essential properties of a Creature As if now when exalted he were wholly or only God or as if the properties of the Humane Nature were swallowed up in the God-head That were inconsistent with his being true Man and would marr and obstruct our consolation exceedingly But his Exaltation consisteth 1. In the manifestation and decâ—aration of the person that was humbled and brought low to be God Omnipotent Omnipresent Alsufficient infinitly Wise Powerful Just c. For though these properties agree not to the Humane Nature yet they agree to his person and they are manifested to be in him without question 2. In the Exaltation of the Humane Nature of Christ-man to an inconceivable hight of glory such as the Humane Nature united to the Divine Nature is capable of by very many degrees beyond any thing that the Elect whether Angels or Men are capable of The personal union making him capable of far more glory and his excellent Offices calling for it 3. This Exaltation consists in his absolute Dominion and Kingly Power which is more observably directly and plainly manifested in the dayes of the Gospel-administration then it was under the Law So that now he is clearly known in respect of his Kingly Office to be God in our nature cloathed with our flesh and to be Immanuel Goâ—â—â—th us and that this Immanuel hath aâ—â—â—â—â—er in Heaven and Earth committed to him He hath the keys of Hell and of death and is King of kings and Lord of lords is exalted far above all principalities and powers and is given to be head over all things to the Church In which respect that is most properly to be understood when it is said that he is set on the right hand of God So that now Jesus Christ God and Man in one Person is in highest Glory and in absolutest Dominion nearest unto God far above that which Angels or Saints are capable of As Kings use to set their greatest Courtiers and Minions whom they would honour most on their right hand and as Solomon set his Mother on his right hand so is our Lord set on the right hand of God in highest glory It is true that as God he hath an absolutely Soveraign and independent Kingdom yet as Mediâ—tor God-man he hath a dispensatory Kingdom next unto the Father in glory 4. This Exaltation consists in Christs being furnished with qualifications suitable to that glorious condition wherein he is invested And though these qualifications of the Man Christ be not simply infinit yet they are far above what we can conceive And the qualifications of the Person God-man are infinite in which respect he is Omnipotent All-seeing and infinitly wise to provide every thing that may be for the good of his Church and People and to prevent what may tend to their hurt Omnipresent c. The Uses are three 1. This would waken and rouze our Spirits to a high holy and reverend esteem of Christ he is God above all gods Kiâ—g above all kings he hath gotten a name above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow not superstitiously when he is named but holily and reverently to think of him and to worship and serve him We conceive among many faults and evils in Believers this is a root-evil even low thoughts of glorious Christ so that because he hath become low to lift us up we are ready to think the less of him but O! that we could behold the glorious condition he is exalted unto and could look upon 〈◊〉 as ere long coming in the clouds with 〈◊〉 and great glory in the glory of his Father and all the holy angels with him it would furnish reverend thoughts of him though not to hurt faith and confidence yet to breed holy awe and reverence in us to him-wards The 2d Use serves to shew what a formidable party they engage to top with them who slight our Lord Jesus Christ what loss they are at who loss him and what a great aggravation their sin hath who sin against him ye that slight refuse and oppose him do ye know whom ye refuse and whose dominion ye spurn against and how hard it will be for you to kick against the pricks do ye know your loss who loss him and how it will aggrege your guilt who despise him the more glorious Christ be the greater will the sin of the Unbeliever be therefore be aware what ye are doing ye have a mighty great and strong party to deal with and when the great day of his wrath comes and when he shall appear in his glory how will you be able to abide the least touch of it it will aggrege your sin and highten your misery that he whom the Father exalted was undervalued by you that ye scorned to take a direction from him or to submit to a censure drawen forth in his name and said at least by your practice Let us break his bands asunder and cast away his cords from us but he hath set his king on his holy hill of Zion for all that and he that sits in heaven will laugh the Lord will have you in derision think on it seriously and know that he is no mean person whom ye slight and despise and though this may now seem less than other sins yet it will one day ly heavy on your score and Conscience above many yea above all other sins The 3d. Use serves to be a motive and encouragemt to them that hear this Gospel to receive Christ and for the consolation of Believers who have received him 1. It serves to encourage you all to receive him He is no mean person that wooes you but King of kings and Lord of lords and if ye think it a happiness to be for ever with him then let it move you to close with him if ye do so ye shall be made glorious as he is glorious a due proportion betwixt the Head and the Members being kept ye shall sit on the same throne with him and behold his glory as he prayeth John 17. I will that these whom thou hast given me may be with me to behold my glory this is certainly a great Bargain if Christ be glorious he calleth you to share with him in the same glory 2. It serves for the consolation of Believers who have received him ye have an excellent Mediator a most glorious Head and Husband and a most excellent Dowry and ye shall know it to your superabundant satisfaction and joy in that day when as it is Psal 45. Ye shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needle work and shall enter into the kings palace and share of his glory and see him face to face and sit with him on his throne even as he hath overcome and is set down with his Father on his throne labour to be stayed in the faith and hope of this good glorious and desireable day that is coming when we shall not only see but partake of and be fully and
