A47437:381
Christ alone the way to Heaven, or, Jacob's ladder improved containing four sermons lately…
Christ alone the way to Heaven, or, Jacob's ladder improved containing four sermons lately preached on Genesis XXVIII, XII : wherein the doctrine of free-grace is displayed through Jesus Christ : also discovering the nature, office, and ministration of the holy angels : to which is added one sermon on Rom. 8, 1 : with some short reflections on Mr. Samuel Clark's new book entitled Scripture justification / by Benjamin Keach.Christ alone the way to Heaven, or, Jacob's ladder improved containing four sermons lately preach'd on Genesis XXVIII, XII : wherein the doctrine of free-grace is display'd through Jesus Christ : also discovering the nature, office, and ministration of the holy angels : to which is added one sermon on Rom. 8, 1 : with some short reflections on Mr. Samuel Clark's new book intituled Scripture justification / by Benjamin Keach.
London: printed by Benja. Harris, 1698
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Christ did not merit the Fathers Love, nor did he merit the Office of being a Mediator; no, this sprung only from the Love of God to us; Christ did not, I say, dye to procure the Fathers Love, tho' thereby he makes us more lovely unto him, by washing us from our natural Filthiness; and by the fruits of his Death, through' the Spirit, by stamping his Image upon our Souls. Brethren, God could not show greater Love to us, as Abraham could not to God, than by the Offering up his own Son Isaac, whom he so dearly loved.
Christ did not merit the Fathers Love, nor did he merit the Office of being a Mediator; no, this sprung only from the Love of God to us; Christ did not, I say, dye to procure the Fathers Love, tho' thereby he makes us more lovely unto him, by washing us from our natural Filthiness; and by the fruits of his Death, thro' the Spirit, by stamping his Image upon our Souls. Brethren, God could not shew gre•ter Love to us, as Abraham could not to God, than by the Offering up his own Son Isaac, whom he so d•arly loved.
1Secondly, Admire this Sacred Ladder in respect of the Wisdom of God, in contriving of this way to Heaven: As it exceeds the Art and Wisdom of Men to make a Ladder to reach up to Heaven; so it far surpasseth the Wisdom of Men or Angels, to contrive such a way to Heaven, that God may be glorified in all his Attributes, to the highest Perfections, and yet we Saved, Sin Punished, and yet the Sinner Justified: Besides, God had lost the glory of his work in making of Man and this World for his sake, and Satan would have insulted over him, had he not contrived a way to restore him:2 It would have been to the Disparagement of his Wisdom, who pronounced all the Works he had made to be Good; and when he had made Man very Good, to see himself so soon disappointed, and his work marred, I mean the noblest part thereof, all other Creatures being made for Man's use, and so for lower and baser, and more unworthy ends. Brethren, Christ the way, not in vain called the Wisdom of God, because in him God displays the highest acts of his divine Wisdom;