those which have equal share and interess with thy self in this peace and wilt thou not judge it comely convenient necessary and what must be done by thee viz. to embrace them with hearty peaceable affections who are embraced by thy God with as hearty affections as thou art or canst be Oh come then make peace with all thy Brethren and forgive them as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven thee And thus I have very briefly drawn out three particular inducements among many other which from Christ dying a Curse for us and all Believers should perswade us and them to live in a Christian brotherly peace which becomes a Sacrament and which should be improved by each Sacrament I now proceed to A seventh Sacramental Grace 7th Sacramental grace a Thankful heart which ought to be exercised at each Sacrament and which may receive some addition from the consideration of Christ's Death as a Curse in our stead Now this grace is a Thankfull acknowledgment of the great mercy we have by Christ's dying a Curse for us It doth exceeding well become us to be thankful and praise the Lord for his mercy to us in Christ dying for us And though praise be ever seasonable yet a Sacrament is the season of seasons for praise then it is most in season though it be never out of season The commonness and universal praenotion of this truth among all Christians saveth me the labour of proving it I need not prove that to any one which is denied by no one let then praise and thanks attend our communion at the Lord's Supper And among other motives unto praise let us view some few arising from the Death of Christ as it was an accursed death for us And so 1. First To this kind of Death of thy Lord thou must be beholden for all the sweetness which thou tastest in thy mercies Thy sin which brought thee under the Curse imbittered every thing to thee also nay that sin which cursed thee forfeited all thy mercies thou hadst no right to them when once thou hadst sinned and thou couldst taste no sweetness in them if thou hadst still lain under the Curse thou hadst no more right to thy estate and life than a condemned man hath to his thou couldest have no more enjoyed them than a pensive condemned person who is kept in prison with a daily allowance to keep them alive unto the day of his near approaching execution every morsel is bitter to him so would it have been to thee Thou mayest read this in the emblem of the sinner's state a naked man cast out of a fruitful garden and left in a place of thorns and briars Such was the consequence of thy sin cast naked out of what thou hadst and turned out among grieving thorns and briars Now would he not deserve thanks who restoreth thee to a title gives thee a new right unto all desirable blessings who shall root up those cursed thorns and plant the Vine and the Olive to yield thee fruit Look then this and more than this done for thee by the Death of thy Lord made a Curse for thee Lo thy title renewed to necessary mercies and mercies renewed unto their sweetness and delightfulness thou a Prodigal received as a Son and the husks thou didst feed on turned into bread in thy Father's house Christ was accursed for thee that every blessing might be sweetened to thee Ever praised be our Physician who hath taken out the most of the poison and hath turned the rest into necessary and seasonable Physick God hath blest thee with every thing in Christ that thou mightest bless and praise that thou mightest be thankful for every thing and ascribe it all to the goodness of God in Christ We owe all to this Death of Christ and how little do we pay when we are thankful Let us not then with-hold this little too In one word read over the latter part of Deut. 28. from v. 15. to the end of the chapter and consider how well he deserves blessing and thanks from thee who hath delivered thee from the bitterness of so many Curses imbittering all thou enjoy'dst Secondly The renewed thoughts of Christ bearing thy Curse will be renewed Thankfulness in renewed security and assurance against the fears and terrours of a self-accusing and condemning heart Thou shalt never bear that Curse which the righteous Law threatned thou needst not fear it if Christ died for thee for he did die a Curse for every one in whose stead he did die and that God who accepted his Death will never go from his word or disown the virtue of his Son's Death nor cast the Curse upon thy soul Oh thou trembling Believer thy fears are the weakness of thy graces or the want of exercising them either thou knowest not what it is to have a Christ a Jesus dying a Curse for thee or else thou dost not enough consider it nor observe how little ground of fear is left Oh! It would be a blessed tranquility of mind to us to feel as little fear within our souls as Christ hath left of Curse behind him in the Law against us Happy soul who believeth that Christ died for him He may look upon the Law and find that there is not in it any Curse against him for Christ made a Curse died to redeem them who were under it There is no doubt to be made of this Truth there cannot be just cause of fear where Christ hath taken away the Curse Which the Law threatned Now there is no condemnation to such nor may any one lay any thing to the charge of these redeemed ones And when this is duly weighed how thankful will it make us How much would a feeble swouning person thank you for a sweet reviving cordial what life would there be in his expressions of kindness for such a courtesie what loving embraces would such a one court his friend with especially if his life had certainly miscarried without this Oh unkindness unthankfulness of us Christians who lay in a swound of death strucken with the thunder-bolt of the Law perishing without recovery hopeless without a Christ accursed for ever unless Christ become a Curse for us and we profess to know all this and to believe it and yet are straitned in our thankfulness to him The a Plutarch in vit Artaxerxes Historian reports that Artaxerxes King of Persia gave one a thousand b The Darick was a coin bearing the image of Darius and the value of each piece was two shillings four pence so the whole sum amounted to one hundred and sixteen pounds six shillings and eight pence beside the Cup of Gold Daricks in a Cup of Gold for a recompence of a little fair water offered him in the palms of the man's hand But what have we given unto Jesus Christ who hath brought us not a little water in his hands but his heart and hands full of love and blood shed for us Oh come magnifie the
Love of Christ and be thankful to him for us Remember the daies of thy fears when thou wouldst have welcomed the news of thy pardon and received it on thy knees with ten thousand praises to thy God Remember the anguish of thy soul when the Arrows of the Almighty stuck fast and the poison thereof drunk up thy spirits what pains wouldst thou have taken then what cost wouldst thou gladly have been at to procure thy soul's peace and ease When thou thoughtest Hell would be thy tormenting prison for ever and thou lookedst on it as the greatest evil because thou shouldst bear thy sins there for ever and never have one smile from God what thankfulness didst thou then think was meet for thee to pay and for Christ to receive Oh let not this be forgotten when thou comest to commemorate the Death of thy Lord say then and think so Here is the blood of my loving gracious Redeemer who was content to be made a Curse for me that I might not slavishly fear my guilt nor be in Hell a So Francis Spira thought spake of his fears and tears before I came to Hell that I might not go mourning under the heavy burthen of my own easeless pains which were worse than death it self those fears terrours and pains which no tongue can describe my blessed Redeemer delivered me from them and duly confirms it to me in minding me that he died and that he died being made a Curse for me I must therefore mind my debt of thankfulness I vowed at least promised and purposed never to forget that more thankfulness was due to Christ then I could ever pay Let my renewed view of this blood so affect me oh my dearest Lord at every Sacrament that it may ever renew my thankfulness until thankfulness be so perfected that I may never more need a Sacrament to put me in mind of this my duty Thirdly The renewed thoughts of Christ dying thus accursed for us will add to our thankfulness In that the heart of a Believer meditating on this may conclude he is judicially acquitted from the charge laid in against him by the Law This charge is sin deserving death to which charge every one must make his plea and bring it to an issue in which process there will be no denying of the charge it is so undeniably true that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God only the believing soul hath a gracious Redeemer who stept in between the passing of the righteous sentence and the execution of it and offered Bail body for body life for life took upon himself the Curse which was all the Law threatned and died thus a Curse for the Believer so that now he may sue for his discharge and plead for his release Nay he hath the discharge and release offered to him as it were sealed signed and delivered to him at the Sacrament whilst God by his Minister doth put the New Covenant into his hand and shews him that blood which was shed for confirmation of the Covenant and for remission of the sins of as many as do believe And that we may know how all this can be how sinners can be acquitted and the Curse threatned can be avoided we are at every Sacrament minded of this that Christ died for us being made a Curse for us that is undertaking and performing what he undertook on our behalf he presented himself to the Justice of God abode the Trial was found in the likeness of sinful flesh humbled himself to the death even the death of the Cross and so suffered all which is exemplified to us in the remembrance of his death considered as the death of one who lay under a Curse for us It is not only entred in the Court Rolls in Heaven but it is entred in the Register-books of the Church by Christ's own order and every believing soul at the Sacrament may see and read it and conclude it for himself and make improvement of it to his comfort Now what heart can look on all this and not look on this duty of thankfulness what soul can receive a pardon under the broad Seal of Heaven and not bow the knee and kiss the Seal When an offender upon indictment and trial is acquitted it is a custom and seemly enough to testifie his thankfulness by praying for the King How much more doth it become us to give thanks at the remembrance of our acquittance absolution and being declared acquitted as we are so often as we duly partake communicate in the blood which was shed for the remission of the sins of many In a word a bare promise of pardon deserveth a grateful acknowledgment but the passing of it under seal doth much more deserve it Had God passed his word onely and required us to believe it and praise him for it we must have done it Now he hath given us greatest assurance he hath proceeded judicially against Christ the common and adequate representative bail and undertaker for us and hath appointed the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper as an Authentick and Publick Record or Testimony hereof we ought the rather to be thankful Renewed thoughts of this will renew our judicious and rational praise if we have either judgments or reason exercised in things that excel Fourthly and lastly A fourth particular which will increase our thankfulness to Christ for our deliverance so often as we remember it at a Sacrament under the notion of a deliverance by his dying a Curse for us is this That it mindeth us we were delivered not simply from sorrow trouble and affliction but we were saved from an accursed sorrow from an accursed trouble we are freed from misery but that is not all we are freed from an accursed misery and this should enhance our thankfulness There is an affliction that hath the promise of Comfort Rev. 21.4 Jer. 31.9 Psal 126.5 6. tears that shall be wiped away sorrow and sighing that shall flee away there is a weeping which God will accompany and lead this is a blessed weeping for such carry forth seed which is precious and they shall teturn rejoycing Matth. 5.4 There are mourners whom Christ hath pronounced blessed so that trouble and sorrow are not such evils when they are considered without the imbittering thoughts of a Curse in them it is the Curse which maketh the Cup so full of astonishment It is the Curse which goeth with the condemned into Hell that maketh it Hell indeed unto them Affliction with the favour of God is a blessed state but affliction with the hatred and displeasure of God is a miserable state and unspeakably sad forlorn and woful Now Christ dying a Curse for us hath saved us from sorrows and the Curse from misery aggravated with the hatred of God toward the miserable so that he deserveth much more thanks from us it had been worth our thanks if we had been by him delivered from a bloody issue or a deformed crookedness
thou prayest to be delivered and what kinds of death are these are they not those wherein God's hand would most immediately and most publickly and with most displeasure appear against thee wouldst thou not account it worse than death to be long dying with such a tormenting lingring and loathsom disease as Sylla the Roman or as Maximinus the bloody persecutor or as Herod the great whose story is better known to thee eaten up of worms Would not others be ready to say of thee That God had indeed set his hand against thee that God judged thee unfit to live among common men and unworthy so good a death as the death of common men how would this trouble thee This was the thing wherewith Job's friends did most aggrieve him that they would conclude God's hand against him as against an enemy But now let me tell thee The afflictions of Job nor the woful death of a Sylla or a Herod have no such evidences of God his displeasure and wrath in them as the easiest death of an accursed sinner hath in it For other deaths may and usually are inflicted by other means this is inflicted by the immediate hand of God alone and can thy heart endure or thy hands be strong when God shall do this is not his wrath as he is He alone can bless and he alone can curse and this shall be known to the sinner in the day wherein God will appear against him think then whether sin deserve so well that thou shouldst not only die but die a Curse for it whether there be any thing in sin to fortifie thy spirit against the terrours of God's immediate furious rebukes and slaying of thee Who dieth a Curse dieth under the revenging strokes of an infinite God Look then how much there is in infinite Power and Justice more than can be in finite so much indeed is there in dying a Curse for sin more than in naked single dying For 3. Thirdly Let me ask thee one question more Doth not Death a cursed Death reach the soul and kill this no other disease but is in the body and is the disease of the body and kills the body and so vanisheth But who dieth a Curse dieth in his soul that is his soul is separated and disjoyned from that sweet communion and fellowship with God which is the true life of souls and Angels When God slayeth these wretches and makes them sacrifices to his offended Justice he slays them with this Depart from me ye cursed Matth. 25.41 Now is it not more dreadful to die thus a Curse than barely to die or if thou couldst die and be willing to lose the life of thy body for sin sake canst thou also be willing to lose the life of thy soul for sin's sake This is another arrow in this quiver and which woundeth deeper than any other The soul dieth when the man dieth a Curse for sin and let me tell thee albeit foolish and inconsiderate slaves of sin will cast away their souls for sin the wise and considerate Believer judgeth his soul and the life of it infinitely too good to be so spent and wasted The death of the soul is so much more dreadful than the death of the body as the soul is more worth than the body thou mayest not then continue in cursed sins for they will bring down upon thy soul a death of all most dreadful cease therefore to sin that thou be not a curse for thy sin Fourthly Let it be considered after all this if this do not convince enough whether thou couldst be willing to die more than once for thy sin Would not a thousand deaths one after another be too much to undergo for sin He that dieth a Curse for his sins shall die more than ten thousand times for them he shall be ever ever dying as many daies nay hours nay moments as are in eternity so many times shall the miserable deplorable cursed sinner die in the acute fresh and renewed pangs of soul every lash of conscience every dolorous remembrance of what he suffereth for shall be a death unto him This makes it death indeed and if thou canst not love thy self so little as to chuse to be ever dying thou must not love thy sins so much as to be ever serving them Say then if thou canst not but fear endless dying I must fear and fly endless sining who dieth a Curse for his sin is as long dying as his soul is living and that is for ever and ever Fifthly and lastly Can any thing sweeten the thoughts or allay the bitterness of such a Death Can there be any thing wherewith others may or thou mayest bless thy self after God shall have so cursed thee Consider what a loss it is which is so great that nothing can lessen it say then though possibly thou couldst endure somewhat for sin's sake yet I can never endure a Curse for it which is more than to die it is to die under the immediate avenging hand of God it is to kill my soul That is to be as often dying as are moments in eternity and all this without any recompence and sweetning allay I cannot chuse so to die therefore saith the considerate Believer the renewed thoughts of my Lord 's dying a Curse renew my apprehensions of the danger of sinning any longer this renews my dislike of sin and I must needs reolve to leave it FINIS ERRATA'S PAge 44. l. 24. for woad r. word p. 70. l. 28. r. hither to p. 73. l. 21. r. Imperfections p. 104. in the margent r. communionis r. christianorum p. 112. l. 9. r. provision p. 123. l. 21. for his r. this p. 143. l. 13. r. imbitter l. 14. dele i before alwaies p. 189. l. 3. r. another p. 221. l. ult r. no. Part 3. p. 22. l. 34. r. easily p. 27. l. 28. for in r. and p. 36. l. 34. for 1. r. in p. 39. l. 3. r. might p. 58. l. 5. r. peace p. 61. l. 7. r. virtue p. 77. l. 17. r. account p. 78. l. 3 1. r. thou Books Printed for and are to be sold by Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside IN the Press a hundred Select Sermons by Dr. Tho. Horton Sermons on the whole Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians br M. J. Daille translated into English by F. S. with Dr. Tho. Goodwin's and Dr. J. Owen's Epistles Recommendatory An Exposition of Christ's Temptation on Matth. 4. and Peter's Sermon to Cornelius and Circumspect Walking by Dr. Tho. Taylor A practical Exposition on the 3d Chap. of the 1 Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians with the Godly Man's Choice on Psa 4.6 7 8. by Anthony Burgesse An Exposition on four select Psalms viz. The fourth Psalm in eight Sermons The forty second Psalm in ten Sermons The fifty first Psalm in twenty Sermons The sixty third Psalm in seven Sermons Forty six Sermons upon the whole eighth Chapter of the Epistle of the Apostle
giving them rich Legacies At a Sacrament we may and should view Jesus Christ the Blessed One nailed to the Cross loaded with a Curse and dying an accursed Death that we might escape it Thus we owe our Peace to his Sacrifice our spiritual treasure to his will and testament our blessed hope and life to his accursed Death and by particular reflections on these we should awaken exercise and improve our graces The facilitating this work and the attaining this effect is the design of the following Discourse which doth first endeavour to promote grace by a particular improvement of Christ's Dying a Sacrifice for us let us then the other two having their due place begin with this great truth Our Lord Died a Sacrifice for us and under this notion ought we to commemorate his Death and in meditating thereon we may make an improvement of grace That I may proceed distinctly I resolve the whole subject into these following particulars 1. The general proof and confirmation of his DYing as a Sacrifice or Victim for us Cap. 1. 2. How this could be that a man should be a Sacrifice for us Cap. 2. 3. What particularly is contained in this being made a Sacrifice and so dying Cap. 3. 4. That these are fit foundation to lay for Sacramental graces and how our graces may be increased awakened confirmed and acted in due meditation on Christ our Sacrifice Cap. 4. seq CAP. I. Christ died a Sacrifice for us prefigured THE Holy Scriptures do abundantly testifie to us that Christ our Lord died our Sacrifice and Victim and so do the writings of all Christians who have treated of our Redemption and Salvation by Christ if you would have forein testimonies you require what is not needful and should we attempt to seek them we should lose our time and labour for no other Pen maketh mention of this but the Scriptures and the Pens which write after this Copy Now among other arguments the Scripture affordeth us these five for proof of Christ's Dying a Sacrifice 1. The Type 2. Prophecies 3. Promises 4. Historical declaration of it 5. Assuming it as a matter unquestionably true and certain of all which briefly in their order Sect. 1. This manner of Christ's Death viz. as a Sacrifice was prefigured and foreshewn in the Type thereof The very enemies of this Doctrine do not quite deny this though they doubt Socin lib. 2. c. 8. de Servatore or deny some particular places to refer hereto Let us however look to some few places of Scriptures where we may find Christ our Sacrifice in his Death typified out to us 1 Cor. 5.7 Christ our Passover is slain for us The allusion used by the Apostle proves that the old Paschal Lamb was a type of Christ and that Christ was the Antitype of the Paschal Lamb. Again Joh. 1.24 The Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world whether in reference to the Lamb daily offered or whether to the Paschal Lamb it altereth not the case It is a Lamb and a Lamb that must be slain in Sacrifice yea in an Expiatory Sacrifice to take away the sin of the world We are assured Heb. 9.22 that without sheding of blood there is no remission and we are sure 't is not every sheding of blood but it is the sheding of the blood of a Sacrifice which procureth remission of sins and this blood-sheding was not by opening and breathing a vein but by dying to take away sin The Baptist then applying unto Christ that antient and lively type telleth us that Christ was prefigured in his state life and death by it And that Heb. 9.23 24. tells us of patterns of things in the Heavens v. 23. and of figures of the True v. 24. yea v. 8 9. the whole Tabernacle and the service of it were a figure for the time then present Among other services that of Sacrifices is specified as a figure serving for the present until Christ should come and enter into the Holy Place without blood of Bulls and Goats but by his own blood v. 11 12 14. In a word the whole of Mosaical positive instituted service was a figure and type This part of the Law had the shadow of good things to come Heb. 10. v. 1. In Sacrificiis id manifestissimum quae Sacrificium expiationem Messiae praesignificabant Joh. Hoornbeek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de convertend Judaeis lib. 7. c. 1. pag. 452. This very thing is most manifest in the Sacrifices which did presignifie the Sacrifice and Expiation of the Messiah as the Learned Hoornbeek hath rightly observed to our hands from all which I do not ill to conclude that he died a Sacrifice to take away sin who was praesignified by the Dying Expiatory Sacrifices under the Law Sect. 2. Secondly It was foretold and by the Prophetick impulses of the infallible Spirit of God revealed to the Church of old that the Messiah should die and particularly that he should die a Sacrifice to expiate sin in this cause we have among others the testimonies of the Prophet Isaiah Isa 53.7 cap. 53.7 He is brought as a Lamb to the slaughter where possible may be more than a general symbolizing between the Innocency Humility and Sufferings of the Lamb slain and Christ typified thereby like enough there is a particular symbolizing between them both as they were Sacrifices the footsteps whereof I might trace out somewhat in 1. the word slaughter which Prov. 9.2 seemeth to be determined to the slaying of a Sacrifice And 2. in the word he is brought which Isa 18.7 expresseth the bringing of a present to the Lord. But much more in the word 3. Lamb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used Lev. 5.7 12.8 22.28 Deut. 18.3 which is the very word that expresseth the Paschal Lamb Exod. 12.3 5. which was a Lamb to be sacrificed Deut. 16.6 And 4. from the place which parallel to this Act. 8.32 He was led as a Lamb to the slaughter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what kind of slaying this was A pecudum mactatione 72. alio nomine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vocarunt Amos 5. v. 25. Cloppenb Schol. Sacrif pag. 3. let Rev. 13.8 determine where it is the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world Isa 53.10 If this be not full enough to our purpose yet the 10th verse affordeth a plain and express Prophecy of the Messiah's dying a Sacrifice Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin Indeed the Hebrews read it conditionally if or when but then adds a promise what shall be the fruit and effect of his Dying a Sacrifice Now we do see the promise fulfilled in the numerous seed of Christ therefore with reason we conclude the condition performed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si posuerit hostiam pro peccato reatu 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 proprie est dâ—lictum per Metonymiam significat oblationem pro delicto
Lev. 5.6 7 15. Joh. Hoornb Socin Confut. Vol. 2. l. 3. c. 1. p. 562. The words of the Learned Hoornbeeck cited in the margent shall suffice for clearing the text to Scholars and the true reading of the words of the text in our translation shall suffice the unlearned In a word or two if thou believest that this Chapter foretels the sufferings of thy Saviour if thou believest that this text speaketh of his death if thou believest that he is come so long ago and died so long since thou needest only read plain English He hath then in his Death made his soul an offering for sin and this was foretold by the Prophet not in this verse only but also in the 11th and 12th verses He shall bear their iniquity Ita in caput Hostiarum olim reatus offerentium quasi manibus imponebatur luendus caeremonialiter ibi in Christo vere Joh. Hoornb lib. 3. vol. 2. Socin Confut. c. 1. and he shall bear the sin of many So of old the guilt of those who brought the Sacrifices was as it were laid on the head of the Sacrifices by their hands that it might be punished Observe then how Sacrifices of old times did bear the iniquity and sin of those that brought the Sacrifices So did Christ dying bear our iniquity and our sin He did bear them truly they ceremonially as the learned Author noteth To these passages of Isaiah let us farther add those of David and Paul compared together and we shall there find David foretelling what Death Christ should die and Paul explaining what Death he did die Psal 40.6 7 8. with Heb. 10.5 6 7 8. When he i. e. Christ cometh into the world he saith Sacrifice and Offerings thou wouldest not c. putting the very words of the Psalmist and thereby assuring us that the place was to be understood of Christ who was hereafter to be born and die whenas David wrote this and who was now born and had died whenas Paul wrote this or rather interpreted these words of Dauâ—â— leading us from the Sacrifices under the Law to Christ our Sacrifice and from the Death of those ceremonial and inefficacious Sacrifices to this real and meritorious Sacrifice ver 10th and 12th Now the whole discourse of Christ's dying a Sacrifice for us had been mislaid on David's words if he had not prophesied that Christ should die a Sacrifice for us Either this kind of Dying must be in the Prophetick words of David which are the Apostle's premisses or it could not Logically be put into his Conclusion Sect. 3. Thirdly Christ to die for us a Sacrifice was promised to the Church and if it were promised it may well be concluded that it either shall be accomplished which is as little as an unbelieving Jew will gather from the promise but not so much as a believing Christian must gather who is verily perswaded that our Jesus the true Messiah is already come and hath died for us and died a Sacrifice fo us according to the promise which is made to Sion Zech. 9.11 As for thee by the blood of thy Covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the Pit wherein is no water In the words you have a relation of a double deliverance set forth in figurative expressions 1. First A relation of their deliverance out of the seventy years Captivity which God wrought for them for the Covenant sake he had made with them in Christ this was a temporal deliverance The 2. Second deliverance is spiritual and wrought by the Lord Jesus dying and sheding his blood for us Now it is plain This 1. Blood denoteth a death whoever it be that it is spoken of 2. Blood of a Covenant speaketh the Death of a Sacrifice in the blood whereof the Covenant was confirmed and ratified and it is therefore called the Blood of the Covenant this I will a little farther treat and clear It was a very ancient rite of making and confirming Covenants in the blood of Sacrifices offered up at the time when the Covenants and their terms or conditions were assented unto and approved Possibly the Feast we read of Gen. 26.30 made by Isaac was after a Sacrifice offered when he made a Covenant also with Abimelech and confirmed it by Oath However we are assured it was a rite among the Politer Nations of the Earth as in Homer who brings in his Graecians and Trojans making a covenant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iliad 3. Carm. 94. 105. and confirming it by Sacrifice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but these are alien and forein we have surer testimony Exod. 24.7 where a Covenant is mentioned and this Covenant wrote in a Book and read to the people who therein heard the terms God proposed and to these the people answer All that the Lord hath said we will do and be obedient they give their assent to the Covenant on which Moses forthwith sprinkleth the people with the blood of the Sacrifices which were offered on the Altar mentioned ver 4. and were brought by young men of Israel ver 5. This blood is called eminently the blood of the Covenant ver 8. applied by St. Peter 1 Ep. 1 cap. 2 ver to Christ So then the Covenant confirmed in blood leadeth us to a Sacrifice dying and sheding its blood in which sprinkled according to the Rite or Custom the Covenant is confirmed So that to me there remaineth no farther scruple in this point If any would have it cleared that this blood is to be understood of the blood of Christ I shall refer them to the context viz. ver 9. and 10. and unto Isa 61.1 where the like delivering of the like prisoners is mentioned and unto the Heb. 13.20 where this blood of the Covenant is called the blood of the everlasting Covenant And let them who desire farther satisfaction consult Commentators on the place Sect. 4. Christ's Death was the Death of a Sacricrifice for so it is historically declared and asserted in the history of his Life and Death and in the writings of his Apostles penn'd on this subject since his Death and Resurrection They that have wrote the story and they who have improved it assert the same I do Heb. 9.26 Now once in the end of the world hath he i. e. Christ ver 24. appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself And again ver 28. Christ was offered to bear the sins of many places so full and clear that nothing needs be subjoyned for explication Christ expresly named and he is offered a Sacrifice and this an Expiatory Sacrifice and he that offered it up was the same with the Sacrifice He offered up himself a Sacrifice c. So again Heb. 7.27 this speaking of the Sacrifices offered up often underthe Law viz. offering for the peoples sins he did once when he offered up himself What the daily weekly monthly and yearly reiterated Sacrifices of the Levitical Priests could not effect though they were continually offered
