be that Love which hath so loved me Let him carry away all my affection who thus hath carried all my transgressions He shall have my love whilst I live by whose love it is that I live Oh let my love at the Sacrament revive where there is the revived memory of my Lord his love to me None but those foolish and mad creatures who are in love with their faults and with their misery will withhold their love from Christ who delivered us from both 3. Did Christ die such a death in thy stead let this then awaken thee to consider how thou wouldst resent another mans suffering for thee and speak what interess thy friend should purchase in thy affections by his undergoing afflictions for thee Wouldst thou love thy rich friend that took thy debts on him wouldst thou do less than dearly love thy skilful friend that cured thee of thy disease thy powerful friend at Court who rescued thee from a prison thy watchful friend who kept strict and careful watch lest thou shouldst be surprised and ruin'd whilst thou wert sleeping secure in greatest danger and in greatest ignorance and security But what wouldst thou say if thy friend should deliver thee from thine by making it his own disease or should go into a prison that thou mightest go out of it or expose himself to ruine that thou mightest be indemnified Just so did Christ for thee he did bear thy disease and took thy sickness upon him he became a prisoner first to unjust hands seizing on him and then to the grave which could not hold him yet a while he was a prisoner there for thy sake in thy stead and what acknowledgment wilt thou make of all this How wilt thou certifie the Christian world that thou dost well resent what Christ hath done if thou wilt not love him for doing it Thou lovest those that speak well of thee that bless thee that wish well to thee and endeavour to do thee good and what law reason or equity wilt thou pretend why thou dost not love Christ who speaks best of thee to his Father and who wished best to thee and hath done most for thee and all this by his dying a Curse for thee Let thy own heart ponder this and draw to a conclusion what ought to be done in this case say Had any man whom I know done this for me which Christ hath done I could not but love him and why do I not love Christ if I did see my friend loaded with curses and reproaches and bearing them patiently for me that I might not be reproached that I might not be cursed it would endear such a friend to me why now in the Sacrament the visible memorial of Christ's dying a Curse for me I do see such a friend so loaded for my sake that I might not be loaded with my deserved Curse I may not I will not be less to him than I would be to another I will love him more than any else for he hath done more for me than all could and I see it in the Sacrament the blessed memorial of his cursed Death Fourthly and lastly Is the Sacrament of the bloody Death of Christ a memorial of his dying an accursed death for me oh then I see the evidence of a love to me which surpasseth the love of best friends which indeed exceeds the thoughts and belief of most considerate men For who will believe beside a Christian who is taught by the revealed word of the God of truth that Christ would become a Curse for us Some men will hardly believe that the Apostle spake his very thoughts when he wished that he himself were accursed from Christ for his brethren his kinsmen after the flesh Some judge it so inconsistent with reason that they think the Apostle could not soberly sedately and rationally desire it but that he did use the liberty and freedom of an Orator to commend his greatest affection to his kindred by a greater expression But behold Reader Paul's wish for his kindred is Christ's own act for his what Paul wisht but could not do for his brethren Christ hath undertook and undergone for his brethren What some do think was too great for a rational and sober desire in the one hath been found not too great for the choice and performance of the other Now let Christ have but a serious view of this he hath done for thee and answer thy self this or such like questions Is that too little to engage my love which was too great for any to undertake but Christ Do I see Christ doing that which few men will believe a man could wish he mght do and do I still withhold my heart my affection from Christ Do I know that his love was stronger than death he was content to be accursed for the sake good life and salvation of Believers I see him for a while separated from God that he might bring me to God and now he shall have that love which is too great for any one since he hath done what is so great for me In the fifth place 5. Joy in believing a Sacramental grace The Believer's Joy is or at least might be considerably improved in the commemoration of Christ dying as a Curse for us It is not to be questioned whether joy and rejoycing through faith in the Lord be seasonable in our feasting with the Lord. Joy is the souls rest with delight in the Lord and such a disposition of mind doth the Lord require and accept at this seast Now let us observe how that his dying a Curse for us may increase our joy and this may appear 1. From the Nature of Joy which is the triumph of the mind in its freedom and deliverance from its fears or in its attaining and possessing of its hopes It is a rational security of our best hopes and a due removal of our worst fears singing a rest and happiness to the soul Joy is the rapture of our soul hearing and observing desired events sweetly keeping tune with our desires and hopes It is the Tripudium Animae the soul's dance to the Musick which the God of Heaven makes for it If there be any exstasies of joy it can be from no other harmony than which is heard not from Pythagoras his melodious spheres but from the Cross of our Blessed Lord seting Heaven and Earth in a blessed concent by his accursed Death The Philosopher will tell us Dilatatio cordis ob bonum praesens that Joy is the dilatation of the soul the enlarging of the heart to entertain a present desired good Good wished for is the Sun the heart is the Heliotrope the flower of the Sun Joy is the opening and turning of this flower towards the Sun This or somewhat like this is Joy Now in what can the soul triumph if not in its freedom from a dreadful Curse What may possibly be imagined will secure the rational hopes and wishes of a Christian better than Christ's
adoptionis illius vim senserunt in Spiritu Sanctificante PP Salmur de Sp. Adop Sect. 12. so they who are sealed with the spirit of Adoption have still found the power of that Adoption by the spirit of Sanctification Now I say Christ Dying a Testator and leaving us his last Will or Testament to meditate upon hath left us a good answer to our doubts and the due meditations of the soul on the last Will of Christ will much dispel our fears and quiet the soul For whereas there are two sorts of fears which afflict a gracious soul 1. A fear it shall miss of Glory And 2. A fear it doth want truth of grace Christ by his last Will hath secured the believing soul against both these fears against the first by giving a Kingdom and Glory to such by Will he appointed them unto a Kingdom to a Glorious Crown Against the second by bequeathing the spirit of Truth and Grace unto them to lead them in holiness unto the end and this Will of our best Friend who Died to confirm it is a very sure Title on the sacred reverence authority of last Wills and Testaments Legum servanda fides suprema voluntas Quod mandat fierique subet parere necesse est Aug. Imper. de vol. Virg. which must be sacred and inviolate when the man is dead Command of Laws must duly be fulfill'd And so must that our dying friend last will'd how much more when he who died once hath for ever conquered death and lives for ever to see his own Legacies both bestowed and enjoyed which peculiar to Christ our dying friend gives greatest encouragement against such doubts and might very well ease us of all such fears and so be an excellent defence and prop to weak grace whence will soon follow a considerable growth in grace Sect. 3. 3. That which confirms the truth certainty and immutability of the promises improveth Grace I need not give long Proofs of so known a Truth Praecipuum maximè proprium objectum Fidei situm est in promissionibus PP Salm. de Fide sect 7. the promisies are the objects of our faith the good things contained in the promises are the object of our hope the grace and mercy making the promises is the Load-stone of our love In one word we are made partakers of the Divine Nature we do purify our selves and perfect holiness through these promises Grace is as the vine the promises are the frame which beareth up and carrieth the vine which thriveth best when it resteth on the surest and stedfastest frame Grace is a spiritual building which needeth a sure Foundation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Such is the promise which as the word of God is in it self sure and stedfast for it is impossible that God should lie Tit. 1.2 Heb. 6.18 Yet to this the Lord hath superadded the confirmation and certainty of a Testamentary disposition or last Will making all the promises in Christ and making them all sure and unchangeable by the death of Christ whereby they become to us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 that we might have such assurance as should render it next to a moral impossibility for us soberly and deliberately to doubt them Now all this is excellently effected by resolving and moulding the promises into a last Will or Testamentary disposition which is of such a nature that it becomes unalterable on the Death of the Testator Heb. 9.17 for a Testament is of force after men are dead and so the law maxim ensureth us In publicis Lex in privatis Testamentum firmissimum habetur that what the law is in publick concerns that a last Will in private concerns is for ensurance and firmness In brief therefore the last Will of Christ Dying confirms the Promises to us what confirms the promises confirms our faith and hope with other graces faith and hope confirmed do greatly tend to purifying and sanctifying our hearts and making our life fruitful in these things lieth the growth and improvement of grace so that due reflections and right manage of our thoughts on Christ dying a Testator do as is said improve the communicants Graces Sect. 4. 4. That improves grace which doth soften the heart and as it were ripen it unto a mellow temper as the showers which soak into the earth in the spring time which soften the earth do both prepare the way that tender roots of trees and plants may spread abroad and root deeper and also do afford nourishing moisture and sap whence the verdure blossom and the fruit it self so it is here a hard and rocky heart is as unkind a soil for grace as stony ground is for Corn neither can take root to any good purpose Trees of righteousness are planted by the rivers of waters which is a tender soil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the water courses divide themselves and run out into many branches gently and kindly softening the ground And though some vines of the Lord are planted in high Mountaines naturally hard and barren in proud and hard hearts yet these hearts are like plowed ground laid a fallowing and mellowing and so prepared for the seed time every high Mountain is laid low before Christ In one word the pleasant Lillies do grow in the Valleys low and softned grounds so grace thrives best in the humble and tender soul Now there are in the last Will of Christ many both common and ordinary as also Singular and extraordinary motives and inducements to tenderest affections towards Christ Whatsoever cause any true friend any kind Brother any dutiful Child can see in the care love and bounty of his Dying Friend Brother or Father expressed and contained in the porvision made by such one for him that all that and more may the meditating and considerate soul see in the last Will of Christ to melt him into affections for Christ in whose Death he may see love living and growing strong when life fainted and grew weak And as his veines and heart grew empty of blood both grew full of love to you and me So he loved his own to the end What in particular these common and speciall motives are I shall not now specify but reserve them to another more fit place thus you have the sum of this fourth argument before you in the next place Sect. 5. 5. That improves our graces which endeareth the Lord Jesus to us what increaseth our love to Christ doth increase our holiness and addeth to our graces love will long for a more close union love will study the most intire complyance it will ambitiously strive to advance and honour it will without ceasing endeavour to please That soul is most endeared to holiness and most studious of holiness which is most endeared to Christ and most in love with him such a soul keeps his Commandments Now the view and consideration of Christ s last Will and Testament will surely endear
hast First All the common inducements of a firm perswasion which are as much in this as in any No man's last Testament can have more grounds for the ensuring us it is firm and stable than his last VVill of Christ He was in strictest propriety a Person who might optimo jure in best right make his VVill. He had wealth and riches spiritual Riches fulness of Grace and merit Testes suntin primis discipuli ejus Apostoli sancti man tyres quoque testes sunt -Testes etiam bom ministri omnes Testes etiam Angeli omnesque Pii Ben. Aretius in Prolegem ad Matth. he had large demeasnes was heir of all things he could sua legare bequeath his own he did also make his VVill by his death he confirmed all the promises and made them the Legacy of every Believer He did condere Testamentum ordain his Testament To which he added sufficient VVitnesses to him give all the Prophets and Apostles witness that whosoever believeth in him hath good title and right to eternal Life he bequeathed it by VVill and adhibuit testes * call'd in Witnesses And farther he publish'd his Will sent out his Apostles who declared Christs death and the Believers life Every Minister of Christ is one by whom Christ still publisheth this Will of his Now if thou who readest this hadst such a Ground of Plea for an inheritance wouldst thou not say thou hadst a good Title wouldst thou fear to claim thy Legacy wouldst thou not sue the Executor rather than lose thine inheritance when thou shouldest read what thy dying Friend commanded to be written what witnesses are to it how plain and full he made every thing be written publisht would not thy perswasion grow as thou readest So then it is in this case every promise is reduced into the form of a will and the more thou readest and considerest the more wilt thou discern the stability and the certainty of the promises The words which thou believest on which thou may'st claim and make good thy claim to any promise it is the Legacy thy dying Lord hath bequeathed thee Say then before thou goest to the Lords Table I am now preparing to renew the memorial of Christs death and what thoughts am I to entertain ought they not to be thoughts of the precious promises which are comprised in the Lord Jesus in whom they are all yea and amen made to us in him before he died made most sure to us by him when he died And who dares go about to reverse what he hath so consirmed who shall presume to annul and make void his will I see others believe their interest in the last will of their Friends I know I am the Friend of Christ and in his Will what then should make me doubt Nay I will endeavour to have as inviolatam fidem inviolate and unshaken Faith as I have inviolate and Sacred ground of Faith in the last Will of my Lord. Secondly The Believer hath yet more to increase his faith and to confirm him in the perswasion that there shall be a performance of all that is promised For it is all made sure by the last Testament of him who could not exceed his own treasures he hath not given larger Legacies than his estate will bear though his Gifts are great yet his Estate will make them good He is heir of both Worlds with all that is in both he is heir of the world to come and he is proprietary of all grace which fits for Glory and he is also Proprietary of all Glory fitted unto Grace that is prepared and apportioned unto Grace He is Lord of this present world although we do not yet see all things put under him yet he is the man of whom David spake Psal 8. witness the Apostle Heb. 2. He shall inherit all Nations he is a King whose dominion is over all In one word the greatest wants the largest desires the highest expectations of his kindred could not be too much for his Treasures Though none ever gave as he hath given yet none ever did or ever shall be put to abate or to forgo any part of his Gift This oh believing soul is peculiar to thy Lord his Riches will pay all his Legacies Say then to thine unbelief what is it thou stickest at where lieth the difficulty are the promises so rich they exceed the Estates and Treasures of this world do they amount to more than all the world can make up why still they are not greater than the Riches of both worlds and remember thy self he hath both this and that world which is to come at his disposal and his Bequests are to be disbursed and paid out of both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Arab. reads Quicquid est in ea will both be enough cannot the fulness of the Earth fill thy emptiness why the Earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof the World is his and they that dwell therein Banish thine unbelief which ordinarily stumbles most at the wants and streights of Christians in this life and look to the last Will of Christ which is unto Godliness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He bequeaths all the promises of the life that now is and of that which is to come Oh now where is thy faith what forbids thee to be perswaded of the truth of the promise of Christ 1 Tim. 4.8 he hath not laid it on an uncertainty much less on an untruth he hath not given so much if his Goods will amount to it He hath not as that beggarly Cardinal given much but his Legatees must find it out No but he had enough to give what he hath given and every one shall in due time have all that Christ hath given there are Assets to pay these debts believe than that thou may'st receive See how much greater cause thou hast to believe than any man can have to expect from the Testamentary disposition of a mortal friend who may possibly out give his Estate but Christ thy Friend did not could not out-give his 3. Next consider as he had wealth both spiritual eternal and temporal sufficient to discharge his leagacies so he had wisdom which could not and love in sincerity which would not err in the ordaining of his Will that so any Legatee should lose through the ambiguity or defect of his last Will. He needed none to direct him how to make a will which should hold good and be valid to all the intents and purposes of his love towards his poor Friends He is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that one Law-giver whose wisdom directeth to the making Laws good profitable and seasonable for his Church He is that Lawgiver whose soveraign authority gives validity and warranteth his word for a law to his Church He is the King of his Church and his Church knows not a law beside the word of his mouth And the words of his mouth are right there is nothing forward or
