1 Cor. 3.10 I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon but let every man take heed how he buildeth for other foundation can no man lay then that which is laid which is Jesus Christ importing that all Preaching should be squared to and made to agree with this Ground-stone 3. He standeth as the great End of Preaching not onely that Hearers may have Him known in their Judgments but may have Him high in their Hearts and Affections 2 Cor. 3.4 We preach not our selves that is not onely do we not preach our selves as the Subject but we preach not our selves as the end of our Preaching our scope is not to be great or much thought of but our end in Preaching is to make Christ great 4. He standeth in relation to Preaching as He is the Power and Life of Preaching without whom no Preaching can be effectual no Soul can be captivate and brought in to Him hence 1 Cor. 1.23 he sayeth We preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block they cannot abide to hear him and to the Greeks foolishness but to them that are saved the power of God and the wisdom of God Use 1. For Ministers which we shall forbear insisting on onely 1. Were Christ the subject and substance of our Report were we more in holding out Him it 's like it might go better with us 2. There is need of warriness that the Report we make suit well the Foundation And 3. the neglect of this may be the cause of much powerless Preaching because Christ is not so preached as the subject-matter and end of Preaching many Truths are alace spoken without respect to this end or but with little respect to it Uses particular for you that are Hearers are these 1 If this be the great subject of Ministers Preaching and that which ye should hear most gladly and if this be most profitable for you we may be particular in some few Directions to you which will be as so many branches of the Use And first of all Truths that People would welcome and study they would welcome and study these that concern Christ and the Covenant of Grace most as Foundation-truths and seek to have them backed by the Spirit we are affrayed there is a fault among Christians that most plain and substantial Truths are not so heeded but somethings that may further folk in their Light or tickle their Affections or answer a Case are almost only sought after which things it 's true are good but if the plain and substantial Truths of the Gospel were more studied and made use of they have in them that which would answer all Cases It 's a sore matter when folks are more taken up with Notions and Speculations then with these Soul-saving Truths as that Christ was born that he was a true Man that he was and is King Priest and Prophet of His Church c. and that other things are heard with more greediness But if these be the great subject of Ministers Preaching it should be your great study to know Christ in His Person Natures Offices and Covenant what He is to you and what is your duty to Him and how you should walk in Him and with Him this was Paul's aim I count saith he all things loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings c. Phil. 3.8 9 10. It 's my design as if he had said not onely to make Him known but to know Him my self there is little Faith in Christ and distinctness in use making of His Offices and folks take but little pains to know these things Therefore on the one side let me exhort you to make this more the subject of your enquiry and on the other side take it for your reproof that there is such a readiness to snuff when plain Truths are insisted on or when they are not followed in some uncouth or strange way which sayes we are exceeding unthankful to God for giving us the best things to speak hear and think of 2. Think much of the Preaching of Christ and to have Ministers to preach of Him He is the best News and God hath sent Ministers on this errand to make them known to you had He sent them to tell you all the secret things to come that are in God's purpose and all the hid works of Nature it had not been compareable to these News what would ye have been O what would Sabbath-days and Week-days your lying down and rising up your living and dying been if these News had not been ye should have had a sinful and sad life and a most comfortless and terrible death therefore think this Gospel a thing of more worth then ye do and count their feet beautiful on the Mountains that bring these News and glad Tydings as it is Isa 52. that good Report of making Peace betwixt God and Sinners should be most thought of and prized and counted a greater favour then we use to count it 3. By this ye may know who thrives and profites best under the Gospel even these that learn most of Christ which consists not in telling over words But first in actual improving of Him as it is Eph. 3.20 Ye have not so learned Christ but so as to improve what is in Him 2. In an experimental finding of these effects in us that are spoken of to come by Christ which is that the Apostle meaneth Phil. 3.10 That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings that I may be conformable to his death I am affrayed that of the many that hear this Gospel there are but few that know Christ this way But if He be the great thing that should he preached by us and that ye should learn 1. What is the reason that so many should be ignorant of Him that the most part look rather like Tâ—â—ks and Pagans then like Christians God help us what shall we say of the condition of the most part of People when the preaching of the Gospel has not gained this much ground on us as to make us know Christ in His Person Natures Offices our need of Him and the use we should make of Him But 2. If we will try how he is improven it is to be feared there be far fewer that know hâ—m in this respect do not many Men live as if they had never heard tell of Him Though they hear that pardon of Sin is to be gotten through Him and that vertue to subdue Sin must flow from Him yet they live as if no such thing were in Him If your Consciences were posed besides the evidences that are in your practice this would be found to be a sad truth And 3. If we will yet try further what experience folk have of Christ what vertue they find flowing from His Resurrection what fellowship there is in His Sufferings what conformity
Consideration is that the Saints often pray God that he would take his own way and use his own means to bring about these great ends mentioned wherein there is indeed at least a tacite insinuation that if he in his wisdom see it meet to make use of the rod and affliction in order thereto that they will not allow themselves to decline the same nor to mistake him in it But that rather they shall through grace be satisfied with and bless him for fulfilling their Petitions and granting them according to their own hearts desires though it be by such means Which is not praying for affliction but a resolved and declared Submission to infinite Wisdoms love-choise of his own midses to effectuat bring to pass the prayed for ends Tenthly If it be considered that it now neither grieveth nor troubleth any of all the glorified triumphing and Palm-bearing Company before the Throne of God and of the Lamb that they were exercised with so many and so great trials and tribulations while they were here below It troubleth not John the Baptist that he was imprisoned basely murthered and beheaded there in a hole without having access to give any publick testimony before his death And at the desire of a wanton dancing Damsel through the instigation of her Adulterous and Incestuous Mother Nor Stephen commonly called the Proto-Martyr that he was stoned to death as a Blasphemer for giving testimony to the most precious and comfortable truth of Christs being the Messiah Nor Paul that he was thrice beaten with Rods and received five times fourty stripes save one that he was in so many perils by Sea and Land in the City in the Countrey and in the Wilderness by the Heathen by his own Countrey-men and by false Brethren That he was stoned and suffered all these other things whereof he gives us an Historical Abridgment in his 2d Epistle to the Corinthians chap. 11. Nor doth it trouble any of all these Worthies of whom the world was not worthy that they were cruelly Mocked Imprisoned Scourged Tortured or Tympanized and Racked Stoned Tormented Sawen assunder Killed with the Sword Tempted driven to Dens and Caves of the Earth and put to wander up and down in Sheep Skins and Goat Skins Whose Martyrology the Apostle briefly compendeth Heb. 11. Nor doth it trouble any other of all the Martyres Saints and Servants of Jesus who have in the several Ages of the Church suffered so many and so great things while they were here in the World Nay all these their sufferings go to make up a considerable part of their Song of Praise in Heaven where the History of these Wars of and for the Lord will be very pleasant to them to read however sore and bloody they were on earth And not only so but these of them who have suffered most wonder much that they have suffered so little and that they are come to so excellently glorious a Kingdome thorow so little tribulation in the way to it Believe it there will be as much matter of thanksgiving and praise to God found treasured up under the plyes and foldings to say so of the most cross and afflicting providences that ever the People of God met with here in the World as under these that for the time were more smiling and satisfying Let us then valuing all things we meet with according to the Aspect they have on our spiritual and eternal state which is sure the justest and safest valuation of them heartily allow him to take his own will and way in afflicting us Eleventhly If it be considered that as this Submission to the will of God in cross and afflicting providences is Chronicled in the Sacred Records to the perpetual commendation of several of the Saints Namely of Aaron of whom it is said when God had slain his two Sons in a strange and stupendious manner even by Fire from Heaven for their presumptuous offering of strange fire before him that he held his peace Levit. 10.3 Of old Eli when he received a sad message concerning himself and his house by the hand of young Samuel who said It is the Lord 1 Sam 3 18 let him do what seemeth him good Of Job after by four several Messengers each of them coming immediatly on the back of the other so that he scarcely got leave to breath betwixt or the former to finish his lamentable narration the terribly allarming tidings were brought him concerning the plundering of his Oxen and Asses by the Sabeans and the killing of the Servants with the Sword Concerning the consuming of his Sheep and Servants by the Fire of God falling from Heaven upon them Concerning the carrying away of his Camels and the killing of his Servants by the Caldeans and concerning the smothering to death of all his Sons and Daughters while Feasting together by the falling of the House upon them Job 1.21 22. who said The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord In all this not sinning nor charging God foolishly Of David who in a croud of crosses saith to God Psal 39.9 2 Sam. 15.25 26. I was dumb I opened not my mouth because thou didst it And who when forced to flee from Jerusalem by his unnatural and rebellious Son Absolom and sending back the Ark thither with admirable composure and sweet stooping of Soul said If I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again and shew me both it and his habitation but if he say thus I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him do to me as seemeth good to him Of Hezekiah when that heavy Message was brought to him by the Prophet Isaiah concerning the Babylonish Captivity wherein his Royal Posterity were to have their deep share 2 King 20.19 who said Good is the Word of the Lord which thou hast spoken who said moreover Is it not good if peace and truth be in my dayes If the threatned doom and sentence shall be for a while suspended and not presently execute And of these Christians who after they had with much weeping earnestly intreated the Apostle Paul deservedly very dear to them not to go up to Jerusalem where the Prophet Agabus had foretold he should be apprehended and put in Bonds and perceived that he was inflexibly resolved at any rate of hazard to go thither Act. 21 14 ceased and submissively said The will of the Lord be done As I say it is thus Chronicled to their commendation so it is a piece of most beautiful and amiable conformity to the practice of our blessed Lord Jesus of whom we ought to be followers as dear children in all these things wherein he is proposed as a pattern for our imitation Ephes 5.1 who in a great and grievous agony of trouble and when most terribly assaulted by a strong combination of cross and afflicting providences and after condition at deprecating of that bitterest Cup and
that ye think not Faith and Holiness necessary but that ye may come to Heaven another way and this is an old Fault and Deceit it was in Moses his days for some are brought in Deut. 29.19 saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my own heart and add drunkenness to thirst though I tipple daily at my Four Hours though I follow my Lusts and Pleasures and take my fouth and fill of the World we cannot be all Saints c. The Lord will not spare that man but His anger and jealousie shall smoke against him and all the curses that are written in this book shall ly upon him and the Lord will blot out his name from under Heaven and though this be not now believed it shall be found verified There are many when they come to Judgment that will know to their cost the truth of many things they never believed before as we find in that rich Man who says to Abraham Send some to tell my brethren that they come not to this place of torment it says as much as that He in his life-time did not believe how terribly-tormenting a place Hell is and it is even so still Though Men and Women have immortal Souls yet they go on following their sinful way and believe not that any evil shall befall them till God's Curse and Vengeance overtake them A third Ground or Cause is That Folk never think themselves in hazard nor suffer their hazard to affect them and therefore they seek not after the Remedy hence the Jâ—ws Scribes and Pharisees rejected Christ why they were righteous Persons whole and needed not the Physiciâ—n And thus it is with many of you ye will take with it that ye are Sinners but not with the gracelesness of your Nature and this makes it that when Life and Reconciliation with God are offered we have almost none to accept of it why so ye are generally in your own opinion good Friends with God already none of you almost think that ye have hatred at God and so ye carelesly and unconcernedly let the opportunity of making your Peace with Him slip over even like these Jews spoke of Joh. 8.44 45. who when Christ said to them Ye have the devil to your father answered he had a devil and that God was their Father that they were come of Abraham and were not born of fornication So it is with many of you ye could never endure to even your selves to Hell nor to take with it that ye were heirs of Wrath as if ye had been born with other Natures then the ordinary Race of Mankind is and this keeps so many of you that ye get no good of this Gospel for it seeks Sinners to pardon them and Enemies to reconcile them and till the Feud be once taken with the Friendship will never be sought after nor will it find Merchants though when once the Enmity is taken with the Gospel hath many sweet peaceful and comfortable words to speak to the Man afterwards A fourth Ground is The love of Money and of the World which is the root of all ill This is given as a main Cause Matth. 13. why the Word profites not The seed is sowen among thorns and the thorns spring up and chock it the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches chocked the Word This is not oppression nor stealing but entanglement with and addictedness to the things of this present World Folks allowing themselves too much satisfaction in their Riches and Pelf counting themselves as if all were well if they have it and grieved if they want it as if there were nothing but that to make Happy being wholly taken up about it and leaving no room for the concerns of their Souls for Prayer and Seeking of God nor for Challenges to work on them they are so wholly taken up with their Callings and Business for they lay it for a Ground that they must be rich and then they give themselves wholly to all things that may contribute to that end and that chockes and suffocates the Word that it never comes up that nothing comes to perfection therefore Christ says Luke 21.24 Take heed ye be not overcharged with surfetting and drunkenness and cares of this life I am afraid that many moe among you who are civil and esteemed vertuous and frugal shall perish in this Pit of Worldly-mindedness then shall perish by Drunkenness Gluttony Fornication or the like and yet there is nothing more frequent in Scripture then words spoken to scar Folk from Earthly-mindedness How hard is it says Christ for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of Heaven and such a Man is he that is taken up with Riches and places his Happiness and Contentment in them whether he have more or less of them We speak not this to foster Idleness in any but to press Moderation in the use of lawful things Ye think it enough if we cannot charge you with Oppression Stealing Whoring and the like but this Gospel will charge you with the love of Money and if it find the love of the World in you the love of the Father will not be found in you Doth not your experience tell you that it 's not an easie matter to be much taken up with the World and to win at a suitable disposition for Duties of Religion and to be painful in them A fifth Ground is Folks little prizing of the Gospel and the Benefites that come by it They look not upon it as their Happiness to have Communion with God they who are invited to the Marriage of the King's Son Mat. 22. will not come and the reason is given they made light of it the Offer of the Gospel hath no weight it relishes not If a Market of fine things at a cheap Rate were proclaâ—med ye would all run to it but ye delight not in the Word of God ye prize not the Gospel and the precious Wares that it exposeth to sale amongst you And to evidence and make out this I would ask you these few Questions And 1. I would ask you how often or rather how seldom have you sitten down purposly and thanked God for sending the Gospel to you ye have given thanks for your Dinner but how often have ye given Him thanks that ye have the Gospel Sabbath-days and Week-days 2. How little do many of you wait on the Preaching of it were there a Message sent to you but from some ordinary Man let be from a great Man ye would straiten your selves and your Business too somewhat that ye might hear it and yet it 's a wonder to think how some in this Place except on the Sabbath will hardly be seen in the Church from one end of the Year to the other 3. Had ye any evident to draw of House or Land ye would seek to have it drawn very well and sure but many of you never sought to have the evidents of Heaven made sure ye
