in whom his Soul delighted all along his sufferings His sufferings being for the sins of his Elect and he being to make application of his satisfaction and of the purchase made thereby to the Elect for whom he suffered and purchased these things by his intercession There was a necessity that he should come thorow otherwayes he should not have been a perfect and compleat Saviour Able to save to the uttermost these that come unto God by him as the Apostle speaks Heb. 7.25 But such a High Priest became us who is holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners and made higher then the Heavens 3. It 's clear also if we consider the nature of the Covenant and of the promises made to him therein upon his ingaging and undertaking for the Elect as particularly vers 10. of this Chapter He shall see his seed and prolong his dayes his duration shall be for ever The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand and I will divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong Our Lord's Exaltation and victory over death being on the Lord's side conditioned to him the Mediator as well as he ingaged to suffer hence it 's said Psal 110. He shall drink of the brook in the way therefore shall he lift up the head The Uses are two The 1. whereof serves for clearing and confirming our Faith in a fundamental Article of Christianity without which it were needless for us to preach and needless for you to hear or believe and that is that our Lord Jesus suffered and also got the victory over suffering that he was raised from the dead and declared to be the Son of God with power intimating that Justice had gotten full satisfaction in evidence and testimony whereof he was declared free which is a main thing that believers have to believe even that we have an exalted Christ a raised up Saviour who could not be detained by all the Elects guilt in prison 2. It serves to be matter of strong consolation it puts life in all Christ's Offices and Qualifications and in all the Promises made to Believers to wit that our Lord Jesus is a living Christ over whom death had no dominion and he overcame it now to die no more So that as it is Heb. 7.25 He is able to save to the uttermost these that come unto God by him seing he ever liveth to make intercession for them There is nothing that a Soul needs or can desire but it is to be had in him And if we would look to particular instances much consolation will arise from this ground For 1. Hath a believing sinner to do with challenges at the Bar of Justice is it not unspeakable consolation that their debt is payed Hence it 's said Rom. 8.33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It 's God that justifies who shall condemn It 's Christ that died yea rather that is risen again It 's that which gives proof of compleat payment of the Elects debt and defiance to any challenges and accusations to come against the Believer to his prejudice because Christ hath not only died but is also risen Justice being well pleased with his satisfaction he is let out of the Prison 2. If the Believer hath to do with corruption with the Devil and with many enemies Is it not strong consolation that our Lord is risen and up that the Prince of this world is judged that Satan is troden under foot and that be shall and must reign till all his enemies be made his foot-stool 3. Our Lord's Resurrection hath a twofold further consolation with it to Believers 1. It serves to be a ground for the exercising of Faith on him that as he is risen so Rom. 6. may we expect that being spiritually dead with him to sin we shall be with him raised up to newness of life 2. It is a pledge of Believers Exaltation and compleat victory over Death and the Grave and over all Enemies for Christ being raised as the Common Head of all Believers who are his Members they by vertue of his Resurrection and by that same efficacy shall be raised And it 's impossible that they can ly under corruption This is our great consolation who are Believers and live under the Gospel that we have not these things as a Prophesie of things to come but as a plain History of things in part done and by and by to be compleatly done 4. It hath also in it consolation in respect of temporal difficulties what are they all They are not sure such as Christ's were and the day is coming when Believers shall have an out-gate from them all And therefore since our Lord is up let not Believers be afraid of any changes whatsoever 2dly Observe That our Lord Jesus being raised up from his state of Humiliation is invested and put in a most excellent and glorious condition even such as the Prophet cannot express Who can declare his generation saith he Who can declare how glorious he is now Take two or three Scriptures to confirm this 1. That Eph. 1.20 21. He hath set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principalities and powers and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come and hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the Church Our Lords Throne is exalted far above Angels and Archangels even out of sight The 2d is Phil. 2.9 Where having spoken of his Humiliation it follows Wherefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in Heaven and c. His Exaltation is such as hath a Dominion and Supremacy with it over every name He having as it is Col. 1.18 in all things the preheminency The 3d. place is Heb. 8.1 Of the things which we have spoken this is the sum we have such an High Priest who is set on the right hand of Majesty in the Heavens Where Christs Exaltation is set out to be such as hath exalted him to the right hand of the Majesty on high Because this is one of the great Articles of our Faith to wit That Christ rose from death the third day and ascended into Heaven and is set down on the right hand of God We shall add a little more to clear it and 1. We would know that this Exaltation of our Lord is not to be understood of his exaltation properly as he is God in which respect there is no up nor down in him though his declarative glory was valid for a time during his humiliation yet in himself as he was God he was still glorious and blessed over all 2. When we speak of Christ's Exaltation as Mediator and as Man we do not mean that his Humane Nature hath lost the
would have put out their hand to receive Him and seing it is so O receive this Gospel give Him room while He is content to sup with you take Him in make sure your union with Him this is the end why this Report is made and Christ is laid before you even that ye may lay your selves over on Him I would follow this Use a little by way of Exhortation and Expostulation jointly seeing the Doctrine will bear both for when Christ is brought so near even to the Mouth and to the Heart it will be great ground of reproof and expostulation if He shall be rejected Be exhorted therefore to be in earnest seing 1. It is a matter of such concernment to you many Nations Kings and Kingdoms have not had Christ so near them as ye have neglect not such an opportunity do ye think that all that is said in the Gospel concerning this is for nought Is it for no use that such a Report is made and Preaching continued so long among you And if it be for any use is it not for this that ye may receive the Report and may by doing so get your souls for a Prey To what use will Preaching be if this use and end of it be missed Will your hearing the Gospel make your Peace with God if Christ be not received 2. Consider the Advantages ye may have by receiving the Gospel that others have not is it a little thing to be called to God's Feast to be married to Christ to be made Friends with God and to enjoy Him for ever the Day comes when it will be thought an Advantage and are there Motives to perswade to any thing like those that are to induce to that 3. Consider what it is that we require of you it 's no strange nor hard thing it 's but Believing and this is nothing else but that the Report concerning Christ be received yea that He be received for your own good that is it that the Gospel calls you to even to betake you to a Physician for Cure to betake you to a Cautioner for your Debt if ye could escape a Reckoning and Wrath another way it were something but when there is no other way to obtain pardon of Sin and Peace or to escape Wrath and obtain favour and friendship with God but this and when this way to speak so is made so easie that it s but to stoop down and to take up Christ at your foot as it were or to roll your selves on Him how inexcusable will ye Unbelievers be when ye shall be arraigned before His Tribunal But 4. look a little farther to what is coming If ye were to live always here it were hard enough to live at feed with God but have ye faith of a Judgement after Death if so how will ye hold up your Faces in that Day that now refuse Christ will not horrible confusion be the portion of many then and will any ground of confusion be like this the slighting of Christ when He shall be seen coming to judge Slighters of Him what horrour will then rise in Consciences when He shall appear and be avenged on them that were not obedient to this Gospel as is most clear 2 Thess 1. When our Lord Jesus shall be revealed in flaming fire with his mighty Angels from Heaven to take vengeance on all that know not God and obey not the Gospel 5. Consider that Death and Life are now in your option in your hand as it were choose or refuse I speak not nor plead here for Free-will but of your willing electing of that which ye have offered to you for one of two will be either shall ye willingly choose Life which is a fruit of Grace or refuse Life and choose Death which will be found the native fruit of your Corruption ye may have Life by receiving Christ who is laid to your Door and if ye refuse Him Death will follow it as now in Hearing this Gospel ye carry in choosing or refusing so will the Sentence pass on you at the great Day and so your Sentence in a manner is written down with your own hand as it 's said Act. 13.46 Ye judge your selves unworthy of eternal life not out of humility but maliciously Now when the matter is of such concernment beware of playing the fool if ye will continue presumptuous and secure following your Idols what will the Lord say but let it be so ye get no wrong when ye get your own choice and He but as it were ratifies the Sentence which ye have past on your selves 6. I shall add but this one word more and beseech you that ye would seriously lay this to Heart as a weighty thing considering the Certification that follows on it It 's not only Death but a horrible Death Wrath and Wrath with its aggravation from this Ground like that of Capernaum that was lifted up to Heaven in this respect having Christ brought so near them to whom this Gospel is not the savour of Life unto Life it shall be the savour of Death unto Death and think not this a common Motive though it be commonly used it will bring Wrath upon Wrath and Vengeance upon Vengeance on the Hearers of this Gospel beyond that of Sodom if ye be still Rejecters of it sure none of you would think it an easie thing to be punished as Sodom was nor digest well the Curse that came on them is there any of you but ye would think it uncouth and strange yea stupendious to enter into their Judgement and to have your Lands turned in a stinking Loch and your selves eternally tormented with them but there is more wrath and vengeance following on the sin of Unbelief and rejecting of Christ when He comes to your Door in this Guspel To close up all Consider that Christ is near you and hath been long near you and wooing you ye know not how many Days or Years ye shall have how soon this Gospel may be taken from you or ye from it how soon ye may be put in the Pit where ye will gnash your Teeth gnaw your Tongues and blaspheme God therefore be serious while Christ is in your offer and roll your selves over upon Him while ye have Him so near you welcome this Hearing or Report while it sounds in your Ears that there may be no just ground of this Complaint against you Lord who hath believed our report SERMON III. ISAIAH LIII I Who hath believed our report And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed THe most part of Men and Women think not much of the preached Gospel yet if it were considered what is the Lord's end in it it would be the most refreshful News that ever People heard to hear the Report of a Saviour that is and should be great and glad Tydings of great Joy to all Nations and we should be so composed to hear such News from God and concerning His Will and our own well as to be
saying Psal 40. Lo I come in the volume of thy book it is written of me I delight to do thy will O God 3. It leads to a stayed look of Gods Holiness Justice and Goodness in exacting satisfaction of his own Son and in accepting of that satisfaction 4. It gives a right view of the way of grace and leads in to see it to be a most real thing God the offended Party accepting of the price and Christ paying it Thus the Believers Faith gets a sight of Christ satisfying as if he saw his own debt satisfied by himself It sees him undergoing the curse and justice inflicting it on him that the Believer may go free The Use is to shew the necessity of studying the well-grounded application of Christs sufferings as for us much of the reason why Christ is not more prâ—zed lies here that he is not looked on as paying our debt otherwise when challenges of the Law and of Justice take hold on the Soul if Christ were seen interposing and saying A body hast thou prepared unto me And if Justice were seen exacting Christ performing and God accepting his satisfaction and that in sign and token that Justice is satisfied he is raised from the dead justified in the Spirit and is entered in possession of Glory as Believers fore-runner in their name it would afford precious and lovely thoughts of Jesus Christ and humbling thoughts of our selves Therefore there is a necessity if we would consider his sufferings aright and prize and esteem him that we endeavour to make particular application of them to our selves on good grounds 2. Upon the other hand know ye who have no ground to make this application that ye cannot esteem aright of him or his sufferings nor of the grace that shined in them because ye have no title to nor can while such have any clearness of interest in them 3. For you that would fain have a high esteem of Christ and yet are all your days casting at this foundation never think nor expect to win rightly to esteem of him so long as ye scarr to make application of his purchase And therefore that ye may love and praise him and esteem rightly of him labour to come up to the making of this application on solid and approved grounds 4. More particularly from this part of the aggravation Yet we esteemed him stricken smitten of God and afflicted We have a fourfold confirmation of truth or four precious truths confirmed 1. That our Lord Jesus in his sufferings did really suffer and was really brought low in his sufferings so as on-lookers thought him a most despicable man and one that was stricken and smitten of God and â—fflicted Of this we spoke on the beginning of the 4. verse 2. We have here an evidence of the exceeding great freeness of grace and of the love of Christ in his sufferings in so far as he bare their sorrows and payed their debt that counted him smitten There was no good thing in us to deserve or procure his sufferings But most freely he under-went these sufferings and undertook our debt Rom. 5.8 God commends his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us And v. 10. While we were yet enemies we were reconciled by the death of his Son Can there be a greater proof of infinite and free love then appears in our Lords sufferings There was not only no merit on our side but on the contrary despising rejâ—cting being ashamed of him reproaching him kicking against him and rubbing of affâ—onts on him Paul and others having their hands hot in his blood Use 1. Consider here behold and wonder at the free love of God and rich condescending love of Christ he stands not at the Barr and prays for them that were praying him to pray for them But as it is in the end of the Chapter it was for transgressours It was even for some of them that were seeking to take away the life of the Prince of Life and for other transgressours 2. Know that in them to whom the benefite of Christs death is applied there is no more worth then there is in others who do not share of the benefite of it It 's the opinion not only of Hereticks but some way of many ignorant Professors That these for whom Christ died were better then others But here we see a proof of the contrary He dies for them that accounted him smitten of God And this he doth for two reasons 1. To shew the riches and freedom of his grace that could overcome mans evil and malice and outreach the hight of the desperat wickedness that is in man and that that stands not to speak so on stepping-stones but comes over the greatest gulfs of sin and enmity in the creature 2. To comfort encourage his followers when engaged to him against and out over their grossest failings and greatest miscarriages He that loved them when they were despising and rejecting him and spitting in a manner in his very face Will he now give up with them when they have some love to him for this or that corrupâ—ion that stirreth or breaketh forth in them Thus the Apostle reasons Rom. 5.10 If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life We were enemies when Christ gave himself for us but thorow grace we are somewhat better now Enmity and despite in us was then at an hight now it is weakned restrained and in some measure mortified And if while we were at the hâ—ght of enmity against him he died for us to reconcile us to God How much more now being reconciled may we expect peace and safetie and all the benefits of his purchase thorow him Thus there is a notable consolation from this bent of malice that was sometime in us compared with the victory that grace hath now gotten over it and the gradation is alwayes comfortable to wit that these lusts that once did reign and were without any gracious opposition made to them or any protestation entered against them prevailing it may be publickly are now opposed and protested against And if Christ stood not on the greater will he stand on the lesser And our Lord allows this sort of reasoning so much the more that he may thereby strongly engage the heart of the believer against sin and to the admiring of grace and withall to the serious study of holiness 3 It serves to let you know how much ye Believers are engaged and obliged to Grace and what thanks you owe to it 1. Look to what satisfies for your debt ye pay not one farthing of it our Lord Jesus payed all 2. Look to the moving cause it 's to be attributed to nothing in you but altogether to free grace Some poor Dyvour may by his pleading prevail with an able and pitiful-hearted man to pay his debt But there was no such externally moving cause in you
wickedness deliver these that are given to it the most powerful wicked man cannot prevail over it nor is he able to resist and withstand it these who conquer most of the World are constrained at length to be content with some few foots of ground and their Bodies are turned into dust Job in the 3d Chapter of his book speaks of it as common to all to rich and poor to high and low to the King and the Beggar all are there in one Category if any were freed from it it would readily be rich men but as it is Psal 49.6 7. their riches will nor be a ransom for them They that trust in their wealth and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches none of them can by any means redeem his brother nor give to God a ransom for him so precious is the soul thaâ— the redemption of it ceases for ever Amongst all Mortals there is none that can buy himself from coming to the Church-yard or from coming to the grave but were he never so rich and honourable he must be said in a hell as well as the poor man the bravest and best guided Tomb is but a grave that sentence past by God must stand and will stand Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return The translation of Enoch and Elias who old not see death do not alter the common rule though it shew the soveraignty and power of God what he can do Use 1. O! think more on Death and on the Grave these sure would be much more profitable subjects of thoughts then many things which our thoughts run ordinarily on It 's appointed for men once to die and thereafter cometh the judgment As we walk over and trod on the Graves of others now so some will be walking over and troding on ours ere long and within a few years our bodies will be turned into dust and our dust will not be known from the dust of others that lived before us it were good to have the faith of this more rooted and that we did meditate more frequently and seriously on it Use 2. It reproves the pride of men and women and their lusting after earthly vanities When death and the grave come where will all their brave Houses and Cloaths and well drest Beds be And what will become of your Silver and Gold These things will not go to the grave with you As ye brought nothing into the world so its certain that ye shall carry nothing out of it The consideration whereof would be a restraint and aw band to mens exorbitant desires The time is coming when six or seven foot in length and two or three foot in breadth of ground will serve the richest and most honourable And within a few years the Lord Provost's dust will not be known from the dust of the poor body that got a share of the common Contribution the dust of both will be alike Dress and pamper the body as ye will that beauty will not abide with you Wherefore then serves all this pride â—anity and â—ravity Seing a very little whiles time will lay it all in the dust and when all our projects will take an end as Job saith Chap. 17. Mâ— purposes are broken and what did break them off The grave saith he is waiting for me I have said to corruption to the rottenness of the earth thou art my mother and to the worms ye are my brother and sisters they and I must ly together These that now cannot get their bed made fine and soft enough the worms and they will lye together ere long in the grave the Chest or Coffin will not be so closs but they will win in nay they will breed in their own bodies do we not see this daily Were it not then good that when ye are going to the burials and graves of others ye were thinking on your own lying down in the grave And what will be your thoughts in that day of all things in this world If dead Corpses could speak out of their graves they would preach sharp warning to them that are alive and would say to such as are carrying them thither Beware of putting off thoughts of death and of the grave Though this be a common point of truth yet few walk suitably to it but we are generally in our practice as if it were not a truth no more minding death and the grave than if we were eternally to live here Use 3. As this should make folks sober in prosperity so it should make them patient in adversity A iittle time will make us all equal and what is the matter what our condition be if our peace be made sure with God Heathens may shame many of us that are professing Chriâ—â—ians who by the consideration of death have been brought to be much more sober in their carriage then alace many of us are 2dly Observe That the Messiah behoved to come to the grave and be buried It was so designed fore-told and fore-prophesied of He made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death Hence the Apostle Acts 2.30 citing Psal 16 8. gathers that as there was a necessity of his being in the grave so there was a necessity of his resurrection out of it because he should not see corruption in it His foul was not left in hell or in the grave neither did his flesh see corruption And in all the Evangelists It's clear that after death he was remarkably laid in the grave and very particular and special notice is taken of it Take here shortly some few reasons of this necessity according to the Lords appointment and no further The 1. whereof is this that the unstainedness and purity of Divine Justice may appear and that thereby the compleatness and perfection of his satisfaction as Mediator to the Justice of God may be confirmed If he had not been buried it might have been questioned whether that which folk suffer after death be a reality or not But his three days lying in the grave is a greater evidence of the unstainedness and purity of Justice and of its impartiality then the imprisoning of many Creatures for many tâ—ousands of years would have been This shews him to be a just God when sinners Cautioner is not only pursued to death but to the grave And therefore this is alwayes accounted the lowest part or step of his suffâ—rings And in the Creed his descending into hell is spoken of which in our excellent Catechism is expounded to be his continuing under the power of death for a time 2 It is much for the manifestation of the great love of God and of the rich condescending grace of the Mediator who is not only content to die but to come to the grave and to suffer death to have a kind of dominion over him for a time So that as death had power to separate his soul from his body so it prorogats that power during his being in the grave His enemies
the treasure precious Jesus Christ lyeth most obvious and open are certainly most pleasant and beautiful And amongst these such as hold forth his sufferings and himself as crucified most evidently before mens eyes have a peculiar and passing pleasantness and beauty in them If so then sure this fifty third Chapter of the Prophesies of Isaiah cannot but be lookt at as a transcendantly pleasant beautiful sweet-smelling and fragrant piece of Divine Scripture-field wherein the Evangelick Prophet discourseth of the sufferings of Christ as particularly and fully as plainly and pathetically even to the very life as if he himself had been a spectator and eye witness of them However this sweetest Chapter from beginning to end as also the three last Verses of the fore-going be by the greatly learned Grotius most miserably perverted while he industriously diverts it from the Messiah and by stretching and curtailing thereof at his pleasure as the cruel Tyrant Maezentius did the men he laid on his bed to make them of equal length with it wholly applyes it to the Prophet Jeremiah in the first place only not denying that it hath accommodation to Christ of whom too he takes but little or no notice in all his Annotations thereon The impertinencies and wrestings of which application are convincingly holden forth by famous Doctor Owen who looks on this portion of Scripture as the sum of what is spoken in the Old Testament concerning the satisfactory death of Jesus Christ that Mell of Socinians in his Vindiciae Evangelicae against Bidle and the Râ—covian Catechism who was a burning and shining light in the Reformed Churches though now alace to their great loss lately extinguished And indeed the dealing of that very learned man professing himself to be a Christian with this most clear and to all true Christians most comfortable Scripture is the more strange and even stupendious considering 1. That several passages in it are in the New Testament expresly applyed to Christ * Matth. 8.17 Mark 15.28 Luk. 22.27 Acts 8.28 c. 1 Pet. 2.22 and 24. but not one so much as alluded to in reference to Jeremiah 2. That the ancient Jewish Doctors and the Chaldee Paraphrast as Doctor Owen in the foresaid learned and savoury Book gives an account do apply it to him 3. That a late Doctor of great note and honour among the Jews Arabinel affirmeth that in truth he sees not how one Verse of the whole several of which he toucheth on can be expounded of Jeremiah and wonders greatly that any wise man can be so foolish as to commend let be to be the Author of such an Exposition as one Rabbi Gaon had been which is saith he so utterly alien and not in the least drawn from the Scripture 4. That several Jews do profess that their Rabbins could easily have extricated themselves from all other places of the Prophets a vain and groundless boast if Isaiah in this place had but held his peace as Halsius very late if not present Hebrew-Professor at Breda declares some of them did to himself 5. That a Rabbi by his own confession was converted from a Jew to a Christian by the reading of this 53. of Isaiah as the excellent Mr. Boyl in his delicate Discourses on the stile of the Holy Scriptures informs us yea that diverse Jews have been convinced and converted to the Christian Faith by the evidence of this Prophecy as learned and laborious Mr. Pool affirms in his lately published English Annotations on this Scripture 6. That the Socinians themselves have not dared to attempt the accommodation of the things here spoken of to any other certain and particular person then the Messiah though being so much tortured thereby they have shewed good will enough to it And 7. That himself had before written a Learned Defence of the Catholick Faith concerning Christs satisfaction against Socinus wherein also he improved to notable purpose several Verses of this same Chapter But in these later Annotations being altogether silent as to any use-making of them that way he as much as he can delivers that Desperado and his Disciples from one of the sharpest Swords that lyes at the very throat of their cause for if the Chapter may be applyed to any other as he applyes it wholly to Jeremiah no solid nor cogent Argument can be drawn from it for confirming Christs satisfaction and by his never re-inforcing of that defence of his against the assaults made upon it by the Socinian Crellius though he lived twenty years thereafter he seems for his part quite to have abandoned and delivered it up into the hands of these declared enemies of Christs satisfaction yea and of his God-head By which Annotations of his as by several others on other Scriptures how much on the matter at least great Grotius hath by abusing his prodigious Wit and profound Learning subserved the cursed cause of blasphemous Socinus and further hardened the already alace much and long hardened poor Jews And what bad service he hath done to our Glorious Redeemer and to his Church satisfied-for and purchased by his blood by his sad sufferings and fore soul-travel most clearly and comfortably discoursed in this Chapter let the Lord himself and all that love him in sincerity judge I wish I could and had reason to say no worse of this admirably learned person here then that Quandoque dormitat Homerus Which very many and various very great and most grievously aggravated Sufferings were endured by him not only in his Body nor only in his Soul by vertue of the sympathy it had with his Body from the in-time and strait union betwixt them But also and mainly in his blessed humane Soul immediatly since he redeemed satisfied for and saveth his Peoples Souls as well as their Bodies and the Soul having principally sinned and being the spring and source of Sin Sinners withall deserving punishment in their Souls as well as in their Bodies and being without the benefite of his Mediation to be punished eternally both in their Souls and Bodies and mainly in their Souls there is no doubt the same cogent reason for the Mediator's suffering in both parts of the Humane Nature assumed by him that there is for that Natures suffering which sinned Which his sad complaints of the exceeding trouble of his Soul putting him to say these strange and stupendious words What shall I say Joh. 12.27 Mat. 26.38 Mark 14.33 Luk. 22.44 Heb. 5.7 and of the great Sorrow and Heaviness thereof even to Death his Amazement strong Crys and Tears with his Agony and Sweat of Blood and that before any pain was caused to his Body by men and his conditionate deprecating of that bitter Cup put beyond all reach of ranional contradiction And to think or say that only the fear of his bodily sufferings quickly approaching him did make these sad impressions upon him and draw these strange expressions from him would make him who is Lord and Master to be of far greater
abjectness of spirit then many of his servants the Martyrs were and to fall hudgely below that holily-heroick and magnanimous courage and resolution wherewith they adventured on extream Sufferings and most exquisite Torments which would be very unworthy of and a mighty reflection upon him who is the valiant Captain of Salvation made perfect through suffering who drank of the brook in the way Heb. 2.10 Psal 110.7 and therefore lifted up the head But here is the great and true reason of the difference betwixt his sad and sorrowful deportment under his Sufferings and their solacious chearful and joyful deportment under theirs that they through his Sufferings and Satisfaction were perswaded and made sensible of God's being pacified towards them and were mightily refreshed by his gracious comforting presence with them amidst their Sufferings while be on the contrary looked upon himself as one legally obnoxious to punishment fisted before the terrible Tribunal of the Justice of God highly provoked by and very angry at the sins of his People who was in a most signal manner pouring out upon his soul the vials of his Wrath and Curse which made him lamentâ—bly and aloud to cry out of desertion though not in respect of the persoâ—al union as if that had been dissolved nor yet as to secretly supporting yet as to such a measure at least of sensibly comforting and rejoicing presence My God my God why hast thou forsaken me here Faith was in its Meridian though it was dark Mid-night as to Joy wherewith as such his Body could not be immediatly affected spiritual desertion not falling under bodily sense Whence we may see how justly the Doctrine of Papists is to be exploded who deny all suffering in his Soul immediatly to salve their darling dream of his local descent as to his Soul while his Body was in the Grave into Hell and to Limbus Patrum to bring up thence into Heaven the souls of the Fathers whom without giving any reason or alleadging any fault on their part they foolishly fancy after their death till then to have been imprisoned there though quiet and under no punishment of sense yet deprived of all light and vision of God and so under the punishment of less the greatest of punishments even by the confession of some of themselves whereby they put these holy and perfected souls for there they say there is no more purgation from sin that being the proper work of their profitable Purgatory in worse case all that length of time after their death then they were when alive on the Earth where doubtless they had often much soul-refreshing fellowship with God and the light of his Countenance lifted up upon them Neither were these his Sufferings in Soul and Body only to confirm the Doctrine taught by him if that was at all designed by him as an end of his Sufferings so much stumbled at in the time which yet I will not debate let be peremptorily deny his Doctrine being rather confirmed by his Miracles and Resurrection and to leave us an example and pattern how we should suffer as non-christian and blasphemous Socinians over which were mightily to depretiate and disparage nay to enervate and quite to evacuate his Sufferings by attributing no more to them then is attributable to the sufferings of his Servants and Martyrs it 's true his Example was an infallible Directory the Example of all Examples but theirs not so yet this doth not at all influence any alteration of the nature of the end 2 Cor. 5 21 Gal. 3.13 1 Per. 2.24 Isa 53.5 6 8.10 12 Eph. 1.7 Col. 1.14 1 Joh. 2.2 but also and mainly by them undergone for his People and in their room and as sustaining their persons vice and place truly and properly by the Sacrifice of himself to satisfy Divine Justice for their sins And who I pray can put any other comment on these Scripture-expressions whthout manifest perverting and wresting of them He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree which is by the Apostle subjoyned as a superior end of his sufferings to that of leaving us an example discoursed by him immediatly before He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities and the chastisement of our peace was upon him The Lord laid upon him the iniquity of us all For the transgression o my people was he stricken When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin He bare the sins of many In whom we have redemption through his blood Who is the propitiation for our sins and the like Nor did he undergo these sad sufferings for all men in the world to satisfie Justice for them and to reconcile them to God but only for the Elect and such as were given unto him For First The chastisement of their peace only was laid on him who are healed by his stripes as it is v. 5. of this 53 of Isai For the iniquities of my people was he stricken saith the Lord v. 8. The same who are called the Mediators people Ps 110.3 for saith blessed Jesus to his Father Joh. 17.10 All mine are thine and thine are mine Who shall without all peradventure or possibility of misgiving be made willing in the day of his power He only bare the iniquities of these whom he justifieth by his knowledge v. ii For otherwise the Prophets reasoning would not be consequent He only bare the iniquities of as many trangressors as he makes intercession for v. 12. And that he doth not make intercession for all but for these only who are given to him that is all the Elect is undenyably manifest from Joh. 17.9 where himself expresly saith I pray not for the world but for these whom thou hast given me Now Gods eternall electing love and his giving the Elect to the Mediator in the Covenant of Redemption to be satisfied for and saved by him and his intercession for them are commensurable and of equal extent as is most clear from Joh. 17.6 Where he saith Thine they were to wit by election and thou gavest them to me to wit in and by the Covenant of Redemption Gods decree of election being in order of nature prior to this donation or gift of the Elect in the Covenant of Redemption compared with v. 9. where he saith I pray for them I pray not for the world but for them whom thou hast given me for they are thine It is observable that he saith twice over I pray for them manifestly and emphatically restricting his intercession to them and excluding all others from it Why then should not also his sacrifice the price of the Redemption of these elected and given ones agreed upon in that Covenant betwixt these two mighty Parties be commensurable with the former three Especially since he saith v. 19. For their sakes sanctifie I
