against him and to take all the advantages against him and howsoever the Lord will not condemne him yet to let out his wrath against him though not to condemne him yet to distract him This is that which Iob makes to be the ground of that bitter complaint of his and made him sit downe in distractednesse of heart under the heavy displeasure of the Lords wrath that though God would not damne him yet when the Lord takes away his loving countenance and lets in his indignation into his soule to his humiliation terrour and vexation this sunke him infinitely and this God might doe to every beleever under Heaven Iob 13.24 26. Why hidest thou away thy face and takest mee for thine enemie God seemed to bee displeased with him and to frowne upon him and carried himselfe to Iob as an enemy and in the 26. verse Thou writest bitter things against me and makest mee to inherit the sinnes of my youth The old lusts and the old bruses of his youth whereby he had dishonoured God though these were pardoned before yet God renewes them and puts in the suit against him the second time and makes the sinnes of his youth to bee inherited by him that looke as the land descends to the heire so the Lord made the sinnes and vanities of his soule to be possessed by him and brought out all his abominations out of record Thou writest bitter things against me that is the Lord tooke all the advantages against him that might be and said Remember the old lusts of thy heart and the vanities of thy youth and this made him like a drie leafe tossed too and fro as verse 25. Oh how easie were it for God if hee should but report to a mans conscience any little sinne that was committed the night before and set it on and seale it to the heart it would drive the stoutest heart under heaven to despaire Psalme 88.15 Thy terrours have I suffered from my youth upwards and I have beene distracted with them Lord why castest thou off my soule I am afflicted and ready to die It is certaine and I have knowne it that the most stoutest heart and rebellious lion-like disposition that sets himselfe against God and his grace if God let him but see his sinne and say this is thy pride and thy stubbornnesse and rebellion it would drive the stoutest heart under heaven beyond it selfe nay to utter distraction of minde Psalme 40.12 Innumerable troubles have taken hold upon me they have so compassed me about that I am not able to looke up Every sinne is like a great bandog that is muzzeld and if hee bee once let loose he will teare all in peeces so the Lord sometimes muzzels a mans corruptions and keeps them under and if the Lord doe but now and then let them loose then they pull a man downe and hence comes all those pale lookes and discouragements of soule these are they that will thus worry a man Thus every beleever must acknowledge that it were just with the Lord to let loose his sinne howsoever not to condemne him yet to make him live at little peace or quiet and hence it is that the Prophet David praies so against it Psalme 51.9 when he had committed those two great sins of adultery and murther though God after his confession had sealed to his soule the pardon of them yet hee went with broken bones and therefore he saith Hide away thy face from my sinnes and put away all mine iniquities as if he had said looke not upon my sinnes as a judge doe not follow the Law against me let not my sinnes or my person bee once brought into the Court or bee once named but looke upon the Lord Jesus Christ for mee and for his sake blot out all mine iniquities Thirdly every beleever accepted and justified in and through Christ by the Father yet hee is bound thus farre to charge his sinne upon his owne soule and lay them so much upon himselfe as to maintain in his owne heart a sense of the need that he hath of Christ as well as to continue our respect and acceptation with God as to bring us at first into the love and favour of God Indeed if we could quit our selves and cleare our hands of any sin committed by us it were something then we would be ready to say as the people to Ieremie We are holy we are lords we will come no more at thee No it is necessary seeing Christ is yet in the worke of the mediatourship that we should see a dayly need of him this is the reason of that great complaint of David Psal 51.1.2 a man would thinke that hee would have beene comforted and gone away cheerfully having the pardon of his sinnes but marke how hee cries Have mercy upon me oh God according to the multitude of thy compassions wash away all my transgressons wash mee throughly from all my transgressions and purge mee from my sinne Hee had not onely need of Christ before his conversion to justifie him but he had need of Christ now to continue the assurance of his justification it is not a drop but a bucket full of mercy not a little mercy but a whole ocean Lord I have had a great deale of mercy for the sinnes of my youth and I have need of a great deale of mercy still to wash away the guilt of my sinnes this the Law required of every man that did offer sacrifice as they were to offer their dayly sacrifice so wee have dayly need of Christ and therefore wee must have a dayly recourse to Christ therefore the sacrificer was to lay his hands upon the head of the sacrifice Even so doe thou lay thine hands upon the Lord Jesus Christ and rest upon him and thou shalt finde acceptance with him this is that which sometimes chears up the drooping heart and bears it up in the midst of all the waves of wickednesse when he sees the vanitie of his mind and the deadnesse of his heart and frothinesse of his speech and now sinne and then sinne and in every thing sinne as you cannot but see and confesse it this stands the poore sinner in stead when hee considers this and saith though I am dayly sinning yet there is a Saviour in Heaven and mercy and grace in him that I may be comforted therein for ever Hebrewes 7.25 Hee is able to save to the uttermost those that come to God by him It implies these two things not onely from all sinne but also at all times not onely from the sinnes of your youth but also to the uttermost of your dayes the reason is hee lives for ever to doe it this is the chearing of a poore sinner and this wee should labour to maintain and to keepe the sight and sense of our sinne though our sinnes endure for ever our living and sinning goe together and we still continue to be as sinfull and lazy and idle as ever yet see a need of a
the Lord humbled him mightily so when the Lord comes to meet with an old loose adulterer and an old base drunkard and a sturdy persecutor as Paul was an ordinary stroke will not doe the worke therefore as he had a great deale of mercy for Paul so hee had a great deale to doe before hee could humble Paul hee flung him off his horse as he was posting to Damascus and might have broken his neck againe men sometimes are driven to great trials and straights as when God cals men to great trials and sufferings now God doth apply to every man according to his estate and condition he that God hath set as a commander in his Church as a Minister to teach and a Magistrate to rule and a master of a family Gods fits graces unto them according to their estates the Lord takes measure of a mans estate as it were and suits him proportionably with all graces necessary for his condition againe they that are meaner and poorer they shall have wisdome and sanctification and redemption but answerable to their conditions that is observable Ephes 4.16 Paul there calling our Saviour Christ the head of the Church and his faithfull servants the members of this head hee saith By whom all the members being knit together according to their effectuall working in their measure they receive increase as for example in the body so much life and spirit as belongs to the finger is in the finger but there is more in the arme than in the finger and more in the bulk of the body than in the arme that which suits with such a part it hath it and that which suits with such a part nature bestowes it there is not so much in the finger as in the hand nor so much in the hand as in the arme nor so much in the arme as in the body because it is not sutable and proportionable nature will not doe it God will not suffer it so some Christians are armes in the body of the Church some fingers some legs some are strong Christians that beare up a great weight in profession stout and strong and resolute and the like now the Lord communicates all grace and mercy sutable for every mans place and condition thou that art a finger shalt have so much grace as befits a finger and thou that art an hand thou shalt have so much grace as shall save thee and is fit for thy place but another is an arme and hee shall have more but all shall have that which is fitting therefore the text saith Christ is made unto us wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption that looke as a man that makes a garment