live on them muddy and shallow scarce worth the tasting and which is worse yet they prove bitterer than gall and wormwood and of shorter continuance than a morning dew But our Joy in blessed peace with God in sweet hopes of glory in sure foundations of faith in endless happiness to crown our faith to satisfie our hopes and to be the manner of enjoying our God which are the pleasant fruits of Christ thus dying do increase upon us as our insight into them increaseth and are purest when nearest are deepest in the spring or rather ocean of true Delight and Joy are sweetest when most lived upon and are most lasting when we enter at last into them The Joys of others are never so great as their hopes nor so lasting as their desires But the Joy of a Believer in his Dying Lord is at last greater than his hopes and as long liv'd as his desires And in this he may exalt his Joy above the greatest that ever the world boasted of If ever mortal man satiated and glutted himself with worldly Joy it was with a sudden gush which left him so soon that he had the more time to lament himself and wofully wrack himself with the loss of it I believe Caesar never met his expected content and joy in obtaining Rome's Empire I know it lasted not with him so long as he desired in one or both of these it proved less to him when he knew most of it This made a good Emperour once say That if men knew what thorns and cares a Crown was lined with they would not take it up if they found it in the street Now oh blessed soul whose Joy lives upon the Death of thy Lord tell me did ever any experienced knowing and expert Christian abase the worth of those Joys with such a report of them Can thy own jealous fears suggest a rational probable likely ground of suspicion that these Joys are greater in hope than they will be in hand dost thou think that there is any disappointment in Heaven Are there any complaints that less is possessed than was looked for Hast thou ever had any cause to wish thou hadst known less of Christ and his Death or couldst thou ever say that the Joy had been greater if thy knowledge and experience had been less I know thou darest not say so nor debase the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus thy Lord. Turn therefore thy serious thoughts upon this meditate more that thou mayest know more for the more thou knowest of this the more wilt thou rejoice in Christ Thus renew thy Meditations on the Cause of thy Joys and they will renew thy Joys Others will see and thou wilt find in thy own soul that the more thy Cause of Joy aboundeth the more thy Joy will abound Now that Christ hath thus died thy soul oh happy Believer shall not be left in Hell nor shalt thou see an eternal corruption This is ensured to thee by the Lord whose Death thou commemoratest Say then and speak it with enlarged heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoiceth moreover my flesh shall rest in hope for God will not leave my soul in hell And now oh my soul set thy self to hear what may be spoken to thee By these who will have to do with thee in thy most weighty matters And so 1. First what would a judicious and affectionate Believer say What news would such a one tell thee from Mount Calvary from the Cross of Christ Suppose thou heardest such an one improving this Doctrine why should I fear when the iniquity of my heels compasseth me about hath not my Lord taken away all the Curse I feared Do I not see him evidently set forth crucified before mine eyes he drank off the bitter cup of astonishment I will therefore take the cup of salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord. I will rejoice in him yea and I will tell my Brethren the good news that they may rejoice with me Come all ye that fear the Lord hear and rejoice for I have found at the Cross of Christ the blessing which I lost in Paradise and which is more I found yours there too and if you will go with me quickly you shall find it too Come oh come and see Christ laying down a Blessing for thee when he took up thy Curse would not such a friend's voice sounding in thine ear ravish thy heart or at lest revive thy drooping spirits and turn thy grief into joy Could'st thou do less than smile to see thy lost Heaven found thy dying Soul recovered to life thy God reconciled and delighting in thee Hear next 2. What language the Embassadour of thy Soveraign and Gracious Lord useth to thee when he offereth a Dying Christ unto thee a Christ bearing thy Curse for thee Behold thou drooping Believer That Blood which I offer thee in this Cup is the purchase of that happiness which thou desirest the atonement of that wrath thou fearest Lo here is that Blood which can abate the scorching heat of a self-accusing condemning and tormenting soul Oh taste drink of it this never failed of curing easing comforting so many Saints in Heaven In one word Christ's Minister doth in Christ's Name offer thee that Blood which was shed for the remission of the sins of many and in which thou mayest find forgiveness of thine also and thou findest little if thou findest not Joy in the forgiveness of sins Thou art very slow of understanding if a Publick Officer proclaiming thee acquitted and cleared doth not raise thy joy But yet oh fainting soul hearken Lastly What will be the language of Christ himself to thee when he unfolds thy blessedness and declareth before Men and Angels that he took upon him thy sin thy guilt thy punishment was made a Curse for thee and so presents thee to God and makes good all thy claim to Blessedness What heart is large enough to conceive the thousandth par of that Joy Oh! a single sight of this one unrepeated once pronounced sentence of Christ's own mouth Soul thou art blessed for I was made a Curse for thee would swallow up all other Joys and would fill the heart of the believing soul with Joy unspeakable Now I must tell thee oh thou doubting sollicitous and trembling Believer that Christ will so bespeak thee ere long and so give thee an entrance into thy Master's Joy that thou mayest rejoice for ever in this Blessedness which I tell thee is the fruit of Christ's Death as it was an accursed Death And if after all this thou wilt weep and not be comforted I must also tell thee thy tears are not wiped away because thou wilt not suffer us to do it thou art a stranger to thy desired joy because thou art so much a stranger to the Death of thy Lord. Oh that our eys were opened to see that fountain whence most refreshing streams do flow continually
thou prayest to be delivered and what kinds of death are these are they not those wherein God's hand would most immediately and most publickly and with most displeasure appear against thee wouldst thou not account it worse than death to be long dying with such a tormenting lingring and loathsom disease as Sylla the Roman or as Maximinus the bloody persecutor or as Herod the great whose story is better known to thee eaten up of worms Would not others be ready to say of thee That God had indeed set his hand against thee that God judged thee unfit to live among common men and unworthy so good a death as the death of common men how would this trouble thee This was the thing wherewith Job's friends did most aggrieve him that they would conclude God's hand against him as against an enemy But now let me tell thee The afflictions of Job nor the woful death of a Sylla or a Herod have no such evidences of God his displeasure and wrath in them as the easiest death of an accursed sinner hath in it For other deaths may and usually are inflicted by other means this is inflicted by the immediate hand of God alone and can thy heart endure or thy hands be strong when God shall do this is not his wrath as he is He alone can bless and he alone can curse and this shall be known to the sinner in the day wherein God will appear against him think then whether sin deserve so well that thou shouldst not only die but die a Curse for it whether there be any thing in sin to fortifie thy spirit against the terrours of God's immediate furious rebukes and slaying of thee Who dieth a Curse dieth under the revenging strokes of an infinite God Look then how much there is in infinite Power and Justice more than can be in finite so much indeed is there in dying a Curse for sin more than in naked single dying For 3. Thirdly Let me ask thee one question more Doth not Death a cursed Death reach the soul and kill this no other disease but is in the body and is the disease of the body and kills the body and so vanisheth But who dieth a Curse dieth in his soul that is his soul is separated and disjoyned from that sweet communion and fellowship with God which is the true life of souls and Angels When God slayeth these wretches and makes them sacrifices to his offended Justice he slays them with this Depart from me ye cursed Matth. 25.41 Now is it not more dreadful to die thus a Curse than barely to die or if thou couldst die and be willing to lose the life of thy body for sin sake canst thou also be willing to lose the life of thy soul for sin's sake This is another arrow in this quiver and which woundeth deeper than any other The soul dieth when the man dieth a Curse for sin and let me tell thee albeit foolish and inconsiderate slaves of sin will cast away their souls for sin the wise and considerate Believer judgeth his soul and the life of it infinitely too good to be so spent and wasted The death of the soul is so much more dreadful than the death of the body as the soul is more worth than the body thou mayest not then continue in cursed sins for they will bring down upon thy soul a death of all most dreadful cease therefore to sin that thou be not a curse for thy sin Fourthly Let it be considered after all this if this do not convince enough whether thou couldst be willing to die more than once for thy sin Would not a thousand deaths one after another be too much to undergo for sin He that dieth a Curse for his sins shall die more than ten thousand times for them he shall be ever ever dying as many daies nay hours nay moments as are in eternity so many times shall the miserable deplorable cursed sinner die in the acute fresh and renewed pangs of soul every lash of conscience every dolorous remembrance of what he suffereth for shall be a death unto him This makes it death indeed and if thou canst not love thy self so little as to chuse to be ever dying thou must not love thy sins so much as to be ever serving them Say then if thou canst not but fear endless dying I must fear and fly endless sining who dieth a Curse for his sin is as long dying as his soul is living and that is for ever and ever Fifthly and lastly Can any thing sweeten the thoughts or allay the bitterness of such a Death Can there be any thing wherewith others may or thou mayest bless thy self after God shall have so cursed thee Consider what a loss it is which is so great that nothing can lessen it say then though possibly thou couldst endure somewhat for sin's sake yet I can never endure a Curse for it which is more than to die it is to die under the immediate avenging hand of God it is to kill my soul That is to be as often dying as are moments in eternity and all this without any recompence and sweetning allay I cannot chuse so to die therefore saith the considerate Believer the renewed thoughts of my Lord 's dying a Curse renew my apprehensions of the danger of sinning any longer this renews my dislike of sin and I must needs reolve to leave it FINIS ERRATA'S PAge 44. l. 24. for woad r. word p. 70. l. 28. r. hither to p. 73. l. 21. r. Imperfections p. 104. in the margent r. communionis r. christianorum p. 112. l. 9. r. provision p. 123. l. 21. for his r. this p. 143. l. 13. r. imbitter l. 14. dele i before alwaies p. 189. l. 3. r. another p. 221. l. ult r. no. Part 3. p. 22. l. 34. r. easily p. 27. l. 28. for in r. and p. 36. l. 34. for 1. r. in p. 39. l. 3. r. might p. 58. l. 5. r. peace p. 61. l. 7. r. virtue p. 77. l. 17. r. account p. 78. l. 3 1. r. thou Books Printed for and are to be sold by Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside IN the Press a hundred Select Sermons by Dr. Tho. Horton Sermons on the whole Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians br M. J. Daille translated into English by F. S. with Dr. Tho. Goodwin's and Dr. J. Owen's Epistles Recommendatory An Exposition of Christ's Temptation on Matth. 4. and Peter's Sermon to Cornelius and Circumspect Walking by Dr. Tho. Taylor A practical Exposition on the 3d Chap. of the 1 Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians with the Godly Man's Choice on Psa 4.6 7 8. by Anthony Burgesse An Exposition on four select Psalms viz. The fourth Psalm in eight Sermons The forty second Psalm in ten Sermons The fifty first Psalm in twenty Sermons The sixty third Psalm in seven Sermons Forty six Sermons upon the whole eighth Chapter of the Epistle of the Apostle
that Christ by one offering hath effected This man saith the Apostle after he had offered one sacrifice for sins sat down on the right hand of God Heb. 10.12 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified ver 14. He needed no more to offer any Sacrifice forsomuch as he had obtained Eternal Redemption by that one Sacrifice of himself and it was necessary he should once offer himself a Sacrifice because no other Sacrifices could purifie the conscience and clear from guilt Christ therefore did what was necessary and having done it sate down on the right hand of God expecting till his enemies were made his footstool and interceding that his Redeemed might be blessed with a full deliverance In one word the Apostle Ephes 5.2 tells us what Christ did and what acceptance it found with the Father Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour Thus express is the Scripture in this point Sect. 5. Lastly It is more than once assumed and taken up as an unquestionable truth and of indisputable certainty So Heb. 8.2 we have such an High Priest who is set on the right hand of the Majesty in the Heavens Here it is assumed without particular proof that he had offered a Sacrifice before he sate down c. and so ver 3. makes it necessary he should have somewhat to offer and ver 4. assures us that the Levitical Priesthood and Sacrifices were examples and shadows of this our High Priest and the Sacrifice he hath offered which was more excellent than those typical ones were to this add Heb. 5.5 Christ made an High Priest and ver 6. a Priest for ever and after the order of Melchisedeck ver 10. Now whoever is an High Priest is ordained for men in things pertaining to God that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins ver 1. Christ then our High Priest as such and because he is an High Priest for us must offer some sacrifice for us Now the blood of Bulls and Goats and in a word all corruptible things are secluded from being this sacrifice and the Lord Jesus in his own person is supposed and taken undoubtedly to be this sacrifice Without dispute the 9th chap. 25th verse speaks this truth for the Levitical High Priest went into the holy place with the blood of others but Christ did not so enter when he entred for he entred not in by the blood of Goats and Calves but by his own blood cap. 9. ver 12. did he enter into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us These with many more which might be added comprize what we affirm That the Scriptures do in many places assume it as a thing certain in it self that Christ died a Sacrifice for us To conclude this Chapter and this general head of our discourse in a few words thou who professest thy self a Christian either professest thy self a Christian either professest this truth or knowest not what a Christian is made up of and needest to be catechized in the principles of thy Religion to which I recommend thee for better instruction CAP. II. Christ a Man yet a Sacrifice for us and how this could be OUR next undertaking must be what standeth second in our Promise a discovery how this can be that a Man should be a Sacrifice Is it not an inhumane cruelty to offer a reasonable creature in sacrifice to God Are not the Nations abhorred as barbarously salvage and bloody who used it and hath not God expresly forbidden it How then could Christ so excellently and transcendently holy pure and innocent be made a sacrifice for us This I shall endeavour to answer in these following particulars Sect. 1. There is no doubt to be made whether sacrificing of men were abominable in the sight of God and sober men God infinitely detested it and sober men have unanimously condemned it This was and ever will be a bloody murthering of the creatures never an acceptable worshiping the Creatour He that was a murtherer from the begining and delighteth in the death of man put his Idolatrous worshippers upon this diabolical practice and they who exercised their pretended Religion in such sacrifices did sacrifice to Devils not to God Psal 106.37 and shed innocent blood ver 38. In which passage you see whom such sacrisicers worshipped and in what account they and their worship was had with God the Lord tells you truly who it was these men worshipped and what truly was the thing they did it was murther Israel had a strict prohibition against this practice Levit. 20.2 3 4 5. and God doth dreadfully threaten him that shall dare to do so The blood of Bulls or of Goats could not by their own worth please the Lord. The blood of man could not but by its cry to the Lord awaken him to an abhorrence of the deed and punishing the doer Sect. 2. Albeit none may shed the blood of man in Sacrifice yet the life strength and whole of man should be Sacrificed that is consecrated to spent for and offered unto God which in a borrowed or figurative manner of speech is called and well may be so called a Sacrifice The scripture gives this name where there is neither life of Beast or Man taken away The Contrite heart is a Sacrifice which God will not despise Psal 51.17 In this sense the Apostle would perswade the Romans to give up themselves their bodies Sacrifices unto God Rom. 12.1 And conversion of the Gentiles was an Offering or a Sacrificing of them unto God Heb. 13.15 Rom. 15.16 The praises we offer to God but much more the whole Duty of a Christian is a Sacrifice 1 Pet. 2.5 This Metaphorical Sacrificing our selves and ours is both our duty and acceptable to God Although none may in Sacrifice take away the life of another man or of himself yet every man ought to make his life a sacrifice unto God This kind of Humane Sacrifice is our Reasonable service Sect. 3. When the Scripture is expresse in any point I have noe reason to be doubting whether it were so nor liberty allowed to my curiosity to enquire how it could be so or to Dispute that it either could not be or that it ought not to be so My Faith tells mee and my Reason consenteth to it That it is so because God saith it and that it might well bee so because God hath done it God sent his Son in the likenesse of sinfull flesh this speaketh the Incarnation of Christ our Lord and for sin this speaketh the end why God sent him viz. that by a Sacrifice for sin hee might condemne sin in the flesh Rom. 8.3 ver And the same Apostle informeth mee 2. Cor. 5.2 That God hath made him to be sin for us and if you enquire how Christ was made sin I shall answer in the words of a learned pen viz. Hee was a Sacrifice not