my self or separate my self to be a sacrifice 2. Christs satisfaction and his intercession being the two parts of his Priestly Office and his intercession being founded on his satisfaction as it is clearly v. 12. of this 53. of Isaiah yea â— very learned man affirms that Christs appearance in Heaven and his intercession are not properly Sacerdotal acts but in so far as they lean on the vertue of his perfected sacrifice What just relevant or cogent reason can there be to make a disjunction betwixt these parts of his Office and to extend the most difficult operous and costly part to all men and to narrow the other which is the more easie part as that whereby he only deals for the application of what he hath made a purchase of by his satisfaction which put him to much sad and sore soul-travel and to restrict it to the elect and gifted ones 3. Doth not the Scripture hold forth his death and the shedding of his blood as the great demonstration of his special love to his own elect people As is clear else-where so particularly Joh. 15.13 Greater love then this hath no man then that a man lay down his life for his friends Nay purchased reconciliation through the death of Christ is by the Holy Ghost made a greater evidence of divine love in some respect then the glorification of the reconciled according to what the Apostle saith Rom. 5.10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life 4. All the other gifts of God to sinners even the greatest spiritual ones fall hugely below the giving of Jesus Christ himself that gift of God by way of eminency As the Apostle reasoneth irresragably for the comfort of believers Rom. 8.32 He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Will he give the greatest gift and not give the lesser As Justification Adoption Sanctification and Glorification Which how great soever in themselves are yet lesser then the giving of Christ himself to the death And if it be undeniably certain that he giveth not these to all which are the lesser and lower gifts why should it be thought that he hath given the higher and greater 5. Shall that grand expression of the special love of God be made common by extending it to all the world the greatest profligats and Atheists not excepted no not Pharaoh nor Ahab not Judas the traitor nor Julian the Apostat nay nor any of all the damned reprobates who were actually in Hell when he died and shed his blood 6. If he died thus for all it seems that the new Song of the redeemed Rev. 5. would have run and sounded better thus thou hast redeemed us all and every man of every kindred and tongue and people and nation to God by thy blood then as it there stands by inspiration of the Holy Ghost Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation But who may presume by such an universality to extend and ampliat what he hath so restricted and to make that common to all which God hath peculiarized to a few favourites But the Author having much to better purpose on this Head in these Sermons I need add no more here I shall only further say of these astonishing in a manner non-plussing and surpasing great sufferings of blessed Jesus that as they were equivalent to what all the elect deserved by their sins and should have suffered in their own persons throughout all eternity consistently with the innocency and excellency of his Person and with the dignity of his Mediatory Office Therefore it is said v. 9. And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death or as it is in the Original In his deaths in the Plural Number as if he had died the death of every one of the Elect or as if there had been a conjunction and combination of all their deaths in his one death And v. 6. That the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all or as the word is made the iniquity of us all to meet on him there having been a solemn tryst convocation and rendezvous as it were of all the iniquities of all the Elect more common and more peculiar in all their various aggravating circumstances not so much as one committed since Adams first transgression or to be committed to the day of Judgement being absent in the punishment of them upon his person no wonder that such a load of innumerable thousands and millions of iniquities made him heavily to groan and that the consideration thereof made great Luther say That Christ was the greatest sinner in all the world to wit by imputation of the guilt of all the sins of all the Elect to him and by his having had the punishment of them all laid upon his person So we may from them be instructed in these things First Concerning the hight of holy displicence and detestation that the Majesty of God hath at sin the only thing in the whole world that his soul hates and which in the vile and abominable nature of it hath an irreconciliable antipathy with and enmity against his infinitely pure holy and blessed nature and hath a tendency could it possibly be effected to seek after the destruction and annihilation of the very beeing of God and is interpretatively Deicide The Language of it being O that there were not a God That he cannot behold it in his own sinless innocent and dearly beloved Son though but by imputation for he was not made formally the sinner as Antinomians blasphemously averr but he will needs in so terrible a manner testify his great dislike of and deep displeasure at it and take such formidable vengeance on it even in his person Ah! the nature of sin which God who is of pure eyes cannot where-ever it be behold without perfect abhorrency of it is but little thorowly understood and pondered Would we otherwise dare to dally and sport with it or to take the latitudes in committing of it at the rate we do I have sometimes thought that it is an errour in the first concoction to say so of Religion in many Proffessors of it end pretenders to it that we have never framed suitable apprehensions of the most hateful vile and abominable nature of sin which hath a great influence on the superficiariness and overliness of all duties and practices of Religion and that many of us had need to be dealt with as skilful School-masters use to deal with their Schollars that are foundered in the first Principles of Learning lest they prove but smatters all their days to bring them back again to these even to be put to learn this first Lesson in Religion better and more thorowly to understand the jealousie of God as to
this cursed thing Sin For which though he graciously for the sake of these sufferings of Christ pardon the guilt of it to his people and hear their Prayers yet will needs take vengeance on their inventions Psal 99.8 be they never so seriously holy and eminently serviceable to him and to their generation according to his will whereof Moses the Man of God is a most memorable instance That Ancient conceived rightly of the nature of sin who said That if he behoved necessarily either to commit the least sin or go to Hell to be tormented there eternally he would rather wish to desire to go to Hell if he could be there without sin Secondly Concerning the severity of Divine Justice in punishing sin whereof its punishment in the Person of the Son of God at such a rate is one of the greatest clearest and most convincing evidences imaginable to whom he would not abate one farthing of the Elects debt but did with holy and spotless severity exact the whole of it And though he was the Fathers Fellow yet he would needs have him smitten with the awakened Sword of sin-revenging Justice and Wrath Zech. 13.7 As if all the executions that had heed done in the earth on men for sin as on the old World of the ungodly drowned by the Deludge On the miscreant Inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah and of these other Cities upon whom he showered down liquid flames of fire and brimstone even somewhat of Hell in a manner out of Heaven Coelum pluebat Gehennam burning them quick and frying them to death in their own skins On Core Dathan and Abiram and their associats upon whom the earth opened and swallowed them up in a most stupendious manner alive the rest being consumed by fire sent down from Heaven On the one hundred eighty five thousand men of Senacheribs Army all slain in one night by an Angel And on the Israelites who by many and various plagues were wasted and worn out to the number of six hundred thousand fighting men in the short space of fourty years Reflections on which made Moses a witness of all with astonishment to cry out Psal 90.11 Who knows the power of thy anger As if I say all these terrible executions of Justice had been done by a Sword asleep or in the Scabbard in comparison of the execution it did on Jesus Christ the Elects Cautioner against whom it awakened was unsheathed forbished and made to glitter So that we may say had all the Sons and Daughters of Adam without the exception of so much as one been eternally destroyed it would not have been a greater demonstration of the severity of the Justice of God in punishing sin Thirdly Concerning the greatness incomprehensible vastness and unparalellableness of the love of God to the Elect World which he so loved O wonderful so Eternity will but be sufficient to unfold all that is infolded in that mysterious so an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that hath not an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an ita that hath not a sicut a so that hath not an as That he gave his only begotten Son to suffer all these things Joh. 3.16 and to be thus dealt with for them And of the Mediator who was content Phil. 2.6 7 8. Isa 53.3 5 though thinking it no robbery to be equal with God to empty himself and be of no reputation to take on him the shape of a servant to be a man of sorrows and acquainted with griâ—f to be chastized smitten wounded and bruised for their iniquities To step off the throne of his declarative Glory oâ— of his Glory manifested to the Creatures and in a manner to creep on the Foot-stool thereof in the capacity of a Worm and to become obedient even unto the death the shameful and cursed death of the Cross This is indeed matchless and marvellous love Joh. 15.13 Greater then which no man hâ—th to lay down his life for his friends But he being God-man laid down his life for his enemies that he might make them friends Rom. 5.10 Eph. 39 10 O! the hight and depth the breadâ—h and length of the love of Christ whereof when all that can be said is said this must needs be said that it 's a love that passeth not only expression but knowledge its dimensions being altogether unmeasurable So that we may say if it had seemed good to the Lord and been compatible with his spotless Justice and with his infinite Wisdome as Supream Rector and Governour of the World giving a Law to his Creatures to have pardoned the sins of the Elect in the absoluteneâ—s of his dominion that knows no boundary but what the other Divine attributes set to it without any intervenient satisfaction to his Justice at all which needs not to be debated here especially since God hath determined and in the Scriptures of truth made publication of his determination that he will not pardon sin without a satisfaction and particularly without this satisfaction made by Jesus Christ It would not have been a greater and more glorious demonstration of the freeness and riches of his love then he hath given in pardoning them through the intervention of so difficult and toilsome of so chargeable and costly a satisfaction as is the sad sufferings and the sore soul-travel of his own dear Son Who yet is pleased to account sinners coming to him and getting good of him satisfaction for all that soul-travel And indeed which of these is the greatest wonder and demonstration of his love whether that he should have undergone such soul-travel for sinners or that he should account their getting good of it satisfaction to him for the same is not easie to determine but sure both in conjunction together make a wonder passing great even a most wonderful demonstration of love Fourthly Concerning what dreadful measure all they may look for who have heard of these sufferings of Christ and make not conscience in his own way to improve them for their being reconciled to God thereby and whose bond to Justice will be found still standing over their heads uncancelled in their own name as proper debters without a Cautioner When the innocent Son of God who had never done wrong Isa 53.9 and in whose mouth no guile was ever found having but become Surety for the Elects debt was thus hotly pursued and hardly handled and put through sad soul-trouble to cry What shâ—ll I say Joh. 12.27 And falling a-groof on the ground with the tear in his eye in much sorrow and heaviness even to death and in a great agony causing a sweat of blood though in a cold night and lying on the earth conditionally to pray for the passing of that Cup from him and for his being saved from that hour So formidable was it to his holy Humane Nature which had a sinless aversation from and an innocent horrour at what threatned ruine and destruction to it self simply considered And which
and me in the Covenant of Redemption when as theirs is love from bottom even to brim whatever mixture may sometimes be of paternal and domestick Justice proper and peculiar to God's own Family and which as the Head and Father thereof he exerciseth therein not so much as one gut or scruple of vindictive wrath being left therein Ah! it 's both a sin and shame that there shoâ—â—d be with such even with such so much shyness and shrinking to drink after him in the cup of his Cross especially considering that there is such a high degree of honour put upon the suffering Believer for Christ above and beyond what is put on the simple Believer in him so that in the Scripture accompt the suffering Believer is not only but also according to what the Apostle saith Philip. 1.29 To you it is given in the behalf of Christ not only to believe on him but also to suffer for his sake Eighthly Concerning what mighty obligation lyeth on Believers to mourn and weep to be sad and sorrowful for sin how can they look on him whom they have thus bruised wounded and pierced by their sins without the tear in their eye without mourning for him and being in bitterness as a man is for his first-born and for his only begotten son when they think as all of them on serious consideration will find reason to think that if their sins keeped the tryst and rendezvous when all the sins of all the Elect did meet and were laid on him then sure there came no greater company and more numerous troop of sins to that solemn rendezvous from any of all the redeemed then came from them and that he had not a heavier load and burden of the sins of any then he had of theirs whereby he was even pressed as a cart is pressed down under the sheaves and was made most grievously to groan even with the groanings of a deadly wounded man and that if he was wounded and pierced by their iniquities then surely he was more deeply wounded and pierced by the iniquities of none then by theirs O! what mourning should this cause to them even such mourning as was at Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddo on the occasion of the sad slaughter and death of that good and desirable king Josiah this is indeed one of the most genuine and kindly one of the most powerful and prevalent one of the sweetest and strongest springs of and motives to true Gospel-repentance sorrow and mourning for sin Ninthly Concerning the notable and non-such obligation that lyeth on Believers to study the crucifixion and mortification of sin Was it not their sins that crucified and killed precious Jesus Christ the prince of life was it not their sins that violently drove the Nails thorow his blessed hands and feet and thrust the Spear thorow his side to the bringing forth of water and blood shall they not in their burning zeal and love to him and in the height of holy indignation at themselves be avenged on that which brought such vengeance on him shall they not seriously seek to be the death of that which brought him to death and whereof the death and destruction was one of his great designs therein on which he was so intent that in the prosecution of it he did amidst his dying pangs and agonies breathe out his soul O! let it never be heard for shame that ever any of them shall find the least sweetness in that accursed thing that was so bitter to him that ever any of them shall be found to dally with or to hug that serpent and viper in their bosom that so cruelly stung him to death But this being the great subject of these following Sermons wherein the Preacher being in a good measure wise Eccles 12.10 11. hath sought to find out acceptable words and words I hope of uprightness and truth O that they may be to the Readers as goads and nails fastened by him who is the great master of assemblies I shall insist no further only I think I may humbly say that to my knowledge none have preached on this whole Chapter to better purpose every way many may have done vertuously but it 's probable he will be found to excell them all nay if I should say that for any thing I know this Book for so much is amongst the best Books of this nature the World hath seen I suppose hardly will any judicious Christian thorowly exercised to Godliness after he hath read it all over and pondered it think that I have greatly if at all hyperbolized There are in these choice Sermons deepths as it were for Elephants to swim in whereof his surprâ—â—sing sublimely spiritual and very deep diving discourses concerning the Nature of Christs Intercession and the right improvement of it in the last six Sermons is a notable instance and shallows for Lambs to wade in Heb. 5.13 14. There is in them milk for babes in Christ and stronger meat for such as are of full age who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil Nay I may in a good measure say of these Sermons as it 's said of the learned Discourses of a late great man That in the doctrinal part of several of them ye will find the deepth of Poleâ—ical Divinity and in his inferences from thence the sweetness of Practical somethings that may exercise the profoundest Schollar and others that may edifie the weakest Christian nothing readily is more nervous and strong then his Reasonings and nothing more sweetly and powerfully affecting then his Applications There is in them much for information of the Judgment for warming of the Affections and for direction toward a Gospel-becoming Conversation there is much for clearing and expeding the doubts and difficulties of more weak and more darkned Christians and much for edifying confirming and establishing of more growen ones there is much for conviction reproof warning humbling for stirring up and provoking to the serious exercise of Godliness and much for the comforting and refreshing of such as stand in need and are capable of Consolation there is much for discovering rouzing awakening and all â—raming of carnal secure unsound hollow-hearted and hypocritical professours of Religion and much for beating and hammering down of the pride of conceity self-justifying Professors much for training on of young beginners and much for advancing and carrying on in their Christian course such as are entered into it and have made any tollerable progress therein In a woed 2 Tim. 2.15 he doth in a great measure approve himself to God as a work-man that needs not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth and as a skilful and faithful Steward giving to every one his portion in due kind measure and season It may be some Readers will think that there are in these Sermons several co-incidencies of purposes and repetitions To which I shall but presume to say that beside that there is a great
1 Cor. 3.10 I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon but let every man take heed how he buildeth for other foundation can no man lay then that which is laid which is Jesus Christ importing that all Preaching should be squared to and made to agree with this Ground-stone 3. He standeth as the great End of Preaching not onely that Hearers may have Him known in their Judgments but may have Him high in their Hearts and Affections 2 Cor. 3.4 We preach not our selves that is not onely do we not preach our selves as the Subject but we preach not our selves as the end of our Preaching our scope is not to be great or much thought of but our end in Preaching is to make Christ great 4. He standeth in relation to Preaching as He is the Power and Life of Preaching without whom no Preaching can be effectual no Soul can be captivate and brought in to Him hence 1 Cor. 1.23 he sayeth We preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block they cannot abide to hear him and to the Greeks foolishness but to them that are saved the power of God and the wisdom of God Use 1. For Ministers which we shall forbear insisting on onely 1. Were Christ the subject and substance of our Report were we more in holding out Him it 's like it might go better with us 2. There is need of warriness that the Report we make suit well the Foundation And 3. the neglect of this may be the cause of much powerless Preaching because Christ is not so preached as the subject-matter and end of Preaching many Truths are alace spoken without respect to this end or but with little respect to it Uses particular for you that are Hearers are these 1 If this be the great subject of Ministers Preaching and that which ye should hear most gladly and if this be most profitable for you we may be particular in some few Directions to you which will be as so many branches of the Use And first of all Truths that People would welcome and study they would welcome and study these that concern Christ and the Covenant of Grace most as Foundation-truths and seek to have them backed by the Spirit we are affrayed there is a fault among Christians that most plain and substantial Truths are not so heeded but somethings that may further folk in their Light or tickle their Affections or answer a Case are almost only sought after which things it 's true are good but if the plain and substantial Truths of the Gospel were more studied and made use of they have in them that which would answer all Cases It 's a sore matter when folks are more taken up with Notions and Speculations then with these Soul-saving Truths as that Christ was born that he was a true Man that he was and is King Priest and Prophet of His Church c. and that other things are heard with more greediness But if these be the great subject of Ministers Preaching it should be your great study to know Christ in His Person Natures Offices and Covenant what He is to you and what is your duty to Him and how you should walk in Him and with Him this was Paul's aim I count saith he all things loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings c. Phil. 3.8 9 10. It 's my design as if he had said not onely to make Him known but to know Him my self there is little Faith in Christ and distinctness in use making of His Offices and folks take but little pains to know these things Therefore on the one side let me exhort you to make this more the subject of your enquiry and on the other side take it for your reproof that there is such a readiness to snuff when plain Truths are insisted on or when they are not followed in some uncouth or strange way which sayes we are exceeding unthankful to God for giving us the best things to speak hear and think of 2. Think much of the Preaching of Christ and to have Ministers to preach of Him He is the best News and God hath sent Ministers on this errand to make them known to you had He sent them to tell you all the secret things to come that are in God's purpose and all the hid works of Nature it had not been compareable to these News what would ye have been O what would Sabbath-days and Week-days your lying down and rising up your living and dying been if these News had not been ye should have had a sinful and sad life and a most comfortless and terrible death therefore think this Gospel a thing of more worth then ye do and count their feet beautiful on the Mountains that bring these News and glad Tydings as it is Isa 52. that good Report of making Peace betwixt God and Sinners should be most thought of and prized and counted a greater favour then we use to count it 3. By this ye may know who thrives and profites best under the Gospel even these that learn most of Christ which consists not in telling over words But first in actual improving of Him as it is Eph. 3.20 Ye have not so learned Christ but so as to improve what is in Him 2. In an experimental finding of these effects in us that are spoken of to come by Christ which is that the Apostle meaneth Phil. 3.10 That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings that I may be conformable to his death I am affrayed that of the many that hear this Gospel there are but few that know Christ this way But if He be the great thing that should he preached by us and that ye should learn 1. What is the reason that so many should be ignorant of Him that the most part look rather like Tâ—â—ks and Pagans then like Christians God help us what shall we say of the condition of the most part of People when the preaching of the Gospel has not gained this much ground on us as to make us know Christ in His Person Natures Offices our need of Him and the use we should make of Him But 2. If we will try how he is improven it is to be feared there be far fewer that know hâ—m in this respect do not many Men live as if they had never heard tell of Him Though they hear that pardon of Sin is to be gotten through Him and that vertue to subdue Sin must flow from Him yet they live as if no such thing were in Him If your Consciences were posed besides the evidences that are in your practice this would be found to be a sad truth And 3. If we will yet try further what experience folk have of Christ what vertue they find flowing from His Resurrection what fellowship there is in His Sufferings what conformity
never knew all along your life what these things mean'd had need to stand the more in awe and to be affraid when ye come near Death Though it be a sad matter that when we should be Preaching and would fain preach the Doctrine of Faith it should by reason of your Delusion be the great part of our work to be thus digging you out of your Presumption and overturning your carnal and ill-grounded Hope yet we have the greater confidence and the more peace to speak to and insist in these Truths because they ly so near to the great design of the Gospel and to your immortal Souls Salvation and though we were able to preach more plausible and sweet things to you yet if these Doctâ—ines profite you not these would not Sâ—ing therefore they are so profitable we should not weary to speak and ye should not weary to hear them spoken of Would to God ye were seriously â—nd sincerely aiming to be clear and through in the matter of Believing and that ye stood in need and were more capable of more pleasant Truths if so we might have more comforâ—able though we will not say more profitable Doctrines to insist upon to you SERMON XII ISAIAH LIII I Who hath believed our report And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed WE have spoken at several occasions to this first part of the Verse and before we leave it there is one Use several times hinted at already to which there is good ground to speak it being the design and purpose of these words to hold forth of what great concernment Believing is and of what great difficulty it is and so many being to the ruine of their Souls mistaken about it there is ground to draw this Use of Exhortation from it to wit That then all the Hearers of this Gospel would be exhorted to advert well to this that they make Faith sure in it self and that they make it sure to themselves seing as I said so many are mistaken about it and beguile themselves The more pressingly that the Gospel calls for Faith in Christ and the more weightily the Lord expostulates with the Hearers of the Gospel because of their Unbelief they are doubtless so much the more concerned to receive it in its Offer and also to look well that they content not themselves with guessing at Faith and that they never think that things are well with them except they can give good proof and warrand that they are so and that it is Saving Faith that they have seing there are so many that satisfie themselves as being Believers when yet so few are Believers indâ—ed The sâ—d mistake and disappointment of many should have so much influence upon us as to put us to more watchfulness and to a more narrow tryal of our own state and condition that we may know how it is with us All that we have spoken to the Doctrines of this first part of the Verse may be as so many Motives to stir you up to both these and would to God we could be perswaded to this as the Use of so many Preachings once to admit and take it for granted that it is the Truth of God that there is a necessity an absolute necessity for us to be really rolled and casten over upon Jesus Christ by Faith for attaining of Life through Him Though this be a very common Doctrine and ye would think a very common Use of it yet it is the great thing that God requires in the Gospel and the neglect of it or not receiving His Son the very contest and quarrel that God hath with the Hearers of it and the cause of the ruine of so many Souls that perish under the Gospel We shall therefore propose to you some Considerations that may stir you up to this and briefly answer a Question in each of these two branches of the Use And first For stirring you up to this receiving of Christ by Faith 1. Consider if there be not a standing Quarrel and Contraversie betwixt God and you for Sin and if there be as no doubt there is consider how that Contraversie is to be removed is there any other possible way but by Faith in Christ If we were Preaching to such as had never sinned and were never under the hazard of the. Wrath of God there might possibly be a difficulty to perswade to a receiving of Christ But when ye have all this in your Conscience that there is Sin and a Curse following Sin and that there is no other way for removing that Curse but by Jesus Christ is there not reason to expect that ye should receive this Truth will any of you think to stand and bide it out against God and if not then there is sure a necessity of Believing in Jesus Christ or of lying under the Wrath of God for ever 2. Consider that this Gospel and Word of Salvation is preached to you in particular When we speak of Salvation we do not say that Christ was once preached to the Jews or that in such a far-off Nation there is a door opened for Salvation in the Gospel but we would turn over the words of the Apostle Acts 13.38 to you and say to you in his words Be it known to you therefore men and brethren that through this man to wit Jesus Christ is preached to you remission of sins c. and this brings the Gospel near you even to your door it lays before you the way of access to God by Christ and puts it so closs and home to you that Christ must either have a refusal or a welcome from you The first consideration of your own Sinfulness and Misery might put you to seek after a Saviour though he were at a great distance but this other brings Him to your Heart and Mouth and is it fit think ye to neglect such a fair occasion and will it be wisdom when Salvation follows you and crys after you and Wisdom lifts up its voice in the Streets saying O ye simple ones how long will ye love fooâ—ishness c. to stop your ear or to turn away from Christ and to run upon your destruction Do ye think that this Gospel will be silent always or that your Conscience will be deaf and dumb always There are many Nations that have not the Gospel so near them and it 's hard to know but the day may come when ye would be content to buy an offer of the Gospel at a dearer raâ—e and when there shall not be a Tryster nor a Dâ—ys-man to be had between God and you and these days will then be remembred with horrour which now ye securely slip over 3. Consider what will come of this if ye do not believe the Gospel Know ye not that many perish that hear the Gospel and that upon this same very ground that they did not receive Christ and Salvation through Him offered to them therein and whereof they are now deprived Are there not many this
to Believe is That the Sinner would actually stretch out that Faith as the Souls Hand for the receiving of Christ and for the Application of Him to himself and would actually cast himself upon the Satisfaction of Jesus Christ for covering that Sinfulness that is in him and would catch hold of and grip to Him that is an able Saviour for keeping the Sinner from sinking under the weight of Sin that he lieth under This is the Exercise and Practice of Faith when it flows from the general Doctrine of the necessity of believing such things to be Truths in themselves and when it 's extended and put forth in Practice that we who are so certainly and sensibly lost must needs share of that Salvation which we believe to be in Jesus Christ and so for that roll our selves on Him The first piece of Sense may be in a Reprobate the second piece of Faith that there is a sufficient Salvation in Christ to be gotten by them that believe in Him may be in a Devil But this third of actual use-making of the Satisfaction of Christ for paying our Debt and rolling our selves upon Him that 's the Faith and Exercise of it that is peculiar to a sound Believer and the very thing that constitutes a Believer and it is that which we commend to you that ye may not stand and please your selves with looking only upon Christ but that ye may cast and roll your selves over upon Him that Christ may get your Weight and that all your Burthens and Wants may be upon Him which to do ye must be enabled by the mighty Power of Grace whereof in the next part of the Verse The second Branch of the Use which follows upon this is That we would desire you not only to follow this way of making your Peace with God but to follow the trying and proving of it to your own satisfaction that ye may be warrantably confident that it is so There is a great difference betwixt these to believe in Christ and to be clear and certain that we do believe in Him As there is a necessity of the first without which there cannot be Peace with God so there is a necessity of the second though not simply as without which there can be no Peace with God yet upon this account as without which we cannot be so comforted in God And seing there are so many who do not Believe who yet think themselves to be Believers and seing there is nothing more common among the Hearers of the Gospel then to reject Christ offered in it and to Misbelieve and yet nothing more common then to be confident that they do Believe There is good ground here to exhort you to put your Faith to the Touch-stone that ye may know whether ye can abide the Trial and whether ye may confidently assert your own Faith upon good ground and abide by it We would think if it were remembred and seriously considered how great a scarcety there is of Believers and how rare a thing it is to get any to receive Christ that Folk needed not be much pressed to put their Faith to the Trial and when there will not be one among many found who will pass under the account of a real Believer with Jesus Christ should not the most part suspect themselves seing the most part that hear the Gospel are the object of this Complaint Who hath believed our report or very few have believed it ye would study to have some well grounded confidence in this that ye are not guessing and presuming and going upon grounds that will fail you at last but that ye be in case to say on solid grounds with the Apostle I know whom I have believed c. There is a Faith and Hope that will make many ashamed and certainly in the day of Judgment when Christ shall have to do with these Persons that never once thought to be thrust away from Him they of all Men shall be thrust away from Him with greatest Shame O! the confusion that will fill and overwhelm them who had a profession of Christ and yet had never the root of the matter in them above and beyond many others Dare many of you upon the confidence ye have look Death in the Face It 's no great matter to be confident in the time of Health but will ye then be able to comfort your selves in the Promises of God do not promise to your selves the things in the Covenant except ye be endeavouring in God's way to be sure ye are Believers indeed Our Life depends upon our Faith but our Consolation depends much upon our clearness that we have Faith and that we are in Christ and therefore there is much need to press this upon you There is no way to rid you of the Terrours of God and to make you comfortably sure of your particular Interest in the Promises of God but by making it sure and clear that ye are Believers in Christ indeed There are three or four sorts of People to whom we would speak a little here 1. There are some who think that if they could do other Duties though they should never do this to wit to make their Calling and Election sure they would be and do well enough Are there not many of you that never so much as set your selves to try whether your Faith would abide God's tryal or not Ah! Ah! an atheistical Indifferency a slighting of the Consolations of God aboundeth amongst many so that they think the Promises and the Consolation that is to be gotten in the Promises are not of so much worth as to be thereby put to take pains to try and see whether they belong to them or not but the Day will come that many of you will curse your selves for your neglecting and slighting of this A second sort are these who because they were never sure of Peace with God themselves and because they were never sure of their own Faith neither ever concernedly endeavoured to be they think it 's all but fancy that 's spoken of assurance of Faith and of Peace with God they think it 's but guessing at the best There is such a sort of Persons who think they may be doing as they dow and need not trouble themselves with such fancies or nice things but if ye ask them what will come of them at last they will tell you they will lippen that to God Think ye it for nought that God hath laid so many Commands on you to make your Calling and Election sure and think ye it for nought that He hath given so many Marks to try it by and that some of the People of God do holily and humbly glory and boast so much of their Communion with God out of their assurance of His love to them and of their special interest in Him do not all these say that there is such a thing as this to be had There is a third sort that please themselves with meer