every thing whereof ye are said to be shorâ— Though ye live and should die Carnal and Unrenewed yet ye think stil ye have an honest Mind or Heart for all that and what I pray is your honest Mind but a rotten and prophane Heart that vails your Hypocrisie with a pretext of Honesty Would ye think that Man honest spoke of Isa 44.19 who with one part of the Tree warmed himself and with another part made a god and fell down and prayed to it and yet in your Sense he hath an honest Mind for he followeth his light which is but darkness and the deceit of his Heart carrying him away from God though he cannot see it he discerns not because he considers not that there is a lie in his hand and that a deceived heart hath led him aside so it is with you and if many of you saw what is latent under that honest Mind and Heart there would be nothing that would make you loath your selves more a little time will convince you that that which ye looked for most good from was your greatest and most traiterous Enemy He that trusts in his own heart is a fool saith Solomon Prov. 28.26 it supposes that Folks are ready to lippen to their Heart and to hearken to the language of it concerning their Spiritual Estate but it says also that they are Fools that do so for it betrayes them and there is no folly comparable to that whereby a Man betrayes his own immortal Soul and that he doth who trusts in his own Heart A seventh Reason is from the deceitfulness of our Heart and the natural Corruption that sticks to us There is naturally in us Pride and Self-conceit we are disposed and given to think any thing that is our own though it be but a shew is as good as others reality to think our own Light and Knowledge our own other Parts and Gifts to be as good as those of any others whosoever they be And with Pride there is joined Self-love we dow not abide to think evil of our selves or to suspect our selves Though this Self-love be indeed Self-hatred and is but love to our Corruptions and makes us that when we live in hatred of God to think that we love Him so that we cannot be induced to think that we love Him not for we know that love to God is good and we love our selves so well that we cannot endure to think that we want it hence it 's said of some in the last Times 2 Tim. 3.2 3. That they shall he covetous proud boasters blasphemers disobedient to parents unthankful unholy without natural affection truce-breakers c. having a form of godliness and denying the power of it and the founâ—ain of all is Self-love for saith he men shall be lovers of their own selves And as Self-love is the fountain of much Evil so it 's the fountain of Self-deceit and keeps out any thing that may make Men question their own Condition so that if a word come in and say thou hast no ground for thy Faith the Heart will be ready to answer and say it cannot be that I am a Self-deceiver and Self-love as a partial Judge will offer to vindicate the Man and so makes him shift the Challenge Now when all these are put together you may see how many Grounds Folks have to go wrong upon and Men having Hearts disposing and inclining them to go wrong and little pains being taken to discover the deceit of them is it any wonder that they think they Believe when indeed they Believe not and be empty and toom-handed having little or nothing to rest upon while they think they are Rich and want nothing These are not fancied and far fetched things but obvious and at Hand and may easily be gathered from your daily Practice In all which it 's our design and scope to bring you to try your long unquestioned Peace do not therefore think that it is impossible to be thus perswaded as many of you are and yet to be mistaken which is another Ground of Folks deceit for Laodicea was very confident in thinking her self to be rich and encreased in goods and to stand in need of nothing when she was in the mean time poor blind miserable wretched and naked and the Galatians as we may see chap. 5.8 had a perswasion which was not of God As there may be a perswasion of a point of Doctrine as being right which yet is an errour so there may be a perswasion of a Man's Spiritual State as being right and which he will stoutly maintain to be so while in the mean time that perswasion is not of God that calleth him but a strong Delusion If all that be Faith that ye call Faith then certainly the way to Heaven is much broader then the Scripture hath chalked it out and Ministers needed not say Who believes our report for all should thus believe it It will then and must then turn to this that your perswasion is not of Him that calleth you and if a deceit may ly and lurk under this perswasion of yours ye have certainly so much the more need to put the business to tryal And this is the last Use which we cannot now insist on That seeing so many think they Believe who Believe not and that there are but few that believe the Report and indeed rest on Christ for their Salvation as He is offered to them in the Gospel it is of your concernment to endeavour to put your selves without the reach of this Complaint and to make it sure that ye have believed and received the Report Is there any thing of concernment if this be not even to makâ— your Calling and Election sure and that cannot be made sure as to you till your Faith be made sure If we could prevail this far with you we would count it a blessed Fruit of this and of many other Preachings even that some of you who have never quâ—stioned your Faith might be engaged first seriously to close with Christ and then to put your selves to the tryal that on distinct grounds ye might be able to say I know in whom I have believed and that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day There are many of you that talk of Faith and yet cannot only not assert your Interest in Christ distinctly but cannot so much as give any solid grounds of your Believing and should not this think ye put you to try it Is there not a Day coming wherein ye will all be tried whether your alledged Faith was true Faith or but Presumption and wherein the Conscience which is now quiet and which it may be never keeped you from an hours Sleep shall awake and put forth its Sting and shall bite and gnaw and ye who shall continue under the power of this Delusion will be put to gnaw your Tongues for pain and horrour under the gnawings of your Conscience Ye that
his purchase before Believing but when he comes to believe the obstruction is taken away that hindered his application and then he hath a new right not only to but in Christs purchase even as a Person that is Minor or mad may have a right to a great possession but by the law he is secluded from the use of it till he come to majority and have the use of reason and this distinction we have as one of the clauses of the Covenant John 6.39 40. where 1. in the 39. Verse Christ says This is the Fathers will that sent me that of all that he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day It 's the Fathers will that Eternal Life be given to as many as are given to Christ on his Satisfaction and Christ hath purchased it to them by his Satisfaction absolute as to the event and therefore they have an accessibleness to it a right to it and cannot but partake of it yet not simply but in the way that he hath laid down And therefore 2ly In the 40. Verse he saith This is the will of him that sent me that every one that seeth the Son and believeth on him may have eternal life by believing they come to the application of that to themselves which they had a legal right to before by Christs death 2. Respect must be had to the Covenant of Grace which is not quite an other thing then the Covenant of Redemption but the making offer of it and the benefits contained in it in the preached Gospel when Christ sends out his Ambassadours to woo and invite Sinners to Christ and to bring them to the application of his Purchase and it is by closing with and receiving of Christs offer that the actual Cure comes and that by Christs stripes our sores are healed Even as when a Child that was Minor becomes Major he comes to have a right to possess the same Lands or Sums of Money by the same Law that gave him a legal or simple right to them before or he comes to have a right in that which before he had a right to So elect Souls that have a right to Christs purchase before believing while they are mad in nature are under the curse and wrath threatned in the word of God for not believing but when they come to believe they come to get an extract from the same word of their right in Christs purchase because the Word says He that believes is past from death to life and shall not come into condemnation and so the same word that did condemn before believing doth now absolve upon a Sinners believing and we come at this absolution by receiving of Christs offer in the Covenant of Grace And if it be asked how comes it that the receiving of Christs free offer in the Covevant of Grace gives a right to Christs purchase we answer It is by vertue of the Covenant of Redemption wherein it is so transacted betwixt God and the Mediator so that there is the offer of the Covenant received and the Covenant it self that concur for making over and deriving a compleat Right to wretched Sinners in Christs purchase Let the 1. Use of this be for your instruction and information which is the end wherefore we have chosen in this way by this short view to give you in a very short sum the marrow of the Gospel And if ye remember these few Questions ye may be in a capacity not only to answer us but through grace to exercise Faith on Christ And we think ye will all readily grant that these who cannot at all answer them should not go to the Communion And therefore that ye may take them with you we shall shortly resume them 1. What condition is man in by nature Answer Under sin and misery and even under the curse of God Or thus every man is a sinner and hath a sinful nature or he is under transgressions and iniquities is naturally loathsome wants peace with God and hath need of healing Let this in the first place sink in your hearts 2. How is man freed from this sinfulness and misery Answer He cannot be free from it till there be a condign satisfaction made to Divine Justice wounding and bruising must be to procure pardon and stripes must be to procure healing and chastisement must be to bring about our peace That word Exod. 34. Who will by no means acquit the guilty would alwayes be remembred and Faith would look to a Saviour for satisfaction 3. Who can satisfie Answer Neither Man nor Angel can do it no penances no prayers nor performances of any meer creature will do it but He only that was wounded and bruised He who by Nature is the Son of God the express Image of the Fathers Person and who in respect of His Humane Nature was born of the Virgin Mary like to us in all things except sin It 's he that satisfies Justice and it 's by no other way that we get pardon and peace with God and Holiness 4. What way doth Christ satisfie Justice and make peace betwixt God and sinners Answer He entered himself in our room and as Cautioner undertook our debt suffered the condign punishmens that was due for our sins and payed the price that we should have payed He in a manner left Heaven and became Man had a mean life in the World drank the Cup of his Fathers Wrath was wounded bruised chastised and died a cursed death whereof his hanging on the Cross was but a sign 5. What benefites come to us by his sufferings Answer Pardon of sin Peace with God and healing The Conscience by his blood is sprinkled from dead works the person absolved reconciled to God made whole and made at last to be without spot or wrinkle or any such thing And this is not as Papists blasphemously speak a putative effect but a most real one 6. Who are made partakers of this pardon peace and healing Answer The Elect have right to it and by believing they make the application therefore it 's said here our and we And we may look upon the Prophet speaking in the name of all the Elect or in name of the believing Elect who on believing are actually healed The Elect then are healed and the way how is by faith making application of Jesus Christ 7. How in Justice can he be condemned that was free of sin and how can we be absolved that were guilty Answer He in Justice was condemned because as our Cautioner he came in our room and undertook to pay our debt And on the same ground we wretched sinners may in his way make application of his purchase because it was on these terms that he undertook the debt that we might be set free And it 's on these terms that it is offered in the Gospel that seing he hath payed for elect sinners they may upon the hearing of the offer close with it But how
may the sinner apply it Answer Not only because it 's free and freely offered but by gripping to it by Faith as the Prophet doth here It 's not only to apply it simply but to step in and rest upon it in the terms it is made offer of so that as on the one part Jesus Christ became really lyable to suffering and satisfied for our sins when he said Lo I come in the volume of thy book it is written of me I delight to do thy will So upon the other part the believing sinner comes to apply the price payed by imbracing the price and acquiescing in the satisfaction and gripping to it as his own and by his being brought to say in Faith Let his wounding be my pardon let his chastisement be my peace and let his stripes be my healing By this means as the Law had a right to Christ for his paying the Elects debt so they by believing get a right to the promise of pardon and healing For if the bargain was ficker on the one side to procure wounding to Christ as if he had been the sinner himself so on the other side the bargain is as sure The Believer is set free and may be as really comforted as if he had a righteousness of his own or had never had sinned Use 2. Therefore there is here wonderful matter of consolation to Believers that what was Justice to Christ is Grace and Mercy to us that which was pain to him is pleasure to us His sorrow our comfort his wounding our pardon his stripes our healing c. Use 3. As ye would not prejudge your selves of these benefites which Christ hath purchased make your peace with God through Christ If your pardon and peace be not obtained this way ye will never get it but ye shall be made to pay your own debt and be lyable to wrath eternally because of inability to pay your debt to the full Therefore step to and make the offer welcome how sinful and undone soever ye be The more sensible ye be ye are the more welcome This is the particular use of the Doctrine O! Let these things sink in your hearts that ye are sinners great sinners under wrath and at feud with God that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of lost sinners and that there is no way to pardon and peace but by closing with him and saying hold on his satisfaction That ye may be drawn to cast your selves over on this everlasting Covenant for obtaining the benefits that Christ hath purchased 〈◊〉 â—d himself bless what hath been spâ—ken for this end and use SERMON XXIII ISAIAH LIII V Vers 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed IT were no small progress in Christianity to know and believe the truths that are implyed and contained in this same verse The Lord by the Prophet is giving a little compend of the work of Redemption by his saving of sinners from death through and by the wounding of the Mediator We did a little open the meaning of the words and gave a sum of the Doctrines contained in them at least of some of them which do contribute to this scope The Prophet is here speaking of Christ's sufferings with a respect to the cause of them and the effect that followed