thee impute thy sin to Christ justice will impute it unto thy own self View these these things and weigh them impartially possibly they may prevail to the convincing of the heart of its sinful state and of the certainty of a future imputation of sin unless it be prevented by repentance And lest thou shouldst flatter thy self that there is little or no danger in appearing before God under imputed sin I advise thee to consider Sect. 3. The greatness of thy danger as it will appear in thy Sacrifice See if thou mayest not descry 1. Death as certainly following thy Sacrifice as imputation of sin did follow the substitution of a Sacrifice He must die who took thy sin upon him he cannot escape who is thy Sacrifice If Christ taking thy sin on him could not have the Cup pass from him thinkest thou there can be any thing but death awaiting thee under thy sin is not here danger is not here great danger I know not what may be accounted danger if death be not I know not what is greatest danger if death under imputed sin be not 2. Was not the Death of Christ thy Sacrifice full of sorrows and grief he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief Isa 53.3 and if his life were spent in sorrows I am sure his death was full of them Look on him his in agony in the garden explain me the meaning of those unparalleld drops of blood tell me the story of his enemies cruelly buffetting spitting crowning him with thorns and forcing those into his tender temples his blessed head These were preparatory griefs was ever grief like this this thy sin deserved this thou must if Christ had not suffered thou must have been the scorn and triumph of Devils who forever would torment and wrack thee What then judgest thou of death thus aggravated what thinkest thou of the grief and pain of his soul when hands and feet were nailed to the Cross when he hanged there under the sharp pains of a lingriug death what grief was that breath'd out it self in that My God My God why hast thou forsaken me I speak not of the acuteness of his pains which the School-men speak of Let me obtain thy sober thoughts of the sorrows of our Dying Saviour and Sacrifice and then say whether there is danger and how great the danger of thy sin is then say canst thou think of thy danger without fear and astonishment what will become of sinners under the burthen of sorrows which their sins deserve and God will heap upon them 3. View the person who thus suffered view him I say in all his Interresse in the Father's love in all the Priviledges of his nature person and office in all the perfection and excellency of his obedience and see whether any one or all these could exempt him from or defend him against that flame thy sins had kindled and which his blood alone must quench or it will burn for ever and when thou hast thought of this then tell me thy danger 4. Was not his power and strength the power and the strength of a God united to the Humane Nature to support it and yet for all this his Fears Dangers Sorrows were enough to try all his power and albeit he conquered yet not without a bitter conflict How then couldest thou have escaped or born these dangers Thus make an unconvinced heart look on sin in it's Sacrifice make a self flattering secure fearless heart look on the certainty and greatness of it's own danger in the sorrows and grief which fell upon Christ our Sacrifice when thou hast proceeded thus far in this Matter bring thy self to determine these two things 1. whether thou canst bear all the misery which sin deserved and all the sorrows this Sacrifice did sustain Canst thou bear the displeasure of the Almighty if thou think'st thou canst I pity and mourn for thee if thou thinkest thou canst not then 2. say canst thou find out a way for thine escape if the infinit wise God hath not found out any expedient beside this dost thou think thou canst find it out well then if it be intollerable and thou canst not bear it if unavoidable and thou canst not fly from it what remaineth but being shut up under sin as the Scripture speaketh thou shouldst also be shut up in Prison reserved for the day of Execution without any hope in thy self for thou readest thy guilt in the Imputation of sin to thy sacrifice thou readest thy death and danger in the death of thy sacrifice thou readest despair in the unsupportableness of the misery and in the unavoidableness of it's approaches thou art undone and miserable in thy self which cannot but end in consternation of mind and amazement and likely may break out into such enquiries who can dwell with devouring Fire with everlasting Burnings who shall deliver us from wrath to come how shall I escape such great misery what shall I do to be saved Is there not yet Balm in Gilead is there not a Physician there may not this wound be healed dost thou begin thus to fear and enquire I send thee to this Sacrifice for hope and help Sect. 4. 4. Although the death of thy Sacrifice did preach thy danger and thy helpless state in thy self yet doth it also preach help for thee in another it proclaimeth hope of escape for here is a Sacrifice for sin and where a Sacrifice is admitted the offence may possibly be remitted and the offender may be reconciled They that sought out and prescribed their own sacrifices for their Gods maintained their false hopes by this mean And the carnal Jew mistaking the nature of his sacrifices kept up his presumptuous hopes by the same means concluding his peace was made because the sacrifice is offered But he among the Jews who understood the Institution Nature End and Use of the Propitiatory Sacrifices did obtain at first and did maintain unto the last a sound peace between his God and his soul Where there is an appointed sacrifice there is an open and plain declaration of our apprehensions that 1. Our sins are expiable 2. That sacrifice is the way of expiation And 3. That this sacrifice is believed by us fit to expiate our offence These are the common if not universal suppositions of all sacrificing offenders Now beside these common inducements of our hopes let me acquaint my Reader with two things 1. That God hath admitted this sacrifice whose Death we commemorate in the Sacrament Albeit he checked the formal Jew and rejected the Idolatrous Heathen and their sacrifices witha Who hath required this at your hands yet he never will discourage any one who tenders to him by a hand of faith this Propitiatory Sacrifice He will admit this if thou canst present it to him by faith Lift up therefore the feeble hands the drooping head the fainting heart there is hope nay assurance that sins may be expiated For 2. This Sacrifice is of God's own
for future and doth for present sufficiently influence our Faith to quiet revive quicken and support the soul under fears languishings dulnesses and sufferings Go then aside and take a view of the particulars and meditate on them in the certainty which Christ suffering and dying our Sacrifice hath given to us concerning them and when thou hast so done observe well whether thou art not perswaded to believe in hope against hope and whether thou art not enabled to believe the Promises without staggering and to say thou faintest not because thy afflictions are light and yet do work out for thee a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while thou art able to look to and see both him that is and the things that are invisible such a Faith will be our victory by it we shall more than conquer Having discoursed somewhat on the Improvement of our Divine sorrow and our Faith in the Commemoration of Christ Dying our Sacrifice I have made way for the Improvement of our Peace and Quiet of soul likewise 3d. Grace improved viz. Peace of Soul for this is a sweet fruit of our sound Repentance and sincere faith and carry's a proportioned dimension with the increase of those Graces But I purpose to attempt a more particular discovery of the influence Christ's Death our Sacrifice hath upon the Tranquillity and Peace of the soul of a Communicant who discerneth this Death as it was a Sacrifice and under that notion improveth his Redeemer's love to him Now if I can shew my Reader that there is in this Sacrifice somwhat sufficient to remove all that disquieteth the soul I need take no further care to perswade an opinion that Peace will follow Let the storm cease and a calm will follow if the Earthquake end the old Foundations will stand firm and well setled Let that be removed which alarmed the soul and all will be in Peace Amongst other lesser which I pass over there are four grand disquietudes of the soul 1. Danger of divine displeasure and wrath in condemnation for our sin The drawn sword of Divine vengeance hanging over the head is enough to affright all peace out of the heart and to fill it with amazing horrour and overwhelming terrours How did Adam's fears seize him when his sin had laid him open to that threat Thou shalt die the death Gen. 2.17 then his guilty conscience did chase Ea conscientia est quae filgat terret accusat damnat Parentes nostros Certissimum testimonium Deum tandem ultorem futurum omnis mali Fagius in cap. 3. Gen. 8. affright accuse condem him forebode a severer Judge and Avenger whom he could not escape or shun whom he could not stand before whom he feareth and flieth The Apostle elegantly expresseth the disquietude of a self-condemning heart by the trouble of bondage Heb. 2.15 The fear of death kept them in bondage all their life the expectation of death was death to them or ere they died and they scarce lived because they continually tortured themselves with the preapprehensions of a hastening death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot which to secure nature is the greatest of terrours though ignorance of what is consequent to death did hide the most dreadful part of death from the eyes of nature Psal 55.4 Psal 116.3 yet in David's phrase terrours of death will make the heart sigh under pain and fill it with trouble and sorrow too unless the heart be assured of the the removal of guilt the freedom from condemnation Joh. 8.21 24. Rev. 2.11 that the man dieth not in his sins nor shall be hurt of the second death No man's heart was strong under the apprehensions of the wrath of an Almighty and Eternal God nor can the greatest cheats of the world I mean hypocrites who can counterfeit almost every thing put on the counterfeit of boldness Isa 33.15 when they see the everlasting burnings and the devouring fire they are then surprized with fearfulness 2. Loss of the wonted sweetness of Divine favour and the refreshing expresses which God by his spirit did formerly give to the soul When once the soul hath been favoured with an acquaintance and knowledg of a Heaven upon earth it cannot without disquietude live on earth without it's Heaven Darkness cannot but greatly afflict the soul which enlightned once did rejoice in the light of God's Countenance shining on it What is said of the great darkness which fell on Abraham in his sleep Gen. 15.12 may be verified of all the desertions which fall upon the children of Abraham they are attended with horrour and trouble When God hid his face from David he was troubled Psal 30.5 and his soul refused to be comforted Psal 77.2 his spirit was overwhelmed ver 3. so troubled he could not speak ver 4. All which proceeded from the spiritual desertion he then lay under God hath cast off and he feared it was for ever ver 7. that he would be favourable no more c. verse 8 and 9. So that when David had lost the sense of God's love he could find peace or joy in nothing about him An Idolater once expostulated with a great deal of trouble you have taken away my Gods and do you ask what aileth me But whilst we deride or pity his blindness we should resent the real troubles of the soul which hath lost the sense of the Love of his God and Father and indulge him in a more than usual trouble for the suspence or intermission of his desired rest and peace wherein he found though imperfect yet a growing happiness and in David's words expressed his felicity He heard the joyful sound and walked in the light of God's countenance Psal 89.15 but now feareth his misery will recall his former happiness only to prove him as much sunk in woes as he was exalted in joys above other men Miserrimum est fuisse felicem this disquieteth the soul that it hath been what now it is not blessed 3. Sense of sinful weakness and suspition of worse insincerity and want of uprightness in its duties and the exercises of its Devotion towards God are a trouble to the soul in its reflections on its services and examination of it self it seeth sin adhere to every one of its best workes and it seeth imperfection still dwelling in its perfectest graces so that when he findeth to will yet how to perform he findeth not as Rom. 7.18 On which observation of his defects he judgeth himself in a miserable perplexity and under apprehensions hereof crieth out wretched man that I am who shall deliver me c. ver 24. This worthlesness of persons and performances is the subject of the Church's complaints Isa 64.6 We are all as an unclean thing And our iniquities as the wind have taken us away iniquities saith David in his complaint prevail against me Psal 65.3 And elsewhere prayeth God would search him and try him and see whether there be any
which lyeth a Curse indeed Now this duly considered will promote the increase of our graces The Communicant who can meditate on Christ dying a Curse for us may thereby excite his graces and exercise them to an improvement of them such meditations will be as lesser streams to a River which they greaten whilst they run in the same chanel A brief specimen of this will satisfie I hope and set the soul on work wherein for his help I shall shew him an Essay in a rude draught of this in eight following particular Graces which well become a Communicant 1. Humility and Self-abasement is unquestionably a Sacramental grace 1. Sacramental grace improved a grace we should Bring to exercise at and improve by the Sacrament of our Lord dying for us And the consideration of his death represented under the circumstances of a Curse is a very suitable and a likely means to effect this For it doth represent to our thoughts not only the sufferings of our dearest Lord and friend but convinceth us that it was our sin which procur'd this to him and that we must have been miserable for ever if he had not thus died Thus our sin and misery is set before us and these will humble a soul these will bow the generous courage and stoutness of the noblest and highest mind Misery alone cannot break the courage of a virtuous and innocent mind Nil conscire sibi c. A soul clear and approv'd to its self is an impregnable fortress And the spirit of a man will bear these infirmities Indeed a base and degenerous mind breaks into shivers under a load of crosses But the soul under sorrows or in danger of deserv'd misery reflecting on its own guilt and looking through the vileness of sin on the greatness of its sorrows is the more humble because more refined and excellent in it's temper principles and aims True lowliness of spirit or humility that is genuine may possibly first gush out in a tear from pain But it 's constant running is in tears for sin Misery may broach the vessel but it is sin that keeps it running Misery may make the best despised in others eyes sin makes him despised in his own Men will tread on a distressed fortune but the humble soul will tread on its sinful self And now serious Reader cast thine eye upon Christ made a Curse and suppose for thy self and then tell me what is first reflected on is not thy misery the title page of that great Volume of sorrows which Christ did bear for thee when he was made a Curse and underwent it in thy stead wa st not thou in danger of that Curse didst thou not dwell on the borders of an eternal infinite misery and wast thou not every moment in danger to be haled and thrust headlong into a prison of wofullest darkness and unspeakable sorrows Did not the Curse laid on Christ hang over thy head It was thy sin thy misery that Christ lay under and this will humble thee if thou hast any spark of spititual ingenuity if there dwell any generous dispositions within thy breast 1. For what is it to be cursed but to lye under the transgression of a righteous Law and what will abase an ingenuous spirit if the baseness of sin will not Humility is the judgement or opinion of its little worth arising from due sense of sin Humility what Thus did Moses instruct Irsael to be humble Deut. 9.7 12 22. 23. 24. shews them how great their sin had been and leaves then to say how little their opinion of themselves ought to be tells them how near they were to utter ruine when nothing but a Moses and his prayer was between them and the execution of that word Deut. 9.6 14. I will blot out their name from under Heaven Let thy soul renew the memory of thy sin when thou renewest thy thoughts of Christ's dying a Curse Remember thy sins and do as they Ezek. 20.43 Gen. 41.9 Loath thy self for all thy sins The remembrance of a fault made a Courtier blush In a Sacrament thou seest Christ dying an accursed death in his Curse thou dost or shouldest see thy own sin and with Ezra in another case Ezra 9.6 Thou shouldest be ashamed and blush to look up to Heaven For 2. Thou most righteous and just hast condemned me and judged what my fault is how great how vile it is in the Curse my Saviour did bear for me It was not a rash hasty and inconsiderate passion of a man that cursed the sinner but it was the just deliberate sentence of a wise and holy God who never curseth one that deserves to be blessed who never curseth before the creature hath sinned and deserved it How inquisitive is a good disposition if he be cursed as David by a Shimei 2 Kings 2.23 or as the Prophet reproached by the Boyes of Bethel or by a contemptible beggar How ready are best natures to enquire into the cause Have I given an occasion to this reproach Have I deserved it And how is he abashed and ashamed that any reason is pretended for unreasonable railing Now much more abashed is the ingenuous spirit when a sober man when a judicious observer of his own words as well as of other mens carriages shall condemn and adjudge him worthy of a Curse But here it is the Lord who adjudged thee to a Curse and canst thou remember this and not be humble and not reflect upon thy sin which provoked so just a Wisdom and such deliberate Justice to execrate thee David was humble when Shimei cursed because it might be God had said to him Curse David When thou receivest the Sacrament thou remembrest Christ whom God made a Curse for thee there God tells thee Thou hadst been forever cursed if Christ had non been once cursed There thou mayest see a holy wise just and infinitely excellent person displeased with thee and provoked against thee and surely such a sight will I am certain it should make thee abhor thy self and be humble 3. Farther thou hadst a fair and open tryal of thy Cause and it now stands in the greatest Court of Record in the world It is there registred that thou art the son or daughter of a tainted blood a child of an accursed stock In the first Adam God tryed and cast thee and told thee what thou must expect in the second Adam he shewed thee this Record stood firm the sentence unrepealed and if the blood of Christ dying and bearing the Curse for thee had not washt out the stain thou hadst remained still under a curse and stain It is accounted a glory in an Antient Family that the blood is not stained with any treasonable practices against the Soveriagn and it is a disparagement and diminution of their glory and greatness that the blood is embased by disloyal designs and attempts When thou receivest the Sacrament and seest Christ dying an accursed death
remember this Thou art minded of thy stained blood and of the recorded atteindure that God brought in against thee Here thou seest what judicial process should have been made against thy self see it and be humble 4. And thou mayest do well to remember what proof and evidences were against thee too ere God adjudged thee to this Curse which thy Saviour underwent for thee the notoriousness of the fact the self-silencing conviction of Conscience thy Father against thy Mother Adam against Eve thy own family evidence against thee in this matter Thou canst find no pretence of an exception to the witness Here thou mayest reflect upon thy own adjudged baseness and be proud if thou canst when thou hast reflected on thy self Whoever thou art who rightly perceivest the mystery of this Ordinance and dost rightly receive it thou art evidence for God against thy self and confessest the matter that thou deservedst to die for thy sins in that very capacity and notion that Christ died for them If he died an execrated cursed death for thee The Sacrament is a memorial of thankfulness to God and to Christ for sparing thee and letting thee escape whilest the blessed Son of God died in thy room Consider this and be humble 5. Consider lastly How humble thy heart and hand ought to be when thou receivest Christ in the Sacrament since from him alone thou receivest deliverance from a Curse None would none indeed could deliver thee but Christ Thou couldst not send for another Physician to heal thy distemper Here thou couldest not as in a Market seek a better bargain No He alone who was made a Curse for thee was able to deliver thee he was over all God blessed for ever able to restore accursed creatures to blessedness and to invest them with happiness Be then as ingenuous toward Christ thy only hope as thou wouldest be toward a Patron a Benefactor a Lord on whom thou dost solely and intirely depend Thou wouldest humbly observe and with due reverence receive his Commands and abhor a seeming proud lofty or insolent behaviour towards him I entreat for as much from thee towards Christ as thou dost give to a man without intreaty At a Sacrament reflect on these things say with thy self here is the renewed memorial of Christ dying a Curse and this renewed remembrance convinceth me that I was a vile wretch else my God had never cursed me I had never been attainted arraigned condemned and recorded among those that were not worthy to live in a holy and happy Common-wealth and Court I had never recovered my former state of bliss if the Lord had not put himself in my stead and bore my punishment My life hope and glory are all the fruit of another's death and shame I must be lowly who was redeemed from so low and cursed state By this thou mayest discern what influence is in the Death of Christ considered as a Curse and how it may be drawn out to abase and humble thy soul before thy God And let this suffice for an Essay or Pattern Go thou and meditate on what thou canst see farther in this thing and be humble all thy days In the second place Take an Essay in another Sacramental Grace Let it be supposed to be Strong and servent Desire to be partaker of that deliverance which Christ wrought by dying a Curse for us A good and hungring appetite is not more necessary at thy friend's table when thou art invited to feast with him than this strong Desire is needful and required for the Lord's Table Our blessed Redeemer invites the hungry and bids the heartiest welcome to the hungriest comers his language is My friends you are welcome and let me see you come as to one that you know does bid you welcome by your free eating and drinking I may think you either know not how excellent the provision is or you like it not or you are full of somewhat else or you doubt your welcome if you sit as if you came to feed your eye but not to satisfie your souls If the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ be the Supper of the Lord if it be a feast if it be stored with choicest variety of spiritual and heavenly rarities if it be the Gospel Mannah why are your longing desires so weak so unconstant so uneasily taken off Surely you and I should be better stomach'd for this feast Christ hath prepared his body to be your food and you must prepare your desires and awaken your hungrings after him The best wine is drawn out for this feast and it's pity it should not have a thirsty soul whose thirst can relish its worth He knows nothing of this Ordinance who knows not it is a spiritual feast to be attended with a spiritual appetite and therefore I proceed to give you a specimen of that which is in this Dying of our Lord to whet the appetite of the soul and so let the first Consideration for example be this first In this kind of Death the soul sees both that which will awaken and add vigour to its aversation of sin or evil and what will awaken and strengthen its inclination and prosecution after deliverance from that evil In the Curse thou seest what an evil sin is and thou must bear it or desire Christ that he would if thou desirest not that he may really bear the Curse for thee as in the Lord's Supper he Sacramentally doth it will be interpreted that thou desirest all that evil should light on thee which thy sin deserveth and canst thou desire to be cursed canst thou desire to de damned canst thou see misery like a black storm hang over thy head and not fly to shelter See then in a Sacrament Christ tendered to bear thy Curse thy misery and ask thy self whether it be not desirable ask thy self shall I desire this or no shall I wish and intreat and be willing to be freed from so great evil or no In the Sacrament the Lord tells the discerning soul Here take my Son and if thou desirest it he shall bear thy deserved Curse and thou shalt inherit an undeserved blessing go think on it and tell me what thou wilt do whether thou wilt desire and be willing or no And now judge what is like to be the Answer of the soul will it not be This O let the Blessing be mine and let my loving Saviour thus deliver me thus bless me also oh my Father and it shall suffice 2. And as the proper Incentives of desâ—â—â— are contained in the things themselves offered so the very language notion and frame of words do awaken the soul to exert its desires A misery to be avoided by this means will perswade the soul to a willingness to apply the means But surely a misery expressed by a Curse by an Execration will hasten the soul's desire to escape it In some cases a man may commendably desire and chuse affliction but in no case can a man
or a burning fever or a loathsom leprosy or a sad and solitary blindness But more than this more than all I can speak did Christ deliver us from when he did die a Curse for us Oh unparallel'd love of Christ and oh the unparallel'd ingratitude of Christians Sirs though you and I must leave the greatest the best part of this work of praise to another world yet let us not leave it all let us do somewhat whilst we live and are among men on earth Heaven is full of those praises which did we hear would ravish us Let Earth be witness that we do not quite forget our Lord. Whereas you could have born all the envy anger and malice of creatures and it may be have contemned the weakness of it you could never have stood under nor have made head against the anger and indignation of the Lord nor have fortified your selves with resolutions to lessen the fury by lessening your apprehensions of it The dear children of God in their bitter complaints cry out if an enemy if any but God himself had done it I could have born it And the hopeless unbelievers cry out the same in effect let any thing come let all come upon us rather than the wrath of the Almighty let rocks grind us to powder or mountains bury us for ever under their weight Oh the heaviest of all these are lighter than one stroak of an angry avenging God! All these may be more easily endured than one Curse of the Law See then and consider what thou owest oh my soul to Christ made a Curse for thee remember and be thankful let thy heart oh thou who feastest with thy Lord weigh first the burthensomness of that Curse which justice casteth upon every sin and then weigh the exceeding great love of Christ who did take this Burthen and bear it for thee and I do nothing doubt but as often as thou layest these in the ballance thou wilt still find thy praise thy thankfulness too light thou wilt be still with the Apostle adding Glory and Power to him who loved thee Rev. 1.5 6. and washed thee in his blood And with the great Apostle of the Gentiles Thanks be to God who hath given us the Victory Could you and I entertain these things within our breasts and renew our thoughts and meditatations we should more clearly discern that if there be sweetness in our mercies or respite from our fears or absolution and discharge from our guilt or deliverance from accursed sorrows miseries and death we owe it all unto this kind of Death of our Lord beside all the positive blessings of grace and glory of which I may not now speak if the blessing of Abraham on the Gentiles be worth our thanks then our thanks is due to Christ dying thus for he was made a Curse for us that we might be redeemed from under the Curse of the Law and that we might be restored to a blessed state In one word whosoever seeth his own blessedness procured by Christ dying a Curse for him cannot but see so much thanks as blessedness is worth due to Christ and so the reviving of the memory of Christ's Death considered as a Curse will be the reviving of our thankfulness and reviving of thankfulness will be an increasing and improving of thankfulness So much to the seventh Sacramental Grace The eighth and last I shall now mention followeth viz. A disposition and purpose of mind to walk in new Obedience towards God in all manner of conversation 8th Sacramental grace New Obedience such a mind must every welcome guest bring to the Lord's Table No man may come thither who intends to go thence to his old course of sinning We must not as Naturalists report of some venemous creatures which lay down their poison when they go to drink and having drunk suck it up again we must not so lay aside our old sins while we go to the Lord's Supper as to renew our old acquaintance with them nor tender our service to them so soon as we depart from the Table of the Lord Men will not endure such sycophants and parasites who come to their table for a meals meat and to fill their bellies but then sort themselves for months together with the veryest enemies they have in the world No more will God endure him for a guest at his Table who comes for a meal out of a customary formality and then sorts himself with those sins which God hateth and commandeth should be slain This above many others aggravated Judas's treason that he came and ate with his Lord when he had resolved to betray him this is to kiss him with All hail Master when the kiss is the very token by which his enemies should know and apprehend him The Lord Jesus who knoweth what is in man and needeth not that any should testify of man will never let a man who lives and dieth of this temper escape deserved punishment He knows they flattered him with their lips but their hearts are far from him Thou that comest to make a Covenant with thy God at a Sacrament must come with a firm purpose to keep thy Covenant for God will not be mocked Better never come at all than come with a mind hating to be reformed God will ere long ask such hateful hypocrites what they had to do to declare this Statute of his or that they should take his Covenant into their mouths Psal 50.16 c. It is confessed of all sides and would to God it were as well practised on all sides that every Sacrament should engage us to better lives to holier conversations that we should sin the seldomer because we have been so often at the Lord's Table Now I say that the remembrance of the Death of Christ dying for us a Curse hath in it good and strong reasons to move us to renew our obedience and if these reasons be well considered I do not doubt but they may prevail with some to renew their purposes and endeavours of living less to sin because Christ died a Curse for us sinners For 1. First In this manner of his dying beside the powerful influence of his Death considered in the general of which I speak not now I say In his dying thus as a Curse for us we have a clear discovery of the vileness of sin how much it abaseth and depresseth us We look upon cursed things as the vilest and basest of things A curse and a reproach go together Jer. 42.18 This was the thing which brought our Lord into so low estate that he was despised of men this made him of no reputation because of our sin imputed to him and the Curse due to us for our sin laid upon him he became like a servant and so died Now then let a sober judgment be made of this and see how forcibly it disswadeth from continuing in sin Do I renew the remembrance of my Lord dying as a Curse Could sin which he
never committed which he never loved which he hated infinitely which was no otherwise his than by imputation could this bring him to such shame What shame and confusion of face will cover and overwhelm me when after my serving my sins both the guilt imputed and the baseness vileness and reproach of the fact committed shall meet in one and be charged upon me Is it not high time to forsake this service which will end in the shame and reproach of a Curse Doth the Sacrament mind me of the Death the accursed Death of Christ the Lord of Glory I see then such a worm such a lump of worthless flesh as I am cannot expect any other event of sin than to lye down in shame for it and if after I do know this I should still love sin and delight in it how brutish and unreasonable should I appear to be how unlike a man I must either renounce my reason or renounce my sin It is no dallying in a matter of this nature I see the just and righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth would not spare his own Son when he found him under my sins but laid upon him the punishment of them the Cross and the shame and I deceive my self if I think he will spare me and not cast the shame of my sin upon me the sinner if I live and die in this service I shall rise with those who rise unto everlasting shame and contempt I will therefore resolve and keep my resolutions of departing from sin because I would not depart from my God with the shame and reproach of a Curse for my sin Thus the renewed thoughts of Christ dying a Curse for us will renew the apprehensions of that shame which attends the sinner and so renew our purposes against sin as the only thing which can clothe us with shame and we shall be as unwilling to live in sin as we are to bear the shame of sin 2. Secondly In the renewed thoughts of our Lord 's dying a Curse there lieth a motive to New Obedience drawn from the congruity and suitableness of the thing it self Nothing more unseemly than to continue in sin after our professing our selves to be his servants friends and followers who died for sin Nothing more justifiable than their leaving of sin whose Lord died for sin especially seeing sin brought upon him an accursed Death What wilt thou answer for thy self in the day when this absurd unreasonable and monstrous deportment of thine shall be laid open before Men and Angels when Christ shall ask thee whether thou hadst not heard and seen that he was made a Curse for thy sins whether thou hadst not often been minded of this at the Sacrament and when he shall farther demand of thee what thou couldest see in sin or hope to find in sin or expect from sin when as thy Lord could see did find and expected to find nothing else but a Curse in it wa st thou so sottish to think of finding any thing in sin better than what thy Lord found in it or wast thou so unthankful that thou wert resolved to offer despite to thy Lord and serve that which brought an accursed Death upon him Whatever sinners now judge I know that a day will come when they shall judge nothing so unreasonable and unseemly as living in continued sin and professing a crucified Jesus It is such a self-contradicting course that none ever would continue it if ever they understood it Nor is he what he professeth to be who professeth our crucified Jesus to be his Lord yet serveth his own cursed lusts Christ doth not own him he will declare to all the world that he knows not that he never knew such workers of iniquity But suppose it possibly might be which yet never shall be that such a one resolvedly continuing in sin should be owned by Christ at last and received into a blessed state of glory what kind of answer could such one make to his Lord when questioned what was it not enough that I was once made a Curse for thee or did I not bear sins enough for thee at first or wouldst thou indeed be crueller to me than Jews and Roman souldiers or hadst thou a design to wound my heart after I was gotten out of the reach of all others after wicked men and Devils had done their worst and I had triumpht over them and none but my friends could wound me wouldst thou be my friend that thou mightest do it more deeply was this thy friendship to me are not they the sorest and cruellest enemies who cover their hearty enmity with pretences of friendship either then be my cordial friend saith Christ and renounce thy sins serve them no more or else come no more pretending to commemorate my friendship to the dying a Curse for thee nor ever let me be provoked with such counterfeit alliance and friendship Christ cannot endure such seeming to be what we are not such contradictions to his Death In truth it is most unseemly to live in the cursed service of sin after we are redeemed from the Curse of sin And therefore the believing and considerate soul casts off the thoughts of continuing in sin with a God forbid 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how shall I live any longer in sin since I am dead to it 3. Thirdly The renewed consideration of Christ dying a Curse for sin doth renew our thoughts of the odiousness and hateful nature of sin which carryeth a Curse into every place and person where it cometh Christ's dying a Curse for us sheweth us how hateful sin is to the eyes of our God Reverâ est odium quo Deus peccatum prosequitur ab eâ perfectione quae Numinis naturam decet Th. Salmur de trib Foed Div. th 18. who doth and cannot but so do loath detest threaten and curse it where-ever he findeth it of which truth the considerate believing soul hath so clear proof in the Curse which Christ did bear for sin that he stands convinced beyond possible doubt of it and cannot but conclude that whoever resolves to continue in sin must also resolve to abide the hatred of God against sin He that will keep and maintain a communion with sin must expect that God will keep and maintain wrath and hatred against him and this the Communicant is at every Sacrament minded of whilst he seeth his Lord evidently set forth crucified before his eyes so that he is put to such a kind of deliberation with himself What! could not Christ take upon him my sin but he must also take upon him the burthen of divine displeasure and hatred due to my sin what is God so irreconcilable an enemy unto sin that he would not or could not restrain his just wrath against the guilt where it lay without the foulness of committing the fact was the displeasure of my God so hot against his blessed Son who was never tainted with any one sin only bare the guilt of many I