which may be gathered from Heb. 4.1 that stout confidence that thinks it's impossible to miss the Promises is a suspect and dangerous Faith not to be loved it 's a much better Faith that fears then that Faith that 's more stout except there be a sweet mixture of holy stoutness and fear together It 's said Heb. 11.7 that by Faith Noah being moved with fear prepared an Ark c. Noah had the Faith of God's Promise that he should be keeped free from being drowned by the Deluge with the rest of the World and yet he was mourning and trembling in preparing the Ark If there were much Faith among you it would make many of you more holily feared then ye are Love not that Faith the worse that ye never hear a threatning but ye tremble at it and are touched by it in the quick 2. It 's a good token of Saving Faith when it hath a discovery and holy suspition of Unbelief wairing on it so that the Person dare not so lippen and trust his own Faith as not to dread Unbelief and to tell Christ of it There is a poor Man that comes to Christ Mat. 9.23 24. to whom the Lord faith If thou canst believe or canst thou believe yes Lord says he I believe help thou mine unbelief there was some Faith in him but there was also Unbelief mixed with it his Unbelief was so great that it was almost like to drown his Faith but he puts it in Christ's hand and will neither deny his Faith nor his Unbelief but puts the matter sincerely over upon Christ to strengthen his Faith and to amend and help his Unbelief It 's a suspect Faith that 's at the top of Perfection at the very first and ere ever ye wot There are some serious Souls that think because they have some Unbelief that therefore they have no Faith at all but true Faith is such a Faith that is by and beside suspected and feared or seen Unbelief That Faith is surest where Folk fear and suspect Unbelief and see it and when they are weighted with their Unbelief and cry out under it and make their Unbelief an errand to Christ it 's a token there is Faith there 3. The third Character is That it will have with it a sticking to Christ and a fear to presume in sticking to Him There will be two things striving together an eagerness to be at Him and a fear that they be found presumptuous in medling with Him and an holy trembling to think on it yet notwithstanding it must and will be adventured upon the Woman spoken of Mark 5.28 lays this reckoning with her self If I can but touch his cloathes I shall be whole and she not only believeth this to be truth but crouds and thrimbles in to be at him yet vers 33. when she comes before Christ she trembles as if she had been taken in a fault not having dared to come openly to Him but behind him she behoved to have a touch of him but she durst not in a manner own and avouch her doing of it till she be unavoidably put to it It 's a suspect and unsound Faith that never trembled at minting to Believe there is reason to be jealous that Faith not to be of the right stamp that never walked under the impression of the great distance between Christ and the Person the sense whereof is the thing that makes the trembling I say not desperation nor any utter distrust of Christ's kindness but trembling arising from the consideration of the great distance and disproportion that 's between Him and the Person Faith holds the Sinner a going to Christ and the sense of its own sinfulness and worthlesness keeps him under holy fear and in the exercise of Humility Paul once thought himself a jolly man as we may see Rom. 7.9 but when he was brought to believe in Christ he sees that he was a dead and undone man before I give you these three marks of a true Faith from that Chapter 1. It discovers to a Man his former Sinfulness and particularly his former Self-conceit Pride and Presumption I was saith Paul alive without the Law once c. a man living upon the thoughts of his own Holiness but when the Law came I died he fell quite from these high thoughts A second Mark is A greater restlesness of the Body of Death it becoming in some respect worse Company more fretful and strugling more then ever it did before Sin revived saith Paul though he had no more Corruption in him then he had before but it wakened and bestirred it self more I dare say that though there be not so much Corruption in a Believer as there is in a natural Man yet it strugleth much more and is more painful and disquieting to the Believer and breeds him a greate dale more trouble for says the Apostle on the matter when God graciously poured Light and Life into me Sin took that occasion to grow angry and to be enraged that such a neighbour was brought in beside it it could not endure that as an unruly and currish Dog barks most bitterly when an honest Guest comes to the House so doth Corruption bark and make more noise then it did before when Grace takes place in the Soul There are some that trow they have the more Faith because they feel no Corruption stir in them and there are others that think they have no Faith at all because they feel Corruption strâ—gling more and growing more troublesome to them but the stirring and strugling of Corruption if Folk be indeed burdened and affected and afflicted with it will rather prove their having of Faith then their wanting of it Love that Faith well that puts and keeps Folk bickerring to say so in the Fight with the Body of Death for though this be not good in it self that Corruption stirreth yet Sin is of that sinful nature that it flies always more in their face that look God and Heaven-wards then of others that are sleeping securely under its Dominion A third Mark is When the Soul hath never Peace in any of its Conflicts or Combats with Corruption but when it resolves in Faith exercised on Jesus Christ as it was with Paul in that Chapter after his Conversion That is a sound Faith that only makes Peace at first by Christ but that cannot to say so fight one fair stroke in the Spiritual Warfare nor look Corruption in the face nor promise to it self an outgate from any assault of the Enemy but by Faith in Jesus Christ as it was with the Apostle who toward the end of that Chapter lamentably crys O! wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death yet immediatly subjoyns Faiths triumphing in Christ I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord he belike before his Conversion thought he could do well enough all alone but it is not so now when he can do nothing without Christ especially in this sore
War with his Corruption That is a sound Faith that makes the Sinner to make use of Christ in every thing he is called to that yoaks him I mean Christ to work on every occasion and particularly when it comes as it were to grapling and hand blows with this formidable Enemy the Body of Death this Monster whereof when one Hâ—aâ— is cut off another as it were starts up in its place For a close of this Purpose I beâ—eech and obtest such of you as are strangers to Saving Faith who are I fear far the greatest part to consider seriously all I have spoken of the nature and native evidences of it that you may be undeceived of your Soul-ruining Mistakes about it and let sincere and sound Believers from aâ—l be more cleared confirmed and comforted in their Faith SERMON XIII ISAIAH LIII I And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed THere are many mistakes in the way of Religion wherewith the most part are possâ—ssed and amongst the rest there is one that generally the Hearers of the Gospel think it so easie to Believe that there is no difficulty in that by any thing they think it hard to Pray to keep the Sabâ—ath to be Holy but the most part think there is no difficulty in Believing and yet Unbelief is so rife and Faith so rare and difficult that the Prophet Isaiah here in his own name and in name of all the Ministers of the Gospel crys out Lord who hath believed our report he complains that he could get but very few to take the Word off his hand and because it weighted him to find it so and because he would fain have it to take impression on his Hearers he doubles expressions to the same purpose and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed which in sum is there is much Preaching and many Hearers of the Gospel but little believing of it few in whose Heart the work of Faith is wrought It 's but here one and there one that this Gospel hath efficacy upon for uniting of them to Jesus Christ and for working a work of Saving Grace in them the effectual working of God's Grace reaches the Hearts but of a few For opening the words we shall speak a little to these three 1. To what is meant by the Arm of the Lord. 2. To what is meant by the revealing of the Arm of the Lord. 3. To the scope and dependance of these words on the former For the first In general know the Arm of the Lord is no to be understood properly the Lord being a Spirit hath no Arms Hands nor Feet as Men have But it 's to be understood figuratively as holding out some Property or Attribute of God By the Arm of the Lord then we understand in general the Power of God the Arm of Man being that whereby He exerceth His Power performeth Exploits or doth any Work So the Arm of the Lord is His Power whereby He produceth His Mighty Acts as it 's said in the Psalms The right hand of the Lord hath done valiantly His hand and his arm hath got him the victory and because the Power of God is taken either more generally for that which is exerced in the Works of common Providence or more particulâ—rly for that which is put forth in the Work of Saving Grace We tâ—ke it here in short to be the Grace of God exercing its Power in and by the Gospel for the converting of Souls and causing them savingly to Believe so Rom. 1.16 I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation to every one that believes not simply as it consists in speaking of good sweet and seasonable words but as it cometh backed by the irresistable Power of the Grace of God as the word is 1 Cor. 1.23 24. We preach Christ to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness but unto them who are called both Jews and Greeks the power of God and the wisdom of God and that it is so to be taken here the conâ—â—â—â—ion of these words with the former will make it clear for sure he is not speaking of the Power of God in the works of common Providence but of His Power in the conversion of Souls to Christ even of that Power which works Saving Faith in the Elect. For the second The revealing of the Arm of the Lord By this we do not understand the revealing of it objectively as it 's brought to light by the preaching of the Gospel for thus it 's revealed to all the Hearers of the Gospel it 's in this respect not keeped hid but brought forth clearly to them in the Word And therefore secondly The revealing of this Arm or Power of the Lord is to be understood of the subjective inward manifâ—sting of it with efficacy and life to the Heart by the effectual operation of the Spirit of the Lord as it 's said of the great things prepared for them that love God 1 Cor. 2.10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit it 's that which is called 1 Cor. 2. the demonstration of the spirit and of power which makes plain and powerful to the spirit of the Hearer inwardly that which the Word preacheth outwardly to the Ear which without this would strick only on the Ear and yet remain still an hidden Mystery This is the revealing of the Lord's Arm that is here spoken of because it is that on which Believing dependeth and of the want whereof the Prophet sadly complaineth even where there was much Preaching For the third to wit the Scope Dependance and connexion of these words with the former We conceive they come in both for Confirmation and for Explication of the former words 1. For Confirmation There are as hath been said but few that Believe for there are but few that have this saving and effectual work of God's Grace reâ—ching their Heart though they have the Word preached to them yet they have not the Arm of the Power of God's Grace manifested to them and so He confirms His former Doctrine concerning the paucity of Believers under the preaching of the Gospel First By asserting the fewness of them that are brought to Believe to be converted and effectually called by the Gospel which comes to pass through their own Unbelief And Secondly By asserting their fewness in respect of God's soveraign applying of His Grace in the Gospel which is but to few it 's but few that Believe for it 's but few that He makes effectual application of His Grace to 2. We say it comes in to clear and explicate the former words whether we take it by way of a Reason or of an answer to an Objection For if it be said how can it be that Isaiah Paul yea and our Lord Jesus Christ himself should preach so powerfully and yet that so few should Believe he answers it 's not to be marvelled at in respect of God as if he
best things That word which we have 2 Pet. 3.16 that there are many that wrest and pervert the Scriptures to their own destruction holds true not only of doctrinal Heresies but it holds also true in respect of Mens Practice or practical Errours for some hearing of the impotency of Nature and of the power and perfection of Grace in bringing about its designed effect are ready to think that they need to do nothing alledging that if Grace undertake the work it will be wrought and if not it will not be wrought and thus Atheism and Prophanity steal in secretly upon the Heart and the sweet Doctrine of Grace is abused and perverted by such to their own destruction There are others again who it may be will not dare so to top with God who yet have their own fainting and discouragement when they hear of this Doctrine and think it hard that they themselves can do nothing and fear that they will never win to believe because they cannot do it of themselves these also fail and make not the right use of Grace Ye remember the Question which we proposed to speak a little to on the last Doctrine to wit That seing both these branches of it are true That except Grace concur the most powerful preaching of the Gospel will not beget Faith and that wherever the work of Grace goes along with the Gospel there Faith is begotten what is called for from the Hearers of the Gospel as the Use of this Doctrine Bâ—fore we come to answer this Question more particularly we would 1. Premit this word in general That none would account the Preaching or Hearing of the Word of God to be useless or fruitless albeit that without the work of Grace Men cannot yield the Fruit which it callâ—th for from them for our blessed Lord Jesus Isaiah and Paul preached this Doctrine of Grace and the necessity of the Lords Arm to be revealed in the Conversion of Souls and yet they taught the Word in season and out of season and were gathering in some and to some this Doctrine was made the savour of life unto â—ife though to others through their enmity and corruption it became the savour of death unto death To conclude therefore the inconsistency or to deny the consistency of these two to wit Of the necessity of Preaching the Doctrine of Grace and of the pressing in Preaching the practice of holy Duties and the use of ordinary appointed Mâ—ans would reach this dreadful length even to condemn the Prophets of old yea and our blessed Lord Jesus Himself who says John 6.44 after He h d preached long No man can come to me exâ—ept the Father who hath sent me draw him and vers 65 Therefore I said unto you that no man can come to me unless it be given him of my Father And will any think that His Hearers who accounted this with some others Hard sayings and from that time went back and walked no more with him were excusable in their doing so or that His Preaching was useless needless or impertinent as having a tendency to tempt Men to abandone all use of Means because He preached this Doctrine of the impossibility of believing in Him without this pull and draught of His Fathers Arm But secondly We shall a little more particularly in answer to the Question speak First To what Uses Folk would not make of this Doctrine or what things they would abstain from as tending to a wrong use of it Secondly To some Considerations for pressing this Doctrine and removing from it the construction of hardness that we are ready to put upon it Thirdly To what is the native Use it calls for And Lastly to some Considerations to press this For the first When we say to all that hears this Gospel that there is a necessity of a powerful work of Grace ere this Word can be profitable ye would 1. Abstain from and lay aside curiosity in seeking satisfying Answers to all these Objections that are moved against it and absurdities that it 's loaded with by the Devil and Mans proud Nature and learn to stoop to and reverence the soveraign Dominion of God and His deep and unsearchable Wisdom and Knowledge in this soveraign way of His Grace as the Apostle doth Rom. 11.33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out ye would also consider that other word Rom. 9.20 Who art thou that repliest against God or expostulateth with Him Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus It 's good to enquire and to seek to know the use the Lord calls for of this Doctrine with sobriety but there is an enquiring to satisfie curiosity which the Lord abhorreth as we may gather from Exod. 19 21. where the Lord being to deliver His â—â—â—l saith to Moses Go down charge the people 〈◊〉 word of peremptory command left they break thorow unto the Lord to gaze and many of them perish The Lord is not displeased that His People should endeavour to behold and take Him up aright but when their end is not good but to satisfie an itch of Curiosity it displeaseth Him This may be useful in many cases and particularly in this we have in hand to teach us sobriety in seeking to know the way of God's Grace as the Lord would have His People Exod. 19. waiting for as much of His Mind as He thought fit to acquaint them with and to write on the two Tables of Stone but He would not have them breaking in over the Boundary or March which He did set to them lest He should break thorow on them and they should be made to perish So would He have Men in their studying the knowledge of His Ways and particularly of the way of His Grace to keep His Measures and to contain themselves within the limits that He pleaseth to set to them 2. Abstain from carnal freting at and expostulating with the way of God whether in the highest degree of upbraiding Grace and snarling at it that ye should not have the Stock in your own hand or in an inferior degree having a Heart inwardly discontent that ye are not more able of your selves then ye are to believe which is the thing that the Apostle opposeth Rom. 9.20 21. Should the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus Hath not the potter power over the clay c. especially since none can answer that question with any just reflection upon God who is to be blamed for that defect or inability or whence did that inability or defect in Mans Nature proceed God was gracious free and liberal in making Man perfect and whose Fault is it that it is otherways 3. Abstain from and beware of drawing desperate conclusions as to the giving over the use of the Means or of becoming more lazy and secure in the duties of Holiness and
is the Lord an upbraider is there any that can quarrel Him as nigardly in dispensing of His Grace doth he not give to all men liberally and upbraideth no man and doth it not become Him well to have the conduct and guiding of His own Grace 4. Consider how many the Lord hath given Grace to already and how He hath given it freely surprizingly and unexpectedly if ye could bring forth any proof that never one got good of God ye might have a pretext for your discouragement and scarring but when as many as are before the Throne are pooofs of His being gracious to Sinners when so many have gotten good of God before you and when there are several who to your own certain knowledge are dayly getâ—ing good of Him sensibly freely and unexpâ—ctâ—dly who were as indisposed to belâ—eve as ye are and as much fainted and discouraged as ye are and when He says that He is found of them that sought him not is it not as likly that a poor Body that is longing for His Grace shall be satisfied as well now as ever according to that word Matth. 5.6 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled the Soul that would fain have Holiness shall get it I know there will be a business made here and an new Objection started whether this longing or hunger be real or not but if your longing and hunger be not real it will not trouble you much to want and it is not to encourage or comfort such that have no real longing that all this is spoken we know there is more need to make some vomit up the conceit of their ability than to encourage them against any seen and felt inability There are many alace that think little of the Grace of God with whom the error anent Universal Grace would aggree well they having a presumptuous conceit of Faith and that it is not so difficult a thing to believe as is alledged we must profess that we have not much to say to such for their encouragement only we would let them know that there is a time coming when God will refute and silence them But as for such as see their inability and are put to any measure of suitable seriousness and longing in earnest after Believing the Lord allows that they be strengthened and encouraged and to such we would say this If their missing of Jesus Christ weight them if it be their burden that they cannot Believe and if their longing hunger and thirst be some pain and piece of exercise to them so as other things relish not with them they are so taken up with that and if they had their Souls choice it would be this even a satisfying fight of union and communion with Him their longing and hunger is real and we may turn over that just now cited word to them Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled this hunger and thirst was never begotten without some spiritual Physick from Christ the great Physician who hath provision for satisfying it and as we use to say of the natural Life He sent never the Mouth but He sent the Meat with it so we may say of this hunger He that gives this spiritual Mouth gives always the Meat with it would to God there were many enlarged Apetites to receive our Lord would no doubt be found ready to satisfie them all if the Mouth were wide opened the Affections enlarged and the Soul sick under hunger and chirst for Christ and Holiness that Sickness should not be found to be unto Death but to the glory of the Grace of Him who is the great Healer For the third thing that we proposed to wit That seing there are many ways how Folk may go wrong and yet none should give over hope what is the native use and exercise that this Doctrine calls for I shall speak to this first in general and secondly in some few steps or particular directions 1. Then in general ye would consider that place Phil. 2.12 13. Work out the work of your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure where it is clear that the exhortation given to them to work out their Salvation is drawen from this same Doctrine of the efficacious work of Gods Grace working in them to will and to do as the great Motive God saith He worketh in you to will and to do therefore work ye out the work of your own Salvation There are in this general exhortation four things implyed the first is the very entry or beginning of the work of Salvation that is the exercising of Faith in Jesus Christ it is of God therefore work at that work as if He said Believe to the saving of your Souls as the word is Heb. 10. ult For it 's God that works the will in you The second is the work of Repentance this is also taken in here for his bidding them work in fear and trembling respects their sinfulness and necessarly implyeth Repentance The third is their aiming at perfection in Holiness the putting forth themselves in improving of all Means and in the exercising of all Duties for that end work out says He. And fourthly It looks to the manner that it be not carnally or in carnal confidence but with fear and trembling and if it should be asked how doth that conclusion flow from this Doctrine it 's Gods work or He works in you to will and to do therefore work ye out your Salvation Folk would rather think that the conclusion should be since God doth all this do ye nothing No but the just contrary conclusion is drawen and it hangs on these two 1. On the efficacy of Grace it 's God that works to will and to do it 's His Grace that strengtheneth you and where He works the will He works the deed where He begins a work He will also through and effectuate it therefore take ye encouragement to work as if He had said fight well for ye have a brave second though it be not proper to call Grace a second set your selves to the exercise of Holiness in earnest and God wil make it go with you 2. On the consideration of sinfulness and weakness in them which should make them work in fear and trembling as if He had s id seing it is God and the efficacy of His Grace that doth the work be not ye vain and presumptuous the first part says it 's God that works and not ye therefore be ye the more holily confident the second part says it 's not ye but God and therefore do the work with fear and trembling and both tend to this that Folk would be serious in minding and prosecuting the work of their Salvation from the first step to the last in fear and trembling on this ground that though they have nothing in themselves yet there
flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory c. Use 1. It serves to be a prop and foundation to our Faith We may say of this truth as the Apostle speaking of the Resurrection 1 Cor. 1.15 sayes If Christ he not risen then our Preaching is vain and your faith is vain If Christ were not Man our Preaching and your Hearing were in vain 1. By this we have an evidence that our Lord is the true Messiah who was to become Man 2. By this we see a clear way how he was lyable to our debt and how his satisfaction is communicable to us And 3. In this also we see a main and most attractive Argument to draw sinners into Christ for the actual application of his purchase Our Lord Jesus is Man our Brother and made of a Woman made under the Law O! this puts a sweetness and loveliness on the Mediator to commend him to sinners for the ingaging of their hearts to him And therefore as a second Use of it seing there is a Man-Mediator 1. We pray you Men and Women neglect not such a Salvation as is to be had by his becoming Man but let this Argument prevail with you to make use of him that he is a true Man And we may say when this Son of Man comes in the Clouds to Judge the World it will be one of the greatest aggravations of the sin of unbelievers that he came thus low as to be a Man for the good of men and yet was not made use of by them 2. Sinners that would be at him may on this ground be confident and chearful The Steward of Grace is a Friend he is a Man their Brother and claims Kindred to them that honestly aim to do the will of his Father whosoever shall do the will of my Father saith he Mat. 12. The same is my brother sister and mother Sinners wrong Christ and themselves oft-times when they scar at this Cordial Consolation that by Christs becoming Man is allowed on them Indeed if we were immediatly to go to God who is a consuming fire it were no wonder that we stood at a distance but when God is in the Mediator Christ God Man to reconcile the World to himself as the word is 2 Cor. 6. Let us as the Apostle saith Heb. 4. ult come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need O! make this use of it because he is a friend that sits on the Throne 2dly Observe That our Lord Jesus did not only become Man but a Man in an exceeding low and afflicted condition It had been much to the Son of God to have come in the shape of man though he had been Emperour of the whole World but he thought not that meet for since it was his errand in his first coming not to judge but to save the World He came not to be ministred unto but to minister And therefore Joh. 13.12 He washeth the feeâ— of his Disciples We may take both the branches of the Doctrine together our Lord Jesus not only became Man but He was a Man without all worldly grandour and pomp in a low and mean condition And not only did he want that grandour but he had much affliction shame and sorrow in the place of it Need we to prove this Any who are acquainted with the History of the Gospel know it He was for the whole tract of his life not only in a low condition but a man of sorrows griefs and afflictions under much persecution contempt and reproach We might instance this 1. In His Birth 2. In His Life And 3. In His Death The meanness and lowness of his condition and the afflictions he met with appear clearly in all these wherein ye may behold the glory of grace and of truth For the more low he became the more doth the glory of grace shine and the more also doth the glory of truth in that he fulfilled all righteousness 1. Then for his low condition And that 1. In his birth he was not born of any of the greatest Queens However the birth of Mary was Noble yet she was in a mean condition for the time espoused to a Carpenter He was not born in a great Palace but in a common Innes which too being taken up with Guests His Mother was thrust out or constrained to betake her self to a Stable where our blessed Lord is brought forth and laid in a Manger Crib or Stall out of which the Beasts eat their meat for his Cradle There the Lord and Heir of all things is laid and hath no other Cradle neither was the Room hung with rich Hangings and Tapestry as the Rooms of great ones use to be 2. In his life he was low for no sooner is he born but his Mother is forced to flee away with him to Egypt He dare not be seen And when he returns he co-habits with and serves his supposed Father and his Mother was obedient to them ran their errands and wrought their work Therefore he is called Mark 6. the Carpenter There is no outward nor worldly pomp and grandour here And thus he was for the space of 30. years And then when he came to his publick Ministry he hath no great folks for his followers and Disciples but a few poor Fisher-men over and above whom he exalts not himself loftily but humbles himself to wash their feet and to serve them And to hold forth this a little further ye may take notice of some Scripture-expressions to that purpose as namely that of Luk. Chap. 9.58 Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head That of John Chap. 1.10 11. He was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not He came unto his own and his own received him not Though he could have made a thousand Worlds at a word yet so low was he that he had not a foot of ground to lay claim to or to lean his blessed head on And if we look to Luke 8. we will find that he was provided for in his necessity by some few Women such as Mary Magdalen Joanna Susanna and others who ministred to him of their substance He lived upon the charity of others And yet 2 Cor. 8. By his poverty he made many rich And when he went from place to place his diet was often a-seeking neither do we read of any great cheer he had but of some Barley Cakes and Fishes And often the Disciples were sent to seek for meat to him And 3. when it comes to his death O! How very low is he brought there When he is crucified they hang him up betwixt two thieves as the most notorious Malefactor of the three And he could hardly come under greater reproach then was cast upon him at his death And as a dead man being really dead he is laid in the
grave and buried as if death had gotten the victory over him And so he dies a most shameful death after he had lived a most mean and abject life 2. For his afflicted condition it is clear if we consider what troubles did accompany him in his life and at his death No sooner was he born but as I said he is persecuted by Herod so that himself and his parents must needs flee down to Egypt and they being but poor folks behoved in so long a journey to meet with many difficulties That they were but poor may be seen by Maries offering after her Purification And when he came forth in his Publick Ministry at his very entry to it he was most terribly tempted of the Devil taking occasion of his hunger after long fasting And all along the exercise of it what contradiction did he meet with from the Scribes and Pharisees How did he travel on his feet from place to place Often suâ—ject to weariness and fainting sometimes men will not so much as give him lodging which he suffers patiently and rebukes his Disciples for their impatience and preposterous zeal Luke 9. Many calumnies and reproaches were cast upon him He was called Beelzebub a Deceiver a friend of Publicans and Sinners How did some of his frâ—ends according to the flesh snarl at him and offer to bind him as a mad man What plots and conspiracies were laid and made to take away his life And when it came to the upshot of all Peter shamefully denied him and all the other Disciples forsook him and fled Many other things befell him as may be seen in the History of his Sufferings written by the Evangelists We read that he wept thrice to let us know that it was his frequent and familiar exercise And a little before his death we read that he was in a great agony and did therein sweat blood and offered prayers with strong cryes and tears but we read not that he did laugh or that ever any worldly mirth was found in him which clearly makes out this truth That he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief For Use It would take the tongues of Men and Angels to speak of it it being the most remarkable and soul-refreshing Subject that ever the world heard of even that of which the Angels sing Luke 2.10 11. Good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people that unto you is born in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord And this shall be a sign to you ye shall find the babe wraped in swadling-cloaths lying in a manger Sure we should not sing less but more then Angels Men being more concerned then Angels in these things And therefore 1. Behold believe and wonder that he that was rich became poor that we through his poverty might be made rich that he that was Lord of all became servant to all that he that was the infinite God the express image of his Fathers person and thought it no robbery to be equal with God yet humbled himself and became of no reputation and took on him the form of a servant c. Behold we say believe and wonder at this 1. In respect of the cause it came from to wit everlasting love He did and suffered all this most willingly there was no constraint on him But as it is Psal 40. He delighted to do his Fathers will He had power to lay down his life and to take it up again 2. In respect of the end it was not to add to his own glory for as God his Glory being infinit it was not neither was capable of diminution or addition but he became poor that we might be made rich He was a man of sorrows that we might be made to rejoice he wept that we might laugh he wanted that we might have Is not this love stooping thus loâ— to be wondered at Was there ever the like heard of That God the great Party offended should come so low to recover the despicable Parties offending and that even while they were rank enemies to him God commendeth his love to us saith the Apostle Rom. 5.8 that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us And saith himself John 15. Greater love hath no man then this that a man lay down his life for his friends But when we were enemies Christ died for us Were it then an unsuitable use of this Doctrine to be beholding believing and wondering at his love and to be often thinking and saying What is man that God should be so mindful of him as to send the Heir of all things his own Son into the world as his great Ambassadour and Commissioner to negotiat a peace betwixt himself and rebel-sinners which he was to purchase by becoming so very low and by suffering so very much 2. See in this the great evil and hurt of sin and the difficulty of making peace betwixt God and a sinner who hath provoked God Is it a little matter that made our Lord condescend and stoop so low O! if folk knew the evil of sin And that ere Justice could be satisfied the Son of God behoved to become Man and a deeply humbled Man The Sword of his avenging Justice behoved to awake against him and smite the man that was his fellow rather then that sin should go unpunished and Justice should want satisfaction Beware lightly to boast and brag of mercy or to think it easie to make your peace with God And remember that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God 3. See in this much condescending in our blessed Lord Jesus and a motive as well as a copy of patience in him who is content to be made of a woman made under the Law who submits himself unto the Law and takes on a mean and afflicted state of life in the world It 's a wonder that Christs members should take so ill with a mean suffering and hard lot seing their lot is far very far from the contempt reproaches sorrows weights and griefs that accompanied their Head and Lord And it 's a shame that believers minds and hearts should be set so much on these things that he who was and is their Lord and Master and the Heir of all things possessed so little of or that they should place their happiness in whole or in part in the injoyment of these things or their misery in the want of them More patience under the Cross under watchings weariness reproaches c. would become us much better our blessed Lord Jesus had a great many moe 4. See this to be not only a motivâ— to patience in respect of outward things but a stâ—pping stoâ—e and ground of encouragement to go forward to Christ with every want spiritual and temporal It 's much that our Lord became Man but it 's more that he became a man under griefs afflictions sorrows and temptations and was subject to death it self And that he hath bowels of
