read of terrible crystall Let your course be patient and pious before men who are not so and this will keep God and good men with you and all others below your peace if not below their owne He is not so fit to advise you as to pray for you that you may be in the secret of his people who is and shall be still theirs and Yours at the Throne of Grace NICHOLAS LOCKYER A SERMON PREACHED at the late FAST before the Honourable House of COMMONS ISAIAH 53.10 Yet it pleaseth the Lord to bruise him he hath put him to griefe when thou shalt make his soule an offering for sin he shall see seed he shall prolong daies and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand THe great workes of man-kind for soule and body beare heard upon Christ to Jew and Gentile doth this text relate both which in a very sad condition and yet Christ here affirmed unto them a full reliefe The Jew waste chapter foregoing verse 9. Choreb dried up Mount Choreb so called from hence because a drie dead thing and so all the rest of the wildernes Choreb a land of drought great drought wherein there was no water and this one reason why called a terrible wildernesse Deut. 8.15 The wisdom of God is glorious hee led our Fathers in such a way externall as all along in every step thereof spake unto them their internall state they were Choreb to God a land of drought their soules withered and dead no one scarse of any sap Who hath beleived our report chapter contaning my text ver 1. And yet the bravest roote that ever was must spring out of this drie ground and when at driest as in deed it was very drie when Chrst sprang up amongst them and by vertue of it all made fruitfull Hee shall spring up before me as a tender plant and as a roote out of a drie ground verse 2. The fruitfulnesse of this roote in very drie ground read ver the 4. Surely he hath borne our griefes and caried our sorrowes A full relation of this precious fruite is continued verse after verse to the very text I am to stand upon The Jew Choreb and the Gentile Coreb both drie and barren and yet this latter also which was as given up of all to be made fruitfull and by the same hand and therefore called upon to sing Sems Redeemer Iapheths Redeemer Her Redeemer the holy one of Israel the God of the whole Earth shall he be called Chapter following the text verse the 5. The misery of both these barren ones is largely exprest in the Scriptures foregoing and following that we are to stand upon under the metaphor of barrennesse and this metaphor divinely carried out to note all manner of bondage both outward and inward captivitie to sin and for sin and one infolded in another Yea so divinely carried out as to set forth both Jew and Gentile wrapt up totally under the power of sin Satan and men and yet both to be brought out of the hand of all these all which wonderfull indeed The greatnesse of the worke makes the fulnesse and the solemnesse of the assertion here And the apt situation of the words betweene both as equally respecting either casts more vigour and lustre upon the designe Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him he hath put him to griefe when thou shalt make his soule an offering for sin he shall see seed he shall prolong dayes and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand The text is a full affirmation of all good to Jew and Gentile not withstanding all opposition it speakes deliverance from all sorts of slavery and bondage whatsoever Not ashamed nor put to shame is the expression proper to both chapter following my text ver the 4. the one expression noting all naturall internall weaknesse the other all extrinsecall coercive powers The text hath two branches the action of the Father towards the Sonne and the issue of this action towards the sonnes of men The action of the Father towards the Sonne is sad and exprest exaggerately some expressions pointing more properly at the body of Christ though the soule not excluded others pointing more properly at the soule of Christ though the body not excluded those expressions which point at the bodie of Christ are the beginning words of my text the Father bruised the Sonne Dacha tore him in pieces so is the word rendred Psal 94.5 They breake in pieces thy people O Lord. Not a bone of Christ was broken Exodus 12.46 John 19.36 But the flesh of Christ was Hee gave his backe to the smiters and his cheekes to them that plucked off the haires Esa 50.6 pluckt c. Marat scratcht or rooted up * radicitus evulsit pilos scalpsit excoriavit What that Prophet there speakes of his backe and his cheekes that another Prophet speakes of his eyes and his belly Mine eyes are consumed with griefe my soule and my belly Psal 31.9 consumed gnashash gnaw'd and fretted as a moth frets and gnaw's a thing from thence is gash which signifies a moth and used Esa the 50.9 the moth shall eate them up The wrath