see then it is self-deceiving flattery to hope for the love and favour of God whilst I love my sin and continue in it if I will have his love and escape his hatred I must leave off sin for he hateth all the workers of iniquity Psal 5.6 He hateth the evil way Prov. 8.3 I must either leave the evil way or perish in his hatred For none ever escaped perishing who by continuing to sin provoked his displeasure and wrath against them Resolve therefore as becomes a man O my soul fly and hasten thy flight from wrath to come prevent the misery of being hated and accursed of thy God cast off thy sin cease to do evil and then God will cease to be angry There cannot be any thing in sin to compensate thee to reward thee for the loss of the favour of God Sin can never heal the wounds which the hatred of God will make in thy soul Poor creature thou wert better have all the men on Earth and all the finite invisible powers of light and darkness to hate thee thou mightest bear this than have one God to hate thee thou canst never bear this In fine therefore saith the believing serious and considerate soul I will not hazard I will not run the venture and danger of divine displeasure of the hatred of an Almighty God for I see in the Curse which my Lord lay under what I must lie under for ever if I will by continuing longer in sin own my former sins pull the punishment of them upon my self and love that which my God so perfectly hateth I will every day labour to hate that with perfect hatred which my God hateth I will seek his love by a present separation and divorce from sin I will this day renew my purpose and attempts to leave my cursed sins for God hath renewed my thoughts of his hatred against sin by the renewed remembrance of Christ dying a Curse for my sin Fourthly In the renewed thoughts of this kind of death The Believer hath the renewed sight and evidence of a death hanging over the head of every sinner which of all deaths is the most dreadful which is fullest of horrours and soul-tormenting fears Death is the King of terrours though represented and cloathed in the lest dreadful manner it can be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristotel No kind of death but is terrible enough but of all this is the most terrible and only to be feared it is this at the heels of the other that makes it dreadful It is a most undoubted truth that every one continuing to sin and so dying shall die under a Curse for his own sin though the sinner should live to an hundred nay to many hundred years yet if he live and die a servant to his sin he shall die accursed and this we may be sufficiently assured of by the accursed Death of our Lord for he died so for as much as the sins of God's Elect and chosen ones were laid to him he was loaded with them and all the guilt of them was charged on him and therefore was he punished therefore he died in such a manner He was made a Curse because the guilt of our sins was laid on him and punishment due to that guilt inflicted on him Nothing more certain He was wounded for our transgressions Isa 53.5 He bare the sin of many ver 12. He his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree 1 Pet. 2.24 And all this evidently set forth before our eyes so that the serious and considering soul soon comes to this conclusion that whoever doth bear the guilt of sin he must die a Curse for it and he needs no other proof of it but this Christ did bear guilt and this brought him to a cursed Death Now then he begins to argue the case with himself Can I continue in sin and not bear the guilt of sin Can I yield my self a servant to sin and yet not be accounted a servant of sin Can I do the works of iniquity and not be thought by judicious and wise men a worker of iniquity How much more will the just and righteous God occount me so When I do any fact for which the Law of man will call me to account can I do the fact and the Law not impute it to me It is most sottish folly to continue in the service of sin and to flatter my self that I shall not be accounted a servant of sin or to hope I shall not be loaded with the guilt of my sin And it is no less folly to think that we may lye under the guilt of sin and yet not sink under the importable burthen of a Curse No no either I must leave my sinning or I must die that Death which of all is the most terrible I must be a Curse under the wrath of God Now therefore resolve what thou and I shalt do God proposeth a Christ dying a Curse for thee to encourage thee to leave sin or to shew thee what thou must trust to if thou live in sin He preacheth to thee this Doctrine Life through Grace if thou wilt obey if thou wilt renounce thy evil way for then thy Saviour shall be thy Peace bear thy Guilt and endure thy Curse or else Death if thou wilt still refuse to convert and leave thy sin And let me tell thee it is Death with a Curse and consider thou whether thou canst endure it and let me ask thee these few questions 1. Dost thou not believe that there is somewhat more in Death when it is sharpened with this sharp and piercing sting Dost thou not think that the Curse doth add unto the dread and fear of Death When God proclaimeth any one blessed in death dost thou not perswade thy self that God taketh away much of the terrour of death if so then certainly when God addeth a Curse with death he addeth terrour to it and thou must confess it also if thou wilt consider it Now then say Canst thou contentedly think of dying for thy sin Canst thou think of doing more than dying for thy sins Vntil that time be come wherein thou canst say thou wouldest be willing to suffer more than death for sin thou should'st not be willing to serve sin any more in thy life I know when we come to die we shall judge sin unworthy of such a pledge of love or service as one pang or one fear or one sigh for its sake oh then we shall say He loved sin too much who for sin's sake added the lest pang to death Whatever thou dost therefore leave to sin lest tlou add the misery of a Curse to thy death 2. Let me ask thee Is there no manner of dying which is a terrour to thee more than ordinary If thou wert now to die and mightest chuse thy death wouldst thou chuse any that were full of pains or loathsomness or both these continuing long Are there not some kinds of death from which
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THE REVIVAL OF GRACE IN THE Vigour and Fragrancy of it By a due Application of the Blood of Christ to the Root thereof OR Sacramental Reflections on the Death of Christ a Sacrifice a Testator and bearing a Curse for us particularly applying each for the exciting and increasing the Graces of the Believing Communicant By Henry Hurst M. A. formerly Fellow of Merton Colledge Oxon Now Domestick Chaplain to the Right Honourable Arthur Earl of Anglesey Lord Privy Seal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 2.20 Domine cum te in ara crucis suspensum video quodcunque oculis meis spectandum objicitur me in amerem tui inducat Signum Figura Mysterium vulneraque tui corporis prae caeteris intimus ille affectus clamat ut ad Amorem tui properem nec tui obliviscar Did. Stella meditat LONDON Printed and are to be sold by Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns the lower End of Cheapside and the Bible under the Gate at Lond. Bridge 1678 Imprimatur Guil. Jane Jan 9. 1677. TO THE Right Honourable ARTHUR Earl of Anglesey Lord Privy Seal c. May it please your Lordship THese Papers which humbly offer themselves to your favourable acceptance and Patronage were conceived and formed but laid aside some years before you did me that great honour to command my attendance on you and your Family since which time by unusual accident they have fallen into a hand kinder than my own who judging them worth the publishing and perswading me to it they claim a Right to this Honour of appearing in the world under your Lordship's Patronage if I had refus'd to let them be made publick perhaps I should have been culpable since they are thus publisht I am sure without omitting a part of my duty I could not but tender them to Your Lordship which I do with a sense of their meanness and disproportion which they bear to your Lordships Great Abilities Learning and Judgment Yet herein this will be somewhat of an Apology for me though some have owned their obligations and duty to Your Lordship in Pieces less disproportion'd none have done it or are likely to do it in a Piece equal to Your Lordship's Learning and measures of Judgment The small summs of chief Rents are too poor to be made a Present to any whose abundance would refuse such an Offer but when tender'd as their Right they give a kind acceptance and acquittance for few shillings or pence In this humble offer I wave all pretence but this That Your Lordship hath the best Right to any Publick Acknowledgment I can make of my obligations to You of which I pray Your Lordship 's favourable resentment From Your Lordship's most Obedient Servant and Domestick Chaplain H. Hurst To the Reader Reader THOU art presented here with a Subject of which very many have treated and of which perhaps it may be thought more need not have been spoken and of which what I have written must now run the hazard of thy judgment or censure if it profit and please thee the thanks is due to me but in Partnership with a Learned and Judicious Divine who by an unthought of accident came to the knowledge of the two latter parts of what is here publisht somewhat also will be due to the Book-seller who adventured the uncertainty of the Gain or Loss which will be more or less as the Subject and Manner of handling it appears to the Peruser The good success of thy Reading I commend to the Divine Benediction which can make it contribute to the increase of thy Grace and Comfort The Defects in Composing I submit to thy Christian Candour and Ingenuity which will cover them and excuse the Author Those mistakes of the Printer which are most material may be charged on him and I with him will joyntly desire they may be mended with a little labour bestow'd on the places where the Errata's are marked Finally I pray no labour of mine in Writing no labour of thine in Reading may prove waste of time to either of us in the day wherein we both must account for our selves unto the Lord to whose Guidance and Blessing thou shalt be commended By From Anglesey House in Drury Lane April 10. 1678. The meanest Servant of the Best and Greatest Lord our Lord Jesus Redeemer of Thee and of thy Soul's Friend H. Hurst Advertisement There is in the Press one Hundred Sermons on several select Texts of Scripture Preached by Tho. Horton D. D. left perfected under his own hand THE REVIVAL OF GRACE LUKE 22.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Do this in remembrance of me The Introduction Reader I will for once suppose thou art able on thy own view of these words and their context to discern what Christ is treating of how he instituteth and ordaineth the holy Sacrament of his Supper and for what end he ordaineth it I suppose thou wouldst not look over these lines if thou didst not already understand that Christ would have us use and celebrate this Sacrament to the end we might renew the remembrance of his Dying for us in which the matter of fact viz. that he did die for us is professed yet so as the manner how he did die is I think more principally to be attended and considered as being the chief primary thing in effecting our salvation and as affording the greatest and sweetest comforts and finally as binding us most strongly to Gospel Obedience I shall therefore recommend unto thy thoughts what is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 modus ratio moriendi particular manner of thy Saviour's Dying And am bold to say the words of the text Do this in remembrance of me do the like Let my Death be the subject of your thoughts at a Sacrament Let the manner of my Death be the mould into which your thoughts are cast At a Sacrament shew forth the truth and certainty of your Redeemer's Death shew forth the singular and peculiar manner of it also Renew the thoughts of this what kind of Death it was which could have such a mighty salvisick vertue in it to deliver us and save us Set before you at the the Lord's Table Plutarchus in Conviv Sept. Sapiertum not such a Death's-head as Plutarch reports Ptolomaeus was wont to set before his guests to admonish them but such a Death as none but Christ would or could undergo for us Our Lord will have his own Death set forth to the eye of his friends and guests at his Table and he commands them to remember it The Lord's Supper is a commemoration of the Lord's Death there we may view him on the Altar dying a Sacrifice for us to atone the divine displeasure there we may view him in the unparalleld address of himself for Death disposing his vast treasures of Grace Peace Comfort and Glory unto his indigent friends for whom his love brought him to die and the same love and care makes him die a Testator
appointment he provided it when we were at a loss and could not find wherewith we should come before the Lord and bow our selves before the most High God when the fruit of our body could not expiate the sin of our soul when finite wisdom was non-plus'd then the Lord discover'd his Grace and Mercy and chose out a sacrifice for us he prepared this sacrifice We may as Abraham said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 varying the tense say God hath provided himself a Sacrifice This he shadowed out to us by prescribing all his Sacrifices This he telleth us when he saith He prepared a body for Christ when he saith He sent him and gave him to be a propitiation for us and sealed him c. and such like expressions He the Lamb of God because ordained of God was our Sacrifice These two things considered let the guilty convinced fearing and almost desponding soul debate the case against his own fears and distrusts Put such Questions to an issue 1. Shall I despair when I have a ground to hope Let him embrace his despondencies who cannot see a ground for hope my heart breaks not while my hope is whole and unbroken 2. Are not those hopes well bottom'd which are built on the assurance that sins my only dangers and fears are pardonable Cain perhaps would have hoped if he had apprehended his sin pardonable And I am bound to hope because God assureth me by this sacrifice that my sins are expiable and may be pardoned 3. Why is there an Expiatory Sacrifice admitted nay provided by God himself who is the supreme vindex culpae and who alone had jus poenae the power of executing punishment on the offenders Hath he appointed a Sacrifice to expiate my sin and can it be that my sin remaineth inexpiable unpardonable Is not that sacrifice sufficient which God himself sindeth out Away with unreasonable fears banish forever sinful distrust Here 's a Sacrifice to atone my offended Lord of his own providing and will he not accept it I will tender it I will mention it he will not refuse his own choice 4. Can any one be found who missed the benefit of a pardon that sought it in the blood of this Sacrifice Oh that I could believe and hope until I heard of one so disappointed then should I never be ashamed Hath he not put away sin by once offering of himself and hath he not by one sacrifice forever perfected those that believe that are sanctified 5. Am I not one who may betake my self to this sacrifice What should more hinder me than others Am I excepted out of the Act of Oblivion Why may not my sins be laid on this Sacrifice Do I not read that he liveth for ever to make intercession for those that come to God by him Oh glorious hope Intercession for all that come to God by him Then cheer up doubting heart here is a sacrifice for all that come to God by him for this Intercession is an act or exercise of Christ's Sacerdotal Office subsequent to and dependent upon his foregoing Sacrifice He sacrificeth for as many as he intercedeth if then the Intercession of Christ can impetrate and obtain favour it is because the Sacrifice of Christ hath expiated thy sin and crime Sect. 5. 5. Thus far Guilt Danger and Feares may by eyeing the Sacrifice convince the sinner how seasonable a good hope would be and this Sacrifice sheweth how good the believer's hope is Now would it well become the soul to humble it self and if thou find thy heart remain still proud and unhumbled ask it these Questions over thy Sacrifice 1. Canst thou be proud and yet be found worthy to die in thy Sacrifice can this be born wilt thou confess death is thy desert and yet bear up as if thou wert innocent and in no deserved danger 2. Canst thou be proud of any thing so long as thy life is the fruit of an Expiatory Sacrifice Thou livest by the death of another and wilt thou pride thy self as if thou neededst not any ones help 3. Canst thou confess guilt and yet profess a thought of worth in thy self How shameless is that pride which at the bar confesseth it's Guilt against the Law and advanceth it self against the Law-giver It is a most unseemly thing to behold a heart rising with pride and falling in a Sacrifice Let thy humility then sute thy state as it appeareth in thy Sacrifice and I dare say it will sute the state of thy soul in it's repentance and mourning for sin Sect. 6. 6. Fountains and Springs lye deep where the soul is laid thus low if it doth not freely and spontaneously weep bring it's Sacrifice into sight let that be viewed see it standing before an offended and displeased God who was provoked by thy sin look on it loaded with imputed guilt Alas my sin lyeth upon it observe thy Sacrifice falling before the Altar and say alas was not this for my sake should not I have fallen thus if he had not He bled and out of excess of love to me poured out his life for me he groaned sighed breath'd out his soul for my sake and could he do more alas have I brought my Sacrifice to this was ever man more unhappy to his friend to his Brother how hard are those stony Rocks how dry that flinty heart which gusheth not out with tears in Remembrance of these things My dearest Lord pity unrelenting soules and oh give a mourning heart that may be more equal in it's griefes and sorowes in it's teares and sympathies how many eyes weep at newes of an endangered troubled imprisoned and wrackt friend How many hearts are softned melted and broken with the sweats burning fits and Agonies of a dying man yea how many melting hearts and weeping eyes how many compassionate discourses on the death of some one deserving more than Law inflicts for his breach of the Law But how few over a suffering bleeding dying Saviour and Sacrifice whither are the compassions of men and women fled where may they be found where shall we seek or how shall we wooe and prevail with them Lo their friend and Lord charged with their guilt sweating under its weight groaning under its penalty sighing with sobs that drew blood out of his veins bleeding dying a Sacrifice loaded with our deserved punishment And few alas very few grieving hearts weeping eyes or mourners for their want of tears Lord give more that I may give some tears to wash thy bleeding wounds A second grace requisite to a Christian in the commemoration of the Lord's Death at the Lord's Supper 2d Grace Faith exercised and improved and improveable on consideration of Christ dying a Sacrifice is Faith a grace indisputably necessary to him that will come duly to that Ordinance and therefore I lay not out any time or pains on the proving thereof a grace well improveable by consideration of Christ dying our Sacrifice on which I intend to insist next
is a matter of justice not to condemn a person for whom satisfaction hath been made and it is matter of mercy to acquit him through another's sufferings who stood condemned for his own offences or if we judge as fit we should that neither the justice or mercy of God will permit he should be condemned for whom Christ died a Sacrifice we can conclude no less from such a death than the absolution future acquittance of a Believer whose Sacrifice Christ died who hereby hath as Isa 43.4 born our griefs and carried our sorrows i. e. the punishment due to our sins for the which he hath suffered and made satisfaction Say the Generva Notes in loc yet what follows ver 5. is fuller Vt integrae essent res nostrae nobis bene esset c. placuit c. verbera plagas quas nos commeriti eramus filius susciperet c. Castigatione verberibus filii reconciliati sumus Patri efferbuit ira Patris Fozerius in loc He was wounded for our transgressions the chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed The strokes and blows which we deserved the Son took upon him to the end that our affairs being restor'd it might be well with us c. by the chastisement and stripes of the Son we are reconciled to the Father and the anger of the Father hath asswayed and ceas'd towards us Whoso can look with the eye of faith on Christ thus dying Chrîstus Dominus pro peccatis nostris dolore affectus est ergo peccata nostra deleta ergo ira Dei remisit conseditque ergo reconciliatus enim nobis ergo pax integritas salus omne bonum in nos dimanavit Fozerius may in the words of the late mentioned Commentatour triumph Christ the Lord was grieved for our sins therefore our sins are blotted out the wrath of God is appeased and ceaseth God is reconciled to us therefore peace restitution salvation and every good thing hath flowed in to us But one thing possibly may be suspected viz. Albeit such an atonement and reconciliation be made now yet may not wrath at last break forth in fury to the utter condemnation of the soul which now hath its pardon To this I shall answer by subjoyning 4. That Christ Died a Sacrifice which he himself offered through the Eternal Spirit to the end that he might purge our conscience from dead works that we might serve the Living God as Heb. 9.14 By which one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 Which great Truth the Apostle confirmeth by an Argument drawn from the very letter of that Covenant which is confirmed in this Sacrifice according to which Covenant God promiseth remission of sins so ver 17. Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more Now where remission of these is there is no more offering for sin ver 18. The ground whereof is the perfect Reconciliation wrought for those to whom God doth grant remission of sin so that hence I may justifiably argue from the real expiation made at first to the perpetual continuation of it by the blood of this most perfect Sacrifice Let our Faith therefore be directed to fetch our absolution from guilt and condemnation let us ensure this to our selves through Christ dying our Sacrifice and take that comfort to our selves he hath by one offering for ever perfected them that are sanctified And he is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him Heb. 7.25 Sect. 2. 2. The second Disquiet of the soul I mentioned was a fear lest it should lose the refreshing apprehensions and sweet enjoyments of the Divine Favour how much this would disturb the peace of the soul I am not here to discourse having said all I intended already on it But now it is my business to shew that Christ's Death as our Sacrifice is sufficient to prevent this fear or to secure unto the soul an enjoyment of the Divine Favour which I now attempt to shew 1. In that this Sacrifice duly apprehended by us doth very much abate of the ground of our fears of the withdrawing the Divine Favour from us Now the apprehension of the dread and terrour of spiritual desertions ariseth from our doubts that they are but precursory to a final and eternal displeasure that they are but the Primordia dolorum the beginnings of sorrows that the full measures will be at last for everlasting poured out upon the soul Oh this afflicts This Will God be gracious no more is the sword which wounds to the heart and whilst this fear abides on the soul it can take no rest Now see Christ our Sacrifice hath atoned vindictive displeasure reconciled us to God delivered us from wrath to come so that undoubtedly these present seasons of darkness are but seasons These sorrows may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning Christ in the merit of his blood doth ever appear for me with God though God appear not to me now as of old yet I shall enjoy him 2. Christ Dying a Sacrifice for us hath now changed the nature of all our afflictions and turned them into wholsom corrections and into necessary exercises of our graces not onely our outward afflictions are so changed that there remaineth not any deadly poyson in them but our spiritual troubles among which this I speak of is to be accounted chief these are much more altered in their nature as indeed it was expedient they should for as they sink deeper into the soul and do more speedily seize the spirit and have an immediate influence on the soul so they would be of more dangerous consequence if they retained an unrebated poyson in them These would undo the soul whereas outward afflictions can approach to the soul but intermediately and being kept still about the outworks can only disquiet alarm cannot kill the soul nor its comforts Now we are beholden to the excellency of this Sacrifice for this By this sacrifice our afflictions are rendered only corrections whatever is vindictive and which the soul cannot beare is derived upon our Sacrifice being hereby secured from wrath 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 Rom. 5.10 The Apostle argueth from our reconciliation once effected unto our salvation in due time to be accomplisht And happy they who have Christ once dying a Sacrifice to make their peace but ever living a merciful and a faithful High Priest to maintain their peace with God Such he is to all for whom he is a Sacrifice 3. In midst of spiritual desertions Christ our Sacrifice preserveth inviolate the state of our peace though we have not the sense and sweetness of that peace The Covenant of peace between God and the soul standeth unaltered still and this in the vertue of this blood of Christ our
Sacerdoti 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 portio viro qui attulit as the Priest who offered had his share so the person who brought them had a share in them likewise tacitly intimating that there was a purchase or procurement of good blessings shadowed to the bringer under the portion he carried away to eat and feast on made by this Offering whence they had the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Peace-Offerings Dr. Cudworth's Discourse concerning the true Notion of the Lord's Supper because they brought Peace to the Altar to the Priests and to the owners These Sacrifices were also called by the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Sacrifice of fulnesses or plenties Quod repleret voluntatem omnium Sic P. Fag ex D. Kimchi being offered pro beneficio obtento vel obtinendo a Domino as Mercer for a benefit as obtained so for one to be obtained Let then the natural tendency of the Sacrifice of Christ as it was a Sacrificium postulationis Peace-Offering for all blessings to be obtained from God be considered and see what reason Faith hath to rest confidently and quietly assured it shall not be left destitute of any blessings which the efficacy of this Offering could procure the friendship of God reconciled can afford and the enlarged regular desires of the soul can demand I need as little prove that Christ's Sacrifice was vertually all kind of divinely instituted Sacrifice as I need to prove to a considerate Christian that as an Eucharistical Sacrifice and Euchtical jointly it was designed pro obtinendis beneficiis to obtain blessings whereof certainly it hath no whit failed as I might at large prove if it were needful The promises are made to godliness 1 Tim. 4.8 and these promises confirmed in Christ 2 Cor. 1.20 It is for his sake we may ask what we will in Faith and receive it when we ask or better than that we ask Vt illa inserviant vobis in vestrum commodum salutem Vestris inserviunt commodis Clar. in loc Deredias licet ingentis spiritûs res est cum tantam copiam rerum quas natura beatissimè fundit aspexeris emittere hane vocem Haec omnia mea sunt Sic fit ut nil sapiens cupiat quia nihil est extra omnia Seneca l. 7. c. 3. Lauda Jac. Cappello When God gave us his Son with him he gave us all things also And whoso hath by Faith a title to Christ as his the same man hath by Christ a title to all things Note well that of the Apostle Whether things present or things to come all are yours for you are Christ's and Christ is God's 1 Cor. 3.21 So all is yours away then with those disquietudes which a Philosopher would controll which a Christian should conquer Let not their reason outgo our Faith Though thou mayest deride it is the business of a great spirit on view of that abundance which nature happily poureth forth to say all these things are mine So comes it to pass that a wise man covets not any thing because more than all which is his there is not any thing Banish therefore thy disquieting thoughts and turn thy cares into a stream of diligence to secure to thy self that Christ is thy Sacrifice that he is thy Passeover and then this as consequent of thy interess in Christ will be thy comfort and thy peace whatever I can need bonâ fide whatever I can desire sanâ mente I may expect from the recovered Favour of my God and the transcendent worth of Christ's Sacrifice And truly I would be content to miss what I cannot find in these jointly nor would I seek what others have to their loss gained out of Christ Let my portion be what this unparallel'd Sacrifice hath procured for me in the Eternal world among Saints and Angels and let mine allowances in this transitory world be the additionals which the wisest love and the safest moderation can give and receive It is not possible we should want any one mercy which is but a few degrees removed from the least and lowest after God hath given one which is infinitely greater than all we enjoy beside Who gave him who is more than all will not fail to give every one that we can ask seeing such are infinitely lesser than that he hath given already Well may I blush at my own unreasonable fears and doubts which return upon me and disquiet me when I compare my self and my deportment after this expiating pacifying perfecting Sacrifice offered to God for me with the Heathen or a Jew and their deportment after the offering up of their Sacrifices They would rejoyce rest content and confidently promise themselves a wisht for prosperity and abundant confluence of good things They promised themselves great things on sleight or no gronnds and oh distrustful heart of mine I can hardly believe and expect conveniencies from God on the highest assurances But hereafter I will endeavour my Faith and Hope with Joy and Peace shall exceed theirs as much in its constancy and sweetness as it doth exceed theirs in the ground and foundation i. e. as a substance exceedeth a shadow which was Jews or nothing which was the Gentiles Sacrifice The End of the First Part. REVIVAL OF GRACE FROM Consideration of Christ Dying a Testator PART II. Among some other Considerations of Christ's Death let me acquaint you with this that Christ Dyed a Testator one peculiar and singular circumstance in his dying was this that he was to die and by death confirm his last Will and Testament and this is very fit seasonable and proper for a Sacramental meditation this is a very fit and seasonable object and matter for our meditations at a Sacrament and from whence our graces may be actuated and improved In order whereunto I shall do these five things 1. I shall shew that Christ did die as a Testator as a loving careful friend making his Will Next 2. That the Remembrance of this kind of Death of our Lord doth well suit with a Sacrament Next 3. That such a Remembrance will advance grace in its growth this more general Next 4. What particular graces the renewed Remembrance of Christ dying and ordaining his last Will or Testament will advance and improve And Lastly 5. What are the singular motives proper to each of the forementioned graces and peculiarly arising from this kind of Death which improve grace All which I will with what brevity and plainness I can dispatch in so many Chapters CAP. I. THE First thing which I stand bound unto is the clearing of the truth of this Position or Foundation of my discourse viz. That Christ Dying did Die as a loving and careful Friend considering the state and providing by Will for the future good of his kindred and people Christ Dying died as a Testator as one ordaining his last Testament Let therefore these things be considered As Sect. 1. 1. That he died seized and possessed of a great and