third but the Father Son and holy Ghost are that same one Object of Worship And when we pray to one we pray to all The reason is clear Because though there be three Persons in the God-head yet there is but one Essence in the God-head and the divine essential Properties which are the grounds on which we adore God are essential and agree to all the Persons of the God-head the Father hath not one Omnipotency and the Son another neither are there two Omnipotents but one Omnipotent God and so in other Attributs they are the same essential properties of the God-head and incommunicable And therefore though the Father be another Person and as they use to speak alius yet he is not another thing or aliud but the same God with the Son and holy Ghost And although the Persons have a real distinction amongst themselves yet none of them are really distinct from the God-head and so there is but one Object of Worship and therefore though sometimes all the Persons be named yet it 's not to shew any distinction in the Object of our worship but to shew who is the Object of our worship To wit one God yet three Persons or iâ— three 3. That though in prayer to God we may name either the Father the Son or the Holy Ghost yet whomsoever we name it 's alwayes the same God Father Son and Holy Ghost that is worshipped And this followeth well on the former and may be the use of it For if the Father be God and if we worship him as God we cannot worship him but we must worship the Son and Holy Ghost with him because they are the same God having the same essential Attributs And therefore 4. Whensoever we pray to and name one of the Persons we would not conceive that he is lesse worshipped that is not named or that we pray lesse to him that is not named as it may be in the same prayer when a Person begins at first he names the Father and when he hath proceeded a little he names the Son men would then beware of thinking that there is a difference in the Object they are praying to or as if they began to pray to one of the Persons and now they are praying to another as a distinct party for it is still the same God who is the Object of worship We observe it to teach you calmness soberness and composedness of frame in approaching to God wherein folks would beware of curious tossing in their mind and imagination what may be the Object of their worship and of suffering it to run in an itchingly curious way on the distinction of the Persons but would stay their mind upon one God in three Persons and seek after no more The 2d is How the Mediator is the Object of our prayers or may be prayed unto and for clearing of this we would propose these considerations 1. That it is a certain truth that the Person that is the Mediator is the Object of our woriship and may be prayed unto because he is God the second Person of the God-head And therefore Act. 7. at the close a direct prayer is put up to him by Stephen Lord Jesus saith he receive my Spirit 2. We say this That the Adoration and Worship that is given to the Mediator is not of any distinct kind from that Adoration and Worship that is given to the Father and the Holy Ghost but the same supream divine worship for he is the same God with the Father and Holy Ghost and although he be Mediator it derogats nothing from his God-head and the Scripture speaking of no divine Worship but one we are therefore not to conceive him to be worshipped with lesse confidence fear or reverence then the other Persons of the Trinity For there is no such worship in Scripture and to give him lesse would derogat from the Majesty of Jesus Christ who is God equal with the Father and the Spirit For although as Mediator he be inferiour to the Father yet the Person whom we worship is God equal with the Father and the Holy Ghost 3. The worshipping of Jesus Christ Mediator and the giving of him divine worship is not the worshipping of any other Object but of the same to wit God who is made flesh and is manifested in our nature by the union of the second Person of the God-head with the humane nature which he hath assumed and taken to him upon which it follows that Jesus Christ must be the same Object of worship and that our worshipping of him is the worshipping of God and that our praying to him is praying to God the Father Son and Spirit And there is reason to take heed to this because when we in prayer are speaking to the Mediator thoughts may steal in as if we were not so immediatly and directly speaking to God as when we name the Father 4. Consider That Christ Jesus being worshipped with this divine worship as the one Object of worship for as we shew there cannot be two Objects of divine worship it will follow that Christ Jesus as God is worshipped for though it be the Person that 's Mediator and Man that is worshipped yet it 's not the Person as Man but as God that is worshipped And the reason is clear because it 's not Christ Jesus as Man but as God that hath these properties of God to be Omni-scient Omni-potent Infinit Supream Adorable c. And therefore as upon the one hand we say that Christ God died and suffered because he being God and Man in one Person the Person that was and is God died and suffered though the God-head did not neither can suffer So upon the other hand we say that Christ Man is prayed unto because he who is God Man is prayed unto as God But though there be an union of the two natures in the Mediators Person and though the properties of the one nature be sometimes attributed to the other because of the straitnesse of the union yet we must still keep the properties of each nature distinct and in our worship-application to him consider him accordingly As to be finite agrees to his humane nature and is to be attributed to that and to be infinite agrees to his divine nature and is to be attributed to him in respect of that To clear it a little if it be possible for us to clear it we must conceive in our worshipping of God in the Person of a Mediator A threefold Object of our worship for so Divines use to distinguish and we hold us closse by them 1. The Material Object or the Object which we worship that is the Person we pray to 2. The Formal Object of our worship or that which is the ground or account on which we worship that Person 3. The Object of our Consideration in our worshipping of that Person on that aâ—â—ount As for instance 1. The Man Christ Jesus is the Person whom we worship or pray unto but
own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree And when He had Offered up Himself as a Sacrifice he sat down on the right hand of majesty on high He is the alone Sacrifice that comes properly in the Room of Elect Sinners 2. As there behoved to be One to Offer the Sacrifice so Christ Jesus is the Priest that Offered up the Sacrifice of Himself He is not only the Sacrifice but the Priest And in this He differed from other Priests Heb. 7.26 Such an high Priest became us who is holy harmless seperat from sinners and made higher then the heavens and then follows who needs not dayly as these high priests to offer up sacrifices first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people for this he did once when he offered up himself There are three things ordinarly Attributed to Christ as to His Sacrifice to wit That He was the Sacrifice the Altar and the Priest 1. He was the Sacrifice in respect of His Humane Nature which we are not so to look upon as Abstracting and Dividing it from His Divine Nature For though He Suffered in the Flesh yet it was the same Person that was God that Suffered 2 He was the Altar by which His Sacrifice received a speciall Efficacy Vertue Value and Commendation As it 's said The Altar sanctifies the offering So Christ Jesus according to His God-head was the Altar which did put an special excellency on His Sufferings and made them to be of such Worth and Value Therefore Heb. 9.14 It 's said that he through the eternal spirit offered up himself without spot unto God It was the Suffering of the Person that was God that