96

SERMON CXΧΙΙ.

Chrift the author, and obedience the condition of falvation.

HEB. V. 9.

And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.

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HIS is spoken of Christ, our great High-priest under the gospel; upon the excellency of whose

person, and the efficacy of his facrifice for the eternal benefit and falvation of mankind, the Apostle insists so largely in this, and the following cha pters; but the sum of all is briefly comprehended in the text, that our High-priest being made perfect, became the author of eternal Salvation to them that obey him.

In which words we have these four things confi derable:

1st, The great blessing and benefit here spoken of, and that is eternal salvation; and this implies in it, not only our deliverance from hell, and redemption from eternal misery; but the obtaining of eternal life and happiness for us.

2dly, The author of this great blessing and benefit to mankind; and that is Jesus Christ the Son of God; who is here represented to us under the notion of our High-priest, who by making atonement for us, and reconciling us to God, is said to be the author of eternal falvation to mankind.

3dly, The way and means whereby he became the author of our salvation; being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation. The word is τελειωθεὶς, having confummated his work and finished his course, and received the reward of it. For

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this word hath an allusion to those that run in a race, where he that wins receives the crown. And to this the Apostle plainly alludes, Phil. iii. 12. where he says, not as though I had already attained, οὐχ ὅτι ἤδη ἔλαβον, not as if I had already taken hold of the prize; but I am pressing, or reaching forward towards it; ή ἤδη τετελείωμαι, or were already perfeft; that is, not as if I had finished my course, or had the prize or crown in my hand; but I am preffing forward towards it. In like manner, our bleffed Saviour, when he had finished the course of his humiliation and obedience, which was accomplished in his fufferings, and had received the reward of them, being risen from the dead, and exalted to the right hand of God, and crowned with glory and honour, he is faid to be τελειωθείς, made perfect; and therefore, when he was giving up the ghost upon the cross, he said, John xix. 30. τελέλεται, it is finished, or perfected; that is, he had done all that was neceffary to be done, by way of fuffering for our redemption. And the fame word is likewife used, Luke xiii. 32. concerning our Saviour's sufferings, I do cures to day and to morrow, κὶ τῇ τρίτη τελειοῦ μαι, and the third day I shall be perfected; this he spake concerning his own death. And therefore, chap. ii. 10. God is said to make the captain of our falvation perfect through sufferings; Ιδιὰ παθη μάτων τελειώσαι. And thus our High-priest being made perfect in this sense, that is, having finished his course, which was accomplished in his fufferings, and having received the reward of them, in being exalted at the right hand of God, he became the author of eternal salvation to us.

4thly, You have here the qualifications of the persons who are made partakers of this great benefit, or the condition upon which it is suspended, and that is obedience; he became the author of eternal salvation to them that obey him.

These are the main things contained in the text. For the fuller explication whereof, I shall take into confideration these five things :

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1st, How 1st, How and by what means Christ is the author of our salvation.

2dly, What obedience the gospel requires as a condition, and is pleased to accept as a qualification, in those who hope for eternal falvation.

3dly, We will confider the possibility of performing this condition, by that grace and affistance which is offered, and ready to be afforded to us by the gofpel.

4thly, The neceffity of this obedience, in order to eternal life and happiness.

And 5thly, Lshall shew that this is no prejudice to the law of faith, and the free grace and mercy of God, declared in the gospel.

1st, We will consider how and by what means Christ is the author of our salvation; and this is contained in these words, being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation; that is, (as I told you before) having finished his course, which was accomplished in his last sufferings; and having received the reward of them, being exalted at the right hand of God, he became the author of eternal falvation to us; fo that by all he did, and suffered for us, in the days of his flesh, and in the state of his humiliation, and by all that he still continues to do for us, now that he is in heaven at the right hand of God; he hath effected and brought about the great work of our falvation. His doctrine and his life, his death and fufferings, his refurrection from the dead, and his powerful interceffion for us at the right hand of God, have all a great influence upon the reforming and saving of mankind; and by all these ways and means, he is the author and cause of our salvation; as a rule, and as a pattern, as a price and propitiation, and as a patron and advocate that is conzinually pleading our caufe, and interceding with God on our behalf, for mercy and grace to help in time of need.

And indeed our condition required an High-priest who was qualified in all these respects, for the recovery of mankind out of that corrupt and degenerate state into which it was funk; an High-priest whose

lips should preserve knowledge, and from whose mouth we might learn the law of God; whose life should be a perfect pattern of holiness to us, and his death a propitiation for the fins of the whole world; and by whose grace and assistance we should be endowed with power and strength to mortify our lufts, and to perfect holiness in the fear of God; and therefore fuch an High-priest became us, who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from finners, who might have compassion on the ignorant, and them that are out of the way, and being himself compaffed with infirmities, might have the feeling of ours, being in all points tempted as we are, only without fin; and in a word, might be able to save to the uttermost all those that come to God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for us.

By these qualifications our High-priest is described in this epistle; and by these he is every way suited to all our defects and infirmities, all our wants and neceffities; to instruct our ignorance by his doctrine, and to lead us in the path of righteousness by his most holy and most exemplary life; to expiate the guilt of our fins by his death; and to procure grace and afsistance for us, by his prevalent intercession on our behalf. By all these ways, and in all these respects, he is said to be the author of eternal salvation.

1st, By the holiness and purity of his doctrine, whereby we are perfectly instructed in the will of God and our duty, and powerfully excited and perfuaded to the practice of it. The rules and directions of a holy life were very obscure before, and the motives and encouragements to virtue but weak and ineffectual, in comparison of what they are now rendered by the revelation of the gospel. The general corruption of mankind, and the vicious practice of the world, had in a great measure blurred and defaced the natural law; so that the heathen world for many ages, had but a very dark and doubtful knowledge of their duty, especially as to several instances of it. The custom of several vices had fo prevailed among mankind, as almost quite to extinguish the natural fenfe of their evil and deformity. And the Jews, who enjoyed a confiderable degree of divine revelation, had no strict regard to the morality of their actions; and contenting themselves with some kind of outward conformity to the bare letter of the ten commandments, were almost wholly taken up with little ceremonies and observances, in which they placed the main of their religion, almost wholly neglecting the greater duties, and weightier matters of the law.

And therefore our blessed Saviour, to free mankind from these wanderings and uncertainties about the will of God, revealed the moral law, and explained the full force and meaning of it, clearing all doubts, and fupplying all the defects of it, by a more particular and explicit declaration of the several parts of our duty, and by precepts of greater perfection, than the world was sufficiently acquainted withal before; of greater humility and more universal charity; of abstaining from revenge and forgiving injuries, and returning to our enemies good for evil, and love for ill-will, and blessings and prayers for curses and perfecutions. These virtues indeed were fometimes, and yet but very rarely, recommended before in the counsels of wife men; but either not in that degree of perfection, or not under that degree of necessity, and as having the force of laws, and laying an univerfal obligation of indispensible duty upon all mankind.

And as our blessed Saviour hath given a greater clearness, and certainty, and perfection, to the rule of our duty, fo he hath revealed, and brought into a clearer light, more powerful motives and encouragements to the constant and careful practice of it; for life and immortality are brought to light by the gospel; the refurrection of Christ from the dead be. ing a plain and convincing demonstration of the immortality of our fouls, and another life after this, and an evidence to us both of his power, and of the fidelity of his promise, to raise us from the dead. Not but that mankind had fome obfcure apprehenfions of these things before. Good men had always good hopes of another life, and futute rewards in another

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