2. The bringing of us into an estate of present grace and right unto future blessedness, with the enjoyment of it in its appointed season, is intended in it. For although this be not included in the first notion of the word, yet it belongs unto the nature of the thing intended. This salvation, called therefore great and eternal salvation, doth not merely respect the evil we are delivered from, but the contrary good also, in the present favour and future enjoyment of God. And concerning this salvation, two things are to be considered.

1st, That there is power and ability required unto this work. "He is able to save." It was no easy thing to take away sin, to subdue Satan, to fulfil the law, to make peace with God, to procure pardon, to purchase grace and glory, with all other things great and glorious, that belong unto this salvation. And it is the great concern of faith, well to fix this principle; that he who hath undertaken this work, is able to accomplish it, and that by the means he hath designed to use, and the way wherein he will proceed. We are apt to pass this over without any inquiry into it, and to take it for granted, that God is able to do whatever he pleaseth: but it is not of the absolute power of God whereof we speak, but of the power of God or of Christ, put forth in such a peculiar way. And the want of faith herein, is the first and most proper part of unbelief. Wherefore, as God engageth his omnipotency or all-sufficiency as the foundation of all his covenant-actings towards us, Gen. xvii. 1; so he often pleadeth the same power to assure us of the accomplishment of his promises, Isa. xl. 28, 29. And it is expressly asserted as the principal ground of faith, Rom. iv. 21. xi. 23. 1 Cor. x. 13. Eph. iii. 20. 2 Tim. i. 12. Jude 24. and often in this epistle.

2d, It is here supposed that the discharge of Christ's priestly office, is the way designed to save us by, or to effect this great work of salvation. No other way or means is appointed of God unto this end. Here we must look for it, or go without it. Wherefore, the inquiry is necessary, whether in the discharge of this office, and within the bounds and limits of it, he be able to save us with this salvation. For indeed many are like those sons of Belial, who said of Saul when God had anointed him king, "how shall this man save us, and despised him," I Sam. x. 21. They understand not how Christ is able to save them by his priesthood, and therefore, under various pretences, they trust to themselves, and despise him. All false religion is but a choice of other things for men to place their trust in with a neglect of Christ. And all superstition grows on the same root, in all effects or instances of it, be they great or small. Wherefore, I say, we are to consider whether this office and the acts of it, be suited and meet for the effecting all things that belong to this salvation. For if we find them not

so, we cannot believe that he is a priest able to save us. But they evidence themselves to be otherwise, unless our minds are darkened by the power of unbelief, as we shall see in the particulars afterwards insisted on by our apostle. And we are here taught, that,

Obs. VIII. It is good to secure this first ground of evangelical faith, that the Lord Christ, as vested with his offices and in the exercise of them, is able to save us.-Salvation is that which all sinners, who have fallen under any convictions, do seek after. And it is from God they look for it; he alone they know can save them; and unless he do so, they cannot be saved. And that he can do so, they seem for a while to make no question, although they greatly doubt whether he will or not. Here under these general apprehensions of the power of God, they cannot long abide, but must proceed to inquire into the way whereby he will save them, if ever they be saved. And this the whole Scripture testifieth to be no otherwise but by Jesus Christ. "For there is no salvation in any other; neither is there any other name under heaven given among men whereby they must be saved," Acts iv. 12. When their thoughts are thus limited to Christ alone, their next inquiry is, How shall this man save us? And hereon are they directed to his offices, especially his priesthood, whereby he undertakes to deliver them from the guilt of their sins, and to bring them into favour with God. Is it not therefore highly incumbent on them, to satisfy themselves herein, that Christ is able to save them in the exercise of this office? For if he be not, there is no salvation to be obtained. And when men are come thus far, as that they will not question in general but that the Lord Christ, in the discharge of his sacerdotal office, is able to save sinners in general, yet unbelief will keep them off from acquiescing in this power of his as so limited, for their own salvation. As Naaman had thoughts in general that Elisha could cure men of their leprosy, yet he would not believe that he could cure them in the way and by the means he prescribed. He thought he would have taken another course with him more suited to his apprehensions, as a means for his recovery. Hereon he turns away in a rage, which if he had not by good advice been recalled from, he had lived and died under the plague of his leprosy, 2 Kings v. 10-14. When persons are reduced to look for salvation only by Christ, and do apprehend in general that he can save sinners, yet oft-times when they come to inquire into the way and manner of it by the exercise of his priestly office, they cannot close with it. Away they turn again into themselves, from which if they are not recovered, they must die in their sins. Unless therefore we do well and distinctly fix this foundation of faith, that Christ as a Priest is able to save us, or is able to do so in the discharge of his sacerdotal