made the Sacrifice to be accepted 3. He was the Priest and that according to both His Naturs each Nature concurring and that joyntly as in one Person to the making of the Sâ—crifice Offered up to God acceptable 3. We have in Him a reall destruction but do not mistake the Word It is not so to be understood as if He were annihilated or had been utterly destroyed and undone but the meaning is this That He was Killed or put to Death and His Soul seperat from His Body in which respect He ceased to be what He was before for a time having been really Slain Dead and Buried And 4. All this was according to God's prescription and appointment in the Covenant of Redemption This commandement saith He John 10.18 have I received of my Father to wit that I should lay down my life for my sheep And most emphatically He says John 14.13 as my Father gave me commandement even so mark even so most exactly in conformity to the Commandement do I It was all as to every circumstance ordered according to the good pleasure of God who was pleased thus to bruise Him and to put Him to Grief The 1. Use of it serves To teach us how to Conceive and Consider of Christ's Death and Sufferings rightly to wit even as a Sacrifice designed by God to come in the Room of Elect Sinners and how to look upon His Death not as the ordinary Death of ordinary or meer Men who by necessity of Nature Die but to look on it as being appointed of God to be a Sacrifice properly so taken for the Sins of His People 2dly This serves to clear some Truths concerning our Lord Jesus His Sacrifice For we must consider it as satisfying to Justice and Meritoriously procuring the escaping from Wrath and Salvation of them for whom He Interposed It is from the gross Ignorance or from the wicked denyal of this ground that the damnable denyers of Christ's Satisfaction do also deny the Propriety of His Sacrifice on Earth and bound it to Heaven whereas it is bounded to His Death though by vertue of this One Offering He continues to interceed for us in Heaven 3dly It teaches Sinners what is the native Use which they should make of this Sacrifice They should look upon it as the only Sacrifice to prevent Eternal Death and the Curse of God anâ— so it demonstrats to us that either Jesâ—s Christ must be received by Faith and His Sacrifice rested on or we must resolve to meet with Wrath and the Curse of God our selves in our own Persons 4ly It serves to clear us anent the Way and Tract of Grace to wit how it came to passe that our Lord who was innocent and without Sin was so bruised and put to grief He came to be a Propitiâ—tion for the Sins of His People and sisted Himself in our Room as our Cautioner as a Sin-offering for us It would doubtlesse gnash many Questions and Doubts that arise in the Hearts of Believers if it were well understood They may say we should have been in such and such a sad condition this and that terrible thing would have come on us if He had not Interposed never enough can these words be spoken and thought of that we have 2 Cor. 5. ult He was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him 5ly It serves for notable Consolation to Believers who have betaken themselves to Christ and have many Challenges for Sin to buckle with That His Death was to be properly a Sacrifice for Sin and was so accepted of God in their Room So that ye see the right uptaking of Christs Death is a matter of no little moment Christ crucified being the very Substance of the Gospel It helps much to keep alive the Impression of our Sinfulness and of the Goodness of God and gives us Direction how to escape Wrath by puting Him in our Room There is nothing wherein Folks more readily miscarry in making of their Peace with God then in not making the right use of Christ and of His Sacrifice and Death Some praying for Pardon of Sin from Him and not for Him or for His sake when they know not what they are saying as we hinted at before Some praying for strength from Him for Dutie that they may do for themselves not considering that we are Justified by His Interposing in our Room and by Faith's closing with Him under that consideration as fisting Himself at the Bar of Justice and as being content to be a Sin-offering and the Lord accepting of Him in the Room of Elect Sinners This being well considered gives to Faith much clearness how to take Him up when the Soul honestly aims to partake of the benefit of His Sufferings 2ly For clearing this a little further we would know That there are as Divines observe Four or Five wayes how the Death of Christ is to be considered or how Christ in procuring by His Death Redemption Peace and Pardon to Sinners is holden forth in Scripture 1. He purchases Redemption and Pardon of Sin Meritoriously or He Merits it by His Death this Respects the Value of Christ's Sufferings and Satisfaction So that if we consider Christ in Himself and the Elect in themselves His Death
the Elect as their Surety and Gods Justice pursuing and holding him in on the other side so that he cannot decline being sisted at the Bar of Justice because as it is vers 6. the sins of all the Elect met upon him and he having as it is vers 7. the bitter cup in his hand which by his engagement he was obliged to drink he stands there by the Decree of God and by the Covenant of Redemption tying him to satisfie and being pursued by Wrath and Justice the words come out Father if it be possible let this cup depart from me yet not my will but thine be done his engagement hemming him in and wrath pursuing him he stands betwixt these two as a prisoner and upon these two the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all and he was exacted upon and answered for them follows well the third that he was put in prison for in these Verses the steps of our Lords Humiliation are followed out in a legal way as before the bar of Gods Tribunal 2ly This being our Lords posture we shall consider the effects of this pressure of spirit which we may draw to these four heads 1. He was under the sense of great Soul-pain sorrow and trouble for the cup of the wrath of God being bitter which he was to drink it could not but deeply sting his holy humane nature which was the procuring cause of his agony and that which made his soul sorrowful and brought out the bloody sweat 2. Beside his grief and dolour there was a holy horrour and considering the party that he had to do with it was impossible it could be otherways impossible for a finit though a sinless creature to look on an angry God and on wrath poured forth into the cup which it must needs drink and not to have a horrour at it it were not becoming the sinless humane nature of our blessed Lord not to be affected with a holy and sinless horrour at that most bitter cup which brought out that sad cry Father let this cup depart from me which did not proceed from any dislike he had to fulfil his engagement or from any rewing or unsuitable resentment that he had so engaged himself but from an apprehended sinless disproportionableness to speak so in his finit sinless humane nature to encounter with the wrath of his Father to which though he most willingly yielded yet in it self it was dreadful 3. There was a pinshing and straitning of holy fear as