hee takes measure of the man for whom he makes it and fits every part according to the part of the body the arme of the doublet is sutable to the arme of the body and so Christ is made righteousnesse and sanctification to all poore beleeving creatures thou art an arme in the body of Christ hee is made so much wisdome and sanctification to thee as will serve thy turne thou hast had a great many sinnes and hast beene a rioter and a roister before God opened thine eyes and brought thee home to himselfe why there is great mercy in Christ sutable to thy sinnes there is mercy in Christ to justifie thee if thou hast never so few sinnes and there is mercy enough in Christ to justifie the greatest sinner if hee can but beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ and this is the second passage in this article of agreement in the tenure of the conveyance of grace from Christ to the soule the Lord hath enough for all and he doth communicate what is fit and proportionable to every mans estate and condition The third thing is this as the Lord doth communicate what is fit so he doth preserve what hee doth bestow and communicate and give to the beleeving soule hee doth not give grace to the beleeving soule and there leave him and let him manage his estate but when hee hath wrought grace in the soule he preserves it and nourisheth his owne worke Psal 16.5 there the Prophet David saith The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and he maintaineth my lot he doth not only give him his lot but he maintaines his lot it is a comparison taken from the children of Israel when they came into the land of Canaan it was divided to every tribe by lot now God did not onely bring them into the land and give them their lot but he maintained that lot he defended them and releeved them from the fury and rage of their adversaries that went about to take away that which God had bestowed upon them now the Psalmist saith The Lord is my portion and hee maintaineth my lot every beleeving soule hath a lot and portion in Christ so much grace and holinesse and so much assurance now the Lord doth not onely give this but when you are weake and feeble the Lord keeps your grace and preserves your grace which hee hath bestowed upon you therefore Christ is said to be the preserver of his Church Iude 1. To you that are called and sanctified preserved by Iesus Christ Christ is not only the giver of grace but he is the preserver of his Church and that is the meaning of that phrase when our Saviour had implanted grace in the heart of Peter he did not only plant it by his Spirit but he watered it by his prayers that it might not wither away I have prayed that thy faith faile not hee did not only give him faith that was not enough but he watered his faith by his prayers that it might not wither and dye and decay 1 Pet. 1.4 hence it is said that hee preserves us by the power of God through faith unto salvation and faith keeps the soule and Christ keeps faith faith is the hand that layes hold upon Christ and Christ layes hold upon faith and wee have a kingdome preserved for us and he preserveth us for it and this is the pith of that phrase Psal 1. the text saith The righteous man is like the tree planted by the rivers side that brings forth fruit in due season whose leafe shall not fade he doth not say his sap shall not wither but his leafe shall not wither not onely that gracious disposition of heart which is wrought shall never decay in the Saints of God but a zealous profession shall never decay in conclusion how ever a tree be nipt with the cold and frost yet in conclusion it will bud forth againe so the sap of grace that Christ workes in us and conveyeth to us being planted by the fountaine of the Lord Jesus in the midst of persecution and fiery triall they shall grow humble and meeke and holy in despight of what can befall them for a Christian is not conquered when hee loseth his life but when he loseth his grace as take a man that is led into captivitie into Turkie into Algeir
that Christ charged them upon himselfe they both make a compact that poore lost man shall be saved and Christ submits and is contented to beare their sinnes and to have the Law proceed against him Now I come to the reasons why God the Father doth charge the sinnes of all the faithfull upon Christ the reasons are three and I reason from the explication thus Reason 1 First that which the Lord Jesus Christ did willingly yeeld and submâ—â—imselfe to without sinne that God the Father might lay upon him without any wrong and might charge it upon him as due debt I say what the Lord Jesus Christ did willingly submit himselfe to without any dishonour to himselfe that God the Father might justly charge upon him but our Saviour did willingly submit himselfe to the divine Justice of God the Father to take their sinnes and to beare their sorrowes and to bee in the roome of a sinner he came voluntarily in our roome and therefore being under the Law and being our scapegoat the Father might justly lay and charge our debts upon him because hee had taken them upon himselfe he that will enter into bond with the creditor and free the debtor it is very equall that the creditor proceed against him as against the debtor Reason 2 Secondly the justice of God requires this at the hands of Jesus Christ to wit that he should not onely suffer for sinners but also take the very guilt of sinners upon himselfe by imputation and bee in their roome And that the justice of God doth require this at the hands of Christ may thus be conceived The anger justice and severitie of God were manifested in the fall of man for when man back sinned and fallen then anger and justice began to worke and now Adam saw God to bee an angry and a just God now the glory of those attributes appeared and now all the complaint stands upon mercies side and therefore mercy appeals to the great Court in Heaven and then it saith wisedome and power and goodnesse have all beene manifested in the Creatâ—on and anger and justice they have beene glorified in the fall of Adam but I have not yet beene manifested Oh let some poore soules bee comforted and saved that they may know there is a mercifull God and then the case is debated onely justice steps in and takes it selfe as wronged It is true saith justice it is fit that mercy should bee honoured yet it is not fit that I should bee wronged must my glory be injured would you have a company of sinfull rebels pardoned and forgiven when they have thus abused holinesse and goodnesse and resisted the Will of God nay except they be punished I cannot have my due mercy must be honoured but yet justice must not be wronged Now God is a just God and hee must give every one their due glory to whom glory belongs and justice to whom justice belongs justice must not be offended but must bee appaid and have its right this is the controversie therefore the Lord Jesus Christ steps in and makes up all even on both sides and there is a way devised whereby justice may bee fully satisfied and yet mercy magnified and so much the more is mercy magnified by how much justice was wronged Then Christ comes in and saith that justice shall punish all unbeleevers and so it shall be satisfied for all the wrong done to it and mercy shall bee magnified upon the beleeving soules because the beleever is not able to beare divine justice himselfe therefore Christ Jesus is contented to bee accounted guiltie that justice may inflict punishment upon him as deserving it for otherwise to punish the innocent and to acquit the guiltie will not stand with justice Now therefore that justice may have his due from him and yet doe him no wrong therefore he was content to be accounted guiltie and though hee were innocent yet he was contented to bee accounted noceâ— Now if God in justice require punishment of our Saviour then the same justice must account our Saviour as guiltie otherwise hee should punish the innocent which he cannot in justice doe but God the Father did punish Christ Jesus for justice is satisfied by the punishment therefore it is requisite that he should bee under the Law also God in justice must account him guiltie that in justice he may be punished so the issue is this If God the Father doe in iustice punish Christ then it is required that heâ— should bee accounted as guiltie and under the Law but the Father did doe it therefore he did account him as a sinner and as guiltie and did lay their sinnes unto his charge Reason 3 Thirdly the third argument is taken from the love and mercy of Jesus Christ which abundantly is magnified herein in taking upon him the roome of a sinner for whatsoever the Lord Jesus Christ could doe for a poore sinner without sinne that he did doe in the pardon of sinne but this Christ might doe without sinne and is doing thereof might expresse abundance of love not onely to lay downe his life for us but to vaile his innocencie for us hee was