A47542:1051
A golden mine opened, or, The glory of God's rich grace displayed in the mediator to believers, and his direful wrath against impenitent sinners containing the substance of near forty sermons upon several subjects / by Benjamin Keach.
London: printed by the author, 1694
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.
He was made Sin, without knowing Sin: He knew the Guilt by Imputation, but he knew not Sin any otherwise, neither Original nor Actual; He was born without Sin, and lived without Sin, in his Mouth was found no Guile: yet he had our Sins upon him, and carried them away; he being the Antitype of the slain Goat, satisfied for all our Sins; and as he is the Antitype of the live Goat, he hath born them away for ever.
Arg. 4. If any one Sin of the Children of God shall ever be charged upon them as to that Vindictive Wrath that is due to Sin, so that they may come under Eternal Condemnation of it; then hath not Christ born all their Sins, nor carried them away into the Land of Forgetfulness. But Christ hath born all their Sins, and carried away all their Iniquities, as he is the Antitype of the slain and living Goat; therefore their Sins shall never be charged upon them, as to the Vindictive Wrath that is due to them; so that they can never come under Eternal Condemnation.1
Fourthly, None of Christ's Sheep, or no Believer, can fall so as eternally to perish, upon the Consideration of the Death of Christ.
1. Because Christ hath by his Death delivered them from the Curse of the Law, as well as from the Guilt of Sin; the Law is the Strength of Sin, it is by that Sin condemneth the Sinner: The Law lays every Man under the Wrath and Curse of God; and unless it be answered, God might be said to change his Will should he justify any Man; nay, it would seem to reflect upon his Holiness: the Precepts must perfectly be kept by Man, or his Surety; the Breach we had made of it by Sin must be satisfied, for, both these Jesus Christ hath done, not for himself; he needed not to have come to keep the Law to justify himself, for as God he is infinite Holy; but as Mediator he did this for us, he obtained a perfect Robe or Righteousness to give away and put on us; He hath brought in everlasting Righteousness, and made an end of Sin. How made an 1end of Sin? Not that there shall be no Sin any more in the World; No, but he has made an end of the condemning Power of it; the strength it had to kill and damn the Soul is took away for ever from all that believe, from all that he hath put his Righteousness upon. God's justice being satisfied, we are furnished with an exact and complete Righteousness, that shall last for ever; 'tis an Everlasting Righteousness that every Believer hath in Christ. Who therefore shall condemn? Christ hath delivered us from the Curse of the 2Law, being made a Curse for us. Sin is our Sickness, Sin is that by which we stand charged, and the Law condemns us, pronounces a Curse against us; but Christ hath cured us of this Sickness, and delivered us from this Curse: As it is written, Cursed is every one 3that continueth not in all things that are written in the Book of the Law, to do them. Till we believed, we lay under that fearful Curse; but from this we are discharged, and Christ hath undergone that great Curse for us, and there is no other Curse can come on Believers; all separation from God and Wrath is by the Curse of Law: but this is ended and gone for ever to every one that believeth. Nothing therefore now can separate them from God, the Curse is taken away, and the Blessing is put on us.
1. Because Christ hath by his Death delivered them from the Curse of the Law, as well as from the Guilt of Sin; the Law is the Strength of Sin, it is by that Sin condemneth the Sinner: The Law lays every Man under the Wrath and Curse of God; and unless it be answered, God might be said to change his Will should he justify any Man; nay, it would seem to reflect upon his Holiness: the Precepts must perfectly be kept by Man, or his Surety; the Breach we had made of it by Sin must be satisfied, for, both these Jesus Christ hath done, not for himself; he needed not to have come to keep the Law to justify himself, for as God he is infinite Holy; but as Mediator he did this for us, he obtained a perfect Robe or Righteousness to give away and put on us; He hath brought in everlasting Righteousness, and made an end of Sin. How made an
2. From hence it appears that the Veracity of God is engaged to acquit all them that believe in Christ, as his Justice is obliged to leave Sinners under the Curse of the Law that believe not, because nothing but a perfect Righteousness can deliver from the Curse thereof.
