imputation in us It is Davenants observation When I am called to account and the whole debt of obedience the law requires is exacted from me a Believer must then shew his Surety and say Behold here is my Surety which hath paid my debt and therefore I am free and the hand-writing that was against me is blotted out Col. 2.14 This is the great and only relief to the people of God in reference to their infirmities We ought to aspire and breathe after the most perfect yea if it were possible the most Angelical obedience but when we have done all we shall find we are still unprofitable servants and come infinitely short of what was our duty and of what the law requires but here is our relief that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness he hath so answered that end of the law as to bring in that righteousness which must justifie us God in Justification imputes righteousness without works Rom. 4.6 God hath no consideration of our works and obedience in the matter of Justification but he respects the Obedience and Satisfaction of Christ purely and singly Therefore though we find our selves sinners and ungodly yet we may believe in him that justifies the ungodly as Abraham did Rom. 4.5 When we are so far from having any sense of a righteousness that we nay appear before God withal as that we have a great deal of guilt which troubleth our conscience yet we may look to a righteousness without us and see the law fulfilled and satisfied for us in Christ our Head But here let me give this caution Take heed of abusing this Doctrine The end of this Doctrine is not to make men loose and licentious as that men should reason thus with themselves Christ hath fulfilled the law for us and therefore it is no matter how we live Christ hath done all and therefore it matters not what we do this is to turn the grace of God into wantonness And the Doctrine of free Grace doth not in it self teach any such thing but the corruption of man makes this ill use of this Doctrine The Doctrine of the Gospel teaches another thing The grace of God which bringeth salvation teacheth us that denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present evil world Tit. 2.11 12. The end of this Doctrine is not to be an incouragement to security but to relieve afflicted consciences Christ came to heal the broken in heart and if there be any such who are conscious to themselves of their daily infirmities and seeing the many failings they are guilty of in all they do go mourning under their failings and imperfections this Doctrine concerns them Christ hath undertaken to answer the Law as a Covenant of Works though the law be still a rule of obedience yet Christ hath performed it as a Covenant of Works That perfect exact compleat obedience the law requires Christ hath performed it in our name and stead 3. If Christ was made under the Law let us learn to admire and adore the height depth breadth and length of the love of God in Christ God in Christ is become the sole Author of mans Salvation God in Christ hath done that for us which we never did do nor could do for our selves Christ hath fulfilled the Law for us and wrought out that righteousness for us which we could never work out for our selves Quid ex se agere poterat ut semel amissam justitiam recuperaret homo servus peccati vinctus Diaboli Assignata est ei proinde aliena qui caruit suâ Bernard It is an excellent passage of Bernard What could man do of himself who was the servant of sin the bond-slave of the Devil to recover that righteousness which once he had lost Therefore there was another righteousness assigned and given to him who wanted a righteousness of his own There was another righteousness given to man who had none of his own What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us Rom. 8.3 Well therefore may we take up the Church her Song Isa 12.2 Behold God is my salvation I will trust and not be afraid for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song he also is become my salvation God in Christ hath done all for us Christ was made under the Law he hath fulfilled the Law for us which we could never have fulfilled and so our righteousness is of him as the expression is Isa 54.17 This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me saith the Lord. The end of the third Sermon SERMON I. Joh. 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends OUR Saviour having exhorted his Disciples to love one another and having propounded his own love as a motive and as a pattern to them to induce them to love one another This is my commandment that ye love one another as I have loved you He comes in this verse to shew us what that love of his to his people was and wherein the greatness of that love did manifest it self Therefore it is well observed by Grotius upon this Text That our Saviour doth here explain what it is that he means by that expression in the former verse As I have loved you This is my commandment that ye should love one another as I have loved you The pattern of your love each to other ought to be my love to you as I have loved you Now if you desire to know how it is that I have loved you I will plainly declare it to you I am ready to offer up my life a Sacrifice for you This certainly is the highest demonstration of love that can be on my part my love to you is such as that I am ready to lay down my life for you such ought your love to be one towards another 1 Joh. 3.16 Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren This I take to be the plain coherence of these words In the words themselves we have two Assertions 1. The first Assertion is this That Christ hath laid down his life for his people or for his friends This is clearly implied Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends But I intend to lay down my life for you or I am ready to lay down my life for you this is the Minor Proposition as we call it that is necessarily implied The Major Proposition is expresly laid down Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends But I have laid down my life for you or I am