accounted a malefactor and a sinner for us this is the highest pitch of admirable love that can bee for the lower the degree of his abasement was the greater was his love for it is one thing to die and it is another thing to vaile his honour and holinesse and he that was God equall with the Father to be accounted as guilty of sin this argues marvellous mercy and love therefore it was fit that it should be taken Vse 1 The first use is a word of instruction to all the faithfull of God they are to learne this point of wisedome Is it so that God the Father hath laid thy sinnes upon Jesus Christ doth the guilt of them lie there and hath Christ taken them and the guilt of them upon himselfe and the condemnation due unto the same then doe thou not take them from him to thy selfe Therefore what the Jewes did with the sacrifice so doe you with a Saviour Leviticus 16.21 When Aaron came to offer up the scapegoat he laid both his hands upon him with all his might and he put all the sinnes of Israel upon the head of the live goat The Hebrew Writers observe three things in the words First hee laid on both his hands with all his might Secondly there was nothing betweene the hand of the offerer and the sacrifice which was made Thirdly he must confesse his sinnes and the sinnes of all the Israelites over the goat and say Lord I have transgressed and have committed this and that iniquitie but now Lord I returne to thee and bring an offering of attonement and I beseech thee good Lord to accept it So let this bee the guise of the heart of every faithfull Christian when hee would have quiet and ease if ever you would have acceptance with Christ then carry him with thee to the Father
of the faithfull p. 202 For the opening of the Doctrine three questions are to bee answered Question 1. What were the kindes of punishments which Christ did suffer and how farre did bee suffer them Answer First Christ did suffer death naturall that is the dissolution of soule and body p. 210 How far our Saviour did suffer death naturall appeareth in three conclusions Conclusion 1. Whatsoever did appertaine to the substance and essentials of the first death that Christ did suffer p. 210 Conclusion 2. Christ did undertake to die the death of the crosse a most shamefull and base death only appropriated to the basest malefactors that hee might thereby shew the hainousnesse of sinne which deserveth the worst death of all p. 211 Conclusion 3. Those dishonorable infirmities which befell men because of the infirmitie of the flesh as the having the body to rot in the grave to be torne in peeces our Saviour would not undergoe these because hee had no need to suffer these p. 206 Use 1. It is a sweet cordiall to all the Saints of God upon their death beds for the death of Christ hath taken away the evill of death p. 207 Secondly Christ did also suffer in his soule in that there was a reall withdrawing of the mercy and compassion of God p. 213 Secondly there was a reall inflicting of the indignation of the Lord and that fils the soule of a poore creature p. 214 Question 2. How farre our Saviour suffered these paines Answer This is to bee knowne in these five conclusions Conclusion 1. It is possile that some paines of hell may be suffered in this life therefore the living of our Saviour in this life is no hinderance but that he might undergoe them p. 215 Conclusion 2. Some paines of Hell were endured by Christ and yet the union of the Manhood with the Godhead might still be untouched p. 216 Conclusion 3. Our Saviour suffered paine in his soule as hee was our Mediatour in our roome and in our stead p. 218 Conclusion 4. Whatsoever punishment proceeded from the Father our Saviour tooke it upon himselfe yet so as that he neither had personal sin to deserve it neither did he sin in bearing of it as the wicked doe which are damned p. 220. Conclusion 5. The desperation of a damned soule in hell and the eternity of torments they are no essentials of the second death and therefore they could not nor ought not to be suffered by our Saviour p. 227 Use 1. It is a word of information labour from hence to see the hainousnesse of sinne and to hate it because it hath brought all this evill upon thy Saviour and would have brought the same upon thee had not the Lord Iesus stepped in between thee and the wrath of the Father p. 234 Use 2. Did our Saviour suffer these paines then see here the strictnesse of Gods justice p. 241 Question 3. When did our Saviour beginne these sufferings Answer Our Sauiour did beginne the paines of the naturall death from his cradle to his grave he began to die as soone as hee began to live p. 245 Secondly our Saviour did suffer these paines in his soule partly in the garden partly upon the crosse p. 247 Question 3. Whether our Saviour did suffer in body alone or in soule alone or in both Answer Christ did properly and immediately suffer the wrath of God in his soule as well as hee did the paines of death in his body p. 249 Use 1. Is it so was the Lord Iesus driven to this astonishment and to all this misery then let every soule learne from hence what will be the fruit of sinne and what hee may expect from sinne p. 260 Reason 1. Is taken from the divine justice of God which required this by way of satisfaction as being onely sutable and agreeable to the divine justice of God by reason of sinne p. 283 Reason 2. Is taken from the office of Christ because our Saviour was our suretie and so he was bound to it by faithfulnesse p. 287 Use 1. It is a word of confutation and it directly meets with Popish Purgatory p. 288 Use 2. It teacheth us that all the troubles miseries afflictions either inward or outward they cannot properly bee called punishments inflicted upon the faithfull but chastisements p. 289 Use 3. It is a word of comfort to all you that are beleevers you have heard the treasures of mercy and the death of our Lord Iesus Christ laid open view them and take them all for your comfort p. 293 FINIS Severall Treatises of this AUTHOUR 1 THE unbeleevers preparing for Christ out of Revelations 22.17 1 Corinth 2.14 Ezekiel 11.19 Luke 19.42 Matthew 20.3 4 5 6. Iohn 6.44 2 The soules preparation for Christ or a Treatise of Contrition on Acts 2.37 3 The Soules humiliation on Luke 15. verses 15 16 17 18. 4 The Soules vocation or effectuall calling to Christ on Iohn 6.45 5 The Soules union with Christ 1 Corin. 6.17 6 The Soules benefit from union with Christ on 1 Cor. 1.30 7 The Soules justification eleven Sermons on 2 Corin. 5.21 8 Sermons on Iudges 10.23 Sermons on Psalme 119.29 Sermons on Proverbs 1.28 29. Sermons on 2 Tim. 3.5 THE SOVLES union with CHRIST 1 CORIN 6.17 He that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit WE told you that the application of the merits of Christ consists especially in two things First the preparation of the soule for Christ Secondly the ingrafting or the knitting of the soule to the Lord Jesus Christ Of this preparation wee have heretofore largely treated partly in contrition where the soule is cut off from sinne partly in humiliation whereby the soule is cut off from it selfe whereby the Lord rases the foundation of all carnall confidence whereby a man rests upon his owne privileges and performances and makes his services his Saviour either the soule seeth no need to depart from sinne or else it thinke it can helpe it selfe out of sinne when both these are removed from the soule then it is fitted to receive the Lord Jesus Christ Secondly the soule comes to be ingrafted into Christ and that hath two parts First the calling of the sinner or the putting of the soule into Christ Secondly the growing of the soule with Christ these two take up the nature of ingrafting a sinner into the stock First it is put into the stock Secondly being put into the stock it growes together with the stock these two things are answerable in the soule The former of these two wee have largely treated of and fully finished in the great worke of vocation when the Lord brings the sinner to himselfe by the call of mercie and the voice of the Gospell we are now to proceed and we have made some entrance into the second and that is the growing of the soule together with Christ for though the graft be in the stock yet it cannot be fruitfull unlesse it grow together with the stock now this growing together
