie Chrift, and in these words (that I have read unto you) he doth onnifie Chrift; he makes him not onely great, but makes him all. There is neither Greeke nor Jew, circumcifion nor uncircumcifion, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free,but Chrift is all & in all: that is,there is no priviledge in the one to commend them to God, and no want of any thing in the other to hinder them from God; let men be what they will in their outward refpects, what is that to God? March 28 1641. God? let them be never fo mean in regard of all outwards, that cannot hinder them from the enjoyment of God: for God lookes not at these things, but Chrift is all and in all to them; fo farre as God feeth Chrift in any, he aceepts of them : if Chrift be not there, whatever they have,he regards them not. Chrift is all in all, even in the esteeme of the Father himselfe: he was the delight of the father from all eternity, Prov.8.30. and the father tooke infinite contentment in him upon his willingneffe to undertake this bleffed worke of the redemption of mankinde. God the father is infinitely fatisfied in Chrift, he is all in all to him: Surely if Christ be an object fufficient for the fatisfaction of the father, much more then is he an object sufficient for the fatisfaction of any foul. But that which is the maine scope here of the holy Ghost in this high expreffion of Chrifts tranfcendent excellency (that I may come presently to it) I fhall deliver it in this doctrinall propofition, That Chrift is the onely meanes of conveighance of all good that God the father intends to communicate unto the children of mensin order to eternall life ; he is all, and in all. This that I am now to Preach unto you, namely, Gods communicating of himselfe in his mercy to mankinde, through a mediatour, it is the very fum of the Gofpell, the great mystery of godlineffe, 'tis the chiefe part of the minde and counfell of God, that he would have made knowne to the children of men in this world. This is the great embaffage that the minifters of the Gospell have to bring unto the fons and daughters of men, and 'tis the most abfolutely neceffary point in all Divinity. I fuppofe in the first hearing of it, every one yeilds to the truth of it; 'tis true you will fay, we can have no good from God, but in and by Chrift. Well, there is a great deal in that you fay, when you fay all muft come from God in Chrift in all your prayers and petitions you ufually conclude them through Jefus Chrift; but certainely this is many times fpoken when we fee little of the glory of God that there is in fuch an expreffion: and that which I fhall this day endeavour, fhall be to fhew you somewhat of the glory of God fhining in this truth that God doth communicate himselfe through a mediatour, through his fon. This is the great point of Divinity that is ab folutely folutely neceffary to be known to eternall life: it is poffible to be ignorant of many other truths, and yet be faved; but there muft be fome knowledge of this, or there can beno falvation : the mistake in this very thing is the mifcarrage, and the eternall undoing of thousand thousands of fouls; many there are who believe that they have need of, and can never be saved but by Gods mercy, and this the light of nature convinceth us of: but that God is to communicate his mercy through a mediator, this they are ignorant of, and fee not into the reallity of this truth; and mifcarry and perish eternally with cryes to God for mercy, because they come to God, bnt not through a mcdiator. This is the fum of the Gofpell, and the most supernaturall truth revealed in all the book of God. It is a truth that was hidden almoft from all the world for many ages; the Scripture faith,The Princes of the world knew it not. A truth we are not able to understand any thing of by the light of nature. 1 Cor.1.21. The world by wisdome knew not God, that is, by all their arts and sciences, by all their naturall wifedome, they knew not God favingly; they did not know God in Chrift. There is no footsteps of this truth in all the works of creation or providence; therefore in Ephef. 3.8. Saint Paul fayes, he was appointed to Preach the unfearchable riches of Chrift; that riches that hath no footsteps: that is the propriety of the word; there is no footsteps of the riches of the Gofpell in the creature ; there fore you cannot trace it there; whereas many other points of religion have many footsteps in the creature, and by the light of nature much may be difcovered about God as that all our good confifts in communion with God, that when we have offended God,we muft feek to him for pardon and mercy, and the like: But that God communicates himself through Chrift, and that not one drop of mercy in order to eternal life can be communicated from God,but through Chrift the mediator, of this there is not one foot-step in all the works of God. This is that which is fo fupernaturall, that 'tis above perfect nature. Adam knew nothing of this in his perfect effate. Yea this is that which the Angels themselves defire to pry into, looking upon it as a mighty depth. 1 Peter 1. 12. the Angels Stoop downe (for fo the word fignifieth) 'tis as if a thing fhould F lie |