if there had been in him a sinless dispute or debate what will become of this can a man win thorow this though he was God as well as man how will this be gotten born This looks as if death would get the victory Thus it 's said Heb. 5.7 In the days of his flesh he offtred up strong crys and supplications with tears and was heard in that which he feared he put up strong crys to be delivered not from dying but from the power of death and was heard in that which he feared to shew a holy care to prevent death could that have been and a sinless fear of it lest it should swallow him up 4. There was a pinshing and straitning from love to the Father and to the doing of his Will and from love to the Elect and to their Salvation which pushed him forward to perform and fulfil his engagement accordingly Luk. 12.41 he says I have a baptizm to be baptized with and how am I straitned till it be accomplished and hence it was that these words were uttered by him Father not my will but thine be done and therefore though he had power to command twelve legions of Angels for his relief yet to speak so love binds his hands that he will not use his power for his own liberation But to guard this Doctrine from mistakes take a fourfold advertisement concerning this inward soul-pinshing which will help to clear somewhat of his Soul-suffering that followeth And. 1. Think not that there was any sinful or unsuitable confusion or perturbation of mind in our Lord such as useth to be in us there being no dreg of corruption in his mind to jumble or discompose his holy humane nature 2. Beware of thinking that there was any fretting or anxiety in him or any discontentedness with the Bargain his expressions shew forth the contrary for saith he I could command twelve legions of angels yet he would not do it 3. Think not that there was any jealousie in him of the Fathers love though there was a suspension of the comfortable and joyful sense of it yet there was not the least lousing of the faith of it as is clear by his doubling of these words My God my God when in his saddest pinsh he cried out as bâ—ing forsaken 4. Ye would not look on this as holding out any distrust as to the event I have saith he power to lay down my life and I have power to take it up again and I will rise again the third day he knew that the Covenant of Redemption betwixt the Father and him stood firm and sure But it 's the consideration of God's now coming as his Party to exact the Elects Debt of him and his standing at the Bar to answer for it which puts him in this agony and though considering Christ as man personally united to the God-head whereby he was keeped from sinking he had no distrust to be carried thorow yet considering him as Man suffering and that to speak so with reverence in such a divine subject there was an eclipse of that sensible joy that proceeded from the two natures together It 's not possible to conceive of Christ in this posture but wrath and anger behoved to be some-way dreadful or terrible to him The Uses are 1. To evidence the truth of what our Lord suffered and how severely he was pinshed and straitned It was not the Scribes and Pharisees pursuing him nor the Souldiers buffeting and mocking of him and carrying him to the high Priest's hall and from Pilate to Herod and back again that so much troubled him but there was a higher Hâ—nd that he had to look to and a Judge and Court to which he was now answering that was very far above theirs And therefore as a 2d Use of the Doctrine Think it not such a light thing as many do to satisfie Justice or to give God a ransom for Souls ye see how it pinshed the Cautioner and put him as in a prison unspeakably deceived are they who think that two or three formal words will make their peace with God and that they will slip in to Heaven so Be not carried away with this delusion but consider seriously what will become of you if ye be put to answer for your own Debt when he handled the Cautioner his own Son so roughly ye that will sleep on and scorn to let any word pick at you or prick you the Justice of God shall prick you and put you to
God which should come into the world The 5th place is that of John 20.28 where when Christ bids Thomas reach hither his hand and put it into his side his glory shines so full in his face that he cryes out My Lord and my God and his faith is summed up and compended in that The last place that we shall name is that of Acts 8.37 and it s the Eunuchs confession I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God which is the sum of his faith The 4th and last way of confirmation of this great truth is drawen from the worship which is due unto him and hath been given unto him He is the object of Faith John 14.11 ye believe in God believe also in me He is the object of Prayer Acts 7.59 They stoned Stephen calling upon God saying Lord Jesus receive my spirit and frequently else-where in Scripture he is prayed unto though these two are not too curiously to be separated Use 1. The first Use serves to strengthen your Faith in this that our Lord Jesus Christ who suffered for sinners and is made offer of to them in the Gospel is God equal with the Father and so he is to be closed with and rested on as the brightness of the Fathers glory the reason why we would have you confirmed in the Faith of this is not small for its a most necessary thing and without the faith of it all the work of our salvation will hang louse neither can we have any claim to Eternal Life and therefore we desire you particularly who are ignorant Hearers and who have the name of Christ often in your mouths and yet know not what he is to know remember and believe that he that is the son of Mary is also the eternal son of God being God before he was incarnate and before the World was made and the Maker of all that was made Use 2. The second Use serves to let you know That though it be a most necessary thing to be confirmed in the faith of this Truth that Christ is God yet it 's a greater difficulty to believe and be perswaded of it then the most part take it to be many sad proofs whereof we have in Folks words and moe in their practice Flesh and blood saith Christ Matth. 