so that as he himself saith Luke 24.26 O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to have entered into his glory therefore he behoved to be in an Agony and to sweat great drops of Blood to be crucified and die and to be laid in the Grave 2. These things which we call accidentally due to Sin are mainly two 1. That horrible desperation of the damned in Heâ—l where they gnaw their tongues for pain and blaspheme God This we say is not properly and essentially the desert of Sin but only accidental 1. In respect of the Creatures inability to bear the wrath that Sin deserveth and hence ariseth not only a sinless horrour which is natural but a sinful desperation 2. Add to this inability of the Creature the enmity thereof whereby it cometh to thwart with and contradict the will of God hence the desperation not only ariseth but is increased Now our Lord Jesus not being simply a Creature or a Man but God and Man in one Person he was able to bear the sorrow and wrath due to the Elect for their Sin and and there being no quarrel nor ground of any quarrel betwixt God and him on his own account though he had a natural and sinless horrour at the cup of his Fathers displeasure when put to his head yet he had no sinful desperation The 2d thing accidentally due to Sin is the eternal duration of Wrath or of the Curse because the Sinner being a meer Creature cannot at one shoke meet with the infinite Wrath of God and satisfie Justice at once therefore the Lord hath in his Wisdom and Justice found out a way of supporting the Creature in its beeing and continuing it for ever under wrath because it cannot being finit satisfie infinite Justice But our Lord being God and Man being of infinite worth or value and of infinite strength was also to satisfie Justice and bear at once that which the Elâ—ct could never have born yet he had the essentials of that which sin deserved to wit death and the curse to meet with and did actually meet with them as the hiding of his Fathers face and the suspending and keeping back of that consolation that by vertue of the personal union flowed from the God-head to the Man-head And he also had the actual sense and feeling of the wrath of God the awaked Sword of the Justice of God actually smiting him so that men wondered how he could be dead so soon We shall only add a word or two of reasons for clearing and confirming the Doctrine and for proof of it these three things concur 1. That sins deserving by God's appointment is to have sorrow following on it 2 That by God's appointment according to the Covenant of Redemption the Son of God undertook that same very debt that was due by the Elect. And 3. That it was God's design not to pass one of their sins without satisfaction made to Justice but to put at the Cautioner for them all for the declaration of the riches and glory of the free grace of God when the sinner is liberat and not put to pay Anâ— for the declaration of the holy severity and justice of God when not one farthing is owing but the Cautioner must needs pay it and that both these meeting together there may be to all generations a standing and shining evidence of the unsearchable riches both of Gods Grace and of his Justice This is a sweet Doctrine and hath many massie substantial and soul refreshing uses Out of this eater comes meat and out of the strong comes sweet This being the very marrow of the Gospel holding out not only Christs sufferings but that he suffered not at randome or by guess but that he suffered the sorrows and griefs that we should have suffered and though the equivalent might have been received yet he would needs undergo the same sufferings in their essentials Which may exceedingly confirm the Faith and Hope of believers in him of their exemption and freedom from the wrath and curse of God seing he suffered the same that they should have suffered had not he interposed betwixt them and it as their Cautioner and Surety Use 1. Hereby we may know what an evil and bitter thing sin is that hath such effects Would God we could once prevail this far with you as to make you take up and believe that sin hath sorrow and grief inseparably knit to it and that the sinner is miserable and liable to death and to the curse of God and there is no difference but this that sinners are insensible how miserable they are and so in greater capacity to be made obnoxious to that misery Do ye mind this O sinners that God is angry with you every day That indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish is to every soul of man that does evil That God will by no means clear the guilty Tremble to think upon it Many of you pass as gay honest folks who will be found in this Roll And would ye know your condition and the hazard that ye run It 's of wrath and of the curse of God eternally with desperation and blasphemy And if that be misery sin is misery or brings it And the day comes when there shall be a storm from Heaven of Fire and Thunder that will melt the Elements above you and not leave a stone upon a stone of these stately buildings on earrh about you in which day sinners will be confirmed in the belief of this truth That it is an evil and bitter thing to depart from the living God To press this Use a little There are two sorts of sinners who if they would soberly let the truth of this Doctrine sink in their minds they would see their folly The 1. sort are these whoâ—ly quietly under bygone guilt unrepented of as if the sorrow were past becâ—use the Act is so but think not so will the just God avâ—nge sin on his Son and will he let it pass in you Ye that will grant ye are sinners and are under convictions of sin ye had need to take heed what is following it As ye treasure up sin ye are treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath O! wrath is a heaping up in store for you A 2. sort are these that go on in sin whatever be said to the effects of it and will confidently put their hand to it as if there were no sting in it at all and drink it over as so much sweet liquor but of these stoln drinks that seem sweet in secreet will be vomited up again with pain torment and sorrow and either it shall be grief and sorrow to you in the way of repentance or eternal grief and sorrow when the cup of Gods wrath shall be put in your hand and held to your head for evermore Use 2. By this ye may see a necessity of making use of the Mediator
him And these are distinguished from these not given John 17.6 11. And are called his sheep Joh. 10.15 and 17. Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life to wit for my sheep And all the strain of this Chapter being to shew Gods way of contriving and prosecuting the work of Redemption and Christs executing thereof according to the Covenant of Redemption All this spoken of Christs suffering must be expounded according to that ingagement 2. Whereas it is said v. 8. For the transgressions of my people was he stricken It is certain this our and us and we for whom Christ was stricken must be restricted to Gods people That is his peculiar people who are his by electing love as Christ saith Joh. 17.6 Thine they were and thou gavest them to me They are not his as all the World are his but are contradistinguished from the world as his own peculiar purposed designed people Sure all the World are not God's People in this sense therefore they are called his sheep and contradistinguished from these who are not his sheep Joh. 10.17 And therefore we are to look on these words our us and we as of equivalent extent with the peculiar people of God He carried the punishment of the sins of all Gods people that are his peculiar election 3. So v. 10. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed Hence we gather this that these whose iniquities Châ—ist bare are Christs Seed and for these he purposely laid down his life as these whom he expected should be saved for satisfying of him for the travel of his soul and for no moe and these cannot certainly be all the World there being such contradistinction betwixt Christ Mystical or his Seed comprehending the Elect And the Seed of the Serpent comprehending the Reprobat and Wicked who are said to be of their father the Devil These are Christs Seed who are spiritually begotten of him and these doubtless are not all the World and for these only he suffered So that our sins here are the sins of all the Seed 4. Look to v. 11. where it is said By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities Where it is clear whose sins they are that Christ bears it 's theirs who are justified by his knowledge or by faith in his blood and justification by faith in his blood and redemption by his blood are commensutable and of equal extent Now it being certain as to the event that not all the World nor all in the visible Church are justified by the Faith of Christ it must also be certain that the sins of others who are not nor shall not be justified were never purposly born by Christ And this ground as all the rest will be the more clear if we consider that it is given as an Argument why they must be justified because he hath born their iniquities A 5. ground may be gathered from the last words of the Chapter He made intercession for the transgressours Whence we may reason that Christ's intercession and his satisfaction are of equal extent he satisfies for no moe then he interceeds for Now it was not for all the World nor indefinitely and by guess for all in the visible Church that Christ did interceed but for them that the Father had given him out of the world John 17. v. 9. and v. 6. Thine they were and thou gavest them me And v. 10. All mine are thine and thine are mine Christs death being the ground of his intercession and it being by vertue of his death that he interceeded his death and intercession must be of the same extent He interceeds for such and such sinners because he hath payed a price for them that there may be a good account made of them at the last day The 1. Use of it serves to clear a great and precious truth concerning Gods Covenant and discriminating love whereby he hath put difference betwixt some and others 2. It serves to stir them up who are thus differenced to admire at and to commend his love who hath been graciously mindful of them when others are past by 3. It serves also to clear other Scriptures and this same Chapter and to teach us not to make common to all the priviledges bestowed on some peculiar ones and to guard us against the vilifying and prophaning of our Lords sufferings as if he had no special and peculiar design in them or as if they might be frustrated in the design of them contrary to the promises made to him of the Father And therefore here to obviat an Objection which is made from the 6 vers All we like sheep have gone astray Whence some would infer that it 's all who like sheep have strayed whose iniquities Christ hath born We say that that all is not meant to comprehend them whose iniquities Christ hath born only but to hold out the extent of straying or the meaning is not to shew that his suffering and satisfying of Justice extended to all that strayed but to shew that the Elect for whom he suffered had all of them strayed as well as others And this is like the reasoning which the Apostle hath 2 Cor. 5.14 If one died for all then were all dead The meaning whereof is not that Christ died for all that were dead but this is the meaning that all for whom Christ died were once dead so here while it 's said All we like sheep have gone astray It is to shew that the Elect strayed and esteemed him not as well as others and had Goâ—s curse lying on them as their due all Christ interposed and took it off them as well as others The Point might have also Use for Confirmation but we do not follow these 2. Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows that is our griefs and sorrows who are his Elect his People his Seed who flee to him for refuge and are justified by his knowledge or by Faith in him and for whom he maketh intercession Hâ—nce Observe that Believers would endeavour the strengthening of themselves in the Faith of this that Jâ—sus Christ hath born their griefs and sorrows and hath satisfied Justice for tâ—en in particular they would study to be in case on good ground with the Prophet to say Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows To make it sure that they are in the Roll of Elect Believers and Justified Persons To say with the Apostle Paul Gal. 3.13 He was made a curse for us And with the same Apostle 2 Cor. 5. ult to say He was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him And to say with the Apostle Peter 1 Pet. 2.24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree they speak alwayes by way of application So in these places whereby we confirmed the Doctrine that Christ really bare that punishment of
be done And so hotly and hardly was he pursued by Justice that he must needs come to the cursed death of the Cross and actually die And as if death had gotten a piece of dominion over the Lord of Life he is laid in the grave So Zech. 13. the Lord saith Awake O sword against my shepherd and against the man that is my fellow smite the shepherd Where we see that when the good Shepherd and great Bishop of Souls hath undertaken for the Elects debt Justice gives a Commission as it were to its own holy revenge to pursue the man that is God's fellow for that debt That which we design to confirm in the Doctrine is not only that our Lord Jesus suffered but that his suffering was by Justice it's exacting of him the debt of the Elects sin according to the engagement that he came under to the Father For the scope is to shew not only that he suffered so great things as oppressed and brought him very low But also that he was put at by Justice in these sad sufferings to pay the debt that he had taken on For confirming and clearing of this a little ye may consider 1. The Titles which he gets in Scripture he is called the Cautioner or Surety of the better Testament or Covenant Heb. 7.22 And by that Title he is shewed to be instated in our room and answerable for our debt And he is called the Lamb that takes away the debt of our sin by the sacrifice of himself He steped in into our place and kept off the stroak of the Sword of Justice that would have lighted on us had he not interposed 2. Consider the Titles which his sufferings and death gets Heb. 9.12 He is said to purchase to wit by it eternal Redemption for us And Rom. 3.24 we are said to be justified through the Redemption that is in Jesus We were slaves to the Devil subject to the curse discerned and adjudged to suffer for the wrongs that we had done to Justice And his suffering is called Redemption because as the man that redeems the Captive gives a ransom for him so he interposed and payed a ransom for us It 's also called a propitiation 1 John 2.2 He is the propitiation for our sins to wit pleasing to God and accepted of him in the room of all the Elect And this word propitiation as it supposeth God's being displeased with the Elect before Christ's satisfaction so it plainly holds forth his being well pleased with them on the account of his satisfaction 3. Consider these Scriptures that speak not only of Christ's sufferings but of their end and scope even the drawing of him down to speak so into the Elects room as v. 5. of this Chapter He was wounded for our transgressions c. He got the stroaks and we got the cure 2 Cor. 5.21 He was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God through him We are sinners and Christ is to purchase righteousness to us And the way how he doth it is by steping in into our room and becoming our Cautioner and he ingaging as Surety the Law wins at him on that ground so Gal. 3.13 He hath redeemed us from the curse of the law by being made a curse for us we were under the Curse and lyable to be pursued by it and our Lord Jesus becomes a Curse to deliver us from it Considering then the end of Gods Covenant which is to glorify his Justice aâ—d Grace that Sinners may know it is an evil thing to sin and depart from God and that Grace is a very costly thing whereunto he hath made access through the Vail which is his Flesh and considering Christs undertaking without which they could not be set free it could not be otherways This is a truth that hath in it much of the marrow of the Gospel and tends much to humble us and is also very much for our comfort What was Justice seeking of Christ when he suffered and was in an agony if thou beest a Believer or an elect Sinner it was even exacting thy Debt of him and would it not affect an ingenuous Debtor to see his Cautioner dragged haled and hurried to Prison for his Debt Even so if we could look on Christs Sufferings as so many Summons and Pursevants arresting him for our Debt it could not but affect us with much sorrow for our sins that brought him to this and with much love to him who was content to be so dealt with for them and no doubt this is one of the reasons why he will have his death remembered till he come again even that we may see our obligation to him and be suitably affected with it 2ly Observe That the Debt of the Elects sins was severely and with holy rigidity exacted of Christ to the very full worth or value this proceeding was as to Christ by way of Justice whether we look to the purchase that he made to wit the Elects Souls he laid down as good in their room or whether we look to a Transaction or Bargain going before whatever was in the stipulation he payed and satisfied to the full nothing was remitted nor given him down or whether we look to the Curse due to the Elect that was inflicted on him and he himself was made a Curse for us looking on the Curse simply as penal and what was bitter in it which shews his condescendency in his Sufferings so much the more 3ly Observe That our Lord Jesus was brought exceeding low while the Debt of the Elect was exacted of him He was put to exceeding sore affliction much straitned and stressed by the Justice of God exacting of him the Debt due by elect Sinners We spoke to some words before which bare out this as he was wounded bruised chastified c. and now we see the effect here when Justice puts him to it After he hath taken on the Debt he is tried stripped as it were to the skin punished and distressed ere he get it payed If we consider our Lord Jesus as God he is neither less nor more punished being so considered utterly incapable of any such thing But if we look on him as Mediator God-man God much withdrawing from him the influence of his comforting presence while he hath the cup of wrath in his hand so he is brought exceeding low and sadly afflicted And these four considerations under which we may see him paying our Debt may clear it 1. That he laid aside the glory which before the World was he had with the Father for a time which therefore that it may be restored to him again he prayeth John 17.5 it having been as to the manifestation thereof in his person eclipsed interrupted and darkened for a season hence the Apostle says Philip. 2. that he emptied himself and became of no reputation as if his glory had not been discernable for a time He that is Judge of Quick and Dead is himself
no dominion over him he had a glorious out-gate He was taken out and set free from the prison or straits wherein he was held And from these judgements that past upon him The reason of the Exposition is drawn from the plain meaning of the words which must run thus He was taken from judgement the very same which is in the following expression He was cut off out of the land of the living that being the ordinary signification of the preposition from the meaning must be this that he was taken out of the condition wherein he was It agrees also best with the scope of the very next words Who shall declare his generation Wherein he proposeth an admirable aggravation of this delivery The 2d thing hath a connexion with the former and therefore take a word or two for clearing of it What to understand by Generation here is somewhat difficult to determine the word in the Original having several meanings yet generally it looks to one of two as it is applyed to Christ 1. Either to the time past and so it 's used by many to express and hold forth Christ's God-head and so the meaning is though he was brought very low yet he was and is the eternal Son of God Or 2. as commonly it is taken it looks to the time to come and so the meaning is who shall declare his duration or continuance Generation is often taken thus in Scripture for the continuance of an Age and of one Age following another successively as Joshua 22. This Altar shall be a witness to the generations to come So then the meaning is he was once low but God exalted him and brought him thorow and who shall declare this duration or continuance of his exaltation As it is Phil. 2.8 9. He humbled himself c. Therefore God highly exalted him As his humiliation was low so his exaltation was ineffable it cannot be declared nor adequatly conceived the continuance of it being for ever There is no inconsistency betwixt these two Expositions His duration or continuance after his suffering necessarily presupposing his Godhead brought in here partly to shew the wonderfulness of his suffering it being God that suffered for the man that suffered was God Partly to shew Christ's glory who notwithstanding of his suffering was brought thorow and gloriously exalted And these reasons make it evident 1. Whatever these words Who shall declare his age or generation do signifie certainly it is something that can be spoken of no other but of Christ and that agrees to him so as it agrees to no other Now if we look simply to the eternity of his duration or continuance that agrees to all the Elect and will agree to all men at the Resurrection Therefore the Prophet must look here to his continuance and duration as he is God 2. Because Who shall declare his genaration is brought in here to shew the ineffableness of it and so to make his sufferings the more wonderful it was he who suffered whose continuance cannot be declared 3. It 's such a continuance as is brought in to shew a reason why death could not have dominion over him nor keep him according to that Rom. 1.4 He was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead And the reason subjoyned to this will someway clear it for he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people was he stricken Thereby insinuating that because of the great work which he had to do there behoved to be some singularness in the person that had the work in hand who notwithstanding of the greatness and difficultness of it came thorow and was hereby exalted However it be the Prophets scope being to set out Christ's Humiliation and Exaltation his Humiliation before and his Exaltation after which is as we said ordinary in Scripture We conceive the meaning we have given is safe and agreeable to the Prophets scope We may observe three things from the first part of the words 1. That our Lord Jesus Christ in his performing the work of Redemption was exceedingly straitned or pinshed or held in as the word is elsewhere rendered bound up and hemmed in as men are who are in Prison and by these straitnings we mean not only such as he was brought into by and before men whereof we spoke before but especially these that were more inward and these being amongst the last steps of his Humiliation more immediately preceeding his Exaltation and spoken of as most wonderful we conceive they look to these pressures that were upon his spirit and we shall instance several places of Scripture that serve to hold them out the first is that of John 12.27 28. Now is my soul troubled and what shall I say Father save me from this hour here our blessed Lord is troubled in Spirit and so pinshed and hedged in as in a Prison that he is holily non-plussed what to say The 2d Scripture is Matth. 26.38 My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death which is like the expressions used by the Apostle 2 Cor. 11.8 We were pressed above measure above strength in so much as we despaired of life and we had the sentence of death in our selves there was no outgate obvious to humane sense and uptaking so is it here wherein we are not only to consider his Soul vexation but that his Soul vexation was very great extreamly pinshing vexing and in a manner imprisoning to him The 3d Scripture is Luke 22.44 He being in an agony prayed more earnestly and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground there was such a striving wrestling and conflicting not with man without him but with inward pressures on his spirit that he is like one in a Barrace or Cockpit or engaged in a Duel with a mighty Combatant sore put to it very far beyond ought that we can conceive of so that he swat great drops of blood and says father if thou be willing remove this cup from me nevertheless not my will but thine be done it is in Matthew if it be possible and thereafter if it be not possible which says there was no winning out of the grips of the Law and Justice till they were fully satisfied and these dreadful words uttered by him on the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me hold out that from the sinless humane nature of Christ the comfortable and joyful influence of the God-head for a time was in a great measure suspended though the sustaining power thereof was exercised mightily on him so that he looks on himself some way as forsaken and left in the hand of the Curse To clear this a little we would consider these pressures that were on our Lords Spirit 1. In respect of their cause 2. In respect of their effects 1. In respect of their cause There is upon the one side his undertaking for
as a reason of the former and the one part of them is a reason of the other he had said before Who can declare his generation Who can sufficiently declare and unfold how gloriously the Mediator is exalted And he gives this for the reason of it For he was cut off out of the land of the living The force of which reason is that he humbled himself therefore God hath highly exalted him as the Apostle reasons Philip. 2.9 So tha this is not added as being posterior to his Exaltation but as a reason shewing the connexion of his Exâ—ltation with his Humiliation And left it should be a stumbling to any that this glorious person suffered death he gives the reason of that also which strengthens the reason of his Exaltation For the transgression of my people was he stricken or as the word is The stroak was on him he suffered not for any wrong in himself but for the sins of his own elect people The first part clearly looks to Christs death which was a Prophesie in Isaiah his time but is now a Historical narr tion to us we having the Gospel as a Commentary on it To be cut off out of the land of the living is to have an end put to the natural life which is ordinarily done by death But cutting off here signifies to be taken away not in an ordinary but in an extraordinary way to be removed by a violent death by the stroak of Justice We may shortly take these two Observes here for the confirmation of two Articles of our Faith Looking on it 1. As a Prophesie we may Observe That our Lord Jesus behoved to suffer and die it was Prophesied of him That he should be cut off out of the land of the living And Dan. 9.26 it is plainly and clearly asserted that the Messiah shall be cut off which being compared with the History of the Gospel we have it as a truth â—ulfilled for our Lord Jesus was cut off and as he himself sayes Luke 24. It behoved him to suffer these things and to enter into his gloâ—y Aâ—d supposing the Elect to be sinners and the curse to be added to the Covenant of Works The day thou eats thou shalâ— surely die supposing also the Mediator to have ingaged and undertaken to satisfie Juâ—â—ice and undergo that curse for the Elâ—ct There was a necessity that he should die as it is Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us which curse was evidenâ— in his death for it is written Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree 2. Observe That our Lord Jesus behoved to die a violent death and not an ordinary natural one which this expression and that other Dan 9 clearly holds forth And consideriâ—g his sinless nature that was not lyable to death and that he had not these principles of dying in him disposing him to die that we sinful miserable mortals have is us And considering withal that the Lord Jâ—hovah was to speak so pursuing him as siâ—ners Câ—uâ—ioner at the Bar of Justice it was meet yea necâ—ssary that our blessed Lord should not die an ordinary death as men die ordinarily through weakness or sickness on their beds but a violent death Use It serves to be a confirmation of this truth that the Messiah behoved thus to die therefore we say in the Belief He suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buried Which shews 1. The reality oâ— his satisfaction and the compleat payment that he made to Justice when he layes down that price which the sinner ought to have laid down 2. It shews the reality of our Lord's sufferings and that they were not imaginary but that as he was a real and true man so his sufferings were most real His soul was separat from his body though the union betwixt both his body and soul and the God-head continued still 3. It holds forth a proof and confirmation of our faith in this that our Lord Jesus is the Messiah that was Prophesied of and promiâ—ed in whom all the suffâ—rings in his soul and body that were spokâ—n of to go before his death were accomplished and in whom this was also accomplished that he was cut off out of the land of the living So that if we look rightly on the Scriptures our Lords sufferings will be so far from being matter of stumbling that they will rather be a clear convincing and evident proof that Jeâ—us of Nazareth is the true Messiah and that in him all th t was spoken concerning the Messiah is fulfi led and came to pass 4. It 's mâ—tter of great consolation to believers that our Lord Jesus who is now exalted died and so death is spoiled and there needs not be any great fear for them to yoke with it This land of the living is not their rest within a little they must be gone hence Our Lord was cut off from it and that by a shameful death for the behove and sake of others and not for himself and therefore his death cannot but be made forth-coming for them for whom he under-went it and their petty suffâ—rings need not much to vex them Those plainest truths that are most ordinary have in them most of spiritual sap juâ—ce and life to strengthen Faith and to furnish consolation to Believers And were they rightly understood and fed upon by Faith O how lively might they be And were there no more but these two words in thâ— Text. O how much consolation do they yield in lâ—fe and in death Our Lord is gone before Believers and they may be greatly heartned to follow him The last part of or the last thing in the words seem to have some more obscurity in it and therefore we shall insist the more in opening up of the same For the transgression of my people was he stricken These words do not look to the reason why Pilate and the Priests condemned him for they had no thoughts of the sins of Gods people Though Caiaphas stumbled as to himself by guess on a Prophesie of his dying for them but they give a reason why he was cut off out of the land of the living And look to the Court and Tribunal of God's Justice before which he was standing by which he was to be sentenced to death for the transgressions of God's people and also absolved He was thus stricken in respect of God's purpose and design For clearing of the words it may be inquired 1. What is meant here by my people 2. What is it to be stricken or smitten for them For the 1. My people it is a discriminating or differencing thing of some from others And therefore by my people here is not meant 1. All the world or all that ever lived and had a beeing We find not any where in Scripture that these are called my people or God's people but when ever my people is spoken of it is used to rid Marches betwixt his people and