to excite our languishing graces and to strengthen our infirm graces which ought to be more especially found in us and acted by us in our approaches to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper as shall particularly be be shewed in these that follow Sect. 1. Repentance is unquestionably a Sacramental Grace None is fit to commemorate the Death of Christ who repenteth not of the sin which occasioned his Dying The weeping eye and mourning heart are exceeding lovely to the Lord at his Table A Repenting soul is a welcome guest there Now let me trace Repentance through these paths and see as we go how it may be suitably fitted with improveing arguments from Christ our Sacrifice 1. Repentance beginneth ordinarily in a conviction of sin not in general only but particularly in the convictions of our owne sin The righteous need no repentance Mat. 9.13 it is the Sinner which is called to repent so long as a proud Pharisaical opinion of our own Righteousness is maintained by us we shall never embrace the practice of Repentance 2. Apprehension of danger either attends or flows from this conviction of the sinner and this forwardeth his repentance the shameful cursed death sin deserveth and the sinner feareth in the midst of his sorrows hath strong influence upon the soul to grieve for self-undoing sin Although a secure unconvinced sinner blesseth himself and feareth no danger the awakened convinced Penitent apprehends greatest danger from his sin 3. Consternation of mind or Amazement at the sight of sin and danger unavoidable for ought the man can do of himself for his own help this I might call if none will be offended at it a seasonable and profitable despair of our selves while we consider our selves and observe what we have done what we deserve what God hath threatned and what millions do and must for ever suffer for sin 4. A mixture of Hope that there may be and of Desires that there should be and of enquiry whether there be not some effectutal help remedy to be obtained The awakned soul doth as it were look about to see what or whence it's help may come Enquireth what shall I do to be saved How shall I escape c. Now when it descryeth mercy to be had upon it's Humbling of it self before God upon condition of sorrow for what is past and of hatred of sin for time to come the Penitent soul set's it self to exert all these and in a vigorous constant uniform exerting these consisteth the whole life and Practice of Repentance And I hope I shall cleare it Christ considered Dying our Sacrifice will be an awakening consideration preparatory to and promoting of this Repentance in its farther Exercise and Growth Sect. 2. Christ Dying a Sacrifice well considered will conduce much to the Convincing us of a state of sin and that we were in particular involved in it we were sinners and the righteous Law of God imputed the sin to us and the righteous Judge whose it was to execute the Law accounted thee and me and every one of the children of Adam as we are transgressours of the Law if thou seest not this look to the Lord Christ a Sacrifice for sin and ruminate what answer thou canst make to these few Questions 1. What need had there been of a Sacrifice for sin if there had been no sin to expiate by Sacrifice There is certainly sin committed where 't is necessary to take away wrath by a Sacrifice There is sin of the soul wheresoever an offering for sin is appointed Tell me then seeing Christ was made an offering for sin what was thy state and mine and what was the state of all men for whom he became a Sacrifice 2. Couldest thou escape the imputation of sin when Christ a Sacrifice for sin could not escape it Could he not be a sacrifice for sin by a voluntary susception of our cause but he must bear our guilt and shall we judge it likely reasonable or indeed morally possible that our wilful transgressings of the Law should be passed over not imputed If thy sins were imputed to thy sacrifice doubtless they had been imputed unto thy self if thou hadst not had a sacrifice Stand then a while and view this No need of Sacrifice to expiate where no sin is but alas I needed such a Sacrifice No need of Sacrifice where no guilt is imputed but I see my sin I see 't is imputed I must not delay or trifle in this matter my sin is evident its imputation is certain it will be laid on my own head or on my Sacrifice and oh how impossible is it I should escape the imputation of it if I carelesly neglect this great Sacrifice For 3. Whose is the guilt is it his or is it mine who deepest in the guilt he who did no guile or I who am full of guile who nearest the crime he who never did it or I who very wickedly committed it Did God impute it to him and can an unhumbled sinner think God will not impute it unto the committer of the sin 4. With whom was God angry who was it against whom offended justice was most incensed was it against him that was the Sacrifice or against him that needed the Sacrifice and brought it undoubtedly the Sacrifice can bear no other displeasure than what it bears for him whose Sacrifice it is and for whom it is offered And canst thou hope guilty offenders may escape when guiltless victims are charged with another's guilt and suffer another's punishment 5. Who hath greater share in the Love of God had Christ thy Sacrifice for sin or hadst thou for whom he became a Sacrifice I know thou wilt not pretend a comparison with Christ the only begotten of the Father thou darest not think but his share was greater in his Fathers love as his love obedience and likeness to his Father was greater infinitely more excellent than thine was or could be Tell me then if God imputed sin to the Son of his Love when his Son had undertaken to bear the fault and punishment of offenders will he thinkest thou spare those who hate him and might justly be hated of him 6. Would God admit his Son his eternal Delight to be thy Saviour on no other terms than that he should as a Sacrifice take upon him and bear the sins of his people imputed to him that they might not be imputed unto them and dost thou not believe canst thou perswade thy self to imagine that thou mayest though a sinner yet not be charged with thy sin Dost thou not clearly discern that God will charge sin either on the sinner or on his Sacrifice In a word or two whoever knows that Christ was made a Sacrifice for sin knows also that they were under a state of sin for whom he was made a Sacrifice and if thou art a Christian and professest that Christ was thy Sacrifice thou dost thereby confess that thou wert under a state of sin that unless mercy toward
The Death of Christ under the notion of the Death of a Sacrifice will improve the Believer's Faith which I hope will be manifested when we have viewed the grand concern of Faith in these three particulars 1. It 's Expectation or the things it waiteth for 2. The grounds of its Expectation and waiting 3. The present actings of Faith whilst it is assured there are such things to be expected and whilst it is perswaded and resolved to wait for them Of all which in order Sect. 1. 1. Faith hath its expectation and looketh for things that are not seen Things hoped for as Heb. 11.1 And these are great things As 1. A publck solemn full and clear absolution from the charge of sin and guilt which Satan Conscience or the Law might load us with Faith looks to that word John 5.24 He that believeth shall not come into condemnation Faith waits for that day 2 Thes 1. v. 10. When the Lord shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that believe Faith hearkneth for that awakening voice Matth. 25.6 Behold the Bridegroom cometh go ye out to meet him The Believer expecteth a justification from all things from which he could not be justified by the Law of Moses Act. 13.38 39. when he shall be declared blessed when he shall be accounted righteous and as such shall enter into the possession of a Kingdom of Righteousness Mat. 25.34 37. with 46. ver 2. The Believer expecteth Totus mundus expectat illud tempus quo illi qui sunt Filii Dei manifestabuntur and with Faith waiteth for a publick declaration or manifestation of his Adoption and Sonship Rom. 8.19 The whole world expecteth that time wherein they who are the children of God shall be made manifest as Vatablus noteth on the place And this I take to be the Apostle's meaning Col. 3.4 You shall appear with him i. e. you shall be publickly declared the children of God through Christ And though it do not appear what Believers shall be yet when the Lord appeareth they shall appear his Sons and daughters also 1 Joh. 3.2 3. The Believer looketh for a publick and glorious inauguration or coronation Come inherit the Kingdom Matth. 25.34 is the happy investiture which Faith expecteth Now there is a Crown laid up for us then it shall be set upon our heads 2 Tim. 4. ver 8. It is already intended and promised then it shall be given Faith expects that joyful day of rewarding the Spiritual Champions Here they run there they are crowned Now the Believer warreth then Faith triumpheth 1 Cor. 9.24.25 4. The Faith of a Believer looketh after a reward for all its obedience whether active conforming to the Precepts and Rule of Christ or passive bearing the Cross of Christ It is one of the excellencies of the Law of Faith that as it commands no more than it enableth us to do so it rewardeth no less than we have done The distribution grace doth make is first so much as we need to work and next so much as we have wrought the Believer receiveth according to his works Matth. 25.35 36. And when grace hath thus distributed to each then shall we find our labour was not in vain 1 Cor. 15. v. 58. That the Lord was not unrighteous to forget our labour Heb. 6.10 Then shall we fully understand that the Believer is blessed for that his works do follow him Rev. 14. v. 13. Faith expects that the light and momentany asslictions should work for him a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 18. We expect a glory to be revealed with which these light afflictions of this life are not worthy to be compared Rom. 8.17 Such are the expectations of Faith and may well be confirmed as rational and justifiable by the consideration of their being built upon the Death of Christ our Sacrifice For 1. Doth a Believer expect absolution why should he not Christ his Sacrifice hath born his guilt and punishment Or Secondly 2. Doth a Believer expect a declaration of his adoption to be a Child of God this is no more than the promise of the Covenant ratified in this Sacrifice God will be his Father 3. Doth the Believer expect an investiture into a Throne Kingdom and Crown why all these are by Christ our Sacrifice procured for us after they were forfeited by us 4. Doth the Believer expect a reward for all his obedience both active and passive well He may For all his obedience is advanced in it's worth by this blood sprinkled on it This Sacrifice hath merited it albeit our obedience could not this in the Apostle's words one Sacrifice hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 Faith exceeds not its bounds when it expects consumate and full Perfection of happiuess These are the Grand expectations of faith let us view how justifiably faith may expect all these since that the foundation and ground of faith's expectation is secured and made good by the Death of Christ our Sacrifice Sect. 2. 2. The Foundation or ground of Faith's expectation is the promise and covenant of God upon this Faith builds it's hopes before God promiseth we may repose some kind of trust that he will do good for us but we cannot firmely and properly believe the Mariners Jonah 1.6 had some hope and trust that God would shew them mercy but this amounted not properly to a degree worthy the name of faith it rested still upon the Divine Goodness possibly God will think on us but it had no promise on which it might conclude God will think on us for good But now when once God hath promised and given out the word of Grace and Mercy the soul findeth a fit ground to build it's faith upon thus God spake to Abraham and gave him the promise so shall thy seed be Gen. 15.5 Then did Abraham believe God ver 6. And he believed in the Lord and he had no ground for faith before the promise And he gave no ground to unbelief after he received the Promise Hence the Apostle speaking of the greatness of Abraham's Faith tells us that it was against hope in hope Rom. 4.18 it was against all hope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Natural and Second Causes but it was in hope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to what was spoken to him by his God who could make good his word what ever he spake It is a blind and bold presumption not Faith which builds on other foundation than what God layeth Behold I lay in Sion for a Foundation a stone a Tried stone c. Isa 28.16 On this we may build our faith and not be confounded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Pet. 2.6 The word of promise is the word of faith Rom. 10.8 And when we hear that word we ought to believe it for it is the word of God who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of possibility of failure And it
this part of the life of Faith is so evidently maintained upon the Death of Christ as our Sacrifice making our peace with God confirming the promises of grace and glory ensuring to us the grand expectations of this and the other world that I think it needless to insist farther on this particular Christ dying our Sacrifice is the great reviving comfort of an awakened convinced fainting yet believing soul 3. The third thing in the present Actings of Faith while it on good and sure grounds waiteth for the great things which are to be revealed is the active diligence of Faith to do the whole work which is appointed for it to do Faith giveth not a discharge from any one degree of our required industry in good nor doth it release to us any one of the Moral Precepts of the Law no Faith maketh not the Law void Rom. 3.31 The Apostle assureth us that the Faith of a believer engageth him to walk and to labour so as to be accepted with God so 2 Cor. 57. 9. We walk by Faith not by sight saith S. Paul ver 7. Wherefore we labour that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him ver 9. It is but the counterfeit of Faith which lieth unactive and regardless to do the will of God when once the soul can judg which carrieth in it both an act of discerning and an act of beliveing or assenting to the truth That one viz. Christ died for all it doth presently conclude that henceforth they who live should not live to themselves but to him that died for them 2. Cor. 5.14 15. It is the rational conclusion Faith draweth from the Grace of God toward us in Christ dying for us that our life which we have of mercy must be laid out in duty and the reward we expect should animate us to the service God expecteth Mark the Apostle St. Peter's manner of arguing 2 Pet. 3.12 Since saith he We look and hasten to the comming of the day of God and again ver 13. We according to his promise look for new Heavens and ver 14. seeing Beloved that ye look for such things For as much as we are verily persvaded of the truth of these future things and for as much as we do by Faith expect an assured fulfilling of them Be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless so the Apostle intimateth to us nay presseth it upon us as the proper business of Faith as it 's whole imploy to be pure and without blame and to be diligent herein Now what can be thought will excite and animate a believer unto this if the great things purchased and ensured to him by the Death of Christ his Sacrifice do not The Apostle well knew the weight of the argument your labour you know shall not be in vain in the Lord therefore see that ye abound in the work of the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 When thou art backward or sluggish take thy heart and discover to it what a Kingdom what a glorious Reward thy Lord hath secured to thee and ask if it be not worth thy greatest diligence and thy most active industry 4. The fourth concern of Faith in its present deportment and the influence it now hath on the heart is to strengthen and support it under all kind of sufferings and afflictions be they common to us as men or peculiar to us as Christians Our Faith is our life in the midst of these deaths Hence we find Faith joined with patience Heb. 6.12 When Abraham had received the promises Heb. 6. ver 13. which God made to him when he believed God would do all that for him which God had promised to him he did patiently endure and so obtained v. 15. The Apostle recounteth his many and great sufferings which with others he suffered for Christ Troubled on every side 2 Cor. 4.8 Perplexed ver 8. Persecuted cast down ver 9. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus ver 10. Alway delivered unto Death for Jesus sake ver 11. These were their sufferings and troubles now see their support which was a spirit of Faith ver 13 14 c. Read over the 11th chapter of Hebrews see what afflictions those faithful ones did through Faith undergo and it will be past controversie with you that for the present Faith doth mightily sustain the spirit under the variety and sharpness of afflictions and sufferings which it doth among other helps principally by looking to the greatness of its expected reward and glory secured unto it by the most immutable Covenant and Oath of God ratified in the blood of Christ our Sacrifice So the Apostle directeth us to look to Jesus c. Heb. 12.2 3. enduring the Cross and despising the shame to Jesus who endured contradictions of sinners against himself ver 3. This will be a means to prevent the fainting of our minds under our troubles and sufferings The reconciliation between God and us his Promise to us his Covenant with us his Oath and Christ's Sacrifice all assure us he is faithful who hath promised us our pardon and absolution from guilt and punishment our adoption and right of children to a glorious Inheritance our solemn and publick investiture and admission into possession of a Crown and Kingdom He is faithful who hath by means of most sacred obligations assured us a reward for every duty active and passive therefore let us hold fast our Profession without wavering Heb. 10.23 And who will not hold his Profession fast when he is assured that the Sacrifice Christ hath offered hath reconciled us to God so that our sufferings are not expresses of his vengeance but necessary exercises of our graces and proofs of the Love of God to us who would be weary of bearing who is perswaded that his sufferings are but light and momentany and that they do infallibly work out a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory How do things infinitely less valuable and extremely uncertain prevail with men to undergo hardships to adventure through fire and water to bear watchings toil nakedness hunger and thirst How patiently doth the Husbandman Merchant Souldier and Courtier submit to utmost hazards at utmost uncertainties to obtain their hopes which often do make them ashamed But now who looketh to the establishing of the Promise and to the greatness of the things promised and vieweth them in the Death of Christ as a Sacrifice expecteth greatest joys rewards and glory on the surest ground and most infallible certainty and therefore resolveth neither to yield to fainting or to sit down under weariness he will look to Jesus the Mediatour of the New Covenant and see what he may expect after sufferings and will suffer that he may enjoy what he doth expect Thus Faith may be confirmed and improved as to each part wherein it is concerned by duly considering Christ's dying our Sacrifice ensureth on most inviosable bonds the most desirable good things
