shot in the spirit and soul of Christ To be brief this you must know whatsoever beleevers should have suffered for their sins whether it be in the losse of the sense of Gods love or in the sensible feeling of the wrath and divine displeasure of Almightie God all that Christ suffered so far as can be suffered without sin and without the guilt of a defiled conscience Now to all this did Christ give up himself for beleevers to the end that beleevers who have lost the love of God might have it Christ gave up himself in regard of sense for a while to lose all sense of Gods love to the end that beleevers might not feel the insupportable burthen of the infinite wrath of God Christ took it upon him and endured it and all this Christ did willingly and freely and of his own accord therefore the Phrase in the Text is Emphaticall Who gave himself and Christ saith of himself I lay down my life Beleevers did with full consent sin Christ must with full consent suffer or else Christ could not deliver beleevers from the wrath of God This appeareth because that Christ when hee knew that Judas should betray him he goeth to that place where he was wont and knew that Judas would come there After that Judas and the Souldiers come out of seek Christ Christ cometh and offereth himself Whom is it that you seek saith he We seek Jesus of Nazareth I am he saith he he offereth and declareth himself to them putteth himself into their hands and whereas he makes them to let all his Disciples scape yet he suffereth them to take himself Could Christ make them let the Disciples go and could hee not have made them let himself go Again our Saviour did but speak and they went backward and fell to the ground he that could throw them down backward could be not have killed them with his word if he pleased Again when Peter drew out his sword and went about to defend him Peter saith he put up thy sword I can pray to my Father and hee shall presently give me more then twelve Legions of Angels One Angel in one night slew in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand men and what then could twelve Legions of Angels have done This Christ could have had for a word speaking to his Father but he did freely and willingly give up himself to all these torments for beleevers and he did not onely suffer them as a man but as a God For as I told you in his obedience so I tell you in his passion you must not sever the Divinitie of Christ from his humanitie For howsoever the Godhead could not suffer yet notwithstanding the Godhead did these things it was the nature of Christ that suffered Whatsoever a man doth with any part of himself though it be with his bodie the whole man is said to doe it because all actions are attributed to the person it was that nature that subsisted in the Divine Person that endured all these things therefore it is said that God shed his bloud Again the Godhead did withdraw it self and so had a hand in the passion of Christ the Godhead did withdraw it self from the revelation and manifestation of it self to Christ Again the Godhead did suffer it self to be eclipsed to be vail'd to be obscured and so may have a hand in suffering Again the Godhead of Christ did support the humane nature to bear the other wayes insupportable wrath of God But in all these respects the Lord Christ as God as well as man gave up himself to this for beleevers Hence is that Emphaticall speech Zach. 13.7 Awake O sword against my Shepherd and against the man that is my fellow Observe that speech Awake O sword here God speaks to his wrath to his divine vengeance to fall upon the man that is his fellow Christ as Gods fellow did suffer the wrath of God now Christ is not Gods fellow but as Christ is God Christ as Gods fellow suffered the wrath of God therefore Christ as God gave himself up even to suffer for beleevers And observe the Phrase Awake O sword against the man that is my fellow the very justice of God could not tel how to lay stroaks upon this Son of God til God bid it it stood as it were in amazement for to strike the man that was Gods own fellow What for God to strike his fellow that man that was God how could justice doe this Nay justice could not till God bad it Awake O sword Thus you have seen the Doctrine opened to you what the things are to which the Lord Christ freely disposeth and bequeatheth himself for beleevers To Incarnation he that was God became man To the obedience of the Law he that was the Law-giver became the Law-keeper To suffering both in body and in soul both the wrath of man and the wrath of God This is the meaning of these words Hee gave himself for us Now as briefly as I can to make some Use of the Point and so to passe on to somewhat else First of all this Doctrine serveth to shew us the wonderfull love of Christ to beleevers Can there be greater love then for a man to give himself to one We count it the greatest love that can be between creatures that of the man to the wife and the wife to the man and why so because there is a giving themselves one to another which no creature else doth This Christ hath done he hath given himself to beleevers and he cannot shew greater love because he cannot do a greater thing and yet behold a greater than this he hath not only given himself