16. hath not revealed this unto thee It 's a wonder whence many Folks faith comes who never found any the least difficulty in this and it 's a wonder that so few are through in the faith of it so that if they were called and put to it they durst not swear that he is God yea if we would look in a little further we would find that the faith of this is but scarce amongst us not to speak of the gross ignorance of many who will say when asked that he is not equal with the Father or that he was made God and other such like expressions will they have that are abominable to be once named amongst Christians Folks through their ignorance falling into damnable Heresies on the matter and yet not knowing that they do so As if our blessed Lord were a made god and not the same God with the Father For the proving of him to be God proves him to be the same God there being but one God Ye would consider for convincing you that it is thus with many of you 1. The little fear that is in men and women of the Majesty of Christ as God they durst not walk with so little fear of him if they believed indeed that he were God What made the Jews with the Scribes and Pharisees to spit upon him and despise him But because they wanted the Faith of his Godhead And have not ye the same nature in you Ye live in a place where the Faith of Christs Godhead is professed and is not questioned but your practice sayes to beholders that ye believe it not because ye fear him not 2. That your souls do so little welcome the offer of the Gospel that tells that ye believe him not to be God 3. That ye do not place your happiness in Believing on him and in the way of holiness ye say in effect wherefore serves Christ ye care not for him Hence it is that so many live contentedly without him and are not sollicitous about the enjoying of him 4. Even in Believers there is much unbelief of this truth which is sadly evidenced by this that they do not so bless themselves in him and that they do not so reckon themselves to have come well to and to be made up in him as David doth Psal 16. Where he saith and holily glorieth The lines are fallen unto me in a pleasant place c. And by the frequent discouragement that is incident to Believers as if Christ had not the guiding of them and of what concerns them or could not guide all well enough for their good If he were believed to be God it would quash temptations banish discouragement comfort under crosses sweeten every condition induce to holiness restrain from sin And in a word it cannot be told what is in the bosome of this one truth when solidly believed For what can possibly be wanting to the Believer in him that is God He hath the fulness of the Godhead to supply what ever they want and sustains the relation of a Husband to the Believer to make it forth-coming And he is furnished with suitable qualifications to make the application thereof What then could be wanting if this were thorowly believed that he is God Let me say it to you the Faith of this would provoke to more holiness and to study more the power then the profession of Religion and would help to live a more comfortable life in every condition SERMON XXX ISAIAH LIII VIII Vers 8. He was taken from prison and from judgement and who shall declare his generation For he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people was he stricken THese words are a proof of that which we discoursed in the Lecture concerning Christs wonderful love to his pâ—ople Then which no man hath greater that a man should lay down his life for his friend But he hath commedned his love to us in that while we were yet enemies he died for us This is the great commendation of Christ's love and what will he refuse to his people who in his love hath come this length to them In the former part of this verse we shew that there was a hint given of Christ's Exaltation of the Exaltation and Glory of the Mediator following on the back of his lowest sufferings An ineffable and inexpressible Glory which the Prophet rather passeth with a sort of non-plussing silence then insisteth in the declaration of it Who shall declare his generation We come now to the last part of the words For he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people was he stricken They are added
2. The formal Object of our worship is Christs God-head and we pray to him on that account because He is the Eternal Infinit Omni-potent Supream c. in respect of his divine nature 3. In our worshipping of this Mediator on this account or ground the mind may be swayed to it on consideration that the person whom we worship as God is also Mediator and Man and this proposes no new Object of worship but gives a motive to induce us to worship him and warms the heart with love to him as when we go to pray to him the mind may consider him as one that died now so considered he is not the Object of our worship because it holds him out as humbled and suffering yet our so considering him strengthens Faith to expect what we need from him and it induces to pray to him and engages to love him even as the People of Israel in prayer to God sometimes used that Title Our redeemer that brought us out of Egypt Yet the ground and account on which they worshipped him was his being the Eternal Infinit and Omnipotent God and the consideration of his Works were but motives to induce them to worship him and to strengthen their Faith in expecting what they stood in need of from him So is it here For if it were possible to conceive that the Mediator that died were not God we would not pray to him for God is the alone Object of divine worship yet to consider that he is God and yet died is an inducement to us to pray to him and it strengthens our Faith to consider that as he is God so also Man one that died and hath also entered himself in this near relation to us For the 3d. which will help to clear the former That is the forms of such Petitions as may be used in petitioning the Mediator we need the lesse to stand on it if as hath been said we hold us by these grounds 1. That there is but one Object of worship 2. That this one Object of worship is God 3. That in worshipping the Mediator we do not divine that Object of our worship Yet we shall speak a word for clearing 1. What form seems most allowable here 2. For clearing of somewhat which we hinted at the other day anent one particular form of petition First then This is clear that we may pray directly to the Mediator by naming him as Stephen does Act. 7. at the close 2. That the Mediator when prayed to may be considered as such by us For there is a differenee betwixt that which is considered by us in the act of our worship and that which is the Object of that Act and as we said the motive that induces us to that Act is the uptaking of him as Mediator 3. That he may be designed Mediator and Redeemer and may get these Names and Titles because they serve to strengthen our Faith and to warm our affections to him even as when the people of Israel prayed to God they remembred that he was their Redeemer and Deliverer and had wrought so and so for them and these were motives to induce them to pray and served to strengthen their Faith in praying to him yet the ground and account on which they worshipped him was his own infinit glorious Majesty 4. It 's clear that when the Mediator is prayed unto something may be sought from him that agrees to the Office of the Mediator For instance he may be prayed unto to take to him his Government and to exerce it to give gifts unto men to gather his own Elect to make his will effectual for the ingathering of them c. yet even then a difference would be put betwixt the Object of our sutie and the matter we suite for which belongs to him as Mediator yet as God he is the Oâ—ject of our suite and prayer This seems to be â—â—lured at Psal 45. when the Psalmist speaking to the Son the Mediator sayes Giâ—d thy sword upon thy thigh ride prosperously let the kings arrows be sharp in the hearts of his enemies Which upon the matter seems clearly to relate to Christs executing his Office as Mediator yet look to the Title he gives him and the ground or account on which he puts up his prayer It 's the consideration of him as God Therefore he sayes O! thou most mighty a divine attribute pointing