41.] SERM. desperate and most deplorable condition, if the ever-blessed XLIII. Jesus was not the Mediator between God and them; we had every moment been all liable to be cast into the same ever[Matt. 25. lasting fire that is prepared for the Devil and his angels. What joy then could we have taken in any thing, when we could never have been sure to enjoy it so much as one moment, but should have been continually haunted with the furies of our own breasts, and with a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and the fiery indignation of our Almighty Creator! What cause then have we to rejoice in Him, without whom we could never have truly rejoiced in any thing at all, whereas, by Him, we have all things we can in reason desire, to fill our hearts with joy and gladness! [Heb. 10. 27.] [Acts 14. 17.] For, let us abstract our thoughts awhile from all things here below, and by a quick and lively faith lift them up to our Blessed Saviour, as now sitting at the right hand of God in the highest Heavens, and there interceding for us, by means of the sacrifice He offered for our sins, when He was upon earth; and let us but consider withal, the joyful effects of that His intercession, and then let us forbear rejoicing in Him, if we can; he that can, may be confident, that he either doth not believe himself to be a sinner, or else he doth not believe in Christ his Saviour, nor so much as what is written of Him in the Holy Scriptures. For by Jesus Christ (I speak in the name of all true believers), by Him, I say, as He is now our Mediator and Advocate with the Father, our sins are all pardoned, and all our obligations to punishment for them are cancelled and made void, so that none of them shall ever be charged upon us, or rise up in judgment against us; for it is written, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, even the forActs 5. 31. giveness of sins." "And Him hath God exalted with His right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Col. 1. 14. By Him we are justified, or accounted and declared righteous before God Himself, and numbered among His Saints; Rom. 4. 25. for it is written, "He was delivered for our offences, and 2 Cor. 5. 21. raised again for our justification." And, "He who knew no sin was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." By Him all differences are made up between God and us, so that His anger is appeased, and He is as perfectly reconciled and well-pleased with us, as if we had never provoked Him; for it is written, "Being justified by faith, we have Rom. 5. 1. peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." By Him we are admitted into the nearest relation that can be to God Himself, we are made His children and the heirs of His kingdom in Heaven; for it is written," As many John 1. 12. as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in His Name." "And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs Rom. 8. 17. with Christ." By Him we are endued with grace and power from above to serve and obey God, and do whatsoever He would have us; for it is written, "I can do all things through Christ Phil. 4. 13. which strengtheneth me." By Him whatsoever we thus do by His assistance, although as done by us it be very imperfect, yet notwithstanding it is accepted of by God as perfect; for it is written, "Ye also, as 1 Pet. 2. 5. lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." By Him we receive whatsoever good things we desire, and ask of God in His Name; for it is written, "Verily, John 16. 23. verily I say unto you, you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My Name, He will give it you." By Him, when we go out of this wicked world, we shall be received into Heaven, to live with Him and His holy Angels in the place which He is there preparing for us; for it is written, "In My Father's house are many mansions; if John14.2,3. it were not so, I would have told you: I go to prepare a place for you: and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." What shall I say more? Did we ever receive any grace or favour at the hands of God? Are we able to overcome the world, to resist the Devil, or crucify the flesh? Did we ever think a good thought, speak a good word, or do any one good act as we ought to do? Do we enjoy the means of grace, or find any benefit by them? Did we ever escape XLIII. SERM. any danger seen or unseen? Are we preserved from any evil or trouble that ever befell any man in the world? Do all things work together for our good? Have we any thing that is good for us, and do we take any comfort in it? For these, and all other mercies that we ever did or can receive from the Almighty Governor of the world, we are wholly beholden to God our Saviour, and to that powerful mediation or intercession that He is continually making in Heaven for us; and therefore have all the cause that can be to rejoice in Him, and that too, not with such joy as we have in other things, but as the Apostle here expresseth it, " With joy unspeakable and full of glory." It must needs be joy unspeakable that is placed in Him, from whom we receive so many unspeakable blessings, spiritual blessings in heavenly places, far above all manner of expression they who are so happy as to feel it in themselves, know not how to describe it to others, and therefore I shall not offer at it, but only observe in general, that when they who believe in Christ, lift up their hearts unto Him, although they do not now see Him, yet considering with themselves what a glorious Person He is, what He hath done, and what He is now doing in Heaven for them, they find their minds at ease, and their whole souls overspread with solid and substantial joy, of the same kind with that wherewith "the spirits of just men made perfect," are transported in Heaven; therefore called here, not only joy unspeakable, but full of glory, as being in a lower degree, like that which the glorified Saints enjoy, by living under the bright refreshing beams of the Sun of Righteousness shining most gloriously upon them according to that of the Ps. 89. 16. Psalmist, "Blessed is the people, O Lord, that can rejoice in Thee, they shall walk in the light of Thy countenance." Thus blessed are all they who have not seen, believe, and believing rejoice in the Lord Jesus. [Heb. 12. 23.] Wherefore that we also may be in the number of the blessed, let us likewise call in our affections from all things else, and fix them upon Him; He is our hope and our help, [Isa.12.2.] He is our sun and our shield, He is "our strength and our song, and is become our salvation;" He is now our Mediator and Advocate with the Father, let us rejoice and be glad, and give honour to Him, and strive all we can to advance His glory upon earth, as He is procuring ours in Heaven, that when we leave this world we may go to Him, live always with Him, and see Him, and love Him, and enjoy Him perfectly, and join with all the company of Heaven in rejoicing and praising His Holy Name, and singing Hallelujah, Salvation to our God, and to the Lamb that sitteth upon the throne: to Him with the Father and the Holy Ghost be ascribed all honour and glory now and for ever. SERMON XLIV. CHRIST THE FOUNDATION OF ALL THE PROMISES. SERM. 2 Cor. i. 20. For all the promises of God in Him are Yea, and in Him If we could but in our thoughts, travel throughout the earth, and take notice of all the animals, and plants, and minerals, and whatsoever else is to be found within it, or upon it, and then go up to Heaven, and there view the sun and moon, and all the fixed stars and planets, observe their number, their bulk, their order, their motions, their influences, their height and distances from one another, as well as from the earth, and contemplate upon all that is to be seen in every one of them; could we, I say, but do this, how should we admire and adore that Infinite Being that made all these things at first, that still upholds them by His power, and governs and disposeth of all and every one of them according to His own will? But how much more, if possible, should we wonder, if we should see this allglorious and Almighty God, the Lord of Sabaoth, the universal Governor of the World, if we should see Him expressing any particular care or respect for a company of little creatures He hath made upon earth, called men, who kept not their first estate in which He made them, but have corrupted themselves so, as no way to answer His end in making them, and are so far from doing Him any service, such as He intended, that they generally act quite contrary to what He would have them do. And yet we find that this Almighty Creator and Supreme |