speaks of them John 17. he opposeth them to and contradistinguisheth them from all others I pray for them I pray not for the world buy for them that thou hast given me out of the world to let us know that the things prayed for to the one are denied to the other according to the strain of the Covenâ—â—t Aâ— ad ground is drawen from the strain and frame of the Covenâ—nt of Redemption where we find two things clear 1. That as to the end and convey of it the Elect are the only Persons for â—hose good and behove it 's intended and if it be the Elect for whom he entered in that Covenant theâ— the advantage good and benefite of the Elect must be eâ—ed in this main aâ—ticle of the Covenant which relates to Chriâ—'s death and sufferings For 1. In the Covenant of Redemption the good of the Elect is proposed and designed by the Father as is clear John 6.39 40. This is the Fathers will that sent me that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing and this is the Fathers will that sent me that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life which will be the more clear if we consider the time when this is spoken it 's at such a time when many will not come to him and belâ—â—ve on him as vers 36 37. Ye also have seen me and believe not all that the Father hath given shall come unto me and him that cometh I will in no wise cast out for I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him that sent me and then follows This is the will of him that sent me c. and vers 43 44. Murmure not saith he among your selves no man can come to me except the Father that sent me draw him this ye heard of from John 17.2 at greater length 2. Look on the Son's side of the Covenant and it will also be clear for his undertaking must be according to the Fathers proposing if the Father did not propose all but some only to be redeemed then his undertaking must be for these some and not for all conform to the Fathers proposal Psal 40. Then said I lo I come to do thy will O my God now the Fathers will is that the should undertake for these given him and it 's not his will that he should undertake for others therefore he did not undertake for them 3. Christs sufferings and death are the execution of the Fathers will and therefore must be the execution of his undertaking according to his engagement for the Elect and given ones therefore these two are put together John 17.9 and 19. I pray for them I pray not for the world but for them which thou hast given me and for their sakes I sanctifie my self that is for their sakes whom thou hast given me and not for the world He sancrifies himself for them for whom he prays for them that are given him and no more 2ly This is clear in the Covenant that Christs death is intended thereâ—n as all other Mercies covenanted are that is to say to whom Faith Effectual Calling Justification c. are covenanted for these is Christ's death covenanted and for none others for the Covenant being mutual the repromâ—ssion on the Fathers part must be of equal extent with the Son's stipulation but all these are only peculiarly applicable to the Elect as benefites flowing from and following upon Christ's death which therefore must be peculiarly intended for them as being undergone for them hence when Christ speaks of Faith and Effectual Calling John 6. he says All that the Father hath given me shall come unto me and none other will nor can come so Justification Pardon of Sin c. are bought to the Elect and to none others and when the smallest of blessings are covenanted and articled for none other but for the Elect shall Jesus Christ himself that gift of God or his death which is the chief thing articled in the Covenant be covenanted for or applyed to any others but to them A 3d. ground is drawen from Christs executing of his Offices for this piece or part of Christs executing of his Office must correspond and be of equal extent with all the other parts and pieces of his Offices such as his effectual teaching interceeding subduing to himself c. which are no broader then the Elect for he executes no part of any of his Offices for the behove and benefite of any but of the Electâ— he saâ—ingly enlightens no others he subâ—uts none others to the faith of the Gospel he interceeds for none others his intercession is not for the world therefore his death must be for none others all these being commenturâ—â—le and oâ— equal extent his intercession being grounded on his suffâ—ring therefore Joh. 17. he lays by the world expressly as theâ—e for whom he will not pray and looks back to the Covenant as the ground of his undertaking for the Elect given him out of the world and not for others and if he will not pray nor interceed for others what reason can be given of his dying for others when he will not do the less which is to pray for them it were absurd to think or say that he will do the greater which is to lay down his life for them A 4th ground is this Christ's death is one of the peculiar evidences of his deâ—rest love beyond which there is none greater and a main proof and fruitâ— thereof and therefore is not common to all but is intended for them only whom he peculiarly loves and designs to bring through to glory which is clear Eph. 5.26 Husbands love your wives as Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it c. Rom. 5.5 God commends his love to us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us John 15.13 Greater love hath no man then this that a man should lay down his life for his friends there is a world of Reprobates whom Christ never loved with peculiar love and sure for these he did not die Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated saith the Lord Rom. 9.13 which the Apostle holdeth forth as a sort of copy of God's dealing in reprobation and election in reference to all Mankind and where the Lord himself hath set bounds betwixt them whom he loves and hates it 's too great liberality or rather too great presumption for any under whatever specious pretences to extend this his peculiar love to these whom he disclaims A 5th ground is taken from the effect thus All for whom Christ died are justified and freed from the guilt of their sins in due time but Christ Jesus hath not purchased and actually procured freedom to all men from their sins all men be not justified therefore he laid not down his life for all For 1. It cannot be said that he laid down his life for purchasing and buying of such wares
and yet that he got not that which he bought and seing the event tells plainly that all are not justified and brought to Heaven it cannot be that he laid down his life a Ransom for all but it must be for the Elect only that he died 2. To say that God exacts double payment of one and the self same Deâ—â— that he exacts from men over again that which Christ payed already for them reflects on the Justice and Wisdom of God and to say that a person that goes to hell shall be no less in his common then another that goes to Heaven is no less absurd for the Apostle says Rom. 5.10 If while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life where he plainly insinuates that if a person be bought by Christs death it cannot be that he can perish for if the price be payed by his death and so the greater thing be done much more will the lesser we shall be saved by his life now this reasoning could have no force if Christ died for any that shall perish yea vers 11. of this Chapter it 's said By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities where it 's clear that as many and no moâ— whose iniquities Christ hath taken on and born shall be justified for the one is given as a reason of the other and there should be no consequence to his justifying of them from his bearing of their iniquitries if he could by his death bear their iniquities whom he never justified A 6th ground is taken from the end of the Covenant which is to put a difference betwixt special Grace peculiar to some and severe Justice to others and particularly and especially in Christs death which makes out what we affirm for if when Christ died many were actually damned it cannot be said that he died for these not that it was with them as with Believers before his death for it cannot he said that the intention of his death in the Covenant could be beyond what it was at his death the one being the execution of the other And sure it could not be intended at his death for the damned For it would seem a very absurd thing to say that when Christ was to go and lay down his life that he was going to suffer for many that were suffering for their own sins in Hell as many reprobat sinners were before he came in the flesh Can any imagine a possibility of such a thing Our Lord was not to be so indifferent in the administration of Grace as to cast it thus away And can any reasonably think that at one and the same time the same punishment shall be exacted from Christ and from the persons themselves for whom he suffered It is possible that this could be intended in the Covenant of Redemption Or is there free access to Justice to pursue Christ as Cautioner when the Principal Debtor is actually siezed upon Indeed when the Principal is set free as the Elect were before his death there is access to pursue the Cautioner for their debt But no such thing can be alledged for others that were already damned But their being taken hold of by Justice is a proof that he answered not for them nor payed their debt 7. We may argue thus If Christ died for all then either for all indifferently and so all were alike obliged to Christ Or for some more absolutely that must be satisfied for and for others conditionally on supposition that they should believe But this last is absurd for 1. The Scripture makes not two considerations of Christs death 2. It were absurd to say that now it cannot be told whether Christ died for such an one or not 3. Either that condition is bought to them or not If it be bought then it must be fulfilled If it be not bought then 1. That person cannot be said to be bought because all needful for his Redemption is not bought and payed for 2. Either that condition can be fulfilled by themselves or not if it may be by themselves then is Free-will established and none are absolutely redeemed If it cannot be fulfilled by themselves and yet bought by him for them then they are determined for another end to wit not to get it and what wisdom can there be in such a Redemption as this The 1. Use serves for clearing and confirming of a Gospel truth of the Covenant of Redemption and for the refutation of a contrary error As we have somewhat of many errors practically in our hearts so have we this amongst the rest that Christ died for all sinners which fosters peoples security and their groundless hope of admission to Heaven But here we see that our Lord Jesus in laying down his life intended the satisfaction of Divine Justice for none but for his Elect people and if so there are many for whom he never intended the benefite of his death There are three particular Branches of the error which this Doctrine confutes 1. Their opinion which is more lax and takes in the sins of all men and women in the world and giveth them an equal share in Christs sufferings as if in his intention in laying down of his life and in Gods purpose he had suffered and died for all for him that goes to Hell as well as for him that goes to Heaven But if Christ stand as Cautioner for the Elect only then sure this opinion cannot hold for all are not Gods Elect And therefore all are not indifferently redeemed And though it may be that some of you think that this looks liker grace yet it s not only absurd as being contrary to truth but its absurd also even with respect to grace For 1. It makes grace a common thing a man that is in Hell to be as much obliged to Christ as one that is in Heaven And though it plausibly pretends to give grace abroad and large extent yet it takes away the power of it For if grace be thus largely extended it 's not grace that makes the application of grace but the free will of the Creature For grace according to this opinion leaves men to be saved or not as they please and leaves it self to be overcome by mans will And therefore these errours divide not but go together hand in hand For where grace is made so large free-will is made to have a dominion over it and thus the weight of grace and of election are laid upon it 2. It lessenâ—â— the estimation of Gods grace in the minds of people for thus they think little of Heaven and suppose that it is an easie matter to win at it and it breeds in them a fearlessness of Hell and of Gods Wrath And if many of you had not drunken in this errour practically ye would not be so confident of nor so obstinatly maintain your hope of Heaven without
as it were cry Take him up now and they seal the stone and set a watch to keep him in the grave 3. It 's for the consolation of the Believer and serves mightily to strengthen him against the fear of death and the grave So that the Believer needs not be afraid of death but may ly down quietly in the grave because it was Christs bed warmed to say so by him he was there before him and the grave is now to the Believer no part of the curse more than death is The grave will not swallow him up with a sort of dominion and right as it doth the reprobate 4. It serves to confirm the truth of the Resurrection of Christ more than if he had never been in the grave as the Apostle proves 1 Cor. 15. from the beginning to the close even till he come to that O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory Our Lord by dying and being buried hath delivered his people from both As neither a great Stone nor a Seal put on it could keep him in the grave but that he rose again the third day so no thing will be able for ever to keep Believers at under and as he died to disarm death so his entering in the grave was to disarm the grave and to open a door for Believers to come thorow it by his power who was dead and laid in the grave but now is risen and alive for evermore The Uses are 1. To shew the full conformity and agreeableness that is betwixt what was foretold of the Messiah and what is fulfilled and so serves to confirm our Faith in this that he is the true Messiah who was crucified dead and buried This is one of the Articles of our Faith foretold by Isaiah now fulfilled and recorded to be so in the Gospel 2. It shews the severity of Justice that when any person is made lyable to the lash of it were it but as Cautioner it will exact of him satisfaction to the uttermost Therefore when Christ enters himself our Cautionrr it not only exacts death and pursues him till he give up the Ghost but after death pursues him to the grave It will needs have that satisfaction of the Mediator and he yields to it so as to lay himself by as a dead man O what a revengful thing is Justice when a sinner must answer to it When the Mediator was so pursued by it what will it do to others who are out of him Here we may apply that word Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me but weep for your selves and your children If it be done so to the green tree what will be done to the dry When the fire of the vengeance of God shall kindle that lake that burns with fire and brimstone and when sinners shall be cast into it as so many pieces of Wood or as so many pieces of dry sticks what will be their condition It were good in time to fear falling into the hands of the living God which is indeed a most fearful thing Heb. 10.31 3 It shews the Believers obligation to God that hath so fully provided a satisfaction for him and hath furnished him with such a ground of consolation Beside what is done for the satisfying of Justice which is the great consolation there is here ground of consolation against all crosses pain sickness death and the grave There is not a step in the way to Heaven but our Lord hath gone it before us We have not only a Mediator that died but that was buried And O! but this is much when Believers come to think on their going to the grave Will it devour them or feed upon them for ever No he hath muzled it to say so They rest in their grave as in a bed in their bodies being united to him and their dust must be counted for It s true the bodies of the reprobate must be raised up yet upon another account and not by vertue of their union with Christ and of Christs victory over death in their stead as Believers are In a word they have many advantages that have Christ and they have a miserable life a comfortless death and a hard lying in the grave that want him Therefore as the short cut to have a happy life and a comfortable death and burial and the grave sanctified to you seek to have your interest in Christ made sure then all things are yours and particularly death and the grave which will be as a Box to keep the particles of your dust till it restore them faithfuly to Christ to whom it must give an account But as for you that sl ght and misken Christ ye have a dreadful lot of it no interest in Christ living no union with him in the grave nor at the Resurrection And if ye did but seriously câ—nsider that ye will die ye would also coâ—sider that it 's good dying and being in the grave with Christ and that it 's a woful thing to be and to be in it without him 3ly Observe That all the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ to the least particular circumstance of them were ordered of God and before hand determined and concluded upon none of them came by guess upon him That he should suffer and die and what sort of death he should die and that he should be laid in the grave all was before concluded and determined When we read thorow the Gospel it were good to take a look of the Old Testament-Prophesies of the Covenant of Redemption and of the ancient determinations concerning him as Peter doth Acts 2.27 Him being delivered by the determinate counsel of God ye have with wicked hands crucified God's fore knowledge and determination fixed the bounds and laid down the rule to speak so to these wicked hands in the crucifying of him without all tincture or touch of culpable accession to their sin and in looking over his sufferings we would call to mind that this and this was the Lords purpose and that in these sufferings and in every part and piece of them the Mediator is telling down the price that he undertook to pay All which demonstrats the verity of our Lords being the true Messiah 4ly From comparing the two parts of the first part of the verse together He made his grave with the wicked as to the estimation of men and with the rich in his death in respect of Gods ordering it Observe That oâ—ten God hath one design and men another and that God will have his design to â—â—and and infrustrably to take effect When some would design shâ—me to his people he will have them honoured The 1. Use serves to comfort Gods people when they are in their lowest condition and when their enemies are in highest power our Lord is driving on his design and making his and their enâ—mies to fulfill it Pilate and the Chief Priests with the Scribes and Pharisees are putting Christ to death the multituâ—e arâ— crying Crucifie him
and preferring a Robber to him But in all this they were fu fi ling what God had before determined to be done which we say is mâ—tter of great consolation both as to our own particular case as to God's general guiding of the World and especially of his Church therein There is nothing wherein the malice of men seems to be most prevalent but our Lord is still gaining his point upon and by them They are all the while executing God's determination though to their own ruine 2. See here an exact correspondency betwixt all the circumstances of our Lord's sufferings and God's determination and a concurrence of all of them for the promoving of it in the History of the Gospel A bone of him is not broken when the bones of the two Thieves crucified with him are broken a Spear is run at him and his side is pierced when they are not pierced And all this because it was prophesied of him that A bone of him shall not be broken and they shall look upon him whom they have pierced and when it comes to his burial Pilate wots not what he is doing when yet he is fulfilling the Lords design in giving his body to a rich man Joseph of Arimathea when he asked it from him to be buried by him whereby the Prophesie of the Text is fulfilled The wickedness of some the contingent actions of others and the ignorance of many concurr all together to make out the same holy and unalterable design and purpose of God And therefore 3dly Let us stay our faith here that our Lord is yet still working in all these confusions and when matters return'd up-side down to humane appearance our blessed Lord is not non-plussed and at a stand when we are he knows well what he is doing and will make all things most certainly infallibly and infrustrably to work for his own glory and for the good of his people From its being said that He gave his grave with the wicked as holding forth Christ's willingness to be buried as he saith of his death John 10.17 No man taketh away my life from me but I lay it down and take it up again Observe That in the whole performance of the work of Redemption even in the lowest and most shameful steps of it our Lord was a most willing condescender He gave his grave with the wicked He was a most free and willing undertaker when as it were the Question was put Who will satisfie for Elect sinners He comes in and sayes as we hâ—ve it Psal 40. Lo I come in the volume of thy book it is written of me I delight to do thy will O my God I am here Father as if he had said I offer my self and accept of the terms heartsomly and delightsomly I rejoyced saith he Prov. 8.28 in the habitable parts of the earth before the foundation of the world was laid my delight was with the sons of men So it may be made evident that in all the parts of his sufferings and in every step thereof he did most exactly and also most willingly perform whatever was carved out to him He preached and wrought miracles and did all with delight as himself sayes John 4.32 It is my meat and my drink to do my Fathers will and to finish his work It refreshed him when his body was hungry and faint to be carrying on the work of Redemption in speaking to a poor straying sinner If we yet look a little forward we will find that he so longed for the saddest part of this exercise that he is pained till it be accomplished Luke 12.50 I have a bâ—ptism to be baptized with and how am I straitned till it be accomplished His heart longed so much to be at it that he would approve nor admit of nothing that might stand in the way of it therefore he rejected Peters advice with holy detestation with a Get thee behind me Satan He knew well what was in Judas mind and yet would not divert him but bid him do what he was about quickly He went to the Garden where he was known to resort and gave his enemies opportunity to rake him and would not suffer his Disciples to draw a Sword to oppose them When he was before Pilate he would not open his mouth When he was buffetted he gave his back to the smiters and his cheeks to him that plucked off the hair and hid not his face from shame and spitting Because he knew what was aimed at in all this and accordingly saith Matth. 20.20 The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransome for many When His Holy Humane Nature scarred at the Cup and when he was thereby put to pray Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me he sweetly subioyns but for this cause came I unto this hour And the nearer it came to his death he vented his desire after it the more With desire have I desired saith he or with special desire have I desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer Even when he was to eat the last Passover and to take his last good night and to be in readiness for what was coming What could have been the mean or motive to bring it about if he had not been willing It was this willingness that Jehovah was pleased with and that made his Sacrifice to smell sweetly to his Father who loveth a cheerful giver and it had never been satisfactory if it had not been willing but extorted and therefore saith he Joh. 10. No man taketh my life from me but I lay it down And I delight to do thy will Psal 40. Use 1. See here a great evidence of the love of God and of the Mediator Behold what manner of love this is that when it was not required he should offer and freely give himself to death and to the grave this is the love of a friend and beyond it that he should have so loved his Church as to give himself for her to death and to the grave Well may he say as he doth John 15.15 Greater love hath no man then this c. 2dly It shews what great ground of consolation and encouragement a sinner hath that would fain be at Christ to believe on him and to expect Life and Salvation through him Our Lord was most willing to lay down his life and to come to the grave for that end and is it possible that he will refuse a sinner that comes unto him and that would fain share in the benefite of his sufferings which was his great end in suffering This one thing to wit the willingness that he had to suffâ—r and the delight that he had in suffering to purchase Redemption to sinners may be as a strong cordial to strengthen the heart of a swoâ—â—ing Sinner and a great motive and encouragement to come forward to him Thou wilt it may be say I wot not if Christ loves me O!
Consider these sweet words Rom. 5.10 If he died for us while we werâ— yet enemies how much more shall we be saved by his life I shall close this discourse with these two words the 1. whereof is for encouragement If there be any body here that would fain have Christs love and partake of his death Take courage seing our Lord out of the great desire he had to promove the Salvation of sinners Gave him self to death and to the grave will he not willingly make application of his purchase to them when they seek it That he was willing to undergo all this is a far greater matter then to welcome a sinner coming home to him And if he did all that he did for this very end will he stand on it when it comes to the application The 2d word is that this is and will be a ground of conviction to all who think little of our blessed Lord Jesus and of his love and who will not part with a base lust for him and who will not make choise of him but will refuse reject undervalue and despise him with all that he hath done and suffered it will exceedingly aggravat your condemnation that when he was so willing to die for the good of sinners ye were not willing to live for his satisfaction Think on it O! think seriously on it These things are the truths of God and the main truths of the Gospel that ly very near the ingaging of hearts to Christ And if such truths do you no good none other readily will God give us the Faith of them SERMON XXXIV ISAIAH LIII IX Vers 9. And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death because he had doâ—e no violence neither was any deceit in his mouth THis is a most wonderful Sujâ—ct that we have to think and sâ—eak of which concerns the â—uffâ—rings that our blessed Lord was pleased to undergo for sinnâ—rs And this makes it to be the more wonderful â—hen we consider what he was made and what his carriage was He was numbered with the transgressours and gave his grave with the wiâ—ked And yet he hath this teâ—â—imony that there was no violence in his hands nor any deceit in his mouth He was a sinless Mediator not only before men but before God These words considered in themselvâ—s hold out a little sum and short compend of an holy walk most perfectly and exactly fulfilled in the conversation of Jesus Christ He had done no violence or there wâ—s no violence in his hands that is there was no sinful deed contrary to the Law of God in all his practice and walk And there was no deceit or no guile in his mouth that is no sinful or deceiâ—ful expression Ioâ—um neither in deed nor in word was there sin in him He did wrong to none by his deeds and he deceived no body by his words This guile or deceit as it looks to the first Table of the Law imports th t there was no falshood nor corrupt Doctrine in his Ministry He did not beguile nor seâ—uce the souls of any in leading them wrong And as it looks to the second Table of â—he Law more immediatly it imports that he was sincere and upright that there was no deceit no violence or disâ—embling in his carriage so that whether we look to him â—s God's publick Servant in the Ministry or to him in his privat walk he was compleatly innocent and without all sin as the word is 1 Pet 2 22 Who did no sin neither was guile â—ound in his mouth However men accounted of him he was an innocent and sinless Saviour If we look on them as they depend on the former words they are a reason of that diffâ—rence which in his death and buriaâ— God did put betwixt him and others Though he was by wicked men put to death as a wicked person yet God in his providence so ordered the matter that he was honourably buried with the rich Why so Tâ—is is the reason of it because though they esteemed him a false Prophet and a Decâ—iver a Wine-bibber c. Yet he had done no wrong to any neither by word nor by deed and therefore God would have that respect puâ— on him after his death in his burial and so a remarkable difference to be made betwixt him and others Observe hence 1. That our Lord Jesus the High Priest of our profession that laid down his life for sinners is compleatly and perfectly holy He hath thâ—t testimony from the Prophet here that He did no violence neither was there any deceit in his mouth He hath this testimony from the Apostles from Peter 1 â—et 2.22 He did no sin neither was any guile found in his mouth From John 1. John 3 5 He was manifested to take away sin and in him is no sin And from Paul Heb. 7.27 He was holy and harmless and undefiled separate fâ—om sinners In this respect there is a difference betwixt him and all men in the world And iâ— wâ—s necessary and requisite for Believers consolation that it should be so It became us saith the Apostle to have such an High Priest 1. If we consider the excellency of his person he could not be otherwise being God and Man in one Person and having the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in him bodily 2. It was necessary if we consider the end of his Offices he being to offer up an acceptable Sacrifice to God behoved to be holy and harmless otherwise neither the Priest nor the Sacrifice could have been acceptable 3. It was necessary if we consider the dignity of his Office It behoved him to differ from the former Priests under the Law And if he had not been without sin he should not have so differed from them 4. It was necessary for the persons for whom he undertook these Offices Such a High Priest became them and another could not have done their turn All these we will find to be put together Heb. 7.26 27. Where the Apostle having said vers 25. That he is able to save to the uttermost these that come unto God through him subjoyns For such an High Priest became us who is holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners made higher then the heavens who needeth not daily as these high Priests to offer up sacrifices first for his own sins and then for the sin of the people The most holy of all the Priests had sins for which they behoved to offer Sacrifices and so had the holiest of the pople but Christ was holy and blameless and had no sin and it behoved him to be so As I said just now his sacrifice could never have been accepted for others if he had needed to offer up sacrifices for himself The Uses are these Not to speak how it vindicats our Lord Jesus Christ from all these aspersions cast upon him by wicked men who called him a Glutton a Wine-bibber a friend of Publicans and Sinners a Deceiver c. He
rich man nor to the wise man c. God hath not choâ—en many of these as is clear 1 Cor. 1.26 buâ— say to the righteous or holy man it shall be weâ—l with him and is herâ— any thing that should have so much influence on men and take them so much up as how to be well in the close Folk may have a fighting life of it here and may suffer much and be under reproach for a time as Christ was but if thou be holy ere thy Body be laid in the Grave it shall be well with thy Soul And as for all who have chosen the way of Holiness we are allowed to say this to you that it shall be well with you at death and after death at Judgment and even for evermore To them saith the Apostle Rom. 2.9 who by patient continuance in well-doingr seek for glory and honour and immortality eternal life O how many great and good things are abiding all the honest-hearted Students of Holiness Eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor heart conceived what they are 3ly It 's ground of expostulation with them that neglect and slight Holiness As it will be well with the Righteous or Holy so they shall have a miserable and desperate lot of it who either despise or neglect Holiness Wo to the wicked saith Isaiah 3 1â— it shall be ill with him Some of you may think that ye are rich and honourable are well cloathed fit in fine Houses and have richly covered Tables when poor Bodies are keeped at the door and are destitute of these things and are ready to bless your selves as being well though ye care not for nor seek after Holiness but wo unto you for ye must die and go to the bottomleâ—s Pit and there ye will not get so much as a drop of water to cool your Tongues in these tormenting Flames neither your Riches nor Honours nor Pleasures will hold off the heat and fury of the vengeance of God nor in the â—eâ—st ease you in your exâ—ream pain but as it is Rom. 2.9 Indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish four sore words wiâ—l be upon every soul of man that doeth evil O dâ— ye believe this â—'s the truth of God and a very plain truth and we are perswaded none of you will dare downright to deny it Holiness will have a sweet and comfortable close and the neglect of it will have fearful effâ—cts following on it what is the reason then that Holiness is so little thought of aâ—d followed do ye believe that ye will die and think ye ever to come to Judgment or to hear that word Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you for I was hungry and ye fed me naked and ye cloathed me c. O what will become of many of you when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels iâ—flaming fire to render vengeance to all them who know not God and who obey not the Gospel and will say to you Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels for when I was hungry ye fed me not c. this is I grant a general truth yet if it be not received we know not what truth will be received and if it were received the practice of Holiness would be more studied there would be less Sin and more Prayer Reading Meditation more seeking after Knowledge and more watchfulness and tenderness in Folks Conversation always in this the Lord shews the connexion that is betwixt Holiness and Hâ—ppiness and hâ—re ye have the copy and pattern of an examplary walk 3ly From this that the holiâ—ess and blamâ—nleâ—eâ—s of Christ here spoken of is marked in him as peculiar to him for it fits him to be a High Priâ—st and proves that only he could be the Priest that â—uited and became us anâ— that no other could do our turn as the Apostle râ—asons Heb 7 26 27 28. For the law maketh men priests that have infirmity but the word of â—he oath which was since the law maketh the son who is consecrated for evermore From this I say Obseâ—ve That all men even the most holy except Christ who was both God and Man a e sinful and not one of them sinless while living here on earth and the reâ—son is becâ—uâ—e 〈◊〉 any were sinless then this that is said here would not be peculiar to our Lord Jesus Christ that He diâ— no violence neither was there deceit â—n his mouth This being a singular character of our High Priâ—st that none of his Types could clâ—â—m to it exclusively agreeth to him so as it agreeth to none other The Scripture is full to this purpose in asserting that not only all mâ—n are sinnâ—rs as considered in theiâ— naturâ—l condition but that even Bâ—lieveâ— are sinful in part for the same Apostle John that saiâ—h 1 Epist 1.3 Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ saith also vers 8. If we say we have no siâ— we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us and vers 10. If we say that we have not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in us and 1 Kings 8.46 and Eccles 7.20 There is no man that doth good and sinneth not plainly insinuating that all have need of an Intercessouâ— We shall not insist in this only from these words compared with the scope making it peculiar to Christ to be without sin and implying that none other are so we would consider the necessity of its being so 1. For differencing and separating of Jesus Christ from all others by putting this dâ—gnity on him of being holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners this is his prerogative and badge of honour above others 2. It 's necessary for this end to demonstrate the need that there is of his offering himself a Sacrifice for sinners and that it was not for himself but for sinners that he offered up himself and that there is a continual necessity of making use of that Sacrifice for if there were not a continuance of sin in part while Believers are out of Heaven there would be no need of this part of Christs office if we were holy and harmless our selves we needed not such an High Priest Use 1. To establish us in the faith of this Truth That among all men there is none that were true men except Christ that is without sin sin is still abiding in them while in this world of none of them all it can be said that they have done no violence neither is there any deceit in their mouth none of them could ever say since Adam fell the prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me yea this is a special qualification of Christ Jesus for his Priest-hood that he was without sin and behoved to be so I am not pleading that sinners should take a liberty to sin because there is no perfection to be win at in this life God