for future and doth for present sufficiently influence our Faith to quiet revive quicken and support the soul under fears languishings dulnesses and sufferings Go then aside and take a view of the particulars and meditate on them in the certainty which Christ suffering and dying our Sacrifice hath given to us concerning them and when thou hast so done observe well whether thou art not perswaded to believe in hope against hope and whether thou art not enabled to believe the Promises without staggering and to say thou faintest not because thy afflictions are light and yet do work out for thee a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while thou art able to look to and see both him that is and the things that are invisible such a Faith will be our victory by it we shall more than conquer Having discoursed somewhat on the Improvement of our Divine sorrow and our Faith in the Commemoration of Christ Dying our Sacrifice I have made way for the Improvement of our Peace and Quiet of soul likewise 3d. Grace improved viz. Peace of Soul for this is a sweet fruit of our sound Repentance and sincere faith and carry's a proportioned dimension with the increase of those Graces But I purpose to attempt a more particular discovery of the influence Christ's Death our Sacrifice hath upon the Tranquillity and Peace of the soul of a Communicant who discerneth this Death as it was a Sacrifice and under that notion improveth his Redeemer's love to him Now if I can shew my Reader that there is in this Sacrifice somwhat sufficient to remove all that disquieteth the soul I need take no further care to perswade an opinion that Peace will follow Let the storm cease and a calm will follow if the Earthquake end the old Foundations will stand firm and well setled Let that be removed which alarmed the soul and all will be in Peace Amongst other lesser which I pass over there are four grand disquietudes of the soul 1. Danger of divine displeasure and wrath in condemnation for our sin The drawn sword of Divine vengeance hanging over the head is enough to affright all peace out of the heart and to fill it with amazing horrour and overwhelming terrours How did Adam's fears seize him when his sin had laid him open to that threat Thou shalt die the death Gen. 2.17 then his guilty conscience did chase Ea conscientia est quae filgat terret accusat damnat Parentes nostros Certissimum testimonium Deum tandem ultorem futurum omnis mali Fagius in cap. 3. Gen. 8. affright accuse condem him forebode a severer Judge and Avenger whom he could not escape or shun whom he could not stand before whom he feareth and flieth The Apostle elegantly expresseth the disquietude of a self-condemning heart by the trouble of bondage Heb. 2.15 The fear of death kept them in bondage all their life the expectation of death was death to them or ere they died and they scarce lived because they continually tortured themselves with the preapprehensions of a hastening death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot which to secure nature is the greatest of terrours though ignorance of what is consequent to death did hide the most dreadful part of death from the eyes of nature Psal 55.4 Psal 116.3 yet in David's phrase terrours of death will make the heart sigh under pain and fill it with trouble and sorrow too unless the heart be assured of the the removal of guilt the freedom from condemnation Joh. 8.21 24. Rev. 2.11 that the man dieth not in his sins nor shall be hurt of the second death No man's heart was strong under the apprehensions of the wrath of an Almighty and Eternal God nor can the greatest cheats of the world I mean hypocrites who can counterfeit almost every thing put on the counterfeit of boldness Isa 33.15 when they see the everlasting burnings and the devouring fire they are then surprized with fearfulness 2. Loss of the wonted sweetness of Divine favour and the refreshing expresses which God by his spirit did formerly give to the soul When once the soul hath been favoured with an acquaintance and knowledg of a Heaven upon earth it cannot without disquietude live on earth without it's Heaven Darkness cannot but greatly afflict the soul which enlightned once did rejoice in the light of God's Countenance shining on it What is said of the great darkness which fell on Abraham in his sleep Gen. 15.12 may be verified of all the desertions which fall upon the children of Abraham they are attended with horrour and trouble When God hid his face from David he was troubled Psal 30.5 and his soul refused to be comforted Psal 77.2 his spirit was overwhelmed ver 3. so troubled he could not speak ver 4. All which proceeded from the spiritual desertion he then lay under God hath cast off and he feared it was for ever ver 7. that he would be favourable no more c. verse 8 and 9. So that when David had lost the sense of God's love he could find peace or joy in nothing about him An Idolater once expostulated with a great deal of trouble you have taken away my Gods and do you ask what aileth me But whilst we deride or pity his blindness we should resent the real troubles of the soul which hath lost the sense of the Love of his God and Father and indulge him in a more than usual trouble for the suspence or intermission of his desired rest and peace wherein he found though imperfect yet a growing happiness and in David's words expressed his felicity He heard the joyful sound and walked in the light of God's countenance Psal 89.15 but now feareth his misery will recall his former happiness only to prove him as much sunk in woes as he was exalted in joys above other men Miserrimum est fuisse felicem this disquieteth the soul that it hath been what now it is not blessed 3. Sense of sinful weakness and suspition of worse insincerity and want of uprightness in its duties and the exercises of its Devotion towards God are a trouble to the soul in its reflections on its services and examination of it self it seeth sin adhere to every one of its best workes and it seeth imperfection still dwelling in its perfectest graces so that when he findeth to will yet how to perform he findeth not as Rom. 7.18 On which observation of his defects he judgeth himself in a miserable perplexity and under apprehensions hereof crieth out wretched man that I am who shall deliver me c. ver 24. This worthlesness of persons and performances is the subject of the Church's complaints Isa 64.6 We are all as an unclean thing And our iniquities as the wind have taken us away iniquities saith David in his complaint prevail against me Psal 65.3 And elsewhere prayeth God would search him and try him and see whether there be any
Sacrifice for so were Covenants of old made confirmed as hath been observed a very pregnant place to our present purpose we met with in Psa 89.30 seq If his children forsake my Law Psal 89.30 31 32. â—â— and walk not in my Judgments if they break my Statutes and keep not my Commandments then will I visit their transgressions with a Rod and their iniquity with stripes 2 Sam. 7.14 Virgâ hominum i.e. moderatâ correctione in eorum commodum Poli Synops Crit. This Rod 2 Sam. 7.14 is the Rod of men that is with moderate correction and for their good But or Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him Here 's a rich Cordial to the drooping soul which smarteth under the didivine corrections God hath not nor will he take away his loving kindness nor suffer his faithfulness to fail ver 33. My Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips Now then when thy sin whether of folly or frowardness is corrected and thou mournest under sense of divine displeasure call to mind the Covenant made in Christ thy Sacrifice and be comforted sense of thy peace may but the Covenant of thy peace shall not be broken 4. Under the apprehension of divine displeasure and present dereliction yet this Sacrifice may soon quiet and sufficiently support the soul in that it will be its present refuge against the violence of this trial still the soul may interpose the Propitiatory vertue of this Sacrifice between it self on the one part and God's displeasure with its own fears on the other part hitherto this Altar may the troubled and the trembling soul fly as Joab to the horns of the Altar and certainly when the blood of this Sacrifice is found sprinkled on the soul God will speak a present peace or support with a secret infused hope of life and at least seasonably let the Believer know he will never take him from the Altar that he may die but yet as a Father he may correct his offences without violating the priviledge of sanctuary And indeed this is the utmost God intends in the exercise of his Sons and Daughters who are reconciled to him through Christ their Sacrifice In vertue whereof all Believers might and I believe the most of them do one time or other in this life after such spiritual troubles recover some degree of spiritual peace and joy in the favour of God however seldom go off the stage without the joy of good old Simeon departing in peace because they have seen the salvation of God But they never fail to see and rejoyce in God through Christ when they receive the peace which after death is to be obtained with God by vertue of this Expiatory Sacrifice the truth hereof they firmly believe and hope for it also Rom. 5.11 We may then joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received the atonement Joy in God is a fruit of atonement and this an effect of the Sacrifice of Christ So near alliance there is between our Joy in the Divine Favour and Christ procuring and maintaining it for us in the vertue of his Sacrifice Much to the same purpose is that of the Apostle Heb. 10. v. 19. Having boldness to enter by the blood of Christ Now at least this boldness is a fruit or consequent of our perswasion and hope that God beareth a gracious respect to us And ver 21. and 22. Having an High Priest and consequently a Sacrifice let us draw nigh with a true heart in full assurance of faith c. If any complain notwithstanding all this I must assure them their own inability to improve the vertue of Christ our Sacrifice is the reason why they draw not out the excellent Oil which would make their face to shine it is not want of excellency in him or in his death our Sacrifice Sect. 3. 3. A third thing a soul is disquieted at is the sinful imperfections of duties weakness of graces and unworthiness of his person all which concurring do oftentimes occasion a doubt whether such shall be accepted with a God of infinite holiness and glorious Majesty Can God indeed take pleasure in such will such persons be accepted such graces allowed such duties approved and if not where shall the troubled soul seek rest For removal of this Disquietude from the soul there is sufficient in Christ dying our Sacrifice For 1. It is that which procureth an acceptation of our persons it restoreth us to the Favour of God who delighteth in every one who hath by faith a real interess in this Sacrifice The Grace of God through Christ looketh to our persons Quâ gratos nos sibi reddidit per illum dilectum Vatab. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. So that he maketh us accepted Ephes 1.6 He hath respect to our persons and this through Christ our Sacrifice as ver 7. By whom we have redemption through his blood Expounding the material cause how we are made acceptable to God in Christ for it is he only whose Sacrifice by the mercy of God is imputed to us for forgiveness of sin as some note on these words It is the order observed in the New Covenant Semper igitur sentiendum est nos consequi remissionem peccatorum Et personam pronunciari justum i. e. gratis acceptari propter Christum per fidem postea vero placere etiam obedientiam erga legem reputari quandam justitiam c. Augustan Confess Ar. 6. confirmed in the death of this Sacrifice to look to the person first through the precious blood of his Sacrifice and next to the performance of his duties subsequent As God is said to have had respect to Abel first and then to his Sacrifice So here the person of the Believer is through Christ accepted with God thus the fears lest our unworthy persons be rejected are removed God valueth them not as in themselves but in the superadded favour which for Christ's sake he beareth to them 2. Secondly The excellency of this Sacrifice removeth the fears which arise from the weaknesses and perfections of our gracious works too For the excellency of this Sacrifice ennobleth every spiritual Sacrifice we offer unto God by faith Rev. 8.3 And another Angel came and stood at the Altar having a golden Censer and there was given him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all the Saints upon the golden Altar which is before the Throne On which words Junius hath this passage among others This is that Great Emperour the Lord Jesus Christ our King and Saviour who maketh intercession to God the Father for the Saints filling the heavenly Sanctuary with most sweet odours and offering up their prayers c. in such sort as every one of them so powerful is that sweet savour of Christ and the efficacy of his Sacrifice are held in reconcilement with God c. You
had forfeited all and all estreated unto God the King and Soveraign of Man In sum Christ had time enough wherein to do this he had good will enough to move him to it he had estate enough to furnish and enrich them and his poor kindred had need enough And what then think we could hinder him from making his Will or what should disswade us from believing it from his humiliation unto death He humbled himself and became obedient unto death c. Wherefore God hath given him a name c. that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Christ who died and because he died hath this title given him He is Lord and this title is given to him of God himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God hath exalted him and given to him a glorious Title Now this is not a swelling Title without power or riches to befriend and help his people such vain Titles are sometimes given by man to man but never unto any by God himself for he ever invests power with the Title he conferreth and such a power or Authority as became both the greatness of the giver and the greatness of the receiver could not be less then a full uncontrolled and lawfull power of making a Will or Testament giving out legacies to his indigent kindred and friends suitable to all this is that of John 10.17 Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life c. Note well how Christ's laying down his life i. e. Dying for his sheep is is set down as one cause why the Father did so love him Now because the Father loved him he hath given or put all things into his hand John 3.35 Left them all to his disposal These two places of St. John do in effect speak this very language That the voluntary Death of Christ should procure his Father's love to him and this love of his Father should bestow a power and right on Christ to dispose of all things All which was exactly and punctually performed to Christ after his Death as well as largely promised and contracted for upon condition that he should die the promise was made on condition he would die and the right to all contained in the promise was conferred upon him because he died and this right is expressed by St. John thus he hath put all things into his hand because he loved him and he loved him because he laid down his life Thus Christ acquired a right over all by his Death and at his Death disposed of it for the good and benefit of his people whom he made his Heir by Will or Testament which is yet farther confirmed by these two places viz. Luk. 22.29 I appoint unto you a Kingdom I appoint so we read it at large but the Greek doth point out an appointing by Will or Testament on which passage the Learned Beza hath this Note beside what is cited in the Margent These words being the words of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vulg dispono alii Lego Ex illa formula d◠Lego in Testamentis usitatâ Nomen enim 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 peculiariter de Testamento dicitur Beza in loc Haec Christi ad mortem proporantis verba speciem habent Testamentariae cujusdam dispositionis quo allusit Apostolus Heb. 9.17 approaching now to his Death do carry the form and shew of a certain Testamentary Disposition to which the Apostle alludeth Heb. 9.17 More might be added to clucidate and clear the word in this its most proper and native signification but I forbear that now Vox Testamenti Latina Graecam vocem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 restringit ad Foederis gratiae oecononiam Testamentariam c. Joh. Cloppenb de V.T. Disput 1. sect 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 notat declarationem voluntatis ultimae c. Joh. Cocceius de Foeb c. 13. sect 470. Let it suffice that Christ useth a word in this place which naturally imports the making of a Will and so leadeth us to consider him as a Testator as one before his each appointing and ordaining his ast-Testament The second place is that of St. Paul Latinis auribus nota erat Vox Testamentum significare in rebus oivilibus extremam voluntatem de rebus quas post mortem quis fieri velit c. Bened. Aretius in prologum ad Nov. Test Heb. 9.16 17. For where there is a Testament there must of necessiity be the Death of the Testator For a Testament is of force after men are dead otherwise it is of no strength at all whilst the Testator liveth In which words the Apostle doth argue the certainty and perfection of the Covenant or Promises in Christ and proveth it by this known Argument They are the Testament or last Will of Christ which Christ the Testator hath by his death confirmed beyond possibility of a change Est Oeconomia Testamentaria cui confirmandae mors intercedit Testatoris Heb. 9.16 17. Joh. Cloppenb de Test Vet. disp 1. sect 2. That look how sure and firm the last Will is when he who made it is dead so sure and firm are the Promises to us Voluit Foedas suum babere rationem Testamenti propriè dicti Jacob. Cappellus in soc for they are the Testament of our Lord confirmed to us by his Death For Christ would have his Covenant cast into the mould of a Testament or last Will properly so called On these places I conclude this first point Christ did not die intestate but did ordain his last Will ere he died and so his Death may be considered by us as the Death of a Testator who being our friend made his last Will for our good and benefit for by Will he hath bequeathed very great things to us CAP. II Christ a Testator proper Object to mediditate on at the Sacrament HAving in the Former Chap. Proved what I undertook or at least done so much that we may without errour in our meditation consider Christ Dying a Testator I am in this Chapter to shew that the meditations of Christ's Death as it was the Death of a Testator do very well suit with the Sacrament Sect. 1. 1. First such thoughts are suggested to us by Christ himself in those expressions which he used in the first appointing and administring of this Ordinance when he chose to speak of it at a Testament Among many names wch might have been used and which are gotten into use since none so much pleased our Lord as this Mat. 26.28 Mark 14.24 Luk. 22.20 It is the blood of the New Testament and it is The New Testament in my Blood Now a Testament leadeth our thoughts to the Testator and indeed primarily or in the first place though secondarily it signify a Covenant And though now the frequent use of it in the notion of a Covenant makes us the labour to prove this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Testament to signify a Testamentary Disposition or Will yet we can