to them but for them and that is a little more You may conceive it by a similitude If a man give himself to a woman to become her husband there is a great-matter in that but if the man shall give himself for the woman when shee is to die to die for her that is more he that giveth himself to her doth yet injoy himself but he that giveth himself for her doth lose himself he that giveth himself to men hath himself but hee that giveth himself for men hath given away himself Oh this this is the love of Christ to all beleevers He hath given himself for us he that was God made himself of no reputation made himself nothing for so the word is in the Originall he that was above the Law he hath put himself under the Law he that was a Soveraign is become a Subject he that was the God of life is become a man under the power of death he that was the Judge standeth as the person guiltie and suffereth the judgement Here is his love you that are beleevers to the end that you might enjoy Gods favour he hath given himself to lose Gods favour for the sense of it to the end that you might never go to hell he hath suffered himself to endure the uttermost
Conversion by John Cotton of New England in 8o. A Brief of the Bibles History in 12o. by Enoch Clapham Occasionall Meditations by Joseph Hall in 12. A brief Exposition on the Epistle to the Hebrewes by David Dixon 8o. Short-hand writing by Thomas Shelton in 8o. Wollebii Compendium Thelogiae in 12o. Spare minutes or Warwicks Meditations in 1◠The Map of England with the Kings Short-hand writing by Henry Dix Luchans Dialogues translated into English in 4o. Holidaii Philosophia in 4o. Veneti Historia in 4o. Deaths Deliverance and Eliahs fiery Chariot in two Sermons by Alexander Grosse A Manuall of Controversies in English by Osiander in 8o. Munition against mans misery by R. Smith 12. Wit and Mirth by John Taylor in 8º Garden of spirituall Flowers in 12. Bible Battles by Bernard in 12. Monuments in the Saxon tongue written 700. years ago shewing that both the Old and New Testament Lords Prayer and the Creed were then used in the Mother tongue collected by William Lisle 4o. The Excellency of a gracious Spirit together with Moses Self-deniall by Ieremiah Burroughs 8o. Formulae Oratoriae in usum Scholarum concinnatae by Io. Clark of Lincoln in 12. Phraseologia puerilis or selected Latine and English phrases by Io. Clark in 12. The power of the Christian Magistrate in sacred things by Lewis du Moulin History reader in Oxford in 8o. Brief notes upon the whole book of Psalmes by George Abbot late published in 4o. Amicus Reipublicae the Common-wealths friend or an exact and speedy course to justice and right and for preventing and determining tedious Law-suits by Io. March of Grayes-Inne Barrister The Souls preparation for Christ by Thomas Hooker of New-England in 12. The Souls possession of Christ by Thomas Hooker of New-England in 12. The CONTENTS of the severall Sermons in the ensuing Work SERM. I. Doct. 1. JEsus Christ hath given himself for all that beleeve page 8. To what Christ gave himself for beleevers page 9 Use 1. The love of Christ to beleevers page 17 Use 2. Ground of consolation to beleevers page 18 Use 3. Motives to give up our selves to Christ page 19 Use 4. Perswasions to beleeve in Christ page 21 Doct. 2. Christ gave himself for beleevers to free them from guilt and punishment page 24 The Point opened page 25 And further cleared in four particulars page 27 Reas 1. From Christs love to God page 31 Reas 2. From Christs love to beleevers ibid. Use 1. Consolation to beleevers page 32 Use 2. Exhortation to two things page 34 Use 3. Instruction threefold 1. That there needs no satisfaction on our part page 39 2 The great bondage under iniquitie page 40 3 To love Christ that hath given himself page 41 SERM. II. Doct. 1. Christ is in every justified person page 48 In what respect Christ is in them page 49 The means whereby Christ is in them page 50 Use The readiest way to become justified page 51 Doctr. 2. In whomsoever Christ is there is a death of sin and a life of righteousness page 54 Degrees of the death of sin and life of righteousnesse page 56 How to know the death of sin and life of righteousness page 58 Use 1. Exhortaion to the death of sin and life of righteousnesse page 66 The bad use that the world makes of the falls of others page 70 Use 2. Comfort to those that die to sin page 72 Terrour to those that doe not page 75 SERM. III. Doctr. 1. God commandeth his children to doe nothing but he promiseth to inable them to perform it page 80 Reas 1. It is Gods purpose they should obey his Commandements page 81 Reas 2. All their obedience shall come from Christ page 82 Use 1. To shew that Gods Commandements are not grievous page 83 Use 2. How unexcusable defects o◠obedience are page 85 Use 3. The readie way to obey Gods Commandements page 88 Use 4. Consolation to Gods children page 90 Doct. 2. Sin shall not reign in Gods children to obey it as a King nor so as to damn them for obeying it page 93 Reas 1. All reign of sin to damnation from the Justice of God page 94 Reas 2. All Christs people must be like Christ page 95 Use 1. The falsnesse of that position that all are sinners alike page 97 Use 2. Consolation to Gods children page 