Obs. That Christ lived by faith as well as we do.

In John i. 16, we are said to receive of his fulness grace for grace; that is, grace answerable and like unto his; and so (among others) faith. For explication hereof.

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First; in some sense he had a faith for justification like unto ours, though not a justification through faith, as we have. He went not, indeed, out of himself, to rely on another for righteousness, for he had enough of his own (he being the Lord our righteousness'); yet he believes on God to justify him, and had recourse to God for justification: 'He is near' (says he) 'that justifies me.' If he had stood in his own person merely, and upon his own bottom only, there had been no occasion for such a speech; and yet consider him as he stood in our stead, there was; for what need of such a justification, if he had not been some way near a condemnation? He therefore must be supposed to stand here (in Isaiah) at God's tribunal, as well as at Pilate's, with all our sins upon him. And so the same prophet tells us, chap. liii. 6, God made the iniquities of us to meet on him.' He was now made sin, and a curse, and stood not in danger of Pilate's condemnation only, but of God's too, unless he satisfied him for all those sins. And when the wrath of God for sin came thus in upon him, his faith was put to it, to trust and wait on him for his justification, for to take off all those sins, together with his wrath from off him, and to acknowledge himself satisfied and him acquitted. Therefore, in Ps. xxii. (which was made for Christ when hanging on the cross, and speaks how his heart was taken up that while), he is brought in as putting forth such a faith as here we speak of, when he called God his God, My God! my God!' then, when as to his sense, he had forsaken him, Why hast thou forsaken me?' Yea, he helped his faith with the faith of the forefathers, whom upon their trust in him God had delivered; Our fathers,' saith he, trusted in thee; they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.' Yea, at ver. 5, we find him laying himself at God's feet, lower than ever any man did. I am a worm,' says he, (which every man treads on, and counts it a matter of nothing for to kill), and no man,' as it follows; and all this, because he bare our sins. Now his deliverance and justification from all these, to be given him at his resurrection, was the matter, the business he thus trusted in God for, even that he should rise again, and be acquitted from them. So Ps. xvi. (a psalm made also for Christ, when to suffer, and lie in the grave), ver. 8, 9, 10: 'The Lord is at my right hand, I shall not be moved: Therefore my heart is glad, my flesh also resteth in hope,' or, as in the original, dwells in confident sureness.' Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,' that is, under the load of these sins, and thy wrath laid on me for them; neither wilt suffer thy holy One (in my body) to see corruption.' This is in substance all one with what is here said in this one word, He is near that justifies me,' for Christ's resurrection was a justification of him, as I shall hereafter shew. Neither, 2, did he exercise faith for himself only, but for us also, and that more than any of us is put to it, to exercise for himself; for he in dying, and emptying himself, trusted God with the merit of all his sufferings aforehand, there being many thousands of souls to be saved thereby a long while after, even to the end of the world. He died and betrusted all that stock into his Father's hands, to give it out in grace and glory, as those for whom he died should have need. And this is a greater trust (considering the infinite number of his elect as then yet to come) than any man hath occasion to put forth for himself alone. God trusted Christ before he came into the world, and saved many millions of the Jews upon his bare

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word. And then Christ, at his death, trusts God again as much, both for the salvation of Jews and Gentiles, that were to believe after his death. Heb. ii. 12, 13, 14, 15, it is made an argument that Christ was a man like us, because he was put to live by faith like as we are (which the angels do not); and to this end, the apostle brings in these words prophesied of him, as spoken by him of himself, I will put my trust in him,' as one proof that he was a man like unto us. Now for what was it that he trusted God? By the context it appears to be this, that he should be the salvation of his 'brethren' and 'children,' and that he should have a seed and a generation to serve him,' and raise up a church to God to praise him in. For this is made his confidence, and the issue of his sufferings, in that fore-cited Ps. xxii., from ver. 22 to the end.

Use. How should the consideration of these things both draw us on to faith, and encourage us therein, and raise up our hearts above all doubtings and withdrawings of spirit in believing! For in this example of Christ we have the highest instance of believing that ever was. He trusted God (as

we have seen) for himself, and for many thousands besides, even for all his elect; and hast not thou the heart to trust him for one poor soul? Yea, Christ thus trusted God upon his single bond; but we, for our assurance, have both Christ and God bound to us, even God with his surety Christ (for he is God's surety as well as ours). A double bond from two such

persons, whom would it not secure? If God the Father and God the Son thus mutually trusted one another for our salvation, whom would it not induce to trust them both, for one's own salvation, whenas otherwise they must be damned that will not?