paid such a day or land must be possessed when such a partie dies but there was never any man could make such tenure as if a man should make a feofment to his wife of long life and peace and grace and salvation it is in no mans power to doe this some men have a great deale of good things in this world and many have little besides and againe all men have not an all-sufficiencie to supply and succour a man according to all his necessities but here is the excellencie of this dowry that whatever it is the soule wants or stands in need of the Lord hath it in himselfe and will communicate it to the soule for his good Colos 2.3 this is that the Apostle implies In whom saith he are all the treasures of wisdome and holinesse and marke the value and worth of the phrase hee doth not say great suâ—mes of holinesse and wisdome and mercie and the like but the treasures and not some treasures but all the richest men in the world that have the greatest estates and treasures one mans estate lieth in lands another mans lieth in goods another mans lieth in money but no man hath all treasures but in Christ are all the treasures of all mercy and all compassion of all grace and salvation whatever is needfull for us and may be beneficiall to those that beleeve in him and rest upon him by a true and a lively faith and however the soule may thinke this treasure may be spent and this fountaine of mercy and compassion drawne dry and can my sinnes be pardoned and my corruptions subdued Christ doth prevent this also we may spend what we will there is still enough to spend upon Ephes 3.8 There are insearchable riches in Christ as who should say Thou knowest no end thou findest no bottome of the vilenesse of thy heart that doth pollute thee and defile thee why there is no end of the riches of Christ no bottome of the Ocean sea of Gods mercy that may comfort thee and releeve thee upon all occasions Iohn 3.34 the text saith Christ received the Spirit above measure as if Christ would prevent the cavils of a poore creature and pluck up a discouraged heart when the sinner thinks my sinnes are out of measure sinfull and my heart is out of measure hard why thinke and remember that in Christ there is mercy out of measure mercifull and grace out of measure powerfull there thou shalt see bloudy Manasses idolatrous Manasses abominable Manasses in the Lord Jesus he hath received the pardon of all his sinnes and yet there is pardon enough for thee too there thou shalt see Paul a persecutor and the bloudy jaylor there is that power in the Lord Iesus that crushed the pride of the heart of Paul and that brake the heart of the bloudy jaylor that stood it out a long time the earth shooke and the prison shooke and the doores flew open hee stood still all this while at last the Lord made him shake and all as well as the earth why and yet there is power enough for thee too in Christ there is fulnesse without measure take you may what you will there is enough still for all Ephes 1 last verse the text saith that Christ is the head of all his church and the church is his body and what followeth even The fulnesse of him that filleth all in all things that is he fils all his servants with all that grace and mercie and compassion they need so that there is a fulnesse in the Lord Jesus and there is enough to supply all the wants of a beleeving creature and to releeve him in regard of all those necessities that lye upon him that is the first Secondly as there is enough in Christ to supply all the wants of his Saints so in the second place Christ doth supply unto them whatever is fitting for them there is enough for every Saint of God and the Lord doth supply whatever is most fit for every man whatever is most proportionable to the need of a poore soule and to the place and condition wherein God hath set him this is the limits of Gods bounty whatever may supply my need or fit my place that God hath see me in and called me to that God supplies and gives sufficient grace and mercie ansâ—erable thereunto I will open the point at large because it is somewhat difficult looke as it is with a wise father that hath a faire estate and hath enough for his children and those that depend upon him and is willing also to bestow abundantly upon them according to their occasions this is the wisdome of a wise father he will stock his childe according to the calling wherein he is so many hundreds will doe no more than serve one man in that place whereunto hee is called whereas so many scores haply will serve another man if one man hath lesse hee cannot trade if another man hath more hee cannot use it hee hath more stock than he can employ the merchant that ventures farre hath great employments many thousands will scarce furnish him but a poore man as a weaver or a shoomaker or the like many thousands are more than hee can use in his trade againe the wise father considers if the childe bee a spend-thrift and in debt there is more required to set up him than him that is but now going into the world or haply aforehand so Christ as a wise father deals with his faithfull servants there are many of Gods faithfull servants which are advanced some to greater places in the Church some in the commonwealth some godly Magistrates and religious Ministers now there is a great deale of wisdome required for a Magistrate that stands in the face of the world and in the mouth of the canon to accomplish great things for the glory of God and the good of his Church so a Minister a little grace which is sufficient to save a mans soule is not enough for him to trade withall some againe are leaders and commanders as masters of families some againe are able Christians which are fit to bee helpfull unto others againe some are cast behinde hand in a Christian course who before God opened their eyes and discovered their sinnes and brought them home they lived a riotous course those old arrerages of pride and loosnesse many yeares together a man is wonderfull in debt in this manner now to bring home such a sinner and to pardon such a sinner and to sanctifie such a soule there is a great deale of mercy required and a great deale of grace required there are many proud-hearted and many stout-hearted as Beelzebub himselfe that take up armes against God himselfe and stand in defiance against the Lord of hosts now answerable to their conditions and corruptions answerable to their debts and base courses when God will bring such a creature home unto himselfe hee hath answerably strange blowes for him as it is said of Nebuchadnezer
now take notice of it this will be thy miserie because thou shalt see whole treasures of mercie counted out before mercie for Manasses and mercie for Paul and mercie for the bloudy jaylour and mercie for such a rebellious sinner that humbled himselfe before God and no mercie for thee there is plentifull rich abundant redemption in the Lord Jesus Christ but thou shalt never partake thereof when thou shalt see Abraham and Isaak and Iakob and a companie of poore creatures goe into heaven at the day of the resurrection when thou shalt see a companie of poore creatures goe up to Christ and receive mercie and great redemption and thou shalt goe without this will bee gall and worm-wood to thy soule and strike thy soule into everlasting despaire therefore the Lord open thine eyes that thou maist come in and receive mercie at his Majesties hand now you have your share now stand by and let us set the bread before the children that they may take their part also and be cheaâ—ed and comforted then you that are beleevers in the Lord you that are called attend to your share and sit downe and eat and bee refreshed O my well-beloved receive what comes and be happie in receiving it Vse 2 The second use therefore is a ground of comfort and that is the proper inference and collection from the former doctrine is it so that the Lord Jesus Christ conveyeth all grace to all beleevers to all his poore servants from day to day then you that have a share therein and have interest to all the riches of Gods goodnesse let this be a cordiall to cheare your drooping hearts and stay your soules notwithstanding temptations notwithstanding persecution notwithstanding opposition notwithstanding any thing that may befall you for the present or any thing you may feare for the future time cheare up your drooping spirits in the consideration hereof and be for ever comforted for ever contented for ever refreshed you have a faire portion what would you have what can you desire what would quiet you what will content you would the wisedome of a Christ satisfie you would the sanctification of a Christ please you would the redemption of a Christ cheare you you complaine your hearts are hard and your sinnes great and your selves miserable and many are the troubles that lie upon you will the redemption of a Christ now satisfie you if this will doe it it is all yours his wisedome is yours his righteousnesse is yours his sanctification is yours his redemption is yours all that he hath is yours and I thinke this is sufficient if you know when you are well therefore goe away cheared goe away comforted Christ is yours therefore be fully contented I would not have the Children of God drooping and dismaid because haply of the policy of the world their parts are great and they reach deepe and in the meane time your parts are small and your ignorance great and your memories feeble 1 Pet. 11. Be not thou troubled be not thou discontented because of that which they have thou wantest for know thy portion is better