Infer, 3. If' the vilest of sinners stand as fair for pardon and mercy ^ upon their closing with Christ hy faitli^ as the least of sin- ners do : then, certainly, the pardon and salvation of sinners is not built upon any 7'ighteousness in themselves, hut purely and only upon the free-grace of God in Jesus Christ. Do not diink God hath set the blood of Christ to sale, and that those only are capable of the benefits of it, who have lived the strictest and soberest lives. No ; though sobriety, morality, and strictness in religious duties be things commanded and commended in the gospel ; yet no man by these things can purchase a pardon for the least sin, Rohl xi. 6. " And *' if by grace, then it is no more of works, otherwise grace is no ^' more grace ; but if it be of works, then it is no more grace, *' otherwise work is no more work." See how these exclude one another : thus Titus iiL 5. '' Not by works of righteousness which *' we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.'" No man can satisfy God by any thing he himself can do or suffer ; not by doing, for all we do is mixed with sin, Job xiv. 4. and that which is sinful can be no atonement for sin. All we do or can do, IS a debt due to God, Luke xvii. 10. and one debt cannot satisfy for another. Nor yet by suffering, for the sufFermgs awarded by the law are everlasting ; aud to be ever satisfying is never to satisfv : so then by the works of the law shall no flesh living be justified in his sight. The saints in all generations have fled to mercy for re- mission, Psal. cxxx. ult. The tw^o debtors, Luke vii. 48J 44, 45. though there were a vast difference in the debts ; yet of the lesser, as well as of the greater, it is said they had nothing to pay. No- thing but the satisfaction of Christ tan quit your scores with God.
Infer. 4. If the grace of Christ be thus free to the greatest of sin- ners, then it is both our sin and Jolly to stand off from Christ, and drazc back from believing, fur ivant of such and such qualifications, which we yet find not to be wrought in our hearts. Poor convinced souls think, O if they had more humility, tenderness, love to God, spirituality of mind, this would be some encouragement to believe ; but because they have no such ornaments to dress up their souls withal, they are not fit to go to Christ. Now to remove this great mistake, let two things be considered.
1. That such a conceit as this crosses the very stream of the covenant of grace, where nothing is sold, but all freely given. This is the very spirit of the covenant of works ; fain we would find something in ourselves to bring to God, to procure his favour and acceptance ; but the gospel tells us we must come naked and empty-handed, to be justified freely by his grace, Rom. iii. 24. We must be justified as Abraham was, who believed in him that justifieth the ungodly ; Rom. iv. 5. " But to him that worketh "not, but belleveth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith '•' is counted for righteousness."' The meaning is, to him that worketh not iii a law-sense, to procure pardon and acceptance by and for working. Go then, poor sinner, unto God through Christ, and tell him thou hast nothing to bring him ; thou comest not to bring, but to receive : Lord, I am a vile sinner, I have nothing to plead but thy mercy, and Christ's merit. This is the spirit of the gospel.
2. By standing off from faith, for want of these qualifications^ you invert the settled order of the gospel : by putting consequents in the place of antecedents, and antecedents in the place of conse* quents. It is as if a man should say, if I were cured of such and such diseases, then I would go to the physician ; alas, could you otherwise procure the healing of your corruptions, or the gracious qualifications you speak of, you would have no need to go to Christ at all. Nothing is required of us in our coming to Christ, but such a sense of, and sorrow for sin, as makes us heartily wilhng to ac- cept Christ, and subscribe the terms on which he is offered in the gospel.
Infer. 5. Behold the admirable condescension of Christ, that he would come into the heart of the vilest sinner, and not disdain to take his abode in that soul which hath been the seat of Satan, where he hath 7'uled, and evei-y unclean lust hath been harboured !
There are two things wlierein the admirable condescension of Christ appears. (1.) In taking union with our nature after sin had blasted the beauty of it. This was a marvellous stoop indeed, and justly admired by the apostle, Phil. ii. 7. " He made himself of no " reputation, and was made in the likeness of man." Yea, " God
^* sent his own Son in the Ukeness of sinful flesh,"" Rom. viii. 3* But (^.) it is justly admirable in our eyes, that Christ should also take union with our persons, and take his habitation and abode in our hearts, after Satan and sin had so long inhabited and defiled them ; that he should accept those members as instruments of his service ; that very tongue to praise him that had blasphemed him^ ^c. yet so he is willing to do. and commands us to deliver them up to him, Rom. vi. 19. " As ye have yielded your members ser- *' vants to uncleanness, and to iniquity unto iniquity ; even so now *' yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.'' One would have thought Jesus Christ should have said, vile wretch, Satan hath had the use and service of thy soul and body, from the beginning to tliis day ; thy memory hath been his store-house, thy mouth his shop, thy will his throne, and all thy members his tools and instruments to sin against me ; thou hast been a creature dedi- cated to Satan, and to him thou shalt go. No ; but the merciful Lord declares his willingness, if thou mlt open thy soul to receive him, to cleanse it by his Spirit, and make it his temple to dwell in. O admirable grace !
Infer. 6. Lastly, How just and inevitaUe will their damnation he^ •who consent not to the necessary and reasonable terms of the gospel^ which is the only point on which Christ and their souls part for ever.