seek after reconciliation with God and to labour that we may be made friends with God Christ laid down his life for us not because we were made friends before but to make us friends Since therefore the end of Christs death was to reconcile us to God we should seek after reconciliation with him This is the Apostles Argument 2 Cor. 5.19 20. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed to us the word of reconciliation Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God It is as much as if the Apostle had said God is willing to be reconciled to us and he hath testified his willingness in giving his Son to dye for our sins and making satisfaction to his Justice Now since God hath expressed himself to be so willing to be reconciled to us we ought to be willing to be reconciled to him We pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God Here it may be inquired But what is it for us to be reconciled to God When the Apostle prays us here with so much earnestness in Christs stead to be reconciled to God what is the reconciliation he aimeth at how ought we to be reconciled to God Two or three things I conceive are here intended 1. We ought to seek after reconciliation with God Isa 55.6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found that is seek his face and favour seek reconciliation with him Secure sinners are not aware of the difference that is between God and them although the sinner thinks little of it sin makes a vast breach an hostile difference between God and him God is angry with the wicked every day saith the Psalmist Psal 7.11 And The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men Rom. 1.18 God doth maintain his controversie against thee whilst thou goest on in the ways of sin therefore seek reconciliation with him Agree with thy adversary quickly whilst he is in the way Mat. 5.25 Labour to take up all differences between God and thee 2. To be reconciled to God is to accept of the reconciliation which God tenders humbly to embrace that grace which God offers God is in Christ reconciling the world and hath committed to us the word of reconciliation As much as if he should say God hath put himself into Christ on purpose to exhibit and give forth grace and mercy to sinners and he sends his Ministers and Ambassadors on purpose to make a tender of grace and mercy to him Now then are we reconciled to God when we do humbly embrace this grace and mercy offered to us Rom. 10.10 With the heart man believeth unto righteousness We ought with the full bent of our affections to embrace the grace of God offered to us in the Gospel 3. If we would be reconciled to God we ought to pray for renewing grace that we may lay aside the old enmity that lurks in our hearts against God It is sin that first of all made the quarrel and difference between God and us and how can we expect in reason that ever we should be brought into perfect reconciliation with God so long as that which first bred the quarrel and made the difference between God and us is retained and kept by us Isa 59.2 Your iniquities saith the Prophet have separated between you and your God Sin is that which sets us at a distance from God If therefore we would have the breach made up and the difference reconciled we must pray for that grace from God whereby we may lay aside that which first made the quarrel The Apostle tells us we are enemies in our minds by evil works Col. 1.21 So long as our minds are set upon sin so long as we continue in the love and practice of any thing that God hates Amicorum est idem velle nolle how is it possible we should be friends with God It is the property of friends to will the same thing and nill the same thing If we would be the friends of God we must will what God wills hate what God hates and love what God loves You that love the Lord hate evil Psal 97.10 This therefore is the second Use an Use of Exhortation to exhort us to seek after reconciliation with God In the third and last place Vse 3 Learn from what hath been opened to admire the greatness of Christs love to us who in some sense accounts us friends whereas indeed we are enemies Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends We are all by nature enemies so we have heard and yet in some sense Christ accounts us friends Christ had a purpose of good will to us even when we were enemies towards him It was from his love that God sent his Son to dye for us when we were enemies Herein God commended his love towards us in that whilst we were yet enemies Christ dyed for us Rom. 5.8 So that God had a purpose of good will in his heart towards us when we were full of enmity in our hearts towards him Only that none may abuse this Doctrine take this caution No