of God like a moth did gnaw teare and eate up the flesh of Christ the flesh of his backe and cheekes the flesh of his eyes and belly i. all his body from head to foote The wrath of God did so gnaw and teare the flesh of Christ that one might tell all his bones Psal 22.17 It did so teare and rend that it made him sicke which is the next expression in the text amplifying the action of the Father upon him He did put him to griefe Chalah which signifies to make sicke so rendred Isa 38. the 1. Hezekiah was sicke unto death * It may be Chizk â—â—â—ak from Chazak strong and then very strong was very weake so was Christ Now lest any should thinke that the sufferings of Christ were but skin deepe that the Father did but onely touch and teare the flesh of the Sonne all that was said is resum'd and souled as I may say When thou shalt make his soule an offering for sinne asham peccatum i. peccatum pretii peccatum to beare and present our sinne to stand with our filthy garments upon him covering him from head to foote bodie and soule and withall paying the price thereof that these may be taken off Bodie and soule suffered Christ was a whole burnt offering which the Hebrewes call Chalil from Chalal perficere to perfect he did perfectly suffer that is in all and so did perfectly satisfie that is for all our sinnes Their chalil or whole burnt-offering was their most compleat and prime offering and did above all other offerings set out what an offering Christ was to the Father and what an offering wee should be to the Sonne See the dignitie of it above other offerings in Deutoronomie upon the faithfull carriage of Levi whom God did prove at Massah and Mertbah
who in the execution of that sinne knew neither Father nor Mother and therefore saith God He shall offer upon mine Altar chastil a whole burnt-offering Deut. 33.10 Though this action of the Father towards the Son was terrible yet pleasant to himselfe it pleased the Father to bruise him Chaphets the word notes the highest content that may be to wit delight which is the intention and strength of affection the emphasis of this word is best reached by another word out of the same mouth in the New Testament * This is my beloved Son in whom I rest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If the Lord delight in us he will bring us into the good Land Numbers 14.8 To the Saints in whom is all my delight Psalm 16.3 In both those places is this word Chaphets used That so very sad action upon Christ should be so exceeding content full to the Father is wonderfull The sad action of the Earlier upon the Sonne may be considered formerly or finally precisely in it selfe or in order to such an end in that former sense not joyous in the least because a conversation about sinne and punishment two of the undelightfullest things to God in all one world but considered in order to such an end that is his own glory and mans eternal good so 't was very pleasant to the Father to bruise and to griefe and to Christ to be bruised and grieved A skilfull physitian in some cases delights to contrive art so as to tag nature not simply but in order to such an end to wit the removall of some deepe malignity and so the â—â—â—â—th of the patient Christ is a patient in the person of mankind and it pleaseth that great Physitian to contrive art so and Justice so as to tug Christ extremely and our corrupt nature in him not simply but in order to his owne glory and our salvation The end of the Fathers action is in his eye and the certaintie of this end which is another circumstance which causeth such content in the performance of it if a physitian be in any degree certaine of the good event of strong physick upon his patient this makes him with much content and delight to prescribe such and such ingredients though he knowes they will tug and gripe much when thou shalt make his soule an offering for sinne he shall see seed he shall prolong dayes c. Drugges shall not lie in him to kill him that is to make an utter end not an utter end of the person but of all evill that assailes it I know as if the Father had said when my Sonne shall be compleatly passive he will be compleatly active when he hath fully borne my wrath he will fully and yet legally command and reveale my love to creatures that otherwise can upon no ground pretend to it though their onely happinesse The issue of the Fathers action upon the Sonne towards the Sonnes of men is mentioned two wayes particularly and generally particularly and so two things are mentioned he shall see seed he shall prolong dayes He shall see curiose inspicere Raah it doth not onely signifie to see but to see plainely and to see wonderfully In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen Gen. 22.14 that is plainly there the word is used this word notes more then Nabat which signifies properly and simply to see or to