them and shews how this was indeed the mistake and blasphemous imputation that we had of and were ready to put on him even to judge him smitten and plagued of God for his own sins whereas God hath another design He was altogether without sin but he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities We were at feud with God and he took on him the chastisement of our peace And this is the effect to procure healing to us We shall now speak a word to three Doctrines further beside what we spoke to the last day which are these 1. That there was an eternal design plot and transaction betwixt God and the Mediator as to Christs suffering for the redeeming of elect sinners before he actually suffered This the Prophet speaks of as a thing concluded For the cause of his sufferings was condescended on and the end and fruit of them was determined which implyes an antecedamus transaction betwixt the Father and him for putting him in the room of sinners And by this transaction Justice hath access to exact the payment of this price He interposed and the Father exacts of him the payment of their debt and seeks satisfaction from him for all that he bargained for 2. That this transaction or design concerning the Redemption of elect sinners is in respect of Christs suffering and satisfying of Justice fully and actually performed he undertook to be wounded and bruised and he was accordingly actually wounded and bruised The transaction as to the engagement in it and efficacy of it took place in Isaiah's time and before his time but as to the actual performance of what the Mediator engaged himself to suffer it is spoken of prophetically by him as a thing done because to be done and now it is done and indeed long ago 3. That the satisfying of Justice by the Mediators Sufferings according to his engagement proves as effectual to absolve justifie and heal these even the grossest Sinners that come under this Bargain and Transaction as if they had actually suffered and payed and satisfied their own Debt themselves these Sins are pardoned through his Sufferings their deadly Wounds are healed by his Stripes as if they had never had a wound their Compt is dashed and scored as clean out as if they had never had any Debt they are acquitted and set free as if they had never been guilty These three Doctrines ly very near the life of the Gospel and the Prophet in this Chapter and particularly in this Verse is often on them Our purpose is only shortly to explicate them to you as a short sum and compend of the tract of the Covenant of Redemption The first of them shews the rise of the work of Redemption The second shews the mids by which it is executed The third holds out the effect and consequence and the end of all For the first then There is we say an eternal transaction betwixt God and Jesus Christ the Mediator concerning the Redemption of Sinners his actual redeeming by being wounded and bruised supposeth this for the Son is no more lyable to suffering not to speak of his suitableness then any other of the Persons of the blessed God-head had there not been an antecedent transaction there was no obligation nor ty on him to be wounded and to enter into the room of Sinners as their Cautioner for payment of their Debt if there had not been a prior engagement neither could his wounding and bruising have proven useful or have brought healing to us if this prior engagement had not been And this is it which
love ye wouldflee to Jesus Christ and give him employment for making your peace with God and taking away your sin and sanctifying of you O but this be suitable to Sinners and if ye think your selves Sinners prejudge not your selves of the benefite of a Saviour This should be a distinct Sermon EVery expression that the Ptophet useth to set forth the grace of God in Jesus Christ to sinners by is more wonderful then another because indeed every thing that he expresseth is more wonderful then another And there is so much grace and infinite love in the way of the Gospel that it 's hard to know where there is most of it whether in its rise or in its execution whether in the decree of God or in Christs satisfaction whether in the benefits that we enjoy or in the way by which we are brought to enjoy them Sure all together make a wonder passing-great a most wonderful wonder even a world of wonders It is a wonder that as it is vers 5. he should be wounded for our transgressions bruised for our iniquities that the chastisement of our peace should be on him and that by his stripes we should be healed And when here he comes to explain this and to shew how it came to pass that Jesus Christ suffered so much he holds out another new wonder All we like sheep have gone astray c. As if he had said would ye know how it came to pass that the Mediator behoved to suffer and suffer so much All we the Elect People of God had gone astray like so many wandring sheep as well as others not one excepted And there was not another way to recover and reclaim us but this The Lord Jehovah laid on him the iniquity of us all To recover us when we were lost Jesus Christ was substituted in our room by the eternal Decree of God and the iniquities of all of us who are his Elect people as to their punishment were laid upon him This then is the scope to shew the rise of Christs sufferings and how it came to pass that our Lord suffered and suffered so much the occasion of it was the Elects sin and the Fountain cause the Fathers laying of their sin on him by an eternal Decree and making him to answer for it according to that Decree with his undertaking which was the Covenant of Redemption whereof Christ's suffering was the execution Thus we have the Fountain whence our Lord's sufferings flowed He is in the Covenant of Redemption substitute judicially enacted the Elects Cautioner and takes on their debt and being substitute in their room Justice pursues the Claim and Sentence passes against him for making him answerable and liable to the debt of their sins Which sets out as it were a Judge on the Throne Jehovah and two Parties at the Bar We and Him We the Principal Debtors and Him the Cautioner Jesus Christ in our room and place The Law by which the Judge proceeds is the Covenant of Redemption And we the Principal Debtors not being Law-biding he is made liable to the Debt and on this ground the Sentence passes against him for satisfying what we were owing and hereupon followed his sufferings So then the rise of his sufferings is that it was so transacted by the Wise Just and Gracious God and thus this vers comes well in to explain and further to clear what he asserted in the former vers Though the words be few yet they are a great compend and sum of the Gospel How therefore to speak of them so as to unfold them aright is not easie And because the Devil who seeks by all means to marr the beauty of the Gospel doth more fiercely assault where most of its beauty shines and hath therefore stirred up several sorts of enemies to wrest these words and to obscure the beauty of grace that may be clearly seen in them We shall a little open the few words that are in this last part of the verse And the Lord hath laid on hIm the iniquity of us all Having spoken to the former part of it the last day In these few words then we have 1. something spoken of iniquity which three Parties have some acts about to wit 1. The Elect us all 2. Him to wit the Mediator 3. The Lord to wit Jehovah Then we have the express act of the Lord to wit his laying on Him the Mediator the iniquity of us all 1. As for this word iniquity by it is meant sometimes 1. Sin formally taken as it hath a disconformity to the Law of God and supposeth a spot and defect and so it is commonly taken when we pray for pardon of sin And when David says Psal 51. My sin is ever before me And Psal 38. My iniquity is gone over my head And so it is the transgression of the Law of God 2. It is sometimes taken for the effect that sin procureth and so it 's in effect the punishment of sin as Levit. 7. the 18 and 20. verses being compared together vers 18. it 's said He shall bear his iniquity which vers 20. is He shall be cut off and so it is clearly meant of the punishment of iniquity For to bear his iniquity and to be cut off are the same thing there And that word of Cain Gen. 4.14 My iniquity or punishment is greater then I can bear hath a manifest respect to Gods curse inflicted on him for his sin and is as if he had sald I will not get lived under the punishment that is inflicted upon me for every one that finds me will cut my throat and sometimes it is translated punishment as in that of Gen. 4.13 The Question then is Which of these two is understood here in this Text whether iniquity or sin formally taken or iniquity taken for the punishment thereof These who are called Antinomians plead that it is to be understood of sin formally taken But though it be hard so much as to mention this it being so blasphemous-like to assert that our blessed Lord Jesus should be formally a sinner and have the spots and defilementt of sin on him which we wonder that any Christian should dare to assert or presume to maintain Yet because this Scripture is alleadg'd for it we shall clear that iniquity is not here to be taken for sin formally but for sin in the punishment of it And the 1. reason that we give shall be drawn from the plain scope of the words the Prophet having in the 5. vers said that he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities The scope of this vers is to shew how it came to pâ—ss that Christ suffered and suffered so much which he doth by declaring that it could not be otherwise because the punishment of all the sins of the Elect was laid upon him And that which was called wounding and bruising in the former vers is here called on the matter a bearing of their iniquities for if they
stand on it when seriously taken with but may submit to his Righteousness and say Be it so Lord I am content to take what thou freely offerest And the more sinful and lost ye be in your selves when suitably affected therewith the more wonderful is the grace of God in the Plot of your Redemption the more strong is your consolation and the greater ground of believing have ye your sins do not surprize God nor the Mediator the Bargain was made before your sins were committed and therefore the price must reach them even when they are all summed up together He was content to accept of them so as to satisfie for them and blessed be he for evermore that accepted of the bargain and payed the price according to his undertaking SERMON XXVI ISAIAH LIII VI Vers 6. All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all IN the former verse the Prophet hath asserted three most wonderful truths and very concerning to the people of God and yet such truths as will not be easie got digested by natural reason 1. That our Lord Jesus was put to sore and sad sufferings He was wounded and bruised c. 2. That these sad sufferings were for us the Elect it was for our sins and what was due to the Elect he was made to bear them He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities 3. The end of these sufferings or the effect that followed on them to us pardon of sin peace with God and healing The chastisement of our peace was on him and by his stripes we are healed And each of these being more wonderful then another therefore the Prophet goes on to clear their rise which is no less wonderful How it came to pass that he suffered and suffered so much and that we have such benefite by his sufferings It could not would he say be otherwayes but it behoved our Lord Jesus to suffer and to suffer so much and for us Neitheir was it unreasonable that it should be for our benefite For we had all like lost sheep gone astray and every one of us had turned to his own way And there was no way of relief for us but by Christ's stepping into our room and interposing for us and ingaging to pay our debt and by vertue of that interposition and bargain The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all And therefore 1. Would ye have the reason of Christ's so great sufferings Here it is the Elect had many sins and he interposing for them their compt was scored-out and they were reckoned on his score 2. If the cause and reason be asked How it came to pass thaâ— Christ suffered so much for us Here it is he undertook to satisfie for our iniquities and God imputed them to him Even as if a Dyvour were pursued and one should step in and be Cautioner for him and being enacted Surety should take on and become lyable for the Debt The exacting it of him is the laying it on him But 3. If it be asked how it comes to pass that his sufferings become our healing and bring peace to us It is answered it was so transacted and agreed upon He was content to pay all our debt and the Father accepted of his payment for ours Our blessed Lord Jesus engaging and satisfying the Elect are set free and Justice betaketh it self to him as the more responsal Party This is the scope of the words which though but few yet exceeding full and signâ—ficant as holding out the fountain and fundamental grounds of the Gospel We shall look upon them in these three respects 1. As they imply a Covenant and Transaction whereby the Elects sins are transacted on Christ and his righteousness is made application of to them Christ undertaking to pay their debt and Jehovah accepting thereof and promising that his satisfaction made for the behove of the Elect shall be applyed to them 2. In respect of the effects which are two Which though they seem contrary the one to the other yet they are well consistent together and subordinat the one of them to the other The 1. is of Justice on Christs side he satisfies for the debt due by the Elect. The 2. is of Mercy and Grace to the Elect which is also implyed but comparing these words with the former it is very clear He is wounded and bruised and they are healed the chastisement of their peace was on him the imputing of their debt to him makes that it is not imputed to them 3. In respect of the influence that the eternal Covenant hath on these effects it lays down the way how these may be justly brought about which is the scope of all even to shew how Christ Jesus being the innocent Son of God and without sin was made lyable to the debt of the Elects sin He became Cautioner for them and is made lyable on that account to satisfie for them It clears also how his sufferings stood for theirs which may seem to be unreasonable and unjust among men that the sufferings of an innocent party should stand for the guilty It was so articled in the Covenant of Redemption that the Son as Mediator interposing and undertaking to pay the Elects debt the Lord Jehovah the Creditor should not reckon it on their score but on the Mediators and that he should count for it The Prophet in every verse almost is striking on the sweet and pleasant string of this noble plot and contrivance of God concâ—rning the Redemption of Elect sinners called the Covenant of Redemption Which these words considered with respect to their scope do in all the parts of it clearly hold out And therefore the clearing of it being the clearing of a main ground of our Faith in reference to Christs sufferings and to the way how they are made forth-coming to us and withal to the benefits that come by them to us we cannot speak too much nor too often of it if we could speak of it suitably to the passing excellency of the matter The first Doctrine supposed here is that there is an eternal Covenant and Transaction betwixt the Lord Jehovah and the Mediator wherein the whole business concerning the Redemption and Salvation of the Elect is câ—ntrived There is an eternal Covenant past betwixt God and the Mâ—diator wherein all that is executed or will be concerning the Elect till the day of Judgement was contrived There is nothing relating to the Elects Salvation but it was in this Transaction exactly contrived and laid down even as it is in time executed And it 's called a Covenant in Scrip ure and we call it so not strictly and properly as if all things in Covenanâ—s among men were in it but because materially and substantially it is so and the resemblance will hold for the most part The Lord having laid down in it the plot of man's Salvation in