than theirs the wisedome of Christ is better than all the policy of the world the sanctification of a Christ is better than all the reformation and all the trickes of all cunning Hypocrites under Heaven the redemption of a Christ is better than all the hope and safetie the world can afford this is thy part and portion therefore be thou satisfied therewith the wisdome saith Iames that is malicious and envious and the like it is earthly carnall sensuall and devillish but the wisedome that is from above it is first pure then meeke then abundant in good workes one drop of this wisdome of a Christ is better than all the wisdome in the world art thou a poore creature and knowest Christ to bee thy Saviour and hast an intimation of the love of God to be thy Father and the Spirit thy Comforter thy knowledge is more worth than all the knowledge of all the great Cardinals and mightie Popes and learned Clearks upon the face of the earth a dram of gold is better than a cart-load of earth it is little but it is precious so it is here a dram of spirituall wisdome it is golden wisdome it is heavenly wisdome it is able to make thee wise unto salvation a dram of that wisdome though it be little is worth a thousand cart-loads of that dung-hill carnall wisdome that all the machivilian Politicians in the world can have or improve therefore quiet thy selfe and content thy soule that it is sufficient that what thou wantest Christ will supply unto thee dost thou want wisdome Christ will be thy wisdome dost thou want memory Christ will be thy remembrance hast thou a dead heart Christ will inlarge thee whatever is awanting on thy part there is nothing awanting on Christs part but he will do whatsoever is fitting for thee therefore let nothing hinder thee from that comfort that may beare up thy heart in the greatest triall but I know what troubles you the poore soule will say Is Christ wisdome to me that is a like matter did I but thinke that were my judgement convinced and my heart perswaded of that I were satisfied What I what such a base creature as I am let not that basenesse that hangs upon thee nor the meanes of thy condition that troubles thee discourage thy heart for that cannot withdraw Gods favour from thee nor abridge thee of that favour and mercie that is tendered unto thee in the Lord Jesus Christ all the basenesse of the place wherein thou art and the meanes of thy condition cannot hinder thee of this favour looke upon the text to whom is this promise made to whom doth the Apostle speake He is made to us to us base ones to us foolish ones thou art ignorant and foolish bee it so thou art base and weake grant that despised in the world and made nothing of confesse that and all nay thou art not in thine owne account nor in the account of the world there is no regard had of thee no value put upon thee in this nature why marke what the text saith God hath chosen the foolish things the weake things the base things the despised things nay the things that are not to whom is Christ made wisdome to you fooles to whom is Christ made strength to you weak ones to whom is Christ made honour to you base to whom is Christ made sanctification and redemption to you that are not in the world thou hast nothing thou canst doe nothing it skils not God the Father hath appointed it unto thee and Christ hath brought it therefore be cheared herein though thou beest a foole Christ is able to informe thee though thou beest base and weak and miserable Christ is able to succour and releeve thee and sanctifie that soule of thine therefore bee fully contented and fully setled with strong consolation for ever but you will confesse it
unto us wisedome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption Doctrine THere is a conveyance of all spirituall graces from God unto all beleevers for the explication of the point wee discovered the tenure of this conveyance and that appeared in six particulars The first is this there is a fulnesse of all grace in Christ whereby hee is able to supply whatsoever is needfull to all those that belong unto him it is not with Christ as it was with Isaac when he had blessed Iacob Esau came and said hast thou but one blessing my father blesse mee even mee also my father no there is enough in Christ for all beleevers that mercy which pardoned Manasses stubborne Manasses idolatrous Manasses that mercy is still with Christ that mercy that broke the heart of the bloody Jailor that stood it out to the last the earth shooke and the boults brake in sunder and the prison doores flew open and yet the heart of the bloody Jaylour stood still was not moved one jot at last the Lord made him tremble too and his heart shooke as well as the earth shooke why the same mercy is still in Christ to pardon thy sinnes as well as Manasses sinnes the same Spirit can humble thy soule as well as it did breake the heart of the cruell Jaylour Secondly as there is a fulnesse of all grace and mercy in Christ to fulfill all the wants of his poore Saints so Christ doth supply unto them whatsoever he seeth may be most fit and convenient for them whatsoever is most proportionable for a poore soule and for the place which God hath called him for the condition in which he hath set him to carry him through the discharge thereof shall bee bestowed upon him looke as it is in the body of a man every member hath so much spirits and blood in it as is fit and necessary for it but the finger hath not so much as the arme nor the arme so much as the leg just so it is here in the body of Christ some Christians are legs some are hands some againe are but fingers in the Body of Christ the Ministers of God and the Magistrates they have need of a great deale of grace abundance of mercy abundance of sufficiencie to helpe them in the discharge of their great and weighty duty but every one shall have what is fit for him Thirdly as Christ hath grace enough for all bestowes enough upon all so hee maintaines the grace which he doth bestow hee doth not onely give what we want but maintains what he gives Fourthly he quickneth what he maintaines Fifthly he perfects what he quickneth Lastly he crownes the grace that he hath perfected he doth the worke in us and then rewards us for the worke Vse 1 The first use is an use of mourning and lamentation it may pierce the hearts and sinke the soules of all unbeleeving creatures under Heaven Christ is wisedome but not to thee Christ is justification but not to thee Christ is sanctification and redemption also but not to thee thy horrour of heart and thy guilt of sinne and pollution of conscience remaine still upon thy soule to this very day therefore no comfort to thee Vse 2 Secondly it is a ground of comfort and consolation to all the Saints of God though you are weake and feeble and have no wisedome to direct you no memory no parts no sufficiency why Christ is made wisedome to you fooles Christ is made righteousnesse to you unrighteous you know your calling not many wise not many noble but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise thereof Vse 3 The third use is a ground of humiliation of Spirit Let him that glorieth glory in the Lord I laboured saith Saint Paul not I it was through the might of Iesus Christ that strengthened me through the grace of Christ that enabled me to it Vse 4 The last use is an use of exhortation or direction namely we hence see whither the Saints of God should goe to fetch succour and supply of what ever grace they want and perfection and increase of what they have already Christ is made all in all to his servants why then away to the Lord Jesus if you will have any thing hee cals and invites Revelation 3. I counsell thee to buy of mee eye salve if thou bee an accursed man buy of Christ justification if thou bee a polluted creature buy of Christ sanctification I counsell thee to buy of me eye salve there it is onely to bee had in that shop therefore goe thither for it It was the resolution of the Prophet David Psalme 31. With thee is the well-spring of life and in thy light shall wee onely see light it is not here to bee had in your hearts nor in your heads nor in your performances nor in the means themselves but with thee is the Well of life yea 't is there 't is not here in our selves 't is onely in a Christ to bee found onely from a Christ to bee fetched and received improve all meanes wee should doe so use all helps we ought to doe so but seeke to a Christ in the use of all with him is the Well of life but you will say if Christ bee made unto us wisedome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption why have not the Saints of God that grace they stand in need of and those inlargements in prayer and holy services which they crave and desire they seeke and have not they pray and obtaine not why the truth is wee doe not goe to Christ for it wee seeke for the living among the dead wee never came where it grew where it was made your hand is in a wrong box you are come to a wrong place grace was never made here If a man should come out of France to buy silkes or velvets here in England every mā would tel him you are come to a wrong place for these commodities they are not made here if you would have broad cloth and saies here you may have but as for silkes and velvets they are not made here so you would have grace out of the means of grace why grace never grew there The Sacrament saith grace is not in mee Prayer saith grace is not in me hearing saith grace is not in me we indeed convey grace but it is not originally in us Christ is the fountaine of grace Christ is made unto us righteousnesse Christ is made unto us sanctification and redemption these tell you wee have heard of the notice of grace we have heard such a rumour such a report that there is wisedome and there is grace and there is mercy and sanctification and redemption but the truth of it is it is not in us it is in Christ onely to be had hee is indeed made unto you righteousnesse and sanctification goe then to him for it and there you may receive it this is the reason why that after the use of all meanes