looke and therefore the Kings Translators set forth the emphasis of this word above the other rendering it stare Psal 22.17 They looke and stare upon me staring is a kind of ocular appetite that is such a state wherein the eye is like the stomack sometimes mightie greedie and takes in species by thousands and yet cannot tell how to take off it selfe things that are taken in are so taking that is so great and so sweet so incomprehensible in all excellencie Staring notes a beholding unto wonderment all faculties at once looking out at window and utterly unwilling to shut the casement in the least that a full hold may be taken of what fully affects it thus shall Christ see seed plainely wonderfully he shall stand and stare upon the glorious births of all his travels he shall behold unto wonderment unto ravishment Thou hast ravished my heart my sister my spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes with one chaine of thy neck Cant. 4.9 and yet Christ but personating us in this as in the former passivenesse we shall see plainly and wonderfully with him wee shall stand and stare with open eye and with open face beholding the glorie of God and his good will to man even unto ravishment which is their Heaven above and ours here below He shall prolong dayes or stretch out dayes Arach the word is used about the cloud which waited upon the Tabernacle Numb 9 19. which did stretch out it selfe every way and covered over the Tabernacle by which was shadowed the providence of God that stretcheth out its wings and feathers and covers us all over as a hen her young Man that was for life a beame of eternity his time is now shrunke a creature short-breath'd his dayes so short as not to be measured by length but by breadth and by the least of that dimension to wit a hand Behold thou hast made my dayes as a hand breadth mine age is nothing Psalm 39.5 Hence it is that man is put upon 't to doe all his worke of a day To day if you will heare his voyce to day if you will be for Christ Yea hence 't is that man is put upon 't to doe all his worke in one houre in a moment his time is so shrunke up Now is the accepted time Christ stretcheth out mans time and dayes againe to their full length and this is one of the wonders that he stands and stares upon this is one of those things which he lookes upon and admires to see Adam in Paradise againe living for ever which is admirable indeed He asked life of thee and thou gavest him long life even life for evermore And in this also personating us wee shall stand and wonder with him to behold our very glorious and never dying condition wee shall be ravished to behold our selves not as the flowers of the field which in the morning are and in the euening are not but as the herbes of Eden that garden inclosed semper vivens ever living who were ever dying Thus you have the particular expressions of the issue of Christs sufferings The generall followes which is the last expression in the text and indeed the sum of all and because so I shall sit downe here to give out from the Lord what I have to say The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand The pleasure chephoets * A derivative from the same roote in the front of the text will of the Lord i. all the will of the Lord. Compare with this the type Act. 13.22 To whom also he gave testimony
and said I have found David the Son of Jesse a man after mine owne heart which shall fulfill all my will which is spoken in opposition to Saul who did fulfill but a part Christ did not baulke one title Heaven and Earth shall passe Matth. 5. but one title of the Law shall in no wise passe till all be fulfill'd such parts of Divine will as were most debasing of Christ were fulfilled as well as other parts which were dignifying he stoopt to men who were not worthie to stoop to his shooe latchet Suffer it to be so now for thus it becomes to fulfill all righteousnesse Matthew 3.15 as if Christ had said the will of the Lord shall prosper in my hand though I lie at any ones foot Take the next word in the text and it will carrie it to this sense the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper Tsalach it signifies the carrying on or the carrying thorough of a thing against all difficultie a breaking through or a cutting through with the foote As if God had said My will will be much opposed by Devills and men yet he into whose hand I have put it will breake through all The word is used 1 Samuel the 10. the 6. And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee and thou shalt prophecie The Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee Tsalach will breake in upon thee and thou shalt prophecie whether thou wilt or no. 