Third. Is Christ Jesus the redemption and, as such, the very door and inlet into all God's mercies? Christian man, look well to thyself, that thou goest no whither, and dost nothing, I mean in any part of religious worship, &c., but as thou art in him (2 Cor 12:18,19). Walk in him, speak in him, grow in him, for he is THE ALL (Col 2:6,7). And though others regard not to 'hold the head, from which all the body by joints and bands have nourishment ministered,' have thou care! (Eph 4:15; Col 2:19). This is he that is thy life, and the length of thy days, and without whom no true happiness can be had.
Many there be that count this but a low thing; they desire to soar aloft, to fly into new notions, and to be broaching of new opinions, not counting themselves happy, except they can throw some new-found fangle, to be applauded for, among their novel-hearers. But fly thou to Christ for life; and that thou mayest so do, remember well thy sins, and the judgment and wrath of God; and also know that he is merciful, but at mercy, none can come, but through the cursed death Christ underwent. And although some of the wanton professors of our age may blame thee for poring so much upon thy sins and the pollution of thy nature, yet know that there is an advantage in it. There be some alive in the world, who, though they count the nature and commission of sin the very evil of evils, yet can say that the remembrance of how vile they are, and of what evils they have committed, has been to them a soul-humbling, a Christ-advancing, and a creature-emptying consideration. Though sin made death bitter to Christ, sin made Christ sweet to him. And though none should sin, that grace might abound, yet where sin has abounded, grace doth much more abound, not only as an act of God but also in the eye of faith.
A sight of the filth and a sense of the guilt of sin makes a pardon to such a soul more than an empty notion and makes the means through which the pardon comes more to be desired than is either life or limb. This makes the sensible soul prize the Lord Jesus, while the self-justiciary laugheth him scornfully. This makes the awakened sinner cast away his righteousness, while the self-conceited one makes it his advocate with the Father.
Some count their own doings as the only darling of their soul, while others cast it on the dogs. And why should a man cumber himself with what is his when the good of all in Christ is laid and to be laid out for him? Not that a believer casts off to do good, for he knows that what good is done in faith and love is acceptable to God and profitable to his neighbor. But this is it, he setteth not his good deed against the judgment of God; he cometh not in his own good. When he comes to God for the forgiveness of sins, then he sees nothing, knows nothing, mentions nothing as righteousness, but that which Christ wrought out in the days of his flesh, and that only. But how then is what he doth accepted of God? Verily as the duty of a son and as the work of one that is justified. We must therefore conclude that there is acceptation, and acceptation: acceptation of the person, and acceptation of his performance. Acceptation of the person may be considered concerning justification from the curse, and so acceptation there can be none but through the one offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. Also, the acceptance of a duty done by such a person is, by the self-same offering, the person is considered standing just through Christ before God.
And the reason why a justified person must have his duties accepted the same way, as is his person, is because justifying righteousness sets not the person free from sin, save only in the sight of God and conscience; he remaineth still infirm in himself, and standeth in need of the fresh and continual application of the merits of the Lord Jesus, which also the soul receiveth under Christ's intercession. According to the self-same law, I speak now of acceptance concerning the law's justice and God's judgment upon a person or work. For this reason, they both must be accepted through the self-same mediator, or they cannot be accepted at all. Nor is it a thing to be wondered at that a man should stand just in the sight of God when polluted and defiled in his own sight. He stands just before God in the justice of his Son, upon whom God looks and for whose sake he accepts him.
May not a scabbed, mangy man, a man all over-run with blains and blotches, be yet made beautiful to the view of a beholder, through the silken, silver, golden garment that may be put upon him, and may cover all his flesh? Why, the righteousness of Christ is not only unto but upon all them that believe (Rom 3:22). And whoso consider the parable of the wretched infant, shall find, that before it was washed with water, it was wrapped up or covered, as it was found, in its blood, in and with the skirt of his garment that saw it in its filth. And then he washed it with water and sanctified it by the anointing oil of the Spirit of God (Eze 16:8,9). I speak thus to thee, Christian reader, partly because in the faith of these things is thy life; and because I would yet enforce the exhortation upon thee with the reason and the amplification thereof, to wit, to put thee upon trusting in the Lord through the encouragement that thou hast in redeeming mercy so to do.