man can conclude that God hath a purpose of good will to him that remains an enemy to God and persists in his enmity but he hath reason on the contrary to think that he being an enemy to God by nature and continuing still to be so God remains so to him But however this was the love of God to the world in general that when the whole world were enemies and all were found in a state of enmity against God God loved the world so far as to find out and prepare a means of Salvation for the world God loved the world so far as that he gave his only begotten Son to deliver the world from its perishing condition and to bring it eternal life this was the love of God to us and this commends and sets forth the greatness of Gods love to us that when we were enemies to him he had a kindness for us and so great was his kindness to us that he sent his Son to bring us unto life Joh. 4.9 In this was manifested the love of God towards us because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him The end of the second Sermon SERMON III. Joh. 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends THE general Proposition that I have laid down as the foundation of our Discourse from these words hath been this That our Lord Jesus Christ hath laid down his life for his people In speaking to this Doctrine I have propounded to speak to these four Heads 1. To open the import of this Phrase what it is to lay down a mans life
be there were none above him whose will he were bound to take notice of Hence is that expression in the Book of Job Job 21.15 Who is the Almighty that we should serve him This is the language of wicked men this is virtually the language of every sin Every sin is a disavowing of Gods Authority it is virtually and interpretatively a renouncing Gods Authority 3. Man by sin as he doth virtually and interpretatively cast off Gods Authority so he doth properly and formally cast off his own subjection unto God God gives to man a Law as the Rule of his obedience and he doth plainly refuse to be subject to that Law This is that which the Lord complains of in many places Jer. 11.7 8. For I earnestly protested to your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt even unto this day rising early and protesting saying Obey my voice Here is Gods command but what follows Yet they obeyed not but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart Sin is a perfect casting off of the creatures subjection unto God 4. Another account upon which sin is so displeasing unto God is this Man by sin prefers his own will before his Creators will God hath declared this or that to be his will in such or such a Law of his but mans will lies cross and contrary hereunto and when man sins he makes Gods will to stoop to his will now what is this but a manifest contempt of God when man who is but a creature prefers his own private will above the supreme and soveraign Will of his Maker 5. Sin is most displeasing unto God upon this account because man by sin makes himself his last end and refers all to himself Man when he sins seeks not to please God but seeks to please himself only and what is this but to make himself his last end Now as the quintessence of Holiness lies in love to God so the very quintessence of sin lies in self-love Now when man is wholly taken up in self-love and self-pleasing he is perfectly carried off from God as his last end and wholly centers in himself and when man makes himself his last end what doth he do but as it were make himself a God to himself For what is more proper to God than this to be his own end to make himself his last end that which is proper to God is to be the first cause and the last end Now man by sin makes himself his last end and so by consequence makes himself a God to himself If this be the nature of sin that it causeth man to dethrone God and to set up himself for God instead of God this must needs render sin most displeasing unto God and he must needs be highly offended with man by reason of it 5. The fifth Proposition is Man having sinned the Nature of God as he is just as well as the Will of God as he is true and faithful to his word inclines him to punish sin I will not enter into that dispute whether or no God out of his absolute Power might not have pardoned sin without satisfaction This is a Question much agitated but I shall wave that Controversie and shall content my self to lay down such Principles as are more plain and may be more easily taken in by all 1. Then I say That the Nature of God as he is just inclines him to punish sin God is often called in Scripture a Just and a Righteous God and as he is a righteous God so he loves Righteousness Psal 11.7 The righteous God loveth righteousness And in that place the Righteousness of God is given as the reason why it is that God punisheth wicked men for in the verses immediately foregoing it is said Vpon the wicked he shall rain snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest this shall be the portion of their cup. And then the reason is added in those words For the righteous God loveth righteousness As much as if it had been said The Righteousness of Gods Nature inclines him to deal righteously with men Justitia est suum cuique tribuere It is the part of justice to distribute to every man his own Therefore since punishment belongs to wicked men it is the Righteousness of God to measure out to them what they