to bruise him in whose breast to speak so bred the plot of sinners Redemption Jehovah thought it good He loved the salvation of sinners so well that He was content to seem in a manner regardlesse of His own Sons cryes and tears for a time to make way for performing the satisfaction that was due to Justice and He did this with good will and pleasantly We shall not insist more on particular Uses but is there or can there be greater ground of Consolation then this or is there any thing wanting here to compleat the Consolation Is there not an well surnished Saviour commissionate to give Life to whom He will Who hath purchased it that He may give it and a well willing loving and condescending God willing to give His Son and willing to accept of His Death for a Ransome and what would ye have more The Partie offended is willing to be in friendship with the offending Partie and to give and accept of the Satisfaction what can Tentation say or what ground is for Jealousie to vent it self here He that did not spare his own Son but willingly and freely gave him to death for us all how shall be not with him also freely give us all things As it is Rom. 8. And if we were reconcilled to God by the death of his Son when we were enemies shall we not much more be saved by his life as it is Rom. 5.10 There is a great disproportion betwixt Christ and other Gifts yea and the gift of Heaven it self and shall a poor sinner have a suffering Saviour given and may he not also expect pardon of Sin Justification Faith Repentance and Admission to the Kingdom There is here good and strong ground of Consolation to them that will build on it let the Fathers and Christs love to you be welcome in it's offers that His end in bringing many Sons to glory be not frustrated by any of you so far as you can though it cannot indeed be frustrated For the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand and he shall see the travel of his soul and be satisfied SERMON XXXVI ISAIAH LIII X Verse 10. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed he shall prolong his dayes and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand CHrist and His Sufferings have been a most delightsome subject to be spoken and heard of before ever He suffered and they would be to us now no less but much more so even very glad tydings to hear that ever the Son of God was made an Offering for sin This Verse as we hinted the last day doth set forth Christ's Sufferings and in these three that the design of God in bruising the Innocent Lamb of God might be the better taken up 1. They are holden forth in the rise where they bred or in the fountain whence they flowed the good pleasure of God It pleased the Lord to bruise him to put him to grief Which the Prophet marks 1. To shew that all the good that comes by Christ to sinners is bred in the Lords own bosom It was concluded and contrived there and that with delight There being no constraint or necessity on the Lord to give His Son or to provide Him to be a Cautioner for dyvour sinners but is was His own good pleasure to do so 2. To show the concurrence of all the Persons of the Trinity in promoving the Work of Redemption of sinners which was executed by the Son the Mediator to shew that the Love of the Son in giving His Life is no greater then the Love of the Father in contriving and accepting of it for a Ransom there being naturally in the hearers of the Gospel this prejudice that the Father is more rigid and less loving then the Son but considering that it was the Father Son and Spirit that contrived Christs Sufferings that the Sons Sufferings were the Product and Consequent of this contrivance it removeth this corrupt imagination and prejudice and sheweth that there is no place for it It doth also contribute notably to our ingadgement to God to be throughly perswaded of the Lords good pleasure in the Sufferings of the Mediator as well as in the Willingness of the Mediator to Suffer He having performed the will of the Father in the lowest steps of His Humiliation 2. They are exprest and holden forth in their Nature and End they were to be an offering for sin and this follows well on the former verse because it might be said How could He that had no violence in his hands nor guile in his mouth be brought so low He hath answered in part by saying It pleased the Father to bruise him and to put him to grief But because that does not so fully obviat and answer the Objection He answers furder that there was a notably good end for it Though He had no sin in Himself nor are we to look on His Sufferings as for any sin in Him yet we are to look upon them as a Satisfaction to Justice for the sins of others even as the Bullocks Lambs and Rams and the Skipgoat were not slain for their own sins for they were not capable of sin yet they were some way Typical Offerings and Satisfactions for sin in the room of others for whom they were offered so our Lord Jesus is the proper Offering and Sacrifice for the sins of His Elect People and His Sufferings are so to be looked on by us and this is the Scop. But to clear the words a little more fully there are different readings of them as they are set down here in the Text and on the Margent Here it is when his soul shall make an offering for sin On the Margent it is when his soul shall make an offering for sin The reason of the diversity is because the same Word in the Original which signifies the Second Person Masculine Thou meaning the Father signifies the Third persons Foeminine his soul shall make it self but one the matter whether we apply it to the Father or to Christ both come to one thing It seems to do as well to apply it to Christ the former Words having set out God's concurrence and good pleasure to the Work these set out the Mediators Willingnesse as in the last Verse it is said that He poured out his soul unto death and properly Christ is the Priest that offered up Himself yet we say there is no difference on the matter now as to the scope the will of the Father and of the Mediator in this Work of Redemption being both one though as we said we incline to look on them as relating to Christ 2. Offering for sin in the Original signifies sin so that the Words are when thou shalt make his soul sin The Words being ordinarly used in the Old Testament and thence borrowed in the New Testament to signifie a sin offering as Exod. 29.14 and Levit. 4.5 and 16. Chapters where
and these Sufferings are more then if all the Elect had Suffered Eternally in Hell 2 His Death is considered as a Satisfaction And this looks to the Wrong that Men by Sin have done to God That the finit and feckless Creature durst be so malapert as to break God's Command It required a Satisfaction equivalent to the Wrong done though the Word Satisfaction be not in Scripture yet the thing is Christ Jesus for the Restoring of God to His Honour That was as to the Manifestation of it wronged by Mans Sin comes in to perform the will of God and to Satisfie for the wrong done Him by Man that it may be made known that God is Holy and Just who will needs avenge Sin on His own Son the Holy and Innocent Cautioner when He Interposes in the Room of the Sinner which vindicats the Spotless Justice and Soveraignity of God as much as if not more then if He had exacted the satisfaction off the Sinners themselves As it is Rom. 3.16 To declare his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus 3 Christ's Death is considered as a Redemption of Man from Sin the Law and the Curse because lyable to a Debt which he cannot of himself pay and His Death was in this respect a paying of the Debt that Man was owing and a loosing of the Captive and Imprisoned Sinner even as when a Piece of Land is morgaged and a Person comes in and payes that for which it was Morgaged So Jesus Christ comes in and as it were asks what are these Men owing and what is due to them It 's answered they are Sinners Death and the Curse are due to them well saith He I will take their Debt on my Self I will pay their Ransom by undergoing all that was due to them He hath redeemed us from the curse of the law saith the Apostle Gal. 3.13 being made a curse for us that the blessing of Abraham might come on us Gentiles And so Christ's Death in this respect is to be looked on as a laying down of the same Price that Justice would have exacted of Men His Death is the paying of our Ransom and Satisfying of the account that was over our head 4. His Death is considered as it furthered the Work of the Redemption of Elect Sinners by a powerful annulling of the Obligation that was against us and by a powerfull overcoming of all enemies that kept us Captive He grapled and yocked with the Devil in that wherein he seemed to be strongest and overcame him He tore the Obligation that stood over Sinners heads as it is Coll. 2.14 15. Blotting out the hand writting of ordinances that was against us and that was contrary to us he took it out of the way nailing it to his cross and having spoiled principalities and powers he made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in it In this respect though His Death be one of the lowest steps of His Humiliation yet considering Him as in it prevailling over the Devil and other Enemies He is to be looked on as powerfully Working and efficaciously perfecting our Salvation In the former respect He payes God the Debt that was due by Sinners in the Latter Respect considering the Devil and Spiritual Enemies as so many Jaylours keeping Sinners Prisoners He by His Death wrings as it were the Keyes out of their hands and sets the Prisoners Free 5. Christ's Death is considered as it is in the Text As an Offering and Sacrifice for Sin In this respect it looks to God as displeased with Man and our Lord Jesus Interposes to pacifie Him and to make Him well pleased and that by the means of His Death God's Peace Favour and Friendship may be recovered to poor sinfull Men All these Considerations of the Death of Christ are but one and the same upon the matter Yet thus diversified they serve to shew how unexpressibly much Sinners are oblidged to Christ what great advantages they have by Him And what a desperat condition they are in who are without Him having nothing to satisfie Justice nor to pay their Debt with 2dly We said that this Sacrifice was especially Offered by Him in His Death Therefore He is said to Offer this Sacrifice on the Cross He himself as Peter hath it 1 2.24 bare our sins in his body on the tree Heb. 9. at the close And Heb. 10.14 It is said that he once offered up himself to bear the sins of many and by his once offering he hath perfected for ever these who are sanctified So that this Offering is to be applyed to that which He suffered on Earth before He ascended and it is in this respect that He is a Propitiatory Sacrifice though as I said the Vertue thereof is still communicated by Him now when He is in Heaven Use This serves to remove two Errors about Christ's Sacrifice The 1. is that which bounds and limits Christ's Offering and Priest-hood to His going to Heaven thereby to enervat the Efficacy of His Sufferings and Death quit contrary to this Scripture wherein the Prophet explicating His Sufferings on Earth calleth them an offering for sin The 2. is that Blasphemous Conceit and Fancie of the Papists who account their abominable Mass a Propitiatory Sacrifice for taking away the Sins of the Quick and oâ— the Dead which as it is most horrid Blasphemy So it is most expresly against this Text for if Christ's Sacrifice for the taking away of Sin be peculiarly applyed to His Humiliation and Death which brought with it such a change as made Hâ—m not to be for a time what He was before Then certainly there can be nothing of that now which can bear that Name there being no other thing to which the properties of a real Sacrifice can agree but this only 3. I said that Christ's Offering up of Himself in a Sacrifice was in His Soul as well as in Hiâ— Body and that He was therein obnoxioâ—s to the Wrath of God That is as He stood Cautioner for the Elect and had the Cup of Wrath â—u in His hand He Suffered not only in His Body but also and Mainly in His Soul which the Jews could not reach and He is here holden out as a Sin-offering in His Soul yea considering that it was the Wrath of God and His Curse due to the Elect that He had to deal with His Soul was more capable to be affected with it then His Body Hence He sayes when no hand of Man touched Him John 12.27 Now is my Soul troubled and what shall I say and Matth. 26.38 and Luk. 22.44 Now is my soul exceeding sorrowful even unto death and being in an agony he prayed c. That which looked like strong Armies mustered and drawn up against Him was not the Souldiers that came to take Him nor the Bodily Death which was quickly to follow but it was the Fathers coming with His awakned Sword to exact of Him the Debt due
Life And we say that such an exercise suppons Life to be though it be not descernable in it's exercise to the Soul it self There are many Poor Creatures born and brought forth into the World that can neither Talk nor Walk but must be carried and keeped Tenderly and that are some way as if they were not brought out of the Womb So is it with many Believers and it were good to be in Christ's Common as for Life so for bringing Life to exercise and by diligence and waiting on Him in the use of His own appointed Means to seek to come to some Distinctnesse in Neating and Exercising of any Life that He hath given And it is no small incouragement to this That Christ shall see his seed That He must have Saints and Believers in Him which should make Poor Souls that have no Life in themselves with the more confidence to commit themselves to Him upon this very ground that the Father hath ingadged to Christ that He shall have many such for His Seed The which Promise is performed to Him in the gathering in of Poor confused and Mind-perplexed Sinners to be in His Debt for Life and to hold their Life of Him for ever It will sure be no small part of the ground of Saints praise in Heaven that He not only bought Life for them but that He made Application of Life to them And trained them on till He got them fitted to speak to His Prâ—ise Wherein the Body of Death makes many a sad stop and makes poor Believers to Stammer as it were while they are here But it 's good News that Jesus Christ hath bought Life and brought it to Light And that by this Gospel He is making Application of it and declaring that He is content to bestow it freely on all them that will be in His Common for it SERMON XLI ISAIAH LIII X. Vers 10. He shall see his seed He shall prolong his dayes And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand IT was once a Riddle how out of the strong could come forth Meat and how out of the Eater could come forth Sweet It 's here most clearly Unridled and that in a most Wonderfull and Comfortable Manner Our Lord Jesus the strong Lyon of the Tribe of Judah it put to grief and bruised and his soul is made an offering for sin and here is the Sweet Meat that comes out of it He shall see his seed he shall prolong his days c. The substance of the Words is That by His Death many shall be brought to Life It 's the same Death that hath given us the hope we have of Life And all the ground that we have to speak of it to you which had never been had He not been bruised and put to grief We shew that here is holden forth the Lord 's great design in the Contrivance of the Work of Redemption And that these Words are a further answer to the Stumbling Objection proposed before to wit How the innocent Son of God could Suffer It pleased the Father to bruise him when he should make his soul an offering for sin c. Which Justifies God in that proceeding and serves to weep away that Reproach that might seem to stick to Him In sum it is this If we consider the notable and noble Fruits and Comfortable Effects that followed on His Sufferings and Death there is no ground to stumble at God's giving His Son or at the Sons Condescending as Mediator to Suffer to be Dispised and put to Dâ—ath And this is the first Fruit and Eff ct thereof that He shall see his seed Whereby is meaned that by His Death the Elect who are given to Him do by Faith in Him recâ—ive a new Life from Him aâ—d are taken in under a most sweet and kindly Relation to Him by their being begotten again to a lively hope through His Resurrection from the Dead We spoke to â—â—is Point That Believers are Christ's Seed which shews the great Priviledge that they are admitted to and their great Obligation to Christ on that account they are oblidged to Him for their Spiritual Life and Beeing as Children are oblidged to their Natural Parents for their Natural Life and Beeing And Infinitely more oblidged in as much as the one Life is Infinitly Preferable to the other There are three things more to be Observed from the Words And 1. Considering them as they stand in Dependence on the Former That God's Design in sending His Son into the World and the Mediators Dâ—sign in coming so low is to have a Seed begotten to the Hope of Eternall Life and to have â—oor Souls dead in themselves shareing of Life in and through Him even to have many partaking of Life through His Death 2. Considering the Words as foretelling the event of Christ's Death and Sufferings We have this Observation from them That Our Lord's Deaâ—h shall certainly procure Life to many Or thus it cannot be but His Death must have truâ—â— to the saving of Souls from Death and to the making of them partakers of Life 3. Looking on the Words as a Promise made to the Mediator We Observe from them That the Seeing of a Seed is exceeding much thought of by Jesus Christ It pleased Him wondrous will Therefore this Promisâ— of a Seed is mâ—de to Him to incourage Hâ—m to lay down His Life We shall speak a Word to each of these And shall leave the consideration of the Words as they hold out not only our Lord 's out-living his Sufferings but His seeing a Seed on the back of them to the Second Effect that follows He shall prolong his days For the First Doctrine we suppose It will be clear if we consider how the seing of his seed is Subjoyned to and Dependeth upon the former Words anent His making His soul an offering for sin which holds out this That the great Design of God and of Christ the Mediator it s His Sufferings is to beget a People to â—ternal Life And to make way that Sinners Naturall Dâ—ad in Sin may partake of Spiritual and Hâ—avenly Life and may be begotten to the Hope of Eternal Life through Him And what other Design I pray could there be then this For the Lord had nothing to procure to Himself To speak simply there could be no addition made to the Glory of God thereby Therefore it 's said John 6.39 40. This is the Fathers will that hath sent me that of all that be hath given me I should loss nothing but should raise it up at the last day And this is the will of him that sent me that every one who seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithfull saying and worthy of all acceptation and what is it That Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners and that John 10.10 I came that they might have life and that they might
two Natures in one Person remains still He was God and Man still though as was hinted before there was a Suspension of such a Measure at least of the sensibly Comforting Influence of the Divine Nature from the Humane as had wont to be let out thereto And yet there was even then a sustaining Power flowing from the God-head that Supported Him so that He was not swallowed up of that which would have quite and for ever swallowed up all Creatures as is evident in this crying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Which shewes that though the Union and Relation stood firm yet a comfortable Influence was much restrained 2. There was no sinfull Fretting no Impatiencie nor carnal Anxiety in our Lord all along His Sufferings for He did most willingly undergo them and hâ—d a kindly submission in them all As is evident by these Words But for this cause came I into this hour And not my will but thy will be done 3. There was not in H m any distrust of Gods Love nor any unbelief of His Approbation before God neither any the least Dâ—ffidence as to the Out-gate For in the Sadest and Sharpest of all His Conflicts He was clear about His Fathers Love to Him that the Relation stood firm and that there would be a Comfortable Out-gate as His Prayer before shews wherein He styles God Father And these hardest like Words uttered by Him on the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me do also shew wherein twice over He confidently asâ—â—rts His Interest My God my God Though He was most terribly Assaulted yet the Tentation did not prevaill over Him 4. Neither are we to conceive that there was any inward Confusion Challenge or Gnawing of Conscience in Him such as is in Desperat Sinners cast under the Wrath of God Because there was no inward cause of it nor any thing that could breed it yea even in that wherein He was Cautioner He was clear that He was doing the Fathers will and finishing the Work that was committed to Him and that even under the greatest Apprehensions of Wrath Therefore all such things are to be guarded against in our Thoughts least otherwayes we reflect upon our Innocent and Spotless Mediator But 2. To speak a Word to that wherein it doth consist 1. It did consist as we hinted before in the God-head's Suspending it's Comfortable Influence for a time from the Humane Nature Though our Lord had no Culpable Anxiety yet He had a Sinlesse Fear considering Him as Man and that the infinit God was Angry and Executing Angryly the Sentence of the Law against Him Though He was not angry at Him considered as in Himself but as He stood in the room of the Elect as their Cautioner of whom He was to exact the Payment of their Debt and could not but be in a wonderfull amazment as the Word is Mark 14.33 He was sore amazed And Heb. 5.7 It 's said when he had offeâ—ed up prayers and supplications with strong cryes and tears unto him that was able to save him from death he was heard in that which he feared Which looks to His wrestling in the Garden 2. He had an inexpressible sense of grief not only from the petty outward Afflictions that He was under which may be called petty comparatively though they were very great in themselves but also from the Torrent of Wrath flowing in on His Soul That Cup behoved to have a most bitter Relish and an inconceivable Anguish with it when He was a drinking of it as appeared in His Agony O! â—s He was Pained and Pinched in His Soul The Soul being especially sensible of the Wrath of Goâ— 3 It consisted in a sort of wonderfull Horrour which no question the marching up to say so of so many mighty Squadrons of the highly provoked Wrath of God and making so Furious and Formidable an Assault on the Innocent Humane Nature of Christ that considered simply in it's self was a finit Creature behoved necessarily to be attended with Hence He prayes Father if it be possible let this cup depart from me Intimating that there was a Sinless Loathness and a holy Abhorrence to middle with it and to adventure upon it Though we have not Hearts rightly to conceive nor Tongues suitable to express those most exquisite Sufferings yet these things shew that our Lord Jesus was exceedingly put to it in His Holy Humane Soul The 2 Use Serves to stir us up to wonder at the Love of God the Father that gave His own Son and exacted the Elect's Debt of Him and made the Sword of His Justice to awake against Him And to wonder at the Love of the Son that ingadged to be surety for them And humbled Himself so Low to lift them up It was wonderfull that He should stoup to become Mâ—n and to be a poor Man and to die but more that He should come this length as to be in an Agony of Soul and to be so tossed with a Tempest of Terrible Wrath though He was not capable of Tossing as meer Creatures are This being well considered would highten exceedingly the praise of Grace in the Church and very much warm the Hearts of Sinners to Him And for pressing this Use a little and for provocking to Holy Wondering at this Love consider these Four 1. Who it was that suffered tâ—us Even He that was without guile He that was Gods delight His Fatheâ—s Fellow the express image of his person He thâ—t made all things and who will one Day be Judge of all Iâ—'s even He that thus Suffered 2. Whâ—t He Suffered even the Wrath of God and the Wrath of God in such a Degree and Measure as was equivalent to all that the Elect should have Suffered Eternally in Hâ—ll which presseth forth from Him these expressions which we hinted at before 3. For whom all this was which makes it appear to be yet more wonderfull It was for a number of lost straying sheep That were turned every one to his own way as it is verse 6. For Dyvours and debauched Bankerupts that were Enemies to and in Tops with Him Some of them Spitting in His Face some of them upon the Consultation of taking away His Life as may be gatherâ—d from Acts 2. Yea take the best of them for whom He suffered even those whom He took to the Garden with Him to be Witnesses of His Agony and we will find them sleeping when He is in the hight of it and is thereby cast into a Top Sweat of Blood and out of Case to Watch and bear Burden with Hâ—m but for an hour It had been much for Him to have Suffered for Righteous Persons but as it is Rom. 5. God commends his love to us in this that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us 5. The manner how He Suffered to wit most Willingly and Patiently though He easily could hâ—ve commanded more then twelve legions of Angels to rescue Him yet He would not but
as it 's one of the things that it seeks in Prayer so it 's one of the things that it eyeth in Repentance It 's much affected with the want of it confesses it to Him and aggredges the Sin thereof against it self from this ground that it loves nor Christ as it should I know not if there be much of this among us many will be sorry if they fall in drunkenness or in any other gross Sin but O! how few repent of their want of Love to Christ and that He gets not His own room in the heart 3. Where this Love is it is ever Suâ—picious and Jealous lest the heart cliver anâ— cleave to some other thing and give it room to the prâ—judice of Christ It 's a sad thing when folks let their affections go our at random and are not afraid lest they out-shoot themselves in loving the World their Pleasures their Credit c. But rather they are like the whore in the Proverbs who sayes come and let us take our fill of loves Love to Christ hath a Weanedness from these things and a Jealousy least they usurp a room in the heart that is not due to them Because as John sayes There is not a consistency betwixt the love of God and the love of the world in the heart and therefore it 's the watchfull care of a poor Bâ—liever to keep out inordinat love of the World and of these things that the heart is given to go a whoreing after Hâ—nce David prayes Psal 1â—9 Incline my heart to thy law and not to covetousness and Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity There is in too many a sort of râ—oted confidence that they love Christ and they nâ—ver suspect themselves of the contâ—are when yet some other thing hath his room 2dly There is ground here to exhort you to believe on Him as the Prince of Life and a Saviour that is well fitted and qualified to give Repentance and Remission of Sins And this is the very native Use that flows from this Doctrine even to lay a solid ground of Faith to a Soul lying under the sense of Sin to step forward to Godâ— Bar with confidence Considering Jesus Christ Crucified and put to Soul-travel for Elect Sinners who should betake themselves to Him Which if it had not been there had not been any ground for Faith And the lower He came in His Sufferings we have the more native and broad ground of Faith and the stronger motive to draw us to take hold of Him and to found and fix our Faith on His Satisfaction To clear this Branch of the Use a little 1. Consider here a ground for Faith in a fourfold respect And 2. The force of the motives that arise from these grounds pressing a sensible Sinner to exercise Faith on them or on Him by them And 3. The necessity that we are under so to do For the First 1. In general There is ground here to bring the heart to be through in the Historicall Faith of what is spoken concerning the Truths of the Covenant For doth not this Soul-travel of Our Lord say That Men are lying Naturally in a sinfull Condition and obnoxious to Wrath That there is a Covenant past betwixt the Father and the Son for delivering of Elect Sinners out of that Condition and that by the Sufferings of the Mediator And that by our betaking of our selves to Him we may be fred from Sin and Wrath Otherwayes why did the Mediator come thus low except it had been true that man was under a Debt that he could not pâ—y And why â—id the Father send His Son except He had been really minded that He should offer Himself up a propitiatory Sacrifice to God for Mans Sin And His accepting of the Satisfaction tells plainly that He was content that the Cautioners Payment should stand for the Principal Debtors All this supposeth a Covenant which is as real as if we had seen and had been Ear-witnesses of the reading over of the Covenant in all the Articles of it we wish that many were come this length as to be confirmed in the Historicall Faith of the General Truths of the Gospel summed up in Christs Sufferingâ— And there cannot be any serious Râ—ading or Hearing of Christs Sufferings but theâ—e must also be some considering of their Riâ—e and End if it be otherwise we do but superficially run over them 2. As this shews the Lords Seriousness in pressing the offer of Redemption on Sinners so it calleth you to be Serious in accepting of it According to that in John 12. When I am lifted up I will draw all men after mâ— Where Christs lifting up is made an Attractive to draw lost Sinners after Him And can their be a greater ground of Faith or a stronger motive to perswade a Sinner to be reconciled to God and to rest upon Christs Satisfaction in order to that then this That Jesus Christ hath purposly laid down His Life and undergone Suffering even to such an extremity to bring it about 3. When we say that Christ's Soul-travel calls for Faith It requires this and gives ground for it That they that betake themselves to Christ for Justification before God may confidently commit themselves to His guiding in all other things For will He not be tender of them in these when out of respect to them when there was not a Covenant betwixt Him and them though they were mentioned in the Covenant of Redemption He laid down His Life and Suffered such things for them May we not from this Reason as the Apostle doeth Rom. 8. He that spared not his own son but gave him to the death for us how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Can there be a greater ground for Sinners that fear to give Him credit to trust Him with all things that concern them then this That He suffered so much for them 4. Having betaken our selves 〈◊〉 Him it serves to confirm our Faith and to bring us to the quieting of our selves in resting on Him and acquiescing in Him For what more could we require for ouâ— settlement and quieting then this That Hâ— hath come so low and condescended so faâ—â— for the behove of poor Sinners Therefore in all these respects let me exhort you and in His Name Who was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him Obtest you not to keep at distance from Him but take with your Sin by Faith to fl e unto Him and to the efficacy of His Blood O! Yeeld your selves by Faith to Him for use making of Him for your Juâ—tification And a little more particularly let me here speak a word to two soâ—ts of Persons 1. To them that are yet strangers to God 2. To them that are looking towards Christ And 1. For you that are strangers to God whose hearts were never yet â—ffected with the Conviction of the necessity of believing who can lye down and rise up without
hardly be brought to it then they are fainted when they consider and find that if it stood but on this even to consent to take Christ they cannot do it but then and in that case the Lord minds that they should be much in His Common for Faith and Repentance and for a soft and tender Heart and that they should seek these from Him as well as Pardon of Sin considering that all this is Christ's Purchase and that there is a possibility to win to it this way when they can win to it no other way If ye would take this way even to eye and look to Christ as the Author and Finisher of Faith and be in His Common for it through His Grace it should go better with you This is it which the Apostle hath Heb. 12. Where he calls to Lay aside every weight and the sin that easily besets and to run the race with patience that is set before us and if it should be said how shall that be done even by Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of ouâ— faith And then follows who for the joy that wâ—s set befoâ—e him endured the cross and â—ispisâ—d the shame Thus leading Folk into His Suffâ—rings as the solid Foundation of th ir Fâ—ith Use 2. See here ground for quashing the naturall pride that is amongst Mâ—n anâ— Women as to Spiritual things How so Where is the ground for this here it is because all is Christs Purchase Which may also give a check to these who because they have nothing in themselves think not that they shall come speed upon this ground as iâ— doth to these others who have gotten something and are proud of it To clear it a little we would consider that there is a pride in Folks ere they come to Christ they cannot well endure to be in Christs Debt for every thing They will take Pardon of Sin from Him but they would have Faith and Repentance of themselves as some Money in their Purse to bring with them to Him that they may buy it But where will you I pray get Faith or Repentance if not from Him Are they not Hiâ— Gifts and Fruits of H s Purchase which if it were well considered there would be no access to the proud reasonings of Uâ—belief Dâ—t ye say but these things are the Fruits of Christs Sufferings and His Gifts and if so must ye not be in His Common for them And as it silenceth the Reasonings of Unbelief so it stops the mouth of the Sinner and humbâ—es him much more then if he had these things in or from himself and were only to be in His Common for Righteousness and Jâ—stification 2. We would consider That there is often some Pride and Conceit in them that have Faith disposing them to think themselves to be better then other Folks But if ye have Faith whence is it or who hath made you to differ Is it not a Fruit of Christs Purchase and will ye be Vain or Conceity of that which is the Purchase of another This is a Spiritual poor Pride that stinks in the Nostrils of the Holy Lord so to abuse His goodness as to be proud because He hath Bought and Bestowed that which ye could never have procured nor attained your selves If then Folk have noâ—hing it is good to mind this That Christ hath purchased what Sinners stand in need of and that it may be had in and from Him And if Foâ—k have any thing they should not be proud or conceity of it but mind that what they have is a Fruit of Christs Purchase and that therefore there is no ground to be proud of it The 3. Use Serves to shew what great Obligation lyes on S nners that get any speciall good from God I 's Christ that hath purchased aâ—l and therefore they ought to improve all that they have gotten for Him who hath bought all As it is 1 Cor. 6.20 Ye are not your own ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your bodies and in your spirits which are Gods Whatever ye have of Faith oâ— Repentance of Holiness or of ability to serve â—nd honour God in your Station it 's bought with a Price and a dear Price and therefore Glorifie God in the right Use-making and manadging of it We would think it no little Progress and Advancement in R ligion if ye were brought to walk under the suitable impression oâ— your ingagement to Christ as holding all that ye have and that serves for your through-bearing of Him For what do we or can we do It 's Christ that buyes all and that confers all we can do nothing of our selves but abuse His Purchase And were it not that the sickerness and staâ—iâ—ity of our Covenanting depends on the first Covenant even the Covenant of Redemption transacted betwixt these two Responsal Parties Jehovah and the Mediator we would quit mar and break all the Bargain betwixt God and us and cast all loose every day if not every moment The other Promise is that He shall see his seed and as we hinted before It 's one thing to have a seed another thing to see a seed The former Promise looks to His having of a Seed and this to His seeing of that Seed Whence Observe That not only is there a Seed Promised to Christ but also the Seeing of a Seed not only Fruits but the Improving and Manadging of these Fruits Or thus That not only is there a Seed Pâ—omised to Christ but the overseeing of that Seed is also Promised He shal have no other Tutor to speak so to leave His Children to but Himself He shall Die and shall by His Death beget a Seed and yet by His Death He shall become the overseer of that same Seed that by His Death is begotten There is much of the Dignity of Chriâ—â—'s Office and of the comfort of Believers here That Jâ—sus Christ is not only the procurer of our Life but the overseer of iâ— Hence is â—hat Conclusion of the Apostle Heb. 7.25 Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him forasmuch as he lives for ever to make intercession for them He hath not only Purchased Life and many good things to Believers but He is living to make the Application of His Pâ—rchase to them And therefore is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him Indeed if He had been prevailed over by Death there might have been great hazard and Doubt if not utter Dispair of â—ver attaining His Purchase and a great crack to say so or breach in our Consolation but when He is Executor of His own Testament and bâ— His Spirit makes the Application what is or can be wanting We shall say no more but that here it is clear that we have a living Mediator as Himself sayes Revel 1.18 I was dead and am alive and live for evermore And therefore Sinners stepforward to His Sufferings and seek the Application of