it down for either the Elect behoved to die or he himself and since it is so as if he said then behold here is my life take it and I will lay it down that they poor things may go free and therefore does my Father love me says he because I lay down my life for my sheep not because it 's taken from me against my will but because I wiâ—lingly and of my self lay it down and when he is brought before Pilate and Herod and they lay many things to his charge Mat. 26.63 and Mark 15. He held his peace so that it 's said that Pilate marvelled Mark 15. he knew that he could not but have much to say for himself as all men in such a case use to have but he answered nothing or as it 's in the Text yet he opened not his mouth the reason was because he would not divert the course of Justice nor mar the Lords design in the work of the Elects Redemption through his death and sufferings He came not into the world to accuse Pilate or the Jews and to justifie himself though now and then for the conviction of enemies and for his own necessary clearing he did let a word fall but being engaged for the Elect he wil needs perform all that Justice called for And in this willingness he hath a respect to two things 1. To the Fathers satisfaction for his willing suffering is that which makes it a Sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing to him 2. To the Elects consolation that they may know thâ—y had a willing Saviour that had no necessity laid on him to satisfie but satisfiâ—d willingly And from these two arises a third even the glory of the Mediators satisfaction for herein his love to the Elect shines brightly I lay down my life for my sheep this is the heart-waâ—ming commendation of his sufferings that with delight and pleasure he underwent them as if he had been purchasing a kingdom to himself Now to come to the Use of all these Doctrines when they with the things contained in them are laid together we profess we cannot tell you what excellent Uses they yield Would to God we were all in such a frame as the Eunuch was in when he read this Scripture as tâ—e divine History gives us an account Acts 8. ver 32. and forward who when Philip had begun to preacâ— to him on this excellent suâ—ject was so taken that before the Sermon or Discourse was at an end be ng holily impatient at any longer delay he says to Philip Here is water what hinders me to be baptized I say again would to God we were all in such a frame and that this were the fruit of such a Doctrine as this to many of you nay to all of you Use 1. Wonder Believers at the extensiveness and infinitness of the Grace of God and at the heart-affecting and soul-ravishing love of the Mediator at Grace in God that spared the Debtor and exacted payment from the Cautioner the Son of his love at love in the Mediator that payed so much and so willingly and cheerfully If any subject of thoughts be pertinent for us while we are about to celebrate the Sacrament of the Lords Supper certainly this were pertinent concerning a crucified Christ in stating himself in our room to pay our Debt and doing this of his own accord without the solicitation or interposing of any Creature and doing it withall so frankly and cheerfully Was ever the like of this love heard tell of for one and more especially for such a one to suffer so much and so cheerfully unrequired we would have you confirmed in the Faith of this great and sweet Truth that he had never better will nay never so good will to eat his Dinner then and as he had to suffer and satisfie Justice for you though at a dear rate He says John 4. It was his meat to do the fathers will that sent him and to finish his work Have ye suitable thoughts of his love when ye read the Gospel have ye in the Word seen him standing before Pilate in your room not answering when he is accused and Pilate marvelling at his silence and did Pilate marvel knowing and being convinced of his innocency and have ye never marvelled or marvelled but very little sure your little marvelling at his silence is the more sadly marvellous that the cause of his silence when he was charged with your iniquities with such and such a piece of your miscarriage with such a vain and roaving heart with such a wanton look with such a profane or idle word of yours with the horrid sin of your having so abused slighted and neglected him c. that the cause I say of his silence at such a terrible accusation and charge and not vindicating of himself or saying these faults miscarriages and transgressions are not mine as he might have done was pure love to you O! is not this strange and yet most true wonder then more at it Use 2. Here is strong consolation to Believers and wonderful wisdom in the rise and convey of it in uniting Justice and Love out of which the consolation springs Justice exacting upon and distressing the Son of God and he satisfying Justice so fully that though all the Elect had satisfied eternally in Hell it had not been made to shine so splendidly and gloriously Justice also on the Mediators side in yielding and giving satisfaction though it should oppress and break Soul and Body And yet love both on the Father and Mediators side on the Fathers side love in finding out this way of satisfaction to his own Justice when there was no cure but by wounding of his own Son and yet he was content rather to wound him than that the Elect should suffer and be wounded eternally and love on the Mediators side who willingly yields and undergoes their Debt and will not hide his face from shame and spitting what may not the Believer expect from God when he spared not his own Son for him and what may he expect from Christ who spared not himself for his sake and who is that good Shepherd that laid down his life for the Sheep and held his tongue and quarrelled not with those that smote him will he quarrel with a poor Sinner coming to him and pleading for the benefite of satisfaction no certainly but as the word is Zeph. 3.17 He will rest in his love or as the word signifies He will be silent or dumb in his love he will not upbraid thee nor cast up thy former miscarriages he will not say reproachfully to thee where wast thou so long playing the Prodigal he is better content with thy recovery than ever he was discontent or ill-pleased with all the wrong thou didst unto him Use 3. This word of Doctrine lays down the ground whereupon a sinner sensible of sin may build his expectation of peace with God The transaction concluded and agreed upon is the ground of his coming
the sin offering is appointed it is the same Word that 's here intimating that that Sin-offering was designed to bear their sin They shall lay their hands on the Sin or Sin-offering because the Sacrificed Beast was Typically to have the Peoples sins imputed to it though properly no mans fin is imputed to any but to Christ This is also clear if we compare Psal 40.6 with Heb. 10.5 6. That which in the Psalm is rendered Sin-offering in the Original is Sin but the Apostle Heb. 10. hath it sacrifice for sin and it is the same Word which he hath 2 Cor. 5. ult He was made sin for us that is an offering for sin by which we may see the unwarrantableness of some Mens accounting Christ to be formally a Sinner because He is called Sin and because our Sin is said to be laid on Him which in Scripture Phrase is as much as His being a Sacrifice for sin in the room of Sinners 3. His soul may be taken either simply for He shall be an offering for sin the Soul being often taken for the whole Person or it may be taken more properly to relate to His Sufferings called the travel of his soul Vers 11. however it is the Person the Man Christ Soul and Bodie that is the Sacrifice and more especially His Soul as the Wrath of God was on it and when He suffered His Soul did undergo that Wrath as well as His Back was given to the Smiter and His Cheecks to them that plucked off the Hair 4. There are two Words furder which we would hint at in the Exposition for clearing of Christ's being called an offering for sin 1. We would put a difference between the Offerings and Sacrifices which were for Sin under the Law and this Offering which is applyed to Christ The Apostle sayes Heb. 10. That it was impossible that the blood of bullocks and of goats could take away sin They were not properly Sin-offerings but as they were Types of that Offering which was to come and so when Christ is called an Offering He is differenced from all the Offerings that were offered before Him by Priests on Earth In this That His Offering oâ— Sacrifice takes away Sin by vertue of it self according to the Covenant But these Offerings of of those Priests that were under the Law as is clear Heb. 9.13 Took not away sin by themselves but only in so far as Christ who was Typifyed by them was made use of and from this we may see it clear 1. That it was by the Blood of Christ that the Fathers under the Law had their sin pardoned and that the Pardon of sin was to them an effect of this Offering as well as unto us 2. That all these Sacrifices and Offerings under the Law were Types of this one Offering and not that one Anniversarie Sacrifice only which was offered once a Year by the High Priest which we the rather hint at because both these are by Socinus that enemie of Christ's Satisfaction controverted he aiming thereby to draw Souls from leaâ—ning to this Offering 2. What we speak of Christ's Sacrifice relates to that which He performed on Earth though He be yet a Priest and lives for ever to make intercession for us yet this Offering respects that which He offered while He was here in the World and especially that which He offered on the Cross as it is said Eph. 5.2 He hath loved us and given himself for us an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour and Heb. 10.12 This man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sat down on the right hand of God and by His Sacrifice once offered up before He went into the most Holy He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified which is also a Truth controverted by that same enemy Soncinus the clearing of it serves not only to open up the meaning of this place but to let us see the effecacy of Christs Sufferings and the nature of them that in them especially His Offering as it brings Pardon of sin and Peace with God does consist so then the meaning of the place is in short That though our Lord Jesus had no sin yet it pleased God in His Counsell to appoint Him to Suffer and that His Sufferingt should be an Offering for the sin of others More particularly If it be asked what is meaned by this an offering for sin we shall clear it from the Type and 1. It is here supponed that there is sin on the Person and that wrath due for sin is to be removed 2. It is supposed that there is an inability in the Person to remove the sin and yet a necessity to have it removed or else he must suffer 3. There is supposed the interveening or coming of something in the place of that Person that is guilty of sin and lyable to wrath 4. There is supposed the acceptation of that which interveeneth by God the Partie offended and so it presupposeth a Covenant whereby the Lord hath condescended to accept of that offering Take it in the Sin-offering goat the Scape-goat Levit. 16. A vive Type of Christ when He is brought into the Congregation 1. The Priest must put his hands upon him and confess the sins and transgressions of the People over him which signified their acknowledgement of their sins and a lyableness to suffering because of them 2. It supposed their proposing of that Goâ—t as a Sacrifice to bear their sins and to take them on him Therefore it was said The Priest shall put the iniquities of the People upon him 3. The one of these Goats was to be sent away into the Wilderness and the other was to be killed and generally all the Sin-offerings were to be killed So that no Remission of sins was without Blood and they came in the room of the Sinners bearing as it were their sin and their punishment And 4. It is to be an atonement to wit a Typical Atonement by this means the People were to have access to Ecclesiastical Priviledges but they could not purifie the Conscience except Christ were made use of who was the true atonement then as He is now still for sin and by vertue of His Sacrifice according to the Covenant they were to deall for the pardon of the sins born by Him We come now to Observe somethings from the Words and 1. It is supponed here that even the Elect and consequently all others are by their sin lyable to God's Judgement and obnoxious to His wrath there were no need of a Sin-offering if this were not The name that Christ gets here supposes that there was Sin and that there was wrath for Sin lying at the door of all Men since Man fell and brake God's Command all Men are before God like Isaac lying before his Father ready to be killed his Father having his hand stretched out with the knif ready to take away his Life And our Lord Jesus is as the Ram
I am not like other men nor like this Publican They are no Drunkards no Oppressors they neither Curse nor Swear and when they see any prophane Persons they are puft up with a good Opinion of themselves because they are not as prophane as they Or 2. They will come a furder Length and positively do many Duties upon which they rest and whereof they are ready to boast with that same Pharisee who vaunted I fast twice a week I give tithes of all I possesse If any Dutie be performed or any good be done by them their Fingers are ready to say so to stick to it But 3. and especially if there be any inward Work as if there be any Liberty or Motion of the affections in Prayer if there be at hearing the Word some Convictions sharper at one time then at another if there be any sort of Repentance Ruing and Sadnesse for Sin c. These they think will do their turn It is most certain and might be cleared both from the Word of God and from Experience that many hundreds of Professors Dash and Perish on this Stumbling Block Isaiah 48.1.2 Where the Lord is speaking of a People that made mention of his name and sware by him but not in truth nor in righteousness of whom He sayes that they call and count themselves of the holy citie and stay themselves upon the God of Israel and the Ground of it is their resting on external Duties of Fasting and Prayer and the like expectations of Happiness grounded on some feckless performances cut the Throats of many Civil and Discreet Men that are not grosly prophane A 3d. Sort do not altogether slight and neglect Christ Himself but they slight and neglect His Offering as if they would in a manner make use of Himself but not of His Sacrifice as Matth. 19. and Mark 10. There is a Man spoken of that comes to Christ would fain be at Heaven and askes good master what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life and yet he was going on the Grounds of his own Righteousnesse this is exceeding subtile and deceitfull And therefore ye would take the better Notice of it and how it is fallen into A man may come to Christ as God for Pardon of Sin and some think though most Ignorantly and Erroniously that Christ the Son is more compassionat and ready to Pardon then the Father and may seek Pardon from Him but not for His sake or on His account for there is a difference betwixt making Christ the object of our Worship and making use of Him as Mediator There are many that have prayed to Christ as God and sought Pardon of Sin from Him who never prayed to obtain Pardon by vertue of His Offering Folk may also desire help from Christ to inable them to do Duties that they may thereby work out the work of their own Salvation and be helped this way to make their peace with God who do not ground the making of their Peace with God on His Offering alone These things are exceeding frequent in Peoples Practice who will pray to Christ for such and such things and yet not found their expectation of them upon His Offering or His Righteousness If we would make use Christ's Offering Singly and Rightly we would eschew these and all other wrong wayes 4. It may be asked then what are the Evidences that may give a Person some clearness that he is making use of Christ's Righteousness aright and that it is not his own Righteousnesse nor the making use of Christ only as He is God that sustains him I answer that this is indeed a Mistery and will require searching and watching to observe our own Condition And moe things concurre then one or two to make a full discovery of it In speaking to this as we desire to strengthen the presumption of none So we shall labour to shun the weakning of the Faith of any Sound Believer There are then these Six or Seven Differencing Evidences or Characters of a Person that is rightly making use of Christ's Offering which Difference Him from others And 1. one that truely makes use of Christ's Offering hath not only been brought to see his need of It but his Natural Propension and Readinesse to misken it and rest upon other things beside it for the making of his Peace Whereas another Man who does not rightly make use of it though he may see his Sin and so his need of it yet he sees not neither will take with the Tendencie Propensness and Inclination of his Heart to rest upon some other thing beside it See this difference in Paul before and after Conversion Phil. 3. Before he was Converted he studied as he thought all the Righteousnesse of the Law and no doubt offered Sacrifices which implyed the acknowledgement of Sin and he thought that all was well with him Therefore he sayes touching the righteousnesse of the Law he was blamelesse and verse 6. These things that were gain to me Or these things that I placed my Righteousnesse in I thought the moe Sacrifices that I offered I had the more to buy my Peace by He sees that in his studying of Holinesse he was seeking to make a Stock in himself But after his Conversion he casts all these as to leaning to them or making them any ground of his Peace with God or of his Justification before Him he betakes himself only to Christ's Righteousness and counts them to be but loss I would think it a good evidence for folks not only to see the loosnesse of thâ—ir Hearts in Dutie and that to be a Sin but to see when ought went well with them the inclination of their hearts ready to account that to be Gain and to rest upon it There is such an Humour and Natural Inclination in all and it is a good Token when it is discovered and becomes a Binder and the ground of a Challenge not only that they have sinned in this and that and the other Duty but that they have gone a whoring after their fecklesse performances to the prejudice of their esteem of Christ and of His Righteousness Before the law came saith Paul Rom. 7. I was alive I thought I had a Stock to do my own turn but when the commandment came sin revived and I died There are many that will be convinced of Sin in their performances that will not be convinced of this sinfull Inclination to put these in Christ's Room A 2d Difference or Evidence is this One that aims to make use of Christ's Offering and Righteousness not only their Sins will be an exercise to them how to win over them to Christ but it will be their exercise also how to win over their Graces and Duties to Him It will be an exercise to them not only to have such a Sin in their Dutie taken away but how to win over the Dutie it self that they stumble not on it to the prejudice of their trusting to Christ whereas another Man
