The sound believer, or, A treatise of evangelical conversion discovering the work of Christs…The sound beleever, or, A treatise of evangelicall conversion discovering the work of Christs…

SECT. I.

These words as they are set down in the Hebrew are (according to the style of this Prophet) very short and sententious, & therefore difficult to translate into English without some Periphrasis, but the sense is here truly expressed, In me is thy help; which you may see confirmed from v. 4. There is no Saviour beside me, and verse […] I will ransom them from the power of the grave, Oh death I will be thy plague, O grave ⟨p. 2⟩I will be thy destruction; Suppose the Prophet should speak here of temporal salvation, help and ransom, (which he doth not) yet the argument is strong; if there be no Saviour from temporal woe and misery but only the Lord Jesus, how much more is he from woes eternal? only understand me here aright; I am not now speaking of mans deliverance and salvation by price in way of satisfaction of Justice (for that I have already handled) but of his deliverance and salvation,¹ by power; not of mans purchased deliverance, which is by the blood of Christ, but of mans actual deliverance, which is by the efficacy & power of the spirit of Christ. Some captives among men are redeemed by price only, some by power without price; but such is the lamentable captivity of all men, under the severity of justice, and the power of sin, that without the price of Christs blood, Eph. 1.7. and the power of Christs spirit, John 8.36. there is no deliverance; the Lord JESUS having paid the price for our deliverance. Yet it is with us as with a company of captives in prison; our sins like strong chains hold us, Satan our keeper will not let us go, the prison doors through unbelief are shut upon us, Rom. 11.32. a•d thereby God and Christ are kept out from us; what power now can rescue us, that are held fast under such a power, even