Sacrament until he take us to the Glory of the Father or come again to us in the Glory of the Father Every Sacrament is a taking out a Certificat that Christ died and was buried but that he is risen from the Dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isa 53. Every time the Bread is broken in a Sacrament we tell the world that our Lord was cut off out of the Land of the Living The pouring out of the Wine speaketh his powring out his blood unto death and for proof hereof we produce his Testament and last Will the last Will of our great Commander who made it In Procinctu when he was girt and in his Armour just ready to enter the conflict wherein he laid down his life for us The excellent Moralist and Historian Plutarch tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. it was the custome with the Roman Souldiers to make their Wills when they stood in Battel-aray Facientibus Testamenta in procinctu veluti ad Certam mortem eundum foret Velleius Paterculus lib. 2. I am sure when they went on a hard and dangerous design the more considerate amongst them made their last VVill as the Roman Historian reports of their Souldiers assaulting Trebonia in Spain Our great and Glorious Captain knowing that his hour was come and that he must dye for us disposed thus his estate by VVill or Testament which proveth the truth of his Death as fully as any VVill duly proved by course of Law proveth that the Testator is dead Now certainly good evidence to the truth of Christ's death must needs be very suitable to our publick declaration and Profession of his death and so must suit with this first End of the Sacrament which is to shew forth his Death until he come The valid and irreversible Testament proveth the Death of the Testator Now such a Testament we have exhibited in the Sacrament and who employs his thoughts on this meditation employs them so as they agree with the End of the Sacrament 2. Secondly Christ intended the renewal of our lively affections toward him Dying for us as another end of the Sacrament of his body and blood He did therefore appoint this Ordinance to continue after his Death that it might keep the affectionate remembrance of his love alive in our hearts He would not have his Death forgotten neither would he have it kept in memory without the vigour and strength of our love His friends were dead in sin and misery at that time he remembred these dead friends with life of affections and now his living friends must not remember him with dead affection A lifeless affection is next neighbour to no affection and to remember with such affection is very little more than quite to forget Now none of us should so forget our Dying Lord we could not see him dying as they did Luk. 23. v. 27. who followed him to Mount Calvary and saw him with their bodily eyes yet in every Sacrament of his Supper he is evidently set forth dying among us and so every one of us must remember him every place in the Church may put us in mind of our Lord but the Table and the Cross do more particularly and lively set our remembrance on work Sic oculos Sic ille manus c. Let me ask the question did you ever lose a dear friend who made you a Legatee in his Will or appointed you Executor of it how did your affections stir move yea melt your heart when you read over the Will when you came to demand your Legacy did you receive it with dry eyes Let us bestow our affections in reading over Christ's Will as we would bestow them in reading over the Will of a tender careful Friend and then I am sure we shall frame our hearts to this second end of the Lord's supper and demean our selves as Christ expects we should at his table We shall remember him with love for his loving remembrance of us we shall remember him with desires of his return and coming in glory to make good all that he hath bequeathed to us to put us in possession of all that which the Sacrament representeth and sealeth to us we shall say make hast come quickly oh Lord. 3. Thirdly A solemn publick and constant return of Thanks and Praise to the Lord is a third end of this Sacrament Christus voluit sacram suam coenam esse mortis passionis suae nostraeque per eam à peccato morte diabolo liberationis perpetuum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nostrae ea propter gratitudinis observantiae publicum Testimonium Ludoy Cappel Thes Salm. de Liturg. Ling. Ignot part 1. th 5. Christ would have his holy Supper be a perpetual remembrance as of his Death and Passion and as of our deliverance from sin death and the Devil so of our gratitude and observance would he have it be a publick Testimony as that Learned Professor hath expressed his sense and apprehension of this matter We can scarce meet with any one person amongst the lowest and meanest Professours of Christian Religion so little instructed in the nature and end of this Ordinance as not full well to know and openly profess it is an Ordinance appointed for continuing a thankful Remembrance of our Dying Lord. We cannot read any Writer Popish or other but in their writings of the Sacrament every page is full of it the most usual name of it is Eucharist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Syriack Version hath borrowed this Greek word to express it self in Act. 2.42 20.7 where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rendred by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which soundeth out Gratitude and Thankfulness so some render and translate Bread in Acts 2.42 10.7 broken in the Sacrament and call it the Breaking of the Eucharist but I will spare my time pains and paper and appeal to thy pretences and professions who goest to the Lord's Table I know thou canst not acquit thy self to thy Brethren with whom thou communicatest nor to thy own Profession unless thou declarest thy desire to remember thankfully the Death of thy Lord. Now the Love of Christ remembring thee by Will in his Testamentary disposition hath in it very many strong and prevailing perswasives to thankfulness and will certainly awaken the sober considerate soul unto gratitude and so will excellently well suit with the season and the duty of feasting with our Lord. Of which more shall be said in our following discourse if the Lord give leave Mean while the greatness of our legacy the freeness of love in the legator the unworthiness of the legatees the certainty of our future receiving it the present enjoying more if so be we would set our selves with more diligence and search to enquire into the deed of gift our Lord hath made to us These I say will certainly perswade us to constant acknowledging our debt of thankfulness to our dying Lord. Our life should be
Christ unto the soul there the soul seeth the real Testimonys of his Saviour's love Last Wills or Testaments are those in which we profess all our affection Quibus affectum omnem fatemur Brisson de Form After this men can do no more at this time therefore they will do what they can for their beloved Friends This love is an immortal love attempting to fill the cistern to leave it full when the spring head dryes up it is a love surviving Death when the lover cannot a peice of Friendship rescued from the hand and power which kills thy Friend When Jacob could live no longer to love his Joseph his love could not die but fleeteth from his feeble dying heart and reposeth it self in the sacred and unviolate treasury of Jacobs last Will where it doth and shall still survive both the Lover and the Beloved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gen. 48.22 1 King 1. in this you discover Joseph had a double share in Jacobs love When David was to make his last will you may see which of all his Sons had most of David's heart so true is it that last Wills are open windows of the heart through which we may see the living affection of our Dying Friend This is undeniably true of the last Will of Christ who looks into it shall see the dearest love the tenderest affection the faithfullest friendship the seasonablest care and the fullest provision and who seeth this can do no less than wish he had a more dear affection to return for that which is so incomparably grater than all other Sect. 6. 6. That improves Grace which shakes off security and awakeneth out of sloth security is the lethargy of the soul and it must be cured or the soul Dyeth sloth is that scorbutick disease of the soul which weakens all its graces and takes off the edge of them and this must be removed by a vigorous exercise of that strength and life which yet remaineth in Grace or Grace will decay wither and dye rid the soul of these two and Grace will suddenly recover it self and grow Now it is unquestionable that the last Will of Christ carrieth in it sufficient considerations to awaken the soul out of pernicious security and to quicken it unto vigorous diligence For all the legacies of Christ are conditional requiring either precedent conditions or enjoining subsequent conditions of love and obedience and this love with obedience will be found such as will take up all thy time and strength set to it so soon as thou wilt here will be work enough for thy Christian care Thou wilt find life short love long work weighty strength weak The Philosopher rowsed himself with this Vita brevis ars longa life is short Art is long Christian look over Christ's expectation expressed in his Will and Testament and write this presently as thy monitory Vita brevis Fides longa The time of Life is short the work of Faith is long and rowse up thy self both from security and sloth make haste to do thy Lord's will that thou mayest have large share in the last Will of thy Lord. When a very rich gist is given by Will upon conditions and reservations and all revoked from every claimer who performeth not those conditions and disposed to others who will do and have done and performed the conditions how great care and diligence doth this awaken how speedy is the considering Legatee what haste doth he make to perform lest non-performance of his duty should disappoint his hope and cut off his claim Christian thou hast the Inheritance given by Will and that Will prescribes thee thy duty and if ever thou intendest to put in claim for it look thou put thy hand speedily to the doing of what is there enjoyned thee For I tell thee thy Lord who made the Will who prescribed the terms who enjoyned thy performance and before whom thou must make thy claim is not now dead but liveth is not far off but near to thee seeth and observeth all thy sloth and laziness and will reject thy suit and dash thy pretences and confound thy hopes unless sight of his Will quicken thee to do his will CAP. IV. Graces enumerated Improvable by the last Will of Christ I Have performed 〈…〉 at potui â—amen if not as I would yet as Bernard said as I could the three first parts of my Promise I shall now endeavour the performance of the fourth viz. in a particular enumeration of those graces which I apprehend may be much improved by the consideration of Christ's last Will or Testament renewedly remembred at the Communion of the Lord's body And Sect. 1. 1. First Faith is one Grace which is improvable by due managing our thoughts of Christ's ordaining his last Will ere he died and dying to ratifie and make his last Will firm and irrevocable This gives us greatest assurance of the truth of the Promises and so addeth to the evidence of things that are not seen Man verily believeth and boldly pleadeth his title and right to the Legacy which his dying friend bequeathed to him Sect. 2. Secondly Hope and Expectation of enjoying the good things promised is another grace improvable by the application of Christ's Death dying a Testator and ordaining his last Will. The certainty of future enjoying and the goodness of the thing to be enjoyed is the life of hope the root and strength of it Now the goodness of that we expect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the certainty of our future enjoyment are jointly contained and declared in the last Will of our Lord to which in more particular manner we hope to speak Sect. 3. 3. Longing desires of surer interess in the Covenant or Testament of Christ and desire of nearer union unto Christ is improvable upon the reflections of our serious thoughts on the Death of Christ dying and making his VVill. Every one who needeth would wish himself of the kindred and affinity of that rich bountiful and kind friend who enricheth all his kindred by his large Legacies at his Death and he will desire to be so related unto Christ who duly considers what may be obtained by Christ Sect. 4. 4. Love to the Lord and a high prizing of his person and concernments is an other Grace of the believer improveable by this meditation of Christs Death as the Death of a Testator Every one honoureth the remembrance and speaketh well of him who doth liberally and wisely provide for his indigent and needy relations strangers do value such an one and much more doth his ingenuous and considerate Friend Sect. 5. 5. Zeal to his glory and honour a spiritual fervency of heart in all that such a Friend is any whit concerned in is another qualification of a believer and this also is improved by the due manage of our knowledge of Christs last Will and Testament Were there but little cordial Friendship in the heart of a believer toward
Joseph advanced to be Ruler over all the Land of Aegypt must be saluted with a Bowing Knee Gen. 41.43 Which was the outward and visible expression of that double apprehension Gen. 27.29 Isa 49.23 Esth 3.2 5. 1. of his worth and honour 2. of the meanness and lowness of the rest who bowed It is a very general and ancient signe of the respect we bear to the dignity and worth of any one we bow before The insolent souldiers in their carriage toward Christ when they bowed the knee Math. 27.29 Shewed us what humility becometh subjects and what honour is due to Soveraigns Look then on that absolute dominion and power which appeareth in Christ's last Will and Testament be then Judge in the case and say What beseemeth thee in Receiving gifts from Soveraigne power from an absolute Lord will it not beseem thy low abject and poor state to attend the presence and receive the gifts of such a Lord as Christ is with a bended knee and a humble heart What might be farther said in this particular I shall leave to each one 's larger meditations because I will hasten to an end of the Chapter and subject CAP. V. Sect. 9. Patience in Sufferings Improved on Christ's Dying a Testator A Ninth Grace well suiting with the Lords Supper and Improvable on consideration of Christ Dying a Testator is strong and settled resolution with patience to undergo for him all hardships and sufferings which the Lord shall permit to come upon us A praemeditated survey of all the sufferings for the Lord Christ and his Gospel with advised purposes not to shrink from them is required of every Christian and doth very well fit the thoughts of a Sacrament in which the Christian communicateth with a Lord who was in his whole life a Man of sorrows and accquainted with griefs for our sake We celebrate the memorial of his sufferings we should confirm our resolutions not to shrink away from Christ for fear of sufferings The antient Christians under persecutions were wont to fortify their purposes and resolutions of adhering to their Crucified Lord in midst of all persecutions in order hereunto they were wont to Celebrate the Lord's Supper often thereby as often renewing their courage and resolution to dye if need be for him And the ordinary name of this ordinance viz. Sacrament implieth so much For it was the old Latine word expressing the Romane Souldiers obligation to obey his Generall Sacramentum Patres Latini à militari jurejurando uti opinamur ad eam partem nostrae Religionis significandam c. Thes Salmur de Sacrament in gen disp sect 2. Now common sense telleth us that who comes and listeth himself a Souldier under a Captain or Generall either knoweth not what he doth or else bringeth Resolutions to undergo all the hardships of the war he entreth on I tell thee Christian thou knowest not fully what thou art doing at a Sacrament if thou doest not there add strength to thy resolutions of Enduring hardship as a good Souldier of Jesus Christ If thou dost only confirm thy Hope of and thy waiting for the coming of thy Lord and shewest this by shewing forth his Death untill he cometh yet I must tell thee since thou professest hope of and waitest for the coming of thy Lord it well becometh this hope this faith to have attendant the Resolution of Enduring all for Christ's sake There are these Motives in it 1. First in thy Dear Friends Will thou seest his Love to thee and it is but endebted ingenuity to be ready for and patient in sufferings for one who sincerely Loved us As the Love of our Friend to us increaseth so should our readiness to suffer for our Friend Christ did thus commend his Love above the love of all other friends That he died for us Rom. 5.8 And this Love constraineth us 2 Cor. 5.14 It doth by a sweet and invincible power draw us into this conclusion That we should live no longer to our selves but to him who died for us ver 15. We ought not only to bear some but all not little only but great not common but extraordinary dangers distresses and afflictions for his sake He is by a sacred right Lord of our life and when he biddeth us venture it in hazards or lay it down in unavoidable death for him we must do it His love ought thus to constrain us The sacred story tells us that Jacob served seven years for Rachel Gen. 29.18 During which service he underwent Losses Gen. 31.39 was consumed with drought in the day and with frost in the Night thus he served him fourteen years for his daughters to the younger of which he had such love that seven years of hardship seemed to him but a few dayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the love he had to her Gen. 29.29 Either thy own Reason condemneth thy want of love to Christ who deserveth it insomuch as he hath given thee rich Legacies by his Will or thy Love will command thee resolvedly and patiently to suffer for him Either thou must not pretend any interess in Christ's Gifts or thou must intend to Love him for them and resolve to suffer for him thou Lovest In thy going to the Sacrament view the kindness of thy Saviour in his Last Will and Testament and judge with thy self what sufferings for him thou couldst reasonably refuse He Loved not himself or life too well when it concerned thy life and Soul He died for thee and canst thou do less than venture life or estate for him whilest thou readest his love in his Legacies raise thy resolutions to face stand out and bear dangers losses reproaches or Death for him His love to thee deserveth it for no man hath Joh. 15.13 or can have greater than that Christ had for thee and the rest of his friends 2. Thy Testator hath provided by his last Will and Testament that all thy sufferings should be recompenced to thee with a reward that surpasses all thy sufferings If thou and I weigh the Sufferings for Christ and our Gain by Christ this will exceedingly outweigh those The least degree of reward weighed with the heaviest burthen of sufferings will praeponderate and outweigh them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for heaviest burthens of afflictions are but light 2 Cor. 4.17 But the glory they work for us is an exceeding and eternal weight of Glory And besides all that which shall hereafter be the recompence of sufferers for Christ they are 1. First honoured by God in that they are called to suffer for his Son God puts an honour on such who are called to suffer reproach for Christ Acts. 5.41 1 Pet. 4.14.2 It is a gift which God doth not bestow on every one however men judge of it the Apostle tells us it is Given Phil. 1.29 And well might the Apostle so account it for 3. It fitteth us for the Kingdom of Heaven our sufferings do not fit us with a fitness of worth