vast estate of which he had the absolute disposal He was Lord of Heaven and Earth and could give what ever he pleased of the one or other unto his peculiar people It is true he acquired a new title and right by his death but it is as true that he had an unquestionable title and right to all both the Glory of Heaven with the grace that prepares and fits for it and to the goods of the Earth with power to give to best pleased him He did veil his glory and in the daies of his flesh forewent the exercise of that glorious royalty which was his due equally with his Father but he never did disseize or dispossess himself of that inheritance which by the right of eternal generation from the Father and which by the right of creation jointly with the Father he was and will be still seized and possessed of thus the Heavens were his the Earth also Heb. 1.2 He was heir of all things Now could it be likely or indeed imaginable that so great an heir seized of such an estate should die and not dipose of it had it not been wisedom to dispose of it to some or other if he had had no dependances that needed it the worth of the estate would have advised this if the indigency and want of the kindred had not perswaded to it But Indeed Sect. 2. 2. This great heir had a very great kindred and alliance Psal 2.8 who were even poor enough for the greatness of his kindred they were scattered over all the earth Rom. 15.11 Psal 110.3 Rev. 7.9 Heb. 11.12 he hath some of all Nations they were as the dew from the womb of the morning an innumerable company which no man could number as the sand on the sea shore so was his kindred to be And as they were many Rev. 3.17 so likewise were they exceeding poor they wanted much for they had by prodigality spent all they had wasted their goods God gave them a good portion did set them up bravely furnished but all was gone unless a little which the mercy of their Creditor spared to them to live upon There was a Judgment taken out only mercy forbore the Execution Now could such a mulof poor needy kindred be forgotten and neglected think you by such a Dying Friend and how should he have shewed himself of the kindred but by giving them legacies at his death If their unworthy deportment was such as would disengage any other yet it could not disengage him who would do what best became his affection not what best suited with their deserts Take therefore this farther into consideration Sect. 3. 3. That this great Heir had a most hearty and unparallel'd affection of pity and love for all his poor kindred He loved them with a love greater than the love of women he did bear the love of a friend a father of a husband his love to his was so great none could have greater for it was that caused him to die for them Now having thus loved his own he loved them to the end and love hath a good memory it will not easily forget I am sure Christ did neither abate of his love nor forget them he loved which perswadeth me to conclude that this great Heir so dearly loving his poor kindred would certainly provide for them and leave a Will or Testament behind him which they should all be the better for which I the rather incline to believe he would do because Sect. 4. 4. His poor kindred needed some such due lawful and valid Act or Deed to convey his estate unto them For Christ knew and he hath given us to know that we were not his Heirs at Law nor could we have claimed or recovered any part of it by the Law we had lost all our right made forfeiture of all we once were possessed of and God the great Governour and Lord of all had as we know Kings sometimes do given all the estate of the condemned Traitors to his Son and by especial gift had estated him in it Ask of me Psal 2. and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession And we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in him Our sin was our death and cut off all our claim and title to every desirable good Peccatum abolevit Naturalem eam communionem quae Creaturam cum Creatore consociabat Thes Salm. de trib Foeder sect 33. Sin abolished that Natural Communion which joined the Creature in friendship with the Creatour as the Learned Professors of Saumur observe And God hath set forth this emblematically in the dispossessing and ejecting Adam out of Paradise Whatever God bestow's now he bestow's it in and through Christ with him he giveth all things also This being the case of Christ's poor friends what more likely way of befriending them than by Will what surer way than by ordaining his last Will and Testament since they had no title by Law preceding his gift nor could they have any title any other way He gave it therefore by Will that it might be sure to come to them Sect. 5. 5. This great Heir died in perfect memory and with wisedom that excelled the measures of the wisest men who set and keep their houses in order he died not as some men do of a disease that should disable him to ordain his last Testament but was his own man unto the last he manifested this in his care of his mother his charity towards the sinful murtherers for whom he prayed c. I would add more proofs but that it would wrong your Christianity and call that into question He is not worthy the name of a Christian that is so much a stranger to the Death of Christ In a word he as well knew his friends needed he should give to them as he knew his enemies needed he should forgive them as he did in pity pray for the one so he did in love and care provide for the other And dying friends usually do provide in their last Will or Testament especially if they have what Christ had Sect. 6. 6. Time enough to dispose of his estate Some wise men leave their friends whom they dearly loved ill provided because the surprize and suddenness of death preventeth them But our Lord this great Heir of all things could not be surprized he knew when his hour was how it approached he knew all that concerned others he knew what was in Man and therefore could not but know all that concerned himself and his Death Out of all which circumstances I do adventure to conclude That Christ did before his Death ordain his last Will and Testament and in it provide for his poor kindred out of that vast estate which he was seized of which he possessed and inherited in the right of his infinitely Excellent Nature his Primogeniture his Powerful Creation and the Donation of his Father when Man
had forfeited all and all estreated unto God the King and Soveraign of Man In sum Christ had time enough wherein to do this he had good will enough to move him to it he had estate enough to furnish and enrich them and his poor kindred had need enough And what then think we could hinder him from making his Will or what should disswade us from believing it from his humiliation unto death He humbled himself and became obedient unto death c. Wherefore God hath given him a name c. that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Christ who died and because he died hath this title given him He is Lord and this title is given to him of God himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God hath exalted him and given to him a glorious Title Now this is not a swelling Title without power or riches to befriend and help his people such vain Titles are sometimes given by man to man but never unto any by God himself for he ever invests power with the Title he conferreth and such a power or Authority as became both the greatness of the giver and the greatness of the receiver could not be less then a full uncontrolled and lawfull power of making a Will or Testament giving out legacies to his indigent kindred and friends suitable to all this is that of John 10.17 Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life c. Note well how Christ's laying down his life i. e. Dying for his sheep is is set down as one cause why the Father did so love him Now because the Father loved him he hath given or put all things into his hand John 3.35 Left them all to his disposal These two places of St. John do in effect speak this very language That the voluntary Death of Christ should procure his Father's love to him and this love of his Father should bestow a power and right on Christ to dispose of all things All which was exactly and punctually performed to Christ after his Death as well as largely promised and contracted for upon condition that he should die the promise was made on condition he would die and the right to all contained in the promise was conferred upon him because he died and this right is expressed by St. John thus he hath put all things into his hand because he loved him and he loved him because he laid down his life Thus Christ acquired a right over all by his Death and at his Death disposed of it for the good and benefit of his people whom he made his Heir by Will or Testament which is yet farther confirmed by these two places viz. Luk. 22.29 I appoint unto you a Kingdom I appoint so we read it at large but the Greek doth point out an appointing by Will or Testament on which passage the Learned Beza hath this Note beside what is cited in the Margent These words being the words of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vulg dispono alii Lego Ex illa formula d◠Lego in Testamentis usitatâ Nomen enim 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 peculiariter de Testamento dicitur Beza in loc Haec Christi ad mortem proporantis verba speciem habent Testamentariae cujusdam dispositionis quo allusit Apostolus Heb. 9.17 approaching now to his Death do carry the form and shew of a certain Testamentary Disposition to which the Apostle alludeth Heb. 9.17 More might be added to clucidate and clear the word in this its most proper and native signification but I forbear that now Vox Testamenti Latina Graecam vocem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 restringit ad Foederis gratiae oecononiam Testamentariam c. Joh. Cloppenb de V.T. Disput 1. sect 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 notat declarationem voluntatis ultimae c. Joh. Cocceius de Foeb c. 13. sect 470. Let it suffice that Christ useth a word in this place which naturally imports the making of a Will and so leadeth us to consider him as a Testator as one before his each appointing and ordaining his ast-Testament The second place is that of St. Paul Latinis auribus nota erat Vox Testamentum significare in rebus oivilibus extremam voluntatem de rebus quas post mortem quis fieri velit c. Bened. Aretius in prologum ad Nov. Test Heb. 9.16 17. For where there is a Testament there must of necessiity be the Death of the Testator For a Testament is of force after men are dead otherwise it is of no strength at all whilst the Testator liveth In which words the Apostle doth argue the certainty and perfection of the Covenant or Promises in Christ and proveth it by this known Argument They are the Testament or last Will of Christ which Christ the Testator hath by his death confirmed beyond possibility of a change Est Oeconomia Testamentaria cui confirmandae mors intercedit Testatoris Heb. 9.16 17. Joh. Cloppenb de Test Vet. disp 1. sect 2. That look how sure and firm the last Will is when he who made it is dead so sure and firm are the Promises to us Voluit Foedas suum babere rationem Testamenti propriè dicti Jacob. Cappellus in soc for they are the Testament of our Lord confirmed to us by his Death For Christ would have his Covenant cast into the mould of a Testament or last Will properly so called On these places I conclude this first point Christ did not die intestate but did ordain his last Will ere he died and so his Death may be considered by us as the Death of a Testator who being our friend made his last Will for our good and benefit for by Will he hath bequeathed very great things to us CAP. II Christ a Testator proper Object to mediditate on at the Sacrament HAving in the Former Chap. Proved what I undertook or at least done so much that we may without errour in our meditation consider Christ Dying a Testator I am in this Chapter to shew that the meditations of Christ's Death as it was the Death of a Testator do very well suit with the Sacrament Sect. 1. 1. First such thoughts are suggested to us by Christ himself in those expressions which he used in the first appointing and administring of this Ordinance when he chose to speak of it at a Testament Among many names wch might have been used and which are gotten into use since none so much pleased our Lord as this Mat. 26.28 Mark 14.24 Luk. 22.20 It is the blood of the New Testament and it is The New Testament in my Blood Now a Testament leadeth our thoughts to the Testator and indeed primarily or in the first place though secondarily it signify a Covenant And though now the frequent use of it in the notion of a Covenant makes us the labour to prove this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Testament to signify a Testamentary Disposition or Will yet we can
prove it from the Scripture as from Heb. 9.16 17. Where beyond doubt it denotes a last will And the Third of the Gal. ver 15. If it be buta Man's Covenant or Testament for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may with very good sense be understood of a Testamentary Disposition Paraeus in loc Crellius in loc or last Will as it is also intrepreted by some Humane testimony both from Historians and Lawyers pleading this use of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Testastament might be added But I refer you to the foregoing Chap. latter end In one word we may well suit our thoughts to Christ's words His words may very well be both the matter and the rule of our meditations so that we need not fear that we erre in our thoughts at a Sacrament when our thoughts do not wander from Christ's own words we do surely entertain right and seasonable meditations when we entertain such as Christ suggesteth who no doubt did purpose to lead our minds by his select phrases and words For First This beares an uniform analogy this exactly suiteth with the manner of Antient Sacraments which afforded seasonable matter of meditations in the Sacramental phrases and expressions then used as circumcision of the foreskin c. Directed them to think of circumcising the heart and the cutting off the lusts of the flesh the Passeover by it's very name led the thoughts of the Jewes to meditate on the Angels passing over their Houses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Transivit per intervalla Transilire unde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Agnus mascnlus qui mactabatur 15 die mensis primi quo admonebantur Israelitae liberationis quae ipsis contigerat per saltum quem Deus fecerat c. Conr. Kitcher in verbum when he did smitethe Aegyptians This Pesach spake the Angels observing Israel's habitations and his leaping as it were over them but laying his hand on the Aegyptians The mercy remembred is Israel's escape for as much as the sword of the Angel rebounded from Aegyptians to Aegytian still flying over Israel and the name of the Memorial is Passeover In like manner God hath set his Bow in the Clouds a sign which he hath appointed to mind us of his Covenant promise no more to destroy the VVorld by Water such Analogy between Sacraments and Things exhibited under them was of old and there is not any reason why it should not continue still Secondly Each Sacramental action doth lead us and guide our thoughts to Meditations that befit the Season and suit well with the Ordinance The taking giving Thanks breaking the Bread pouring out of the VVine Giving c. these all have their proper significations and suggest suitable and seasonable Meditations And no doubt if each action do so offer matter for our meditation every expression will do it as well especially considering Thirdly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That words and expressions are the most proper and natural signs of things They represent things to our thoughts more lively than actions do words are the Candles which light you things are the rare pieces which should entertain your thoughts words are but like glass Cases through which you may discern and view and recreate your thoughts in beholding the curious Needle-work or Pensil of exactest Artist Such are the words of Christ here they shew us what kind of love he bare toward us what tender care he had of us what full sure and seasonable Provision he made for us c. This is that admirable and unparallel'd piece which lieth within the Glass of his words and which we may seasonably meditate on any time and most seasonably when we shew forth his Death Fourthly The words and expressions of other places of Scripture and in other matters have been the guide and matter of the Saints Meditations So David meditated on the word of God Psal 119.148 Daniel thus employed his thoughts Dan. 8.15 19. And the blessed Virgin laid up the words which were spoken and ponder'd them Luke 2.19 Now if there be any special exception against the like entertaining our thoughts in weighing the words of Christ in this case let it be produced Lastly Debuit ejus oratio cum ipsa re consentire ut vera esset Christo digna qui sese ipâ—am veritatempraedicaverat Thes Sal. de usu c. Caenae c. Sect. 14. Plain significant instructing words do hardly awaken raise keep up and strengthen our Meditations and Considerations suitable to the nature end and solemnity of this ordinance and Christ who knew our great dulness who pitied us under it and who purposed to help us against it would never puzzle and perplex our minds with words and expressions Aliene unsuitable and far remote from the things we ought to consider Christ would rather make it a more easy thing than a more difficult to fall into seasonable meditations by following the drift meaning and design of of his words which containing a Testament or last Will lead us at a Sacrament to consider Christ dying as a Testator as our Friend in love care bounty and fidelity providing for us by Will such thoughts well suit the Ordinance of the Lords Supper Sect. 2. 2. Secondly In his lib. Novi Test verè exprimitur extrema Filii Dei voluntas quam ratam voluit inter nos post mortem suam Eam habemus expressam in Caenae dominicae institutione c. D. Aretius in Prolegom ad Matth. Such thoughts well suit the Sacrament of the Lords Supper For then our thoughts and the things themselves agree there is an harmony between the things themselves contained in the Sacrament and the thoughts of the Communicants The nature of the things and our thoughts do then center and meet together and there is most suitableness where there is nearest agreement Now I have sufficiently proved that Christ did make his last Will and that he died a Testator the Sacrament of his last Supper is a shewing forth this Death and unto this do your thoughts agree when they run out into Meditations on Christ dying and making his last Will. So that more needs not be added to this Second Argument by which it appeareth how suitable such thoughts are agreeing well with what is represented to us and how seasonable our thoughts are being drawn out at such time as these things are represented to us Thirdly Meditations on Christ dying and making his last Will and Testament do well suit this Sacrament for they do well suit with the ends of this Sacrament There are among others four eminent and unquestionable ends of this Sacrament to all which these thoughts exactly agree of all which in as few words as I may I do purpose to speak And so 1. First A publick and solemn Declaration or Profession of this great Truth That Christ Jesus the Messiah hath died according to the Scriptures and is risen again living in the glory of his Father with whom we have Communion in every
Sacrament until he take us to the Glory of the Father or come again to us in the Glory of the Father Every Sacrament is a taking out a Certificat that Christ died and was buried but that he is risen from the Dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isa 53. Every time the Bread is broken in a Sacrament we tell the world that our Lord was cut off out of the Land of the Living The pouring out of the Wine speaketh his powring out his blood unto death and for proof hereof we produce his Testament and last Will the last Will of our great Commander who made it In Procinctu when he was girt and in his Armour just ready to enter the conflict wherein he laid down his life for us The excellent Moralist and Historian Plutarch tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. it was the custome with the Roman Souldiers to make their Wills when they stood in Battel-aray Facientibus Testamenta in procinctu veluti ad Certam mortem eundum foret Velleius Paterculus lib. 2. I am sure when they went on a hard and dangerous design the more considerate amongst them made their last VVill as the Roman Historian reports of their Souldiers assaulting Trebonia in Spain Our great and Glorious Captain knowing that his hour was come and that he must dye for us disposed thus his estate by VVill or Testament which proveth the truth of his Death as fully as any VVill duly proved by course of Law proveth that the Testator is dead Now certainly good evidence to the truth of Christ's death must needs be very suitable to our publick declaration and Profession of his death and so must suit with this first End of the Sacrament which is to shew forth his Death until he come The valid and irreversible Testament proveth the Death of the Testator Now such a Testament we have exhibited in the Sacrament and who employs his thoughts on this meditation employs them so as they agree with the End of the Sacrament 2. Secondly Christ intended the renewal of our lively affections toward him Dying for us as another end of the Sacrament of his body and blood He did therefore appoint this Ordinance to continue after his Death that it might keep the affectionate remembrance of his love alive in our hearts He would not have his Death forgotten neither would he have it kept in memory without the vigour and strength of our love His friends were dead in sin and misery at that time he remembred these dead friends with life of affections and now his living friends must not remember him with dead affection A lifeless affection is next neighbour to no affection and to remember with such affection is very little more than quite to forget Now none of us should so forget our Dying Lord we could not see him dying as they did Luk. 23. v. 27. who followed him to Mount Calvary and saw him with their bodily eyes yet in every Sacrament of his Supper he is evidently set forth dying among us and so every one of us must remember him every place in the Church may put us in mind of our Lord but the Table and the Cross do more particularly and lively set our remembrance on work Sic oculos Sic ille manus c. Let me ask the question did you ever lose a dear friend who made you a Legatee in his Will or appointed you Executor of it how did your affections stir move yea melt your heart when you read over the Will when you came to demand your Legacy did you receive it with dry eyes Let us bestow our affections in reading over Christ's Will as we would bestow them in reading over the Will of a tender careful Friend and then I am sure we shall frame our hearts to this second end of the Lord's supper and demean our selves as Christ expects we should at his table We shall remember him with love for his loving remembrance of us we shall remember him with desires of his return and coming in glory to make good all that he hath bequeathed to us to put us in possession of all that which the Sacrament representeth and sealeth to us we shall say make hast come quickly oh Lord. 3. Thirdly A solemn publick and constant return of Thanks and Praise to the Lord is a third end of this Sacrament Christus voluit sacram suam coenam esse mortis passionis suae nostraeque per eam à peccato morte diabolo liberationis perpetuum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nostrae ea propter gratitudinis observantiae publicum Testimonium Ludoy Cappel Thes Salm. de Liturg. Ling. Ignot part 1. th 5. Christ would have his holy Supper be a perpetual remembrance as of his Death and Passion and as of our deliverance from sin death and the Devil so of our gratitude and observance would he have it be a publick Testimony as that Learned Professor hath expressed his sense and apprehension of this matter We can scarce meet with any one person amongst the lowest and meanest Professours of Christian Religion so little instructed in the nature and end of this Ordinance as not full well to know and openly profess it is an Ordinance appointed for continuing a thankful Remembrance of our Dying Lord. We cannot read any Writer Popish or other but in their writings of the Sacrament every page is full of it the most usual name of it is Eucharist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Syriack Version hath borrowed this Greek word to express it self in Act. 2.42 20.7 where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rendred by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which soundeth out Gratitude and Thankfulness so some render and translate Bread in Acts 2.42 10.7 broken in the Sacrament and call it the Breaking of the Eucharist but I will spare my time pains and paper and appeal to thy pretences and professions who goest to the Lord's Table I know thou canst not acquit thy self to thy Brethren with whom thou communicatest nor to thy own Profession unless thou declarest thy desire to remember thankfully the Death of thy Lord. Now the Love of Christ remembring thee by Will in his Testamentary disposition hath in it very many strong and prevailing perswasives to thankfulness and will certainly awaken the sober considerate soul unto gratitude and so will excellently well suit with the season and the duty of feasting with our Lord. Of which more shall be said in our following discourse if the Lord give leave Mean while the greatness of our legacy the freeness of love in the legator the unworthiness of the legatees the certainty of our future receiving it the present enjoying more if so be we would set our selves with more diligence and search to enquire into the deed of gift our Lord hath made to us These I say will certainly perswade us to constant acknowledging our debt of thankfulness to our dying Lord. Our life should be
a perpetual thanksgiveing to Christ but a Sacrament is the solemne day of Thanksgiving which Christ hath appointed He did find the Jews keeping the Passeover so he hath ordained the Christian Feast of his supper in the stead thereof and so to be kept the Apostle tells us that he received of the Lord what he delivered to his Corinthians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 10.16 and he delivered unto them this cup of Blessing this minds you of the greatest gift God could give and must not be lookt on without your heart in your eye Go too then think as you can of him who hath made you heirs by his will speak of it as you can Inusitatâ incognitâ quadam felicitate I mistake if you do not think say this came to pass by an unusual and wonderful happiness as the Historian said of that will which made the people of Rome heir to a Kingdome Be you as just to the Remembrance of your Lord and shew it in your thankfulness 4. Fourthly Another great End of the Sacrament and which Christ intended in appointing Coena in eum finem comparata est ut sit communioris charitatis Christianonum vinculum inter ipsos Th. Thalm. de usu coen Dom. dis 1. sect 42. it was that union and communion might be preserved and continued among Believers It doth therefore bear the name of a Communion and Christ hath prepared this Spiritual Feast to keep up spiritual friendship Christ would have but one Table for Believers that Believers might have but one heart for each other Christ hath put them all together at his table that they might keep all together in love and be but one Mark well with what text the Apostle urgeth this Union and Communion among Saints 1 Cor. 10.17 We being many are one body for we all partake of one bread But now alas that is made a cause of contention and separation which was appointed a means of union and Christian friendship of which I might justly complain were this fit time and place But I conclude this in the words of the Learned Professours Sacra Synaxis est dilectionis fidelium inter se contesseratio quaedam P P. Salmur de usu neces coen Dom. Disp 1. Sect. 42. The holy Communion is a certain signal mark of the love of the faithful one to another Now I say the last Will of Christ dying a Testator conduceth unto this and therefore the meditations of Christ dying a Testator will suit with the Sacrament and do well become a Communicant View but a while oh ye quarrelling Believers how you have all one common great friend ought you not be one in him Have you not all one title and may you overthrow your Brother's hope without overthrowing your own are all men careful to preserve unity whose welfare is endangered by discord and will you be less than men In one word Christ hath put you all into his own Will and made you Legatees Joint-heirs how well doth one Will become them who are thus one in the Will of Christ oh divide not in your wills and affections you are undivided in the Will of Christ suit your considerate thoughts to the blessed ends your Dear and Dying Lord intended to promote enlarge your thoughts on the particular considerations and respects in which he died draw down these respects unto the several graces and duties which they will awaken and strengthen and I hope in a Sacrament you shall find your Profession and Faith confirmed your Affections enlivened your Thankfulness enlarged your Union and Communion with Saints strengthened and secured by a due application of your meditations to the Death of Christ dying a Testator and so will find by experience what I have said that these thoughts well suit a Sacrament because they well suit the ends of the Sacrament CAP. III. Christ's Testament Influenceth our Graces I Am now to treat my Reader with the entertainment of his thoughts on the third proposal which pretends to make it appear that due considerations of Christ's dying a Testator making his will and comprising all his friends in it may improve the growth of grace such reflections on this kind of death do well comport to the communion they do also well advance the graces of the communicant they do befit the solemnity they benefit the solemnizer which I shall attempt to illustrate and prove in the genetal by these following arguments Sect. 1. 1. First 1 Argument That which awakens the soul to a diligent search and enquiry into the word and into its own state will advance the growth of grace Grace is of such a nature it growes best when most searcht as health by medicines which penetrate the secretest places of the disease and expel the most hidden hurtful humours our spiritual Balm healeth best when self-examination openeth our wounds and maketh way that the Balm may sink and soak to the bottom Now the consideration of Christ dying a Testator and making his Will or Testament will awaken us to such a search enquiry It is almost natural to us when our rich friends dye to enquire what Will they made and who are remembred and what they are remembred in especialy when they hear that all the kindred and all the friends are remembered in the Will and have somewhat given them upon this the considerate Christian begins his search of these two things at least 1. The last Will of Christ which is contained in and to be gathered out of his word And next He 2. Searcheth his own Pretences to the Friendship and Kindred of Christ for the word assures him that the Lord Christ hath bequeath'd all to his Brethern and Friends Hence 3. A Third thing is concluded by the considerate Christian viz. The strengthning his alliance to Christ and making it more firm and sure which is most effectually and only done by adding grace to grace and bringing forth fruits of grace thus will this search occasioned by this Death of Christ improve grace Sect. 2. 2. That which answers the doubts and which removes the disquieting fears of the gracious soul doth improve grace in the soul Doubts are the souls earth-quakes which shake the foundations and weaken the superstructure these doubts once well removed and these fears once well blown over the soul resteth on a good strong solid foundation and all that is laid upon it standeth the faster and steadier These disquieting fears are Languores animae The consumptive decaies of weak grace let these be taken away and grace recovers to a healthful vigorous and strong habit they are part of that spirit of bondage which attends a weaker and less grown grace and as these fears are dispelled and the prevalence of the spirit of bondage abateth so the Pharrhesia that boldness and child-like confidence of grown grace increaseth with an increasing measure of the spirit of Adoption from which springeth an universal increase of grace Atque
adoptionis illius vim senserunt in Spiritu Sanctificante PP Salmur de Sp. Adop Sect. 12. so they who are sealed with the spirit of Adoption have still found the power of that Adoption by the spirit of Sanctification Now I say Christ Dying a Testator and leaving us his last Will or Testament to meditate upon hath left us a good answer to our doubts and the due meditations of the soul on the last Will of Christ will much dispel our fears and quiet the soul For whereas there are two sorts of fears which afflict a gracious soul 1. A fear it shall miss of Glory And 2. A fear it doth want truth of grace Christ by his last Will hath secured the believing soul against both these fears against the first by giving a Kingdom and Glory to such by Will he appointed them unto a Kingdom to a Glorious Crown Against the second by bequeathing the spirit of Truth and Grace unto them to lead them in holiness unto the end and this Will of our best Friend who Died to confirm it is a very sure Title on the sacred reverence authority of last Wills and Testaments Legum servanda fides suprema voluntas Quod mandat fierique subet parere necesse est Aug. Imper. de vol. Virg. which must be sacred and inviolate when the man is dead Command of Laws must duly be fulfill'd And so must that our dying friend last will'd how much more when he who died once hath for ever conquered death and lives for ever to see his own Legacies both bestowed and enjoyed which peculiar to Christ our dying friend gives greatest encouragement against such doubts and might very well ease us of all such fears and so be an excellent defence and prop to weak grace whence will soon follow a considerable growth in grace Sect. 3. 3. That which confirms the truth certainty and immutability of the promises improveth Grace I need not give long Proofs of so known a Truth Praecipuum maximè proprium objectum Fidei situm est in promissionibus PP Salm. de Fide sect 7. the promisies are the objects of our faith the good things contained in the promises are the object of our hope the grace and mercy making the promises is the Load-stone of our love In one word we are made partakers of the Divine Nature we do purify our selves and perfect holiness through these promises Grace is as the vine the promises are the frame which beareth up and carrieth the vine which thriveth best when it resteth on the surest and stedfastest frame Grace is a spiritual building which needeth a sure Foundation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Such is the promise which as the word of God is in it self sure and stedfast for it is impossible that God should lie Tit. 1.2 Heb. 6.18 Yet to this the Lord hath superadded the confirmation and certainty of a Testamentary disposition or last Will making all the promises in Christ and making them all sure and unchangeable by the death of Christ whereby they become to us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 that we might have such assurance as should render it next to a moral impossibility for us soberly and deliberately to doubt them Now all this is excellently effected by resolving and moulding the promises into a last Will or Testamentary disposition which is of such a nature that it becomes unalterable on the Death of the Testator Heb. 9.17 for a Testament is of force after men are dead and so the law maxim ensureth us In publicis Lex in privatis Testamentum firmissimum habetur that what the law is in publick concerns that a last Will in private concerns is for ensurance and firmness In brief therefore the last Will of Christ Dying confirms the Promises to us what confirms the promises confirms our faith and hope with other graces faith and hope confirmed do greatly tend to purifying and sanctifying our hearts and making our life fruitful in these things lieth the growth and improvement of grace so that due reflections and right manage of our thoughts on Christ dying a Testator do as is said improve the communicants Graces Sect. 4. 4. That improves grace which doth soften the heart and as it were ripen it unto a mellow temper as the showers which soak into the earth in the spring time which soften the earth do both prepare the way that tender roots of trees and plants may spread abroad and root deeper and also do afford nourishing moisture and sap whence the verdure blossom and the fruit it self so it is here a hard and rocky heart is as unkind a soil for grace as stony ground is for Corn neither can take root to any good purpose Trees of righteousness are planted by the rivers of waters which is a tender soil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the water courses divide themselves and run out into many branches gently and kindly softening the ground And though some vines of the Lord are planted in high Mountaines naturally hard and barren in proud and hard hearts yet these hearts are like plowed ground laid a fallowing and mellowing and so prepared for the seed time every high Mountain is laid low before Christ In one word the pleasant Lillies do grow in the Valleys low and softned grounds so grace thrives best in the humble and tender soul Now there are in the last Will of Christ many both common and ordinary as also Singular and extraordinary motives and inducements to tenderest affections towards Christ Whatsoever cause any true friend any kind Brother any dutiful Child can see in the care love and bounty of his Dying Friend Brother or Father expressed and contained in the porvision made by such one for him that all that and more may the meditating and considerate soul see in the last Will of Christ to melt him into affections for Christ in whose Death he may see love living and growing strong when life fainted and grew weak And as his veines and heart grew empty of blood both grew full of love to you and me So he loved his own to the end What in particular these common and speciall motives are I shall not now specify but reserve them to another more fit place thus you have the sum of this fourth argument before you in the next place Sect. 5. 5. That improves our graces which endeareth the Lord Jesus to us what increaseth our love to Christ doth increase our holiness and addeth to our graces love will long for a more close union love will study the most intire complyance it will ambitiously strive to advance and honour it will without ceasing endeavour to please That soul is most endeared to holiness and most studious of holiness which is most endeared to Christ and most in love with him such a soul keeps his Commandments Now the view and consideration of Christ s last Will and Testament will surely endear