2. From hence it appears that the Veracity of God is ingaged to acquit all them that believe in Christ, as his Justice is obliged to leave Sinners under the Curse of the Law that believe not, because nothing but a perfect Righteousness can deliver from the Curse thereof.
3. Moreover, God is obliged, upon the account of his Covenant with his Son for us, to discharge us for ever, because Christ hath fully performed all things as the federal Conditions of our ⟨p. 245⟩Restoration and Deliverance from Sin, and the Curse of the Law, which he covenanted to do.
Arg. 5. All that are delivered from the Curse of the Law, and to whom there remains no more any legal and just Cause in God of Wrath and Separation from him unto their Eternal Condemnation, cannot eternally perish. But all that believe in Christ are delivered from the Curse of the Law, and to them there remains no more any legal and just Cause in God of Wrath and Separation from him unto their eternal Condemnation: therefore no Believer shall eternally perish.
Fifthly, Christ dying for our Sins, was a full and complete Payment 1of all our Debts, which bound us over to Death and Condemnation; we owed ten thousand Talents, and Christ our Surety was charged with it, even with all we owed to Justice; and by his Death he paid the uttermost Farthing: Now the Principal and the Surety are legally and judicially one Person; so that in Christ we paid all, though it was God and not we that found out the Surety, and paid himself with his own Money; and therefore we are acquitted in a way of Sovereign Grace; we have it in a way of Mercy, though in a way of Righteousness also: That 2God might be Just, and the Justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.
Fifthly, Christ dying for our Sins, was a full and compleat Paiment 1of all our Debts, which bound us over to Death and Condemnation; we owed ten thousand Talents, and Christ our Surety was charged with it, even with all we owed to Justice; and by his Death he paid the uttermost Farthing: Now the Principal and the Surety are legally and judicially one Person; so that in Christ we paid all, though it was God and not we that found out the Surety, and paid himself with his own Money; and therefore we are acquitted in a way of Sovereign Grace; we have it in a way of Mercy, though in a way of Righteousness also: That 2God might be Just, and the Justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.
From whence I argue;
Arg. 6. All those for whom Christ hath paid all their Debts, or made a full Compensation for, shall never perish. But Christ hath paid all the Debts of Believers, or made a full Compensation for them; therefore they shall never perish.
Would it not be looked upon as an Act of Injustice in a Creditor to arrest and throw a poor Debtor into Prison for those Debts his Surety paid for him, and laid down every Farthing of his Money? Now then say I, either some of the Sins of Believers, or some of their Debts Jesus Christ did not die for, pay, or satisfy for, or else all must conclude it is impossible (because God is Just) any one of them should perish.
Would it not be look'd upon as an Act of Injustice in a Creditor to arrest and throw a poor Debtor into Prison for those Debts his Surety paid for him, and laid down every Farthing of his Money? Now then say I, either some of the Sins of Believers, or some of their Debts Jesus Christ did not die for, pay, or satisfy for, or else all must conclude it is impossible (because God is Just) any one of them should perish.
Now who is it that dares to affirm, that Christ did not die and satisfy for all the Sins of Believers, or for his Elect Ones? If we 1confess our Sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins, and to cleanse us from all Unrighteousness. He will not exact from us the Satisfaction which he hath accepted in the Atonement of his own Son our Surety, and in his own way applied; God will not require double Payment.
Now who is it that dares to affirm, that Christ did not die and satisfy for all the Sins of Believers, or for his Elect Ones? If we 1confess our Sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins, and to cleanse us from all Vnrighteousness. He will not exact from us the Satisfaction which he hath accepted in the Atonement of his own Son our Surety, and in his own way applied; God will not require double Payment.
