Free grace, or, The flowings of Christs blood free to sinners being an experiment of Jesus Christ upon one who hath been in the bondage of a troubled conscience ... / by John Saltmarsh.

XLIV. God under the Law; and the Gospel legal, and Gospel-worshippers.

BEfore Jesus Christ came in the flesh, and offered up himself, God offered him be∣forehand in Types and Sacrifices of blood, &c. and the whole Ministery was a Priest∣hood, so as the Priesthood and Sacrifices of the Law did set forth and shadow Christ in way of offering, or sacrifice, to God the Father; and therefore God under that dis∣pensation, did appear rather under a condi∣tion of reconciliation then reconciled, though all were saved then actually in the same Christ who was to suffer: But how much of this salvation they knew, is a question; it is very likely, and something clear from the Word, That God was very sparing in that time of the discoveries of himself in Christ; and they rather saw him in his glory above then below; and possessed the inheritance of the Redemption, rather then the Ministration or Gospel of it.

God appearing thus, the whole ministery of the Law was taken in as agreeable to this manner or patern; and the Law of Commandments revealed on Mount Sinai, did help to the form of this ministery, and made sin appear and abound more; for which, such sacrifices were prepared. And thus the whole frame of the old Testament, was a draught of Gods anger at sin; the Law revealing sin, and Jesus Christ offering for sin: And so God in this time of the Law, appeared onely as it were upon terms and conditions of reconciliation; and all the worship then, and acts of worship then, as of prayer, fasting, repentance, &c. went all this way, and according to God under that appearance; and every thing of worship seemed to bring something of peace and a∣tonement in relation to the great atonement to come by Jesus Christ: And in this strain runs all the Ministery of the Prophets too, in their exhortations to duties & worship; as if God were to be appeased and entreated, and reconciled, and his love to be had in the way of purchase by duty, and doing, and worshipping; so as under the Law, the effi∣cacy and power was put as it were wholly upon the duty and obedience performed;

as if God upon the doing of such things, was to be brought into terms of peace, mer∣cy, and forgivenesse; so as their course then, and the service then, was as it were a work∣ing for life and reconciliation.

But now under the new Testament, God appears in Christ, & reconciliation is finish∣ed; peace is made by the blood of his Crosse; and now the Ministery of the new Testa∣ment, is not a Priesthood of any more offer∣ing Christ to God in sacrifice, but of offering and tendering the tydings of a fully reconciled God in Christ to man, and of a sacrifice al∣ready accepted for sin; so as now there are no Priests, but Ministers, or Stewards, or Ambassadours for dealing out, and dispensing the love of God to man, and for publishing the glad tydings of peace; so as all worship now, and spiritual obedience, is to run in the way of this dispensation; not for procuring love or peace from God, nor for pacifying; but for love procured, and peace purchased by Jesus Christ.

If these things thus stated, were more fully & spiritually opened, there would be more Gospel-teaching and obeying; for mans obedience towards God is not so notionally, nor orderly carried, nor so purely as the

Gospel calls for, but they run in a legal strain, and would work God down into his old and former way of revealing himself as under the Law, when he seemed to be onely in the way to reconciliation and peace, rather then pacified; and thus in prayer, and fasting, and other acts of obedience they deal with God as they did under the old Testa∣ment, not considering the glorious love re∣vealed in Christ crucified, and how all Go∣spel-Ordinances are onely wayes and means for God to reveal this love and grace by the spirit of adoption, not any wayes and means of ours for getting some love from God which Christ himself hath not gotten for us.