do deserve To understand this we must consider that man standing in the relation of a creature unto God and upon that account being under a Law of obedience to his Maker God having also laid so great an obligation upon man by giving him so excellent a Being in case man sin against the duty which he is under as a creature and if he sin against that obligation which is laid upon him by his Creator in giving him a Being and so excellent a Being man in so doing sins against all right and equity and God as he is the Rector and Governor of the World cannot but take notice of such obliquity in man and testifie his displeasure against man for violating the Law of Right and Equity Hence is that of the Apostle Rom. 1.18 The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men The plain meaning I take to be That God is highly offended with men by reason of sin and he testifies his displeasure against sin by executing his Judgments in an open manner many times even as by a hand from Heaven The wrath of God is revealed from heaven c. there is a finger stretched out from Heaven in the Judgments of God whereby God doth testifie and declare to all the world his displeasure against sin So Rom. 1. ult This is the judgment of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death This is the Judgment of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Judgment of God I take to be the just and upright determination of God the dictate of the Divine Vnderstanding to speak after the manner of men determining what is just what is fit and equal this is that which the Divine Understanding determines that man sinning he is worthy of death This is the judgment of God saith the Apostle that they that commit such things are worthy of death It is that which the Divine Wisdom and Understanding determines as just fit and equal that mans sinning should be punished with death there is a condignity in the nature of sin that requires punishment so that either God must go contrary to what his infinite and most unerring Wisdom determines to be right fit and equal or else he must punish sin for this is the Judgment of God saith the Apostle that the sinner is worthy of death therefore that must not be done which the Divine Wisdom thinks just fit and equal should be done or else the person that sins must fall under punishment Now the Apostle tells us Rom. 2.2 That the Judgment of God is according to truth and this
Cor. 1.19 The Son of God Jesus Christ who preached among you by us The Gospel then is the revelation of the Son of God Now that so great and excellent a Person as the Son of God and God should be rejected this is that which makes the sins of the despisers and contemners of the Gospel to be so great Now as that is one thing that aggravates the sin of them that reject the grace of the Gospel that they contemn Christs person they tread under foot the Son of God so another thing is they contemn his sufferings they count the blood of the Covenant wherewith they are sanctified an unholy thing the meaning is such as despise the Gospel despise the satisfaction and sufferings of Christ which are declared and made known to them in the Gospel they make the sufferings of Christ to be no other than the sufferings of a common or an ordinary man they put no difference between Christs sufferings and another mans sufferings this is impious and horrid indeed The Son of God and God the Creator of all things becomes man for man and when he is so gives his life sheds his blood for men and after all this love and condescension his sufferings are counted no more but as the sufferings of an ordinary man Is this a little thing that God should assume flesh and give that flesh to be crucified in love to men for their Redemption and that his sufferings should be counted no more than as the sufferings of an ordinary common man Is this an ordinary sin Blush O Heavens and be astonished O Earth They counted it an unholy thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To make the sufferings of that person who was God as well man to be no more than the sufferings of a common person this is to make the sufferings of Christ a profane or common thing The Apostle aggravates this sin yet further and calls it A doing despite to the Spirit of grace but I shall not farther insist upon that In the next place the Apostle doth amplifie yet farther the judgment upon them that reject the grace of the Gospel We know him that hath said Vengeance is mine and I will recompense saith the Lord. And again the Lord shall judge his people It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God Here are two things affirmed 1. That God will certainly avenge the contempt and rejection of the Gospel Vengeance is mine and I will recompense saith the Lord. 2. That the revenge God takes on Gospel-rejecters is most dreadful It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God There is much implied in this sentence 1. That when God takes Gospel-sinners into his hand to punish them his judgments on them are most terrible The judgments which God brings for abusing the Gospel and the grace of it are not common ordinary judgments no they are stupendious and amazing judgments It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God When God comes to take a people in hand and to call them to account how they have carried it towards his grace and behaved themselves towards