seized upon his soule and unlesse they doe grant this then this absurditie must needs follow upon it that Christ was not at all forsaken of God for he that was constantly assisted and refreshed by the sense of the love and favour of God he was no way forsaken Ioseph was in prison but God was with him and Daniel was in the Lions den but God was with him and in 2 Chron. 15.2 God is with you while yee are with him now if Christ had assistance from God the Father to strengthen him and the sense of the sweetnesse of Gods love to refresh him then hee was no way forsaken which is profesly contrary to this truth and it is to give the good Spirit of God the lie therefore away with those imaginations so that the answer is cleare that God the Father did take away the sense and feeling of the sweetnesse of his love from our Saviour and this made him to crie out My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee thus much to wipe away the cavils of the Jesuits Now I come to shew the right sense and interpretation of the words which wee ought to receive and here you may see the great worke of Christ and the love of Christ and the comfort of a Christian the text includes two things which containes the very dregs of the cup First that God tooke away the sense and feeling of his love and favour Secondly God the Father laid a curse upon him There is a dereliction and a malediction in the words forsaking and the curse therefore adde to this place but Gal. 3.13 and you shall have the full sufferings of Christ Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us because it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree so that when hee was crucified and hanged on the crosse then hee was made a curse for us and then he was forsaken Let mee a little open both the passages to you First for the forsaking of our Saviour Why hast thou forsaken mee when he cried thus and rored for the very disquietnesse of his soule there was more in it than ordinarie I will discover the substance of this forsaking of Christ how farre it went and that in three particulars that you may know how far to steere your judgements in conceiving the sense of the Spirit of God in this place this forsaking of Christ may be conceived of in three conclusions First it was not a totall forsaking of our Saviour but onely in part and it was not a perpetuall forsaking but for a while and it was not a taking away the Godhead from the manhood of our Saviour but the Godhead was ever united to the manhood and did evermore support it Secondly this forsaking was on the Fathers part and not on our Saviours part the Father forsakes Christ but Christ went after him God tooke away the sense of his love but the Lord Jesus Christ cried after him and laid hold upon him and saith My God my God why hast thou forsaken me the Father went away but the Lord Jesus Christ went after the Father and would not let him goe God the Father might justly forsake our Saviour being made sinne for us by account and imputation being our suretie God the Father might justly take away and withdraw the sense of the sweetnesse of his love and favour from the Lord Jesus Christ without any sinne but now the Lord Jesus Christ could not have forsaken and gone away from the Father without sinning so that this forsaking was on the Fathers part but our Saviour held fast and would not be carried away My God my God c. As Iob saith Though hee kill mee yet will I trust in him so that Iobs trusting and Gods killing anger might stand together and when the Lord wrestled with Iacob and said Let me goe for the day breaketh Iacob said I will not let thee goe untill thou blesse me God may goe away from Iacob but Iacob may not goe away from God for want of confidence and affiance so that this forsaking is to be apprehended wholly on the Fathers part for our Saviour did not goe away from God by diffidence and distrust Thirdly and here lies the main pith and heart blood of the point that wee may speake tremblingly and wisely in this great and difficult point The conclusion is this the soule of our Saviour that is the whole man was for the while deprived of the sense of Gods favour and the feeling operation of his love and mercy that might comfort him I say it was for the while and this seemes to be the reason of those strong cries and heart-breaking complaints of his You know when a man cries then there is misery and trouble upon him and when he cries loud and puts forth all his powers it implies a marvellous weight nay it gives us to conceive of a kinde of admiration and a kinde of wondering with himselfe what the cause of it should bee It seemes here that this was the cause of the sad complaint because in his agonie there were some inklings of Gods mercy and now and then a starre-light and a little flash of lightning to cheere him but now all the sense and feeling of Gods love was gone and not so much as any little star-light to cheere him up and that drives him to a wonderment saying My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee Is it possible that thou canst thus forsake thy Sonne what 's the reason of it what and an onely begotten Sonne not that the spirit of consolation was ever taken away from our Saviour nor that the Godhead was taken away from the manhood and so left comfortlesse and supportlesse no no but howsoever the spirit of comfort and consolation was there yet the sweetnesse of that consolation wherein he had refreshed and solaced himselfe that was quite taken await Object Oh but say the Jesuites this seemes strange for if this bee so that all the sense and sweetnesse of Gods love was taken away from him then how can he say my God my God Answer It is a conceit for a Jesuite and not for a Christian for faith and the want of feeling may goe together Christ longed after mercy though hee saw nothing and hee cried my God my God though hee had no sense of Gods love the strongest faith may stand where no sense is Esay 50.10 Hee that walketh in darknesse and hath no light that is he that is altogether in misery and sorrow and anguish and seeth no light of comfort and consolation what must hee doe must hee cast away all hope no let him stay himselfe by the power of faith upon his God So then Christ may have and had confidence to say my God my God and yet hee was deprived of the sense of Gods love and the feeling operation of his mercy and favour and God the Father might take away the sense and sweetnesse of it without