with that which they had bought He sayes to them I have meat to eat that ye know not of And when they begin to wonder what that could be He sayes further to them It is my meat to do my Fathers will and to finish his work And what was that a poor whotish Woman is spoken to by Him and brought by His speaking to acknowledge Him to be the Messiah and to accept of Him as such And by that blessed Work His Hunger and Thirst were Satisfied So Luke 22.15 He saith to His Disciples with desire have I desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer And Luke 12.50 I have a baptisme to be baptized with and how am I straitned till it be accomplished Though he drinking of that Cup was terrible to Him and though mockings and reproaches were not pleasant in themselves yet the love that He had to Sinners good mastered all the bitterness that was in these and made them sweet 3. There is nothing that He more complains of nothing angers and grieves Him more then when He is not made use of Ye will not saith He John 5. come to me that ye may have life To shew that the best interâ—ainment that they could give Him was to come and get Life from Him And it 's told us that He was angry and grieved for the peoples unbelief and hardness of heart Yea He weeps over them because of this Luke 19. All which prove the great delight that He had and hath still in Sinners getting good of Him And frequently in the Song as Chap. 2 and 6. He is said to feed among the lillies There is all His intertainment that He gets in the World He feasts only on the Fruits of His own Spirit in them that welcome Him I shall name but one place more and that is Psal 147.10.11 He delights not in the strength of a horse nor in the legs of a man but in them that fear him The following Words clear it more what it is that delights Him In them that hope in his mercy that is in them that draw into Him by believing He delights in these Beyond all the World Use 1. It were a desirable thing to be believing this Are there any so prophane but are ready to think that if they knew what would please God or Christ they would do it The Question is here answered that this is pleasing and only pleasing to Him If this be wanting there is nothing that will please Him even that ye make use of Christs Sufferings and imploy Him in His Offices for getting the good that may be had by them This is it that ye are câ—lled to and which delighteth Him and if this be not though ye would give Him thousands of rams and ten thousands of rivers of oyl yea the first born of your body for the sin of your souls it will not satisfy Him nor be accepted because this alone is the Satisfaction that He will have for His Soul-travel I shall a liâ—tle explain this and then prosecute the Use of it Ye will ask then What is the Fruit of Christ's Soul-travel that satisfies Him I answer That we take in under it not only 1. That ye should aim to be at Heaven neiâ—her 2. â—his That ye be serious in the Duties of Holiness as if these were Well-pleasing to God without respect to Christ's Sufferings but it is the Use-making and improving of Christ's Sufferings for attaining of these When Folk by this midse by this New and Living Way step forward to Heaven and seek to be Seriâ—us in the study of Holiness when they that could not walk in the way of Holinesse do now walk in it leaning on their beloved and study to live by Faith in Him Tâ—is is it mainly wherein His Delight and Satisfaction doth lye even when a poor Sinner is brought to make Use of Him for Peace and Reconciliation with God for through bearing in all called for Duties for his Consolation and for his Admission to Heaven in the close And therefore they do not only fail here who are Prophane living securely never minding Heaven their Peace with God nor the study of Holiness Neither only these who cast the Law and its Reproofs behind their backs thâ—se are loathsome to God and to Jesus Christ but by this These are also reproved that do not improve the Sufferings of Christ for Peace and Reconciliation with God for Righteousnesse and for Strength for Comfort and encouragement and who hope not in Hâ—â— Mercy The Reason is because though it were possible they could make progresse in Hâ—liness and attain to Comfort and Peace â—hat â—ay yet it would not be thus The Fruit of the Travâ—l of Christs Soul He being paâ—â— by and â—o could not be Satisfaction to Him Buâ— where a poor Sinner sees that he caâ—noâ— câ—me to God of himself cannot make his Peace nor can He walk in the way of Holiness so as to please God and so flies to Christ for refuge and make use of His Purchase there lyeth Christs delight to see such a Sinner come and hide himself under the shâ—ddow of His Sufferings and in this respect the more hardly a Sinner is put at it is the more satisfaction to Him that He in His Death and Sufferings be made use of because this way the Sinners Life is more intirely the benefit of His Sufferings and that such a Person hath any Strength Comfort or Peace and is admitted to Heaven It is allenarly through the Travel of His Soul which is His great Satisfaction And therefore we would 2dly commend to you That as you would do Christ a favour to speak so with reverence And O! what a motive is this for vile Sinners the dust of His Feet to be put in a capacity to do Him a pleasure Endeavour this especially that as to you Christ may see the Fruit of the Travel of His Soul and be satisfied and that all His kindness offered to you may not be Fruitlesse This is the great hing of the Gospel as to that which is pressed upon you and this is the wonderfull motive that is given to presse it That it 's delightsome to Christ and therefore ye should believe on Him It were incouragement enough that it's profitable to your selves But if ye had hearts of stone this should move you to it That Our Lord Jesus seeks no more Satisfaction from you for all His Soul-travel but that ye make use of His Sufferings that ye do not receive this Offer of His Grace in vain nor be Fruitless under it In a word we have here laid before us and think upon it the most Wonderfull Inconceivable and Inexpressible Sute and Request of Him who is the Creator to us poor sinfull creatures and what is it I have been sayes He on the matter in sore Travel and Pain for you now I pray you let it not be for nought let me see the Fruit of it And to speak it with reverence of
is satisfied in the undertaking and performing of the Work of Redemption it 's also set down here He shall see of the fruit of the travel of his soul and shall be satisfied Which in a Word is this He shall see many who had perished if He had not Suffered getting good of His Sufferings and to be benefited by them Who by His taking on Him the Curse and by His undergoing this Soul travel shall be fred from the Curse and made to partake of the Benefits Priviledges and Comforts that He hath bought by so great and precious a Price We proposed this as the main Doctrine from the Words the last day That it is great Satisfaction to Our Lord Jesus to see Sinners making use of and getting good of Hâ—s Sufferings Or thus That Sinners making use of Christ's Sufferings for their good is His Satisfaction for all the Soul-travel and Sufferings â—hat He indured He shall see of the Fruit of the travel of his soul and shal be satisfied I shall insist no further in clearing and confirming this but come closs to the Use of it And if any Point of Doctrine have Use this may have and hath it to the Glading and making Joyfull and Fain the Hearts of lost Sinners That Our Lord Jesus should Suffer so much and seek no more Satisfaction â—or it all but to see Sinners improving His Sufferings for their good to have a Seed brought forth by His Soul-travel and to have them getting Life by His Death and the Blessing by His bearing of the Curse and yet this is it that this Doctrine bears forth We may draw the 1. Use to these Four from and by which we may learn and know in some measure how to answer this Question seing we have heard so much of Christ's Sufferingâ— and Soul travel what shall we give to Christ for all that how shall we satisfie Him â—f there w re any affected suitably with thankfulness from the hearing of Christ's being brought so low by His sad Sufferings This would be and could not but be their Question Hâ—re is an Answer to it That Our Lord Jesus seeks no more as a Satisfaction for all His Sufferings but that ye improve them for your good This will Delight and Satisfie Him ye cannot do Him a greater pleasure noâ—hing will be â—ore acceptable nay nothing will be acceptable to Him nor taken off your hâ—nd but thiâ— even to see you coming in to Him and making use of His Sufferings for your own good That as to your particular His Sufferings may not be in vain and for nought but that ye improve them and so improve them as ye may not Live and Die in the Case that ye would have been in for ever had He not Suffered That is under the dominion of Sin and Sathan under the Wâ—ath and Curie of God in an anxious heartless Life without God and without Hope in the World It is even this in a Word That hearing of His sad Sufferings and of the Designe of them ye may betake your selves to Him for Pardon of Sin for Sanctification in both the Parts of it and for Consolation and that in the end ye may get your Souls â—aved on the account of His Sufferings and by vertue thereof 1. then ye would seek to be reconciled to God as the Apoâ—â—le 2 Cor. 5.20 21. exhorts We as ambassadours for â—hrist and in his stead beseech you to be reconciled to God And the Argument whereby it is pressed is the same that the Doctrine holds forth For he was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him Hence it follows also Chap. 6.1 We beseech you receive not this grace of God in vain Are there â—ny of you who are convinced that Christ should be Satisfied and that He should not be at all this Travel and Pains for nought And that think ye would fain Satisfie Him if it were in your power Behold Our Lord hath told you what will satifie Him It is not thousands of Rams nor ten thousand Rivers of Oyl but that His Sufferings be so improven by you as the native Fâ—uiâ—s of them may follow and be found in you That considering the wofull case ye are in by Nature ye may make use of His Satisfaction to Divine Justice as as the alone Atonement and may by Faith take hold of it as the Ground of your Peace if this be not Câ—rist will be to you as if He had never Suffered 2dly It calls for Holinesse and Mortification of Sin This is much pressed Rom. 6. from v. 2 to 14. And by this same Argument to wit That seing Christ died for Believers we should die with Him That being it wherein the Power of His Death kythes even in the Mortification of our Lusts which He came to destroy But when Folks live as they had wont to do in their Prophanity and Loosness thâ—re is nothing of the Fruit of the Travel of His Soul to be seen in them 3 Christ Travelled for the Consolation oâ— His People And this is another Fruit of His Death and Suffâ—rings that these who have betaken themselves to Christ may comfort themselves on â—his Ground Thâ—t once and that ere long they will get the Mâ—stery over a body of Death and will get both Sathan and it bruised under their Feet through Him Who was delivered for our offences and rose again for our justification and who hath blotted out the hand writing of ordinances that was against us nailing it to his cross And that through the vail which is his flesh there might a way be made Patent to us unto the most holy And that with confidence we might approach to God and in His Sufferings drâ—wn all our Challenges And indeed Believers are behind and greatly at a loss who have betaken themselves to Christ and yet live as Anxiously and Uncomfortably as if they had not a slain Mediator to comfort themselves in who by His Sufferings Soul-travel and Death hath made a Purchase of so great things for them And in a Word The up-shot of His Sufferings is to get the Sâ—uls of Believers in Him carried unto Heaven and keeped there perfect till the Body be raâ—sâ—d and in a perfect â—ate be Reâ—unâ—â—ed to the Soul at the Great Dâ—y according to that of the Apostle Eph. 5.26 27 He gave himself for his church that he might sanctifie and cleâ—nse it and present her to himself a glorious church without spot and wrinkle or any such thing And when Souls are not taking the right way to heaven he hath nothing of the Travel of his Soul from such more then if he had not undergone it or not Suffered at all Use 2. If this be Christ's Satisfaction for all the Travel of his Soul that he see Sinners getting good of his Sufferings Then if any Motive be weighty to move People to give Him their Soâ—ls to save this must sure have weight with them even that
thereby he may have Satisfaction for all his Soul-travel And therefore we would exhort you on this ground to give Him your Souls to be saved by Him in order to His Satisfaction And what is spoken in common take it as spoken to every one of you in particular Men and Women Old and Young Rich and Poor If ye would do Christ a favour and pleasure give Him imployment for Pardon of Sin for Peace with God for Sanctification for Consolation and for Access to Heaven Or if ye would know what motive we would use to perswade you to make Use of this Gospel for all these take this for one and a main one That it will Satisfie and even to speak so with Reverence comfort Christ for all the Travel of His Soul and for all the hard Labour that He endured even as it Satisfies a wooer for all his Pains and Patience in waiting on after many refusals and slights when he gains the Womans Consent and when the Match is made up So it will Satisfie Him when He sees Souls by vertue of His Sufferings brought to believe on Him and to lay the weight of their Salvation upon Him for then He sees it was not for nought that He laid down His Life And truly if this Motive prevail not I know not what Motive will prevail But to make it the more clear and convincing consider these things 1. What it is that Christ seeks when He seeks Satisfaction for the Travel of His Soul He even seeks your benefit and good If He had sought that which would have been painfull to you ye would I suppose have judged your selves obliged readily to have gone about it had it been as we use to speak to have gone through the fire for Him But now when this is all that He seeks that by making use of His Sufferings ye may be Justified made Holy comforted in your Life and brought to Heaven at your Death should it not much more ingage you to give Him this Satisfaction 2. Who seeks this Satisfaction and to whom is it to be given Is it not to Our Lord Jesus Christ There is very great weight in this Part of the Argument that by believing on Him and making use of His Sufferings we not only satisfie and save our selves but make Glad the heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ who being considered as God needs no Satisfaction neither is capable of any Additional Satisfaction from Creatures He being infinitely happy and fully Satisfied in the injoyment of His own All sufficient Self Nothing from without can be added unto Him yet He having condescended to become Man and Mediator betwixt God and Man to reconcile lost Sinners to God He is graciously pleased to account it Satisfaction to Him for all His Soul-travel to have Sinners making use of Him for their good and if their be any weight in the Satisfaction of one that is Great and Good and good to us This hath weight in it that our doing so will satisfie Him that is Matchlesly Great and Good and superlatively so to Sinners 3. Consider the Ground on which this Satisfaction is pleaded for and it will add yet more weight to this Argument it 's Satisfaction to Him for His Soul-travel And can any find in their hearts to think but He should be Satisfied on this account Is there not reason for it Who as the Apostle sayes 1 Cor. 9.7 goeth a warefare on his own charges who plants a vineyard and eats not of the fruit thereof or who feedeth a flock and eateth not of the milk of the flock Ah! Should Our Lord Jesus bestow all this Labour and Pains for nothing And further 4ly Whose Satisfaction is it that is sought This consideration is somewhat diversified from the 2. And would not therefore be looked on as any Tautology is it not His who is Lord of all and who will one day be Judge When if we had all the World would give it to please Him And who will pronunce the Sweetest or the Sadest Sentence upon us according as we have Satisfied Him in this or not Considering that it is He who desires this satisfaction from us should there not be an holy Diligence Eggerness and Zeal to get that performed that will Please and Satisfie Him Especially when the improving of His Sufferings may do it But 5ly From whom requires He this Satisfaction Is it not from them who like sheep have gone astray From these who have many iniquities lying on them and are lying under the Curse of God by Nature From these who must either be healed by His Strips or else they will never be healed but will die of their Wounds may not this make the Argument yet the more strong that He is not seeking this Satisfaction of strangers but of His own People nor of Righteous Folks but of Sinners who are lying under the Curse and whose happiness lyes in giving Him this Satisfaction And when it is thus with you That either your Sins must be taken away by Him or else ye must lye under them for ever That either He must bear the Curse for you or ye must bear it your selves If these things be obvious as indeed they are O! give Him the Satisfaction that He calls for and let Him not be put to say as it is Isai 49.4 I have laboured in vain and spent my strength for nought and in vain 3dly To press this yet a little more Although it should be sad to us that there should be need to press that so much on us which is so profitable to us and Satisfying to Him even that we would make use of Him for our Spiritual Good and Advantage These considerations will add weight to the Argument 1. What esteem Christ hath of it He thinks it as it were to be Payment and a sort of Compensation for all His Labour and Sufferings The Price was not Gold nor Silver nor any such thing which He gave for Sinners but it was His Precious Blood His own Life who was the Prince of Life and the Prince of the kings of the Earth And O! what a vast and infinit disproportion is there betwixt His Life and all our Lives and yet He accounts it a sufficient Reward if we will but give Him our Souls to be saved by Him in His own way and will make Use of His Death and Sufferings for that End And if it were possible that we could think little of our own Salvation and much of Christ's Satisfaction for His Soul-travel ought we not to think much of our own Salvation in reference to His Satisfaction And now when he hath joyned these together so that we cannot please nor satisfie Him except we give Him our Souls to save and cannot satisfie Him but that in doing so our Souls shall be saved Should it not induce us to make Use of Him for that End If He had commanded us to run here and there and to undergo some long and very toilsome Voyage or
many come before Him when it shall be told them That He craved no more Satisfaction from them for all that He Suffered but that they would have improved His Sufferings for their own good and that yet they would not give Him that much Doeth not this say that their is need that we should look well what Fruit there is of His Sufferings that there may be more then if He had not Suffered at all 9. Consider the great weight that will be laid on this Sin of refusing to believe and to Satisfy Him in this to wit in improving of His Sufferings above all other Sins This is a Sin that will be found to be against Equity Thankfullnesse and Ingenuity that when He had done and Suffered so much He was so ill requited Yea it will be found to be a wilfull and malicious Sin That when your Good and His Satisfaction were joyned together ye would rather choise to destroy your selves then to Satisfie Him in saving your selves through Use-making of His Sufferings There are two remarkable Words to this purpose Heb. 6.10 In the 6. Chap. it 's said of such That they crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame That is they do displease and anger Him and do what in them lyes to cast reproach upon Him as if He were no Saviour at all or an insufficient Saviour to put Him to Suffer over again in His wanting of Satisfaction for His Sufferings As it is a great pain for a Mother to be in Travel but it 's another and in some respect a greater pain if the Child die in the bringing forth In the 10. Chap. v. 28. It 's called A trading under foot the son of God and an accounting the blood of the Covenant to be an unholy thing And in the 26. v. Before it 's said There remains no more sacrifice for sin but a certain fearful looking for of judgement And it 's upon this very account As we did at another occasion make use of these two Scriptures to a like purpose and did thus Caution our Application of them against mistakes For what greater indignity can be put on Him then when His Satisfaction depends on the improving of His Sufferings yet people will not do it As nothing pleases Him better then to improve His Sufferings so on the contrary There is no Sin that doth displease Him more then when they are not improven And if ye will not now believe this to be a Truth yet when the Lord shall call you to count for it ye will find it to be a most certain and sad Truth That He called you to believe and that ye would lye still in your Unbelief Ignorance and Prophanity That ye destroyed your own Souls and made His Sufferings as uselesse as to you as if there had never a door been opened to Sinners to Heaven by them Is there any of you that will be able to answer to this challenge If not Then let Him have this Satisfaction by improving of His Sufferings that He may find to say so that His Death hath not been for nought as to you Study to have Him great in your esteem and to have your Souls saved by the vertue and efficacy of His Sufferings otherwayes the challenge will be unanswerable Considering that He declared that this would satisfie Him and ye knew that it would have pleased Him and removed the quarrel and saved your selves And that withall by this means a comfortable sentence at Judgement might have been procured to you And that yet ye disdained to do it And therefore since it stands so with you be intreated to make earnest and greater earnest of believing and of the great work of getting your own Souls saved which He hath thought so much of else it had been better for you that ye had never had a delightsome hour in the World And sad will the encounter be that ye will have with Him and with your own Conscience in that Day when it shall have this to tell you that ye cannot now expect any Good or Favour from the Judge Because when He would have saved you ye would not have it so but would needs run on your own damnation And therefore we say again either give Him Satisfaction by improving of His Sufferings and by making Earnest of the businesse of your Salvation Or resolve to meet with a most terrible Pursuer of the Quarrel against you The Wrath of God is dreadfull but much more the Vengeance of the Mediator who because ye would not give Him His will in your Salvation He shall have it in your Ruine and Destruction 4. There is here a sweet Word of Consolation to poor Souls that faln would have Sin taken away and are afraid to presume Our Lord will never be angry that ye make use of His Sufferings for your own good Nay He accounts it a Satisfaction to Him that ye improve them That when ye find your selves Arrested for Sin ye put it on His Score and draw a Bill on Him to pay your Debt That when you find your selves under that which to you looks like the dominion of Sin ye look to His Cross for Vertue to Crucifie Kill and Subdue it If therefore as I have often said ye would do Him a Favour or Pleasure make use of Him Be assured that the more weight ye lay on Him ye do Him the greater pleasure And this is all the amends that He seeks for all the wrâ—ngs ye have done to Him and all the Satisfaction that He seeks for all the good turns He hath done to you That ye come to Him thus to make use of Him And it is good Reason even all the Reason in the World that He get this amends made to Him and this Satisfaction granted to Him SERMON XLIX ISAIAH LIII XI Verse 11. He shall see of the travell of his soul and shall be satisfied by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities THere are two things of great Concernment for Men to know for sinfull Men to know if any thing be of Concernment The one is how the Justice of God that is provoked may be Satisfied or what it is by which provoked Justice is Satisfied And the other is What the way is how we come to get that Satisfaction applyed to us or what is the way to get the Benefit of it made ours And both of them are Answered in this v. clearly and shortly The first is holden out in the first part of the v. To be the travel of Christs soul Which hath a special look to the Covenant of Redemption and to the Condition on which it is Accomplished and Performed That is His Soul-travel under which all His Sufferings are comprehended The other is in the Latter Part of the verse By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities This holds forth in short the Gospel nay how
yet can never quiet the Conscience nor Satisfie Gods Justice Yea our own Predecessours in this Nation were drowned in the same Errors And we were as foolishly and senslesly superstitious as the Inhabitants of any other Nations before the Light of the Gospel brake up among us accounting such and such Sins to be do Sins leaning to their Merits to the Merits of Saints to Indulgences Soul-masses Whippings and a nuâ—ber of things of that kind And now that God hath mercifully fred us of these foolries how much are we obliged to him Hath ever Scotland been thankfull as it becometh for this mercy We do by our unthankfulnesse darken and obscure the freedom of Grace that by this Gospel is preached unto us And there needs no other evidence of it but this That many are to this day as ignorant of the way of Justification of Sinners and as abstract from and as great strangers to the right way of making use of Christ's Righteousness as if it had never been revealed unto them or if they know and can speak any thing of it all the use that they make of it is to turn the Grace of God into wantonness And because Holiness is not the ground of making their Peace with God to take the more Liberty to Lousness These are not Fruits of the Gospel other Fruits must be brought forth or else ye will repent it when ye cannot mend it Let it therefore affect you that God is so ill requite for His goodness and study to be more thankfull to Him that we may speak of these Truths and discover their Errors and that we are not Judicially blinded as many other People and Nations are 4ly Pitie them that are lying under darkness of their Delusions and Errors and pray for them It 's a sore matter that the most part of the Christian World should have the Name of Christians and yet should maintain such Doctrine and lay down and hold such a way as keepeth from benefit by Christ Jesus yea as denyes on their matter that He is come For this is indeed the Spirit of Antichrist and of the Man of Sin that takes Souls off from Christ and yet how few make conscience to pray for these poor people and that God would pursue the whoore and brake up and skell that Market spoken of Revel 18. And would discover His Truth and make His Gospel to be purely preached to them that are fitting in the Region of Darkness and in the Shadow of Death ye would pity bound up and imprisoned Souls in this Error and pray for their reclaiming and that God would keep this Land from it It 's an old seated and rooted Error and the rest are but foolries in comparison of it This is the Devils great ingine and arme others are but vapourers to say so which may tell us that speaking and hearing of such a business is not altogether uselesse What if the day should come that all our Bibles and every English Book that serves to hold out Truth and to discover Error should be taken from you and ordered to be burned and that Books stuffed with their Errors should come in their room Many of you think little or nothing now of the Light and Liberty of the Gospel which ye enjoy but if Heaven be of so much worth this Gospel is of much worth to you and this Truth of it in particular 5ly Let not this Gospel be preached for nought O! receive not this Grace in vain that is this Grace offered to you in the Gospel and the clearing of such Truths to you O! What a challenge and aggravation of our Guilt will it be when we come before the Throne when many other Nations will be condemned because they leanned to their own Merits and made not use of Christ and many of us shall be condemned because though we professed an indignation at these Errors yet we made no more use of Christ than these who by their Doctrine excluded Him If our Predecessors could speak what could they say Would it not be this it is just that ye perish for ye had Christ and His Righteousness clearly preached to you which we had not and yet ye slighted Him Therefore take hold of and improve the opportunity God hath clearly revealed this Truth to the Land and to this Place walk in the Light while ye have it else your condemnation will be the greater as it is John 3.19 6ly Seing God hath given us this a singular mercy even the clear Revelation of the way of Justification by Christs Righteousness and Merits Let us not through our evil conversation make the Truth of God to be evil spoken of turn not the Grace of God into wantonness It was an evil that soon arose in the Primitive Church and which the Apostle disputs against Rom. 2.3 and 6. Because He preached Justification by Grace and not by the Works of the Law some were ready to abuse that sweet Doctrine and to say Let us sin that grace may abound and let us do evil that good may come of it whose damnation sâ—yes he is just And he follows out these Objections and insists in answering of them And O! but this is damnable from the abounding of Gods grace to take the more liberty to Sin and yet what other Language have the Lives of mâ—ny but this Because Justification and Hâ—ppiness are not builded on our Works â—herefore we may live as we list dispitfully and presuâ—ptuously reflecting on the way of Justification by Faith and on God who hath contrived it But if any of you will abuse Gods grace and Sin the more God shall charge it on your own heads this Gospel shall never do you good God will require it of you your Sins are multiplied and your Plagues shall be multiplied above any that have lived under black Popery I dar say many of you would probably have had a greater restraint on you from Sin and would have been more Charitable and Foreward in many external good Works if ye had been profest Papists than now ye are being profest Protestants a judicial stroak on you for the abusing of Grace And is this the Fruit of the Gospel No certainly Grace was never preached that Men should grow cold and indifferent in the practice of good Works but that through the laying hold on Christs Righteousnesse they might have peace with God and that thâ—ough the study of Holinesse God might be glorified Therefore study the exercise of Faith so as ye seclude not Holiness and study Holiness so as ye mar not the freedom o Grace and put these two together which are the Compend of the Gospel when suitably practised SERMON LIV. ISAIAH LIII XI Vers 11. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many THis blessed Death and Soul-travel of Our Lord Jesus hath been good news to many and it is the ground of all the hope of Life that ariseth from the Word to a Sinner It should never be tastlesse nor dis-relishing
to us in mentioning reading or thinking of it but it should in reason make Sinners glad that ever there was such a subject to be spoken of and to be considered It behoved certainly to be a great businesse that brought the Son of God to die The Salvation of Sinners is a great Work though many of us think but very little of it The Sum and Scop of Christs Sufferings and Death are briefly holden forth in these Words By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many Where we have 1. The great benefit that comes by His Death which is Justification or the Absolving of Sinners from the Guilt of Sin and from the Curse of God due to them for Sin by Christ's interposing Himself to become a Sin-suffering there is a way laid down how Sinners may be relieved 2. The parties made partakers of this benefit and they are called many 3. The way how it is derived to these mâ—ny it is by his knowledge That is by or through Faith in Him We have spoken somewhat of the benefit it self Justification which is the thing aimed at for the most part in preaching and in all other Ordinances That God may by the Righteousnesse of His Son in the Gospel carry on the Justification of S nners through their knowledge of Him or by causing them to rest upon His Righteousnesse by Faith in order to their Salvation It 's sad that in this point which is of so great concernment so many should go so far wrong and mistake so grosly that it is no great matter in some respect whether they be called Christians or not This being the advantage of a Christian that He hath a way to Justification and Absolution from Sin and Wrath before God revealed to Him which others have not who if he come short of this or fall in grosse Errors about it he hath little or no advantage beyond Heathens who may have more of the Fat of the Eâ—rth and of the things of the World than these who are within the visible Church have But in this in a special manner the Christian excells and goes beyond the Pagan or Heathen That he hath a way laid down to him how he may come to be reconciled to God and freed from Wrath and from His Curse due for Sin which we have shewed to be by fleeing to Christ and by Faith resting on His Righteousnesse and Satisfaction For Christ the Cautioner having payed the Debt by laying down a Price fully satisfactory to Divine Justice And this Satisfaction being offered in the Gospel upon the condition of receiving him a Sinner giving his consent to Gods offer and closing therewith may confidently expect according to that offer to be Justified and no other wayes We shew you one particular great and grosse Error wherewith these who are under the darkness of Popery are wofully carried away which we did the rather touch upon because though it be a Doctrinal Error in respect of them and disputed for by them Yet in respect of the practice of many Protestant Christians it 's very rise and ordinary that is to Mistake Error and go wrong in the way of making of their peace with God And there are Three Sorts especially who do exceedingly Mistake Err and go wrong here These of whom I mean and am now speaking are not such as are maintaining Disputing or Writing for such Errors but such as commit themselves to be sound Protestant Christians and haters of the grosse Popish Error That we spake somewhat to the last day The 1. Sort are thâ—se who to this hour never laid down any solid Reckoning how to make their Peace with God or what way to come at Absolution before Him these Persons do in practice deny what ever may be their Professions that there is any such thing as a Reckoning to be made betwixt God and them or that there is a necessity of Justification for preventing of their eternal ruine and destruction They live from their birth with a hope of coming to Heaven without looking how they may passe this great step of Justification before God they never saw nor laid to heart their need of it are their not many hearing me to day that are of this number who will needs keep up confidently their fancied hope of Heaven and yet never knew what it was to answer a challenge for Sin or a threatning of the Curse for the breach of Gods Law from Christs Righteousness nor did they ever fist and arraigne themselves before Gods Tribunal as guilty nor did they ever think seriously of their charge nor of their Summonds nor of the way of making their Peace with God by taking hold of Christs Righteousness A 2d Sort are the generality of Legal Professours I do not say that they are Legal in their Practices that is that they make it their business to keep the Law for they are as little concerned or careful in that as any but they are Legal in this respect that when it comes to the making of their peace with God they know nothing but the Law to deal with as that man spoken of Math. 25. That got the one Talent and was utterly careless to improve it yet when it comes to a Reckoning he stands and sticks to a rigor of the Law Master saith he Lo here thou hast that which is thine just so such will be ready to say we have no more Grace then God hath given us we have a good heart to God we are doing what we dow or can Here come in Prophane Men meer Civil Men and Hypocrites and more especally the meer Civil Men who do much in the duties of the Second Table of the Law and they will profess that they do mind Judgement and a Reckoning but as if they had been bred and brought up in a Popish School they foist in a Legal Righteousnesse in stead of Christ's as the ground of their Justification before the Tribunal of God ye may take in these instances of this sort of Persons which are very common and who in their Practice almost in every thing agree with the Popish Doctrine The 1. Instance is of such Persons that know nothing of the imputation of Christ's Righteousnesse yet if we speak of it they will fall out in such expressions as these we can do nothing of our selves there is no goodness in us It 's God's grace that must do our turn yet in the mean time it is not Christs Righteousness they lay down to themselves as the ground of their Justification but the good which they have done as they suppose in Christs strength and the Grace which is given them to work and do that good by which is the same thing with the Popish way of Justification as if Christ had procured an ability to us to keep the Law our selves in order to our being Justified thereby hence they will Beliâ—ve Pray Hear the Word Praise and go about other Duties and will professe that they acknowledge