the Gospel which he hath sent to them for a long time he will deal with them to the purpose We have had too sad instances of this witness the destruction of Jerusalem where there was not a stone left upon a stone witness the two last great Judgments upon the great City of our own Land that were successive one upon another the Plague and Fire which were unparalleled Judgments the like never known in our days nor in the days of our Fathers no nor since it was a Nation 2. This is also implied in it That when God takes in hand and begins to punish Gospel-sinners such as have despised his grace he doth not soon make an end with them It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God As much as if it had been said When God hath once taken men into his hand to punish them he doth not so soon make an end with them he is a living God and hath time enough before him to speak after the manner of men to avenge himself upon his adversaries God is the living God he lives this year and the next year and he hath various ways and various seasons to avenge himself on such as do reject his grace God doth not pour out all his wrath in one Judgment upon them that contemn his Son and reject the grace offered by them but he sends variety of Judgments on them and if they will not understand his wrath by one Judgment they shall be forced to understand it by variety of Judgments It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God God lives to right himself to avenge the quarrel of his slighted abused grace and Gospel It is much to be feared that we are fallen under the influences and effects of this Scripture Truly the Lord seems to be calling the Churches of the Gentiles to an account for their behaviour and carriage under the Gospel as he hath the Jews before us Let us consider that Text Rom. 11.22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God on them which fell severity but towards thee goodness if thou continue in his goodness otherwise thou also shalt be cut off Here the Lord doth plainly threaten the Churches of the Gentiles that if they abuse his grace as the Jews have done they shall be cut off by his Judgments as the Jews were and if we consider what God hath done and is doing in the world have we not reason to fear and tremble hath not Judgment began at the house of God And have not they which make profession of Christ in opposition to Antichrist been the subjects of Gods Judgments Let us consider one Scripture more Rev. 14. at the latter end of that Chapter it is a Prophecy of the times wherein we are fallen I looked and behold a white cloud and upon the cloud one sate like unto the Son of man having on his head a golden crown and in his hand a sharp sickle And another Angel came out of the Temple crying with a lond voice to him that sate on the cloud Thrust in thy sickle and reap for the time is come for thee to reap for the harvest of the earth is ripe And he that sate on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth and the earth was reaped And another Angel came out of the Temple which is in Heaven he also having a sharp sickle And another Angel came out from the Altar which had power over fire and cryed with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle saying Thrust in thy sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth for her grapes are fully ripe And the Angel thrust in his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and cast it into the great wine-press
nature to lay down his life and dye for our sins Certainly he that believes this will find no reason to doubt of the love of God If God sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins if he had no other end in sending of him and if the Son of God did freely lay down his life for us then there is no reason that we should retain suspicious and jealous thoughts of the Father or the Son We know and believe the love that God hath to us How so Because God hath sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins If we can realize the sufferings of Christ to our minds by the eye of faith this will confirm our souls in the love of God towards us 2. Another effect of our studying the love of Christ in his sufferings for us is This will be a means to beget much love in us to Christ What more powerful argument to inflame our love to Christ than to consider what Christ hath done and suffered for us Can we behold the Son of God the second Person in Trinity God equal with the Father Emmanuel God with us God come down into our nature can we behold this great and excellent Person giving himself to suffer and dye for us taking the whole curse and punishment upon himself that we deserve and not love this person who hath so loved us and hath done and suffered such things for us The Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 5.14 The love of Christ constrains us The love of Christ that is Christs love to us the apprehension of Christs love to us constrains us why so Because saith the Apostle we thus judge That if one dyed for all then were all dead If Christ had not dyed we must all have dyed If Christ had not suffered the wrath of God we must have suffered it to Eternity If Christ had not been deserted we must have been deserted If he had not undergone dereliction and the hiding of Gods face the face of God must have been turned away from us for ever If Christ had not conflicted with the