any weaknesse on our Saviours part because this withdrawing of the sweetnesse of Gods love brings onely a punishment upon the soule and takes to grace nor holinesse from the soule of our Saviour Now wee are come to the bottome now our Saviour foresaw all the mercy goodnesse and compassion of God the Father going away from him and hee panted after it saying my God my God mercy is gone and compassion is gone in regard of the sense of it Now that you may see the weight of the sufferings of our Saviour consider thus â—â—ich that the 〈◊〉 away the selfe of Gods love discovers it selfe in Scripture after this manner The Lord in this worke of his and in this heavie withdrawing himselfe he turnes away his face and lookes another way deprives him of the injoying of the sweetnesse of his fellowship which formerly hee had Ionah 2.4 Ionah was a good and a gratious man though he was a strange man as one observes yet when the Lord had dealt something strangely with him and cast him into the sea a whale receives him and when hee was swallowed up of the whale he was then swallowed up of a greater griefe for God had taken away the sweetnesse of his love from him therefore saith he I am cast out of thy sight hee would play the runne away with God and would goe to Tarsus therefore God casts him out of his sight to his owne apprehension therefore saith hee I am cast out of thy presence this was onely in regard of the sense and sweetnesse of Gods love and favour this you may see in the example of David Psalme 31.22 I said in my haste I am cast out of thy sight as no question but Ionah prayed in the whales belly and said Lord pardon my sinne and forgive my transgressions no saith the Lord get you downe to Tarsus so David prayed and cried earnestly saying not smile of thy favour Lord no saith the Lord and hee looked another way yet thou heardest the voyce of my prayer and so Ionah yet will I looke towards thy holy Temple hee looked to mercy whiles his eyes and his heart and all faild so that faith may well stand even there where there is no sense at all Thus it was here in the case of our Saviour and thus the Scripture speakes admirable pithily Psalme 77.9 Hath God forgotten to bee gracious and hath he shut up his tender mercies as if he had said though I may not have mercy yet let me see mercy hath God in anger shut up his mercy the face of mercy is sweet and the presence of mercy is comely but hath God in anger shut up his tender mercies hee hath not onely sent him going out of doores as hee did Ionah but hee shuts himselfe up that the poore sinner cannot come within fight of him Oh saith the sonne I would my father would but looke out at the window that I might see him but when hee will not suffer his sonne to looke upon him this is heavie so the Lord saith to his servants no no you have slighted my kindnesse therefore I will locke it up that you shall see him no more In the second Booke of Samuel the fourteenth chapter the twentie eighth verse When Absolom had dwelt two yeares in Ierusalem and saw not the Kings face at length hee sends for Ioab to send him to the King and said either let me see the Kings face or else wherefore doe I live It was a great favour that hee might but see the Kings face though hee might not injoy fellowship with him this is a great trouble when the Lord shuts up his mercy in anger mercy hath come home to your hearts and it hath besought you to take it but you have dealt basely with the Lord and walked rebelliously against him well the Lord will shut you out of his presence and will shut up his mercy and then you shall say that you had mercy offered to you once and you would not accept it Thirdly and this is the highest degree of all the Lord doth not onely shut up his mercy that he cannot be seene but hee goes away that a man cannot tell where to seeke him Oh saith the sonne that I might but see my Father but hee is gone and then his heart is even swalloweed up nay God doth not only take away the sense and feeling of his favour beyond sight but hee goes away from a man that hee cannot tell where to seeke him that if he would write letters as I may say yet he knowes not where to send them and if he call his father he cannot heare him Thus the Scripture speakes and thus the saints of God have found it from time to time Psalme 77.7 8 9. Will the Lord absent himselfe for ever and will he shew no more favour this translation is reasonable well but the originall runs thus will hee adde no more to bee favourable as if hee had said what will he not only not entertaine me but is hee gone that I cannot tell where to finde him and in the â— verse Is his mercy cleane gone for ever This is the last of all and that which contains the pith of all that our Saviour speakes expresly of himselfe that God goes not onely out of his presence but out of his calling too the place is excellent Psal 22.1 from whence these words were taken My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee why art thou so farre from helping mee and from the words of my complaint God is gone beyond call Now that you may see the weight of the sorrowes that lay upon our Saviour consider thus much our Saviour was not onely cast out of Gods favour and God did not onely take away the sense of his love and the feeling operation of his favour that so he received not the sweetnesse that he had done but Christ tooke the place of sinners and therefore God the Father shut him out amongst sinners and drew his mercy out of sight and out of hearing and therefore he cried out My God my God c. Nay further why art thou so farre from my helpe Hee cried out that hee â—ore his bowels againe and stretched out his throat and cries my God my God and hee followes the mercy of God the Father in this kinde not that his faith did not prevaile but he had not the sense and sweetnesse of Gods love and so David in all that he spake saying Will he be favourable no more hath hee in anger shut up his tender mercies All this while God was present with him by supportation though he held that vision of mercy off from his soule now at this time it seemes to me and the text will beare it that though Christ before had but three bouts in the garden yet now all the sins of all his elect children and the cloud of sins of all the faithfull did arise to a mighty great fog and the cloud did overspread all the
the mountaines fall on us and to the hils cover us from the presence of him that sitteth upon the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand If any man could beare up himselfe then it were the great ones of the world now take a scantling of your owne strength if any were able to beare the wrath of the Lord it were the kings and the mightie men and the captaines and the rich men of the world but faith the text The day of the Lords wrath is come and who shall bee able to stand It is not the soveraigntie of the king nor the skill and courage of the captaine or the libertie of the freeman or the slavery of the bondman that can deliver them but they all crie to the rocks fall on us and cover us from the presence of the Lord nay that you may yet see the vildnesse and wretchednesse of your hearts and the miserablenesse of your condition when the presence of the Lord appeares see what the text saith Psalme 114.5 7. The sea fled and the earth trembled the hils melted at the presence of the Lord nay the devils themselves tremble as in the 6. and 8. verses of the epistle of Saint Iude The Angels which kept not their first love he hath reserved in everlasting chaines under darknesse to be kept for the judgement of the last day they have their portion for the while but there is a great deale of wrath to come and there are many plagues comming and they know Gods wrath and they shake and tremble in the apprehension of it now when you see this goe home to your owne soules and let every man that would heretofore as his owne conscience can tell him flout God to his face and make a scorn of hell and of judgement and condeÌ„nation go home I say lay this to your owne hearts and say is it so that the mountains shak and the sea shrinks and the devils tremble at the wrath of the Lord good Lord then how shall I be able to beare it that am not able to coÌ„ceive of it nay if any man think that hee is able to undergoe the wrath of God and to bear it off with head and shoulders look but here upon the Lord Jesus Christ that was perfect God and perfect man he that created heaven and earth and bote up the foundation of heaven and earth yet when hee came to beaâ—t the wrath of God it forced teares from his eyes and clodded blood from his body and made him crie out My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee Doe but now compare your selves with Christ and say did my Saviour buckle under the wrath of God then certainly it will breake you therefore say thou if hee that was the Creator of heaven and earth could not beare it then how shall I be able to beare it when he comes against me for my siâ— and corruption committed by me therefore heart and feare all you stout hearted of the world rather now tremble while you may be comforted than hereafter when you shall never be eased thinke but with your selves how dreadfull that day will be when all the glorious attributes of God shall take their leaves of you he that before had a great deale of mercy and patience and the Lord hath wooed him saying Oh once at last heare and see the things that belong to thy peace there is not one of you all in this congregation but that you have beene compast about with mercies and the justice of God it would have broken out against you had not mercy stepped in to rescue you how easie were it for the Lord to dash us all into the bottomlesse pit every creature of us therefore thanke mercy and patience and forbearance that still you breathe and say blessed bee God that I have to deale with a gracious mercifull and compassionate God that hath kept mee from judgement that I have not ere now perished in it Now thinke with your selves what a day it wil be when mercy shal weep over you take his leave of you say remeÌ„ber thou poore creature how I met thee in thy walkes and kneeled downe before thee and besought thee to take mercy and to be saved and pardoned but thou wouldst not