in his Son and seeing him brought into such a low condition not onely to be in the form of a servant but in the form I say and similitude of an evil servant to bee beaten and so beaten by himself and all this to please him certainly there was some great matter in it that God the Father should bee well pleased with making his own Son to bee a curse for mans sin and yet this wee finde in Scripture that it was a thing that well pleased God certainly were it not for some great and wonderful design that God had to bring about God the Father could not have been well pleased with such a thing with the death of his own Son and putting him to death and that to an accursed death yet he was well pleased certainly there was a wonderful design that God had to bring about by such a way 10 And then further the humiliation of Christ is wonderful in regard of the efficacy of his humiliation that by his death all the wrath and the Justice of God should bee as it were swallowed up in reference to all the elect that the wrath and justice of God should bee swallowed up in a few dayes suffering of Jesus Christ of this man Jesus Christ that God should account it as much as if all the elect had been under his wrath to all eternity the efficacie of Christs suffering is a wonderful efficacie for it is an infinite efficacie it is infinitely satisfactory 11 Yea further not onely satisfactory to Gods Justice but it is that that takes away the sting and venome of all the sufferings of the Saints to the end of the world Christs sufferings takes away the venome and evil that is in the Saints sufferings the efficacie of Christs humiliation it is in reference unto God the Father and it is in reference unto the Saints I say in reference unto the Father it satisfies all his Justice and Wrath And in reference unto the elect ones it is that which takes away the sting and the venome of all their humiliations and sufferings to the end of the world though God hath so appointed that his Saints that hee sets his heart upon to do good unto for ever should here in this world suffer many hard things bee under grievous afflictions yet there is such a way taken as that Jesus Christs sufferings should take away all the sting the venome the evil of their sufferings and so Christ was wonderful in his sufferings in that regard There was never sufferings nor such a death in the world that it should take away the sting of all sufferings and death too for so many thousands of people and yet this did it 12 And further Christ is wonderful in his sufferings Christ suffered as a common Person because hee suffered as a common Person â—hee did not suffer as a particular man but wee are to look upon Jesus Christ in all the work of his humiliation as a common Person and so all the elect from the beginning of the world to the end are looked upon by God the Father as suffering in him as dying in him as being made a curse in him as the first Adam was a common person and God looked upon all mankinde as dead in him in Adam so the second Adam was a common Person and in his death all the elect are looked upon as dying and so as satisfying Gods wrath for their sins in their own person but vertually in him as in a head And in this Christ was wonderful in his humiliation and indeed wee do not understand Christs humiliation aright except wee understand it thus Wee sometimes speak of the great sufferings of Christ and so far wee understand perhaps that this was for us that hee dyed for us but wee do not understand that wee dyed in him and that hee was a common Person and all the elect were looked upon as in him as suffering in him and satisfying Gods wrath in him why thus wee are to exercise our faith upon Christs humiliation and indeed this is the mystery of the humiliation of Jesus Christ Christ by suffering enters into glory 13 And further Christ was wonderful in his humiliation in this that by such a way hee enters into his glory that when God intended the greatest height of glory to a creature that ever was or ever should bee that yet hee would have such a way to lead unto it as that Christ should first bee brought into such a low condition to bee a worm and no man to bee so accused to bee made a scorn of men to bee indeed in the lowest estate that is almost possible to conceive a creature here to bee in and yet that God should intend this to bee the way to the highest degree of glory that is possible for a creature to attain unto here was the wonderful counsel of God the wonderful work of God now you know that so it was in Christ the Scripture saith Ought hee not to suffer these things and so to enter into his glory God manifested in him what way hee would have to bring us unto glory that is by the way of suffering by the way of Afflictions by the way of trouble to pave the way to glory by such kinde of pavement as this this was the wonderful work of God 14 And in this further here was the most wonderful Argument of Gods hatred to sin In Christs suffering appears Gods hatred of sin that possibly can be imagined and wonderfullest pattern example of self-denial that ever was in the world Christ was wonderful in this in that in him there was held out the most wonderful Argument of Gods hatred of sin as if God would say I will set mine infinite wisdome on work to finde out an Argument to manifest my hatred to sin there could not have been a greater an infinite wisdome could not have found a greater manifestation of the hatred of sin And then hee was in his humiliation Christ in suffering a pattern of self-denial I say the pattern of the greatest self-denial that ever was or ever can bee God holds forth his own Son to bee the pattern of self-denial to all the world the Lord sees how wee are altogether for our selves how hard it is for us to deny our selves Well saith God I will not onely require of you that you shall deny your selves for mee as your duty and bound as creatures to do it to your Creator but I will send into the World such a pattern of self-denial as it is impossible for men or Angels to imagine a more wonderful pattern of self-denial My Son that is equal with my self to come in the form of a servant although hee had right to all things hee shall empty and deny himself to the extremity of all kinde of misery And then that that makes up all the wonder is this Christ suffered for us that all this should bee done for us for