when his Duties go well with him it is easie to him to win over them as he thinks because he rests satisfied with them Paul Phil. 3. Sees not only while he was in Nature that he counted something Gaiâ— beside Christ but after Conversion he finds an Inclination to it and therefore in opposition to this Inclination he doth with a doubtless cry down all things and counts them but Dung and Loss for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Taking in his Gracious Actions as well as others For the Words in the Text and Context tell us that he is speaking of Duties performed by him even after Conversion and that he found a necessity to cast away the Good as well as the Bad in the point of Justification as a Man that is in a storm at Sea hath a greater reluctancy to cast over Board Silks Satines Velvets and other such fine things then that which is more base and of less worth So he found it more difficult and was put to some harder exercise to be quite of his Duties that they should not stick to him then to be rid of his Sins is there any such exercise as this amongst Folks to be put to wrestling with their Duties not as being angry at them as such but how to get them as it were cast over Board to be Jealous of any good in them or done by them That it prejudge not their esteem of Christ To be bussie in well doing all the Day and in the evening to count all their doing but Loss And to renunce it utterly as to any puffing up by it or as to the making of their peace with God thereby A 3d Evidence is this One that is Single in making use of Christ's Sacrifice will be exercised and disquieted when his Duty is done till there be for acceptance a Staying and Resting on Christs Righteousnesse There are two sorts that utterly fail and fall short here 1. Some that are content with Sin and make lies their refuge 2. Others that are satisfied with Dutie if it go well with them and promise themselves acceptance on that alone Account neglecting Christ but the Believer hath as I just now said on exercise of Faith how to be quite of Sin and another new exercise of it how to be fred from resting on Duty and how to be singly ingadged unto and to rest upon Christ is mind is not quiet in all his Duties till he come hither even to be found in Christ not having his own Râ—ghteousnesse but His It 's a good token when Folks are not only exercised to have Sin Mortified and Duties going with them but also to have their Peace with God grounded on Christ and not on Dutie Hence it is that a Christian will sometimes be taken up a whole day in Dutie and yet have but little or no Peace because he would be over and through all Duties to resting on Christ which he wins not at to his Satisfaction 4ly One that is single in use making of Christ and of His Offering hath a fear of mistaking this Offering of Christ and that some other thing be put in His Room and He miskent or neglected There will not be only a fear least he Sin and come short in the suitable performance of such a Duty and least he fall under Wrath but also Fear and Jealousie least in his Unbelief and Selfyness he going wrong in the use making of Christ and of His Sacrifice as is implyed in the Word Heb. 4.1 Where the Apostle having spoken of many of the Israelites their Unbelief in the former Chapter sayes in the beginning of this Let us therefore fear least a promise being left us of entring into his rest any of us should seem to come short of it to wit through Unbelief Be Holily Jealous as if he had said least as it is Chap. 3.12 13. There be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God In a word he will be suspecting the exercise of his Faith as much as any thing a Naturall Man will sometimes it may be suspect his Duties but hardly will he be brought to suspect his Faith otherwayes he could not have the peace that he hath such as it is This may also be Confirmed from that poor mans prayer to Christ Mark 9. Lord I believe help my unbelief He dare not well trust his own Faith 5ly They that are single in their use making of Christ's Offering not only see themselves Sinners but they carrie along with them the discovery of the naughtinesse of every thing that is best in them when they see that to which others lippen to so much so very unsuitable and that they are far short of that which they should be at they dare not own nor look on it to boast of it but it 's a burden to them to see so much Sin in it It 's nothing to see Sin in some outward Actions and in that which is directly contrary to Gods Law but it 's much to see Sin in our best things as in our Faith in God in our Love to Him and in our ends in Holy Duties A Legal Man will confess it may be readily that he Sins in every thing but he covers all with this that he hath a good heart to God or a good end The Believer on the contrary sees all his good so naughty that it is tasteless to him He never gets any thing to rest on or that can bear his weight to confide in till he come to Christ's Sacrifie 6ly Such as are aiming rightly to make use of Christ's Offering and Sacrifice esteem and think exceeding much of it Therefore they adventure Heaven and their Eternal Salvation on it It 's that which cheers and delights them most that Christ hath stepped in and ingadged to do that for them which neither themselves nor any other Person or thing could do The life saith the Apostle Gal. 2. that I now live in the flesh is by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me And 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came to the world to save sinners of whom I am the chief And John heartsomlie Rev. 1.7 To him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood c. But they that endeavour not neither aim rightly to make use of Christs Sacrifice think little or nothing of it They are not made glad nor are their hearts lifted up with Spiritual Joy because of it The good and glad news of a slain Saviour are not the chief ground of their Consolation as they are to the Believer This evidence is somewhat general yet sure as well as the former O! but it 's matter of much wonder to the Believer when he thinks how that when the Stroak of Justice was ready to come on him Christ should have interposed betwixt him and that Fatal and Deadly Blow But
by the Elect And to be avenged on Him for their wrongs and His being to step in into their Room and to be smitten with that awaked and furbished Sword and to Offer Himself the Sacrifice as He had long before ingadged Here O! here was the heat and strength of the Battel Use This shews 1. What a Dear Price Christ payed for Sinners 2. The severity of the Justice of God in exacting the Elects Debt of the Cautioner 3. How much we are oblidged to the Cautioner who so willingly undertook the Debt and was so ready to pay it though it cost Him not only External and Bodily Sufferings but Soul-suffering and put Him to encounter with Gods Curse and Wrath We are perswaded could we conceive and speak aright of these Sufferings that there is a great Mystery here And really it is a wonder that we are not more affected wiâ—h it even to consider that such miserable Creatures should be pursued by Justice that can do nothing to avert the Stroak of it And that such a great and gâ—orious Person as the Son of God should Interpose Himself And that the Father should spare the poor sinfull Enemies and make a way for them to escape by the Diverting of His Justice from pursuing them and by making it take hold of the Son of His Bosom Exacting the Debt severely from Him O! what a wonder is this That the Lord should passe by the Enemy and satisfie Himself of His own Son Yea that God should take on Himself the place of a Mid-man and Satisfie Himself That God should be in Christ reconciling the world to himself This this is the Wonder Herein Infinit Wisdom Pure and Spotless Justice Holiness and Faithfulness Grace and Mercy to the Admiration of Men and Angels appear and shine forth most Radiantly It can hardly be known in which of these the Glory of God shines most in this Great and Glorious Work of Redemption But of them all we may say to you Elect and believing Sinners what could our Lord Jesus do more for your Salvation I say what could He do more then to Offer up Himself a Propitiatory Sacrifice for your Sins In the Gospel He calleth upon you to make use of it that by Vertue of His Sacrifice your Peace may be made with God as it is 1 John 2.1 2. If any man sin we have an advocat with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and then follows He is the propitiation for our sins This may give abundant ground to Sinners to go upon in their Application to God for Pardon and Peace even this that He hath made Himself a Sacrifice for seting of them free For whom He Offered Himself a Sacrifice O! Sinners admire Him employ and make use of His Moyen and Court in Heaven Improve and Welcome these glad Tydings and let it never be said nor heard of that He was Offered up a Sacrifice and that ye would not admit of the benefit of it that ye would not accept of Him to be a Days-man and Tryster betwixt God and you to remove all grounds of quarrel O! for Christ's sake and as ye love your Souls step to and seek Grace to make the right of use His Sacrifice in order to the obtaining of the Pardon of your Sin and the making of your Peace with God Let Himself powerfully perswade you to and prevail with you in this incomparably greatness of all concerns SERMON XXXIX ISAIAH LIII X Vers 10. When thou shalt make his Soul an offering for sin He shall see his seed He shall prolong his dayes And the pleâ—sure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand WHere there is any Light and Knowledge of a God-head amongst Men There is this impression on them that it is a dreadful thing to have a Contraversie lying over betwixt God and them unremoved And upon this ground it is that as naturally the Conscience doth challenge for the provoking of God so Men according to the Light they have are set on to seek after this and that and the other Mean and Way to get God appeased and the Conscience quieted and it 's like that this hath descended to Men from Noah that the most part of them have thought on the Mean of Sacrifices by them to make their Peace with God So the Lord taught the Family of Adam after the Fail and Noah renewed it after his coming out of the Ark and it is probable as I said somewhat of this hath abiden with and stuck to Men even when they Degenerated and Apostatized from God and offered Sacrifices to Devils though not intentionally but unto God in their account And indeed it is no marvel that Flesh and Blood be here at a stand and made to say wherewithal shal we come before God But we have this advantage by the Gospel That in it the Lord hath shewed to us what it is that satisfieth Justice and takes away Sin and the Curse and that it is even this in the Text Thou shalt make his foul an offering for sin There is no other thing that a Sinner can bring with him that can be accepted or that can make him to be accepted of God We have hinted at some things from the Words already and shew that Christ's Sacrifice is called an offering for sin as excluding all others and as expressing the Nature and Ends of it We shall now speak to one thing more which is the 4th implyed in this expression And it is this That though Atonement and Satisfaction to God can be made by no other Sacrifice or Offering yet there is an Atonement and Satisfaction that may be made by Christ's Offering Hence He is called an offering for sin not only because it excluds all others but also because he is accepted for that very end as a Propitiation for the Sins of them for whom He Suffered and Offered Himself in a Sacrifice as this is denyed to all other things as we just now said so it is Applyed and Appropriated to Him and His Offering as Heb. 10. v. 10. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all v. 12. This man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sat down on the right hand of God And v. 14. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified This is the great thing that the Apostle aims at in that Dispute not only to cast the Leviticall Offerings as to the removing of Sin and the Curse and making of Sinners Peace with God but to commend this one offering as able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God through it And according to this we have that great Question answered to poor Sinners wherewithall shall we come before the Lord and bow our selves before the most high God He hath shewed O! man what is meet and what the Lord requireth of thee That there is nothing but this one Sacrifice of Christ that
in this Doctrine to be by Christ's being made an Offering for us It 's not by our praying to Him as God nor by our Holy Living nor by His working Holiness in us though these ought and will be in some measure where He is made use of aright but by His Offering up Himself in a Sacrifice for us and by Gods imputing it to us and considering that Christ Jesus in the Offering in our Room And that thereby God is pacified and Sin and Wrath removed There can no other way be conceived how we are made partakers of it but by imputation This will be the more clear if we consider that the same way that our Sins became Christ's the same way His Righteousnesse becomes ours or the same way that Justice laid Clame to Him for our Debt the same way lay we Claime to His Righteousnesse Now it is Blasphemous to think that our Sin became His any other way but that Legally he entering Himself as our Cautioner our Sin was reckoned on His Score even so His Righteousness becomes ours by being imputed to us So the Apostle sayes 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 And have His Righteousnesse derived to us It were good that we would learn how to win to this Righteousnesse even by presenting Him to Justice as Cautioner for our Debt and by taking hold of His Righteousnesse to ground our plea upon when we come to reckon with God for our Sins And we think that there is here a clear ground for refuting of that way of Justification by any thing inherent in our selves For if it be by His Offering that we are Justified then it is by nothing in our selves Now this Name that Christ's Sufferings get bears out that it 's that which satisfies God and absolves us as the alone Meritorious and Procuring Cause And therefore there is no other thing that we can derive our Justification from but His Righteousness only Use 3. Seing by Christ's Offering there is a Ransome and Atonement to be had And seing it is offered in the Gospel we pray you in the Name of the Lord take hold of and improve this Offering let every Body that hears tell that Christ is the Sin-offering endeavour to get Him to be their Sin-offering There are none that know and find that they have Sinned but they would think of an amends and here it is and there is ground to exhort you to make use of it and to encourage you in it because this is the very End of His Suffering and He is fully furnished compleatly to accomplish it If there were no access to Life by this Offering He would not be called a Sin-offering in opposition to all other Offerings There is ground therefore to declare this to you that by Christ Jesus Life and Reconciliation is attainable and that it is actually attained by accepting of this Offering Such as accept of it and rest upon it shall find Acceptation with God and Freedome from Sin and Wrath by vertue thereof It 's a common Question What shall we do we do all we dow or may but if we were studying a long time to tell you This is it even to make use of Christ's Offering This and this only will do your turn compleatly and no other thing will do it The 4th Use Is of strong Consolation to all who betake themselves to Christ He is the Sin-offering that procures the taking away of Sin and Wrath and that procures Friendship with God and there is no imputation of Sin nor condemnation to them who are in him Rom. 8.1 And hence is that triumph v. 34. who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifieth who is he that will condemne It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again c. If Justice were coming to execute the Sentence what can it say to the Believer Jesus Christ hath stepped in betwixt Wrath and Him and as to Gods acceptation He alone is accounted the Sin-offering and as these who under the Law Offered the Typical Sacrifices had access to the Ordinances and were Sanctified as to the purifying of the Flesh So much more is this Offering able to purifie the Conscience and to purge it from dead works and to give fair access to the Promises of Life and to the Favour of God to all them who make use of it as if they had never Sinned I know much of the weight of this Consolation will lye on this whether Christ's Offering be made use of And some will say How shall we make use of Christ's Offering And others will ask how shall we know if we have made right use of it And would to God that Souls were beatten off from their Pride and Security and brought under the conviction of a necessity of use making of Christ He would discover both to them But before we answer the Question there are two things we would presuppose 1. We presuppose that the Soul is made sensible of it's need of Christ's Sacrifice from the apprehension it hath of a Quarrel bebetwixt God and it and from the fear of His Wrath because of Sin else the asking of such a Question is to no purpose For as we hinted before the Offering of a Sacrifice implyes the Confession of Guilt So the making use of Christ's Sacrifice presupposes sense of Sin Err a Soul can make use of His Offering it must know it 's due was utter Consumption 2. We presuppose That the Soul is desirous to be at God and to have peace with Him To which End Christ is the Midse and there will be no respect had to the Midse except there be a respect had to the End as it is Heb. 11.6 He that comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him diligently where there is implyed in the Comer a desire to be at God and an expectation of some Benefit to be had from Him or as the Word is Heb. 7.27 He is able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him Which implyes the Sinners being sensible of his lost condition his desire to be at God and then Christ's Offering comes in as the Mids to bring about and to come by that End But these being presupposed The great thing wherein the Answer of the Question lyes How to make use of Christ's Offering for the attaining of that End of Pardon of Sin and Peace with God seemâ— to be holden out in that Word Heb. 7.25 He is able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by him And therein we may consider Sinners desire to be at God and the use making of Christ in reference to that End in these Three 1. To have the Breach made up with God in respect of their State 2. For quieting the Conscience in respect of Particular Challenges 3. For the
