2. Secondly, We live the life of faith in justification. This is a life of
Thus we live continually by the faith of the Son of God, and so we must live till we come to heaven.
1. We live the life of faith in our effectual calling. The Spirit works it, the Spirit is God's hand. This makes, that our eyes are bent upwards to see a better life, to see a calling, to live holily and righteously in all things, to see what a rich means is provided to reconcile God and man, to satisfy justice, and so to draw us in a new way and course of life, to rely on God, and look unto him in all our actions. Then the grace of union is given. God's Spirit works our hearts by this faith, to have first union, and then communion with God. Thus the soul being seasoned, and seeing the excellency and necessity of another new life, touches Christ, and begins to live the life of faith in effectual calling; for at first we are dead and unlovely creatures, estranged from grace and gracious actions, until, in this estate, Christ is discovered by the Spirit, and faith to unite us to him.
2. Secondly, We live the life of faith in justification. This is a life of sentence that the soul lives by, peace being spoken unto it by the pardon of sin; for God by his Spirit doth report so much to the soul, giving us assurance that Christ our surety and peace-maker is raised up again. So Eph. 2:5, it is said, 'Even when we were dead in sins, he hath quickened us together with Christ, and raised us together, and made us sit in heavenly places with him.' And why? Because our
Surety hath paid our debt. We say of a man condemned, he is a dead man till he have a pardon, which when he hath obtained, we turn our speech, and say, he lives. So in justification: being united unto Christ, and believing our pardon, we are said to live. Our sins lie on him as our surety; for then, as our husband in charge, he doth pay all our debts. Thus by virtue of our marriage to Christ, he discharges all our debts, and goeth away with them; even as the scapegoat in the wilderness went quite away with all the sins and iniquities of the
people, never to return again. Look we therefore to our sins, the curse and wrath due unto them, and all as laid on him. Look at whatsoever is good in him, that is for us; whatsoever is evil in us, look in him for it, to have it taken away, pardoned, and not imputed.
As we sin daily, so Zech. 13:1, 'There is a fountain daily running, to wash away sin and uncleanness.' Therefore for our daily sinning, we must continually run and bathe our souls in this blood, apply the comforts of his sufferings, intercession, and obedience unto us. St John teaches us thus much; saith he, 'If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world,' 1 John 2:1. If we sin daily, he justifies the sinner daily: he came to save sinners: therefore, when sin stirs us up to run from God, we should run to him. Faith says, 'There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus,' Rom. 8:1. Why? My sin was condemned in Christ, and a condemned person hath no voice. Christ came to destroy sin, and condemned sin in the flesh.
Our sins were crucified with him, and are now all condemned sins, if we will go unto Christ, who hath borne all our iniquities, as the prophet Isaiah excellently shews.* Therefore St Paul triumphantly demands the question, 'Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth?'
Why? 'It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Who shall then separate us from the love of Christ?' Rom. 8:33, 34.
So in our daily sins you see we have use of these things, to have, upon our confession, a daily pardon of course taken out every day. Thus
God would not have us sink. So long as there is matter of guilt in us, God will have a way to cleanse our souls, and renew our comforts.
Every day we run into new debts, and every day in the Lord's Prayer we are taught to ask pardon, and to run unto God, to have the book
crossed out with his blood. Every day a Christian must eye the brazen serpent, I mean the Lord Jesus, signified thereby; he must sprinkle his heart with the blood of Christ, that the destroying angel may pass by him in the day of wrath, as the Israelites then did. This is it to live by faith; every day to sue out our pardon; to look unto our advocate and surety, who hath paid our debts, and cancelled that obligation against us, contrary to us, as the apostle speaks, daily to wash in that ever-running fountain. 'Christ is a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec,' Ps. 110:4. Though the act be past, he remains the same still. What puts down our courage, strikes us with terror and fear, but our sins? Oh, but why is this brazen serpent lifted, but thus to wash away our daily frailties and failings, so as whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life? John 3:14, 15.
So justification is not only a sentence of pardon, but it is also, as Rom. 5:15, a title to life everlasting: 'For if by one man's offence death reigned by one, much more they which receive the abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by Jesus
Christ.' Where God pardons, he advances. So if Satan shall come to shake my title, to shake this faith, assure him that Christ came to save sinners. If he object, thy title is naught and stained, being thou hast so many sins and corruptions about thy mortal body, answer him, What serves my faith for but for my comfort, to shew me that my title is in Christ? my strength and ground of comfort is in him, not in myself. See one parallel example, how David lived this life of faith in justification: 'If thou, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, who shall stand?' Ps. 130:3. There he pronounces death on himself ere he be acquitted, and so must we in the like case. But then comes the appeal: 'But mercy is with thee, that thou mayest be feared.' Enlarge it yourself. If a man be not sound in this point, all he does is nothing.
This is all in all. Our sanctification without this is nothing. This is the ground of all. Be careful of this, to look to Christ's obedience, life,
death, and sufferings, and those comforts flowing from our interest therein.
But to direct you a little further ere we leave this sweet point.