great wonder in the works of Nature But to unite the second Person in Trinity to the nature of man not to the nature of Angels Heb. 2.16 for so the Scripture saith Christ did not take upon him the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham for if Christ would have been united to another nature one would have thought it should have been to an Angelical nature but to refuse that and take mans nature and unite it in one Person that so it should bee said that that Person that is God the same Person is man Here is the great Wonder in Christian Religion the Personal union of the Natures of Christ and indeed from hence many wonderful things will arise As from hence that same Person that was the Creator of all the world was a creature the same Person I do not say the same Nature this is the wonder in Scripture And hee the same Person that is the Lord of Man-kinde yet is the Son of Man the Son of Man and yet the Lord of Mankind The same Person that is Eternal Immortal yet hee dyed so the Scripture saith They crucified the Lord of glory What can God that is the Lord of glory that made heaven and earth the Eternal God whose Name alone is excellent can hee bee crucified yet that Person that was the Lord of glory whose Name alone is glorious that Person was crucified but suffered in his humane nature whatsoever Christ did suffer in his humane nature it may bee said that that Person that was God did suffer though not the Divine Nature the Divine Nature could not suffer but the same Person that was God as well as man hee did suffer it is the Scripture phrase clearly and I might give you many Texts of Scripture to shew you that that person that was God suffered but that is enough They crucified the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2.8 But you will say to what great purpose is it for us to understand this that Christ was God and man in one Person is it not enough to understand that hee was God and man what need wee look so much at the union of the two Natures My brethren Know that there is a great deal in this in knowing the union of the two Natures It is of marvellous use unto you for the helping of your faith to know not onely that Christ had those two Natures but the union of those two Natures You will say How may it help our faith Thus because hereby you may see that whatsoever Christ did or suffered though but in his humane nature yet it was of infinite value and efficacy and the infinite value and efficacy of what Christ did and suffered doth arise from the union of the two Natures because it was that Person that was God did such things and suffered such things I remember I my self once knew a very godly man in the time of his sickness was in a great Agony under a very great temptation and at Mid-night sent a mile or two for a Minister and hee comes to him and this was his temptation Fearing hee should dye A temptation of the Devil to a godly man and the Devil came with this temptation Why thy sin doth deserve an infinite punishment thou hast sinned against an infinite God and thou dost deserve eternal death but Christ in whom you have trusted hee being man and suffering onely in his humane nature hee could suffer onely that that was finite and his death was but a few dayes a day or two how can he by suffering that that was but finite by induring a little while pain upon the Cross and by being under death but a day or two how can hee deliver you from an infinite suffering and from eternal death This was the temptation that lay upon him and hee was in a most lamentable agony of spirit upon this temptation but now in his calling to minde this that though Christ in his humane Nature was but finite and that that hee suffered could bee but finite yet because his humane nature was united in one Person unto the Divine Nature hence what the humane nature did suffer though finite came to bee of infinite value and worth and though his death that hee was under was but for a day or two yet it was of merit sufficient to ransome from eternal death because the Person that was God as well as man was under the power of death and by recalling what hee had heard heretofore about Christ being God and man in one Person hee came to bee eased and the Temptation began to vanish and the truth is there is no way that I know of to satisfie ones heart and conscience in the sufficiency of Christs merits but in this that it was the merit of him that was both God and man in one Person It is true those that do not see a necessity of an infinite merit they can easily satisfie themselves and say they beleeve in Christ Jesus that dyed for them I but how canst thou tell that this death of Jesus Christ is of infinite merit to satisfie the infinite Justice of God that requires satisfaction for thy sin Why God hath so appointed it and I hope in God it is so but if thou canst see the ground of this that will bee a marvellous help to thy faith that thou canst look upon thy Mediator as God and man in one Person and therefore thou canst look upon whatsoever hee hath done or suffered as of infinite value and so thou canst present it with boldness unto God The right understanding of Christ thus will help us to honour Christ much and will make him to bee a further object of our faith Thus Christ is wonderful in his Person in his Person as relating to God the Father the second Person in Trinity So in his Person that is his humane and Divine Nature united into one Person Christ Wonderful in the manner of his Incarnation Thirdly Well may hee have this Title of Wonderful seeing hee is such a one as hee is thus opened unto you But thirdly Christ his Name is wonderful hee is wonderful in the manner of his Incarnation Christ hee is God and man but how came Christ to take mans nature upon him it was a wonderful and a strange kinde of way that the second Person in Trinity came to take our nature upon him it was by being conceived by the Holy Ghost by being born of a Virgin Christ was man and came from man but not by man the way of Christs generation it is wonderful Oh who can declare it Wee ordinarily can say â—sa 53.8 wee do beleeve that Christ was born of a Virgin born of the Virgin Mary who cannot repeat his Creed but I appeal to you when were your hearts ever taken with the wonderful work of God in the Incarnation of Christ that way of being born of a Virgin God faith that hee will do a great and marvellous thing Isa