think of injoying of Heaven and Glory ye would think also whence it came to be thus with you O! think on that Rock out of which ye are hewen as ye are Believers and are intitled to Life And this will lay the Natural Pride which Alas too often Believers have going along with their Hope of Life as if they were something better by Nature then others because they have hope to come to Heaven but think this also with your selves that there are no thanks to you but to Him who loved you and washed you from your sins in his own blood which should make you walk softly and with a stoppâ—d mouth and in this Case every thought of your Title unto and of your Hope of Heaven would be both singularly pleasant and profitable to you Use 3. See here that which maketh the Glad Tydings of Christ's Death wonderfully Comfortable It 's much that Christ came and Suffered but if ye add this that His Design in Suffering was to beget Sinners to a New and Spiritual Life tâ— raise and quicken them that were Dead in in Sins and Trespasses to pay their Debt and to Cancell their Obligation It makes it to be much more wonderfull Alas we have great want of Spiritual Affections that are not more Affected with this even with this That the Father should send His Son and that the Son should come into the World and wherefore That He might have a Seed that poor Bodies that were Dead and without Life might be quickned and that such as had no hope of Heaven might have it That in such a way an entry into Heaven should be made to Sinners this is the wonder do ye Believers indeed believe this that the Lord's Design in all the Work of Redemption was to bring Dead Sinners to Life This is it that makes Christ get the Name of a Saviour That the Shepherd being smitten God might turn his hand on the little Ones And therefore as a 4th Use See here a good ground whereupon to Preach to you by the Death of Christ the Offer of Life and the Remission of Sin as the Apostle hath it Act. 13.39 40. Be it known therefore to you men and brethren that through this man is preached unto you the forgivenness of sins And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not he justified by the law of Moses And there is never a Text that speaks of the end of Christ's Sufferings but readily it some way layes a ground how a Sinner may get Life And it is as it were a Proclamation to Sinners to make the right use of what is offered to them If our Lord Jesus had not Suffered there had not been a warrand for us to speak of Life to you There had been no Treaty with Sinners no Door opened for access to Heaven no ground for any to call God Father But on the Contraire Christ having Suffered and Satisfied Justice it givâ—s us Ground to make this Procâ—amation to you Be it known unto you that through this man is preached unto you forgivenness of sins And these two put together 1. That there is a sufficient Price laid down for the Satisfying of the Justice of God for the Debt of Elect Sinners 2. That this is the Lords Dâ—signe in laying of the Prâ—ce down even to Procure and to Communicat Life to them according to that of John 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes on him should not perish but have everlasting life And that of John 12.32 And if I be lifted up I will draw all men after me This demonstrats that there is a Sufficient-Warrand to make use of Christ for pardon of Sin and for obtaining of Life through Him For readily the Exception is One of Two Either 1. That the Price will not â—o the Turn and that cannot be said for the Death of Christ is a Price Sufficient or 2. That Sinners know nor what is the Lorâ—'s Purpose in it This Text holds out that and tells us Iâ— is that he may have a seed This is the Sum of the Covenant of Redemption saâ—eth the Father Son if thou wilt lay down thy Life Thou shalt see a seed that shall have Life through thy Sufferings and the Lord would never have given His Son to die if He had not minded the Salvation of Sinners and to beget and promove Life in them through His Sufferâ—ngs And to what end is the Gospel Preached by which Life and immortality are brought to light But that what He hath bought may be appâ—yed to Sinners And therefore as a 5th Use We beseech you to concur with Christ in the Design of His laying down of His Life Is it not think ye great Ingratitude to Him and great Cruelty to your selves that when the Lord hath Designed such a thing by the laying down of His Life That ye should as far as ye can stand in the way of it Now His Designe is to have many in His Common for Life â—hat He may have a Seed and to have Poor Sinners that are Dead and Lifelesse in themselves taking with their Sin and coming to Him to get Justice Satisfied and a Right to Life by His Offering And is this a Prejudicial Designe or Unprofitable to Sinnerâ— Why then should ye stand in the way of that When Our Lord hath Designed Sinners good and hath been content to lay down His Life to make Life possible to you when all His Dâ—signe in dying is to have Sinners saved by their betaking themselves to Hâ—m and that by their betaking themselvâ—s to Him the Second Adam They may get a Râ—ght to Life Transferred to them â—s iâ— not Folâ—y and Madness for Sinneâ—s to obstruct what they can this His Design The Apostle makes use of this Argument 2 Cor. 5. â—8 19. He hath given us the word of reconciliation that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their trespasses unto them we therefore as ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Châ—ist stâ—ad be ye reconciled to God And what is the reason For he was made sin for us who knew no sin And or this â—nd That we might be made the righteousness of God in him And is not â—his the samâ— Argumâ—nt that â—s in the Text Our Lord was made 〈◊〉 Sin-offâ—ring that Hâ— might see a Seed And 〈◊〉 â—o then we would intâ—eat you if the Blâ—eâ—iâ—g Bowels of Chriâ—â— can have any weâ—ght with you and if you would do Him a Pleasure not to marr His Designe as fâ—r as ye can for He will infrustrably accomplish His Designe And that is to have Souls brought in to make Sinners Peace with God and that they may make use of His Sufferings for that End Need we use Arguments to perswade you to this Whâ—ch is so much for your own good and welfare even to save your Souls To come and be
to be at Christ and yet wots not if He will hold out the Golden Scepter Behold this Text doth hold it out to such and bids them come in boldly for Christ makes them welcome yea the Lord Jehovah makes them welcome It 's the Fathers and Christ's delight that thou come foreward If there be a Doctrine in all the Scripture Sweet it 's this and without thâ—s no Preaching nor point of Truth would be Sweet I say without this to wit That God hath not only provided a Price and makes Offer of it but is well content that it be made use of yea and is delighted that a Sinner dead in himself Trust and Concredit himself to the Mediator for obtaining of Life through Him And can there be any Question of this For 1. If it had not been the Lord Jehovah His delight why then did He make such a Covenant Why did He as it were part and suâ—der with the Son of Hâ—s Love Why did He accept of a Cautioner And why Tansferred He on His own Son and exacted of Him the Debt that was due by â—lect Sinners and made the Sword of His Justice to awake against Him If He had not had a great delight in the Salvation of Sinners would He have taken that way to Smite the only Son of His Love to spare them And if it had not been the Sons Pleasure would He with such delight have undertaken and done the Fatâ—ers will in Reference to their Salvation Lo I come saith He I delight to do thy will O my God It was the Fathers will and He had a delight in it And it was the Sons will and delight and He came and according to His undertaking laid down His Life 2. Wherefore else are all the Promises and Encouragements that are given to Sinners to believe as that of Matth. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy loaden c. And that 2 Cor. 5.20 Wâ—ere both are put together We are ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God Ministers press you you in the Name of God and by vertue of a warrand from Him to be Reconciled and they have Christ's warrand in a more peculiar manner as the great Prophet of His Church to tell you it 's a thing the Lord Jehovah and the Mediator have Pleasure in even in this that ye should be reconciled 3. Wherefore are the many expostulations with Sinners that they will not come unto Christ for Life That they will not be gathered that when he streatches out his hands all the day long they will not behold him c. Do not all these Confirm this Truth that there is nothing He is better pleased with then with a Sinners coming to Christ for Life Let me therefore beseech you by the Love that ye pretend to Jesus Christ and in His Name and in the Name of Jehovah obtest you be ye Reconciled to God in Christ let Him have Satisfaction Let this pleasure be done to the Lord even to receive Life from Him This is no hard nor hurtfull no unreasonable nor rigid Request I am sure all that He requires of you is that ye would come to Him and get Life O! if we could but suitably apprehend this to be that which the Lord aims at in this Preached Gospel that we might to speak so with Reverence put an Obligation on the Majesty of God in making sure in this His own way the Salvation of our own Souls and that we could not do Him a better turn But I pray take the Expressions Right for we cannot set forth His Love but in our own Language which comes infinitely far short of the thing we could not find in our hearts to refuse to grant such a loving and highly rational a requist As it is sure then upon the one side that we cannot do that which will please Him better So it 's as sure on the other side that we cannot do that which will displease Him more then to slight His Counsell in this Though we would give our Bodies to be burnt and all our Goods to the Poor He will not count it a pleasure done Him if this be not done We would look upon this as low Condescendencie and great Grace in the Lord that He seeks no more of us but the making sure Eternal Life to our selves as that which will be most pleasing to Him It 's even as if a Son should say to his Father Father what will please thee And as the Father should say to his Son Son have a care of thy self and that will please me Because by our so doing He reacheth His great End to wit the glorifying of His Grace and Love which Sinners by their unbelief do what in them lyeth to marr and obstruct If we could speak seriously to you in this matter it might be a Text to speak on every day Always seing He hath purchased Redemption to Sinners at a dear Rate And all that He requires of you is to close with Him and to seek after the Application of His Purchase We again earnestly pray you be ye reconciled to God and take heed that ye receive not this Grace in vain What can ye do that will be pleasing to God or profitable to your selves without this Or what Fruit of the Gospel can be brought forth when this Fruit is not brought forth If Jesus Christ in His Offices get not imployment and if His Offering be not fled to for making of your Peace We may in Consideration of this great and grave Subject go from the Congregation partly Refreshed that there is such a Doctrine to be spoken of though we cannot Alas speak of it suitably And partly afraid least we be found as far as we can thuarting with and running Crosse unto God's good Will and Designe in it notwithstanding all the Favour and Grace He hath made Offer of to us It were good that we carried serious Meditation on this Subject along with us SERMON XLIII ISAIAH LIII XI Verse 11. He shall see of the travell of his soul and shall be satisfied by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities THis is a great Work that the Mediator hath to do a great Price that He hath to lay down for the satisfying of Divine Justice and for redeeming of the lost Elect Now what shall He have for all the travell of His Soul Here it is answered and the Terms of the Covenant of Redemption again compended as for the Effects and Fruits of His Death spoken of in the close of the former Verse He shal prolong his days That being spoken to on the matter from Verse 8. And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand Being spoken to by another lately in your hearing and in part by us John 17.4 And from verse 10. Now read over again we shall forbear further speaking to them
trust in Him SERMON XLIV ISAIAH LIII XI Vers 11. He shall see of the travell of his soul and shall be satisfied by his knowledge shalâ— my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be made perfect throughly furnished unto all good works and that His People may be made wise unto salvation Yet these Scriptures wherein our Lord Jesus is holden forth more clearly are eminently usefull He being the Foundation and Ground of all To whom the Law and the Prophets bear witness and they are only profitable to us in the Estate wherein we are in so far as they relate to to Him and point Him out to us And we may further say that these Scriptures wherein His Sufferings and Death are holden forth in the Richness and Fruitfulness of them are singularly so that being the very Life of the Covenant and the very Door by and through which we step from Death to Life And whatever they be to others sure they have a speciall Sweetnesse in them to sensible Sinners And therefore the Sum of the Gospel and of Saving Knowledge is by the Apostle 2 Cor. 2.2 Compended in the knowledge of Christ and of him crucified which unfolds His very Heart and Bowells to us The Prophet hath been pointing out this in severall Verses and hath hinted at the effects of His Sufferings in the former verse And now in these Words he puts a new Title on them calling them the travel of Christ's soul Not only to set out the exceeding greatness of them but with respect to thâ— foregoing Words wherein it 's said He shall see his seed Which is repeated here when it 's said He shall be satisfied So that as a Mother is in Travell for bringing forth of a Child So sayes he shall Christ be put to Soul-travell for bringing Life and Immortality to the Seed given to Him to be saved by Him And seing He is put to Travell He must needs bring forth and see his seed Here we may allude that of Isaiah 66.9 Shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth saith the Lord shall I cause to bring forth and shut the womb saith thy God We have spoken of the Nature and Greatness of these Sufferings Now ere we proceed to any moe Observations we would speak a Word further to the Use of this It being indeed an Eater out of which comes Meat and a Strong out of which comes Sweet These pangs having calmed and quieted the Pangs and Showres to speak so of many Travelling Souls and brought forth a Birth at last And therefore beside what I spake to in the Use the last day I would add this That we would endeavour to have the solid Faith not only of His Sufferings but of the Greatness of His Sufferings imprinted deeply on our hearts That I say the Sufferings of a Dying Blood-sweating Christ Wrestling and Strugling even to His being in an Agony with the Wrath of God and puting up strong Cryes with Tears may be born in on our hearts and that we may throughly be perswaded of the greatness of the Work of Redemption and that it was