him out to be God And thy throne O God sayes he is from everlasting c. Now as for the 2d thing If all this be granted it may then be asked why we seem not to be satisfied with that manner of expression or form of petition which we hinted at the other day Lord Jesus make intercession for me plead for me with or before the Father Seing we allow such a Petition as this Lord Jesus make me partaker of thy intercession and the like As warrantably when put up with reverence and faith The same Object of worship being invocat with them both Answer 1. We say that the use-making and improving of Christs Intercession is not to be restricted to this manner of expression or form of Petition and it was for this end that we observed it For it cannot be said that only we make use of Christs Intercession when we use this form and so it 's not essential nor necessary to the use-making of Christ's Intercession This is the fault that is in it as if there were no use-making of his Intercession but when this form of Petition is used whereas we shew that it is mainly the exercise of Faith resting on his Intercession whereby it is improven and one may be usâ—ng this forme of word and yet not be improving his Intercession And another may not use this form of words and yet be improving it when Faith is exercised on it and th refore to improve his Intercession is rather by the exercise of Faith to rest on it then in any such form of words to pray to him and we would not think that Christ's Intercession is not made use of when the Father is prayed unto or when such a form of words is not used but place it in the exercise of Faith alone 2. We say if such a petition be well understood and qualified it is not simply sinful or evil if so be that our meaning in it amount to this much Lord Jesus let me be partaker of the benefites of thy Intercession even as we may pray Lord Jesus let me be partaker of the benefits of thy Satisfaction yet we say it would be well understood and qualified and a person in putting up such a petition would advert well that he be not praying to any other Object of worship but God and that his meaning be the same as if he were praying to the Father and said Father let me be accepted through the Intercession of the Son And thus the one is an improving of Christs Intercession as well as the other for although the altering the
in whom his Soul delighted all along his sufferings His sufferings being for the sins of his Elect and he being to make application of his satisfaction and of the purchase made thereby to the Elect for whom he suffered and purchased these things by his intercession There was a necessity that he should come thorow otherwayes he should not have been a perfect and compleat Saviour Able to save to the uttermost these that come unto God by him as the Apostle speaks Heb. 7.25 But such a High Priest became us who is holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners and made higher then the Heavens 3. It 's clear also if we consider the nature of the Covenant and of the promises made to him therein upon his ingaging and undertaking for the Elect as particularly vers 10. of this Chapter He shall see his seed and prolong his dayes his duration shall be for ever The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand and I will divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong Our Lord's Exaltation and victory over death being on the Lord's side conditioned to him the Mediator as well as he ingaged to suffer hence it 's said Psal 110. He shall drink of the brook in the way therefore shall he lift up the head The Uses are two The 1. whereof serves for clearing and confirming our Faith in a fundamental Article of Christianity without which it were needless for us to preach and needless for you to hear or believe and that is that our Lord Jesus suffered and also got the victory over suffering that he was raised from the dead and declared to be the Son of God with power intimating that Justice had gotten full satisfaction in evidence and testimony whereof he was declared free which is a main thing that believers have to believe even that we have an exalted Christ a raised up Saviour who could not be detained by all the Elects guilt in prison 2. It serves to be matter of strong consolation it puts life in all Christ's Offices and Qualifications and in all the Promises made to Believers to wit that our Lord Jesus is a living Christ over whom death had no dominion and he overcame it now to die no more So that as it is Heb. 7.25 He is able to save to the uttermost these that come unto God by him seing he ever liveth to make intercession for them There is nothing that a Soul needs or can desire but it is to be had in him And if we would look to particular instances much consolation will arise from this ground For 1. Hath a believing sinner to do with challenges at the Bar of Justice is it not unspeakable consolation that their debt is payed Hence it 's said Rom. 8.33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It 's God that justifies who shall condemn It 's Christ that died yea rather that is risen again It 's that which gives proof of compleat payment of the Elects debt and defiance to any challenges and accusations to come against the Believer to his prejudice because Christ hath not only died but is also risen Justice being well pleased with his satisfaction he is let out of the Prison 2. If the Believer hath to do with corruption with the Devil and with many enemies Is it not strong consolation that our Lord is risen and up that the Prince of this world is judged that Satan is troden under foot and that be shall and must reign till all his enemies be made his foot-stool 3. Our Lord's Resurrection hath a twofold further consolation with it to Believers 1. It serves to be a ground for the exercising of Faith on him that as he is risen so Rom. 6. may we expect that being spiritually dead with him to sin we shall be with him raised up to newness of life 2. It is a pledge of Believers Exaltation and compleat victory over Death and the Grave and over all Enemies for Christ being raised as the Common Head of all Believers who are his Members they by vertue of his Resurrection and by that same efficacy shall be raised And it 's impossible that they can ly under corruption This is our great consolation who are Believers and live under the Gospel that we have not these things as a Prophesie of things to come but as a plain History of things in part done and by and by to be compleatly done 4. It hath also in it consolation in respect of temporal difficulties what are they all They are not sure such as Christ's were and the day is coming when Believers shall have an out-gate from them all And therefore since our Lord is up let not Believers be afraid of any changes whatsoever 2dly Observe That our Lord Jesus being raised up from his state of Humiliation is invested and put in a most excellent and glorious condition even such as the Prophet cannot express Who can declare his generation saith he Who can declare how glorious he is now Take two or three Scriptures to confirm this 1. That Eph. 1.20 21. He hath set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principalities