beloved of the Father and equal with the Father Phil. 2.6 accounted it no robbery to bee equal with God yet that he should stand before God the Father with all the sins of the Elect charged upon him so the Scripture tells us 2 Cor. 5.21 For hee hath made him to bee sin for us who knew no sin Hee hath made him to bee sin for us for Christ to bee made a worm was a wonderful Humiliation but for Christ to bee made sin was a greater Humiliation than to bee made a worm surely this must needs bee a wonder to all the Angels in heaven for them to see such a one whom they knew to bee the eternal Son of God equal with the Father to stand before the Father cloathed at it were with all the sins of the Elect. Wee read in Zech. 3. a kinde of type of this in vers 3. of Joshua the High Priest he was cloathed with filthy Garments and stood before the Angel so Jesus Christ stands cloathed with filthy Garments hee that is cloathed with Majesty and Glory yet hee must come and stand cloathed with filthy Garments before the Father For one to bee cloathed with filthy garments and yet to bee in some room alone that no body should see him is no great matter but to see a great Prince to come out before the world cloathed with filthy garments it is a very great humiliation But Christ that was infinitely above all the Princes in the world hee comes and stands before Men and Angels yea before God himself cloathed with these filthy garments For a man to have sin upon him before other men it is no great matter but for him to come into the presence of God with sin upon him it is a terrible thing But now the Son of God must do it hee comes into the presence of the Father and stands with all the sins of the Elect upon him what an object is here of Wonder Luther calls Christ the greatest sinner that ever was in the world I confess that is somewhat hard for it was but charged upon him but his meaning is onely this that I am speaking of Christ had not onely the sins of David his Murther and Adultery and denial of Peter and the like but all the sins of all the elect ones from the beginning of the world to the end of the world which they were or should bee guilty of charged upon him Secondly The wonder of Christs Humiliation it is in this that hee that was so high should bee now brought down so low for the sin of man is not this a wonder that hee that thunders in the heavens should bee crying in a Manger Is it not a great wonder that hee that framed the heavens and earth should work with a Carpenter in his Trade that hee that is the great Judge of all the world should bee accused and should bee condemned as a Malefactor and crucified among Theeves That hee that is the Lord of Life should dye that hee that dwelt in that light that is unapprochable should have darkness to cover him that hee that is the blessed God should bee made a curse for the sin of man are not these things wonderful in Christian Religion and yet all these are things that may bee said of Christ for the Lord of Life to come and dye and that accursed death this was a wonder that all the world seemed to bee affected with the very insensitive creatures for at the death of Christ the Sun withdrew his light as being amazed with this wonder not able to behold it and the earth shaked and trembled and the graves opened at this wonder the very stones clave in sunder at this wonder there was such a mighty concussion of things at this time that it made one that knew nothing of the cause of it One Dionysius seeing the darkness at that time Aut Deus naturae patitur aut mundi machina dissolvetur and such great things which were done cry out Certainly either the God of Nature suffers at this time or the world is at an end So great a wonder it was that the Lord of Life should thus dye an accursed death Angels yea all insensitive creatures they stood amazed at it and seemed to bee exceedingly affected with it And then in the third place Why Christ may dye and yet not suffer so much to make us wonder many of the servants of God have died cruel deaths But then in the third place There is a greater wonder in Câ—â—ists humiliation than in the sufferings of the servants of God because though their bodies suffered yet they had much freedome in their souls they were filled with joy and comfort in the time of their sufferings so it was in the Martyrs Oh but it was otherwise with Christ though hee were the fountain of all consolation yet Christ suffers in his soul hee was sorrowful in his soul to the very death hee gave his soul to bee an offering for sin and indeed the suffering of Christs soul was the soul of his suffering the chief of his suffering when as Christ was in the Garden there hee acknowledges that his soul was compassed round about with sorrows Matth. 26.38 his soul was very sorrowful and in another Evangelist hee began to bee amazed and a third Evangelist saith Mark 14.33 hee began to bee filled with sorrow in his soul and the very trouble of his soul was that that drew forth from him such a wonderful sweat as never was heard of in the world before nor never since nor never is like to bee that a man from distress and trouble of his soul should sweat so Many a man when hee is in fear and trouble of minde hee may sweat but when did you ever hear of a man out of trouble of minde that did sweat blood that blood should come and break through his skin and run down upon him and this through the trouble of his minde for there was no bodily affliction upon Christ then but meerly the trouble of his Spirit and hee knowing what cup hee was to drink and the trouble that hee suffered in his Soul did cause the blood to break through his veyns and come to trickle down and not some thin blood for so I have read of one in Paris that was condemned to dye and the very trouble of his spirit did cause some blood to come out of his body but thin but the Scripture tells us that there was clodders of blood and when was this sweat when hee was abroad in the night time and lay upon the ground and in the Winter season In a Winters night when hee was abroad and lay upon the ground hee sweat this sweat and all from the trouble of his spirit A man may sweat in Summer and in Winter in the day time or in a warm room or in a bed but for Christ in a Winters night and lying upon the ground to sweat such a sweat