Christ unto the soul there the soul seeth the real Testimonys of his Saviour's love Last Wills or Testaments are those in which we profess all our affection Quibus affectum omnem fatemur Brisson de Form After this men can do no more at this time therefore they will do what they can for their beloved Friends This love is an immortal love attempting to fill the cistern to leave it full when the spring head dryes up it is a love surviving Death when the lover cannot a peice of Friendship rescued from the hand and power which kills thy Friend When Jacob could live no longer to love his Joseph his love could not die but fleeteth from his feeble dying heart and reposeth it self in the sacred and unviolate treasury of Jacobs last Will where it doth and shall still survive both the Lover and the Beloved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gen. 48.22 1 King 1. in this you discover Joseph had a double share in Jacobs love When David was to make his last will you may see which of all his Sons had most of David's heart so true is it that last Wills are open windows of the heart through which we may see the living affection of our Dying Friend This is undeniably true of the last Will of Christ who looks into it shall see the dearest love the tenderest affection the faithfullest friendship the seasonablest care and the fullest provision and who seeth this can do no less than wish he had a more dear affection to return for that which is so incomparably grater than all other Sect. 6. 6. That improves Grace which shakes off security and awakeneth out of sloth security is the lethargy of the soul and it must be cured or the soul Dyeth sloth is that scorbutick disease of the soul which weakens all its graces and takes off the edge of them and this must be removed by a vigorous exercise of that strength and life which yet remaineth in Grace or Grace will decay wither and dye rid the soul of these two and Grace will suddenly recover it self and grow Now it is unquestionable that the last Will of Christ carrieth in it sufficient considerations to awaken the soul out of pernicious security and to quicken it unto vigorous diligence For all the legacies of Christ are conditional requiring either precedent conditions or enjoining subsequent conditions of love and obedience and this love with obedience will be found such as will take up all thy time and strength set to it so soon as thou wilt here will be work enough for thy Christian care Thou wilt find life short love long work weighty strength weak The Philosopher rowsed himself with this Vita brevis ars longa life is short Art is long Christian look over Christ's expectation expressed in his Will and Testament and write this presently as thy monitory Vita brevis Fides longa The time of Life is short the work of Faith is long and rowse up thy self both from security and sloth make haste to do thy Lord's will that thou mayest have large share in the last Will of thy Lord. When a very rich gist is given by Will upon conditions and reservations and all revoked from every claimer who performeth not those conditions and disposed to others who will do and have done and performed the conditions how great care and diligence doth this awaken how speedy is the considering Legatee what haste doth he make to perform lest non-performance of his duty should disappoint his hope and cut off his claim Christian thou hast the Inheritance given by Will and that Will prescribes thee thy duty and if ever thou intendest to put in claim for it look thou put thy hand speedily to the doing of what is there enjoyned thee For I tell thee thy Lord who made the Will who prescribed the terms who enjoyned thy performance and before whom thou must make thy claim is not now dead but liveth is not far off but near to thee seeth and observeth all thy sloth and laziness and will reject thy suit and dash thy pretences and confound thy hopes unless sight of his Will quicken thee to do his will CAP. IV. Graces enumerated Improvable by the last Will of Christ I Have performed 〈…〉 at potui â—amen if not as I would yet as Bernard said as I could the three first parts of my Promise I shall now endeavour the performance of the fourth viz. in a particular enumeration of those graces which I apprehend may be much improved by the consideration of Christ's last Will or Testament renewedly remembred at the Communion of the Lord's body And Sect. 1. 1. First Faith is one Grace which is improvable by due managing our thoughts of Christ's ordaining his last Will ere he died and dying to ratifie and make his last Will firm and irrevocable This gives us greatest assurance of the truth of the Promises and so addeth to the evidence of things that are not seen Man verily believeth and boldly pleadeth his title and right to the Legacy which his dying friend bequeathed to him Sect. 2. Secondly Hope and Expectation of enjoying the good things promised is another grace improvable by the application of Christ's Death dying a Testator and ordaining his last Will. The certainty of future enjoying and the goodness of the thing to be enjoyed is the life of hope the root and strength of it Now the goodness of that we expect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the certainty of our future enjoyment are jointly contained and declared in the last Will of our Lord to which in more particular manner we hope to speak Sect. 3. 3. Longing desires of surer interess in the Covenant or Testament of Christ and desire of nearer union unto Christ is improvable upon the reflections of our serious thoughts on the Death of Christ dying and making his VVill. Every one who needeth would wish himself of the kindred and affinity of that rich bountiful and kind friend who enricheth all his kindred by his large Legacies at his Death and he will desire to be so related unto Christ who duly considers what may be obtained by Christ Sect. 4. 4. Love to the Lord and a high prizing of his person and concernments is an other Grace of the believer improveable by this meditation of Christs Death as the Death of a Testator Every one honoureth the remembrance and speaketh well of him who doth liberally and wisely provide for his indigent and needy relations strangers do value such an one and much more doth his ingenuous and considerate Friend Sect. 5. 5. Zeal to his glory and honour a spiritual fervency of heart in all that such a Friend is any whit concerned in is another qualification of a believer and this also is improved by the due manage of our knowledge of Christs last Will and Testament Were there but little cordial Friendship in the heart of a believer toward
for their meanes and where this discord happens there ever is a great deal less in performance than in purpose farre less in execution than in design and intention But where a great heart possesseth an estate carryeth an interess and enjoyeth opportunities large as its self there are ever great designs rich promises vast expectations and these give being to a hope that maketh not ashamed The favorites of Kings enlarge their hopes to the greatness of those gifts their Princes use to give It were a dishonour to a Prince if his Friend and favourite should hope for a mean and poor gift such as every ordinary man bestows upon his Friend 1 Sam. 22.7 Saul spake more like a King bestowing gifts when he talked of olive-yards and vine-yards and making them Captains over thousands And the ambitious mother measured her hope and request for her sons by the greatness of their masters state when she begged that they might sit the one on the right hand the other on the left hand of their Lord in his Kingdom So let our hopes eye the riches and treasures of our Dying Lord and grow great as his mind and good will as his means and ability to enrich us to satisfy us with most excellent Legacies with Royall gifts 3. As his mind and means were great so was his love and affections toward us Jonathan's love to David was a love that exceeded the love of women but fell short of the love of Christ to believers It is hard to find a love that may shadow out the love of Christ but it is impossible to find out a love that can equal it or set it forth to us in its gaeatness It is greater than the love of a Friend a Brother a Father a wife greater than all these could we compound them all into one Now where so great love to us in so great estate in the hands of so great mind there out hopes cannot but exceed the hopes of a man who hath the largest hopes from his Friend his Brother or Father He knows not the heart of Christ nor the riches of Christ nor the love of Christ who contents himself with small hopes or doth not enlarge his heart towards a hope great as the love of Christ See then what thou mayest expect should be thy legacy think what it likely should be that Christ Dying would bestow upon thee would he not give the greatest he could should you not hope the greatest you are capable of do not men close handed narrow hearted and loath to leave what they have do they not give the most they can to those they love most at their death have not they largest gifts by will who were greatest sharers in their good will is not this the standard by which waiting hoping Heirs measure their hopes and expectations from a Dying Friend let it be thine also and at a Sacrament remember thy hope is justifiable when exceeding great for so much as it is raised upon so great love of so great a mind in so great estate and meanes that none can equall or justify it self in a comparison with it none I say though it were the grandeur of a King of the greatest King ever the Sun did shine upon for if more crowns than one are at his disposal yet can he not bequeath a crown to every loyal subject to every faithful councellour to every dear Friend to every dutiful child Christ thy King thy Friend oh believing soul could alone do this and indeed hath done it by will Luk. 22.29 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this thou shouldest remember and consider at the Sacrament The renewed memorial of Christ thy Friend Dying a Testator and renewed thoughts of thy Friends greatness who is thy hope will be a renewing of thy hope and an addition to its greatness Sect. 2. 2. As the greatness of our expectations so in the next place the goodness and real loveliness of what we expect either doth add or might justly add to the growth and increase of our Hopes Their Hope may well be a growing Hope which is animated and quickened by such growing goodness Among many cross occurrences which may this often doth lessen our Hopes their greatness may possibly want commensurate goodness the quality and rellish of it may not be sweet enough though the fruit may be larger then we expected The massy bulk may be too great whilst the usefulness and profit of it may be to little David speaks of some who had more than heart could wish but this overgrown increase adds to their pride and atheism and proves a snare to them Psal 73.4 5 6. With the 8. 9. verses Their vices increase as do their riches This a poysonous quality of all worldly greatness and this venom frequently embâ—tters the considerate man's Hopes and this ialwayes empoysoneth the inconsiderate man's enjoyments But on the other side the believers Hope through the death and Testament of Christ hath in it goodness as well as greatness goodness to sweeten our Hope and to sanctify our enjoyment the unbelievers Hope and acquisition makes the estate greater and the person viler but this of the believer makes his estate more great and his person more gracious it makes him happier in his possessions and holier in his affections and so betters both the man and his condition In this the believers Hope excelleth all other which will I hope clearly appear if at a Sacrament we meditate on 1. First the Moral goodness and excellency of those things which Christ hath willed to us they are full of purity and therefore full of loveliness If Moral vertue were so desirable in the eye of the Philosopher that he could say every one would fall in love with it if it were or could be set forth in its native beauty to the eye what then will the Holiness of Christ's Legacies be to a gracious soul what will Moral vertue whereof Christ's Legacies are full enhaunced and dignified with the addition of grace which Christ doth adde to his Legacies Joh. 14.16 I will pray the Father and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you for ever ver 16. The spirit of truth Behold here a Legacy which bequeaths all Moral vertues and all sanctifying graces at once in this one gift you have greater and choicer gifts than all the world can give Here is greatness and riches here is goodness and righteousness In one word the great gifts of dying friends have corrupted many a fair and well tempered nature but lo here 's a Legacy greater then all those and which hath rectifyed and beautifyed many a crooked and vitiated nature I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world but that thou shouldest keep them fom the evill Joh. 17.15 Now as he praies it may be so with them he powerfully worketh upon them and it is so with them they are kept from the evil For he imparteth those internal operative
most lofty and ambitious Not so in these hopes of the Believer whose greatest hopes are commended to him by their certainty A Believer is more certain of a Crown and a Kingdom than he is of his Friends Estate or Honours on Earth Vid. supra this stability the ground of a Christians Faith c. 5. sect 1. c. Now this certainty lyeth upon the stability and firmness of the Testament of Christ the Testator who died to give validity and confirmation to the Testament and who liveth to give out the Legacies which he hath bequeathed Thus the Testament is become of force by the death of the Testator and the gifts become sure by the life of the Testator who ever liveth to bring us into the possession and to continue us in the Possession of those great and good things which we hope for by vertue of his bequest and gift In few words look over the Bona legata good things bequeathed Pooro bona legata sunt illa vita aeterna remissio peccatorum dona Spiritûs Sancti c. Ben. Aret. Prolegom in Matth. Life Eternal Remission of sins gifts of the Holy Ghost c. Examine the Will of Christ which is yet to be read in the Scriptures of the New Testament especially search the several Promises see what they contain and then say of them All these are the legacies my blessed Lord hath given me by his last Will All these Promises are now Yea and Amen Were they only the Will of a man yet no man should add to them or disannul them they are sacred and must not be violated how much more inviolable should the Testament of Christ be kept The Testament of the true and faithful Witness is faithfulness it self Until Faithfulness degenerate into Perfidiousness until Truth turn into a Lye or until Darkness be Light not sooner nor more unexpectedly shall the Believers interesse in the last Will of Christ deceive and fail his expectations Oh glorious Hope whose bright beam may well turn the illustrious hopes of the worldling into a darksome and undesired anxiety or despair Oh blessed soul which can despise the promising confidences of worldly hopes and cast them off as unquestionable uncertainties such they are and instead of these can pitch upon persue after and long for those sure Promises the rich Legacies the lively Hopes and heavenly Treasures which Christ maketh the firm valid and unchangeable Interess and Estate of every Believer Before thou come to a Sacrament oh my soul look better to thy hopes survey their Greatness weigh their Goodness and duly consider their certainty and discern whether any hopes are comparable with them in either Greatness Goodness or Certainty or in any thing that is a part of the best and truest hope and when thou hast viewed the precellence and matchless worth of thy hopes I dare warrant thine increase and growth in this grace shall bear a proportion to thy consideration and weighing of those forementioned excellencies Remember I confine not thy thoughts to these particulars I mention them as those which did first and easiest offer themselves to mine own thoughts if thou who readest with better judgment pitchest upon more quickening and improving meditations and arguments bless God who gave and pray for me and others who would desire as lively and awakening arguments and help us in our need In the mean time this certainty of these great and good things doth according to the measure of their clearness and strength in my serious meditations raise in me and improve a longing desire of an assured interess in him who hath given these things by Will of which Desire and the Improvement thereof I purpose to treat in the next Section CAP. V. Sect. 3. Christ Dying a Testator Improves Desires of Union to Christ and Communion with him THERE is certainly as little doubt that Desire after Union to Christ and longing for intimate Communion with Christ is needful and requisite in every Communicant as that the soul is not fit for either Union or Communion which desireth them not and I suppose thou art no Christian if thou art so ignorant as to presume on fitness or to flatter thy self into expectation of any spiritual Improvement by the use of the Sacrament without these Desires and Longings of Soul after Christ Fames optimum omdimentum these Desires are the soul's hungrings after Christ and they add sweetness to this Bread of Life A man that hath lost his stomach who can tast no sweetness in the choicest food is as fit to be a guest at a Royal feast as a soul without desires of Union to and Communion with Christ is fit to feast with the Lord at his table in the holy Sacrament He that is the desire of all nations Hag. 2.9 will be sought after and found out by those of every nation which desire him Thou who dost not desire him dost reject him and despise him and hidest thy face from him as the Prophet Isaiah 53.2.3 hath ranked thee And can rejecters of Christ be fit for communion with Christ can despisers of Christ Hope for a welcome entertainment with Christ will he disclose the secrets of his love to such as hide their face from him either thou must desire him or thou shalt never discern him or delight in him at a Sacrament Christ is that carcass to which the soul as the Eagle gathers but desires are the wings which carry the soul to Christ He desires to draw us to himself these desires appear in this that Christ doth lay open his excellency for us and our need of him and so attempts to raise our desires nay gives some strength that we may desire If we either supinely neglect or prophanely reject him we shall be sure to miss and go without him Luk. 14.24 Not one of the invited guests which put him off with an excuse did taste of the prepared feast They desire no such feast and Christ at last lets them know he expects better guests Who ever will be a guest at the table of the Lord must unfeignedly desire an interess in the Lord so as the Lord declares himself willing and ready to admit his guests to a communicating and partaking of benefits by him Now among many other habitudes and relations he admits us as a Dying Testator admitteth Legatees to partake of the benefits bequeathed by will And in this there lye many prevalent inducements or motives to quicken our desires after the interess of a Legatee in the Will of Christ the Testator As Sect. 1. 1. The goodness of those gifts which Christ giveth by Will these Legacies are not stained with the tincture of vice which would deflower the innocency of the mind and render the person culpable nor have they any tincture of unpleasantness that might distate the soul There is neither poison in them to kill nor any gall in them to embitter they neither distate nor destroy They are incomparable spiritual eternal
to the soul For they are desires fixed upon a good which is in some degree already enjoyed Christ and his benefits are ever enjoyed whilest sincerely desired These messengers of the soul seeking for Christ are sent by Christ himself who is with the soul much as he was incognito with the Disciples before he made himself known in breaking of bread The soul desireth Christ absent but these desires are raised in the soul by Christ present And as a Friend in a disguise sometime visits and feasteth with his Friend cheering and comforting him and minding him of his absent Friend and raising wishes and desires after him as absent who indeed is present with him and entertaineth him so doth our blessed Lord satisfy the desires of them that love him and that long for him He is enriched by Christ who truly desireth the riches of Christ These the advantages of the Christians desires oh then let out thy desires fear not to set thy soul in a longing fit for Christ whilst thou longest thou shalt enjoy and ere long thou shalt see how much thou hadst of him all that time wherein thou thoughtest thou hadst no more of him than an empty desire or hungring wish for him thy desires are like the Mariners approaches to the spicy Islands the sweet and delicate odours assure them they are not far off and delight them untill they set foot upon the shore so Christ assures and delights the desirous soul so Christ sends abroad the sweet perfumes of grace and glory These refresh the soul untill its arrival where it shall live upon full satisfactions which is a 3. Third excellency in which the believers desires after these Legacies of Christ do exceed all the best desires of other men who must ever write over them lesse in hand than in Hope Minuit praesentia famam the believer on the contrary must write this as the motto of his possessed desires great in Hope greater far in hand or as the Queen of Sheba said in another case 1 King 10.8 It was a true report which I heard in my own land but the one half of their glory was not told me These things which draw out the desires of other men are like the Apples of Sodom beautiful and please the eâ—e at distance but they moulder into ashes when the hand gathers them and they who feed on them feed on ashes Such are honours such are pleasures such are the riches of this world and of men of this world fully uncertain when we purpose to seek them fully vexatious whilst we are seeking them fullest of torment and disappointment when they are grasped and possessed yet our desires after them are passionate and earnest our contrivances to obtain them are solicitous and secret our pursuit vigorous and unwearied But Christian here is honour a crown bequeathed here is joy an eternal feast on the fruit of the true vine in the Kingdom of thy heavenly Father here are treasures bequeath'd an inheritance a Kingdom and all proposed to thy desires with transcendent advantages they are certain that thou mayest pursue them with Hope they do refresh whilest thou art pursuing that thou mayest not languish and faint they satisfy fully and eternally that thou mayest never repent thy labour Look on these and let them have but as much of thy desire as there is of desireableness in them above all other things and then I am sure thou wilt desire them above all and rest in them after all Awake Awake oh my soul and before thou make thy approach to the Lord's table look over the last Will and Testament of Christ thy Lord see there is pardoning mercy to take away death which is the desert of sin there is purifying mercy to take away the filth of sin to dry up the poisonous fountain of sin there is pacifying mercy to take away inward distracting troubles there is interceding mercy to procure acceptance of all the good thou dost there is preserving mercy to keep thee from falling away and perishing there is crowning mercy to encourage thy expectations and satisfy thy best and largest desires In a word here is Christ's Spirit his Righteousness his Kingdom with eternal life given by Will and last Testament and all these tendered to thee as Christ's Minister tenders the body and blood of Christ to thee all these things are delivered to thee in the copy of Christ's will sealed unto thee at the Sacrament and thy desires are now expected Good things and possible yea certain and ensured to thee if thou wilt but heartily desire them Awake therefore a sincere wish a strong longing after them that they might statisfy thee All these are thine if thou wilt be Christ's oh then desire he would unite thee to himself that thou may'st be one among them that are one with Christ these shall be heirs to these great things these must be of Christ's kindred and alliance this alliance is not by natural consanguinity it is by a foederal covenant Union and this Union is effected by us for our part by willingness and desire say then art thou willing to lose and miss these great things or dost thou think them unworthy of thy desire or rather dost thou not wish thou couldest desire them dost thou not feel thy heart kindly bubling forth such affectionate desires as these after Christ oh that I were of that happy family which are so blessed with Christ oh that my name were written in the will oh that there were a blank where I might secretly or openly write mine own name there then I would as Jacob yet without offence steal a blessing oh that there were some would shew me how I might imbody my self with this houshold and kindred why now if such desires stir behold here is a short but a sure method Longings and desires after nearer Vnion and closer conjunction with Christ heary desires of communion with Christ will do this great work and ensure this exceeding rich blessing to thee Blessed are they who thus hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be satisfyed Thus renewed meditations on the common in centives of desires and renewed meditations on the peculiar and extraordinary incentives of our desires in likely-hood can do no less than increase our desires after this most desireable Union to Christ CAP. V. Sect. 4. Love and esteem of Christ Improved by his Dying a Testator A Fourth Grace improveable by the meditation of Christ's Death as such a loving and bountiful Legator Love and Esteem of Christ 4th Sacramental Grace improved is love and high esteem of his person and concernment There are some graces which may be better spared in part or in whole others that are more needful for a communicant at the Lord's table joy in believing may be little perhaps none yet the soul not unfit for the Sacrament But the grace of love to Christ with an high esteem of the person and concernments of Christ is so needful
the Death of Christ the Testatour so that thou and I are beholding to Christ a Testator for all the riches of grace consolation and glory Well worthy of thine and my praise thanks and hearty acknowledgments is Christ therefore for that he by his Death hath procured and by will hath entitled us unto such great and glorious advantages and benefits 2. Christ a Testator hath deserved thy most grateful resentments of his love for that he hath by this means removed all thy fears and prevented all thy doubts least at any time thou shouldst by reason of thy weak faith and defective love fall short of the goodness and blessings thou expectest for this as other Testaments is of force now that the Testator is dead and since he is dead none may either null it or alter it but it must continue for ever in strength And on this consideration of certainty and validity doth the Apostle Gal. 3.15 advance the excellency of the promises made to Abraham and to Abraham's seed Now what ever doth advance the excellency of the promises made to us doth likewise advance our debt of thankfulness for the promises 3. Christ a Testator is worthy of our highest Gratitude for so much as he hath by his last Will and Testament disposed of his rich inheritance amongst us so as we may duly expect and constantly fetch in as much as we will of grace for our present help and comfort reserving the fullness of all unto the final consummation of the elect redeemed Many a man loseth all or else much of his thankes by an unseasonable caution in his will that the Legatees shall have nothing of the gift until such a time to which it is uncertain whether he live but Christ deserveth our admiration as well as our thanks for the present benefit use and advantages we have from his Testament He hath so given that wee may now enjoy we so enjoy now that hereafter we shall receive present enjoyments were not to be compared with future the present improvement is sufficient to keep us handsomely the future is far above mine and your thoughts 4. Christ a Testator worthy of thy thanks for so much as he was thus mindful of thee at the last when enemies insulted and vaunted against him when sorrows and pains did seise him when his Friends stood aloof off and some of them denied him when many were content not to be known of his acquaintance when he foresaw what Friends we in our several generations would be to him for what these persons were under Christ's Eye was both an index or discovery of them and also a symptome or prognostick what we after them would prove And yet for all this his love continued firm to us and made them and us Heirs both of his own and of his Father's love also 5. And lastly consider this Christ a Testator is Christ Voluntarily Dying that he might make all sure to us He was not by nature under an unchangeable law of Death as we are if he had not loved us so much he needed not to have Died here then is his plea and Title unto our Gratitude he did Voluntarily and of choice put himself into a condition that he might dye to procure and confirm the promises to us And yet the kind and manner of Dying and pains he did foresee in his Death are the circumstances which as they set off and advance his love to us so do they increase and augment our debt of a loving hearty resentment of his kindness Sirs Christ must dye a curse under the vindictive justice of God ere he could convey by will the Heavenly blessed and everlasting Legacies which we now expect from him as a Testator Whoso shall cast an Eye upon these particulars if others more quickning do not occur yet these will either perswade to thankfulness or render unthankfulness inexcusable We do usually pick out such circumstances as these to commend the worthiness of our Friends love towards us at his Death he remembred me in what I most needed provided for me as much as I need or can receive he I thank him setled it by will that I might be sure of it And herein I am greatliest beholden to him that as I was unfit to be trusted with all at once and unable to subsist without any of it for present he did in wise kindness to me provide that the main part should be reserved for me and that the lesser be now given unto me So Christ that I might live and rejoice in the present grace of my Lord to me that I might be rich and happy in the possession of the whole when I was fit for and capable of it did wisely bequeath me a portion of peace in him grace from him comfort through him all which I needed but hath reserved fulness of Glory the immarcescible Crown the unchangeable Kingdom the inconceivable and unspeakable blessedness until I should be prepared to enjoy them all herein the love of Christ excelleth insomuch as he did all this for us when sorrows and troubles greater than can be equalled were besetting him nay he put himself into a state subject to all those sorrows and troubles from which by nature he was free that he might be liable to dye and make all this mercy sure to thee and me and such like us by Testament and thou and I must thank him that he did it for us who by our folly and wickedness were the causes of all this sorrow and trouble to him Here is love to be owned with highest rensentments and most enlarged affections Christ is the greatest conquerour of hearts and therefore to be crowned with a triumphant wreath of enflamed hearts oh live and dye in the grateful acknowledgments of his love If as some men will have it his Table where thou suppest with him be an Altar let not this Altar ever want a flaming Sacrifice Let thine heart be offered to him he deserveth more thou canst not tender less it were too little if thou had'st ought more it will be sufficient if thou dost not think it too much Oh my soul thy present income is worth thy thanks thy future full possession is fittest for an estimate and thanks in the highest Heavens CAP. V. Sect. 8. Humility Improved on Christ's Dying a Testator 8. THE eight Sacramental grace I did mention was Humility The proud and lofty heart bearing it self high upon its own deceived opinion is not fit for the Lords Table and Supper the Lord stands not as an endeared Friend to entertain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jam. 4.6 Psal 22.26 but as an armed man to oppose the proud 'T is the meek shall eat and be satisfied as the Psalmist in anocase said who come to the Lords Table richly provided with their self-confidences are sent empty away Luk. 1.53 1 Pet. 5.5 whilst he filleth the hungry with good things In this clothing must we appear for however plain it may seem to be