or of merit but with a fitness of preparedness and of meetness 2 Thes 1.5 with Col. 1.11 12. 4. It is very acceptable to God 1. Pet. 2.19 20. 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it ingratiateth with God 5. It is a Scripture evidence of Grace and future Glory Phil. 1.29 Rom. 8.17 whoso suffer for Christ shall in like manner be glorified with Christ 6. And lastly it is a condition ordinarily priviledged with great consolations in the inward man and with an high degree of Heroick grace in the heart expressed by the spirit of Glory and of God resting on the sufferer 1 Pet. 4.13 14. Though many other compensations of our sufferings might be mentioned as preponderating and outweighing our Sufferings yet because no one of these mentioned can be reasonably doubted or denied to be more than sufficient present reward for our Sufferings I judge it reason to add no more Think then as the Love of thy Saviour and Friend should make thee resolute in Suffering so the present advantage and reward will warrant thee to desire opportunity of Suffering for him if he shall see good so to try thee Read then the promises made to sufferers for Christ the Elogies given to them the fruits of such sufferings and then debate the case with thy self going to the Sacrament or receiving it There are present benefits annexed to sufferings for that Lord whose Death I celebrate these benefits are made over to such as I am by his last Will what then should make me unwilling unresolved or afraid to suffer for him each particular blessing bequeathed surpasseth all the sufferings I need expect or fear Seal therefore Lord thy blessings to me in the Sacrament and help me to seal thy cause and truth if need be with my blood 3. A third inducement to Resolution in suffering for Christ our Lord Dying a Testator deducible from his Last Will is That the greater these sufferings are the greater the compensation shall be Our Lord Dying hath so disposed his rich gifts that he shall have greatest share in them who is greatest sufferer for him By a Christianlike bearing the Afflictions of the Lord and the Gospel thou mayest increase the Crown of Glory which Christ hath promised thee if so be we suffer with him that we may also be glorified with him Rom. 8.17 God allowes us to intend and aime at obtaining Glory with Christ as the end why we suffer with him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and for him It is a very full expression of this which we meet with 2 Cor. 4.17 This Momentany and light affliction worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory Note the words Affliction worketh for us it effecteth perfectly worketh or as it is rendered Phil. 2.12 Worketh out or in a good sense causeth as the word is rendred 2 Cor. 9.11 The Temptation of afflictions doth as well increase the future Glory as the present grace of the Saints James 1.2 And they are blessed who endure such Temptations James 1.12 For when they are tryed they shall receive the Crown of life Gold and silver are purified and get a greater measure of perfection by the refining fire The Glorified Saints shine with greatest lustre who came out of the fires of persecution Those that were clothed with white robes and had Palms in their hands and stood before the throne Revel 7.9 Were the persons who came out of great tribulation ver 14. Therefore are they before the Throne ver 15. In a word Christ hath prepared Thrones on which they who did continue with him in his Temptations do sit and whereon they shall sit hereafter judging the tribes of Israel to these sufferers he hath disposed the Kingdome Luke 22.28.29 No man shall ever be loser by suffering for Christ Mark well the answer given to Peter's Question Matth. 19.27 28. 29. We have forsaken all c. What shall we have therefore Ye saith Christ shall sit upon Thrones ye shall receive an Hundred fold ver 29. Judge therefore with thy self whether the renewed Remembrance of such a Will and Testament in which the Testator gives most to him that doth suffer most for him be not a very fit means to perswade thee to and confirm thee in resolutions of patient suffering for Christ In a Sacrament thou dost or mightest see such encouragements to sufferings sealed to thee and wilt thou not endure wilt thou not bear and suffer for such Hopes are our sufferings not worthy to be compared with that Glory which shall be revealed Rom. 8.18 And is it not too much weakness which dares not suffer will you thus render your selves unworthy to expect such Glory 4. And Lastly Christ Dying a Testator liveth and beholdeth what thou sufferest and with what frame of mind thou dost endure thy sufferings And this thou doest tacitely confess in the use of the Sacrament for under what Notion soever thou dost remember thy Lord in the Sacrament as it is complex of thy Lord his Death so of his future coming likewise Thou declarest that though he died once yet Death hath not Dominion over him for he liveth and knoweth what is designed against him by his enemies what is laid upon his Friends and followers for his sake He will be Judge of thy sufferings and of thy reward also Revel 2.2 He that walketh in the midst of the Golden Candlesticks knoweth the patience as well as the Labour of the Church Now who knows the patience must needs know the sufferings which exercise the patience of the Church He knoweth the tribulation of the Church Revel 2.9 Christ is the great overseer and Judge of the combates which his Church maintaineth with his enemies who afflict and trouble the Church for Christ's sake He assigneth the reward and Crown to every one that overcometh Revel 2.7 17 23 26. with other places Well then so often as thou goest to the Sacrament thou renewest the memory of thy Lord whose Love deserveth thou shouldest patiently bear whose reward when least will surpass thy sufferings when they are greatest who will measure out to thee a reward proportioned to thy sufferings who lives to see and observe all thou sufferest thy Captain Generals Eye is upon thee and will not this perswade to resolutions of bearing and constant patience in bearing for Christ these among other inducements to a Christian fortitude in suffering for Christ may be drawn from the consideration of his Dying a Testator and a larger improvement of them I commend to your private meditations I proceed to what remaineth CAP. V. Sect. 10. Sorrow for unserviceableness to Christ Improved on Christ's Dying a Testator 10. THE tenth Sacramental grace I mentioned as befitting us at the Lords Supper was Sorrow for doing so little for him with grief that we have done so much against him This temper of mind is highly improveable by pondering what Christ hath as a Testator done
in a case little different from this I say to you cast not away your Obedience for it hath great recompence of reward Heb. 10.35 It is a harvest for its abundance and riches It is a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge will give to them that finish their course 2 Tim. 4.7 8. It is a Crown of Glory which fadeth not away as the Apostle St. Peter hath it 1 Pet. 5.4 A Kingdom that cannot be shaken Heb. 12.28 Let us then have grace let us be so ingenuous and thankful to our Lord as to serve him to all well pleasing the Apostle argueth from the expectation of such a reward to the reasonableness of our serving the Lord with fear and trembling the renewed thoughts of this ample glorious eternal recompence of our sincere Obedience will surely renew our purposes and endeavours of bettering our Obedience what then should you and I do at the Lord's Supper but meditate on the greatness of the Legacies he hath given and with David demand of our selves What shall we render to the Lord for all his benefits Psal 116.12 Wherein shall we express our thankfulness Shall it be in Sacrifices and Offerings No God doth not require these but to do justice and love mercy and to walk humbly with God Micah 6. To love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the soul and with all the strength and to love our neighbour as our selves is more than all whole burnt Offerings and Sacrifices Mark 12.33 A Discerning Obedience is a most acceptable Sacrifice to the Lord. In one word we are called to the Gospel and to the Knowledge of Christ in the Gospel and we must walk worthy of our Calling Ephes 4.1 worthy of the Lord Col. 1.10 worthy of the Gospel of Christ Phil. 1.27 Now as every one who believeth is bound by his first Call to walk in New Obedience so is every Believer bound by every renewal of his Call by every renewed remembrance of his Call to Christ to revive his Resolutions of renewing his Obedience to the Gospel of Christ 2. Thy Renewed Obedience to Christ must be the evidence of thy Right and Title to the Rich and Glorious Legacies which he hath bequeathed to his kindred Thou hast no more to shew for thy Right then thou hast of Renewed Obedience Christ thy Lord hath bequeathed a Kingdom and a Crown but it is on condition thou wait for both in a constant course of New Obedience It is a Kingdom which cannot be shaken the Apostle saith and it is true it is a Kingdom that can neither be shaken by a Plea against your Title nor by force against your Possession But observe those who have this Right and who shall have the Possession of this Kingdom are such who should 1. Have Grace which is of a growing nature And 2. They serve God they worship they obey him And 3. They do this acceptably with reverence and godly fear The Apostle useth a Verb of that Mood which expresseth matter of Duty or Exhortation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habeamus or habere oportet and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 serviamus sive servire debemus the Syriack reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apprehending which speaks a voluntary and active seeking Grace and accipiamus which speaks a ready closing with Grace offered and retineamus which speaks a holding fast what we sought and acccepted thus furnisht with Grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ministremus ceu Sacerdotes spirituales qui Deo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 2.5 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 placeamus They ought to be such persons and to employ themselves in such exercises Do we then hear the Apostle's Exhortation Do we see a Kingdom offered Do we read the Will which investeth us with it Do we see the Will sealed in the Sacrament And will not all this stir us up to renew our Obedience Will we be so foolish to hazard our Title to it through backwardness and disobedience When he cast the Law of Grace and Mercy into the mould and form of a Testament or last Will he framed it so that he might strongly bind all to obedience who expected benefit by it Hence it is that we read He became Mediator of the New Testament to the end he might purge our consciences from dead works to serve the Living God Heb. 9.14 15. The Covenant of Promise which offereth grace Heb. 10.16 17. and engageth the Almighty to write his Law in our hearts was confirmed to us and is made good to every believing soul through Christ our Testator so that obedience to Christ is as much incorporated in the Testament as is Glory and Blessedness He is the Author of Eternal Salvation to those that obey him Heb. 5.9 Obedience is required of us as Salvation is promised to us How canst thou then renew thy Faith and Hope in expecting of the promised Salvation and not renew thy resolutions to perform required obedience How shall we look Christ in the face when we so separate what he hath joined How will you plead his Promise who have not obeyed his Precept or how should your expectations be answered by Christ when his expectations have not been answered by you It is the unreasonableness of ignorance and prophaness to boast of rich gifts made over to them by the Will of Christ and yet at the same time to sleight neglect and refuse the duty observance and obedience which Christ requireth of all his Legatees When thou comest to a Sacrament to renew thy assurance of interess in the last Will of Christ be sure thou observe what he expresly requireth as condition of this interess and consider He will be Author of Eternal Salvation to thee on no other terms than thy obedience to him 3. Christ dying once to conrfim the New Testament and to make a firm Will for our good did not as other Testators do continue under the power of Death but he rose again from the Dead according to the Scriptures and now observeth how thou and every one else do acquit themselves in this New Obedience required of thee and of them Let it be well weighed Christ doth now exactly know and particularly observe all thy works and what obedience thou givest him His countenance is as the Sun when it shineth in its strength Rev. 1.16 both for the luster of it and for the power of making manifest whatsoever is done both in the world and also in the Churches amidst which he walketh Rev. 2.1 Knowing the works the labour and the patience of each Church of each member of the Church He seeth who it is that laboureth and fainteth not Rev. 2.3 and who would not take courage from such an eye-witness to abound in the blessed works of obedience For whom will you labour if you will not labour for him who seeth you and will as certainly reward as he seeth exactly When
he will farther proceed These being but the beginnings of sorrows are a part of the Curse issuing from the Law and inflicted by one who hath power to fence his Law by them Thus Christ exposed himself to the sad consequences of our imputed guilt and being pleased to interrpose himself between us and the praevious penalties of our sin was made a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs whilst he did bear our griefs and carry our sorrows Isa 53.3 4. The oppression and injustice he did meet with from the world was a fruit of that Curse he was made for us These things did he suffer in life whose love to us brought him to bear the Curse 3. Thirdly Christ made a Curse for us compriseth the exquisite pains and open shame of his Death for our sin It is death which is most legibly the execution of the Curse of the Law on sinners and as then they find themselves accursed indeed when their own guilt hath in death overtaken them so he that made himself a Curse for them found in his death on the Cross the weight of that Curse which he did bear for sinners Therefore do I suppose it was by Divine Providence ordered that the kind of death Christ did undergo should be in the sentence of the Law an accursed death that we might more clearly discern the import of it and see as our deliverance by it so our danger without this death of Christ He was cut off from the land of the living Isa 53.8 And when this was effected it appeared that for the transgression of his people this stroke was upon him as that verse hath it Though the impenitent sinner be alwaies under the smaller measures of a Curse yet when he dieth Solomon observeth he dieth accursed The sufferings our Lord Jesus Christ underwent in his life were likewise the scattering drops But the black and violent showre of our deserved Curse was poured down on him at his Death Fourthly and lastly Christ made a Curse and in death bearing it was to suffer under the strokes of vindictive Justice pleading the cause and vindicating the honour of the Law and Law-giver which by the transgressions of sinners had been contemned and violated This as hath been observed already is one ingredient in the Curse and herein do chastlsements greatly differ from punishments strictly taken for in chastisements there is no vindictive justice avenging the quarrel in order to satisfie Divine Justice to attone the wrath of God it is all in order to the humbling melting purifying us that we may seek and obtain mercy But now when vindictive punishments strictly taken are executed it is in order to the cutting off and destruction of the obdurate sinners they as enemies lying under the wrath of God and his curse which is most evident in the execution of the last unchangeable sentence of Condemnation past upon the impenitent unbelieving and self-destroying world at the day of God's dreadful Judgment Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Matth. 25.41 You do not I hope doubt whether it be the veâ—geance of an angry God which the damned in Hell suffer and there is as little ground of doubt whether they suffer this vengeance in Hell to satisfie the Divine Justice neither is it to be doubted but all they suffer is comprised in that Curse pronounced Depart from me cursed Now then answerable to what hath been said as the condemned under their own deserved Curse suffer in order to satisfie Divine vindictive Justice for their own offences so Christ made a Curse and bearing the Curse for us did bear it in order to make satisfaction for us that we might obtain deliverance and that avenging wrath might not fall on our heads since that we are no more under the Curse deserved by us but under the Blessing procured for us by Christ He trod the wine-press of his Father's wrath alone his stripes were so smart and grievous that by them we might be healed Isa 53.5 God did not spare him when he gave him up for us Rom. 8. Let this then suffice for these particulars In summe To be made or bear the Curse is to stand charged with guilt to be threatned with punishment to be cut off by the execution of that punishment to the end Justice may be satisfied on the person who is made a Curse So that you may now see what it was that Christ was made for us and what he underwent for our sakes He took upon him our sins in the guilt of them exposed himself to the dreadful threats of a severe but most righteous Law and whereas sin inevitably must be punished he submitted himself to that also and in love to us saved us from ours by his own punishment wherein he satisfied Divine Justice and averted that Curse which inevitably would have fallen on us from the wrath of God provoked against us by our sins by this 't is clear Into this capacity he put himself the Law found him and under this capacity process went out against him and he died for us to redeem us from the Curse and to invest us with the Blessing I pass now to the second thing proposed viz. To the confirmation and proof of this 2d General proposed That Christ did die thus for us a curse was both threatned and executed upon him 2 Cor. 5. ult He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us There is an elegancy in the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He made him sin The Apostle doth not say he made him a sinner but he made him sin that it might the more evidently appear how he did bear what was threatned against sin the Curse coming on us as an effect or consequent of sin He who was made sin for us exposeth himself to that sad effect and taketh on him the Curse due to us and being found so charged must die to remove the Curse from us This Text of the Apostle in effect then saith That Christ had our sins imputed to him bore the Curse of them and that for our good viz. That we might be made the righteousness of God in him That we might be accounted and treated as righteous ones which in effect is the same with what we have already said That Christ was made a Curse and so died for us that we might with righteous ones live and possess the blessing It is not to be doubted that Christ made sin for us was thereby made a Curse for us and therefore died bearing that effect of our sin vindicating the honour of the Law which we had transgressed and satisfying the Law-giver whom we had provoked In a word Christ made sin for us underwent the Curse our sin deserved and the Law threatned that in our stead he might satisfie Justice and that mercy might give the blessing which we needed and the Gospel promiseth or in the Apostle's own words that the blessing of
