Hitherto we have spoken of salvation begun ; the consummate and complete salvation is that in heaven, which is the chief good of the creature, and the mark we are to aim at ; that which is always in the eye and hope of the godly ; yea, which convinced men do so anxiously inquire after : ' What sliall I do to be saved ? ' Acts xvi. 30. It is a state of perfect holiness and perfect blessedness ; and woe unto lis if we should despise and neglect it : Heb. ii. 3, ' How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? ' It is salvation, gi-eat salva- tion, and so great salvation. Those that delight in their lusts, and despise it, what do they do but choose hell for their lusts' sake, and cast off heaven because they will not walk in the way, nor take the pains to get thither, and so wilfully deprive themselves of that life and happiness offered to them ?
5. There is a typical saviour and a real Saviour. The people of God of old were mostly acquainted with the typical salvation. Their
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hell was Egypt, their heaven was Canaan ; and therefore Moses was their saviour, because he brought them out of Egypt, and Joshua their saviour, because he led them into Canaan ; and their judges were saviours, because they rescued them out of the hands of their temporal enemies : Neh. ix. 27, ' In the time of their trouble, when they cried uuto thee, thou heardest them from heaven ; and according to thy manifold mercies, thou gavest them saviours who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.' But now the Saviour of the new testament was another manner of saviour, Heb. ii. 10. Jesus doth not free us from Egypt, but from wrath to come : 1 Thes. i. 12, ' To wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.' He doth not vanquish Anakims, but the devil ; to deliver us from the hurt and fear of him : Heb. ii. 14, ' That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.' He doth not only lead us into Canaan, but into heaven, into a better land of promise.
6. There are some inferior helps or subordinate instruments which are called saviours ; but the Saviour, or the original author of all salvation, is Christ. In temporal deliverances there are instruments whicli God raiseth up to favour his people and manage their cause against their enemies ; as Obad. ver. 21, ' Saviours shall come up on mount Sion to judge the mount of Esau.' But now, as to spiritual and eternal salvation, Christ hath his apostles and messengers, who instru- mentally save the elect : 1 Tim. iv. 16, ' Thou shalt both save thyself, and those that hear thee.' They are the instituted means, the occasion : Phil. i. 19, ' I know that this shall turn to my salvation, through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.' But now as to the original author, or principal cause of salvation, to Christ only, he is aiTioc, Heb v. 9, the cause ; we translate it ' the author of salva- tion.' So Acts iv. 12, ' Neither is there salvation in any other.' So there are no other saviours but Christ only, either total, partial, or collateral. Not total ; for none is like Christ, who is both God and man, and so a fit mediator : 1 Tim. ii. 5, ' There is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.' Not partial; for Christ saveth to the uttermost : Heb. vii. 25, ' Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.' We need not seek our salvation elsewhere ; our salvation cannot be so divided that part should be sought of one and part of another, for then a man might be in part saved and in part damned, if one concur and the other doth not. Nor collateral ; for in the work of reconciliation with God Christ stands alone ; no other cause can be admitted to bear a part, or make his merit more full As to the grace of impetration, it is clear there is no intercessor ; his arm alone wrought salvation for us, Isa. lix. 16. But as to the grace of application, he employeth subordinate instru- ments ; having laid the foundation by his death, by his word and Spirit he maketh us capable of salvation, and giveth us a right to it. But the institution is his, the blessing is from him ; therefore, properly speaking, though ministers save, the word saveth, and baptism saveth, 3'et he is the Saviour.
.Secondly, The manner, or the ways and means by which Christ doth
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accompHsli this salvation for us. Briefly three ways — scdisfactione, merito, et efficacia.
1. By way of satisfaction, because he saveth us from the guilt of sin, the curse of the law, and the eternal wrath of God, which are the lets and hindrances of our salvation, and could not otherwise be removed by us. So we are said to be saved by his blood : Eom. v. 9, ' Much more then, being justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.' His blood was given as a ransom and atonement to God's justice. He did not only suffer in honum nostrum, for our good ; but loco et vice nostri, in our stead. He was made sin, made a curse for us, and suffered what we should have suffered if we had been dealt with in our own persons. This being an act of perfect obedience, the Father was satisfied.