other Fruits of it were uselesse it will avail but little to be a Member of the visible Church to be Baptized and to be admitted to the Lords Supper to have Litural knowledge of the principles of Religion to have a Gift of Preaching or of Prayer c. these will not Justifie The peculiar thing aimed at in Christs Death and that which His People aim at and have to rejoyce in is Justification through his knowledge which is alwayes to be understood without prejudice to the study of Holinesse 2. It gives us this Use whoever would have Absolution before God would know that this was the very thing ingaged for to Christ and His intendment in His Death That Sinners believing on Him might be Absolutely and Actually Justified by Him it was not simply to propose Justification to them but that Absolutely they might be Absolved from the Curse of God due to them for Sin And now may I not ask whether this is more encouraging to Sinners to have Christ procuring Justification only conditionally to them or to have the thing absolutely conferred upon them This is a ground whereupon believing Sinners lift up their heads confidently and expect Justification through His Righteousnesse It is this that was promised to Christ and it is this that is the native fruit of His Death without which it will be fruitlesse And this may remove the great obstruction that readily a Sinner when he is serious seeth lying in his way to wit the want of Righteousnesse and the fear of not being Absolved the want of inherent Righteousnesse in himself which makes him lyable to the Curse of the Law when he seeth upon what terms Christ died First To procure a Righteousnesse to them that wanted Righteousnesse And 2. Upon these terms that Sinners through faith in Him might he Justified and fred from the Guilt of Sin as if they never had Sin themselves Considering this to be his intendment according to the terms of the Covenant of Grace what have they or what can they have to skar or fright them from expecting the fulfilling of this Promise Because the contryvance of the Covenant of Redemption is to buy Justification absolutely and not the possibility of it only nor to buy Grace to us whereby to Justifie our selves but Juâ—â—ification it self so as we may be beholden to Him alone for it Again 2dly When we say that the Justification of a Sinner is the proper result of Christ's Death it may be thus understood That the Righteousnesse whereby a Sinner is Justified is immediatly Christ's Death and Purchase as to the meritorious cause thereof to that if we look to what Justifies a Sinner as to the meritorious cause of it the knitting of these two together He shall see of the travel of his soul and shall be satisfied and By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many doth hold it forth to be Christ's Death and Purchase The travel of His Soul is and must be the ground on which a lost Sinner is Justified before the Throne of God This both confirms what we formerly proposed concerning this Doctrine and also shews that the Justification of a Sinner is not by inherent Holinesse whence comes it I pray that makes a Sinner acceptable before God It is not from habitual nor actual inherent Grace but from Christs Righteousness laid hold on by Faith that grippeth and adhereth to it But from the latter part of the Words we will have more particular occasion to speak to this where these two are knit together By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquity therefore we do now passe it The Object of this benefit is many many ordinarily in Scripture implyes these two things 1. A great number and so it shews the extent of the Object that is that Christ shall purchase and redeem many or by His Death procure Justification to many 2. A restriction and thus many is opposed to all and so the meaning is There shall many be Justified by Christ's Death but not all and therefore as none can from these Words plead for an universality in Justification So neither can they in Redemption for he only bare their iniquities whom by His knowledge He Justifies Looking on these many in these twofold considerations we may take these Observations from it 1. Taking it extensively Observe 1. That the Righteousnesse of Christ is of it self able to Justifie many It 's a Righteousnesse that can Satisfie for the Sins of many or thus That in the Covenant of Redemption there is an intended Application of Christ's Righteousness and Purchase to many 2. That there are many who shall indeed partake of Christ's Righteousnesse and be Justified by it It 's not one or two or a thousand but as it was intended to Justifie many so it shall be actually applyed to many for their Justification 3. Comparing the former Words He shall see of the travel of his soul and shall be satisfied with these Words By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many Observe That Christ is not satisfied for the Travel of His Soul except many be Justified Or thus It is Christ's Satisfaction how many there be that make use of Him and that by making use of Him come to be justified by Him as afterward we will see These many are all these that believe all these that have this true and saving knowledge of Him and do rightly acknowledge Him The making out of one of these Doctrines will make them all out That Christ's Righteousnesse is able to Justifie many that many shall be Justified by it and that it is His Sâ—tisfaction and Delight that many be Justified and get this good of it It 's said Matth. 20.28 That he came to lay down his life a ransome for many And Rom. 5.15 That the gift of grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many and v. 19. As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shalâ— many be made righteous Let but these Four things be put together and considered and it will be found that there is no just ground to quarrel these Doctrines 1. The native worth and intrinsick value that is in the Satisfaction of Christ It 's the blood of God of the Person that is God It 's an Offering that flows from a willing and cheerful Giver which makes it the more acceptable He was content with delight to pay the Price there cannot be a limiting or bounding of this Worth and Value because there cannot be any bounding or limiting of the Person that gives the Value to it if it be considered in it self 2. Consider the freeness of the Offer which takes in many Our Lord communicats very freely what He hath bought very dear and it 's done with respect to His taking in of many to take away all exceptions from the poor and needy and from them that want money 3. As the terms are
Doctrine that ever ye heard it had been in some respect better that ye had heard that it was but two or three that will come to Heaven because the hearing of many's coming thither will greatly aggravat your guilt who neglect so great a Salvation Therefore take two or three Caveats of this Doctrine And 1. Beware of being secure because there are many that shall be Justified There are many moe that will perish compare these that perish with these that will be saved and it will be found that they are but an handful that will be saved and that Swarms and Multitudes will go to Hell Therefore when ye hear that the door is opened to many let it encourage you to enter in but remember this that moe will be excluded and perish then will enter in and be saved The Scripture sayes Many are called but few are chosen even in respect of the called within the visible Church 2. Consider that Graces inlarging of this benefit to take in many will be your greatest challenge and aggravation that shall miss and come short of it Therefore let us as it is Hâ—b 4. fear least having a promise left unto us of entring into his rest any of as should seem to come short of it When this door is opened to us we would by all means fear coming short or not entring through unbelief for it will be worse with us then if the door had never been opened Folk ordinarily think not so much to miss or come short of a Priviledge which but one or two have accesse to but when it is such a priviledge as is made attainable by many the missing of it galleth and tormenteth the more and when many shall come from the East West South and North and shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven what weeping and gnashing of teeth will it cause to them who shall be secluded And therefore 3ly Beware of thinking that there is the less diligence or fear required because we say that many will be Justified for though there be many that are Redeemed and many that shall be Justified yet all these come to be Justified through Christ's knowledge And therefore such as are ignorant and prophane can but take little or no comfort hence while they continue to be such Though there be many that are Justified yet none but Believers are Justified and none can warrantably look on themselves to be Believers but such as are sincere students of Holinesse I would not therefore have you laying weight either on many or few's being Justified except by way of Motive but on the way that ye take to come by the end Though a great many moe were saved then will be if ye take not the way of Faith and Holinesse to come to Salvation ye will not get your selves shrouded in the croud but though there were never so few damned ye shall make up the number In a word it 's ground of encouragement to a poor Sinner that would fain be Justified in God's own way it is also ground of shame and confusion of Face to the unbeliever that restrains the benefit of Christ's Purchase and shuts himself out when Grace doth make use of such expressions to bring him in and it will be ground of conviction to all that have so wide a door opened to them and do not strive to enter in It may be many of you think little of this now but in that day when many shal be taken into the Kingdom of Heaven and others shut out it will be known to be a matter of greatest concerment if once we could be induced to be in earnest in this one thing there were a great point gained on the hearers of the Gospel and till it be seriously minded there is nothing that we can do in Religion that will be to any purpose SERMON LV. ISAIAH LIII XI Verse 11. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many c. IT 's a great matter to have the solid impression of Christ's fulness on our Spirits and to be throughly perswaded that there is a Rigteousness to be had in Him yet the Consolation is not full unless there be clearness in the way how this Righteousnesse is applyed and come by and a kindly yeelding to follow that way For though we know that Christ died and that there is a Righteousnesse Purchased yet there are many that are never Justified and that shall never be saved by it And therefore it would not be so much to know that there is such a thing if he had not laid down a way how we may be partakers of it which way can no more fail and misgive then Christ's Righteousnesse can and these Words hold out the way By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many That is through Faith in Christ many shall be made Righteous His Satisfaction shall be accounted the Believers whereby it shall come to passe that they shall be as really Justified as if they had born their own iniquities because His bearing of them shall be accounted theirs We spake 1. of this general that there is such a thing as Justification or God's Absâ—lving of a Sinner who by His own iniquity is lyable to the Curse 2. That this Justification is the proper effect of Christ's Death 3. From the Object of it That they are many yet not all who are Justified many being put as a mids betwixt two extreams neither including all nor only taking in a very few having put by these more general Doctrines we would now speak a little to this great benefit of Justification in reference to the particular Causes that concur to the attaining of it which will lead us to a more distinct uptaking of it there is ground for them all in the Text and therefore we shall put them together that ye may have a short view of this great benefit complexly There are commonly six causes assigned to or made necessary to concur in Justification though we know not well how to expresse them so as ye may take them up because of the ignorance of many of you 1. There is the efficient cause and that is God the party that doth Justifie 2. The end or final Cause and that is His own Glory 3. The Meritorious Cause or that which procures it or the ground on which God Justifies And that is Christ's Merit 4. The inward instrumental Cause by which we get a tittle to and an interest in Christ's Merit and that is Faith 5. The Formal Cause or that wherein Justification consists and that is Imputation of Christ's Righteousnesse to the Sinner upon His acceptation of it and the Absolving of the Sinner by vertue of His Righteousnesse 6. The External Instrumental Cause and that is the Word of God by which this Justification is revealed and wherein God declares and passes the Sentence For the First ye would for clearing of it remember what we spake in our entring on this Doctrine
the mutualnesse of the Terms of it and that though as to our conceiving and up-taking of it there be something first and something last yet with God there is no such thing but it is one present Act. Thâ— promises made to the Mediator are in two exprâ—ssiâ—â—s with an inference in the Word Therâ—fore knitting this to what went before I will divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong In short the similitudes here used are taken from Conquerours and Victors who having been in a War and fight and having defeat and routted all their Enemies and put them off the Field have a notable Out-gate Victory and Triumph and a great Spoil as the Fâ—â—iâ— of the War And so the meaning is That the Mâ—diator by His undertaking to Sâ—tâ— fie for the Elect should have a great Fâ—ght and Combat with many Enemies but He should losse nothing by it He shou d have a notable Our gate an excellent Victory and glorious Triumph great glory and spoil So that as there was never War like Hâ—s nor Enemies like these that He had to encounter with so there should never be such Victory Triumph and Spoil as our Lord Jesus should have The word Portion is not in the Original buâ— well supplied It is only I will divide him many as the Word is often used and He shall divide the spoil with the strong That is He shall iâ— dividing the Spoil be above the strongest The Words infer and take in these Three 1. A great defeat of and Victory over all the Mediators Enemies the Devil Death and the Curse He gets a great victory over them and gives them a great defeat so that they are quite beat off the Field as dividing the spoil imports Psal 68.12 She that remained at home divided the spoil and Isa 9.3 As men rejoyce when they divide the spoil 2. The great number of Captives that our Lord in His Victory and Triumph takes and brings off that is He gets a great bootie which is that spoken of in the words before By his knowledge shall many be justified and it 's that which is exprest in that Psal 68.18 Thou hast ascended on high thou hast led captivity captive that is these that were formerly captives thou hast redeemed from their capivity and led them captive that carried others captive as the people of God pray Psal 126.4 Turn again our captivity 3. It takes in the excellent Victory the great Triumph and Glory that the Mediator should have by this means He is exalted above every name that is named that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of thinge in heaven of things in earth and of things under the earth For further clearing of it we shall recommend to you Two or Three places in which it 's like there is an allusion to this as that Col. 2.14 15. Blotting out the hand writing of ordinances that was against us and contrary to us taking it out of the way and nailling it to his cross tearing as it were the Obligation that the Law had over the Elect by His paying of their Debt And having spoiled principalities and powers he made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in it There is His Victory and Triumph He combats with subdues and trods under foot all His and His peoples Enemies by satisfying the Justice of God for the Elects Debt and spoils them of many Souls that were led captive by them and triumphed openly over them declaring Himself to have gotten the Victory in a most Majestick manner A 2d place is Phil. 2.8 9. Being found in fashâ—on as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto the death even to the death of the cross wherefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above eveâ—y name that at the name of Jâ—sus every knee should bow of things in heaven in earth and under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father This is His Victory Triumph and Glory such as none in Heaven or Earth ever had or shall have the like A 3d. Place is that Ephes 2.21 Hâ—â—alâ—ed him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principalities and powers and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but in that which is to come and hath put all things under his feet and given him to be head over all things to the church Whether they be Devils or good Angels or Men Sâ—ints militant or triumphant He is above them all all are made subject to Him and He is the head of His Church The expressions run in different Persons The first is in the First Person I will divide him a portion It 's a Promise of God the Father to the Mediator for His attaining the Victory as it 's said Ephes 1.20 God raised him from the dead The 2d Expression is in the 3d. Person He shall divide the spoil To shew that the Mediator God man concurred in the attaining the Victory Therefore Rom. 1.4 He is said to raise himself and in thâ—t it 's said I will divide and He shall divide It is to hold out the Mediator His attaining and possessing of what was promised and to shew that there is nothing promised to the Mediator but actually He is and shall be put in the full possession of it The last part of the Words holds out the conditions on the Mediators side in Four Expressions 1. Because he hath poured out his soul unto death That is because He willingly condescended to die He yetted or poured out His Soul to death 2. He was numbred with the transgressours He had a reproached and shameful Life and a reproached and cursed Death He was thought the worst of the World so that Barrabas a murtherer was preferred unto Him It also points out the respect that His Death had to a Satisfaction for the Sins of the Elect He was legally numbred and counted amongst transgressours though He was no Transgressour 3. He bare the sins of many which expones the former and sayes this much That noâ— only He simply died and died a shâ—meful Death but that He died for this end to bear and by His bearing to remove the Sins of the Elect for it relates to the many that in the former Words are said to be justified by his knowledge And it cannot be but these many shall be Justified because He did bear their Sins as to the Punishment and Curse due to them and whosoever Sins are born by Christ these are and shall be Justified and therefore He must be Victorious and have a glorious triumph and out-gate because He layes down His Life for His Sheep as it is John 10.17 Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life and take it up again And by the way it is a strange
thing that the only begotten Son of God should be loved on this account accepted and glorified in this Work even because He poured out his soul unto death out of zeal to His Fathers Glory in prosecuting the Work of Sinners Redemption 4. And he made intercession for the transgressours Which points out His making application of His Death and the benefit thereof to the many whose Sins He bare He died to take their Sins away and interceeds to have His purchase made effectual For though this be applyed usually to His Prayer on the Cross yet that is but one particular of His intercession which is of larger extent and therefore it 's noted as a condition required of the Mediator that He must not only die but also intercâ—ed that the benefits of His death might be made forthcoming for them for whom He died Thus ye see we have the sum of Gods Covenant here as if the Lord were proposing to the Mediator Now Son if thou wilt pour out thy Soul unto death and thereby bear the Sins of my Elect People and make intercession for them thou shalt losse nothing by it thou shalt have a notable Victory and Triumph and a great Spoil In the Words before The Mediator having accepted the Terms of the Covenant and performed them though not actually at that time but in the Purpose and Decree of God which now are actually performed therefore the Promises are turned over in a concluded Covenant and in an absolute Right to Him What needs further explication we shal endeavour to reach it as we speak to the Observations and because the Words for the most part yeeld the same Doctrines that have been spoken to before we shall not insist in them 1. Then from the repitition Observe in general That the nature and terms of the Covenant of Redemption betwixt God and the Mediator is a profitable Doctrine and useful to be understood and believed by the People of God Therefore it is so clearly proposed and again and again repeated and laid before their eyes and summed and repeated in this verse to keep them in mind of it These that know the Covenant of Redemption as that which hath in it the sum of all the Foundations of our Faith and the ground of our access to God and of our peace with Him they will easily grant that that it 's very necessary to be studied known and believed For First by it we know what we may expect from God because what we are to expect is promised to Christ in this Covenant as to our head This portion with the great and this dividing of the spoil with the strong He hath it as our head 2. Because we know by this Covenant how we come by these things promised And that is by pouring out of his soul into death bearing of our sins and interceeding for us Which supposes and includes our betaking of our selves unto Him by Faith 3. Because by this Covenant the rich and free Grace of God hath it's due Glory For there is nothing considered here as the reason of setting captives free but Christs paying of the Price it comes freely to us as a gift bestowed 2dly And more particularly Observe That though our Lord Jesus Christ in the Work of Sinners Redemption had a sore Combat and Fight yet He hath a glorious Out-gate Triumph and Victory It was the greatest fairest and most serious onset and assault that ever was heard of that our Lord Jesus encountered with As the remembrance and consideration of what hath been spoken of His being in an agony and sweating drops of blood of his praying that if it were possible that cap might depart from him Of His crying my God my God why hast thou forsaken me c. Will most convincingly make out the Justice of God pursuing Him for all the guilt of the Elect Principalities and Powers being in His tops The Devil the Prince of this World having all His Instruments yocked and at Work some to nod the head some to mock and scourge Him c Yet He did abide it all out He gave his back to the smiters and his cheeks to them that pulled of the hair and hid not his face from shame and spitting And had a most glorious Victory and Triumph over all what we said in exponing of the Words clears it somewhat and that Word John 12.31 Now is the judgment of this world now shall the prince of this world be cast out to point out His Victory over the World and the Devil and that Word Col. 2.14 15. He spoiled principalities and powers He uncloathed them and left not as we use to speak a whole rag on them He by a strong hand pulled all the Elect from them and left none of them in their possession He brake open the prison doors and set them all at liberty This was indeed a great Victory He hath also a great spoil of many Captives and great Glory being exalted in our nature At the right hand of majesty on high having a name above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee might bow and that passage Ephes 1.20 21. Is to the same purpose He hath put all things under his feet c. If we look to Reason it cannot be otherwayes 1. If we consider what our Lord Jesus was in His Person being the Son of God He cannot but be glorious John 17.5 He proves Father glorifie me with the glory which I had with thee before the world was Though by being Man He became of no reputation and a vail was drawn over the declarative Glory of the God-head in His Person for a time yet He remained still the Son of God and Glorious in Himself and it cannot be but He that is God must be Glorious in His Exâ—ltation when that vail that obscured His Glory is taken away 2. His Office as Mediator and head of the Elect proves it He that waâ— appointed head ovâ—r all things to the Church could not but be great and glorious and therefore when that of Psal 16.10 Is cited by the Apostle Act. 2.24 and 13.35 It 's said That it was impossible that death could keep him 3. It will be clear if we consider the Work it self wherewith He was intrusted it being a Work that was so well liked of and approven by God He could not but have a Glorious Victory and Out-gate Therefore sayes He John 10. My Father loveth me because I lay down my life for my sheep and Philip. 2.8 It 's said Because he humbled himself and became obedient unto death therefore God hath highly exalted him It was the contract betwixt God and the Mediator that He should first become low and then to be exâ—lted and therefore He behoved to be exalted and made very Glorious Use 1. Learn not to underâ—â—lue nor to vail and obscure the Glory of 〈◊〉 Mediator from the consideration of His Sufferings for though He was low yet He is now exalted He had a most
so much of the saving of sinners and therefore they wonder not at it are not suitably affected and taken up with it Use 2. There is here a sweet and solid ground for quieting and setling the Faith of sensible Sinners who would have footing to their Faith Christ counts it His Glory and Triumph to save such as ye are and if ye perish that would fain be at Christ and His Righteousnesse for Life Christ shall want His Glory and Triumph and may not that serve and satisfie you that your Salvation is His Glory and Triumph which He will not come short of The Father hath here promised it and He shall not He cannot want it Sinners He must have and shall have to be saved because His Victory Triumph and Spoil depends on it A wonderful condescension of Grace which is not easily believed that all these are linked and coupled together and through other as it were Sinners Salvation Christs Victory Triumph and Spoil and Gods Glory in His Grace Love Faithfulnesse and Power ye reflect no doubt on Gods Faithfulnesse who suspect and are jealous of your Salvation if indeed ye do by Faith betake your selves to Jesus Christ Use 3. Doth Christ think so much of the Salvation of Sinners that He counts it His Victory and Triumph His Portion and Spoil Then 1. All that give not Christ their Souls to be saved do what they can to lessen Christs Portion and to frustrat Him of His Glory 2. If ye would do Christ service that is most acceptable to Him give Him your Souls to be saved by Him frustrat not His Grace lay your Sins on Him and look for Salvation through Him in His own way He came to fight with Principalities and Powers and to vanquish them and by the strong hand to rescue Souls from them and step ye to at His back for that is His Satisfaction His Portion and Spoil We wote well there is here a strong and effectual motive to perswade to Faith in Christ and a stronger and more effectual cannot be thought upon It will be Christs Triumph to pull you out of the claws of the Devil and if He do it not ye on the matter allow the Devil some way to get the victory over Christ which is yet impossible but the Devil will certainly have Victory over you to whom ye will be Slaves and Druges for ever There is also here ground of great terrour and of dreadful warning to such as yeelds not to Christ because they do what they can to impede His Victory when He comes by His ordinances to turn them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan to God they thwart with Him The day is coming when this Doctrine will be comfortable to some and terrible to others when there shall be none of us but we shall see it confirmed with our eyes when He as a man sorting and sharing His Spoil after the Victory shall say to these on His right hand Come ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you and to others Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels Even as if a Conquerour should take some Prisoners and make them Sons and Heirs and set them upon Thrones and should cast others into perpetual Prison who loved not liberty And indeed it will be a fearful Prison who loved not liberty And indeed it will be a fearful Prison to be in Hell with the Devil and His Angels either we will be part of Christs Portion and Spoil in that day or He will refuse disown and reject us leaving us to be an everlasting prey to the Devil happy they whom He choiseth and woe to them eternally whom He casts as refuse wair God give us wisdom to lay these things to heart SERMON LXIV ISAIAH LIII XII Verse 12. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he hath poured out his soul unto death and he was numbred with the transgressours and he bare the sin of many and he made intercession for the transgressours THis Covenant of Redemption is a great bargain there was never such parties as the Lord Jehovah and the Mediator and we may say there was never such Conditions and Articles in any bargain as are in this The verse now read doth contain the sum of that which was agreed upon betwixt these Parties The promises upon Jehovahs side made to the Mediator and what He shall have on His accepting of the offer and performing of the Condition required of Him And what are the terms proposed to the Mediator and the Conditions which He is to perform or rather hath performed 1. There are two things promised to the Mediator I will divide him a portion with the great a fair and large Victory and a good and glorious Out-gate And He shal divide the spoil with the strong As these that are Conquerours and Victors use to share most largely and deeply in the Spoil so our Lord Jesus shall have a rich Spoil a large booty many redeemed Souls a Bride whom He shall present blamelesse to the Father These are the Spoil the Jewels that He fights for and the Prey He choiseth when the World is burnt and the rest are sent to hell He gathers out so many for Himself 2. The Conditions on the Mediators side are four He comes to this Victory and Triumph because He hath poured out His soul unto death because He was numbred with transgressours because He bare the sins of many and because He made intercession for the transgressours Therefore shall He be sure of all this Although there be no expresse name of a Covenant here yet ye see the thing because as in Covenants amongst men there are two parties and their ingagements are mutual and the performance of these ingagements in the one depends on the performance of them in the other So is it here 1. The Parties are Jehovah and the Mediator 2. There are two things promised to the Mediator a glorious Victory and a rich Spoil the justifying of many 3. The Conditions on the Mediators side on which the performance of the promises depends He condescends to die and to die willingly to be numbred with transgressours to bear their Sins and to make intercession for them This Jehovah condescends to accept of and upon this many to wit all Elect Sinners are justified through faith on him as it is v. 11. 1. From the promise made to Christ where the Person is changed I will divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong I will grant Him such a thing and He shall obtain it Take this general Observation as the reason of it That all the Promises made by Jehovah to the Mediator are certain and shall actually be performed I will grant this to Him and He shall get it The connexion doth also confirm it Because he hath poured
when it came to be accomplished though He gave evidences of His power in making them fall backward who came to apprehend Him yet He raises them again and goes with them And when they mock Him and buffet Him and nod the head at Him and bring Him to the Bar and question Him and when they said If thou be the king of Israel come down from the cross and we will believe on thee which we may think He could have done though they were but tempting Him yet in all these He is silent and never opens His mouth till He come to that It is finished He never spake a repyning word It was wonderfully much to suffer and to die so cheerfully but to pour out His Soul unto Death to take His Life in His own hand and to be so holily prodigal of it as to pour it out there having never been such a precious Life and so precious Blood poured out this was much more Use It shews what esteem ye should have of Souls and every one of you of your own Souls Our Lord Jesus poured out His Soul unto Death for Souls He values Souls so much that He gave His precious Life for them Therefore it 's said 1 Pet. 1.19 We are not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ If He esteemed so much of Soulâ— what will it be thought of when ye waste your Souls and ye know not whereon He bought Soulâ— dear and ye sel them cheap for a little Silver or Gold or for that which is worse and far lesse worth what an unsuitableness is here betwixt Christs estimation of Souls and yours betwixt His buying them at so dear a rate and your casting them away for that which is very vanity What do the most part of you get for your Souls Some a bit Land some a House some a fecklesse Pleasure some a Sport some the satisfaction of their Lust or a moments sinful mirth O! pitifully poor bargain what will become of that mirth or lust or pleasure of this house or of that land when Kings and great Men will lye crawling like so many wormes before the Lamb ye will not get your House or Land with you ye will not get leave to wear your brave cloathes ye will have no Silver nor Gold in your Purse in that day And suppose ye had it the Redemption of the Soul is precious and ceaseth for ever by any such Price It 's a wonderful thing that when Christ esteems so much of Souls that Sinners should esteem so little of them Is it not just that such Souls should go to hell when they esteemed them so little worth Use 2. It should teach you to love and heartily to welcome this Lord Jesus Christ what argument of Love and of Trust what motive to welcome Him can there be if this be not That He spared not His Life but poured it out unto death for Sinners How long shall we halt betwixt Christ and Belial We dow not endure to mortifie a Lust to want our Sport and Laughter or a bit of our credit or honour though it should cost us the want of Christ But O! ingrate fool is that a becoming requital to Him that took His innocent Soul in His hand and poured it out for Sinners and when it was some way melted like leid in the fire of Gods Wrath was content to yett it forth abundantly out of love to their Salvation Should it not rather call for love to Him for trusting and welcoming of Him and to Suffering for His sake if He call you to it Will ye skar to hazard your life for Him that poured out His Soul for Sinners It would do a Soul good to think how willingly and cheerfully He Suffered But Alace how reluctantly and unwillingly come we under Suffering for Him However let me commend these three Words to you 1. Love Him For even Publicans will love these that love them and give Christ love for love 2. Credit and Trust Him do not look for ill at His hand what ground is there to suspect Him It is His glory to do good to Sinners and He counts them His triumph and spoil and to make conquest of them He poured out His Soul unto Death or as the Word is Phil. 2. He emptied himself Which seems to look to this Word of the Prophet and is not that warrand sufficient for you to trust and credit Him and to lay the weight of what concerns you upon Him And 3. welcome Him which is a fruit of Faith and Love He is a sweet wooer He is that good shepherd that laid down his life for his sheep he gave himself for his church as it is Ephes 5. Therefore I say welcome Him This is the great thing the Gospel aims at such expressions are a great deepth and it would require time to read to ponder them and to wonder at them and we would be much in praying for a right uptaking of them 3dly From the connexion Because He hath poured out His Soul unto death Observe That our Lord Jesus His willing condescending to die is most acceptable to the Father Therefore He sayes I will give him a portion with the great and be shall divide the spoil with the strong because He hath done so and so and all the Promises made to Him confirm this That is a wonderful Word John 10.17 Therefore does my father love me because I lay down my life for the sheâ—p The only begotten and beloved Son of the Father cannot but be loved Yet He sayes Therefore or on this account does my father love me That is as I am Mediator the Fâ—tâ—ers Minister Steward or Deput in this Work of the Redemption of Sinners and because I so willingly and cheerfully lay down my self for them He hath given me this Victory and Glory So well pleasing to God is the willing and cheerful death of the Mediator that it should be admired by us and should have this weight laid on it by us that seing cheerfulness in obedience is so acceptable to God we would study it for He loves a cheerful giver and cheerfulnesse in any duty It 's much we have this word to speak of to you many Nations never heard it and ye would make some other Use of it then if ye had never heard it O! but it will be dreadful to such as have heard it and do slight it their Souls shall be poured out into Hell even squized and wrung eternally by the Wrath of God Therefore look not lightly on it do not think all this transaction of Grace to be for nought If we were serious we would wonder what it means Alace we think little or nothing to make our peace with God and yet all this business is ere the matter can be brought about It 's a great evidence of the stupidity senslessenesse and absurd unblief of many that they think nothing of Sin and Wrath and of the hazard