Abraham might come on us Gentiles Again the Apostle Rom. 8.3 tells us God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh In which words you read expresly that God sent his Son and that he sent him in the likeness of sinful flesh not by inherent vice but like it through imputed guilt and obnoxiousness to the Curse both which lay on all flesh that had sinned and both which was laid on him who thus appear'd in the likeness of sinful flesh in which capacity he appear'd not only to the world which judged him whom they knew not nor only to his enemies who did maliciously slander him they hated but he presented himself to God in our stead bearing our Sin and Curse for removal of both which he was made a Sacrifice an Expiatory Sacrifice which the Text expresseth concisely by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and our Interpreters in the Margin have rightly explained A Sacrifice for sin this being the proper import of the phrase as is evident to all who are able and willing to compare the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the Greek Translation of it by the Lxxii In the places cited as Levit. 4.3 14.28 32. Numb 6.11 16. cap. 7.16 22 28 34 40.46 c. Neh. 10.33 Ezek. 40.40 42.13 Psal 40.6 In all which and many more which might be cited The Greek Interpreters use the same phrase the Apostle doth when he assures us God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh that by him made a Sin-offering or a sacrifice for sin he might condemn sin but save the sinner In one word he that was sent to be a sacrifice for sin must die and bear the imputed guilt of the sins of the persons for whom he is a sacrifice and consequently die under a Curse To these add we that of the Prophet Isa 53.5 where the Prophet doth thrice over in very emphatical words foretell what the Jews would judge of Christ under his sufferings they would esteem him a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stricken b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 smitten and c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 afflicted of God as if he had been a notorious sinner stigmatized by the just hand of God inflicting Curses on him Thus the blinded malice of the Jews lead them into blasphemous mistakes of the person and the surferings he underwent d The Gattaker on Isa 53.4 They thought him thus handled by God in a way of vengeance 〈◊〉 his sins The Jew understood the import 〈◊〉 â—heir own language but they understood 〈◊〉 â—he true cause of the dolorous curses and sufferings the Messiah died under Whatever wrath curse or vengeance is implied in the phrase he did bear it to remove it all from us we sinned and should have died accursed but he was made a Curse to free us Again vers 5. the Prophet tells us he was wounded for our transgressions so we read it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tho. Gattaker Annot. in loâ— but some observe the word denoteth a polluted person or one that is prophaned Now by the Law every polluted thing or person was judged accursed When the Rulers of the Sanctuary are prophane and God punisheth for it Jacob is made a Curse Isa 43.28 And of the polluted defiled or prophaned the Law determineth he shall die the death Exod. 31.14 He shall be cut off Lev. 19.8 22.9 Numb 18.32 So that by the Law a polluted person is in danger of that death which the Law calls a Curse and when such are used as polluted they are cut off and die under a Curse denounced by the Law And thus was Christ wounded for our transgressions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we had really polluted our selves and were prophaned by our sins which we had committed But He the Holy One of God was first burthened with our imputed sins lookt on as one standing in the stead of polluted ones and used as they deserved that they might be blessed which they deserved not Thus also vers 6. He laid on him the iniquity of us all Guilt imputed and punishment inflicted from both which the consequent is The person so used dieth an accursed death which is 〈◊〉 we are to prove Since then God laid 〈◊〉 iniquity of us all on his Son who was 〈◊〉 tent to bear it we may very confiâ—â—◠〈◊〉 conclude that our iniquity will be the cause of his death and that this death will have a Curse intermixed with it that it may be sufficient to redeem us from the Curse due to our iniquities There is one place more which I might urge viz. Phil. 3.7 He took upon him the form of a servant and in that capacity did humble himself unto death even the death of the Cross saith the Apostle which passage possibly is not enforced to speak other than its own proper sense if it be thus explained He took upon him the form of a servant i. e. put himself into the state and condition of an accursed person and so died for them he loved and represented The Scripture doth sometimes use this manner of speech to express a Curse on a man or on his posterity so a Gen. 9.25 26. Cham's Curse is expressed so is the Curse of b Gen. 25.26 Esau expressed The elder shall serve the younger applied by the Apostle to prove Jacob and his seed blessed and to evidence Esau and his seed left out of the blessing and consequently abandoned under a Curse Israel's misery in Aegypt emblem of a cursed state was servitude in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the house of bondage Thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the form of a servant in which Christ appear'd bespeaks his appearance under a Curse for us And in this conjecture on this place I am confirm'd by the authority of Erasmus on this place Jam quod accepit formam servi non proprin referri videtur ad buinanam naturam assumptam sed ad speciem similitudinem hominis nocentis enjus personam pro nobis gessit dum slagellatur damnatur crucifigitur Now saith he that he took the form of a servant seems not to be referred properly to the taking of the Humane Nature but to the taking of the species and likeness of a guilty person whose part he bore for us when he was scourged condemned crucified Thus far that learned Pen. But let this conjecture be of what weight it will be there are places enough already urged to make good the Truth Christ in our stead appear'd under a Curse and so died an accursed death that by this means we might live in hope of a blessed life and as the Text hath it that the blessings of Abraham might come on us Gentiles and that we might receive the Spirit viz. both of Sanctification to enliven us to our duty and of Adoption to ensure us of an hoped reward and so be delivered from servitude and misery of sin in
which lyeth a Curse indeed Now this duly considered will promote the increase of our graces The Communicant who can meditate on Christ dying a Curse for us may thereby excite his graces and exercise them to an improvement of them such meditations will be as lesser streams to a River which they greaten whilst they run in the same chanel A brief specimen of this will satisfie I hope and set the soul on work wherein for his help I shall shew him an Essay in a rude draught of this in eight following particular Graces which well become a Communicant 1. Humility and Self-abasement is unquestionably a Sacramental grace 1. Sacramental grace improved a grace we should Bring to exercise at and improve by the Sacrament of our Lord dying for us And the consideration of his death represented under the circumstances of a Curse is a very suitable and a likely means to effect this For it doth represent to our thoughts not only the sufferings of our dearest Lord and friend but convinceth us that it was our sin which procur'd this to him and that we must have been miserable for ever if he had not thus died Thus our sin and misery is set before us and these will humble a soul these will bow the generous courage and stoutness of the noblest and highest mind Misery alone cannot break the courage of a virtuous and innocent mind Nil conscire sibi c. A soul clear and approv'd to its self is an impregnable fortress And the spirit of a man will bear these infirmities Indeed a base and degenerous mind breaks into shivers under a load of crosses But the soul under sorrows or in danger of deserv'd misery reflecting on its own guilt and looking through the vileness of sin on the greatness of its sorrows is the more humble because more refined and excellent in it's temper principles and aims True lowliness of spirit or humility that is genuine may possibly first gush out in a tear from pain But it 's constant running is in tears for sin Misery may broach the vessel but it is sin that keeps it running Misery may make the best despised in others eyes sin makes him despised in his own Men will tread on a distressed fortune but the humble soul will tread on its sinful self And now serious Reader cast thine eye upon Christ made a Curse and suppose for thy self and then tell me what is first reflected on is not thy misery the title page of that great Volume of sorrows which Christ did bear for thee when he was made a Curse and underwent it in thy stead wa st not thou in danger of that Curse didst thou not dwell on the borders of an eternal infinite misery and wast thou not every moment in danger to be haled and thrust headlong into a prison of wofullest darkness and unspeakable sorrows Did not the Curse laid on Christ hang over thy head It was thy sin thy misery that Christ lay under and this will humble thee if thou hast any spark of spititual ingenuity if there dwell any generous dispositions within thy breast 1. For what is it to be cursed but to lye under the transgression of a righteous Law and what will abase an ingenuous spirit if the baseness of sin will not Humility is the judgement or opinion of its little worth arising from due sense of sin Humility what Thus did Moses instruct Irsael to be humble Deut. 9.7 12 22. 23. 24. shews them how great their sin had been and leaves then to say how little their opinion of themselves ought to be tells them how near they were to utter ruine when nothing but a Moses and his prayer was between them and the execution of that word Deut. 9.6 14. I will blot out their name from under Heaven Let thy soul renew the memory of thy sin when thou renewest thy thoughts of Christ's dying a Curse Remember thy sins and do as they Ezek. 20.43 Gen. 41.9 Loath thy self for all thy sins The remembrance of a fault made a Courtier blush In a Sacrament thou seest Christ dying an accursed death in his Curse thou dost or shouldest see thy own sin and with Ezra in another case Ezra 9.6 Thou shouldest be ashamed and blush to look up to Heaven For 2. Thou most righteous and just hast condemned me and judged what my fault is how great how vile it is in the Curse my Saviour did bear for me It was not a rash hasty and inconsiderate passion of a man that cursed the sinner but it was the just deliberate sentence of a wise and holy God who never curseth one that deserves to be blessed who never curseth before the creature hath sinned and deserved it How inquisitive is a good disposition if he be cursed as David by a Shimei 2 Kings 2.23 or as the Prophet reproached by the Boyes of Bethel or by a contemptible beggar How ready are best natures to enquire into the cause Have I given an occasion to this reproach Have I deserved it And how is he abashed and ashamed that any reason is pretended for unreasonable railing Now much more abashed is the ingenuous spirit when a sober man when a judicious observer of his own words as well as of other mens carriages shall condemn and adjudge him worthy of a Curse But here it is the Lord who adjudged thee to a Curse and canst thou remember this and not be humble and not reflect upon thy sin which provoked so just a Wisdom and such deliberate Justice to execrate thee David was humble when Shimei cursed because it might be God had said to him Curse David When thou receivest the Sacrament thou remembrest Christ whom God made a Curse for thee there God tells thee Thou hadst been forever cursed if Christ had non been once cursed There thou mayest see a holy wise just and infinitely excellent person displeased with thee and provoked against thee and surely such a sight will I am certain it should make thee abhor thy self and be humble 3. Farther thou hadst a fair and open tryal of thy Cause and it now stands in the greatest Court of Record in the world It is there registred that thou art the son or daughter of a tainted blood a child of an accursed stock In the first Adam God tryed and cast thee and told thee what thou must expect in the second Adam he shewed thee this Record stood firm the sentence unrepealed and if the blood of Christ dying and bearing the Curse for thee had not washt out the stain thou hadst remained still under a curse and stain It is accounted a glory in an Antient Family that the blood is not stained with any treasonable practices against the Soveriagn and it is a disparagement and diminution of their glory and greatness that the blood is embased by disloyal designs and attempts When thou receivest the Sacrament and seest Christ dying an accursed death
remember this Thou art minded of thy stained blood and of the recorded atteindure that God brought in against thee Here thou seest what judicial process should have been made against thy self see it and be humble 4. And thou mayest do well to remember what proof and evidences were against thee too ere God adjudged thee to this Curse which thy Saviour underwent for thee the notoriousness of the fact the self-silencing conviction of Conscience thy Father against thy Mother Adam against Eve thy own family evidence against thee in this matter Thou canst find no pretence of an exception to the witness Here thou mayest reflect upon thy own adjudged baseness and be proud if thou canst when thou hast reflected on thy self Whoever thou art who rightly perceivest the mystery of this Ordinance and dost rightly receive it thou art evidence for God against thy self and confessest the matter that thou deservedst to die for thy sins in that very capacity and notion that Christ died for them If he died an execrated cursed death for thee The Sacrament is a memorial of thankfulness to God and to Christ for sparing thee and letting thee escape whilest the blessed Son of God died in thy room Consider this and be humble 5. Consider lastly How humble thy heart and hand ought to be when thou receivest Christ in the Sacrament since from him alone thou receivest deliverance from a Curse None would none indeed could deliver thee but Christ Thou couldst not send for another Physician to heal thy distemper Here thou couldest not as in a Market seek a better bargain No He alone who was made a Curse for thee was able to deliver thee he was over all God blessed for ever able to restore accursed creatures to blessedness and to invest them with happiness Be then as ingenuous toward Christ thy only hope as thou wouldest be toward a Patron a Benefactor a Lord on whom thou dost solely and intirely depend Thou wouldest humbly observe and with due reverence receive his Commands and abhor a seeming proud lofty or insolent behaviour towards him I entreat for as much from thee towards Christ as thou dost give to a man without intreaty At a Sacrament reflect on these things say with thy self here is the renewed memorial of Christ dying a Curse and this renewed remembrance convinceth me that I was a vile wretch else my God had never cursed me I had never been attainted arraigned condemned and recorded among those that were not worthy to live in a holy and happy Common-wealth and Court I had never recovered my former state of bliss if the Lord had not put himself in my stead and bore my punishment My life hope and glory are all the fruit of another's death and shame I must be lowly who was redeemed from so low and cursed state By this thou mayest discern what influence is in the Death of Christ considered as a Curse and how it may be drawn out to abase and humble thy soul before thy God And let this suffice for an Essay or Pattern Go thou and meditate on what thou canst see farther in this thing and be humble all thy days In the second place Take an Essay in another Sacramental Grace Let it be supposed to be Strong and servent Desire to be partaker of that deliverance which Christ wrought by dying a Curse for us A good and hungring appetite is not more necessary at thy friend's table when thou art invited to feast with him than this strong Desire is needful and required for the Lord's Table Our blessed Redeemer invites the hungry and bids the heartiest welcome to the hungriest comers his language is My friends you are welcome and let me see you come as to one that you know does bid you welcome by your free eating and drinking I may think you either know not how excellent the provision is or you like it not or you are full of somewhat else or you doubt your welcome if you sit as if you came to feed your eye but not to satisfie your souls If the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ be the Supper of the Lord if it be a feast if it be stored with choicest variety of spiritual and heavenly rarities if it be the Gospel Mannah why are your longing desires so weak so unconstant so uneasily taken off Surely you and I should be better stomach'd for this feast Christ hath prepared his body to be your food and you must prepare your desires and awaken your hungrings after him The best wine is drawn out for this feast and it's pity it should not have a thirsty soul whose thirst can relish its worth He knows nothing of this Ordinance who knows not it is a spiritual feast to be attended with a spiritual appetite and therefore I proceed to give you a specimen of that which is in this Dying of our Lord to whet the appetite of the soul and so let the first Consideration for example be this first In this kind of Death the soul sees both that which will awaken and add vigour to its aversation of sin or evil and what will awaken and strengthen its inclination and prosecution after deliverance from that evil In the Curse thou seest what an evil sin is and thou must bear it or desire Christ that he would if thou desirest not that he may really bear the Curse for thee as in the Lord's Supper he Sacramentally doth it will be interpreted that thou desirest all that evil should light on thee which thy sin deserveth and canst thou desire to be cursed canst thou desire to de damned canst thou see misery like a black storm hang over thy head and not fly to shelter See then in a Sacrament Christ tendered to bear thy Curse thy misery and ask thy self whether it be not desirable ask thy self shall I desire this or no shall I wish and intreat and be willing to be freed from so great evil or no In the Sacrament the Lord tells the discerning soul Here take my Son and if thou desirest it he shall bear thy deserved Curse and thou shalt inherit an undeserved blessing go think on it and tell me what thou wilt do whether thou wilt desire and be willing or no And now judge what is like to be the Answer of the soul will it not be This O let the Blessing be mine and let my loving Saviour thus deliver me thus bless me also oh my Father and it shall suffice 2. And as the proper Incentives of desâ—â—â— are contained in the things themselves offered so the very language notion and frame of words do awaken the soul to exert its desires A misery to be avoided by this means will perswade the soul to a willingness to apply the means But surely a misery expressed by a Curse by an Execration will hasten the soul's desire to escape it In some cases a man may commendably desire and chuse affliction but in no case can a man