First, Look back every day unto the passages thereof. See how we have passed along, see what sins have escaped thee; then come at night to God, confess and be sorry for all, resolve against all, crave strength against all. Oh it is a fearful state to sleep in sin; better sleep in a house full of adders and venomous beasts. See also and watch every morning; corruption doth cleave to all our best actions; we pass no day so, but we have cause to say, Lord forgive us our sins. By this course we shall keep our souls free, being ready for death. We shall by our particular reckoning, every day clearing the score, be ready for our great general pardon, and when trouble comes, have only that to encounter with. I beseech you, therefore, put this in practice. Be sure with the day to clear the sins of that day; so shall ye live a comfortable life, and be fit for all estates, for life, for death, for sickness, trouble, or whatsoever, all our business lying in heaven then.
Obj. If it be thus, we need not care how we sin: it is but every day to sue out a new pardon.
Ans. Oh beware; ere our pardon be sealed, there must be confession, sorrow for sin, resolution with full purpose to do so no more; there must be arraigning, condemning, and judging of ourselves for it, because whatsoever we would not have God to do, we must do it ourselves. Our time in getting this quietus est sealed, is for the most part according to our sin. He that hath such a resolution to sin every day, because sin is every day pardoned, he may go long enough without pardon, at least comfort of his pardon. For though pardon of sins be pronounced, yet God hath the keeping of joy in his own hand.
As David had his sin pardoned,—by the judgment of faith he knew thus much—yet Ps. 51:8, how doth he pray for joy, and that God would heal the bones which he had broken! He roared all the day, and still felt a pain like the breaking of bones. The joy of the Spirit had left him. This he cries to have restored. Thus though sin may be pardoned, yet the more we sin, the more hardly we shall repent, the longer we shall want joy; or, it may be, go all our lifetime mourning without comfort in such a case. Now let us see how it may be known that we live the life of faith in justification.
Trial 1. First, By trying how it comes in the soul; as Rom. 7:4, saith the apostle, 'Wherefore, my brethren, we also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.' After a man is dead by the law, and apprehends himself slain, then he comes to live this life of faith. Christ quickens none but the dead. Why do not the papists attain to this grace of justification?
They never see themselves wholly dead, but join some life to the natural estate of man. Therefore Christ quickens them not. Such only are quickened by him who find themselves dead in the law. Then they come to have a holy despair, and to see that life and comfort is out of themselves in another. Justification springs from a holy despair, and receiving life, after we have seen ourselves dead.
Trial 2. Secondly, Where this life of faith is, there is a wonderful high valuing and prizing of Christ, his righteousness, merits, obedience, and wisdom of God in that way of forgiveness of our sins by this Godman, the wonderful mediator; as Philip. 3:8. Paul accounts all things
'but loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord,' being contented to suffer the loss of all things to win
Christ. It is the precious pearl to sell all for. Paul accounts all our own righteousness as nothing in regard of this. There must be a high
estimation of the riches of Christ's obedience and sufferings: for where there is not this high estimation of it, they are rotten in the point of justification. But you see how Paul sets at nought and vilifies all things in regard thereof; so Rom. 4:16. Abraham is brought in to be justified by grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed. And Ps. 32:2, he is pronounced to be the blessed man, 'unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and whose sin is covered.'
Trial 3. Thirdly, When we have a zeal against all contrary doctrine, as St Paul shews to the Galatians, who would have joined works to faith:
'Christ is become of none effect unto you; whosoever of you are justified by the law, you are fallen from grace,' Gal. 5:4. And in the third chapter he says, 'O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified among you?' 'This only would
I learn of you, received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?' Gal. 3:1, 2. A man sound in the point of justification hath a hatred to popery, and all such doctrine which impairs the riches of the grace of Christ. Death is in the Romish religion. Why are some of them then saved? Not because they die in that religion, but because they reverse their judgment in this point of justification.* So you see there is a hatred, a zeal in such, as St Paul had against contrary doctrines.
Trial 4. Fourthly, There is peace and joy settled in the heart: as Rom.
5:1, 2, 'Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.'
Quest. To add one thing more ere I leave this point, In the case of relapse, what shall we do then? Are we not cut off? Must we not have
a new incision?
Ans. I answer, Every man who falls does not fall on all-four, fall away quite. There be degrees of falling; as in a sick man, though ill, he is not by and by dead. Some life and strength remains, which works out towards health again. There is so much grace and life in justification left, as to recover him again. But as in other cases, so in relapses also, a man must live by faith. We see, 2 Cor. 5:20, even such as were in the state of grace, are entreated to be reconciled. Though we fall, we must not therefore fall off, but stir up grace, and recover ourselves again. So Isa. 55:7, there it is said, 'Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.' And then he adds the reason, 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.' So Jer. 3:1,
'They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? Shall not the land be greatly polluted? But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord.' Thus we must live by faith, for all our slips and falls, yet not to let go our hold, but still run to the horns of this altar, still fly to this city of refuge, and so we shall be safe.
Quest. But what is the reason that many who are justified yet find not daily comfort?
Ans. Perhaps they daub up † themselves, and do not search the bottom of their corruption: as Ps. 32:3, David, when he kept close his sin, his bones waxed old through his roaring all the day long, and God's hand was heavy upon him day and night. Then he shews how