office, we shall never make one firm step in our progress. To this end we must consider,

That the Lord Christ as Mediator, and in the discharge of his office, is "the wisdom of God and the power of God." So saith our apostle, "Christ crucified is to them that believe the power of God and the wisdom of God," 1 Cor. i. 23, 24. His death is both an effect of divine power and wisdom, and thereby do they exert their efficacy to the utmost, for the attaining of the end designed in it. Wherefore we are to look to this priesthood of Christ, as that which divine wisdom hath appointed, as the only way and means whereby we may be saved. And if there be any defect therein, if Christ in the discharge of it, be not able to save us notwithstanding the difficulties which to us seem insuperable, it must be charged on divine wisdom, as that which was wanting in the contrivance of a due means to its end. And so it is done by the world. For the apostle testifieth, that this wisdom of God is looked on and esteemed by men as mere foolishness.. The way proposed in it to save sinners by the cross of Christ, is accounted as folly by all unbelievers, whatever else they pretend as the reason of their unbelief. But this faith is to fix on, namely, that although we yet see not how it may be done, nor have the experience of it in our own souls, yet this being the way which infinite wisdom hath fixed on, there is no defect in it, but Christ by it is able to save us. For the very first notion which we have of wisdom as divine and infinite, is, that we are to acquiesce in its contrivances and determinations, though we cannot comprehend the reasons or ways of them. Besides, the Lord Christ is herein also the power of God. God in him and by him put forth his omnipotent power for the accomplishing of the effect and end aimed at. Wherefore although we are not to look for our salvation from the power of God, absolutely considered; yet are we to look for it from the same omnipotency, as acting itself in and by Jesus Christ. This is the way whereby infinite wisdom hath chosen to act omnipotent power. And into them is faith herein to be resolved.

3. He is able to save also s To Taytiλis. The word may have a double sense; for it may respect the perfection of the work, or its duration, and so it is variously rendered; to the utmost, that is completely; or 'evermore,' that is, always or for So the Syriac translation carries it.

ever.

Take the word in the first sense, and the meaning is, that he will not effect or work out this or that part of our salvation, do one thing or another that belongs to it, and leave what remains to ourselves or others, but he is "our Rock and his work is perfect." Whatever belongs to our entire complete salvation, he is able to effect it. The general notion of the most that are called Christians, lies directly against this truth.

In the latter sense two things may be intended. 1. That after an entrance is made into this work, and men begin to be made partakers of deliverance thereby, there may great opposi tions be made against it in temptations, trials, sins and death, before it be brought to perfection. But our Lord Christ, as our faithful high priest, fainteth not in his work, but is able to carry us through all these difficulties, and will do so until it be finished for ever in heaven. 2. That this salvation is durable, perpetual, eternal, Isa. xlv. 17. Salvare in æternum; to procure salutem æternam. But favores sunt ampliandi ; and there is nothing hinders but that we may take the words in such a comprehensive sense, as to include the meaning of both these interpretations. He is able to save completely as to all parts, fully as to all causes, and for ever in duration. And we may observe, Obs. IX. Whatever hindrances and difficulties lie in the way of the salvation of believers, whatever oppositions do rise against it, the Lord Christ is able, by virtue of his sacerdotal office, and in the exercise of it, to carry the work through them all unto eternal perfection. In the assertion of the ability of Christ in this matter, there is a supposition of a work whereunto great power and efficacy is required; and whereas it is emphatically affirmed, that he is able to save to the uttermost, it is supposed that great oppositions and difficulties do lie in the way of its accomplishment. But these things are commonly spoken unto by our practical divines, and I shall not therefore insist upon them.