for clodders of blood to trickle down ☜ never was Garden watered as this Garden now who would not have accounted this a Wonder of all Wonders Here upon this ground lyes groveling the Son of God the same God that made the heavens and earth lyes here in trouble and anguish of his Spirit while hee sweat clodders of blood certainly there was some great matter upon the Spirit of Christ at this time Wee know it by experience a Porter when hee hath a great burden upon his body hee carries it while hee sweats again Oh but when you see Porters sweating under their burdens remember Jesus Christ sweating under the burden of sin Besides that other expression If it bee possible let this cup pass from mee and then the second time and the third time to do it again Why the Martyrs have gone chearfully to their deaths whose deaths have been as cruel as the death of Jesus Christ and more cruel for the outward part of it but here even the great Champion from whom all the Martyrs that ever were had their strength hee when hee comes to dye If it bee possible let this cup pass from mee saith hee certainly hee saw that which the Martyrs never saw Hee suffered in his Soul Fourthly Christ hee suffered these things from his Father that makes the wonder greater and so his sufferings greater hee did not suffer onely from wicked men and devils men indeed they are like themselves malicious the devils are like themselves cruel I but Christ hee might have looked up to his Father and have said But oh blessed Father Matth. 3.17 thou hast said from heaven that I am thy well-beloved Son Christ would have accounted it no great matter to have suffered from men or devils so bee it that his Father had shined upon him Oh no but here is the wonder and the greatest thing for Angels and men to admire at that God the Father hee inflicts these sufferings with his own hand upon him and the chief sufferings of Jesus Christ they were inflicted by the very hand of God the Father himself for a King to come and take his own childe and scourge him and put him to death with his own hand wee would say There was never such a thing heard of yet thus it was in the work of our Redemption God the Father takes Christ with his own hands and puts him to death For hee made his Soul an offering for sin it was hee that bruised him If you read Isa 53.10 you shall finde it was the Father that did it And that was typified in Abrahams coming with his knife to sacrifice Isaac his Son was not that a wonderful thing that story of Abraham Isaac must bee sacrificed and Abraham to sacrifice Isaac his onely Son with his own hands what a strange history is that but that was but the type here is the Antitype here God the Father takes his Isaac his onely Son Christ and sacrifices him himself surely there was some great thing to bee done that God the Father should do it thus himself Fifthly Not onely God hee comes himself upon him and inflicts these evils but hee doth not spare him at all You will say If God himself must bee the Executioner and come and lay his hand upon him hee will lay his hand gently upon his own Son Nay when Jesus Christ the Son of God came to take our sins upon him the Father would not spare him one whit but le ts out the fulness of Justice upon him le ts out his Justice to the full Rom. 8.32 it is said That God spared not his own Son certainly if God would have spared any one would have thought it should have been his Son Oh here behold the Justice of God the Father that when his own Son takes sin upon him and that by imputation hee must pay to the uttermost farthing to Justice yea though hee prayed with strong cryings and tears as in Heb. 5.7 Though it is true the Father did carry him through yet in this God would not spare him notwithstanding any of his cryes but hee must suffer to the uttermost and pay the uttermost farthing that Divine Justice did require for the satisfying of it for mans sins Many poor creatures think that having to deal with God who is a mercâ—ful God though they have the guilt of great sins upon them yet if they cry out to God for mercy that God wil spare them why art thou dearer to God than Jesus Christ was thy sins are thine own his was but by imputation yet when hee cryed hee must not bee spared What thoughts must the Angels in Heâ—ven have upon this when they see him whom they knew to bee the eternal Son of God under the hand of the Father and the Father not so much as to spare him in any thing Certainly if wee do not know these things or beleeve them if wee think to put off God lightly if wee think that a few cryes to God at last will bee enough to cause God to spare us and pass by all our sins do but know God in Christ and a thousand of thy vain thoughts about God and the pacifying God for thy sin will vanish away and come to nothing did wee but know God aright in Jesus Christ Sixthly Yea but yet further there is a further wonder in this humiliation of Christ God did not spare him I but when God deals thus with his Son will hee leave him For one to suffer much yea and though it bee much from God yet so long as they may have the presence of God with them that God doth not leave them it is not so much But in all these sufferings God the Father leaves him this is that is exprest by that speech that wonderful speech of Christ upon the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee There was never a speech spoke in this world that had matter of so much admiration as that speech of Jesus Christ that was the eternal Son of God Matth. 27.46 in the middest of his sufferings that hee should thus cry out certainly hee did not mistake what Christ apprehended to bee was wee many time may apprehend that God hath forsaken us when there is no such thing but certainly Christ was never deceived in his apprehensions but what hee did apprehend it was true But now what this forsaking of God was it is a very hard thing a great mystery which is too deep for us to dive into but that there was a forsaking and that hee was not deceived but that hee apprehended was real that must needs bee granted or otherwise wee must grant that Christ was deceived which would bee blasphemy for us to say Seventhly Yea again yet further the wonder in Christs humiliation was this that all this Christ foresaw and yet did willingly undertake it to save mankinde see what the heart of Christ in his sufferings towards his elect ones was that rather than hee