't is really a clothing of very great price in the account of God 1 Pet. 3.4 to speak of the excellency of this grace is aliene to this place and the seasonableness and suitableness of it to the Sacrament I think so apparent that it needeth not any proof I rather address my self to point out the incentives which from Christ Dying our Testator do offer themselves to set forward and improve this grace of humility It will teach us to judge of our selves as becometh us and it will ever keep us lowly 1. The Apostles motive to humility 1 Cor. 4.7 offereth it self to us in the very entrance on this meditation what hast thou which thou hast not received look on either the beauty of thy renewed soul or the comeliness of thy holy conversation or the excellency of thy justified state or the honour of thy Adoption or look on the lustre of thy spiritual joyes thy heavenly Hopes And of all these in general or of any of the particulars comprised in them can'st thou say this or that is not received I know thou can'st not deny the receiving and if thou hast received why dost thou boast this Question like a needle opens the swoln bladder of pride and letteth out the wind of vain opinion which would either corrupt or break us Thou hadst had as little to pride thy self in as one who hath only his shame to glory in if thou hadst not received what is now thy glory it was the bounty of thy Rich and Loving Friend at his Death to enrich thee thou hast no reason either 1. To boast before God who hath chosen and called thee as others like thee weak foolish and base Free and Rich mercy hath raised made wise and excellent and now neither thou I or any flesh may boast before God 1 Cor. 1.26 27 28 29. For what we are we are in Christ as v. 30. And the glory is due to God alone as v. 31. 2. Nor to boast over thy brother who was every whit as Good as thou before Grace made the difference and may ere long be as Rich in Grace as any and more humble than thou art yet He who hath adorned and blessed thee might with the same freeness have adorned him whom thou despisest Since then all that Good which is in thee was given to thee by thy Dying Lord it is absurd and exceeding unseemly for thee to lift up thy self above thy brother or to Glory in thy self before thy God When thou intendest to approach the Sacrament and when thou art there attending on the Lord remember thou hadst been poor and destitute of all those blessings therein represented if thy Lord Dying had not by Will bequeathed all to thee 2. The Second perswasive to Humility drawn from the Death of Christ as a Testator leaving us such Legacies may be our incapacity to serve him in any real service of advantage to him We Never yet were we never shall hereafter be in any capacity either of deserving what we have received or of requiting the love which gave it to us He that gave it gave by Will and Dyed to confirm his Will and our goodness could not extend to our Friend in the other world Our Lord needeth it not wee are when our best is done unprofitable servants These are two things which have kept better men in a humble lowly thought of themselves David's prayer Psal 16.1 was from a humble heart and in an humbled state and he maintained his Humility on the observation of his uselesness and unprofitableness to his Lord his preserver ver 2 3. My Goodness extendeth not unto thee c. It is Elihu his argument Job 35. ver 5. with 7. 8. To perswade to humility And Eliphaz Job 22.2 lay's down man's unprofitableness first and leaves us to conclude that unprofitable man must be a humble man thou mayest not be proud before one who needs thee not thou must not boast in thy Best seeing thy best is not good to him before whom thou boastest Should a man boast himself in his smoaky cottage before his Soveraign in his magnificent pallace or should a lame and decrepit fool boast of his wisdom and strength and commend it to his Soveraign for the wars In a word or two 1. Were thy Lord but a man yet his present state of Majesty and certainest coming in Glory confirmed represented to thee in his Last Testament mindeth thee that he needeth not thy help Thou canst not say He can be but not so well without me 2. The largeness of that state he was possessed of before he gave thee interess in it and which he hath still in his possession since he gave thee a right to any part of it doth clearly demonstrate that thou hast nothing to pride thy self in before thy Testator amongst other causes of humility we shall find that the wealth and Riches of those we appear before is one which perswadeth us to a demiss and lowly deportment and behaviour there is an appearance of Glory in Riches Psal 49.16 For with increase of Riches there is in common esteem an increase of Glory Now in the gifts and Legacies of thy Dying Lord thou mayst clearely see those true precious and lasting Treasures of grace comfort and glory which he was and is still owner of with him are Riches and honour Prov. 8.18 To him therefore reverent carriage and humble thoughts affections and esteem of our selves in his presence is most suitable And who is not affected with humility and lowliness toward Christ is so much the more injurious to him by how much more excellent and precious Christ's riches and wealth excel the Riches of men which are so highly esteemed that they are judged sufficient ground of honour to the owner and sufficient cause of commanding humble carriage in the poorer 3. In Christ Dying a Testator thou mayest discern a dignity of dominion and Lordship over the things which are disposed of by will A dominion which cometh near to an absolute and uncontrouled dominion what a man may give by will to whomsoever he pleaseth is more under the dominion of that man than the things which need a farther and more large conveyance As the estate which may be devised by Will and so convey'd to a Child Friend or stranger is more under the dominion of the present owner than is that estate which some law entaileth on the owners heirs or Children Now this being the case Christ's dominion and absolute soveraignty over the good things he hath given by Will doth require and deserve a humble and lowly spirit in those who partake of these gifts Dominion is as a Ground of honour in those who are invested with it so a Ground of humility in those who are inferiour to it What would be esteemed Friendly familiarity in me towards my equal and a commendable deportment would be accounted insolent pride in me towards my Lord or Soveraigne and a carriage not to be endured
Joseph advanced to be Ruler over all the Land of Aegypt must be saluted with a Bowing Knee Gen. 41.43 Which was the outward and visible expression of that double apprehension Gen. 27.29 Isa 49.23 Esth 3.2 5. 1. of his worth and honour 2. of the meanness and lowness of the rest who bowed It is a very general and ancient signe of the respect we bear to the dignity and worth of any one we bow before The insolent souldiers in their carriage toward Christ when they bowed the knee Math. 27.29 Shewed us what humility becometh subjects and what honour is due to Soveraigns Look then on that absolute dominion and power which appeareth in Christ's last Will and Testament be then Judge in the case and say What beseemeth thee in Receiving gifts from Soveraigne power from an absolute Lord will it not beseem thy low abject and poor state to attend the presence and receive the gifts of such a Lord as Christ is with a bended knee and a humble heart What might be farther said in this particular I shall leave to each one 's larger meditations because I will hasten to an end of the Chapter and subject CAP. V. Sect. 9. Patience in Sufferings Improved on Christ's Dying a Testator A Ninth Grace well suiting with the Lords Supper and Improvable on consideration of Christ Dying a Testator is strong and settled resolution with patience to undergo for him all hardships and sufferings which the Lord shall permit to come upon us A praemeditated survey of all the sufferings for the Lord Christ and his Gospel with advised purposes not to shrink from them is required of every Christian and doth very well fit the thoughts of a Sacrament in which the Christian communicateth with a Lord who was in his whole life a Man of sorrows and accquainted with griefs for our sake We celebrate the memorial of his sufferings we should confirm our resolutions not to shrink away from Christ for fear of sufferings The antient Christians under persecutions were wont to fortify their purposes and resolutions of adhering to their Crucified Lord in midst of all persecutions in order hereunto they were wont to Celebrate the Lord's Supper often thereby as often renewing their courage and resolution to dye if need be for him And the ordinary name of this ordinance viz. Sacrament implieth so much For it was the old Latine word expressing the Romane Souldiers obligation to obey his Generall Sacramentum Patres Latini à militari jurejurando uti opinamur ad eam partem nostrae Religionis significandam c. Thes Salmur de Sacrament in gen disp sect 2. Now common sense telleth us that who comes and listeth himself a Souldier under a Captain or Generall either knoweth not what he doth or else bringeth Resolutions to undergo all the hardships of the war he entreth on I tell thee Christian thou knowest not fully what thou art doing at a Sacrament if thou doest not there add strength to thy resolutions of Enduring hardship as a good Souldier of Jesus Christ If thou dost only confirm thy Hope of and thy waiting for the coming of thy Lord and shewest this by shewing forth his Death untill he cometh yet I must tell thee since thou professest hope of and waitest for the coming of thy Lord it well becometh this hope this faith to have attendant the Resolution of Enduring all for Christ's sake There are these Motives in it 1. First in thy Dear Friends Will thou seest his Love to thee and it is but endebted ingenuity to be ready for and patient in sufferings for one who sincerely Loved us As the Love of our Friend to us increaseth so should our readiness to suffer for our Friend Christ did thus commend his Love above the love of all other friends That he died for us Rom. 5.8 And this Love constraineth us 2 Cor. 5.14 It doth by a sweet and invincible power draw us into this conclusion That we should live no longer to our selves but to him who died for us ver 15. We ought not only to bear some but all not little only but great not common but extraordinary dangers distresses and afflictions for his sake He is by a sacred right Lord of our life and when he biddeth us venture it in hazards or lay it down in unavoidable death for him we must do it His love ought thus to constrain us The sacred story tells us that Jacob served seven years for Rachel Gen. 29.18 During which service he underwent Losses Gen. 31.39 was consumed with drought in the day and with frost in the Night thus he served him fourteen years for his daughters to the younger of which he had such love that seven years of hardship seemed to him but a few dayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the love he had to her Gen. 29.29 Either thy own Reason condemneth thy want of love to Christ who deserveth it insomuch as he hath given thee rich Legacies by his Will or thy Love will command thee resolvedly and patiently to suffer for him Either thou must not pretend any interess in Christ's Gifts or thou must intend to Love him for them and resolve to suffer for him thou Lovest In thy going to the Sacrament view the kindness of thy Saviour in his Last Will and Testament and judge with thy self what sufferings for him thou couldst reasonably refuse He Loved not himself or life too well when it concerned thy life and Soul He died for thee and canst thou do less than venture life or estate for him whilest thou readest his love in his Legacies raise thy resolutions to face stand out and bear dangers losses reproaches or Death for him His love to thee deserveth it for no man hath Joh. 15.13 or can have greater than that Christ had for thee and the rest of his friends 2. Thy Testator hath provided by his last Will and Testament that all thy sufferings should be recompenced to thee with a reward that surpasses all thy sufferings If thou and I weigh the Sufferings for Christ and our Gain by Christ this will exceedingly outweigh those The least degree of reward weighed with the heaviest burthen of sufferings will praeponderate and outweigh them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for heaviest burthens of afflictions are but light 2 Cor. 4.17 But the glory they work for us is an exceeding and eternal weight of Glory And besides all that which shall hereafter be the recompence of sufferers for Christ they are 1. First honoured by God in that they are called to suffer for his Son God puts an honour on such who are called to suffer reproach for Christ Acts. 5.41 1 Pet. 4.14.2 It is a gift which God doth not bestow on every one however men judge of it the Apostle tells us it is Given Phil. 1.29 And well might the Apostle so account it for 3. It fitteth us for the Kingdom of Heaven our sufferings do not fit us with a fitness of worth
or of merit but with a fitness of preparedness and of meetness 2 Thes 1.5 with Col. 1.11 12. 4. It is very acceptable to God 1. Pet. 2.19 20. 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it ingratiateth with God 5. It is a Scripture evidence of Grace and future Glory Phil. 1.29 Rom. 8.17 whoso suffer for Christ shall in like manner be glorified with Christ 6. And lastly it is a condition ordinarily priviledged with great consolations in the inward man and with an high degree of Heroick grace in the heart expressed by the spirit of Glory and of God resting on the sufferer 1 Pet. 4.13 14. Though many other compensations of our sufferings might be mentioned as preponderating and outweighing our Sufferings yet because no one of these mentioned can be reasonably doubted or denied to be more than sufficient present reward for our Sufferings I judge it reason to add no more Think then as the Love of thy Saviour and Friend should make thee resolute in Suffering so the present advantage and reward will warrant thee to desire opportunity of Suffering for him if he shall see good so to try thee Read then the promises made to sufferers for Christ the Elogies given to them the fruits of such sufferings and then debate the case with thy self going to the Sacrament or receiving it There are present benefits annexed to sufferings for that Lord whose Death I celebrate these benefits are made over to such as I am by his last Will what then should make me unwilling unresolved or afraid to suffer for him each particular blessing bequeathed surpasseth all the sufferings I need expect or fear Seal therefore Lord thy blessings to me in the Sacrament and help me to seal thy cause and truth if need be with my blood 3. A third inducement to Resolution in suffering for Christ our Lord Dying a Testator deducible from his Last Will is That the greater these sufferings are the greater the compensation shall be Our Lord Dying hath so disposed his rich gifts that he shall have greatest share in them who is greatest sufferer for him By a Christianlike bearing the Afflictions of the Lord and the Gospel thou mayest increase the Crown of Glory which Christ hath promised thee if so be we suffer with him that we may also be glorified with him Rom. 8.17 God allowes us to intend and aime at obtaining Glory with Christ as the end why we suffer with him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and for him It is a very full expression of this which we meet with 2 Cor. 4.17 This Momentany and light affliction worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory Note the words Affliction worketh for us it effecteth perfectly worketh or as it is rendered Phil. 2.12 Worketh out or in a good sense causeth as the word is rendred 2 Cor. 9.11 The Temptation of afflictions doth as well increase the future Glory as the present grace of the Saints James 1.2 And they are blessed who endure such Temptations James 1.12 For when they are tryed they shall receive the Crown of life Gold and silver are purified and get a greater measure of perfection by the refining fire The Glorified Saints shine with greatest lustre who came out of the fires of persecution Those that were clothed with white robes and had Palms in their hands and stood before the throne Revel 7.9 Were the persons who came out of great tribulation ver 14. Therefore are they before the Throne ver 15. In a word Christ hath prepared Thrones on which they who did continue with him in his Temptations do sit and whereon they shall sit hereafter judging the tribes of Israel to these sufferers he hath disposed the Kingdome Luke 22.28.29 No man shall ever be loser by suffering for Christ Mark well the answer given to Peter's Question Matth. 19.27 28. 29. We have forsaken all c. What shall we have therefore Ye saith Christ shall sit upon Thrones ye shall receive an Hundred fold ver 29. Judge therefore with thy self whether the renewed Remembrance of such a Will and Testament in which the Testator gives most to him that doth suffer most for him be not a very fit means to perswade thee to and confirm thee in resolutions of patient suffering for Christ In a Sacrament thou dost or mightest see such encouragements to sufferings sealed to thee and wilt thou not endure wilt thou not bear and suffer for such Hopes are our sufferings not worthy to be compared with that Glory which shall be revealed Rom. 8.18 And is it not too much weakness which dares not suffer will you thus render your selves unworthy to expect such Glory 4. And Lastly Christ Dying a Testator liveth and beholdeth what thou sufferest and with what frame of mind thou dost endure thy sufferings And this thou doest tacitely confess in the use of the Sacrament for under what Notion soever thou dost remember thy Lord in the Sacrament as it is complex of thy Lord his Death so of his future coming likewise Thou declarest that though he died once yet Death hath not Dominion over him for he liveth and knoweth what is designed against him by his enemies what is laid upon his Friends and followers for his sake He will be Judge of thy sufferings and of thy reward also Revel 2.2 He that walketh in the midst of the Golden Candlesticks knoweth the patience as well as the Labour of the Church Now who knows the patience must needs know the sufferings which exercise the patience of the Church He knoweth the tribulation of the Church Revel 2.9 Christ is the great overseer and Judge of the combates which his Church maintaineth with his enemies who afflict and trouble the Church for Christ's sake He assigneth the reward and Crown to every one that overcometh Revel 2.7 17 23 26. with other places Well then so often as thou goest to the Sacrament thou renewest the memory of thy Lord whose Love deserveth thou shouldest patiently bear whose reward when least will surpass thy sufferings when they are greatest who will measure out to thee a reward proportioned to thy sufferings who lives to see and observe all thou sufferest thy Captain Generals Eye is upon thee and will not this perswade to resolutions of bearing and constant patience in bearing for Christ these among other inducements to a Christian fortitude in suffering for Christ may be drawn from the consideration of his Dying a Testator and a larger improvement of them I commend to your private meditations I proceed to what remaineth CAP. V. Sect. 10. Sorrow for unserviceableness to Christ Improved on Christ's Dying a Testator 10. THE tenth Sacramental grace I mentioned as befitting us at the Lords Supper was Sorrow for doing so little for him with grief that we have done so much against him This temper of mind is highly improveable by pondering what Christ hath as a Testator done
for us I know there are many other motives to Repentance which may be seasonably thought on at the Sacrament there are also in this sufficient inducements to that Godly sorrow which becometh the memorials of our Dying Lord and loving Friend 1. First the Christian as he is a man as he is principled and swayed with the affections of Humane Nature cannot but reflect with greif upon his carriages and deportment towards a Friend who loved him intirely who was recompenced with the disingenuous returnes of scorn neglect and hatred When we have unadvisedly or unwittingly sleighted any Friend we dearly loved or should have loved we cannot remember it without shame sorrow confessing praying pardon and excuse with promise to be more heedful more respectful for future There is no love so tender and apt to distil into tears as that which is won by a worthy excellent person conquering ungrounded prejudices unreasonable neglects and unjustifiable contempts such affronted love when it prevails at last doth kindle the strongest fires and heapeth up the coals which melt the hardest and most stubborn metal Many a hard heart hath by such flame been melted down to tenderness Saul grew warm by it 1 Sam. 24.17 18 19. And in the 1 Sam. 26.21 It breaketh out into a flame of affection toward David and against himself for his unreasonable usages toward David Saul accuseth himself but acquitteth David he confesseth his sin his folly and great errour in designing evil against one who did so well deserve his love Though Saul were disingenuous more than enough against his Son David yet the reflection of his thoughts on David's kindness drew him into tears 1 Sam. 24.16 Wilt thou be more disingenuous to thy Lord than Saul to David how long didst thou directly oppose bitterly hate scornfully reproach and unreasonably reason against Christ's Law ordinances waies and followers what kind of life didst thou in the days of unregeneracy live if thou wast not a violent persecutor yet thou didst long think hardly of Christ and the Gospel yet then Christ did not cut thee off nor leave thee to perish in thy contempt of salvation wilt thou not say thou hast erred greatly done foolishly and sinned canst thou do less than weep over the thoughts hereof In the Sacrament thou commemoratest the most unparalleld love and beneficence triumphing over unkindness and unthankfulness a Testator bequeathing grace comfort glory and salvation to thee and others like thee who undervalued opposed hated and persecuted him Canst thou remember this and not grieve canst thou review it and not be displeased with thy self and condemn thy folly 2. The Christian Sorrow is most highly Ingenuous and excellently tempered and therefore the Remembrance of such unkindness to such a Friend will work a deep impression of Sorrow and grief upon the heart of the Remembrancer The Scripture tells us the People of God are a willing People 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a People of Ingenuities indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 51.12 Grace reneweth nature to some degrees of created and primitive generousness Hence it is Cant. 6.12 the Church is stiled Aminadib God calls them my willing People and Isaiah doth very particularly describe this frame of mind and how it is wrought Isa 32.1 2 3 4. 5. By the power of Christ in the Gospel Now where such a sweet generous temper of mind is there will be reflections of dislike grief and Sorrow or repentance for any unseemly carriage towards one that deserved better The spouse Cant. 5.2 3. In drousy and careless fit neglected her beloved but when she was throughly awakned she discovereth a most deep sense of her neglect she fell into a deep sick fit of love ver 8. her heart failed her when she remembred what she had done such like workings of this Christian spiritual and renewed ingenuity you may observe 2 Cor. 7.11 in that sevenfold operation which conviction and remembrance of their fault wrought in them Carefulness or readiness to amend the errour clearing themselves or duly apologizing for themselves indignation against the offence and offender fear least the like should be committed or this not sufficiently taken away vehement desire of firm reconciliation Zeal for the injured and revenge such as becometh a Gospel repentance against the offence and against themselves for it Either thou art not well acquainted with what Christ hath done for thee in his last Will and Testament or thou hast not yet observed how little love service and honour thou hast returned him for his love or if thou knowest and observest both these they work in thee a readiness of mind to correct thine errours a defence for Christ and blame of thy self with indignation against thy former folly fear of being so foolish any more earnest desire to be one with Christ and Zeal for his glory with revenge on thy sins which eclipsed it Wheresoever Christian ingenuity springs from a renewed heart renewed Sorrow for unkindnesses will put forth it self and spring from that ingenuity Say then whatever the common ingenuity of a man whatever the enhanced generousness of a Christian should work in the reflections on its own unhansome carriages towards a sleighted friend all that should the renewed memory of my Lord Dying a Testator and by his Testament enriching me produce in me viz. all common and ordinary effects of hearty sorrow yea all especial and extraordinary effects of Christian repentance Of which I need say no more of which I dare not longer treat because I must not exceed bounds to much CAP. V. Sect. 11. Better'd obedience the Fruit of Christ's Dying a Testator 11. THE next grace suiting to the Lord's Supper and improveable on the consideration of Christ's Death as he died a Testator is Resolution and endeavour of New and better Obedience for future There 's no man that accounteth the ordinance a mercy that looketh on it as a Sealing ordinance a renewing our Covenant with God or a memorial of the Death of Christ Dying for us that we might live to him but confesseth New Obedience should be the effect and resolutions for new Obedience should be the preparatory for this Sacrament It is not therefore needful to prove it particularly and at large I speak to none but such as judge it their duty after they have been at the Lord's Supper to endeavour a renewing of their Obedience to the commands of Christ 1. The gain and reward bequeathed is worthy very well deserveth our Obedience We have had frequent occasion to tell you that the promises both of the life that now is and of that which is to come are the Legacies of Christ which promises are rich and precious they contain all necessary noble and high encouragements to Obedience when the labourers were hired and sent into the vineyard the husbandman perswadeth them to obey and work for saith he I will give you what is meet Matth. 20.4 What the Apostle saith
in a case little different from this I say to you cast not away your Obedience for it hath great recompence of reward Heb. 10.35 It is a harvest for its abundance and riches It is a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge will give to them that finish their course 2 Tim. 4.7 8. It is a Crown of Glory which fadeth not away as the Apostle St. Peter hath it 1 Pet. 5.4 A Kingdom that cannot be shaken Heb. 12.28 Let us then have grace let us be so ingenuous and thankful to our Lord as to serve him to all well pleasing the Apostle argueth from the expectation of such a reward to the reasonableness of our serving the Lord with fear and trembling the renewed thoughts of this ample glorious eternal recompence of our sincere Obedience will surely renew our purposes and endeavours of bettering our Obedience what then should you and I do at the Lord's Supper but meditate on the greatness of the Legacies he hath given and with David demand of our selves What shall we render to the Lord for all his benefits Psal 116.12 Wherein shall we express our thankfulness Shall it be in Sacrifices and Offerings No God doth not require these but to do justice and love mercy and to walk humbly with God Micah 6. To love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the soul and with all the strength and to love our neighbour as our selves is more than all whole burnt Offerings and Sacrifices Mark 12.33 A Discerning Obedience is a most acceptable Sacrifice to the Lord. In one word we are called to the Gospel and to the Knowledge of Christ in the Gospel and we must walk worthy of our Calling Ephes 4.1 worthy of the Lord Col. 1.10 worthy of the Gospel of Christ Phil. 1.27 Now as every one who believeth is bound by his first Call to walk in New Obedience so is every Believer bound by every renewal of his Call by every renewed remembrance of his Call to Christ to revive his Resolutions of renewing his Obedience to the Gospel of Christ 2. Thy Renewed Obedience to Christ must be the evidence of thy Right and Title to the Rich and Glorious Legacies which he hath bequeathed to his kindred Thou hast no more to shew for thy Right then thou hast of Renewed Obedience Christ thy Lord hath bequeathed a Kingdom and a Crown but it is on condition thou wait for both in a constant course of New Obedience It is a Kingdom which cannot be shaken the Apostle saith and it is true it is a Kingdom that can neither be shaken by a Plea against your Title nor by force against your Possession But observe those who have this Right and who shall have the Possession of this Kingdom are such who should 1. Have Grace which is of a growing nature And 2. They serve God they worship they obey him And 3. They do this acceptably with reverence and godly fear The Apostle useth a Verb of that Mood which expresseth matter of Duty or Exhortation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habeamus or habere oportet and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 serviamus sive servire debemus the Syriack reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apprehending which speaks a voluntary and active seeking Grace and accipiamus which speaks a ready closing with Grace offered and retineamus which speaks a holding fast what we sought and acccepted thus furnisht with Grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ministremus ceu Sacerdotes spirituales qui Deo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 2.5 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 placeamus They ought to be such persons and to employ themselves in such exercises Do we then hear the Apostle's Exhortation Do we see a Kingdom offered Do we read the Will which investeth us with it Do we see the Will sealed in the Sacrament And will not all this stir us up to renew our Obedience Will we be so foolish to hazard our Title to it through backwardness and disobedience When he cast the Law of Grace and Mercy into the mould and form of a Testament or last Will he framed it so that he might strongly bind all to obedience who expected benefit by it Hence it is that we read He became Mediator of the New Testament to the end he might purge our consciences from dead works to serve the Living God Heb. 9.14 15. The Covenant of Promise which offereth grace Heb. 10.16 17. and engageth the Almighty to write his Law in our hearts was confirmed to us and is made good to every believing soul through Christ our Testator so that obedience to Christ is as much incorporated in the Testament as is Glory and Blessedness He is the Author of Eternal Salvation to those that obey him Heb. 5.9 Obedience is required of us as Salvation is promised to us How canst thou then renew thy Faith and Hope in expecting of the promised Salvation and not renew thy resolutions to perform required obedience How shall we look Christ in the face when we so separate what he hath joined How will you plead his Promise who have not obeyed his Precept or how should your expectations be answered by Christ when his expectations have not been answered by you It is the unreasonableness of ignorance and prophaness to boast of rich gifts made over to them by the Will of Christ and yet at the same time to sleight neglect and refuse the duty observance and obedience which Christ requireth of all his Legatees When thou comest to a Sacrament to renew thy assurance of interess in the last Will of Christ be sure thou observe what he expresly requireth as condition of this interess and consider He will be Author of Eternal Salvation to thee on no other terms than thy obedience to him 3. Christ dying once to conrfim the New Testament and to make a firm Will for our good did not as other Testators do continue under the power of Death but he rose again from the Dead according to the Scriptures and now observeth how thou and every one else do acquit themselves in this New Obedience required of thee and of them Let it be well weighed Christ doth now exactly know and particularly observe all thy works and what obedience thou givest him His countenance is as the Sun when it shineth in its strength Rev. 1.16 both for the luster of it and for the power of making manifest whatsoever is done both in the world and also in the Churches amidst which he walketh Rev. 2.1 Knowing the works the labour and the patience of each Church of each member of the Church He seeth who it is that laboureth and fainteth not Rev. 2.3 and who would not take courage from such an eye-witness to abound in the blessed works of obedience For whom will you labour if you will not labour for him who seeth you and will as certainly reward as he seeth exactly When