Divine displeasure we must have conflicted with the wrath of God for ever If Christ had not been cast into that Agony wherein he sweat drops of blood we must have been cast into those inexpressible horrours and torments of soul and body which would have pressed us down to all Eternity The deep and serious consideration of these things cannot but constrain us to love Christ The love of Christ constrains us saith the Apostle because we thus judge That if one dyed for all then were all dead The consideration of this That Christ hath freed us from that by his death which otherwise we must necessarily have undergone must needs be a strong ingagement upon us to love Christ We love him because he first loved us Learn how great the sin and ingratitude of the world is in slighting and abusing all this love Vse 2 and also how just that revenge is which God takes upon the world for slighting and abusing all this love If the love of Christ be so eminently seen in his suffering and dying for sinful men for the sinful world then how great is the sin and ingratitude of the world in slighting and abusing all this love God hath sent his Son from Heaven to save the world he hath sent his Son from Heaven to dye for the world but all this love is little thought of little regarded or esteemed by the generality of men this is the cause of the Lords great indignation against the world The world is guilty of many other sins it is guilty of great immoralities and many abominations in point of practice and these may have their influence and no doubt have as to the bringing down Gods displeasure upon the sinful world but that which is the fundamental sin the root sin of all it is the contempt of Christ and the Gospel the slighting and rejecting Gospel-love gospel-Gospel-grace This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light And we may say This is the condemnation that love is come into the world that the Son of God who is love it self the Son of God who hath all the love of the Father in him and God is love that he is come into the nature of man and hath dyed for men that they might be saved and this is not at all regarded by them When all this love of his hath been published and made known to men the generality of men have taken no notice of Christ and his love so they may have their honours pleasures and profits take Christ and his grace who will for them for this so great contempt of Christ and his grace when God hath offered his love and the grace of his Gospel to the world and men have slighted it taken no notice of it hath God come to revenge himself upon the ingrateful world and I speak it with a bleeding heart I fear will yet revenge it more sorely The end of the sixteenth Sermon SERMON XVII Job 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends I Come now to other Particulars that set forth the greatness of Christs suffering for us 5. The greatness of Christs love in laying down his life for us appears in this That there was no one else that could have satisfied for us If men or Angels had attempted this work their sufferings had been but the sufferings of finite creatures there would not have been infinite worth and value in them to have satisfied for the sins of the whole world The expiation of sin requires a price of infinite value and the reason is because every sin is committed against an infinite Majesty an infinite Majesty being offended there must be a price of infinite value to expiate the offence Now whoever had been but a meer man could not have offered a price of infinite value but Christs sufferings were of infinite value because he was God as well as man and this is that which enhanceth the price of Christs love that none else could have suffered for us but Christ so as to have satisfied Gods Justice this Christ himself sets before us Isa 63.3 I have trod the wine-press alone and of the people there was none with me So vers 5. I looked and there was none to help and I wondered there was none to uphold therefore mine own arm brought salvation This commends the greatness of Christs love in his sufferings That when none was able to suffer for us so as to satisfie Gods Justice Christ undertook the work The sixth Consideration is The greatness of Christs love in his sufferings appears in this That so great and excellent a person should come to suffer for us 1 Joh. 3.16 Hereby perceive we the love of God that he laid down his life for us that is that he who was the Son of God and God that
for you That very body of Christ in which he suffered dyed rose again is offered to us in the Sacrament to be looked upon by faith The Sacrament is as the Ancients call it Verbum visibile a visible Word The Sacrament declares by visible signs and representations that which the Word doth in another way Now as it is a great sin to contemn Christ when he is made known to us in the way of the Word so it is a great sin to contemn Christ when he is revealed to us by his own signs and symbols which are of his own institution instituted on purpose by himself to make himself known to us 2. The Sacrament is appointed to confirm our union and communion with Christ The bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ The cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion of the blood of Christ 1 Cor. 10. The ancient Church called the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Sacramentum