such poor worms for such vile base creatures as wee are why might not men and Angels have thought thus why Lord had it not been better for ten thousand thousand and hundreds of thousands and millions of such creatures to have perished to all eternity than that thy Son should bee brought so low to suffer so as hee did But no saith God I will manifest a great wonder in the world in this that all this shall bee done and suffered for poor worms men in whose eternal destruction I might have glorified my self for ever though it is true I could as well have honoured my self in their ruine and destruction as I did in the eternal destruction of the Angels that sinned against mee yet I will shew forth a wonderful work that men and Angels shall wonder at to all eternity that such and such things shall bee done and suffered to save them so unworthy so vile thus Christ is wonderful in his humiliation And these things have been but briefly presented to you that so I might give you a general view of the mystery of godliness that there is in the humiliation of Jesus Christ Christ Wonderful in his Conquest But now it follows further that Christ likewise is wonderful in his Conquest hee is the most glorious and wonderful Conquerour that ever was in the world For first What did hee conquer What doth hee triumph over What hee hath conquered even Divine Justice it self as I may so speak the Law Gods wrath and justice came even fighting as it were against Jesus Christ and Christ encounters with them yea hee encounters with the Devil and with Hell and with Death all these are enemies that Jesus Christ encounters withall And certainly had any one but seen Christ go into the Lists to encounter with these Combatants hee could not but have stood amazed at it Oh what will become of this Champion that is entred into such a combate as this is But stay but a little and you shall see him leading Captivity captive you shall see him Triumphing over all you shall see him conquering and saying I have the Keyes of Hell I that was dead am risen and have the Keyes of Hell and Death you shall see him Triumphing over Wrath and Justice and the Law and the Devils you shall see him fetching all that hee came for out of the hand of the Devil yea here is the wonder of the Conquest never was there a man that did conquer death but onely Jesus Christ that had power over Death All other Conquerors they may conquer men and kill them but they cannot conquer Death it self now Jesus Christs Conquest was over Death its self to have the very keyes of Death and that follows Death and Hell And further which makes the wonder of his Conquest hee doth conquer death by dying that is the wonder of it What man conquers his enemy by being slain himself Jesus Christ did so hee conquers all his enemies that came against him hee conquers them by dying and therefore in Col. 2. it is spoken of Christs coming to dye upon the Cross And having spoyled Principalities and Powers hee made a shew of them openly Triumphing over them in it When Christ was brought upon the Cross one would think hee had been triumphed over himself then for hee was brought very low indeed when hee was brought there to hang between two Malefactors as if he had been the greatest Malefactor of all now one would have thought that Devils and wicked men and Death and all had triumphed over him but mark the Text saith That he did there spoyl Principalities and Powers and made a shew of them openly Triumphing over them in it Wee can imagine somewhat of Christs Triumph now in heaven sitting at the right hand of the Father when hee ascended into heaven there hee Triumphed but to imagine a triumph of Christ in his Cross when his enemies were scorning and contemning him that then hee should spoyl Principalities and Powers and upon the Cross Triumph over them this is a great mystery of godliness and herein is the wonder of Christs Conquest of Christs Triumph And then further the wonder of the Triumph of Christ consists in this That hee hath not onely vanquished all the enemies of his people but hee hath vanquished them by his own power Conquerours have use of the strength of others but Christ had strength enough of his own without any addition and hee did not onely quell the Adversary but hee turns all into good to his people It is one thing for a Conquerour to overcome an enemy so as an enemy shall not bee able to do any more hurt to those that belong to him and another thing to subdue them so far as to make them all to bee servants to him that is a greater Conquest Man by a strong Army may bee a Conquerour by killing his enemies and so never to hear of them more but if hee can subdue and bring them all to bee useful and serviceable to himself and his people this Conquest is a great deal the more glorious now such is the Conquest of Christ that hee hath not onely quelled their power but hath brought all to bee serviceable to his people the Law is serviceable to them and now Gods Justice is for good to them and the very wrath of God is now for their good and the Devil and Death and Hell and wicked men they are all made useful unto Jesus Christ and so unto his people Lastly Christ is wonderful in his Conquest in this that hee conquered likewise as a common Person as a head and in him hee hath made all his Saints Conquerours yea the Scripture saith that they are more than Conquerours through Jesus Christ in him they are looked upon as having overcome all those Thou that art the weakest in thy self and art able to do least art afraid of every expression of Gods wrath and terrour of the Law of the threats of wicked men of the temptations of the Devil of the very thoughts of Death or Hell yet I say if thou beest a beleever thou hast conquered all these already they are not oneâ—y conquered to thy hand but thou hast conquered them all that is vertually in thy head thou art made a Conquerour over Sin and Death and Hell and as in Christ thy head so in some measure in thy self that is Christ hath put such a principle into thy heart as will conquer all thine enemies that come against thee in due time so that this is the glory of Christs Conquest and hee is wonderful in it Now more particularly there is following the Conquest of Christ Christs Resurrection and his Ascention and his sitting at the right hand of the Father and his coming to Judgement In all these wee have a wonderful Redeemer I very briefly present all these before you but in a few words to shew you a little of the mystery of godliness in every one of these that so I might
