[1.] The love and wisdom of God, in finding out a way how, with safety to the honour of his holiness and justice, sinners might be brought to life; this is the bosom and bottom cause, and the first mover of all, that stirreth all the rest of the causes that conduce to our salvation : John iii. 16, 'God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son,' &c.
[2.] The next is the merit and satisfaction of Christ, which is the result of that eternal wisdom and love, and without which the purpose of God could not take effect : Acts iv. 12, ' There is salvation in no other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.'
[3.] The omnipotent operation of the Spirit of God, who worketh
304 SERMONS UPON 2 THESSALONIANS I. [SER. XII.
in us those things which are necessary on our part to the participa- tion and application of the benefits intended to us by the love of God, and purchased for us by the satisfaction and merits of Christ. These things are indeed required of us, but because of our weakness and corruption cannot be performed by us, unless we be renewed and assisted by the Holy Spirit ; so that as Christ is necessary to set all at rights between us and God, so the Spirit is necessary to qualify us, and fit us for the reception of the grace of Christ : ' He shall take of mine, and glorify me,' John xvi. 14. As it is not consistent with the holiness and justice of God to pardon sinners without a satisfaction, so not with his wisdom, and holiness, and justice, to dispense this grace to the un sanctified, who yet live in their sins.
[4.] Then cometh in the conversion of a sinner, as the fruit of the Spirit's work, which manifesteth itself in 'repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ,' Acts xx. 21. By repentance we return to God, and by faith we are united to Christ, and live in him, and to him, that we may afterwards live with him.
[5.] The word and sacraments, by which the Holy Ghost doth first work, and then confirm faith and repentance in us ; for faith cometh by hearing. And that grace which is offered in the word is sealed in the sacraments, which bind us more closely to God, and excite us with the greater confidence to wait for the grace offered by him, to bring us to life and salvation. Now these are the causes and means.
2. They must not be confounded one with another ; we must not ascribe that to the sacraments which belongeth to the word. The word is appointed for conversion, as the sacraments for confirmation. A charter or indenture is first offered, and then sealed when parties are agreed : Acts ii. 41, ' They that gladly received the word, were baptized.' They received the word, then baptism is added ; as in a treaty of marriage, consent to the proposals, solemnisation, and then cohabitation followeth. Neither must that be ascribed to one sacra- ment which is proper to the other. Initiation or implantation belongs to baptism : 1 Cor. xii. 13, ' By one Spirit we are all baptized into one body.' Some things are proper to the holy supper which do not belong to baptism. We must live before we are fed. We must not ascribe that either to word or sacraments which belongeth to conver- sion, as the privileges of Christianity. Many depend upon the out- ward participation for their title to pardon and life : Luke xiii. 26, ' We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.' So James i. 22, ' Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only,' irapaXo'yi^ofjbevoi,. Frequenting the means is not our qualifica- tion, but sound and thorough conversion to God. Faith giveth the title, not the use of ordinances. Again, we must not ascribe that to our conversion which belongeth to the Spirit ; our faith and repent- ance is necessary, but yet it is not of ourselves, but of God, Eph.ii. 8. Nor that to the Spirit which belongeth to Christ, as if our con- version were meritorious, or did deserve the benefits we are possessed of. No ; that honour is reserved for Christ. Neither must we ascribe to Christ that which belongeth to God ; for the mediator came not to draw us off from God, but to bring us to him : Kev. v. 9, ' Thou hast redeemed us to God.' Therefore all things must be ranged in their proper place, and we must distinctly consider what is proper to the
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love of God, what to the merit of Christ, what to the operation of the Spirit, what to the conversion of the creature ; and so what to faith, what to works, what is proper to the word, what to sacraments, what is proper to baptism, what to the Lord's supper ; otherwise we shall fall into dangerous errors and mistakes, and hinder both our spiritual profit and comfort. As, for instance, if we so ascribe all to the mercy of God as to shut out the merit of Christ, we quit a great part of God's design, which is to represent his goodness to fallen man, without any derogation to his justice : Kom. iii. 24, 25, ' To declare, I say, his righteousness,' &c. On the other side, if we cry up the satisfaction of Christ so as to lessen our esteem of the love of God, we draw an ill picture of God in our minds, as if he were all wrath, and needed blood to appease him ; whereas Christ came to demonstrate the amiableness of God, and his goodness and love, to allure and draw our hearts to him ; for he was first in this design : 2 Cor. v. 19, ' God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them.' If we conceive otherwise, we set Christ against God, and so urge his merit against the eternal love, which was the bottom and original cause of our salvation. Again, if we ascribe that to the merit of Christ which is proper to the operation of the Holy Spirit, we con- found things that are to be distinguished, and beget an ill persua- sion in the minds of men ; as if his blood would do us good without his Spirit, and there were nothing required of us but the believing of his righteousness and sufferings, and he were the best christian that did only credit the history of the gospel. No ; the Spirit of Christ is necessary to apply and enforce all upon us. And besides the elective love of God and the mediation of Christ, the Spirit's sanctifica- tion is necessary, 1 Peter i. 2, lest it beget looseness and licentiousness in us. Again, if a man should apply the conversion of the creature to his own power and strength, it is a wrong to the Spirit, by whose divine power this is accomplished, 2 Peter i. 3 ; or if he should apply the benefits of which we are possessed to the merit of our faith and repentance or new obedience, it is a wrong to Christ ; or if upon pre- tence of conversion we should neglect the means, or ascribe to the means what is proper to Christ and the Spirit, as if the work wrought did all, we should fall into dangerous errors ; for the means are but means, and the cause of all is God's mercy, which floweth freely to us by the merit of Christ, and procureth the Spirit for us, who worketh in us true conversion to God, evidencing and showing forth itself by faith and repentance, which are wrought by the word, and confirmed by the sacraments.