1. This example of Christ may teach and incite us to believe. For did Christ lay down all his glory, and empty himself, and leave himself worth nothing, but made a deed of surrendering all he had into his Father's hands, and this in a pure trust that God would justify many by him' (as it is in Isa. liii.)? And shall not we lay down all we have, and part with whatever is dear unto us aforehand, with the like submission, in a dependence and hope of being ourselves justified by him? And withal ;

2. It may encourage us to believe, especially against the greatness of sins. Hast thou the guilt of innumerable transgressions coming in and discouraging thee from trusting in him? Consider but what Christ had, though not of his own; Christ was made (as Luther boldly, in this sense that we speak of him, speaks), the greatest sinner that ever was, that is, by imputation; for the sins of all God's chosen met in him. And yet he trusted God to be justified from them all, and to be raised up from under the wrath due to them. Alas! thou art but one poor sinner, and thy faith hath but a light and small load laid upon it, namely, thy own sins, which to this sum he undertook for, are but as an unit to an infinite number. 'God laid upon him the iniquities of us all.' Christ trusted God for his own acquittance from the sins of all the world, and when that was given him, he yet again further trusted him, to acquit the world for his satisfaction's sake.

But thou wilt say, Christ was Christ, one personally united to God, and so knew that he could satisfy him; but I am a sinful man. Well, but if thou believest, and so art one of those who are one with Christ, then Christ speaking these words in the name both of himself and of his elect, as hath been shewed, thou hast the very same ground to utter them that he had, and all that encouraged him may embolden thee, for he stood in thy stead. It was only thine and others' sins that put him in any danger of condemna

tion; and thou seest what his confidence beforehand was, that God would justify him from them all. And if he had left any of them unsatisfied for, he had not been justified; and, withal, in performing his own part undertaken by him, he performed thine also, and so in his being justified thou wert justified also. His confidence, then, may therefore be thine now; only his was in and from himself, but thine must be on him: yet so as by reason of thy communion with him in his both condemnation and justification, thou mayest take and turn all that emboldened him to this his trust and confidence, to embolden thee also in thine, as truly as he did for himself. Yea, in this thou hast now a farther prop and encouragement to thy faith, than he had; for now (when thou art to believe), Christ hath fully performed the satisfaction he undertook, and we now see Jesus crucified, acquitted, yea crowned with glory and honour, as the apostle speaks; but he, when he took up this triumph, was (as Isaiah here foretold and prophesied it of him), but as then entering upon that work. The prophet seeing the day of his arraignment and agony, utters these words as his; shewing what thoughts should then possess his heart, when Pilate and the Jews should condemn him, and our sins come in upon him, God is near that justifies me; who therefore shall contend with me?' But now this comes to be added to our challenge here, that Christ hath died, and is also risen again;' that he was condemned and justified; who therefore shall condemn? may we say, and say much more.

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But thou wilt yet say, He knew himself to be the Son of God, but so do not I. Well, do thou but cast thyself upon him, to be adopted and justified by him, with a giving up thy soul to his saving thee his own way, and, though thou knowest it not, the thing is done. And as for that so great and usual discouragement unto poor souls from doing this, namely, the greatness and multitudes of sins, this very example of his faith, and the consideration of it, may alone take off, and help to remove it, more than any I have ever met with; for he, in bearing the sins of his elect, did bear as great and infinitely more sins than thine, yea, all sorts of sins whatever, for some one of his elect or other, for he said upon it, that all (that is, all sorts of) sins shall be forgiven unto men, and therefore were first borne by him for them; and yet you see how confident aforehand he was, and is now clearly justified from them all. And by virtue of his being justified from all sorts of sins, shall all sorts of sinners in and through him be justified also; and, therefore, why mayest not thou hope to be from thine ? Certainly for this very reason our sins, simply and alone considered, can be supposed no hindrance.

Thus we have met with one great and general encouragement at the very portal of this text, which comes forth to invite us ere we are entered into it, and which will await upon us throughout all that shall be said, and have an influence into our faith, and help to direct it in all that follows.

CHAPTER II.

The scope and argument of this discourse is, either direction to Christ as the object of faith, or encouragement to believers, from all those particulars in Christ mentioned in the text.

Faith and the supports of it, or rather Christ, as by his death and resurrection, &c., he is the foundation of faith and the cause of our justifica

tion, is the main subject of these words. All which therefore, to handle more largely, is the intended subject of this discourse. And therefore, as we have seen Christ's faith for us, so now let us see what our faith is to be towards him only take this along with you, for a right bounding of all that follows, that the faith (the object and support of which I would discourse of), is only faith as justifying; for justification was properly here the matter of Christ's faith for us, and is also answerably here held forth by Paul, as that faith which believers are to have on him. Now faith is called justifying, only as it hath justification for its object, and as it goes out to Christ for justification; so that all that shall be spoken must be confined to this alone, as the intendment of the text. And concerning this, the text doth two things:

1. It holds forth Christ the object of it, 'Who shall condemn ? Christ hath died,' &c. And he being the sole subject of those four particulars that follow, as encouragements to faith, must needs be therefore the object here set forth unto our faith.