an All-sufficient Saviour thou hast an object that thou mayest venture thy soul thy eternal estate upon for hee is a wonderful Redeemer conceive thy misery to the uttermost that possibly can bee suppose thou seest the guilt of all thy sins before thee and apprehendest thy soul bound over to eternal death for thy sin suppose thou seest the justice of God coming out against thee to require satisfaction for thy sin the curse of the Law that likewise brings thee under it and thou seest the bottomeless pit even ready open for thee and the horrible vile iniquities that thou hast been guilty of presenting themselves unto thee with all the aggravations of them suppose all this And thou standest now before the great God ready to receive the sentence of thy eternal estate Now these things may make thy heart to shake and indeed they will where they are seen really But in the midst of such a sight if God do but give thee a sight of thy Redeemer that is so wonderful here is enough to draw forth Faith yea to beget Faith in the soul let this bee but presented whatsoever thy misery bee yet know here is a wonderful Redeemer who cannot onely cure ordinary diseases and deliver in ordinary troubles but can wonderfully deliver and no cure can bee too hard for him Oh therefore thou troubled soul that dost apprehend the evil of thy sin and the dreadâ—â—l danger that thou art in Oh that thou couldest but see this wonderful Redeemer before thee thou wouldest see him to bee an object for the most vile wretchedest sinner that ever lived upon the face of the earth to rest upon And because God the Father accounts wonderfully of his Son therefore it is that hee would not have us onely to beleeve in his Son in ordinary cases but in extraordinary cases you that are beleevers and hope you have any part in Christ know that God expects that you should sanctifie his Son as a wonderful Redeemer now if you can onely beleeve in Christ in an ordinary way when your condition is ordinary and your straights not very great this is not to sanctifie Christ as a wonderful Saviour Now let this bee but laid to thy heart when temptations are strong and when thy heart is ready to sink in any extremity It may bee temptation comes and tells thee thy condition is extraordinary who was ever so left of God as thou art then do but lay these truths upon thy heart that have been revealed in the opening of the wonderfulness of Christ and even say thus to thy soul well but oh my soul thou hast heretofore beleeved in God but hast thou sanctified the Name of Christ as wonderful hast thou beleeved in Jesus Christ as in him whose Name by God himself is called wonderful Thou hast thou thinkest beleeved in him as a Saviour as a Redeemer but hast thou beleeved in him as thus wonderful in his Natures in his Person in his Offices in his indowments and in all the great things that hee hath done in the glory of the Father that shines in him hast thou sanctified his Name in all those particulars wherein Christ hath been made known to bee wonderful certainly Beleevers do not sanctifie this Name of Christ except there bee some kinde of proportion between their Faith and all these glorious things that are revealed of Jesus Christ It is hee that is a full object for thy soul to rest upon in all straights whatsoever when the men of the world shall bee at their wits end they having their ordinary help fail them yet thou that art a Beleever and knowest what Jesus Christ is â—â—d the glory of God that appears in him thou needest not bee at thy wits end for thou hast him whose Name is wonderful to be the object of thy Faith Thirdly The consolation to Beleevers from this title of Christ is in this That certainly if there bee such a wonderful Redeemer that God himself doth glory so much in and account him so wonderful then it must needs follow that God doth intend wonderful things for the Saints no wise man that hath abilities will in a wonderful manner busie himself about a trifle certainly if the Lord doth thus work for man-kind in his Son if the Lord provide such a wonderful Saviour for the children of men wee may fully conclude that God hath wonderful thoughts to do great things for man-kind the thoughts of God for the good of man-kind are very great and very glorious they are some high things some glorious things that God doth aim at for man-kind Oh raise up therefore your thoughts let all that are but men raise up their thoughts and think surely there is some great happiness for the children of men God hath revealed it from Heaven when hee hath told us that there is such a wonderful Redeemer come into the Earth But Oh you Beleevers do you in a special manner raise up your hearts and expect glorious things and though you have but little from God for the present yet conclude that God hath wonderful thoughts about you that are the members of Jesus Christ and there must come a time that there must bee wonderful things bestowed upon you or otherwise God should lose the honour of all the wonderful things hee hath done in Christ and that hee will never do God will at length bring every beleever to such a height of glory as before Men and Angels it shall bee declared by the glory of your souls that Jesus Christ was a wonderful Redeemer such glory thou mayest have wee cannot tell the particulars If wee should go to open the happiness of the Saints what it should bee in Heaven wee should quickly bee swallowed up but one would think that this one thing should bee enough to fill the heart of the Beleever with joy I shall have so much happiness from God one day as must declare before Men and Angels that Jesus Christ was a wonderful Saviour such glory as God himself will glory in Oh look here look upon this poor wretch that a while was such a vile wicked creature and a childe of wrath and of perdition in its self and look now what a height of glory this soul is raised up to and now give your testimony whether my Son bee not a wonderful Redeemer this will bee the condition of every poor beleever that lives and comfort your selves in exercising your Faith in this What ever I am now for the present though but a lump of clay and filth yet I being a Beleever Christ being mine my condition must bee such one day as God the Father wiâ—l say before men and Angels behold the wonderfulness of my Son in what I have done for this soul and that may bee enough to satisfie the soul for the present that God will shew himself wonderful in thy good and thy salvation so that it may bee said of every particular beleever thy estate shall bee such one day