and powers and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come and hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the Church Our Lords Throne is exalted far above Angels and Archangels even out of sight The 2d is Phil. 2.9 Where having spoken of his Humiliation it follows Wherefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in Heaven and c. His Exaltation is such as hath a Dominion and Supremacy with it over every name He having as it is Col. 1.18 in all things the preheminency The 3d. place is Heb. 8.1 Of the things which we have spoken this is the sum we have such an High Priest who is set on the right hand of Majesty in the Heavens Where Christs Exaltation is set out to be such as hath exalted him to the right hand of the Majesty on high Because this is one of the great Articles of our Faith to wit That Christ rose from death the third day and ascended into Heaven and is set down on the right hand of God We shall add a little more to clear it and 1. We would know that this Exaltation of our Lord is not to be understood of his exaltation properly as he is God in which respect there is no up nor down in him though his declarative glory was valid for a time during his humiliation yet in himself as he was God he was still glorious and blessed over all 2. When we speak of Christ's Exaltation as Mediator and as Man we do not mean that his Humane Nature hath lost the
to the curse of God for the transgressing of His Law which had said The soul that sins shall die and cursâ—d is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them 2. Add to this the supposition of Christ's undertaking to be the Elects Cautioner and to satisfie for their Debt whereby he steps into their room takes on their Debt And as the word is 2 Cor. 5. ult Becomes sin for them Is content to be lyable to and to be pursued by Justice for their Debt and though here there be a relaxation in respect of the Persons of the Elect for whom the Cautioner stands good yet in respect of the Curse and Death due to them there is no relaxation but the same thing due to them is laid on Him as it is Gal. 3. He hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us In every thing He was put to pay the equivalent for making up the Satisfaction due to Justice and these two being put together that Elect Sinners were obnoxious to Wrath and that our Lord came in their Room He behoved to be put to sad and sore Soul-suffering 3. Consider God's end in the Work of Redemption which is to point out the inconceivableness of His wonderfully condescending Grace and Mercy in exacting of satisfaction from the Cautioner and in setting the Sinner free that His Grace may be so Glorified as their shall be a proof given of His Justice and Soveraignity going along with it and Infinit Wisdom being set on Work to glorifiâ— infinit Grace and Justice there is a necâ—ssity for the promoving of this end that the Mediator shall thus satisfie and the more full the Satisfaction be the more conspicuously do the Grace and Justice of God shine forth and are Glorified according to that word Rom 3.26 To declare his righteousnâ—ss that he might be just and the justifier of him that shall believe in Jesus This is the end of Christ's being made a Propitiation that God may be manifested to be Spotlesse and Pure in His Justice as well as Free and Rich in His Mercy and Grace who having given a Law to Man will not acquite the transgression thereof without a condigne Satisfaction 4 Consider that it is indeed a great thing to satisfie Justice for Sin that it 's more to satisfie Justice for all the Sins of one Person which all the Angells in Heaven and Men on Earth cannot do and therefore the punishment of the Damned in Hell is drawn out to Eternities length and yet there is never a Compleat Equivalent Satisfaction made to Justice but it is most of all to satisfie Justice for all the Sins of all the Elect who though they be few in comparison of the Reprobat World yet simply considered they are many yea even innumerable And our Lord having taken all their Sins on Him He is peremptorly required to satisfie for them all And if this withall be added that He is to satisfie for all the Sins of all the Elect at once in a very short time and hath the Curse and Wrath of God due to them Mustered and Marshaled in Batallie against Him and as it were in a great Body in a most formidable manner marching up towards Him and seriously charging Him and all the Wrath which they should have drunken through all Eternity which yet would never have been drunk out nor made the less put in one Cup and propined to Him as the Word is Psal 110. He shall drink of the brook in the way The Wrath of God running like an impetuous River must be drunk up at once and made dry by Him These being put together do clearly and convincingly shew that it could not but be an inexpressible and inconceivable Soul-travell and Suffering that our Lord Jesus was put to The Use of this Doctrine is large and the 1. Use is this Tâ—at ye would take it for a most certain Truth which the Scriptures doth so Frequently and Significantly hold forth That our Lord Jesus in performing the Work of Redemption had much sad Soul-travell and sorrow The Faith of this is very usefull to demonstrat the great love of God and of the Mediator For doubtless the more Suffering be undergone by the Mediator the more love Kythes therein to the Elâ—ct 2. It serves to hold out the Soveraignity and Justice of God and the horribleness of Sin 3. In respect of God's People it 's usefull that they may be through and clear in the Reality and Worth of Christ's Satisfaction He having no other End in it but to satisfie Justice for their Sin 4. It 's usefull to shew the Vanity and Emptinesse of Mens Supposed and Fancied Merits and of any thing that can be alleadged to be in Mans Suffering or doing for the satisfying of Divine Justice seing it drew so deep on Christ the Cautioner And here two gross Errours come to be Refuted and Reprobated One of the Socinians who seek quite to overturn Christ's Satisfaction And another of the Papists that minish His Satisfaction and Extenuat and Derogat from the great Priviledge of the Pardon of Sin as if any thing could procure it but this Satisfaction of Christ by His Soul-travell both which are aboundantly refuted by this Text. But to speak a word more particularly to the First For clearing of which ye will ask What could there be to affect the Holy Humane Soul of our Lord Or what was that wherein His Soul-sufferings did consist But before we speak to this we would premit this Word of Advertisement in the entry That there are two sorts of Punishments or Penal Effects of Sin The 1. Sort are such as are simply Penal and Satisfying as proceeding from some extrinsick cause The 2d sort are sinfull One Sin in the Righteous Judgement of God drawing on another And this proceeds not simply from the nature of Justice but from the nature of a meer sinfull Creature and so from an intrinsick cause of a Sinful Principle in the Creature Now when we speak of the Soul-sufferings of Christ which He was put to in Satisfying for the Sins of the Elect We mean of the former that is Sufferings that are simply Penall For there was no intrinsick Principle of Corrupt Nature nor ground of Chalâ—enge in Him as there is in Sinfull Creatures And therefore we are to conceive of His Soul-sufferings as of some thing inflicted from without and are not to conceive of them as we do of Sinfull Creatures or that have Sin in them whereof he was altogether free Having premitted this we shall speak a little to these two 1. To that wherein this Soul-suffering did not consist 2. To that wherein it did consist For the former wherein it was not 1. We are not to suppose or imagine any actuall separation betwixt His God-head and His Man-head as if there had been an interruption of the Personall Union not so for the Union of the