unionis the Sacrament of Vnion because it is that special Ordinance by which our union and communion with Christ is strengthened and confirmed And our Saviour in effect tells us as much when he saith He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him Job 6.56 When we eat Christs flesh and drink his blood Christ dwells in us and we in him Now when we profess the nearest union and communion with the person of Christ and with the death and sufferings of Christ and we slight both his person and his sufferings this must needs be a great sin Thus have we heard now how Christ and his sufferings may be contemned there is another thing that may be added and that is 5. That Apostates such as fall from deny and renounce the faith of Christ they once presessed they do in an eminent manner pour contempt upon the sufferings of Christ Of these the Apostle speaks in a peculiar manner Heb. 10. and of these he saith That they account the blood of the Covenant by which they are sanctified an unholy thing He that apostatizes from the Christian Profession what doth he do but make a mock of Christ and his sufferings as if all that he had formerly professed concerning Christ and his sufferings were but a meer sable Now it concerns us greatly to see that we be not found in the number of such who are contemners of Christs person or of his sufferings and the reason is because great punishment is denounced on such Heb. 10.29 Of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace There is a sorer punishment shall be inflicted upon such who despise the person of Christ and contemn his sufferings and I verily believe this is one main cause of the Judgments which God hath already executed and will yet further execute upon the unthankful world because his Son hath been revealed to the world in this last Century of years more than in former Ages by that clear and great light that hath broken forth and yet men make no reckoning of Christ and of his grace but are grown worse and worse more profane and atheistical under the light of the Gospel that hath shone upon them As Idolatry was the great sin that God did avenge under the Old Testament upon the Jews that were then his professing people so the contempt of the Gospel wherein there hath been a plain and manifest revelation of the Son of God and of that grace and salvation which is brought by his death and sufferings seems to be the great sin that God is avenging upon professing Christians The end of the nineteenth Sermon SERMON XX. Joh. 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends I Proceed now to another Consideration to shew the greatness of Christs Love in his Sufferings Consid 7 The love of Christ in his sufferings appears in this That the Son of God so great a person should suffer such things as he did suffer for us The love of Christ doth not only appear from the consideration of the excellency of the person suffering but also from the consideration of the things themselves that he suffered for us that so great a person should suffer so much shame such reproach such indignity as he did for us this is that which commends Christs love to us Heb. 12.2 He endured the cross and despised the shame Isa 50.6 I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair I hid not my face from shame and spitting That the Son of God should suffer such things for us poor men that he should suffer such pains and torments in soul and body for us this commends his love to us The sufferings of Christ did far exceed the sufferings of any other man yea if the sufferings of all men were put together they are not to be compared with the sufferings of Christ and the reason is because Christ did suffer the very pains of Hell for us as we have heard Christ did not only suffer from men but he suffered from the hands of his Father it pleased the Father to bruise him he put him to grief Isa 53. Christ did not only suffer in his body but he suffered in his soul yea his soul-sufferings were the greatest sufferings there it was that he suffered dereliction there it was that he suffered the sense of Gods wrath no sorrows were ever like to Christs sorrows and yet these sorrows Christ did voluntarily and electively undergo for our sakes Our Saviour knew before-hand what his sufferings were like to be and yet he freely underwent them Christ did not rush upon his sufferings unawares but he knew what his sufferings would be and yet he was content to undergo them for our sakes Luk. 12.50 I have a baptism to be baptized with he speaks of the Baptism of his sufferings The Lord Jesus knew that he was to undergo such sore and grievous sufferings and yet he voluntarily underwent them he did not rum ignorantly upon them but he knew before-hand what he was to suffer and yet he chose voluntarily to suffer that which he knew would be so bitter and grievous to him It is a great alleviation of a mans sufferings not to know what he hath to suffer the contemplation of a mans sufferings before-hand is sometimes almost as great a suffering as the suffering it self that he is to undergo but yet the Son of God had the contemplation and foresight in his mind of the sufferings that he was to undergo for us yet he was content notwithstanding to under go them Mat. 16.21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew to his Disciples how he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things of the