many ignorant people that pervert the Word to their own destruction If God bee not merciful to them therefore why should wee pray or read or hear or use any means let us lay aside all wee can do nothing wee are dead in sins and the like Now wee are to know that though nothing can bee done by us till God bring us into a state of grace and salvation that is acceptable so as certainly shall bring us to Heaven yet if it bee but that that shall stop us in the contrary way a little it is worth our labour If it be but that that any way may tend towards the bringing of us unto any means that may do us good why it is worth our labour and all our pains but especially if wee consider this that though wee are not able to do that that shall save us yet God is pleased often to convey his strength to those hee doth intend to save through the use of those means rather at that time when they do improve their natural abilities than at that time when they sit idle and do nothing and therefore you must bee up and bee doing Wee read in the Gospel concerning the young man that I told you came to Christ and inquired what hee should do for eternal life Christ profest to him that hee was not far from the Kingdome of Heaven hee was not so far as others It is true if a man abuses his doing and rests in his doing that sets him as far from the Kingdome of Heaven as prophane ones and therefore Publicans and Harlots may enter into the Kingdome of Heaven as soon as Scribes and Pharisees But there may bee many actions done by a common assistance of Gods Spirit that may bring some nearer to the Kingdome of Heaven than others and the denial of such a thing as that is would bee an extream boldness in any for they are the very words of Christ to the young man That hee was not far from the Kingdome of Heaven and therefore notwithstanding your inability and notwithstanding the things that wee do are not the things that save us yet wee have ground enough to put on men and women to do Now the meaning of this great question is this What is the way that God ordinarily takes to bring men and women to salvation by or how should I follow God on in his way that is a certain truth of the Antients Though God made thee without thee yet hee will not save thee without thee God works upon us as upon rational creatures and therefore it doth concern all the children of men that would have their souls saved to observe the work of God and to stir up what is in them to joyn with the work of God in the way of salvation and certainly whatever conceits there are to the contrary they are not onely foolish but extream dangerous and Satans policy and cunning is exceedingly much seen in them A further thing that I would premise before I come to particulars is this when I speak of any thing that should bee done I prescribe no particular order knowing that the works of God are various And sometimes God stirs up a soul to do one thing and sometimes to do another thing but take them in what order you will yet wee must name them for memory sake in some order and God expects them from you and you are to joyn with God in those works if you would have your souls to bee saved The great Question of what wee should do to bee saved answered First If you would have your souls saved do you joyn with God in what hee hath revealed to you concerning your lost condition labouring to understand those truths clearly that are delivered in the Word concerning the lost condition of souls by nature and to work those truths upon your hearts to bee sensible of them Those whom God intends to save hee shews unto them what this salvation is hee shews them from what it is they are to bee saved that so they may not run away vvith the meer word Salvation and saving of souls now God reveals this in his Word and when hee intends to save a soul hee doth by his Spirit stir it up to joyn with the Word of God and work those things upon its self so as to bee made sensible of them As thus the soul being solicitous how it should come to bee saved it searches the Scripture and there it findes how wee are by nature the children of wrath there it findes that God had made man according to his own Image at first but man hath sinned against God and broken the covenant upon which his eternal state did depend and in the sin of the first man all men have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God and now are conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity so that there is a most dreadful breach between God and the soul and that man by nature is become an enemy to the Infinite God That now hee hath the seeds of all kind of sin in him and that all his life while hee continues in his natural estate here is nothing else but a fighting against God a flying in the very face of God Hee findes that by sin hee is brought under a most dreadful curse the curse of the Law and that hee is bound over by the bonds of the Law even to death to eternal death as the wages of sin these things the soul findes in Scripture now if thou wouldest bee saved when thou findest God revealing such things labour thorowly to convince thy soul of the truth of them and are these things so indeed is this my condition am I thus and thus naturally Oh what good then will it do to mee to have all the world and bee in such a condition as this is Oh my soul when wert thou sensible of this condition dost thou walk as it becomes one that is sensible of such a lost estate as this is Oh! labour to drink in these truths and to work them upon thy heart and cry to God to set them home upon thy spirit to make thy soul thorowly sensible of them as hee uses to make those whom hee hath a purpose to save Here 's the first thing And yet one thing about this further is That you must come to a conviction not onely of your lost estate but of your inability to save your selves and the inability that there is in all creatures in Heaven and Earth to save them that thy fall from God is so dreadful that all the created power in Heaven and Earth cannot help thee yea and that thou thy self now art unable to help thy self to save thy soul bee convinc'd thorowly of this This was the way that Christ took with the young man hee tells him of the Law first and then afterwards because hee was conceited that hee had fulfilled the Law and done it Christ puts him upon a duty that might convince him