98 Use 3. Exhortation to fight against sinne page 101 Doct. 3. All the incouragement we have from God is of grace page 102 Doct. 4. All the priviledges and mercies we injoy come by Christ and his Gospel Ibid. Use 1. To check their unthankfulnesse that injoy the Gospel page 105 Use 2. Exhortation to prize Christ and the Gospel page 106 Doct. 5. All that are in Christ are not under the Law but under Grace page 107 What it is to be under the Law Ibid. What it is to be under Grace page 111 Use 1. Comfort to those that are in Christ page 113 Use 2. Reproofe of uncomfortable Christians page 114 Use 3. Instructions to those that are out of Christ page 116 Use 4. Exhortation to get interest in Christ page 118 SERM. IV. Doct. The voyce of the Lord Christ is onely to be attended to and obeyed page 126 After what manner the voyce of Christ must be hearkened to page 127 The voyce of Christ made known two wayes page 135 Reas 1. Christ alone hath command over us page 136 Reas 2. The direction of Christ is surest Ibid. Reas 3. Christ onely is able to teach us page 137 Reas 4. Christ onely can teach the inward man Ibid. Use 1. Reproof of severall sorts that hear any thing but the voyce of Christ Ibid. Use 2. Reproof of the Saints in severall cases page 143 SERM. V. Doct. 1. All outward priviledges are not able to make a sound Saint of God page 157 Reas Outward matters work not on the heart page 159 Use 1. Reproof of those that trust to outward priviledges Ibid. Use 2. Exhortation not to rest in outward priviledges page 160 Doct. 2. Faith causeth fruitfulnesse page 163 Use Reproof of those that are unfruitfull page 164 Doct. 3. Every faithfull man doth imitate the actions of Abraham page 166 Severall steps of Abrahams obedience page 167 Reas The same promises and spirit in and to all beleevers page 176 Use 1. To shew who are true Saints page 177 Trials who be children of Abraham page 178 Use 2. No by-way to bring to happiness page 184 Use 3. Comfort to Gods people page 185 SERMON VI. Doct. People may injoy the means of knowledge and yet not profit by them but remain void of the knowledge of God page 194 Reas 1. From the blindness of mens mindes page 196 Reas 2. Because men are meerly naturall page 197 Reas 3. Resolution to keep some lust page 200 Difference between knowledge of Hypocrites and Saints page 206 Use 1. Reproof of conceited ignorant persons page 211 Use 2. Shewing the sinfulnesse of nature and blindnesse of mind page 212 SERM. VII Doct. Wicked men grow most rebellious under the best means page 221 Wherein this rebellion discovers it self page 225 Reas 1. From the love to sinne page 228 Reas 2. From the pride of mens hearts page 231 Use 1 For Examination page 234 Use 2. For Exhortation page 238 Means to come to submit to Christs yoak page 240.
bee said to doe it as the second Person is said to die and God is said to shed his bloud because that nature which obeyed the Law was the nature of God The second thing is a very great act Christ thus as God and man gave himself up to the obedience of the Law for beleevers Oh consider and admire it What a wonderful thing is this that he that was the Law-giver should put himself to be under the Law for beleevers and so become for them the Law-keeper Thirdly and lastly The last particular to which Christ gave himself for beleevers was to suffering Christ gave himself to death for beleevers Here for the understanding of this you must know That there are two kinds of sufferings to which the Lord Christ gave up himself for beleevers First sufferings in body Secondly sufferings in soul First the suffering of mans wrath Secondly the suffering of Gods wrath Christ for beleevers gave up himself to both these First Christ gave himself up to the sufferings in body to the suffering of the wrath of man for beleevers you that are acquainted with the Historie of the Gospel know the truth of this How did Christ suffer himself to bee scorned to be hated to be reviled and persecured by men Christ he gave himself up in his passion First to be arrained attached by souldiers with staves and holberts as a malefactor after that he gave himself up to be reproached his ears to be filled with blasphemies and with mocks his face to be buffeted to be spit upon his head to be all wounded with thornes his hands and his feet to be pierced with nails and his side with a spear Thus Christ gave up his body to the suffering of the wrath of man in bodily tortures for beleevers and in the last place he gave himself up to the suffering of a dissolution of soul and body that which we call death This is the first sort of suffering to which Christ gave up himself for beleevers to the suffering of bodily tortures to the suffering of the wrath of men There is no kind of suffering that man is outwardly subject to but Christ endured in every member of his body and in his name his ears with their mocking speeches and his eyes with their mocking gestures when as they clothed him with purple and gave him a reed in his hand and bowed to him and mocked him calling him the King of the Jews by derision Again in the second place Christ he gave himself up to the sufferings of soul to the sufferings of the wrath of God for beleevers and this is a great deal more Christ he did not