'T is used in the 2 Sam. 19.17 There went a thousand men of Benjamin over Jordan before the King Tsalach brake through before the King Thus shall he into whose hand Gods will is put breake open the everlasting doores and breake in upon dead soules and breake down whatsoever hinders their eternall life Consider the word in its simple signification or consider it in the time in which it is here put Shall prosper by his hand Which future tense carries us not so much to the futuritie of the worke as to the certaintie of it as noting upon what strong bottome it beares to wit the Justice of God and this in a double respect Gods voluntary chusing Christ and owning him to be his servant 'T is a matter of justice that whom I voluntarily take and owne to any businesse of mine I should cleave to him and assist him as I am able This I take to be the emphasis and life of those words Psalm the 89.20 I have found David my servant with my holy oyle have I anointed him with whom my hands shall be established mine arme also shall strengthen him the enemie shall not exact upon him and I will beate downe his foes before his face c. I have found David my servant c. Matsa I have laid hands upon him or taken hold of him so the word is rendred Psal 116.3 The paines of hell tooke hold upon mee I have laid hands upon my Son and therefore t is but Justice I should keep hold of him and that these hands which I have laid upon him should be every way vertuall to him and they shall be so the enemies shall not exact upon him The word used for exact is Nasha seducere decipere and signifies to seduce cheat and deceive and so is rendred Jer. 29.8 Let not your Prophets deceive you c. As if God had said the times through which my Sonne shall passe will be full of craft and if it were possible to deceive mine elect but it is not possibe because hee is mine elect he is my servant and because my servant he shall deale prudently not the subtlest wit in the world shall put a trick or cheat upon him in order to any punctum of my will The word Nasha hath no affinity with Nasag which signifies to be overtaken and catcht as huntsmen doe their prey Christ is the Hinde of the morning hunted from Sun-rise to Sun-set but having Hindes feet he cannot be taken Thou hast made my feet like hindes feet saith Christ oft in the Old Testament Christ cannot be taken nor overtaken hunt and catch and lay snares who will Saul Judas or all the violent craftie hypocrites in the world A bow of steele is broken by his hand Hell is naked before him not onely open but naked as a thing without all strength or force to hurt because one walking in this furnace with him the support of the God-head You have the Father telling all the world that he goes upon this ground along with the Sonne to wit that he is his chosen servant Behold my servant whom I uphold mine elect c. I have put my Spirit upon him my mantle and livery as my servant he shall not faile nor be discouraged not darkned or broken till he hath set Judgement in the earth i. accomplished all my will Isa 43.1 2 3 4. Upon this ground God sticks close to us because his chosen servants see it largely and comfortably set forth by the same Prophet Isa 48.8 9 c. and therefore bid againe and againe though wormes yet not to feare because wormes upon such a ground Shall prosper the futurity of the word points at the certainty of the worke upon another ground of Justice that is Christs merit Christ hath bought and paid to the utmost farthing for all that may accomplish him in order to any part of the pleasure of God towards the creature this is a ground granted by God himselfe in the text When thou shalt make his soule an offering for sinne he shall see the issue thereof c. There be many difficulties about the creature but may be all infolded in one to wit sinne Man would have the heart of God were it not for sinne and he that hath the heart of God hath his hand and can doe any thing Now Christ hath paid the price of sinne fully and presents in our person a primitive state and so hath bought the eare the hand and the heart of God that is a full concurrence of the Father for all executions and accomplishments in order to the creature which is the reason of that strong language of Peter in his converting Sermon VVhom God hath raised up He 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 demanded life of thee c. Psal 21. having losed the paines of death because it was not possible that he shorld be holden of it Acts 2.24 Not possible why the reason is rendred verse 27. Thou wilt not suffer thy holy One to see corruption Christ is a holy one that is legally holy thou hast made his soule an offering for sinne bought the soule with a soule an eye with an eye a tooth with a tooth he hath purchased all the fulnesse of the God-head to concurie with him and therefore I should be unholy to a holy one if I should leave his soule in grave c. Compare with this place Isaiah 50.6 7 8 9. verses I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the haire I hid not my face from