he will farther proceed These being but the beginnings of sorrows are a part of the Curse issuing from the Law and inflicted by one who hath power to fence his Law by them Thus Christ exposed himself to the sad consequences of our imputed guilt and being pleased to interrpose himself between us and the praevious penalties of our sin was made a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs whilst he did bear our griefs and carry our sorrows Isa 53.3 4. The oppression and injustice he did meet with from the world was a fruit of that Curse he was made for us These things did he suffer in life whose love to us brought him to bear the Curse 3. Thirdly Christ made a Curse for us compriseth the exquisite pains and open shame of his Death for our sin It is death which is most legibly the execution of the Curse of the Law on sinners and as then they find themselves accursed indeed when their own guilt hath in death overtaken them so he that made himself a Curse for them found in his death on the Cross the weight of that Curse which he did bear for sinners Therefore do I suppose it was by Divine Providence ordered that the kind of death Christ did undergo should be in the sentence of the Law an accursed death that we might more clearly discern the import of it and see as our deliverance by it so our danger without this death of Christ He was cut off from the land of the living Isa 53.8 And when this was effected it appeared that for the transgression of his people this stroke was upon him as that verse hath it Though the impenitent sinner be alwaies under the smaller measures of a Curse yet when he dieth Solomon observeth he dieth accursed The sufferings our Lord Jesus Christ underwent in his life were likewise the scattering drops But the black and violent showre of our deserved Curse was poured down on him at his Death Fourthly and lastly Christ made a Curse and in death bearing it was to suffer under the strokes of vindictive Justice pleading the cause and vindicating the honour of the Law and Law-giver which by the transgressions of sinners had been contemned and violated This as hath been observed already is one ingredient in the Curse and herein do chastlsements greatly differ from punishments strictly taken for in chastisements there is no vindictive justice avenging the quarrel in order to satisfie Divine Justice to attone the wrath of God it is all in order to the humbling melting purifying us that we may seek and obtain mercy But now when vindictive punishments strictly taken are executed it is in order to the cutting off and destruction of the obdurate sinners they as enemies lying under the wrath of God and his curse which is most evident in the execution of the last unchangeable sentence of Condemnation past upon the impenitent unbelieving and self-destroying world at the day of God's dreadful Judgment Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Matth. 25.41 You do not I hope doubt whether it be the veâ—geance of an angry God which the damned in Hell suffer and there is as little ground of doubt whether they suffer this vengeance in Hell to satisfie the Divine Justice neither is it to be doubted but all they suffer is comprised in that Curse pronounced Depart from me cursed Now then answerable to what hath been said as the condemned under their own deserved Curse suffer in order to satisfie Divine vindictive Justice for their own offences so Christ made a Curse and bearing the Curse for us did bear it in order to make satisfaction for us that we might obtain deliverance and that avenging wrath might not fall on our heads since that we are no more under the Curse deserved by us but under the Blessing procured for us by Christ He trod the wine-press of his Father's wrath alone his stripes were so smart and grievous that by them we might be healed Isa 53.5 God did not spare him when he gave him up for us Rom. 8. Let this then suffice for these particulars In summe To be made or bear the Curse is to stand charged with guilt to be threatned with punishment to be cut off by the execution of that punishment to the end Justice may be satisfied on the person who is made a Curse So that you may now see what it was that Christ was made for us and what he underwent for our sakes He took upon him our sins in the guilt of them exposed himself to the dreadful threats of a severe but most righteous Law and whereas sin inevitably must be punished he submitted himself to that also and in love to us saved us from ours by his own punishment wherein he satisfied Divine Justice and averted that Curse which inevitably would have fallen on us from the wrath of God provoked against us by our sins by this 't is clear Into this capacity he put himself the Law found him and under this capacity process went out against him and he died for us to redeem us from the Curse and to invest us with the Blessing I pass now to the second thing proposed viz. To the confirmation and proof of this 2d General proposed That Christ did die thus for us a curse was both threatned and executed upon him 2 Cor. 5. ult He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us There is an elegancy in the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He made him sin The Apostle doth not say he made him a sinner but he made him sin that it might the more evidently appear how he did bear what was threatned against sin the Curse coming on us as an effect or consequent of sin He who was made sin for us exposeth himself to that sad effect and taketh on him the Curse due to us and being found so charged must die to remove the Curse from us This Text of the Apostle in effect then saith That Christ had our sins imputed to him bore the Curse of them and that for our good viz. That we might be made the righteousness of God in him That we might be accounted and treated as righteous ones which in effect is the same with what we have already said That Christ was made a Curse and so died for us that we might with righteous ones live and possess the blessing It is not to be doubted that Christ made sin for us was thereby made a Curse for us and therefore died bearing that effect of our sin vindicating the honour of the Law which we had transgressed and satisfying the Law-giver whom we had provoked In a word Christ made sin for us underwent the Curse our sin deserved and the Law threatned that in our stead he might satisfie Justice and that mercy might give the blessing which we needed and the Gospel promiseth or in the Apostle's own words that the blessing of
Abraham might come on us Gentiles Again the Apostle Rom. 8.3 tells us God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh In which words you read expresly that God sent his Son and that he sent him in the likeness of sinful flesh not by inherent vice but like it through imputed guilt and obnoxiousness to the Curse both which lay on all flesh that had sinned and both which was laid on him who thus appear'd in the likeness of sinful flesh in which capacity he appear'd not only to the world which judged him whom they knew not nor only to his enemies who did maliciously slander him they hated but he presented himself to God in our stead bearing our Sin and Curse for removal of both which he was made a Sacrifice an Expiatory Sacrifice which the Text expresseth concisely by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and our Interpreters in the Margin have rightly explained A Sacrifice for sin this being the proper import of the phrase as is evident to all who are able and willing to compare the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the Greek Translation of it by the Lxxii In the places cited as Levit. 4.3 14.28 32. Numb 6.11 16. cap. 7.16 22 28 34 40.46 c. Neh. 10.33 Ezek. 40.40 42.13 Psal 40.6 In all which and many more which might be cited The Greek Interpreters use the same phrase the Apostle doth when he assures us God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh that by him made a Sin-offering or a sacrifice for sin he might condemn sin but save the sinner In one word he that was sent to be a sacrifice for sin must die and bear the imputed guilt of the sins of the persons for whom he is a sacrifice and consequently die under a Curse To these add we that of the Prophet Isa 53.5 where the Prophet doth thrice over in very emphatical words foretell what the Jews would judge of Christ under his sufferings they would esteem him a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stricken b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 smitten and c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 afflicted of God as if he had been a notorious sinner stigmatized by the just hand of God inflicting Curses on him Thus the blinded malice of the Jews lead them into blasphemous mistakes of the person and the surferings he underwent d The Gattaker on Isa 53.4 They thought him thus handled by God in a way of vengeance 〈◊〉 his sins The Jew understood the import 〈◊〉 â—heir own language but they understood 〈◊〉 â—he true cause of the dolorous curses and sufferings the Messiah died under Whatever wrath curse or vengeance is implied in the phrase he did bear it to remove it all from us we sinned and should have died accursed but he was made a Curse to free us Again vers 5. the Prophet tells us he was wounded for our transgressions so we read it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tho. Gattaker Annot. in loâ— but some observe the word denoteth a polluted person or one that is prophaned Now by the Law every polluted thing or person was judged accursed When the Rulers of the Sanctuary are prophane and God punisheth for it Jacob is made a Curse Isa 43.28 And of the polluted defiled or prophaned the Law determineth he shall die the death Exod. 31.14 He shall be cut off Lev. 19.8 22.9 Numb 18.32 So that by the Law a polluted person is in danger of that death which the Law calls a Curse and when such are used as polluted they are cut off and die under a Curse denounced by the Law And thus was Christ wounded for our transgressions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we had really polluted our selves and were prophaned by our sins which we had committed But He the Holy One of God was first burthened with our imputed sins lookt on as one standing in the stead of polluted ones and used as they deserved that they might be blessed which they deserved not Thus also vers 6. He laid on him the iniquity of us all Guilt imputed and punishment inflicted from both which the consequent is The person so used dieth an accursed death which is 〈◊〉 we are to prove Since then God laid 〈◊〉 iniquity of us all on his Son who was 〈◊〉 tent to bear it we may very confiâ—â—◠〈◊〉 conclude that our iniquity will be the cause of his death and that this death will have a Curse intermixed with it that it may be sufficient to redeem us from the Curse due to our iniquities There is one place more which I might urge viz. Phil. 3.7 He took upon him the form of a servant and in that capacity did humble himself unto death even the death of the Cross saith the Apostle which passage possibly is not enforced to speak other than its own proper sense if it be thus explained He took upon him the form of a servant i. e. put himself into the state and condition of an accursed person and so died for them he loved and represented The Scripture doth sometimes use this manner of speech to express a Curse on a man or on his posterity so a Gen. 9.25 26. Cham's Curse is expressed so is the Curse of b Gen. 25.26 Esau expressed The elder shall serve the younger applied by the Apostle to prove Jacob and his seed blessed and to evidence Esau and his seed left out of the blessing and consequently abandoned under a Curse Israel's misery in Aegypt emblem of a cursed state was servitude in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the house of bondage Thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the form of a servant in which Christ appear'd bespeaks his appearance under a Curse for us And in this conjecture on this place I am confirm'd by the authority of Erasmus on this place Jam quod accepit formam servi non proprin referri videtur ad buinanam naturam assumptam sed ad speciem similitudinem hominis nocentis enjus personam pro nobis gessit dum slagellatur damnatur crucifigitur Now saith he that he took the form of a servant seems not to be referred properly to the taking of the Humane Nature but to the taking of the species and likeness of a guilty person whose part he bore for us when he was scourged condemned crucified Thus far that learned Pen. But let this conjecture be of what weight it will be there are places enough already urged to make good the Truth Christ in our stead appear'd under a Curse and so died an accursed death that by this means we might live in hope of a blessed life and as the Text hath it that the blessings of Abraham might come on us Gentiles and that we might receive the Spirit viz. both of Sanctification to enliven us to our duty and of Adoption to ensure us of an hoped reward and so be delivered from servitude and misery of sin in
chuse a Curse to himself The Jews had a Proverb that we must leap to Mount Gerizzim When God tells the soul it must either dwell on Mount Eball inherit a Curse or be willing to be led by Christ unto Mount Gerizzim it begins to say Let me go not a slow a loitering pace but the swiftest the speediest it is ready to leap to the Blessing Let me be any thing but a Curse let me by any means escape the Curse and if by a willingness if by an hearty desire to have Christ I may escape it oh let this very hour be the happy hour of my soul's escape Lord if it be so I accept thy Son my blessed Saviour offered in the Sacrament to bear my Curse There is a strong propensity in man's nature carrying him wtth great desire and with unwearied endeavours to shun the hard speeches of all and to hear a good report if it might be from all to be blessed by every one to be cursed by no one And there is a cheerful forward willingness to hearken to that advice and counsel which discovers how we may likely gain the good word of good men and escape the hard words of all men Now God proposes in Christ thus dying A sure way of obtaining his blessing which is infinitely better than the blessing of any man and in the Sacrament of his Son's body proposeth a sure means for our escaping from his Curse which is infinitely more to be feared than the curses of all men God can load thee with one Curse more than all the men in the world can do with all theirs 3. In Christ's Death considered as a Curse there is yet farther somewhat to engage the Desires of the soul unto Christ and to draw forth it 's willingness unto an embracing of Christ And that is the infallibility and certainty of our deliverance from this Curse upon our receiving Christ thou mayest be sure to escape for thou mayest be sure Christ will not lose his life if he die he will accomplish his own ends and thy hopes and the hopes of every believing soul by his death He hath indeed laid down his life but he hath not lost it He will not leave thee under uncertain and failing likelihoods if he makes himself liable to thy punishment he will be sure that thy soul shall escape it And if he bear thy Curse he will be ensured thou shalt not bear it Now having such a good as this deliverance and such an evil as the Curse in thy eye and such a sure and infallible means of escaping the one and obtaining the other Canst thou oh considerate oh discerning soul do less than desire this Christ this share and interess in his death If thou hadst no more than faint probabilities that it might be so well with thee thou wouldst in other cases strongly desire to try oh why not in this why not here other probabilities can awake perswade prevail and carry thee through tedious Journies and costly experiments and thou justifiest thy hopes and thy desires with the likelihood of success And what is the reason whence is it that so great certainty can do so little with thee in this oh the deplorable stupidity of man the sensless backwardness of his heart oh think I say think on it Jesus Christ was made and died a Curse for thee and it is certain thou mayest escape by him awaken thy desires and look after him But lastly 4. If thou yet wilt not desire Christ notwithstanding all that hath been said already yet at least consider with thy self and bethink thy self What dost thou here if thou desire not Christ Why art thou among them that apprehend they needed who do in the Sacrament commemorate and seek to find Christ dying and bearing the Curse for them If thou need him not why dost thou pretend to seek him if thou seek him why dost thou not really desire to find and meet him Consider this and argue it with thy soul say I must either contradict my self the ordinance and the people of God or I must be willing to receive Christ the Lord into my soul as well as to receive the symbols of Christ my Lord into my mouth and hands I hear and know that others do approach this Table this memorial of the Dying Jesus with desires to meet him and to exchange with him to bring their wretchedness and carry with them his blessedness I know if I know the Ordinance that it was appointed for the hungry thirsty desiring soul which would have fresh remembrances and vigorous longings for Christ for them who would feel their own cursedness and seek blessedness in Christ and my very presence my very approach to the Ordinance with others will either argue and prove me a Hypocrite or must awaken my desires after Christ if thou art not willing to find thou art an Hypocrite for seeming to seek And I will tell thee take it as thou wilt Thou that art not willing to find a blessing in Christ whom thou shouldst desire to meet in the Sacrament shalt find a curse which thou wouldst not Remember Judas and tremble Who doth cordially and truly seek the Lord shall find what he seeketh but he that is careless wants a willingness and desire shall find what he thinks not of and woe to him that finds and meets with Judas his guest at the Lord's Table And now give me thy thoughts Reader whether this should awaken in quicken thy willingness and thy desires after Christ And yet farther in the next place Closer application faster hold 3d. Sacramental grace Faith and strengthened resolutions to adhere to Christ do very well become this Ordinance of the Lord's Supper none have doubted or denied this but those who have denied all its efficacy and made the Sacrament a weak and impotent Ceremony Every one acknowledgeth this as the undoubted and proper fruit of this Ordinance who expect any fruit from it This spiritual feast was made to unite the soul and Christ in a more firm and close bond of friendship to incorporate them and to make them more one It was instituted that the memory of our great advantage by it Vt ejus ope tanti beneficii memoria magis ac magis in animis nojtris infigatur Thes Salm. Multa sunt quae nos co ducunt ut existimemus Christum habuisse potissimum eum scopum ante oculos ut fidem nostram augeret ac confirmaret cum ritum istum Ecclesiae tradidit celebrandum Thes de usu coen Dom. th 11. might be more deeply rooted in our hearts The Learned Professors at Saumur tell us Many things lead us to this perswasion that Christ chiefly eyed the increase and confirmation of our Faith as the end when he appointed this Ordidinance to his Church to be celebrated A true and lively Faith fits for receiving this Supper of the Lord and an increasing confirmed Faith shews that this Ordinance is fitly received We must not
come to it without true Faith and we must not go from it without an increase to our Faith We must lay hold on Christ that we may come and we must come that we may lay faster hold on Christ Now the consideration of Christ dying as a Curse for us will notably confirm us in our resolutions to adhere and cleave fast to Christ For now The considerate serious meditating Communicant may hence reflect upon the choice which he hath made the gift he hath received the condition he is now in by believing and so approve the choice keep fast the gift settle himself in that condition and farther secure that state to himself by strong resolutions of Faith and adhering to Christ who by this death delivers us from that cursed death we deserved and so you may suppose the soul to argue with it self 1. I do this day commemorate the death of my Lord which died under a Curse for me and if I do not now believe or if I ever should by unbelief cast off my Lord I must bear my own deserved Curse I have then good grounds I have best reason to warrant my first believing and going to Christ I have as good reason to continue my purposes and confirm my resolution of believing still It is not possible I should have any reason to repent my first choice of Christ my first fiducial adhering to Christ by that I was delivered from a Curse and this deliverance is freshly remembred in the Sacrament and the reasonable well advised and prudent choice of my soul is presented to me and now my soul thou mayest say this was the wisest most justifiable and rational compact thou ever didst make And I assure thee until thou see a reason why thou shouldest be in love with and dote upon a Curse thou canst not be out of love with or weary of thy adhering to Christ The more thou seest the wisdom and prudence of this Act the more thou wilt like it and the more resolute and constant thou wilt be in it and now the oftener thou considerest at the Sacrament the lively pourtraiture of thy deliverance from a Curse by Christ received and adhered to by Faith the oftener wilt thou renew thy purposes and resolutions to adhere to him the oftener wilt thou look and take heed of that which may weaken thy adherence or withdraw thee from Christ and such renewed carefulness and heed will much improve thy Faith Renewed purposes to believe are renewed strength in believing 2. Secondly The considering soul will see in this review of Christ dying a Curse The benefit profit and gain of Faith chusing and adhering unto Christ It will see it self repaired and made whole after the greatest and sorest dammage sin which brought the Curse upon the soul did the soul greatest injury and dammage it made a shipwrack of all its excellencies and treasure Sinful and accursed man is the poorest forlorn and undone wretch in the world a very bankrupt But now application unto Christ with a purpose to adhere unto him and chuse him for ever this sets the man free from the Curse it sets him up again it puts a new stock into his hand it enricheth him with the fulness of a Blessing For if Christ bear thy Curse thou shalt wear his Crown if he take upon him thy guilt and sin and wretchedness he will take thy believing soul into his blessedness if he suffer thy deserved punishment thou shalt inherit his glorious purchase and what unspeakable profit is this how good and enriching a bargain is this and all this doth the believing soul receive and gain by Christ dying a Curse to redeem it from the Curse and to purchase the blessing of Abraham for it and all this becomes the believing souls gain God gives this to every one who chuseth his Son By his Poverty we are made Rich and by his Curse we gain the Blessing Now at every Sacrament this Bargain is confirmed and ratified and the soul sees the gain of it and until it can rationally desire to lose such a bargain it cannot but strongly desire to keep to its contract Every remembrance of our riches by Jesus Christ is or ought to be a confirmation of our choice of him Renewed views of our gain will be renewed purposes to hold fast our bargain and thus may the soul grow strong in its adhering and cleaving fast to Christ 3. The considering soul doth view its own security and sweetest peace in the Death of Christ thus dying a Curse for it At the remembrance of its Lord's Death in a Sacrament it calls to mind that peace which is made for it through the blood of the Cross The soul saith if Christ hath born my Curse I shall not bear it If I have chosen him if I keep to this my choice if I first believe and persevere in believing I shall still have this peace in believing viz. that I am delivered from the misery of an accursed state Before thou didst believe thou didst or mightest have heard the sad ecchos of a Curse alarming and frighting thee if thou hadst not desired chosen and believed in Christ dying thou hadst never heard one word of peace and if after thy first choice and faith thou repent relapse and forgo Christ through unbelief thy danger sin and trouble will return upon thee thy last state will be thy worst state think therefore what is best for thee whether to go on to believe or to go back through unbelief Art thou surfeited with thy peace art thou weary of thy rest is trouble under the misery of a Curse more desirable than peace under the felicity of such a blessing I know the meditating soul which can discern this will never think of deserting its choice of Christ until it can think of parting with peace for trouble with joy for sorrow with blessedness for misery I know the more it perceives and finds its peace in believing the more serious and resolute will it be to believe that it may have and keep its peace Renewed meditations on this Death of Christ will be renewed peace to a believer and renewed peace will be renewed purposes of believing Fourthly and lastly The considering believing soul is able to discern this ignominious cursed Death of Christ to be the fountain of true honour and real excellency The soul is delivered from a state of baseness and dishonour by this Death of Christ A cursed condition is base and dishonourable as well as miserable and unhappy The dregs of the people were by the Jews called the people that are cursed Cam cursed by Noah is devoted to servitude to a base condition And Esau's loss of the Blessing was the bringing of servitude and baseness on him But now if Christ dying a Curse were abased for me may the believing soul say I shall be exalted to honour and my first act of believing was my first step to honour and my continuing to believe will be the
continuing of me in my free noble and honourable condition If I depart from Christ through unbelief I shall go from honour to dishonour from excellency to baseness from the noble state of a Son to the ignoblestate of a servant of a slave And I know the considerate soul will not easily return to the baseness and ignominy of such a state No! no! Faith in my dying Lord did set me free from such baseness and advanced me to the dignity I now enjoy and my persevering confirmed faith will and must preserve and confirm me in that dignity This prerogative my Dying Lord purchased for me whenever I would believe this prerogative he gave me so soon as ever I did believe and there is none can take it from me so long as I do believe oh let me believe for ever that I may have it for ever I would never lose this honour I will never leave my Lord. Whilst thou art able to make the best of this Death of thy Lord commemorated in the Sacrament and presented to thy faith which is done on purpose that thou mayest make the best of it thou canst resolve or conclude nothing less than that thou wilt adhere now faster than ever In this manner may the Humiliation the Desires the Purposes of the Soul be wrought drawn forth and confirmed upon the consideration of Christ dying a Curse for us The sight of our cursed state will lay us low and convince us the sight of a deliverance by Christ will make us desire that deliverance may be ours and then knowledge of its being ours upon first believing and that it shall be ours so long as we believe will perswade us to look that our faith continue lest unbelief should reduce us into the misery of a Curse whence we almost escaped And let it be next observed 4. That Love to God and unto Christ 4th Sacramental grace Love to God and Christ is another Sacramental grace which I am sure will be well improved by a due consideration of Christ dying a Curse for us I do verily suppose it needless to attempt the proving of this every one knows that Love to Christ is a necessary and suitable grace for a Communicant God requires that every one of his servants should love him and serve him with all the heart in every duty much more in this which is a more solemn and more than ordinary one If thou wilt come to the Table of the Lord thou must come with love to the Lord of the Table thou must not come with enmity in thy heart nor with a sword in thy hand They are friends who are invited to eat and drink with Christ at his Table and it is a monstrous incongruity to sit down as though you would friendly feast Cant. 5.1 and yet watch a season to muther the guests or him that invites you God will not have an Absolon ' s feast in which one of the guests was murthered nor will he have a feast like the unhappy Phocus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whose guests slew him It is the express will of our Lord that we come to his Table in love and charity with our Brethren and in love and with sincere affections to our Lord. We must here feast without the sowre leven of malice against our Brethren and without the swelling leven of hypocrisie toward God Now let me a little point out what inducements are in this Death of Christ to draw forth our love to our Lord and so let it be considered 1. Did my Lord die an accursed Death for me do I now celebrate the memorial hereof Would he have done this if he had not loved me as his own life It was a love that is ever to be blessed by me which made my Lord take on him a Curse for me Greater love than this could not be shewn to me and less than love to him for it cannot not be tendred by me Is Love the loadstone of Love and doth not thy heart stir toward Christ when he draws it with this attractive When he calls Look upon my Living Love in my cursed Death and give me what you judge a reasonable acknowledgment for my Love and when the considerate soul looks on this it is ready with David to say What shall I render to the Lord for all his goodness What shall I render to God the Father who laid my Guilt Punishment and Curse on my Blessed Redeemer What shall I render to the Lord Jesus Christ unto God the Son who took this heavy load upon him What shall I render to God the Holy Ghost who supported the humane nature of my Blessed Redeemer that he should not fail nor be discouraged in this great work under this weighty burthen Oh Blessed Love of the Glorious Trinity worthy of an infinite Love though a finite creature is not able to give it Lord my Love shall be endless though it cannot be boundless though it is narrow it shall not be short I will make up its defect of intenseness with an addition of endless date let thy Love to me which caused thee to die once for me an accursed Death be a spring and source of Love in my soul to thee of such a Love as shall never die Lord thou deservest more than I can give but I would not be unwilling to give as much as thou deservest It was matchless Love that the Prince of Life would die for condemned subjects But 't is methinks more that the Lord of glory over all God Blessed for evermore should take upon him Death with a Curse 2. Do I celebrate the Death of my Lord dying a Curse for me why then oh my soul thou dost this day in this duty call to mind Christ's taking on him all faults and bearing all thy blame being content that thy faults should be accounted to him and that if there be as certainly there wlil be anger for it he will bear it Oh what endeared Love do servants in a family bear to that Son who is willing to excuse the servants fauls and to bear their blame to make up their peace and to continue them in or restore them to their offices again Reader whoever thou art that readest these lines it is thy case Thou oâ—est unto Christ the Eternal Son of God all thy innocence all thy safety all thy peace all thy continuance in the family of God unto Christ I say thou owest it for thou hadst sinned and provoked God thy Master and Lord he had cursed thee and would have damned thee he had declared thine office in his house void and would have turned thee out and then thou must have said with the unjust Steward what shall I do when God thus deals with me how shall I live Dig I cannot beg I am ashamed I shall be accursed on Earth and accursed iâ— Hell for ever oh thus had it been with me if my Lord Jesus had not stept in and took my faults upon him Blessed
be that Love which hath so loved me Let him carry away all my affection who thus hath carried all my transgressions He shall have my love whilst I live by whose love it is that I live Oh let my love at the Sacrament revive where there is the revived memory of my Lord his love to me None but those foolish and mad creatures who are in love with their faults and with their misery will withhold their love from Christ who delivered us from both 3. Did Christ die such a death in thy stead let this then awaken thee to consider how thou wouldst resent another mans suffering for thee and speak what interess thy friend should purchase in thy affections by his undergoing afflictions for thee Wouldst thou love thy rich friend that took thy debts on him wouldst thou do less than dearly love thy skilful friend that cured thee of thy disease thy powerful friend at Court who rescued thee from a prison thy watchful friend who kept strict and careful watch lest thou shouldst be surprised and ruin'd whilst thou wert sleeping secure in greatest danger and in greatest ignorance and security But what wouldst thou say if thy friend should deliver thee from thine by making it his own disease or should go into a prison that thou mightest go out of it or expose himself to ruine that thou mightest be indemnified Just so did Christ for thee he did bear thy disease and took thy sickness upon him he became a prisoner first to unjust hands seizing on him and then to the grave which could not hold him yet a while he was a prisoner there for thy sake in thy stead and what acknowledgment wilt thou make of all this How wilt thou certifie the Christian world that thou dost well resent what Christ hath done if thou wilt not love him for doing it Thou lovest those that speak well of thee that bless thee that wish well to thee and endeavour to do thee good and what law reason or equity wilt thou pretend why thou dost not love Christ who speaks best of thee to his Father and who wished best to thee and hath done most for thee and all this by his dying a Curse for thee Let thy own heart ponder this and draw to a conclusion what ought to be done in this case say Had any man whom I know done this for me which Christ hath done I could not but love him and why do I not love Christ if I did see my friend loaded with curses and reproaches and bearing them patiently for me that I might not be reproached that I might not be cursed it would endear such a friend to me why now in the Sacrament the visible memorial of Christ's dying a Curse for me I do see such a friend so loaded for my sake that I might not be loaded with my deserved Curse I may not I will not be less to him than I would be to another I will love him more than any else for he hath done more for me than all could and I see it in the Sacrament the blessed memorial of his cursed Death Fourthly and lastly Is the Sacrament of the bloody Death of Christ a memorial of his dying an accursed death for me oh then I see the evidence of a love to me which surpasseth the love of best friends which indeed exceeds the thoughts and belief of most considerate men For who will believe beside a Christian who is taught by the revealed word of the God of truth that Christ would become a Curse for us Some men will hardly believe that the Apostle spake his very thoughts when he wished that he himself were accursed from Christ for his brethren his kinsmen after the flesh Some judge it so inconsistent with reason that they think the Apostle could not soberly sedately and rationally desire it but that he did use the liberty and freedom of an Orator to commend his greatest affection to his kindred by a greater expression But behold Reader Paul's wish for his kindred is Christ's own act for his what Paul wisht but could not do for his brethren Christ hath undertook and undergone for his brethren What some do think was too great for a rational and sober desire in the one hath been found not too great for the choice and performance of the other Now let Christ have but a serious view of this he hath done for thee and answer thy self this or such like questions Is that too little to engage my love which was too great for any to undertake but Christ Do I see Christ doing that which few men will believe a man could wish he mght do and do I still withhold my heart my affection from Christ Do I know that his love was stronger than death he was content to be accursed for the sake good life and salvation of Believers I see him for a while separated from God that he might bring me to God and now he shall have that love which is too great for any one since he hath done what is so great for me In the fifth place 5. Joy in believing a Sacramental grace The Believer's Joy is or at least might be considerably improved in the commemoration of Christ dying as a Curse for us It is not to be questioned whether joy and rejoycing through faith in the Lord be seasonable in our feasting with the Lord. Joy is the souls rest with delight in the Lord and such a disposition of mind doth the Lord require and accept at this seast Now let us observe how that his dying a Curse for us may increase our joy and this may appear 1. From the Nature of Joy which is the triumph of the mind in its freedom and deliverance from its fears or in its attaining and possessing of its hopes It is a rational security of our best hopes and a due removal of our worst fears singing a rest and happiness to the soul Joy is the rapture of our soul hearing and observing desired events sweetly keeping tune with our desires and hopes It is the Tripudium Animae the soul's dance to the Musick which the God of Heaven makes for it If there be any exstasies of joy it can be from no other harmony than which is heard not from Pythagoras his melodious spheres but from the Cross of our Blessed Lord seting Heaven and Earth in a blessed concent by his accursed Death The Philosopher will tell us Dilatatio cordis ob bonum praesens that Joy is the dilatation of the soul the enlarging of the heart to entertain a present desired good Good wished for is the Sun the heart is the Heliotrope the flower of the Sun Joy is the opening and turning of this flower towards the Sun This or somewhat like this is Joy Now in what can the soul triumph if not in its freedom from a dreadful Curse What may possibly be imagined will secure the rational hopes and wishes of a Christian better than Christ's