only suffer in body but he also suffered in soul You may gather it from that in Mar. 14.32 33 34. He taketh with him Peter James and John and began to be sore amazed and to be very heavie and saith unto them my soul is exceeding sorrowfull unto death and afterward he goeth from them and prayeth three times that if it were possible the cup might be taken from him If so be that Christs suffering was only the wrath of men and bodily tortures Christ had been very pusillanimous and faint-hearted that would bee so fearfull at the apprehension of death We have many men that can expect death without any amazement or fainting of heart therefore if there had been no more then the bodily suffering Christ had been weaker then men who was thus amazed and affrighted and prayed three times that the Cup might passe from him And further that Christ suffered in soul wil appear by that in Luke 22.44 there saith the Text Being in an agonie he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was as it were great drops of bloud falling to the ground If Christ had only suffered in body how had it been possible that the fear of death could have made him sweat great drops of bloud Many through fear have sweat great drops of water but never any did sweat drops of bloud for never did any man feel such a bloodie wrath as Christ felt at this time And yet further in that Mark 14.34 our Saviour saith it himself in express termes My soul is exceeding sorrowfull unto death Here he saith plainly that his soul suffered And likewise in Luke 22.43 it is said That an Angel appeared to him from heaven strengthning him If Christ had nothing to doe but suffer the death of his bodie what need an Angel come to strengthen him Men are able to bear the apprehension of a bodily death and shall we conceive Christ could not bear it without the strengthning of an Angel These things plainly shew that Christ did not onely give himself up to the suffering of bodily wrath but to the suffering of soul the suffering of the wrath of God And it must be so for if Christ had not suffered the wrath of God as well as the wrath of man Christ had never done beleevers any good at all for the same nature that had sinned must suffer and the soul of beleevers sinned as well as the body therefore the soul of beleevers must suffer as well as the body The wrath of God is spirituall and therefore reacheth the soul as well as the body so that Christ could never have been a ransome to beleevers from the wrath of God nor a satisfaction to his justice if the soul of Christ had not suffered the wrath of God as well as his bodie the wrath of men Thus you see the second thing whereto Christ gave himself for beleevers and that was to the suffering both of man and of God the tortures both of body and soul And to the end you may a little better conceive it consider I beseech you what the tortures of soul and wrath of God is that Christ gave himself up to suffer It is in brief First a losse in regard of sense of all the apprehension of Gods love and a sensible feeling of the immortall and eternall and infinite wrath of God The suffring of Gods wrath includeth these two things A privation in regard of sense of all the of favour God and an enduring in regard of sense of all the anger of God these two things did Christ indure First he lost in regard of sense all the apprehension of Gods favour he had not the least apprehension and sense of the love and favour of God but even as the world is when the Sun is set without all light so was the soul of Christ in regard of sense without all love without all favour without all presence of God at all My God my God Why hast thou forsaken me In regard of sense he suffered the losse of God the losse of his love and favour and this was more to Christ then a thousand deaths Indeed Christ had the favour and the love of God but all sense of it was perfectly withdrawn Secondly Christ also suffered the full sense of the wrath of God the arrows of the divine displeasure were
thou finde that God commandeth thee much and thou doest little but yet thou art in a condition wherein the Lord hath promised so thou wilt use the means and trust upon him to make thee able in an acceptable manner to doe all that he biddeth thee doe Doth the Law threaten doth the Law curse yet thou art in a condition wherein neither the threatning nor curse of the Law shall ever reach thee to condemnation Findest thou mighty rebellions in thy nature against the Law of God yet thou art in a condition wherein is promised a new nature which shall be made conformable and subjected to the Law of God What should make thee therefore hang down thy head Sharply are such Christians to be reproved that being in Christ lead lives as if they were out of Christ Doest not thou make the world to thinke that that is false which Christ saith That his yoke is easie and his burthen light If Christs yoke be easie and his burthen light why is it saith the world that the servants of Christ walk so disconsolately and complain of heavie burthens You shall find an exhortation of the Apostle in 2 Cor. 6.1 We beseech you that you receive not the grace of God in vain There is a double receiving of Gods grace in vain The one is when as Gods grace is offered and preached