4oo Book IV. ;L.ootung unto ']Jcfu.s. Rom. 8. •· tory femence of the Law, There i& no condemnation to them th~t are in Chrift Jefm . rh~ Law is fatisfied, and the bond is cancelled by our Surety Chrifl:. 0 what comf~rt is this? 3. Another cries thus, Oh Ifz.now not what will become of me, Ihai:e offended jujfice: and what jha/1 appeal from the feat of jujfice, to the throrre ofgrace? my ftns are gen; before, and tbey are lznock}ng at heaven gates, and crying, j1tjfice Lord on tht1 firmer . J k_now not what will be the iJ!ite, bm either free grace m11jf flwe me , or I 'am gone. Say not fo, for by this death of Chrifl:, free grace, and junice are both thy friends. 11 How c're fome d~, ye.t certainly thou needs not to appeal from the Courc of juflice ro the Mercy-fear ; tn thts myftery of godlmefs there may be as much comfort in ftand– ing before the Bar of Juftice, as at the Mercy-feat, ( i. ) by fl:anding therein, and through the Lord Jefu• Chrifl:; yea, this is the Gofpel-way, to go to God the Father, and to render up to him the atl:ive and the paffive righteoufnefs of Chrift his Son f?r an atonement, and fatisfatl:ion for our fins, in this way is the comfort of juftifica– tton brought; if we go to God in any other way than this, it isbut in a narural way, and nor in a true Evangdical way. Aman by nature may know thus much, that when he bath finned, he mufl: feck unto God for mercy, but to feek umo God for pardon W!th a price in our hands, to tender up the merits of Jefus Chrift for afatisfaction to Divine Jufl:ice juflice, here is the myflery of faith; and yet I fpeak not againfl relying on God's mercy for pardon, but what need we to appeal from jufl:ice to mercy, when by faith we may tender the death of Chri!l:, and fo find acceptance wirh the juflice of God it felf? come foul; and let me tell thee for thy comfort, if thou hall: any D1are in the death of Chrifl, thou hall: rwo tenures to hold thy pardon and faJvation by, Mer– cy, ai1d juftice; free-grace, apd righteoufne{s; mercy in refpetl: of thee, and juHice in refpetl: of Chrifl:; not only is free-grace ready to acquit thee, but ~full erice is laid down to difchargc th~e of all thy lins: So that now when the Prince of this world comes againft thee, thou mayeft fay in fome fence as Chrift did, He can find nothing in me, Jo>·how can he accll{e me, feeing Chrifl u my Surety ? feeing the bond h"'h been fu:d, and Chrift Jefmwould not IMW one farthing unpaid? as Paul faidro Philemoncon– cerning OneftmH<, If he h(lve wronged thee, or owe thee any thing, put it on my <tecount, fo doth Chriflfay to God, If thefe have wronged thy Maje.fty, oro1ve th<e any thing, p11t it on me. Pa1<l indeed added, I Paul have written it with mine own hand, bu, Chrill: fpeaks thus, I '/efm have ratified and confirmed it with my own blood, G:n. 2 . , 7 . 4· Another cries thus, Oh I k._now not what will become of me, the firft threat that ever IVM (in the day that thou eatejf thereof thou jhalt Jurely die ) now firs on my fpirit; me– think.s I (ee the grizJy form of death flanding before me; Oh tht1 u he th.11 u the King of fears, the chiof of terrors, the inlet to all thofe plagues in another nwld; and diC I mujf, there uno remedy; Oh I ftartle, nndamafraid of it. , 1\otR. s. 3 4: And why fo? It u Chrijl that died, and by his death he hath took 3way the Hing of death, that now the drone may hifs, bm cannot hurt: come, meditate mu'h upon the death of Chrifl, and thou lhalt find matter enough in his deiuh, for the fubduing of thy Davilh f~ars of death, both in the merit of it, in the etfetl: of it, and in the end of it. I. In the merit of it; Chrift's death is meriroriom, and 111 that rdped: the wri,rof mortality is but to the Saints a writ of cafe, apatfageinwglory. 2. In the etfetl: of it, Chritl's death is the <onqt•e!l: of death; Chrill went d?wn IntO the grave to make a back-door, that the grave which was before a prifon, mt~ht now be a tho– rough-fue; fo that all his Saints may with eafr pals through, and hn9, 0 death whm is thy jfing ? 0 hell where is thy vWory ? 3. J. ehrend of lt, c.lmfl s death among!l: Hcb. 1 • 14 , 15 . other end ,aims at the ruineof him tbat had the ro.ver of death; that u, the De;nl; andt• deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time in b~ndage. Chnfr purfued this end in dying, ro deli·~tr thee from the fear of Jcarh ; and 1f now thou feareft, thy fearing is a kind of making Chnfl's death of none etfetl:. 0 come and wtth JOY draw !fa.' "· 3 ; water om of this well ofJalvation ! ' 5. Another cries thus, Oh I /eyow not what will become of me; the verY_ tho11ghrs of bell feem to aftonifl; my heart; methinlze_ I (ee a little peep -hole down <rtto hell, and the d'vil roaring rhere, being referved m ch•ms 1mder dar/eyefs, l!nttl the ;udg– ment of the great day; and met hink.! I fee the damned jlamtng, and .J~tda<, and all the wickfd m the world, and they of Sodom , and Gomorrah there lymg, and roar– ing, and gnajhing their tmh: 110 w, I h.ve Jinucd, . and why jhould not 1dbe damne !
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