adem therefore this is the last time of asking I will never see thy face more and with that patience as it were buckles under the burthen and saith I have bond with their thus longe I have borne twenty years with some thirtie years with some fortie years with others and all this which I have borne with thee in thy pride and stubbornesse and loosenesse and uncleannesse but now adew never more patience to beare with you what no more mercy nor no more goodnesse saith the soule and they all say no and stake their hands and say adew thou rebellious heart for ever it will make thy heart shake within thee and thou wilt say I shall sinke downe suddenly there is nothing but wrath to bee expected they are all gone to heaven and you must be forever packing to hell Oh feare and feare all you whom it doth concerne this day if so bee Christ cannot beare it then you cannot suffer it but you will sinke under the same for ever Now I come to the reasons of the point in generall why our Saviour suffered paines both in body and in soule then the reasons of it are three and they are all of speciall use Reason 1 First it is taken from the divine justice of God which required this by way of satisfaction as being onely surable and agreeable to the divine justice of God by reason of sinne whereby Adam had intrenched upon the privilege of God the Father every breach of the Law of God intrencheth neerly upon God himselfe and therefore every sinne is of a provoking nature because it is committed against an infinite majestie therefore that divine justice may not be a loser there must be a punishment not onely corporall but also spirituall for justice abates not any thing of the satisfaction God is just and this is justice to give every one his due honour to whom honour belongs and punishment to whom punishment belongs therefore that justice may bee preserved she must inflict these punishments upon our Saviour being in our roome the Jesuites have devised a cavill against this reason say they it needed not that Christ should suffer these for the dignitie of the person of our Saviour may dispence with some part of the punishment and if he beare death it is sufficient he may bee freed from the other paines in his soule Now that this conceit of theirs is a thing marvellous injurious to the justice of God the Father and to the wisedome of the Lord Jesus Christ and to the death of Christ I prove it thus for by the same right that the dignitie of the person of our
threatnings of God can take no hold upon them but though they are so rebellious here yet everlasting condemnation shall take hold of them and shall have power over them hereafter and will drag their soules and bodies downe to hell and there they shall suffer intolerably and incomprehensibly and then hell and condemnation shall tell them thus much seeing the commands of God could take no hold upon you therefore we will the mercies of God could not perswade with you but the judgements of God shall prevaile against you What becomes of all the great and mighty men of the world where is Pharaoh and Nimrod and the rest of them the wrath of God hath throwne them upon their backs in hell but you that are true beleevers the second death shall have no power over you though wrath and condemnation seeme to lay hold upon you yet there is no power in them to condemne you because if Christ hath taken away the paines of the second death then it shall never oppresse such as belong to the Lord Jesus Christ therefore goe your way comforted there is nothing that shall ever prevaile against you Object Oh but saith the soule could I see Heaven gates set open if the way were open and plaine that I might see the way and walke in it then I could be comforted but what I in heaven the Angels are all holy and God is a holy God and a pure redeemer and all things there are pure and undefiled can such a wretch as I am come to heaven certainly the Saints will goe out of heaven if I come there Answer No the blood of Christ will doe all this for you and it will make way for thee into heaven as Hebr. 10.19 20. Seeing therefore brethren that by the blood of Iesus we may most boldly enter into the holy places by the new and the living way which hee hath prepared for us through the vaile which is his flesh marke two things in that place you may have boldnesse you feare now that your sinnes will not bee pardoned and that God the Father will not accept of you well be not proud and sawcie but take the blood of Christ along with you and goe on boldly and chearfully All you that have an interest in the great worke of God either for brokennesse of heart or vocation to call you to rely upon the Lord Jesus Christ bee thou a sinner If thou hast faith I speake not of the measure of faith but hast thou faith then why sittest thou here drooping Go you on cheerily and undauntedly and goe with comfort to everlasting happinesse every thing gives you comfort had you but eyes to see it God and men Heaven and earth sinne justice hell and condemnation gives you all comfort If you looke up to justice that saith you poore beleeving creatures goe your way comforted I am setisfied to the full If you looke to hell and death and condemnation they say be comforted you poore beleeving soules we have no power over you the Lord Iesus Christ hath conquered us and if you looke to your owne sinnes they tell you thus much and say be for ever comforted for wee have pleaded against you but wee have lost the cause If you looke up to heaven there you may see glory and happinesse and blessednesse ready to entertaine every beleeving soule and they all call after you and say Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you therefore goe away cheerily and get you to heaven and when you come there be discomforted if you can if Christ and God and Heaven and all call you and say come all hither you beleeving soules then lift up your heads with joy and draw the waters of comfort and consolation from this truth onely remember this here when you finde your sins roaring upon you and telling your Father that you have sinned and justice cries and hell threatens then take the blood of Christ and see before your eyes all that ever Christ hath suffered and see justice fully satisfied and heare the blood of Christ speaking as well as the clamours of sinne it is the misery that we are in that we can here the bawlings of Satan and of corruption crying and saying what you salvation and yet have these and these corruptions we heare these and we hearken not to the other the blood of Christ hath pardoned all and will cleanse all Oh heare that voyce and you shall see and heare that it speakes admirable things this is the second use Vse 3 Thirdly hath Christ done all this then stand amazed at that endlesse and boundlesse love of the Lord Jesus Christ but onely that the Scripture cannot lie and God hath said which is faithfull and true and cannot be deceived and is infinite in all his workes otherwise man that is sensible of his sins and wants could not beleeve it but yet Christ hath done it and it is worth the while to weigh it and to consider of it in a holy admiration although wee are not able to walke in any measure answerable thereto had our Saviour only sent his creatures to serve us and had we onely had some Prophets to advise us in the way to Heaven or had hee onely sent his holy Angels from his chamber of presence to attend upon us and minister to us it had beene a great deale of mercy or had Christ come downe from the heavens to visit us It had beene a peculiar favour that a King will not onely send to the Prison but goe himselfe to the lungeon and aske saying is such a man here a man would thinke himselfe strangely honoured and the world would wonder at it and say the King himselfe came to the prison to day to see such a man certainly he loves him dearly or had Christ himselfe come onely and wept over us and said Oh that you had never sinned and oh that you had more considered of my goodnesse and the excellency of happinesse oh that you had never sinned this had beene marvellous mercy but that Christ himselfe should come and strive with us in mercy and patience and we slight it and not onely to provide the comforts of this life but the means of a better life and to give us peculiar blessings nay that the Lord Jesus should be so fond of a company of rebels and hell-hounds that he thinkes nothing good enough for them hee hath prepared heaven for them and he gives them the comforts of the earth for their use too nay he hath given them his blood and his life and all and yet you are not at the highest what doe you talke of life hee was not onely content to part with life but hee was content to part with the sense and sweetnesse of Gods love which is a thousand times better than life it selfe as David saith The loving kindnesse of God is better than life it selfe He was content to be accused that we might be blessed he was content