a most Dear and Coastly Bargain to Christ For it was not Gold nor Silver it was not Kingdoms nor visible Worlds nor Angells that were given as a Price for Elect Sinners but it was the precious Blood of the Son of God Nay it was the bitter and sharp Soul-travell Sâ—dness Sorrow and Agony of our Lord Jesus which to speak comparatively was beyond the shedding of His Blood And what a Price do ye think this to be That He that made all and preserved all in their Being and was before all things should come thus low as to be a Man and a mâ—an sorrowfull suffering and dying Man yea to be a cursed Man and to go out of â—his Life as being under a Curse yet being alwayes the beloved Son of the Father And being even then when at His lowest the Prince of the kings of the earth and shining forth gloriously in the Powâ—r and Riches and Freeness of His Love and Grace sure this wonderfull low stooping and humbling of Himself Preaches out the Love that straitned and constrained Him to run upon that which was His own Death there being no hands that could have taken away His Life had He not willingly laid it down which He did with delight Could we make use of this there is much here to be said for our use We shall draw what we would say on it to these four heads 1. To something for Instruction 2. To something for Consolation 3. To something for Exhortation 4. To something for Reproof and Expostulation I say 1. It serves for Instruction and ye would from it be Instructed in several things 1. How to think aright of the great Severity of the Justice of God and of the Horrour of Wrath and of the dreadfull Consequ nts of Sin which it will most certainly have following on it May it not make your Souls to tremble to think upon and consider that our Lord Jesus was brought to such a pass as to be in such an Agony to be so exceeding sorrowfull and even amazed To be so troubled in Soul that he was thereby made to sweat great drops of blood and to be wrestling with somewhat that His holy Humane Nature had a scarring at O! the desert and wages of Sin is dreadfull when the Law pursues its Controversie and when Justice exacts what a broken Covenant deserves Alace The most of men believe not this but it s here that may convince us whâ—â— an evil thing Sin is and what a dreadfull thing it is to fall into the hands of an angry God O! that ye would think upon it that ye may beware of Sin by all means and may alwayes be minding that Word which our Saviour hath If these things be done in the green tree what shall be done in the dry If it was so done with Him who in the Action if I may so call it was performing His Fathers will and giving an admirable proof of His respect to the Honour of God What wiâ—l He do to the dry Sticks the Damned Reprobat who have slighted the offer of His Grace despised the Sufferings of a Mediator and disdained to be reclaimed Hear it and tremble and be perswaded that the Horror that Sin shall bring upon the Sinner when God comes to reckon with him is inexpressible 2. Be Instructed and see here how great the difficultie is of making peace with God when once His Law is broken A thing that is little believed by most who are disposed to think that they will get God sooner pleased and pacifiâ—d thâ—n they will get their Neigâ—bour or Master pacified and pleased which sayes That either they they think nothing or but very little of His
with that which they had bought He sayes to them I have meat to eat that ye know not of And when they begin to wonder what that could be He sayes further to them It is my meat to do my Fathers will and to finish his work And what was that a poor whotish Woman is spoken to by Him and brought by His speaking to acknowledge Him to be the Messiah and to accept of Him as such And by that blessed Work His Hunger and Thirst were Satisfied So Luke 22.15 He saith to His Disciples with desire have I desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer And Luke 12.50 I have a baptisme to be baptized with and how am I straitned till it be accomplished Though he drinking of that Cup was terrible to Him and though mockings and reproaches were not pleasant in themselves yet the love that He had to Sinners good mastered all the bitterness that was in these and made them sweet 3. There is nothing that He more complains of nothing angers and grieves Him more then when He is not made use of Ye will not saith He John 5. come to me that ye may have life To shew that the best interâ—ainment that they could give Him was to come and get Life from Him And it 's told us that He was angry and grieved for the peoples unbelief and hardness of heart Yea He weeps over them because of this Luke 19. All which prove the great delight that He had and hath still in Sinners getting good of Him And frequently in the Song as Chap. 2 and 6. He is said to feed among the lillies There is all His intertainment that He gets in the World He feasts only on the Fruits of His own Spirit in them that welcome Him I shall name but one place more and that is Psal 147.10.11 He delights not in the strength of a horse nor in the legs of a man but in them that fear him The following Words clear it more what it is that delights Him In them that hope in his mercy that is in them that draw into Him by believing He delights in these Beyond all the World Use 1. It were a desirable thing to be believing this Are there any so prophane but are ready to think that if they knew what would please God or Christ they would do it The Question is here answered that this is pleasing and only pleasing to Him If this be wanting there is nothing that will please Him even that ye make use of Christs Sufferings and imploy Him in His Offices for getting the good that may be had by them This is it that ye are câ—lled to and which delighteth Him and if this be not though ye would give Him thousands of rams and ten thousands of rivers of oyl yea the first born of your body for the sin of your souls it will not satisfy Him nor be accepted because this alone is the Satisfaction that He will have for His Soul-travel I shall a liâ—tle explain this and then prosecute the Use of it Ye will ask then What is the Fruit of Christ's Soul-travel that satisfies Him I answer That we take in under it not only 1. That ye should aim to be at Heaven neiâ—her 2. â—his That ye be serious in the Duties of Holiness as if these were Well-pleasing to God without respect to Christ's Sufferings but it is the Use-making and improving of Christ's Sufferings for attaining of these When Folk by this midse by this New and Living Way step forward to Heaven and seek to be Seriâ—us in the study of Holiness when they that could not walk in the way of Holinesse do now walk in it leaning on their beloved and study to live by Faith in Him Tâ—is is it mainly wherein His Delight and Satisfaction doth lye even when a poor Sinner is brought to make Use of Him for Peace and Reconciliation with God for through bearing in all called for Duties for his Consolation and for his Admission to Heaven in the close And therefore they do not only fail here who are Prophane living securely never minding Heaven their Peace with God nor the study of Holiness Neither only these who cast the Law and its Reproofs behind their backs thâ—se are loathsome to God and to Jesus Christ but by this These are also reproved that do not improve the Sufferings of Christ for Peace and Reconciliation with God for Righteousnesse and for Strength for Comfort and encouragement and who hope not in Hâ—â— Mercy The Reason is because though it were possible they could make progresse in Hâ—liness and attain to Comfort and Peace â—hat â—ay yet it would not be thus The Fruit of the Travâ—l of Christs Soul He being paâ—â— by and â—o could not be Satisfaction to Him Buâ— where a poor Sinner sees that he caâ—noâ— câ—me to God of himself cannot make his Peace nor can He walk in the way of Holiness so as to please God and so flies to Christ for refuge and make use of His Purchase there lyeth Christs delight to see such a Sinner come and hide himself under the shâ—ddow of His Sufferings and in this respect the more hardly a Sinner is put at it is the more satisfaction to Him that He in His Death and Sufferings be made use of because this way the Sinners Life is more intirely the benefit of His Sufferings and that such a Person hath any Strength Comfort or Peace and is admitted to Heaven It is allenarly through the Travel of His Soul which is His great Satisfaction And therefore we would 2dly commend to you That as you would do Christ a favour to speak so with reverence And O! what a motive is this for vile Sinners the dust of His Feet to be put in a capacity to do Him a pleasure Endeavour this especially that as to you Christ may see the Fruit of the Travel of His Soul and be satisfied and that all His kindness offered to you may not be Fruitlesse This is the great hing of the Gospel as to that which is pressed upon you and this is the wonderfull motive that is given to presse it That it 's delightsome to Christ and therefore ye should believe on Him It were incouragement enough that it's profitable to your selves But if ye had hearts of stone this should move you to it That Our Lord Jesus seeks no more Satisfaction from you for all His Soul-travel but that ye make use of His Sufferings that ye do not receive this Offer of His Grace in vain nor be Fruitless under it In a word we have here laid before us and think upon it the most Wonderfull Inconceivable and Inexpressible Sute and Request of Him who is the Creator to us poor sinfull creatures and what is it I have been sayes He on the matter in sore Travel and Pain for you now I pray you let it not be for nought let me see the Fruit of it And to speak it with reverence of
the Majesty of God It would say this to you let not Our Lord Jesus rue of His Sufferings for as many as hear of this Offer and do not credit Him with their Souls they do what they can to make Him repent that ever He became Man and Suffered so much when He is thus shifted and unkindly requited by them to whom He makes the Offer and this is very home and urgent pressing of the necessity of making use of Him when such an Argument is made use of for thus it stands with you and His Offer speaks this Either make use of Christ and of His Soul-travel for saving of your Souls that so He may be satisfied or if ye slight Him ye not only destroy and cause to perish your own Souls but ye refuse to Satisfie Chirst for His Soul-travel and do what in you lyes to marr and defeat the End and Designe of His Sufferings and is not this a great and strongly pushing dilemma The result of your receiving or rejecting of Christ will be this if ye receive Him ye satisfie Him if ye reject Him ye say ye are not content that He should be satisfied and what can be expected to come of it when Christ Suffered so much and when all that was craved of you was to make use of Him and when it was told that that would satisfie Him and yet that was refused What a horrible challenge will this be in the Great Day And therefore to presse this Use a little we shall shew you here 1. What it is that we exhort you to And 2. What is the force of this Motive 1. We would commend to you in general that ye would endeavour the Salvation of your own Souls This is it He cryes to you Prov. 1.22 How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and ye scorners delight in scorning turn ye at my reproof c. He aims at this that ye should get your Souls saved from Wrath and this should not be prejudicial nor at the long run unsatisfying to your selves and it will be very satisfying to Him 2. It is not only to aim at Salvation simply but to aim at it by Him to aim at Pardon of Sin and Justification through His Righteousnesse and Satisfaction And that ye would bring no other Argument before God to plead upon for your Peace with Him but this and that ye would aim at Holinesse as a Fruit of His Death He having purchased a peculiar people to himself to be zealous of good works As it is Tit. 2.14 And that ye would aim to do holy Duties by His strengthning of you and that ye would live by Faith in Him which is your victory over the world and the very Soul of the practice of all holy Duties And 3. That ye aim to have a Comfortable Refreshfull and Chearfull Life in Him and by what is in Him as if it were your own it being legally yours by Faith in Him To be stoping your own mouth as having nothing in your selves to boast of and as I just now said to be chearing and delighting your selves from that which is in Him And as it is Psal 147. Even to be hoping in his mercy In a word It is to be studying peace with God through Him to be studying Holiness in His strength and to be studying a Comfortable and Chearfull walk through the grounds of joy that are given you in Him which is very reasonable would ye then do Him a favour and have Him Delighted and Satisfied do but this give Him your Souls to be saved by Him in His own way come to Him sensible of Sin and founding your Peace on Him though weak in your selves yet strong in Him On whom as the mighty one God hath laid help And studying holiness in His strength drawing vertue from Him only to moritify your lusts That it may be known that Christ hath died and is Risen again because Grace shines in such a Person And be Comforted in Him He that glories let him glorie in the Lord having given up with Creature-comforts and Confidences with your own Gifts Parts Duties c. And having betaken your selves to the Peace Strength and Consolation that are in a Mediator and which run through the Covenant of Grace and flow forth from Him as the Fountain from whom all the Grace and Comfort that come to us are derived 2dly For the force of the Motive consider seriously if this be not a pinching strait that ye are put to if this be it wherein Our Lords Satisfaction lyes and wherein the Salvation and Edification of your own Souls consist we pose you if it be any great difficult or unreasonable thing that is called for from you and if the Motive whereon it is prest be not most just and reasonable that these who have or profess to have the Faith of this that it will be Satisfaction to Him for all His Soul-travel that Sinners make use of Him should yeeld it to Him And whether in the Day of the Lord it will not be a most hainous shamefull and abominable Guilt that when the business of your own Salvation stood on this even on your Satisfying of Christ by yeelding ye refused disdained and scorned it and would not make use of Him for your Peace and would noâ— in His strength study Holiness though your own Souls should never be saved nor He satisfied or His Soul-travel This of all other Challenges will be the sharpest and most bitting and upon the other hand it may be most comforting to a poor bodie that is sensible of Sin and afraid of Wrath is there or can there be hazard to do Christ a pleasure by believing on Him It 's a thing delightsome to Him and therefore let this be one great Motive to press believing in Christ among the rest which though it be cross and thwarting to the unbelieving heart and may look like presumption to look a Promise in the Face and to offer to make application of it to the poor Sinners self Yet seing it's a thing so pleasing to Christ that it satisfies Him for all His Sufferings essay it upon this very account remembring alwayes that He delights in them that hope in his mercy and to him be praise for ever SERMON XLVIII ISAIAH LIII XI Vers 11. He shall see of the travel of his soul and shall be satisâ—â—â—d by his knâ—wledge shall my righteous servant justifie ma y for he shall bear their iniquities IT 's a great Work that Our Lord Jesus hâ—th undertaken in Satifying the Juâ—tice of God for the Sins of tâ—e Elâ—ct and He hath at a dear Raâ—e and with great Expence and Travel performed it Now it is but reason that He should again be satisfied that so Jehovah's Satisfaction and the Mediator's Satisfaction may go together and that is the thing that is promised here in these Words What this Satisfaction is which is promised to Him as the great thing in which He delights and by which He
