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3. The whole Scripture, and all divine institutions from the beginning, do testify in general that this way of God for the saving sinners is by commutation, substitution, atonement, satisfaction, and imputation. This is the language of the first promise, and all the sacrifices of the law founded thereon. This is the language of the Scripture. There is a way whereby sinners may be saved, a way that God hath found out and appointed. Now it being the law wherein sinners are concerned, the rule of all things between God and them, should seem to be by what they can do or suffer with respect unto that law: No, saith the Scripture, it cannot be so; 'For by the deeds of the law no man living shall be justified in the sight of God;' Psal. cxlii. 2. Rom. iii. 20. Gal. ii. 16. Neither shall it be by their personal answering of the penalty of the law which they have broken; for they cannot do so, but they must perish eternally: for, 'If thou Lord shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?' Psal. cxxx. 3. There must therefore be, there is another way, of a different nature and kind from these, for the saving of sinners, or there is no due revelation made of the mind of God in the Scripture. But that there is so, and what it is, is the main design of it to declare: and this is by the substitution of a mediator instead of the sinners that shall be saved, who shall both bear the penalty of the law which they had incurred, and fulfil that righteousness which they could not attain unto.

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This in general is God's way of saving sinners, whether men like it or no; For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us ;' Rom. viii. 3, 4. See also, Heb. x. 5-10. He made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him;' 2 Cor. v. 21.

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Here unbelief hath prevailed with many in this latter age to reject the glory of God herein; but we have vindicated the truth against them sufficiently elsewhere.

4. There are sundry things previously required, to give us a clear view of the glory of God in this way of saving sinners: such are, a due consideration of the nature of the fall of our first parents, and of our apostacy from God

thereby. I may not stay here to shew the nature or aggravations of them; neither can we conceive them aright, much less express them. I only say, that unless we have due apprehensions of the dread and terror of them, of the invasion made on the glory of God, and the confusion brought on the creation by them, we can never discern the reason and glory of rejecting the way of personal righteousness, and the establishing this way of a mediator for the saving of sinners. A due sense of our present infinite distance from God, and the impossibility that there is in ourselves of making any approaches unto him, is of the same consideration; so likewise is that of our utter disability to do any thing that may answer the law, or the holiness and righteousness of God therein; of our universal unconformity in our natures, hearts, and their actings unto the nature, holiness, and will of God; unless, I say, we have a sense of these things in our minds, and upon our consciences, we cannot believe aright, we cannot comprehend the glory of this new way of salvation. And whereas mankind hath had a general notion, though no distinct apprehension of these things, or of some of them, many amongst them have apprehended that there is a necessity of some kind of satisfaction or atonement to be made, that sinners may be freed from the displeasure of God; but when God's way of it was proposed unto them, it was, and is generally rejected, because the carnal mind is enmity against God.' But when these things are fixed on the soul by sharp and durable convictions, they will enlighten it with due apprehensions of the glory and beauty of God's way of saving sinners.

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5. This is the gospel, this is the work of it, namely, a divine declaration of the way of God for the saving of sinners, through the person, mediation, blood, righteousness, and intercession of Christ. This is that which it revealeth, declareth, proposeth, and tendereth unto sinners; there is a way for their salvation. As this is contained in the first promise, so the truth of every word in the Scripture depends on the supposition of it. Without this, there could be no more intercourse between God and us, than is between him and devils. Again, it declares, that this way is not by the law or its works; by the first covenant, or its conditions; by our own doing or suffering: but it is a new way found

out in, and proceeding from, infinite wisdom, love, grace, and goodness; namely, by the incarnation of the eternal Son of God, his susception of the office of a mediator, doing and suffering in the discharge of it whatever was needful for the justification and salvation of sinners, unto his own eternal glory. See Rom. iii. 23–27. viii. 3, 4. 2 Cor. v. 19—21, &c.

Moreover, the gospel adds, that the only way of obtaining an interest in this blessed contrivance of saving sinners, by the substitution of Christ, as the surety of the covenant, and thereon the imputation of our sins to him, and of his righteousness unto us, is by faith in him.

Here comes in that trial of faith which we inquire after. This way of saving sinners being proposed, offered, and tendered unto us in the gospel, true and saving faith receives it, approves of it, rests in it, renounceth all other hopes and expectations, reposing its whole confidence therein.

For it is not proposed unto us merely as a notion of truth, to be assented to or denied, in which sense all believe the gospel that are called Christians; they do not esteem it a fable: but it is proposed unto us as that which we ought practically to close withal, for ourselves to trust alone unto it for life and salvation. And I shall speak briefly unto two things.