2. In Christ we have here all those four things made matter of triumph to believers, to assure them they shall not be condemned, but justified: in that

Christ (1.) died, (2.) rose again, (3.) is at God's right hand, (4.) intercedes.

So that (for the general), I am to do two things; and therein I shall fulfil the text's scope.

1. Direct your faith to Christ, as to its right object.

2. To encourage your faith from these several actions of Christ for us, and shew how they all contain matter of triumph for faith in them, and also teach your faith how to triumph from each of them. And herein I am to keep close to the argument propounded, namely, faith as justifying; or to shew how faith, seeking justification in Christ, may be exceedingly raised from each of these particulars, and supported by them, as by so many pillars of it. So as although Christ's death, resurrection, &c., may fitly serve to encourage our faith in many other acts it useth to put forth (as in point of sanctification to be had from Christ, into which his death and resurrection have an influence), yet here we are limited to the matter of justification only; It is God that justifies; who shall condemn, seeing Christ hath died?' and herein to shew how his death, resurrection, &c., may and do afford matter of comfort and triumphing in point of justification from all these. And thus you have the sum of these words, and of my scope in this ensuing treatise.

CHAPTER III.

First, Directions to Christ as the object of faith.-How in a threefold consideration Christ is the object of justifying faith.

But ere I come to encourage your faith from these, let me first direct and point your faith aright to its proper and genuine object, Christ. I shall do it briefly, and only so far as it may be an introduction to the encouragements from these four particulars, the things mainly intended by me.

1. Christ is the object of our faith, in joint commission with God the Father.

2. Christ is the object of faith, in opposition to our own humiliation, or graces, or duties.

3. Christ is the object of faith, in a distinction from the promises.

1. First, Christ is the object of faith, in joint commission with God the Father. So here, it is God that justifies,' and Christ that died.' They are both of them set forth as the foundation of a believer's confidence. So elsewhere, faith is called a believing on him (namely, God), that justifies the ungodly,' Rom. iv. 5; and a ' believing on Christ,' Acts xvi. 31. Wherefore faith is to have an eye unto both, for both do alike contribute unto the justification of a sinner. It is Christ that paid the price, that performed the righteousness by which we are justified; and it is God that accepts of it, and imputes it unto us: therefore justification is ascribed unto both. And this we have, Rom. iii. 24, where it is attributed unto them both together, Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.' Where we see that God's free grace and Christ's righteousness do concur to our justification. Christ paid as full a price, as if there were no grace shewn in justifying us (for mercy bated Christ nothing); and yet that it should be accepted for us, is as free grace, and as great as if Christ had paid never a farthing. Now as both these meet to justify us, so faith in justification is to look at both these. So it follows in the next verse, Rom. iii. 25, Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood.' And though it be true, that God justifying is the ultimate object of our faith, for Christ' leads us by the hand' (as the word is, Eph. ii. 18), unto God;' and 1 Pet. i. 21, we are said by Christ to believe on God who raised him, that so our faith and hope might be on God;' yet so, as under the New Testament, Christ is made the more immediate object of faith; for God dwelling in our nature is made more familiar to our faith than the person of the Father is, who is merely God. Under the Old Testament, when Christ was but in the promise, and not as then come in the flesh, then indeed their faith had a more usual recourse unto God, who had promised the Messiah, of whom they then had not so distinct, but only confused, thoughts; though this they knew, that God accepted and saved them through the Messiah. But now under the New Testament, because Christ as mediator exists not only in a promise of God's, but is come and manifest in the flesh, and is set forth by God' (as the apostle's phrase is), to transact all our business for us between God and us; hence the more usual and immediate address of our faith is to be made unto Christ; who as he is distinctly set forth in the New Testament, so he is as distinctly to be apprehended by the faith of believers. Ye believe in God' (saith Christ to his disciples, whose faith and opinion of the Messiah was till Christ's resurrection, of the same elevation with that of the Old Testament believers), 'believe also in me,' John xiv. 1. Make me the object of your trust for salvation, as well as the Father. And, therefore, when faith and repentance come more narrowly to be distinguished by their more immediate objects, it is repentance towards God,' but faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ,' Acts xx. 21; not that God and Christ are *the objects of both, but that Christ is more immediately the object of faith, and God of repentance so that we believe in God through believing in Christ first, and turn to Christ by turning to God first. And this is there spoken, when they are made the sum of Christian doctrine, and of the apostles' preaching. And, therefore, the faith of some being much enlarged to the mercies of God and his free grace, and but in way of supposition unto Christ, or in * Qu.' are not?'-ED.

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