to people and out of love to the world and to their sins they slight it and will not receive it Another receiving the grace of God in vain it is when as people have entertained the grace of God and have entred into Covenant with Christ and yet notwithstanding doe not take the comforts that the grace of God affordeth them This is also a receiving the grace of God in vain This is thy case whoever thou art that art a beleever and yet notwithstanding doest not make melodie in thy heart and triumph over thy enemies What have the redeemed of the Lord to doe but to praise the Lord What have the members of Christ to doe but to rejoyce in Christ Doe you thinke when the Lord giveth that Commandement Phil 4. Rejoyce alwaies in the Lord and again I say rejoyce he doth not bid them rejoyce in riches in friends in honours in pleasures c. this is worldly this is damuable but he biddeth us rejoyce in the Lord in the priviledges we have by Christ through the New Covenant of Grace he biddeth us rejoyce and always rejoyce Do you thinke I say when God gave you that Commandment he had forgotten the state in which he left you that he had left you under the power of many sins subject to many failings unable to perfect obedience Doe you thinke I say again that God forgot the condition wherein he left you No God knew well enough what state he left you in that you are as Israel mingled with the Canaanites and yet he biddeth you to rejoyce why so There is ground enough for your rejoyceing because you are not under the Law but under grace and if under grace surely there is ground enough for your rejoycing notwithstanding all your failings Consider therefore then my brethren I beseech you doe not you receive the grace of God in vain doe not you slight as it were and not make use of the grace of God which thus administreth matter of rejoycing in all conditions to you that are in Christ when as you walke so lumpishly because of sin formerly committed or because of corruptions that for the present lie upon you Indeed I deny not but it becommeth Christians to mourn and they that doe not mourn shall never rejoyce in the day of judgement and the people of God are mourners in Zion Yet what kind of mourning There is a double sorrow A godly sorrow and a worldly sorrow A godly sorrow is this when as a soul melteth into tears upon the consideration of his sins and wants because he beleeveth that God through Christ will accept him notwithstanding them all this sorrow the more of it the better this sorrow melloweth the heart softneth the heart makes it frameable to the impressions of the word of God But now the other sorrow which is a worldly sorrow when as a soul is beaten out of heart because of sin formerly committed because of mighty corruptions that doe annoy him to mourn without hope and confidence of acceptance this is worldly sorrow and causeth death this is altogether unbeseeming Christians Receive now this sharp reprehension and be humbled for it and labour to remember your condition You are not come to mount Sinai but to mount Zion You are not under the Law but under Grace Therefore rejoyce in the Lord alwaies and be so cheerfull that the world may see that the service of Christ is a sweet service Here is the second Use The third is for Instruction to them that are not in Christ to such of you as remaine yet in your naturall estate The condition of them that are in Christ is this they are not under the Law but under Grace Thy condition who art not yet in Christ is just the contrary thou art not under grace but under the Law There are none that doe more assume to themselves the priviledges of grace then they that are not under grace You shall have your profane Wretch your painted Civillian your formall Hypocrite men that are dead in trespasses and sinnes that are servants to sinne while with full consent they obey sinne in the lusts thereof yet you shall have these challenge to themselves the priviledges of the Covenant of grace you shall have one swear an Oath and when he hath done say God forgive me you shall have another say I am a great sinner but I hope God will be mercifull to me Another I cannot keep the Commandements but I hope God will accept me thus these wretches that are in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity they claime the priviledges of grace But I would have them know so many of you as have no evidences that you are translated out of the state of nature and ingrafted into Christ by his holy Spirit that you are not under grace but under the Law What is that You are in such a condition wherein nothing but perfect obedience shall stand you in stead If you pray as well as you can yet if you doe not pray as perfectly as God commanded in the Law you shall never be heard If you keep all the Commandements of God and faile but in one yet you shall be damned there is no accepting of imperfect obedience of you because you are not under Christ but under the Law And I tell thee this the Saints of God shall commit greater sinnes and goe to Heaven when thou lesser and goe to Hell Peter forsweareth his Master with an Oath and Curse and yet he is pardoned thou shalt not sweare and curse or deny Christ for the ordinary matter and shalt be damned Saul yeeldeth God imperfect