1. How doth saving faith approve of this way; on what accounts and unto what ends?

2. How it doth evidence and manifest itself hereby unto the comfort of believers.

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First, It approves of it, as that which every way becomes God to find out, to grant, and propose: so speaks the apostle, Heb. ii. 10. It became him, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.' That becomes God, is worthy of him, is to be owned concerning him, which answers unto his infinite wisdom, goodness, grace, holiness, and righteousness, and nothing else. This faith discerns, judgeth, and determineth concerning this way, namely, that it is every way worthy of God, and answers all the holy properties of his nature. This is called the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus;' 2 Cor. iv. 6.

This discovery of the glory of God in this way is made

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unto faith alone, and by it alone it is embraced. The not discerning of it, and thereon the want of an acquiescency in it, is that unbelief which ruins the souls of men. reason why men do not embrace the way of salvation tendered in the gospel, is because they do not see, nor understand, how full it is of divine glory, how it becomes God, is worthy of him, and answers all the perfections of his nature. Their minds are blinded, that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, doth not shine into them; 2 Cor. iv. 4. And so they deal with this way of God, as if it were weakness and folly.

Herein consists the essence and life of faith. It sees, discerns, and determines, that the way of salvation of sinners by Jesus Christ proposed in the gospel, is such as becometh God and all his divine excellencies to find out, appoint, and propose unto us. And herein doth it properly give glory to God, which is its peculiar work and excellency; Rom. iv. 20. Herein it rests and refresheth itself.

In particular, faith herein rejoiceth in the manifestation of the infinite wisdom of God. A view of the wisdom of God, acting itself by his power in the works of creation ('for in wisdom he made them all'), is the sole reason of ascribing glory unto him in all natural worship, whereby we glorify him as God; and a due apprehension of the infinite wisdom of God, in the new creation, in the way of saving sinners by Jesus Christ, is the foundation of all spiritual, evangelical ascription of glory to God.

It was the design of God in a peculiar way to manifest and glorify his wisdom in this work. Christ crucified is the 'power of God, and the wisdom of God;' 1 Cor. i. 24. And

all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in him ;' Col. ii. 3. All the treasures of divine wisdom are laid up in Christ, and laid out about him, as to be manifested unto faith in and by the gospel. He designed herein to make known his 'manifold wisdom;' Eph. iii. 9, 10.

Wherefore, according to our apprehension and admiration of the wisdom of God in the constitution of this way of salvation is our faith, and no otherwise: where that doth not appear unto us, where our minds are not affected with it, there is no faith at all.

I cannot stay here to reckon up the especial instances

of divine wisdom herein. Somewhat I have attempted towards it in other writings; and I shall only say at present, that the foundation of this whole work and way, in the incarnation of the eternal Son of God, is so glorious an effect of infinite wisdom, as the whole blessed creation will admire to eternity. This of itself bespeaks this way and work divine. Herein the glory of God shines in the face of Christ Jesus. This is of God alone; this is that which becomes him, that which nothing but infinite wisdom could extend unto. Whilst faith lives in a due apprehension of the wisdom of God in this, and the whole superstruction of this way, on this foundation it is safe.

Goodness, love, grace, and mercy, are other properties of the divine nature, wherein it is gloriously amiable. 'God is love:' there is none God but he: grace and mercy are among the principal titles which he every where assumes to himself; and it was his design to manifest them all to the utmost in this work and way of saving sinners by Christ, as is every where declared in the Scripture; and all these lie open to the eye of faith herein: it sees infinite goodness, love, and grace, in this way, such as becomes God, such as can reside in none but him, which it therefore rests and rejoiceth in; 1 Pet. i. 8. In adherence unto, and approbation of, this way of salvation, as expressive of these perfections of the divine nature, doth faith act itself continually.

Where unbelief prevaileth, the mind hath no view of the glory that is in this way of salvation, in that it is so becoming of God and all his holy properties, as the apostle declares, 2 Cor. iv. 4. And where it is so, whatever is pretended, men cannot cordially receive it and embrace it; for they know not the reason for which it ought to be so embraced; they see no form nor comeliness in Christ who is the life and centre of this way, 'no beauty for which he should be desired;' Isa. liii. 2. Hence, in the first preaching of it, it was unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;' for by reason of their unbelief they could not see it to be what it is, the power of God, and the wisdom of God, and so it must be esteemed, or be accounted folly.

Yea, from the same unbelief it is, that at this day the very notion of the truth herein is rejected by many, even all those who are called Socinians, and all that adhere unto

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