Sixthly, From the Death of Christ I further argue; No Believer can eternally perish, because his Death was the highest and greatest Expression and Demonstration of Divine Love, both in the Father and Son. Now say I, (as I hinted once before) He that gave the great Gift, will not deny the lesser: Sure if God gave his Son to die for our Sins, he will give us Grace to resist Sin, to mortify Sin, and will also pardon all our Sins: And if Christ died for us, spilt his Blood for us, he will pray for us, he will not refuse to intercede for us, that our Faith may not fail, or we lose the Benefit and Blessings purchased for us by his Death.
He that would not pray for his Friend, or for his Neighbour, will not die for him: But on the other Hand, if he yields himself up to die for him, he will pray for him. Christ died for his Sheep, he will therefore both feed them, heal their Diseases, and preserve them, that they may not be devoured by any Enemy whatsoever; neither by Sin, nor the Devil, &c. See Rom. 5. 10. Rom. 8. 32.
Seventhly, Jesus Christ by his Death purchased Grace, and all 1things his Saints need or shall need, in order to make them meet for Glory; therefore they shall not perish. Do they need Faith, need Patience, need Power against Sin, need Pardon, need Purging, &c. all these things, and whatsoever else they stand in need of, they shall have: My God shall supply all your need according to 2his Riches in Glory, by Jesus Christ. All Grace is in Christ, as the Fruit of his purchase; And of his Fullness all we receive, and 3Grace for Grace: And this is to show forth the Riches of God's Glory. Will he lose his Glory? Shall Satan insult over the Majesty of Heaven after this manner, viz. Lo, here is one of them for whom thou gavest thy Son to die, whom thou hast left to me, and I have destroyed him for ever? Will God, think you, suffer this, since his main Design in the Gift of Christ, is the Glory of his own Rich and Sovereign Grace? Nay, and after he has with such large Expense of rich Treasure, and such Pains restored his lost Image to a poor Believer, will he suffer Sin and Satan utterly to deface it again whilst he looks on? Our Opposites are Men for Natural Reason. Now Sirs, what think you of this; is there any reason for you to believe God will suffer either of these things to be done?
Seventhly, Jesus Christ by his Death purchased Grace, and all 1things his Saints need or shall need, in order to make them meet for Glory; therefore they shall not perish. Do they need Faith, need Patience, need Power against Sin, need Pardon, need Purging, &c. all these things, and whatsoever else they stand in need of, they shall have: My God shall supply all your need according to 2his Riches in Glory, by Jesus Christ. All Grace is in Christ, as the Fruit of his purchase; And of his Fulness all we receive, and 3Grace for Grace: And this is to shew forth the Riches of God's Glory. Will he lose his Glory? Shall Satan insult over the Majesty of Heaven after this manner, viz. Lo, here is one of them for whom thou gavest thy Son to die, whom thou hast left to me, and I have destroyed him for ever? Will God, think you, suffer this, since his main Design in the Gift of Christ, is the Glory of his own Rich and Sovereign Grace? Nay, and after he has with such large Expence of rich Treasure, and such Pains restored his lost Image to a poor Believer, will he suffer Sin and Satan utterly to deface it again whilst he looks on? Our Opposites are Men for Natural Reason. Now Sirs, what think you of this; is there any reason for you to believe God will suffer either of these things to be done?
Eighthly, The Death of Christ preserves all Believers to Everlasting Life, because he hath by one Offering perfected for ever them 1that are sanctified. Christ as the Effects of his Death, before he hath done, will bring all for whom he was a Sacrifice to Heaven: Justification in the Perfection of it shall be continued, Sanctification shall be completed, our Interest in him shall not be lost: Can any think that Christ will not maintain Life in that Soul which he made alive by his own Death?
Eighthly, The Death of Christ preserves all Believers to Everlasting Life, because he hath by one Offering perfected for ever them 1that are sanctified. Christ as the Effects of his Death, before he hath done, will bring all for whom he was a Sacrifice to Heaven: Justification in the Perfection of it shall be continued, Sanctification shall be compleated, our Interest in him shall not be lost: Can any think that Christ will not maintain Life in that Soul which he made alive by his own Death?