The whole is further declared by instancing in those who are to be saved or made partakers of this salvation. He is able to save to the uttermost, but yet all are not to be saved by him; yea, they are but few that are so. Of the most it may. be said, They will not come unto him that they may have life. Wherefore those whom he is thus able to save and doth save accordingly, are all those, and only those, who come unto God by him. Tas neorigxoμives, to come to God,' hath a double sense in the Scripture, for it is sometimes expressive of faith, sometimes of worship. 1. To come unto God is to believe. Faith or believing is a coming to God. So Christ calling us unto faith in him, calleth us to come unto him, Mat. xi. 28. And unbelief is a refusal to come to him, you will not come to me that you may have life.' Faith in God through him, is coming to the Father by him, John xiv. 6. so to come to God by Christ, is through him to believe in God, 1 Pet. i. 21.

2. Our access to God in his worship, is our coming unto him. So is it most frequently expressed in the Old Testament, drawing nigh unto God. And the expression is taken from the ap proach, that was made unto the tabernacle, in and with all holy services. Worship is an approximation unto God, Psal. Ixxiii. 28. bx nip. So our apostle calls those who wor

shipped God in the ordinances of the law, της προσερχομενες, Heb. x. 1. the comers, the worshippers; not those that come to the worship, but those who by that worship come to God. In answer hereunto, our evangelical worship is graywyn, an access, an approximation, a drawing nigh or coming to God, Eph. ii. 18. Heb. x. 22. The latter sense is principally here intended; for the discourse of the apostle is concerning the state of the church under the New Testament, with the advan. tage of it above that of old, by its relation unto the priesthood of Christ. They came of old to God with their worship by the high priest of the law; but those high priests could not save them in any sense. But the high priest of the New Testament can save to the utmost all gospel-worshippers, all that come to God by him. But the former sense of the word is also included and supposed herein. They that come unto God by Christ, are such, as believing in him, do give up themselves in holy obedience to worship God in and by him.

So is the way expressed of this coming unto God, di avty; that is, by him as a high priest; as it is at large explained by the apostle, chap. x. 19-22. Now to come unto God by Jesus Christ in all holy worship, so as thereon to be interested in his saving power as the high priest of the church, is so to come, 1. In obedience unto his authority as to the way and manner of it; 2. With affiance in his mediation, as to the acceptance of it; 3. With faith in his person as the foundation of it.

First, It is to come in obedience unto his authority, and that on a double account. I. Of the way of coming. It is not by legal institutions, it is not by our own inventions, it is only by his appointment, Mat. xxviii. 20. To come to God any other way, gives us no interest in the care or saving power of Christ,, John xv. 7, 8. 2. Of that especial respect which we have in our souls and consciences unto his sovereign rule over us.

Secondly, With affiance in his mediation. And therein faith hath respect unto two things. 1. The sacrifice he hath offered, the atonement and reconciliation he hath made for us, whereon our whole liberty of access unto God doth depend, chap. x. 19-22. 2. To his intercession, whereby he procures actual acceptance for our persons and our duties, Heb. iv. 16. 1 John ii. 2.

Thirdly, The foundation of the whole is faith in his person as vested with his holy office, and in the discharge of it. It is so to believe in him, as to believe that he is able to save to the utmost all that come unto God by him. This is the ground whereon in our holy worship we assemble in his name, Mat. xviii. 20. And make all our supplications unto God in his name, John xvi 26. That is, by an exercise of faith and trust in him, that by and through him we shall be accepted with God. And we may hence observe,

Obs. X. The salvation of all sincere gospel worshippers,