bearing his sin its curse and punishment that Justice may not lay any sentence of condemnation upon it but absolve and acquit justifie and save it Where can the soul better rest and congratulate its happiness in its rest than in a pacified propitious God Tell me who ere thou art reading or hearing these lines canst thou desire more than happiness Is any thing greater and better in thy wishes Certainly either thou knowest not what thou answerest or else dost answer it is thy greatest dailyest hourly desire and that the man or woman who would assure thee of this would fill thy heart with raptures of joy Now behold these desires answered in the Lord Jesus dying to remove that Curse which kept thee from thy happiness If Joy be the enlarging of the heart to entertain a desired good lo here a good worth the entertaining Christ bearing thy Curse lo here a good so great that no heart but an enlarged heart can rightly entertain it Oh be perswaded to receive it and tell me then what affection it raiseth in thy soul Certainly he never feared because he never knew the danger of Hell who doth not greatly rejoyce in his deliverance and escape from it Open but thy heart to receive and thy Joy will as surely break out as the streams do when the springs and fountains are opened Secondly Christ dying a Curse for thee will heighten thy Joy For whatever thou canst approve a ground of Joy in other mens rejoycing without this thou mayest much more approve in thine own rejoycing in this without any other There is very much Joy in the world which is unseemly and there is some which is justifiable seemly and seasonable but whatever makes it so seemly that and much more is in the Death of Christ dying an accursed Death for us to justifie and warrant the Christian 's Joy I dare stand to plead the Christian's Joy to excel on this account as much as the Joy for recovery of a Crown and Kingdom doth excel the Joy of a wise man for the finding of a Pin. Could a Christian enlarge his Joy to the exceeding greatness of his cause of Joy it would incomparably excel all other mens Joy as much as the recovery from a mortal wound excels the healing of a scratcht finger Indeed all other Joy without this is the unseemly Joy of fools or madmen but this without all other is Joy of wise considerate and knowing men and might we enter the comparison it would appear what trifles men of the world how great soever and how wise soever in the account of the world do rejoice in It is reported of Francis the first recovering the French shore upon his delivery out of his Captivity Je suis le Roy. That he leapt and rejoyced with this I am a King And who that values liberty or safety or power or a Kingdom censureth him for it or doubts whether it were seemly But oh believing soul thou seest at a Sacrament a worse prison a more doleful Captivity crueller enemies and more deadly dangers left behind thee and thou set at liberty in a more blessed safety and entitled to a Crown and Kingdom as much better as Heaven is better than France was and this by Christ's Death as it was an accursed Death to free thee from the Curse The men of the world rejoice in their full harvests The victorious Conqueror rejoiceth in the dividing of the spoils The ambitious Courtier rejoiceth in his Court-preferment But what Joy will the Barns and Stores of the wealthy man be when he dies the accursed Death and with Dives is tormented in endless fires Will the Joy of the preferred Courtier continue to him under the disgrace which he shall fall into when God shall arrest imprison condemn and execute him as an accursed wretch What will become of the Joys of Victories and Triumphs when the Crowns shall wither before the hot displeasure of God and when the crowned Conqueror shall be delivered up an accursed wretched prisoner and captive in eternal chains In few words there are many daggers lifted up and striking at the Joy of every man who rejoiceth in any thing but the Cross of Christ and first or last some one or other of these daggers will reach the heart and let out the life of such Joys But the Believer's Joy in the Death of Christ dying a Curse for him is a Joy which is immortal and cannot be destroyed It is a Joy will most gloriously crown the Believer when other mens Joys do most shamefully forsake deceive and torture them If then any may rejoice the Believer may much more and this he may do at every remembrance of his Redeemer's dying a Curse for him And such renewed remembrance of our cause of Joy will undoubtedly renew our Joy he may rejoice still more than yet he hath rejoiced who seeth he hath more to rejoice in than all the jovial merry world ever shall have Thirdly Renewed Meditations of Christ's dying such a Death for us will renew our Joy appeareth from this That our Joy will be most full satisfactory and transporting to us when we come to the distinctest fullest and liveliest knowledge and apprehension of this Death of Christ They who most fully apprehend and who most particularly apply the Benefits of this Death to themselves who live upon it and know what life it is how excellent how happy c. These are fullest of purest Joy and truly as we abate in our ability and skill to meditate on this Death of Christ or as we abate in the exercise and actual meditation and thought of Christ's dying for us as a Curse the more our Joy will abate also The Saints in glory do now rejoice and will forever rejoice for they do ever behold the scars which this Curse hath left in Christ they ever remember that Christ dying a Curse hath given them that blessed Life in which they ever shall rejoice Now what it hath wrought on them and what it will work one day upon us proveth to us what it might work in us at the present It hath now all in it which it ever will have but we have not all in us which we shall have when this dying of our Lord shall fill us with a never-dying or abating love to him who did it and with Joy in the thing done for us The reason why the Believer rejoiceth more in the sight of Christ dying a Curse for him as his distinct knowledge of it groweth is not that his knowledge addeth any thing to it but because his knowledge of it now maketh more of that Death which appeared not so much then to his own eye so his Joy groweth with his knowledge But now it is not so with other Joys they lessen as our knowledge of them increaseth and those which at distance we flattering our selves hoped would be pure and deep sweet and lasting as a Crystal stream prove to us when we come nearer and
live on them muddy and shallow scarce worth the tasting and which is worse yet they prove bitterer than gall and wormwood and of shorter continuance than a morning dew But our Joy in blessed peace with God in sweet hopes of glory in sure foundations of faith in endless happiness to crown our faith to satisfie our hopes and to be the manner of enjoying our God which are the pleasant fruits of Christ thus dying do increase upon us as our insight into them increaseth and are purest when nearest are deepest in the spring or rather ocean of true Delight and Joy are sweetest when most lived upon and are most lasting when we enter at last into them The Joys of others are never so great as their hopes nor so lasting as their desires But the Joy of a Believer in his Dying Lord is at last greater than his hopes and as long liv'd as his desires And in this he may exalt his Joy above the greatest that ever the world boasted of If ever mortal man satiated and glutted himself with worldly Joy it was with a sudden gush which left him so soon that he had the more time to lament himself and wofully wrack himself with the loss of it I believe Caesar never met his expected content and joy in obtaining Rome's Empire I know it lasted not with him so long as he desired in one or both of these it proved less to him when he knew most of it This made a good Emperour once say That if men knew what thorns and cares a Crown was lined with they would not take it up if they found it in the street Now oh blessed soul whose Joy lives upon the Death of thy Lord tell me did ever any experienced knowing and expert Christian abase the worth of those Joys with such a report of them Can thy own jealous fears suggest a rational probable likely ground of suspicion that these Joys are greater in hope than they will be in hand dost thou think that there is any disappointment in Heaven Are there any complaints that less is possessed than was looked for Hast thou ever had any cause to wish thou hadst known less of Christ and his Death or couldst thou ever say that the Joy had been greater if thy knowledge and experience had been less I know thou darest not say so nor debase the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus thy Lord. Turn therefore thy serious thoughts upon this meditate more that thou mayest know more for the more thou knowest of this the more wilt thou rejoice in Christ Thus renew thy Meditations on the Cause of thy Joys and they will renew thy Joys Others will see and thou wilt find in thy own soul that the more thy Cause of Joy aboundeth the more thy Joy will abound Now that Christ hath thus died thy soul oh happy Believer shall not be left in Hell nor shalt thou see an eternal corruption This is ensured to thee by the Lord whose Death thou commemoratest Say then and speak it with enlarged heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoiceth moreover my flesh shall rest in hope for God will not leave my soul in hell And now oh my soul set thy self to hear what may be spoken to thee By these who will have to do with thee in thy most weighty matters And so 1. First what would a judicious and affectionate Believer say What news would such a one tell thee from Mount Calvary from the Cross of Christ Suppose thou heardest such an one improving this Doctrine why should I fear when the iniquity of my heels compasseth me about hath not my Lord taken away all the Curse I feared Do I not see him evidently set forth crucified before mine eyes he drank off the bitter cup of astonishment I will therefore take the cup of salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord. I will rejoice in him yea and I will tell my Brethren the good news that they may rejoice with me Come all ye that fear the Lord hear and rejoice for I have found at the Cross of Christ the blessing which I lost in Paradise and which is more I found yours there too and if you will go with me quickly you shall find it too Come oh come and see Christ laying down a Blessing for thee when he took up thy Curse would not such a friend's voice sounding in thine ear ravish thy heart or at lest revive thy drooping spirits and turn thy grief into joy Could'st thou do less than smile to see thy lost Heaven found thy dying Soul recovered to life thy God reconciled and delighting in thee Hear next 2. What language the Embassadour of thy Soveraign and Gracious Lord useth to thee when he offereth a Dying Christ unto thee a Christ bearing thy Curse for thee Behold thou drooping Believer That Blood which I offer thee in this Cup is the purchase of that happiness which thou desirest the atonement of that wrath thou fearest Lo here is that Blood which can abate the scorching heat of a self-accusing condemning and tormenting soul Oh taste drink of it this never failed of curing easing comforting so many Saints in Heaven In one word Christ's Minister doth in Christ's Name offer thee that Blood which was shed for the remission of the sins of many and in which thou mayest find forgiveness of thine also and thou findest little if thou findest not Joy in the forgiveness of sins Thou art very slow of understanding if a Publick Officer proclaiming thee acquitted and cleared doth not raise thy joy But yet oh fainting soul hearken Lastly What will be the language of Christ himself to thee when he unfolds thy blessedness and declareth before Men and Angels that he took upon him thy sin thy guilt thy punishment was made a Curse for thee and so presents thee to God and makes good all thy claim to Blessedness What heart is large enough to conceive the thousandth par of that Joy Oh! a single sight of this one unrepeated once pronounced sentence of Christ's own mouth Soul thou art blessed for I was made a Curse for thee would swallow up all other Joys and would fill the heart of the believing soul with Joy unspeakable Now I must tell thee oh thou doubting sollicitous and trembling Believer that Christ will so bespeak thee ere long and so give thee an entrance into thy Master's Joy that thou mayest rejoice for ever in this Blessedness which I tell thee is the fruit of Christ's Death as it was an accursed Death And if after all this thou wilt weep and not be comforted I must also tell thee thy tears are not wiped away because thou wilt not suffer us to do it thou art a stranger to thy desired joy because thou art so much a stranger to the Death of thy Lord. Oh that our eys were opened to see that fountain whence most refreshing streams do flow continually
Lord give me a heart knowing how to turn this kind of my Lord's Death into what Joy is hidden in it and I know my heart will need no other will desire none but this Again in the sixth place A peaceable 6th Sacramental grace peaceable disposition to the Brethren compassionate and tender affection toward our Brethren our fellow Christians is a Sacramental Grace a disposition of mind which is never out of season and is most in season at a Sacrament Christians should ever live in charity but they should feast with their Lord and with their Brethren in highest measures of charity When they thus feast they should embrace each other when they walk together it should be hand in hand This Love-feast must not be allayed with any mixture of sowre murmurings bitter envyings or unsavoury grudges of discontent The Apostle doth give us a most excellent Rule for this 1 Cor. 5.7 8. Purge out the old leaven c. Let us therefore keep the feast not in the old leaven nor with the leaven of malice c. In malice we should ever be children but especially at the Lord's Supper I will not urge reasons why we must be thus affected each to other when we come to the Table of the Lord for it is so universally known by all and it is so necessary among many other graces that too many think this alone sufficient to prepare men for the Lord's Supper It is true who hath all other but hath not this preparatory is unfit Whosoever wants this alone is not fit though this alone will not fit him for the Lord's Table The want of this must keep him back from this Supper until he hath a mind full of sincere and true love to all men especially to all the invited guests of the Lord. Supposing therefore that it is nothing doubted peaceable affections and compassionate tender love or charity to the Brethren is a Sacramental Quality I shal insist a little on the manner how this may be improved and advanced by the Death of Christ dying an accursed Death for us And so 1. First When thou art at the Lord's Supper and seest a few of thy Christian Brethren there to celebrate the Death of thine and their Lord dying a Curse this in all likelihood will be thy first reasoning upon it If Christ died a Curse for us then were we all under a Curse then were we all plunged in misery all were under the guilt of sin and under the wrath of God and what tongue can tell what this is or what heart can think of it and not be compassionately tender over such poor creatures Can your obdured hardened hearts hear the groans of men tormented with the Strangury or Gout or Stone Can you look upon the miseries of an Hospital without yearning bowels or can you look upon the tortures of one wracked and torn upon a wheel or between wild horses without a wish oh that I might deliver them what kind of hearts do you bear toward persecuted murthered and tormented Christians when you see the pictures of them or read the history of them do not your hearts drop into tender compassions toward them Why now look on Christ dying a Curse he is the lively picture of thine and their woful state it is to be seen in his Death read over the story of Christ accursed it is the story of thy most woful state and of the miserable state of them who are now communicating with thee they were with thee sinful guilty dying creatures which ere long must have been groaning sighing howling under the avenging wrath of the Almighty if Christ had not thus died for thee and them Look upon them say as indeed they were behold what was saved of my shipwrack These were tossed in the same vessel dashed on the same rock taken up helpless and lifeless c. with me Oh I never see them but it comes into my thoughts and my heart my heart weeps over our common danger We do so often renew our compassionate affections toward our companions in dangers as the sight of them renews the thoughts of our danger That which in a different case David said When I remember these things I pour out my soul within me The soul redeemed from the Curse will be able to say when I remember these things compassion and tenderness are poured out The remembrance of a common danger Nihil ad misericordiam sic inclinat atque proprii periculi cogitatio August Misericordia est vicina miseriae Seneca de Clem. is a most prevailing enducement to compassion The Philosopher could tell us That this Pity is a neighbour to misery Whence likely it was that the Lord did enjoyn the Israelites to shew a hearty compassion unto afflicted strangers for They know the heart of a stranger for they were strangers in Aegypt We must compassionately and tenderly love wish well and affect those whose hearts we know for so much as we were in like case Now this is one part of our brotherly love or charity here it begins though it doth not end here This tenderness of heart is like the pith or tender pulp which runneth through the whole body of the tree This indeed is the Root on which the delightful Tree grows and from which the beautiful fruits of love do blossome bud increase and ripen And so often you water the root of Love as you do soften and mollify the temper of your heart which is done when soakt in the thoughts of our common danger I shall close this particular with that piercing Question Matth. 18.33 Shouldest thou not have had compassion on thy fellow-servant even as I had pity on thee How shall we answer this Question if the consideration of our common danger do not stir up in us a love of compassion to others what bowels hast thou if they do not now yearn and move towards them We are apt to pity those whose tormenting diseases and sharp pains we have felt and if ever we felt the inward sorrow and trouble of an accursed state we shall pity such who are under it and with tender affection demean our selves towards those who were under it it will renew our sympathy and this will renew our love to them But Secondly In the remembrance of Christ's dying a Curse for us there is the renewing of a most self-abasing and humbling consideration Now the renewal of this will be a very likely means to improve our love which is a humble self abasing grace So that what increaseth our humility will increase our charity Solomon tells us that onely by pride cometh contention and our own experience proveth the proud man neither sit to be chosen for a loving friend nor to be trusted as one that will be constant in his friendship and love such an one will be ever breaking the laws of friendship of which the Apostle discoursing 1 Cor. 13.4 5 6. tells us that it neither vaunteth it self nor is puffed up
Indeed he can see no cause of vaunting himself who views himself in this cursed condition represented and confirmed to us by Christ's undergoing it for us Something or other there must be indeed or must be thought to be which shall exalt a man above his neighbour and brother Now when it appeareth that it was equal guilt and misery under which thou and I and every one did lye until Christ redeemed us this cuts off all vaunts and proud boasting of our selves above others and where pride is laid thus low and taken out of the way there meek and peaceable deportment outwardly and meek and peaceable temper inwardly do spring up and flourish This will prevent all increase and growth of malice and dislike for whatever thou canst find in thy Brother to dislike the same or as bad is found in thee for before grace appeared to you you were both accursed both rebels against God both condemned by the Law of God both alike miscreants and vile nor may dislike fester and ranckle into malice against thy Brother For if the Grace of God hath taken occasion from his vile miserable condition to be and appear grace indeed to him who art thou darest make it an occasion of wrath or malice I know the reasonings of a believer toward believers are of another nature and tendency they all savour of humility and peaceable dispositions and forbidding all proud quarrels and hushing them with some such reflection upon our selves and our condition such was I but I obtained mercy Alas how are we mistaken if we think we may boast our selves in the difference between us and others for who made us to differ There was much of reason in the penitent Thief when he took up and reproved the railings reproaches and blasphemies of the other Luk. 23.20 Doest thou not fear God seeing thou art in the same condemnation This ought to have humbled him and kept him in a peaceable behaviour and mind towards those who were dying with him Oh let us manifest a humbled soul a mind abased and laid low with our guilt and vileness let us manifest such a mind by meek peaceable loving disposition towards our Brethren who were first our Brethren in a Curse but now are our Brethren in Christ Certainly nothing doth more become pardoned sinners than such a peaceable behaviour and disposition Nor do I know a more natural genuine fruit of our peace with God through Christ than this our peaceable mind and behaviour towards men when Angels shewed the glad tydings viz. Salvation through Christ they did also proclaim peace on earth so must we when God makes us glad with this salvation 3. Again thirdly In the remembrance of Christ dying a Curse for us there is renewed the remembrance of forgiveness and pardon granted of God to us The Believer communicating at the Lord's Table doth there see himself pardoned and the like pardon offered unto others also through Christ dying a Curse for them Now this doth mightily perswade with the Believer to lay aside all occasions and ground of quarrel and so doth much more promote this brotherly love increasing it both in the habit of charity disposing the mind to it and in the exercise and acts of it in our behaviour and converse among Christians That which God hath done for us teacheth us what we are to do for others when God might justly and righteously have cursed us and refused us peace he did for Christ's sake free us from the Curse and entred confirmed and still keeps peace with us Now saith the considerate Believer I must be like my Heavenly Father he hath accursed but one thing for which he hath not yet for which he never will have thoughts of peace and I must never make or keep a peace with that accursed thing with sin But since it hath been the good pleasure of my Heavenly Father to make peace for such who were cursed and seeing he hath made them blessed by this peace I must with better mind though I cannot in better words say with Balaam Num. 23.20 Behold I have received Commandment to bless and he hath blessed and I cannot reverse it When any grudge envy or dislike would solicit thee to break the law of Brotherly Love ask but this question Is God at peace with this man with whom I am ready to break If God be his friend and at peace with him it is my best course and most advised to be at peace with him also and keep and make him my friend It is reported in the Life of Marius that cruel man that if he saluted not the man he met Plutarch in vit C. Marii his souldiers took it for the token that such a one must not live But if he saluted any one no hurt was done to him At this present I tell you no hurt must be done by you or me to such whom the Great God saluteth as he did Abraham and as he doth still salute Abraham 's seed calling them friends As then the renewed use of the Lord's Supper is a renewed testimony of God reconciled unto us and a renewed profession of our friendship unto God so it will be a renewing of our friendship with those who are so blessed and happy in their alliance unto the Lord who is also our God Moreover suppose flesh and blood could pretend an occasion of contention and quarrel with thy Christian Brethren summon them to put in their Bill and make their plea before Christ who once died a Curse for thee and them let the grievances be rightly stated and hearken what Christ would say to thee that contendest He would surely tell thee that he did not stand upon greater injuries done to him but did bear them and forbear thee in them witness thine own appearance at the Sacrament where thou professest to believe that Christ died an accursed death for thee and dost thou dare to retain the thoughts the remembrance of farthing dammages done to thee in that very place and at that time where thou renewest the remembrance of many talent-dammages by thee done to God all forgiven to thee by thy God who thereupon requireth thee to forgive others How silent and speechless will the merciless unpeaceable man be when God shall make him read over such places as these Shouldest thou not have had compassion on thy fellow-servant even as I had pity on thee And if ye from your heart forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father which is in Heaven forgive your trespasses And he shall have judgment without mercy who showed no mercy Come then thou froward peevish unpeaceable soul look what Christ hath purchased and prepared for every Believer he hath purchased a peace for them he hath for them prepared a blessed peace through his bearing a Curse for them and he hath sealed and confirmed this peace taking away every thing that might break it and this peace made thus thou art now again confirming with God among
The Death of Christ under the notion of the Death of a Sacrifice will improve the Believer's Faith which I hope will be manifested when we have viewed the grand concern of Faith in these three particulars 1. It 's Expectation or the things it waiteth for 2. The grounds of its Expectation and waiting 3. The present actings of Faith whilst it is assured there are such things to be expected and whilst it is perswaded and resolved to wait for them Of all which in order Sect. 1. 1. Faith hath its expectation and looketh for things that are not seen Things hoped for as Heb. 11.1 And these are great things As 1. A publck solemn full and clear absolution from the charge of sin and guilt which Satan Conscience or the Law might load us with Faith looks to that word John 5.24 He that believeth shall not come into condemnation Faith waits for that day 2 Thes 1. v. 10. When the Lord shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that believe Faith hearkneth for that awakening voice Matth. 25.6 Behold the Bridegroom cometh go ye out to meet him The Believer expecteth a justification from all things from which he could not be justified by the Law of Moses Act. 13.38 39. when he shall be declared blessed when he shall be accounted righteous and as such shall enter into the possession of a Kingdom of Righteousness Mat. 25.34 37. with 46. ver 2. The Believer expecteth Totus mundus expectat illud tempus quo illi qui sunt Filii Dei manifestabuntur and with Faith waiteth for a publick declaration or manifestation of his Adoption and Sonship Rom. 8.19 The whole world expecteth that time wherein they who are the children of God shall be made manifest as Vatablus noteth on the place And this I take to be the Apostle's meaning Col. 3.4 You shall appear with him i. e. you shall be publickly declared the children of God through Christ And though it do not appear what Believers shall be yet when the Lord appeareth they shall appear his Sons and daughters also 1 Joh. 3.2 3. The Believer looketh for a publick and glorious inauguration or coronation Come inherit the Kingdom Matth. 25.34 is the happy investiture which Faith expecteth Now there is a Crown laid up for us then it shall be set upon our heads 2 Tim. 4. ver 8. It is already intended and promised then it shall be given Faith expects that joyful day of rewarding the Spiritual Champions Here they run there they are crowned Now the Believer warreth then Faith triumpheth 1 Cor. 9.24.25 4. The Faith of a Believer looketh after a reward for all its obedience whether active conforming to the Precepts and Rule of Christ or passive bearing the Cross of Christ It is one of the excellencies of the Law of Faith that as it commands no more than it enableth us to do so it rewardeth no less than we have done The distribution grace doth make is first so much as we need to work and next so much as we have wrought the Believer receiveth according to his works Matth. 25.35 36. And when grace hath thus distributed to each then shall we find our labour was not in vain 1 Cor. 15. v. 58. That the Lord was not unrighteous to forget our labour Heb. 6.10 Then shall we fully understand that the Believer is blessed for that his works do follow him Rev. 14. v. 13. Faith expects that the light and momentany asslictions should work for him a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 18. We expect a glory to be revealed with which these light afflictions of this life are not worthy to be compared Rom. 8.17 Such are the expectations of Faith and may well be confirmed as rational and justifiable by the consideration of their being built upon the Death of Christ our Sacrifice For 1. Doth a Believer expect absolution why should he not Christ his Sacrifice hath born his guilt and punishment Or Secondly 2. Doth a Believer expect a declaration of his adoption to be a Child of God this is no more than the promise of the Covenant ratified in this Sacrifice God will be his Father 3. Doth the Believer expect an investiture into a Throne Kingdom and Crown why all these are by Christ our Sacrifice procured for us after they were forfeited by us 4. Doth the Believer expect a reward for all his obedience both active and passive well He may For all his obedience is advanced in it's worth by this blood sprinkled on it This Sacrifice hath merited it albeit our obedience could not this in the Apostle's words one Sacrifice hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 Faith exceeds not its bounds when it expects consumate and full Perfection of happiuess These are the Grand expectations of faith let us view how justifiably faith may expect all these since that the foundation and ground of faith's expectation is secured and made good by the Death of Christ our Sacrifice Sect. 2. 2. The Foundation or ground of Faith's expectation is the promise and covenant of God upon this Faith builds it's hopes before God promiseth we may repose some kind of trust that he will do good for us but we cannot firmely and properly believe the Mariners Jonah 1.6 had some hope and trust that God would shew them mercy but this amounted not properly to a degree worthy the name of faith it rested still upon the Divine Goodness possibly God will think on us but it had no promise on which it might conclude God will think on us for good But now when once God hath promised and given out the word of Grace and Mercy the soul findeth a fit ground to build it's faith upon thus God spake to Abraham and gave him the promise so shall thy seed be Gen. 15.5 Then did Abraham believe God ver 6. And he believed in the Lord and he had no ground for faith before the promise And he gave no ground to unbelief after he received the Promise Hence the Apostle speaking of the greatness of Abraham's Faith tells us that it was against hope in hope Rom. 4.18 it was against all hope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Natural and Second Causes but it was in hope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to what was spoken to him by his God who could make good his word what ever he spake It is a blind and bold presumption not Faith which builds on other foundation than what God layeth Behold I lay in Sion for a Foundation a stone a Tried stone c. Isa 28.16 On this we may build our faith and not be confounded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Pet. 2.6 The word of promise is the word of faith Rom. 10.8 And when we hear that word we ought to believe it for it is the word of God who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of possibility of failure And it