seek them out and so sometimes it is with the soul when it hath lost its evidences for salvation it may get new in less time and with less charge than to seek out the old It may bee thou lookest to see whether thou hast not been an Hypocrite all this while or formal Suppose upon examination thou canst not finde any thing to satisfie thy soul but that it hath been so yet now what hinders but that thou mayest this instant throw thy soul upon Jesus Christ I but I am afraid that when I have come to Christ I have not come rightly I but perhaps thou mayest come to Christ in that time that thou mayest know whether thou hast come rightly yea or nay But now the best way for those that are mightily troubled and solicitous about evidences whether their estate bee right or no I say let those rather than spend too much time in discouraging of their own hearts begin the work again let such a one present Jesus Christ now as a Saviour for lost man whose grace is infinitely full and infinitely free and there is nothing hinders thee but that thou mayest at this very instant cast thy self upon him to bee thy Saviour both to save thee from sin and from condemnation I but you will say I may presume and who hath right to do any such thing To that I answer that there is nothing can give thee right to Christ but by casting thy soul upon him by beleeving in him that right that wee have to Christ it is by beleeving It is not by any work before beleeving that gives thee right to Jesus Christ So that by this you see what I mean by rasing down the old foundation The next is by laying the new foundation of this great work of thy salvation and bee sure thou lay that sure You will say lay it sure what is it Christ is the foundation No other foundation can bee laid but Christ himself lay it there And then that that is next to Christ the foundation it is the true work of Faith and the true work of Repentance the true work of Faith that is next that is the foundation of what is wrought in our hearts Christ is the foundation first but of any work in our hearts the work of Faith Beleeve and thou shalt bee saved Now then this work of Faith thou must rightly know what it is and the way of thy beleeving and how thou dost receive Jesus Christ in thy beleeving and the power of thy Faith how that is wrought and what the work of it is upon thy heart now thou having laid Christ for thy foundation and understood the mystery of the Gospel then when thou comest to beleeve in this great mystery of the Gospel thou must consider what is it that I am now to beleeve why I am now to beleeve this that the thoughts of God from all eternity were for the good of the children of men and therefore hee hath sent the second Person in Trinity into the world to take mans nature upon him to die an accursed death for the sin of man And for mee in particular the thoughts of God were thus upon me from all eternity to send his son into the world to take my nature upon him and to bee made a curse for my sin to pay a price for my soul and through him when I beleeve I do beleeve all my sin to bee pardoned the infinite holy dreadful God to bee at peace with mee my soul to bee reconciled this wretched sinful soul of mine to bee received into mercy into the love of God as the love of a Father to bee made an Heir of God and Eternal life when thou dost beleeve this is the Object of thy Faith now this is a mighty work a mighty thing to beleeve such things as these are Consider therefore what thou doest when thou sayest thou dost beleeve in Jesus Christ put that to thâ— soul canst thou O my soul close with these things canst thou venture thy soul upon such things as these are and when thou comest to beleeve what dost thou it is not that thou thinkest that these things are true but thou dost in thy beleeving receive Jesus Christ according to the condition of the Gospel that is thy heart doth open to receive into it the King of glory Oh it is Châ—ist that is the foundation of the New Woâ—ld that God is to raise up It is Jesus Christ that brings in all the good and happiness and glory of God to the children of men and it is hee that my heart opens to receive in to imbrace to bee satisfied with all as all the good and happiness I expect and it is Christ that my heart opens too to save mee from my sin as well as from punishment to unite mee to God to bring mee to union with him that I may live for ever to the praise of the great God and it is this Christ that I take into my heart to bee King and Governour and now to rule Sin Satan Temptations Lusts shall not reign as they have done but Christ shall set up his own Government in my soul Now then upon this must needs follow wonderful and glorious effects upon the soul the soul that doth beleeve such high things as these are and doth open it self to receive Christ upon such tearms certainly I say there must needs bee wonderful effects wrought in that soul such things must needs work the soul up to God to live to him in another manner than ever and that is the reason of the Scripture expression 2 Cor. 5.17 Whosoever is in Christ is a New Creature all old things are past away and all things are become new For why the Lord hath revealed new glorious things to such a soul and the Lord therefore now acts and carries on the soul to other manner of objects than ever before it was wont to bee busied about And such a kinde of work of Faith is this that is the foundation of the great work of salvation next to Jesus Christ himself as the old must bee rased down so a new must bee raised up Now when you come to think of salvation that you hope to bee saved you must have recourse to such a kinde of work upon you as this how have I felt the power of the Holy Ghost rasing down old things and how have I felt the power of God even that power by which Jesus Christ was raised from the dead to raise such a foundation as this is And upon this now followes the work of Humiliation and Repentance that is Godly sorrow and so to mourn as to have the heart to bee taken from its former courses and waies and bee set upon the contrary good Now when the soul finds such workings of God upon it as certainly these things cannot bee and no notice at all taken of them when the soul takes notice how God comes in with power upon it and