some hard piece of Labour or to bestow of our Means and Substance yea all of it to please Him it had been very reasonable on His part to have demanded it and most unreasonable on ours to have refused it But our Lord layes weight on none of these things as seperated from the laying the weight of our Souls on His Righteousness The Reason is because the making use of His Righteousness and the improving of His Sufferings for our Justification and Salvation shews that He in His Sufferings is esteemed of and He seeks no more but that 2. Consider how good reason ye have to satisfie Christ and yeeld to Him and to improve His Sufferings for your own Salvation Is there any that dar say the contrary Will not Historical Faith say that there is good reason for it if there be any Love to Him or to your own Souls will it not plead for this If ever ye think to be Pardoned is there any other name given whereby ye can expect it Is there any Holiness or Comfort but from Him any hope of Heaven but through Him and will not this bind the Conscience of any that is not desperat to judge That He from whom all this comes should be Satisfied 3. Consider at what a rate He hath Purchased these benefits of the Pardon of Sin of Peace with God of Sanctification of the hope of Heaven c. And how He hath brought them about Did He not ingage in the Covenant of Redemption and hath He not performed all that He ingaged for in taking on our Nature in being in an Agony in Sweating drops of Blood in being Buffeted Mocked Reproached and in Dying to procure Life and Peace to Sinners If we could rightly discern His Sufferings and the benefits that we have by them it would say that there is good reason that He should have a kindly meeting who hath done and Suffered so much to obtain these to us 4. Consider the cheerfull way of His Suffering and of His laying down of the Price how well-pleased He was to undergo all for His People so that He sayeth John 10. No man taketh my life from me but I lay it down of my self and take it up again Psal 40. I delight to do thy will O my God And Luke 12. I have a baptizme to be baptized with and how am I straitned till it be accomplished And Luke 22. With desiâ—e have I desired to eat this passover before I suffer He opened not his mouth in order to His delivery so well did He love the Salvation of Sinners Now What if a meer and ordinary Mâ—n had done something to the hazard of His Life for you would it not plead with the most Carnal Persons having the least measure of Natural or Moral Inginuity to give Him a meeting Very Heathens will love these that love them much more ought ye to satisfie Him in what He requires who hâ—th done so much for Sinners 5. Consider what He seeks as a Satisfaction hinted at before If it were a great matter or which were to your prejudice there might be some shadow of a ground to Refuse but when it is no more but to make use of His Sufferings for your own good how can it be refused It 's in this Case as if the Patients health would satiâ—fie the Physician as if a Poor Mans receiving of a Sum of Money would satisfie the Rich Friend who is pleased to bestow it Or â—s if one that is naked would satisfie another by putting on the Cloaths laid to his hand by him What reason is there to refuse such Offers And yet this that Christ calls for is even as if the Physician should say to his dying Paâ—ient I will be satiâ—fied greatly if thou wilt take this Potion that is for thy Recovery â—ealth and Cure and I will not be content if thou take it not though the Ingredients stand my self very dear besides that it is for thy good and will Recover thee Or as if the Father should say to the Child I will not be content if thou put not on such a fine Suit that stood me so much Money In a word That which makes the Divour Sinner happy is that which satisfies Him 6. Consider if Jesus Christ get not this Satisfaction what will come of it if ye please Him not in this He will be highly displeased no other thing will Satifie Him though ye should Pray and Weep an hundred years and do many good Works if He get not this Fruit of His Soul-sufferings To wit that ye improve them for your Souls good and Salvation He will be continually displeased Therefore it 's said Psal 2. Kiss the Son least he be angry And that is notâ—ing else but to make Use of Hâ—m in His Offices and it sayes that there is no way to please Him and to eshew His anger but this And indeed if ye anger Him ye anger Him that can be your best Friend and your greatest Foe 7. Consider further how Our Lord Jesus seeks and presses for this Satisfaction from you He â—ends forâ—â— His Friends and Ambassadors to wooe â—n His Name and to beseech you â—o be reconciled and to tell you that it will not be thousands of Rams nor your firâ—â—-born that will do the business but that ye must humble your selves and walk with God which necessarly suppoâ—eth the Use-making of Christ If there had been no pleading with you in His Name there had not been such Sin in not imp oving H s Satisfaction But when He pleads so much and so often for this and intreats every one in particular to Satisfie Him saying as it were let Me see of the Travel of My Soul 〈◊〉 Me have this much Satisfaction for all M Sufferings that ye will make Use of My Righteousnesse and when He is so very serious in Beseeching and Intrâ—aâ—i g it should no doubt make us the more willing to grant Him what He seeks 8. Ye would look upon this not only as a discourse in the general to Siâ—nâ—rs but ye would also look on it as addressed to every one of you in particular And therefore remember that ye will all be called to give an account of this matter and it will be sked you What became of such and sucâ— an offer of Grace and whether ye gave Him â—he Satisfaction that He called for or not According to that Word Act. 17.31 e hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained Whereof he hath given assurance to all men in that he hath raised him from the dead He would have Judged the World though Christ had not come But He will have a day wherein He will call all the hearers of the Gospel to an account especially as to this To wit What welcome they have given to Christ And seing such a day is coming when Folk will be called to an account what Use they made of Him with what face will
when it came to be accomplished though He gave evidences of His power in making them fall backward who came to apprehend Him yet He raises them again and goes with them And when they mock Him and buffet Him and nod the head at Him and bring Him to the Bar and question Him and when they said If thou be the king of Israel come down from the cross and we will believe on thee which we may think He could have done though they were but tempting Him yet in all these He is silent and never opens His mouth till He come to that It is finished He never spake a repyning word It was wonderfully much to suffer and to die so cheerfully but to pour out His Soul unto Death to take His Life in His own hand and to be so holily prodigal of it as to pour it out there having never been such a precious Life and so precious Blood poured out this was much more Use It shews what esteem ye should have of Souls and every one of you of your own Souls Our Lord Jesus poured out His Soul unto Death for Souls He values Souls so much that He gave His precious Life for them Therefore it 's said 1 Pet. 1.19 We are not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ If He esteemed so much of Soulâ— what will it be thought of when ye waste your Souls and ye know not whereon He bought Soulâ— dear and ye sel them cheap for a little Silver or Gold or for that which is worse and far lesse worth what an unsuitableness is here betwixt Christs estimation of Souls and yours betwixt His buying them at so dear a rate and your casting them away for that which is very vanity What do the most part of you get for your Souls Some a bit Land some a House some a fecklesse Pleasure some a Sport some the satisfaction of their Lust or a moments sinful mirth O! pitifully poor bargain what will become of that mirth or lust or pleasure of this house or of that land when Kings and great Men will lye crawling like so many wormes before the Lamb ye will not get your House or Land with you ye will not get leave to wear your brave cloathes ye will have no Silver nor Gold in your Purse in that day And suppose ye had it the Redemption of the Soul is precious and ceaseth for ever by any such Price It 's a wonderful thing that when Christ esteems so much of Souls that Sinners should esteem so little of them Is it not just that such Souls should go to hell when they esteemed them so little worth Use 2. It should teach you to love and heartily to welcome this Lord Jesus Christ what argument of Love and of Trust what motive to welcome Him can there be if this be not That He spared not His Life but poured it out unto death for Sinners How long shall we halt betwixt Christ and Belial We dow not endure to mortifie a Lust to want our Sport and Laughter or a bit of our credit or honour though it should cost us the want of Christ But O! ingrate fool is that a becoming requital to Him that took His innocent Soul in His hand and poured it out for Sinners and when it was some way melted like leid in the fire of Gods Wrath was content to yett it forth abundantly out of love to their Salvation Should it not rather call for love to Him for trusting and welcoming of Him and to Suffering for His sake if He call you to it Will ye skar to hazard your life for Him that poured out His Soul for Sinners It would do a Soul good to think how willingly and cheerfully He Suffered But Alace how reluctantly and unwillingly come we under Suffering for Him However let me commend these three Words to you 1. Love Him For even Publicans will love these that love them and give Christ love for love 2. Credit and Trust Him do not look for ill at His hand what ground is there to suspect Him It is His glory to do good to Sinners and He counts them His triumph and spoil and to make conquest of them He poured out His Soul unto Death or as the Word is Phil. 2. He emptied himself Which seems to look to this Word of the Prophet and is not that warrand sufficient for you to trust and credit Him and to lay the weight of what concerns you upon Him And 3. welcome Him which is a fruit of Faith and Love He is a sweet wooer He is that good shepherd that laid down his life for his sheep he gave himself for his church as it is Ephes 5. Therefore I say welcome Him This is the great thing the Gospel aims at such expressions are a great deepth and it would require time to read to ponder them and to wonder at them and we would be much in praying for a right uptaking of them 3dly From the connexion Because He hath poured out His Soul unto death Observe That our Lord Jesus His willing condescending to die is most acceptable to the Father Therefore He sayes I will give him a portion with the great and be shall divide the spoil with the strong because He hath done so and so and all the Promises made to Him confirm this That is a wonderful Word John 10.17 Therefore does my father love me because I lay down my life for the sheâ—p The only begotten and beloved Son of the Father cannot but be loved Yet He sayes Therefore or on this account does my father love me That is as I am Mediator the Fâ—tâ—ers Minister Steward or Deput in this Work of the Redemption of Sinners and because I so willingly and cheerfully lay down my self for them He hath given me this Victory and Glory So well pleasing to God is the willing and cheerful death of the Mediator that it should be admired by us and should have this weight laid on it by us that seing cheerfulness in obedience is so acceptable to God we would study it for He loves a cheerful giver and cheerfulnesse in any duty It 's much we have this word to speak of to you many Nations never heard it and ye would make some other Use of it then if ye had never heard it O! but it will be dreadful to such as have heard it and do slight it their Souls shall be poured out into Hell even squized and wrung eternally by the Wrath of God Therefore look not lightly on it do not think all this transaction of Grace to be for nought If we were serious we would wonder what it means Alace we think little or nothing to make our peace with God and yet all this business is ere the matter can be brought about It 's a great evidence of the stupidity senslessenesse and absurd unblief of many that they think nothing of Sin and Wrath and of the hazard
that their Souls are in and that they look at peace with God as an easie business But one day it wil be found to be a great matter to be at peace with Him that Sin is bitter and Wrath heavy and that to be in good terms with God is better then a thousand Worlds God Himself make you wise to think seriously on it in time SERMON LXV ISAIAH LIII XII Vers 12. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he hath poured out his soul unto death and he was numbred with the transgressours and he bare the sins of many and he made intercession for the transgressours THere was never bargain so seriously entered in as this betwixt Jehovah and the Mediator never bargain was of such concernment and weight It is therefore no marvel it be insisted upon The Prophet hath been holding forth the terms and conditions of it on both sides and now he sums them up in this last Verse that the businesse may be left cleâ—r and distinct setting forth what the Lord Jehovah ingageth for to the Mediator and what the Mediator ingageth for to Jehovah only with this difference that in the former part of the Chapter the Mediators ingagment is first set down and then what are the Promises that the Lord Jehovah made to him But in this Verse where the Covenant is resumed what the Lord ingageth for to the Mediator is first set down and then what the Mediator is to perform in the last place To shew as I said the mutualnesse of the Covenant of Redemption and that it is but one bargain one link whereof can never be loosed on either side In the last part of the Verse what the Mediator is to perform is set down in Four Expressions as past and done because of the certainty efficacy of the Mediators Sufferings and of His performing what He undertook and of divine Justice It 's acceptation thereof The 1. is because He hath poured out his soul unto death It was proposed to the Mediator to die which he undertook and in the execution goes cheâ—rfully about it He poured out his soul unto death without any prigging grace and love to speak so with reverence were so liberal and prodigal of the Life of our Lord Jesus for the Salvation of lost Sinners That His blessed Soul was separat from his Body and he made obnoxious to the Curse which most willingly he underwent his Life or Soul was poured out unto death The 2d is He was numbred with the transgressours which implyes Three things 1. It suppons that he was indeed no transgressour there was no guile found in His mouth yet he behoved to stoop so low as to be reckoned among or numbred with transgressours as the former expression holds out the painfulnesse of his Death So this holds out the ignominie of it he not only died and behoved to die but he was looked on as a despicable person even so despicable that Barrabas a thief and robber was preferred unto him and of this we spake from verse 3. He was dispised and rejected of men 2. It implyes mens ingratitude that when our blessed Lord came to redeem them they did not count him worthy to live but looked on him as a transgressour This was also fulfilled in the History of the Gospel as John 18.30 They say unto Pilat If he were not a malefactor we would not have delivered him unto thee 3. It implyes the low condescendence and depth of the love of our Lord Jesus Christ which hath no bottom he will not only die but die a shamful and cursed Death and take on reproach and ignominy with the Debt of Sinners when they are dispysing him The Cautioner must not only die but die a shamful death some deaths are creditable and honourable and men will with a sort of vanity affect them but it behoved not to be so with our Lord Jesus when he entered himself Sinners Cautioner he must not only die but be despicable in his death as it is Chap. 50.5 He gave his back to the smiters and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair he hid not his face from shame and spitting because it was so articled and agreed upon when he was reviled he reviled not again O! what condescending-love shins forth here in the Mediator It was much to pay the Debt and die but more in his dying to be counted the transgressour much to be Cautioner but more to be counted the dyvour As if some wicked and perverse Officer ceazing on the Cautioner should not only arrest him for the Debt and exact it of him but account and call him the dyvour Debtor yet he bears all patiently It would learn us to bear reproach for him he bare much more for us then we can bear for him he was railed on and reviled bufferted and spitted on they in derision said unto him Hail king of the Jews they mocked him nodded the head at him hanged him up betwixt two thieves as the most eminent malefactor of the three and Mark saith Chap. 15.28 That this scripture was fulfilled which saith and he was numbred with the transgressours God had appointed it and the Mediator had condescended to it and therefore it behoved so to be We spake to the matter of this before and will not now insist on it any further The 3d. is He bare the sins of many which is also causal as the former are It 's put in here 1. To shew the end of his dying and the nature of his death His death was a cursed death but not for his own Sin but for the Sins of others even to pay the Debt that was owing by his Elect the many here are the same many spoken of in the former verse who by his knowledge are justified It 's not the Sins of all that Christ bare but the Sins of many and the many whose Sins he bares are the many that are justified and all who are justified their Sins he bare and of no moe So that as many as have their Sins born by Christ are justified and whoever are justified had their Sins born by him 2. It shews also how the Sins of these many are taken away It was by Christs bearing the punishment due for their Sins this it that which we spake to from verse 6. The Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all In a word it 's this The Mediator articleth and agreeth to take on the guilt of the Sins of the Elect though not their Sins themselves formally considered he took the deserving or burden of their Debt Of this we have also spoken before and will not therefore insist any more particularly on it The 4th and last Article or part of the condition required of the Mediator is He made intercession for the transgressours There was more required of him then to die and to die such a death for the Elect's Sins He must