Seventhly, The Argument which I shall now insist on and produce 1further, to prove this great and comfortable Doctrine, shall be taken from the Death of Jesus Christ: For it is indeed, I find, that great Argument the Apostle makes use of to prove the final Perseverance of the Saints, or Elect of God. See Rom. 8. 33, 34. Who shall lay any thing to the Charge of God's Elect? It is God that justifieth. Who can implead such, or put in an Accusation against them, that shall be heard, admitted, or allowed at God's Bar? He brings in four or five Reasons why none can. (1.) From their Election; they are God's Elect. (2.) Their Justification; they are actually justified, they are acquitted, declared Righteous in Christ, and that by God himself: It is God that justifieth. If the Supreme Judg, he whom they have offended, doth acquit and discharge them, who shall bring in any Accusation against them? To which he adds, ver. 34. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died. Such a One (as our Annotators note) may throw down the Gauntlet, and challenge all the Enemies in the World; let Conscience, carnal Reason, the Law, Sin, Hell, the Flesh and Devils, bring forth all they can say, and show what they can do, yet after all they cannot ⟨p. 236⟩bring under Condemnation that Soul; all that they can do will fail to condemn those that Christ died for. The (3.) Reason is, because 'tis Christ that died; because he died for them, that is, in their stead or room. Should one be condemned for High-Treason against the King's Person, and he should accept of another, who is his Surety, to die for him; whose Death, according to the Constitution of the Kingdom, and Laws thereof, would every way serve and answer for the Offence of the guilty Criminal; and yet the King should afterwards take the Offender, and hang him for that very Offence for which his Surety was put to Death; would not all cry out and say, it was a piece of great Injustice? Even so here, should God condemn and cast into Hell one Soul for whom, or in the room and stead of whom Christ died, would it not be great Injustice in God? O shall not the Judg and King of Heaven and Earth do right?
Seventhly, The Argument which I shall now insist on and produce 1further, to prove this great and comfortable Doctrine, shall be taken from the Death of Jesus Christ: For it is indeed, I find, that great Argument the Apostle makes use of to prove the final Perseverance of the Saints, or Elect of God. See Rom. 8. 33, 34. Who shall lay any thing to the Charge of God's Elect? It is God that justifieth. Who can implead such, or put in an Accusation against them, that shall be heard, admitted, or allowed at God's Bar? He brings in four or five Reasons why none can. (1.) From their Election; they are God's Elect. (2.) Their Justification; they are actually justified, they are acquitted, declared Righteous in Christ, and that by God himself: It is God that justifieth. If the Supreme Judg, he whom they have offended, doth acquit and discharge them, who shall bring in any Accusation against them? To which he adds, ver. 34. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died. Such a One (as our Annotators note) may throw down the Gauntlet, and challenge all the Enemies in the World; let Conscience, carnal Reason, the Law, Sin, Hell, the Flesh and Devils, bring forth all they can say, and shew what they can do, yet after all they cannot ⟨p. 236⟩bring under Condemnation that Soul; all that they can do will fail to condemn those that Christ died for. The (3.) Reason is, because 'tis Christ that died; because he died for them, that is, in their stead or room. Should one be condemned for High-Treason against the King's Person, and he should accept of another, who is his Surety, to die for him; whose Death, according to the Constitution of the Kingdom, and Laws thereof, would every way serve and answer for the Offence of the guilty Criminal; and yet the King should afterwards take the Offender, and hang him for that very Offence for which his Surety was put to Death; would not all cry out and say, it was a piece of great Injustice? Even so here, should God condemn and cast into Hell one Soul for whom, or in the room and stead of whom Christ died, would it not be great Injustice in God? O shall not the Judg and King of Heaven and Earth do right?
- 1The seventh Argument taken from the Death of Christ.