two Natures in one Person remains still He was God and Man still though as was hinted before there was a Suspension of such a Measure at least of the sensibly Comforting Influence of the Divine Nature from the Humane as had wont to be let out thereto And yet there was even then a sustaining Power flowing from the God-head that Supported Him so that He was not swallowed up of that which would have quite and for ever swallowed up all Creatures as is evident in this crying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Which shewes that though the Union and Relation stood firm yet a comfortable Influence was much restrained 2. There was no sinfull Fretting no Impatiencie nor carnal Anxiety in our Lord all along His Sufferings for He did most willingly undergo them and hâ—d a kindly submission in them all As is evident by these Words But for this cause came I into this hour And not my will but thy will be done 3. There was not in H m any distrust of Gods Love nor any unbelief of His Approbation before God neither any the least Dâ—ffidence as to the Out-gate For in the Sadest and Sharpest of all His Conflicts He was clear about His Fathers Love to Him that the Relation stood firm and that there would be a Comfortable Out-gate as His Prayer before shews wherein He styles God Father And these hardest like Words uttered by Him on the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me do also shew wherein twice over He confidently asâ—â—rts His Interest My God my God Though He was most terribly Assaulted yet the Tentation did not prevaill over Him 4. Neither are we to conceive that there was any inward Confusion Challenge or Gnawing of Conscience in Him such as is in Desperat Sinners cast under the Wrath of God Because there was no inward cause of it nor any thing that could breed it yea even in that wherein He was Cautioner He was clear that He was doing the Fathers will and finishing the Work that was committed to Him and that even under the greatest Apprehensions of Wrath Therefore all such things are to be guarded against in our Thoughts least otherwayes we reflect upon our Innocent and Spotless Mediator But 2. To speak a Word to that wherein it doth consist 1. It did consist as we hinted before in the God-head's Suspending it's Comfortable Influence for a time from the Humane Nature Though our Lord had no Culpable Anxiety yet He had a Sinlesse Fear considering Him as Man and that the infinit God was Angry and Executing Angryly the Sentence of the Law against Him Though He was not angry at Him considered as in Himself but as He stood in the room of the Elect as their Cautioner of whom He was to exact the Payment of their Debt and could not but be in a wonderfull amazment as the Word is Mark 14.33 He was sore amazed And Heb. 5.7 It 's said when he had offeâ—ed up prayers and supplications with strong cryes and tears unto him that was able to save him from death he was heard in that which he feared Which looks to His wrestling in the Garden 2. He had an inexpressible sense of grief not only from the petty outward Afflictions that He was under which may be called petty comparatively though they were very great in themselves but also from the Torrent of Wrath flowing in on His Soul That Cup behoved to have a most bitter Relish and an inconceivable Anguish with it when He was a drinking of it as appeared in His Agony O! â—s He was Pained and Pinched in His Soul The Soul being especially sensible of the Wrath of Goâ— 3 It consisted in a sort of wonderfull Horrour which no question the marching up to say so of so many mighty Squadrons of the highly provoked Wrath of God and making so Furious and Formidable an Assault on the Innocent Humane Nature of Christ that considered simply in it's self was a finit Creature behoved necessarily to be attended with Hence He prayes Father if it be possible let this cup depart from me Intimating that there was a Sinless Loathness and a holy Abhorrence to middle with it and to adventure upon it Though we have not Hearts rightly to conceive nor Tongues suitable to express those most exquisite Sufferings yet these things shew that our Lord Jesus was exceedingly put to it in His Holy Humane Soul The 2 Use Serves to stir us up to wonder at the Love of God the Father that gave His own Son and exacted the Elect's Debt of Him and made the Sword of His Justice to awake against Him And to wonder at the Love of the Son that ingadged to be surety for them And humbled Himself so Low to lift them up It was wonderfull that He should stoup to become Mâ—n and to be a poor Man and to die but more that He should come this length as to be in an Agony of Soul and to be so tossed with a Tempest of Terrible Wrath though He was not capable of Tossing as meer Creatures are This being well considered would highten exceedingly the praise of Grace in the Church and very much warm the Hearts of Sinners to Him And for pressing this Use a little and for provocking to Holy Wondering at this Love consider these Four 1. Who it was that suffered tâ—us Even He that was without guile He that was Gods delight His Fatheâ—s Fellow the express image of his person He thâ—t made all things and who will one Day be Judge of all Iâ—'s even He that thus Suffered 2. Whâ—t He Suffered even the Wrath of God and the Wrath of God in such a Degree and Measure as was equivalent to all that the Elect should have Suffered Eternally in Hâ—ll which presseth forth from Him these expressions which we hinted at before 3. For whom all this was which makes it appear to be yet more wonderfull It was for a number of lost straying sheep That were turned every one to his own way as it is verse 6. For Dyvours and debauched Bankerupts that were Enemies to and in Tops with Him Some of them Spitting in His Face some of them upon the Consultation of taking away His Life as may be gatherâ—d from Acts 2. Yea take the best of them for whom He suffered even those whom He took to the Garden with Him to be Witnesses of His Agony and we will find them sleeping when He is in the hight of it and is thereby cast into a Top Sweat of Blood and out of Case to Watch and bear Burden with Hâ—m but for an hour It had been much for Him to have Suffered for Righteous Persons but as it is Rom. 5. God commends his love to us in this that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us 5. The manner how He Suffered to wit most Willingly and Patiently though He easily could hâ—ve commanded more then twelve legions of Angels to rescue Him yet He would not but