chuse a Curse to himself The Jews had a Proverb that we must leap to Mount Gerizzim When God tells the soul it must either dwell on Mount Eball inherit a Curse or be willing to be led by Christ unto Mount Gerizzim it begins to say Let me go not a slow a loitering pace but the swiftest the speediest it is ready to leap to the Blessing Let me be any thing but a Curse let me by any means escape the Curse and if by a willingness if by an hearty desire to have Christ I may escape it oh let this very hour be the happy hour of my soul's escape Lord if it be so I accept thy Son my blessed Saviour offered in the Sacrament to bear my Curse There is a strong propensity in man's nature carrying him wtth great desire and with unwearied endeavours to shun the hard speeches of all and to hear a good report if it might be from all to be blessed by every one to be cursed by no one And there is a cheerful forward willingness to hearken to that advice and counsel which discovers how we may likely gain the good word of good men and escape the hard words of all men Now God proposes in Christ thus dying A sure way of obtaining his blessing which is infinitely better than the blessing of any man and in the Sacrament of his Son's body proposeth a sure means for our escaping from his Curse which is infinitely more to be feared than the curses of all men God can load thee with one Curse more than all the men in the world can do with all theirs 3. In Christ's Death considered as a Curse there is yet farther somewhat to engage the Desires of the soul unto Christ and to draw forth it 's willingness unto an embracing of Christ And that is the infallibility and certainty of our deliverance from this Curse upon our receiving Christ thou mayest be sure to escape for thou mayest be sure Christ will not lose his life if he die he will accomplish his own ends and thy hopes and the hopes of every believing soul by his death He hath indeed laid down his life but he hath not lost it He will not leave thee under uncertain and failing likelihoods if he makes himself liable to thy punishment he will be sure that thy soul shall escape it And if he bear thy Curse he will be ensured thou shalt not bear it Now having such a good as this deliverance and such an evil as the Curse in thy eye and such a sure and infallible means of escaping the one and obtaining the other Canst thou oh considerate oh discerning soul do less than desire this Christ this share and interess in his death If thou hadst no more than faint probabilities that it might be so well with thee thou wouldst in other cases strongly desire to try oh why not in this why not here other probabilities can awake perswade prevail and carry thee through tedious Journies and costly experiments and thou justifiest thy hopes and thy desires with the likelihood of success And what is the reason whence is it that so great certainty can do so little with thee in this oh the deplorable stupidity of man the sensless backwardness of his heart oh think I say think on it Jesus Christ was made and died a Curse for thee and it is certain thou mayest escape by him awaken thy desires and look after him But lastly 4. If thou yet wilt not desire Christ notwithstanding all that hath been said already yet at least consider with thy self and bethink thy self What dost thou here if thou desire not Christ Why art thou among them that apprehend they needed who do in the Sacrament commemorate and seek to find Christ dying and bearing the Curse for them If thou need him not why dost thou pretend to seek him if thou seek him why dost thou not really desire to find and meet him Consider this and argue it with thy soul say I must either contradict my self the ordinance and the people of God or I must be willing to receive Christ the Lord into my soul as well as to receive the symbols of Christ my Lord into my mouth and hands I hear and know that others do approach this Table this memorial of the Dying Jesus with desires to meet him and to exchange with him to bring their wretchedness and carry with them his blessedness I know if I know the Ordinance that it was appointed for the hungry thirsty desiring soul which would have fresh remembrances and vigorous longings for Christ for them who would feel their own cursedness and seek blessedness in Christ and my very presence my very approach to the Ordinance with others will either argue and prove me a Hypocrite or must awaken my desires after Christ if thou art not willing to find thou art an Hypocrite for seeming to seek And I will tell thee take it as thou wilt Thou that art not willing to find a blessing in Christ whom thou shouldst desire to meet in the Sacrament shalt find a curse which thou wouldst not Remember Judas and tremble Who doth cordially and truly seek the Lord shall find what he seeketh but he that is careless wants a willingness and desire shall find what he thinks not of and woe to him that finds and meets with Judas his guest at the Lord's Table And now give me thy thoughts Reader whether this should awaken in quicken thy willingness and thy desires after Christ And yet farther in the next place Closer application faster hold 3d. Sacramental grace Faith and strengthened resolutions to adhere to Christ do very well become this Ordinance of the Lord's Supper none have doubted or denied this but those who have denied all its efficacy and made the Sacrament a weak and impotent Ceremony Every one acknowledgeth this as the undoubted and proper fruit of this Ordinance who expect any fruit from it This spiritual feast was made to unite the soul and Christ in a more firm and close bond of friendship to incorporate them and to make them more one It was instituted that the memory of our great advantage by it Vt ejus ope tanti beneficii memoria magis ac magis in animis nojtris infigatur Thes Salm. Multa sunt quae nos co ducunt ut existimemus Christum habuisse potissimum eum scopum ante oculos ut fidem nostram augeret ac confirmaret cum ritum istum Ecclesiae tradidit celebrandum Thes de usu coen Dom. th 11. might be more deeply rooted in our hearts The Learned Professors at Saumur tell us Many things lead us to this perswasion that Christ chiefly eyed the increase and confirmation of our Faith as the end when he appointed this Ordidinance to his Church to be celebrated A true and lively Faith fits for receiving this Supper of the Lord and an increasing confirmed Faith shews that this Ordinance is fitly received We must not
Lord give me a heart knowing how to turn this kind of my Lord's Death into what Joy is hidden in it and I know my heart will need no other will desire none but this Again in the sixth place A peaceable 6th Sacramental grace peaceable disposition to the Brethren compassionate and tender affection toward our Brethren our fellow Christians is a Sacramental Grace a disposition of mind which is never out of season and is most in season at a Sacrament Christians should ever live in charity but they should feast with their Lord and with their Brethren in highest measures of charity When they thus feast they should embrace each other when they walk together it should be hand in hand This Love-feast must not be allayed with any mixture of sowre murmurings bitter envyings or unsavoury grudges of discontent The Apostle doth give us a most excellent Rule for this 1 Cor. 5.7 8. Purge out the old leaven c. Let us therefore keep the feast not in the old leaven nor with the leaven of malice c. In malice we should ever be children but especially at the Lord's Supper I will not urge reasons why we must be thus affected each to other when we come to the Table of the Lord for it is so universally known by all and it is so necessary among many other graces that too many think this alone sufficient to prepare men for the Lord's Supper It is true who hath all other but hath not this preparatory is unfit Whosoever wants this alone is not fit though this alone will not fit him for the Lord's Table The want of this must keep him back from this Supper until he hath a mind full of sincere and true love to all men especially to all the invited guests of the Lord. Supposing therefore that it is nothing doubted peaceable affections and compassionate tender love or charity to the Brethren is a Sacramental Quality I shal insist a little on the manner how this may be improved and advanced by the Death of Christ dying an accursed Death for us And so 1. First When thou art at the Lord's Supper and seest a few of thy Christian Brethren there to celebrate the Death of thine and their Lord dying a Curse this in all likelihood will be thy first reasoning upon it If Christ died a Curse for us then were we all under a Curse then were we all plunged in misery all were under the guilt of sin and under the wrath of God and what tongue can tell what this is or what heart can think of it and not be compassionately tender over such poor creatures Can your obdured hardened hearts hear the groans of men tormented with the Strangury or Gout or Stone Can you look upon the miseries of an Hospital without yearning bowels or can you look upon the tortures of one wracked and torn upon a wheel or between wild horses without a wish oh that I might deliver them what kind of hearts do you bear toward persecuted murthered and tormented Christians when you see the pictures of them or read the history of them do not your hearts drop into tender compassions toward them Why now look on Christ dying a Curse he is the lively picture of thine and their woful state it is to be seen in his Death read over the story of Christ accursed it is the story of thy most woful state and of the miserable state of them who are now communicating with thee they were with thee sinful guilty dying creatures which ere long must have been groaning sighing howling under the avenging wrath of the Almighty if Christ had not thus died for thee and them Look upon them say as indeed they were behold what was saved of my shipwrack These were tossed in the same vessel dashed on the same rock taken up helpless and lifeless c. with me Oh I never see them but it comes into my thoughts and my heart my heart weeps over our common danger We do so often renew our compassionate affections toward our companions in dangers as the sight of them renews the thoughts of our danger That which in a different case David said When I remember these things I pour out my soul within me The soul redeemed from the Curse will be able to say when I remember these things compassion and tenderness are poured out The remembrance of a common danger Nihil ad misericordiam sic inclinat atque proprii periculi cogitatio August Misericordia est vicina miseriae Seneca de Clem. is a most prevailing enducement to compassion The Philosopher could tell us That this Pity is a neighbour to misery Whence likely it was that the Lord did enjoyn the Israelites to shew a hearty compassion unto afflicted strangers for They know the heart of a stranger for they were strangers in Aegypt We must compassionately and tenderly love wish well and affect those whose hearts we know for so much as we were in like case Now this is one part of our brotherly love or charity here it begins though it doth not end here This tenderness of heart is like the pith or tender pulp which runneth through the whole body of the tree This indeed is the Root on which the delightful Tree grows and from which the beautiful fruits of love do blossome bud increase and ripen And so often you water the root of Love as you do soften and mollify the temper of your heart which is done when soakt in the thoughts of our common danger I shall close this particular with that piercing Question Matth. 18.33 Shouldest thou not have had compassion on thy fellow-servant even as I had pity on thee How shall we answer this Question if the consideration of our common danger do not stir up in us a love of compassion to others what bowels hast thou if they do not now yearn and move towards them We are apt to pity those whose tormenting diseases and sharp pains we have felt and if ever we felt the inward sorrow and trouble of an accursed state we shall pity such who are under it and with tender affection demean our selves towards those who were under it it will renew our sympathy and this will renew our love to them But Secondly In the remembrance of Christ's dying a Curse for us there is the renewing of a most self-abasing and humbling consideration Now the renewal of this will be a very likely means to improve our love which is a humble self abasing grace So that what increaseth our humility will increase our charity Solomon tells us that onely by pride cometh contention and our own experience proveth the proud man neither sit to be chosen for a loving friend nor to be trusted as one that will be constant in his friendship and love such an one will be ever breaking the laws of friendship of which the Apostle discoursing 1 Cor. 13.4 5 6. tells us that it neither vaunteth it self nor is puffed up
Love of Christ and be thankful to him for us Remember the daies of thy fears when thou wouldst have welcomed the news of thy pardon and received it on thy knees with ten thousand praises to thy God Remember the anguish of thy soul when the Arrows of the Almighty stuck fast and the poison thereof drunk up thy spirits what pains wouldst thou have taken then what cost wouldst thou gladly have been at to procure thy soul's peace and ease When thou thoughtest Hell would be thy tormenting prison for ever and thou lookedst on it as the greatest evil because thou shouldst bear thy sins there for ever and never have one smile from God what thankfulness didst thou then think was meet for thee to pay and for Christ to receive Oh let not this be forgotten when thou comest to commemorate the Death of thy Lord say then and think so Here is the blood of my loving gracious Redeemer who was content to be made a Curse for me that I might not slavishly fear my guilt nor be in Hell a So Francis Spira thought spake of his fears and tears before I came to Hell that I might not go mourning under the heavy burthen of my own easeless pains which were worse than death it self those fears terrours and pains which no tongue can describe my blessed Redeemer delivered me from them and duly confirms it to me in minding me that he died and that he died being made a Curse for me I must therefore mind my debt of thankfulness I vowed at least promised and purposed never to forget that more thankfulness was due to Christ then I could ever pay Let my renewed view of this blood so affect me oh my dearest Lord at every Sacrament that it may ever renew my thankfulness until thankfulness be so perfected that I may never more need a Sacrament to put me in mind of this my duty Thirdly The renewed thoughts of Christ dying thus accursed for us will add to our thankfulness In that the heart of a Believer meditating on this may conclude he is judicially acquitted from the charge laid in against him by the Law This charge is sin deserving death to which charge every one must make his plea and bring it to an issue in which process there will be no denying of the charge it is so undeniably true that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God only the believing soul hath a gracious Redeemer who stept in between the passing of the righteous sentence and the execution of it and offered Bail body for body life for life took upon himself the Curse which was all the Law threatned and died thus a Curse for the Believer so that now he may sue for his discharge and plead for his release Nay he hath the discharge and release offered to him as it were sealed signed and delivered to him at the Sacrament whilst God by his Minister doth put the New Covenant into his hand and shews him that blood which was shed for confirmation of the Covenant and for remission of the sins of as many as do believe And that we may know how all this can be how sinners can be acquitted and the Curse threatned can be avoided we are at every Sacrament minded of this that Christ died for us being made a Curse for us that is undertaking and performing what he undertook on our behalf he presented himself to the Justice of God abode the Trial was found in the likeness of sinful flesh humbled himself to the death even the death of the Cross and so suffered all which is exemplified to us in the remembrance of his death considered as the death of one who lay under a Curse for us It is not only entred in the Court Rolls in Heaven but it is entred in the Register-books of the Church by Christ's own order and every believing soul at the Sacrament may see and read it and conclude it for himself and make improvement of it to his comfort Now what heart can look on all this and not look on this duty of thankfulness what soul can receive a pardon under the broad Seal of Heaven and not bow the knee and kiss the Seal When an offender upon indictment and trial is acquitted it is a custom and seemly enough to testifie his thankfulness by praying for the King How much more doth it become us to give thanks at the remembrance of our acquittance absolution and being declared acquitted as we are so often as we duly partake communicate in the blood which was shed for the remission of the sins of many In a word a bare promise of pardon deserveth a grateful acknowledgment but the passing of it under seal doth much more deserve it Had God passed his word onely and required us to believe it and praise him for it we must have done it Now he hath given us greatest assurance he hath proceeded judicially against Christ the common and adequate representative bail and undertaker for us and hath appointed the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper as an Authentick and Publick Record or Testimony hereof we ought the rather to be thankful Renewed thoughts of this will renew our judicious and rational praise if we have either judgments or reason exercised in things that excel Fourthly and lastly A fourth particular which will increase our thankfulness to Christ for our deliverance so often as we remember it at a Sacrament under the notion of a deliverance by his dying a Curse for us is this That it mindeth us we were delivered not simply from sorrow trouble and affliction but we were saved from an accursed sorrow from an accursed trouble we are freed from misery but that is not all we are freed from an accursed misery and this should enhance our thankfulness There is an affliction that hath the promise of Comfort Rev. 21.4 Jer. 31.9 Psal 126.5 6. tears that shall be wiped away sorrow and sighing that shall flee away there is a weeping which God will accompany and lead this is a blessed weeping for such carry forth seed which is precious and they shall teturn rejoycing Matth. 5.4 There are mourners whom Christ hath pronounced blessed so that trouble and sorrow are not such evils when they are considered without the imbittering thoughts of a Curse in them it is the Curse which maketh the Cup so full of astonishment It is the Curse which goeth with the condemned into Hell that maketh it Hell indeed unto them Affliction with the favour of God is a blessed state but affliction with the hatred and displeasure of God is a miserable state and unspeakably sad forlorn and woful Now Christ dying a Curse for us hath saved us from sorrows and the Curse from misery aggravated with the hatred of God toward the miserable so that he deserveth much more thanks from us it had been worth our thanks if we had been by him delivered from a bloody issue or a deformed crookedness
never committed which he never loved which he hated infinitely which was no otherwise his than by imputation could this bring him to such shame What shame and confusion of face will cover and overwhelm me when after my serving my sins both the guilt imputed and the baseness vileness and reproach of the fact committed shall meet in one and be charged upon me Is it not high time to forsake this service which will end in the shame and reproach of a Curse Doth the Sacrament mind me of the Death the accursed Death of Christ the Lord of Glory I see then such a worm such a lump of worthless flesh as I am cannot expect any other event of sin than to lye down in shame for it and if after I do know this I should still love sin and delight in it how brutish and unreasonable should I appear to be how unlike a man I must either renounce my reason or renounce my sin It is no dallying in a matter of this nature I see the just and righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth would not spare his own Son when he found him under my sins but laid upon him the punishment of them the Cross and the shame and I deceive my self if I think he will spare me and not cast the shame of my sin upon me the sinner if I live and die in this service I shall rise with those who rise unto everlasting shame and contempt I will therefore resolve and keep my resolutions of departing from sin because I would not depart from my God with the shame and reproach of a Curse for my sin Thus the renewed thoughts of Christ dying a Curse for us will renew the apprehensions of that shame which attends the sinner and so renew our purposes against sin as the only thing which can clothe us with shame and we shall be as unwilling to live in sin as we are to bear the shame of sin 2. Secondly In the renewed thoughts of our Lord 's dying a Curse there lieth a motive to New Obedience drawn from the congruity and suitableness of the thing it self Nothing more unseemly than to continue in sin after our professing our selves to be his servants friends and followers who died for sin Nothing more justifiable than their leaving of sin whose Lord died for sin especially seeing sin brought upon him an accursed Death What wilt thou answer for thy self in the day when this absurd unreasonable and monstrous deportment of thine shall be laid open before Men and Angels when Christ shall ask thee whether thou hadst not heard and seen that he was made a Curse for thy sins whether thou hadst not often been minded of this at the Sacrament and when he shall farther demand of thee what thou couldest see in sin or hope to find in sin or expect from sin when as thy Lord could see did find and expected to find nothing else but a Curse in it wa st thou so sottish to think of finding any thing in sin better than what thy Lord found in it or wast thou so unthankful that thou wert resolved to offer despite to thy Lord and serve that which brought an accursed Death upon him Whatever sinners now judge I know that a day will come when they shall judge nothing so unreasonable and unseemly as living in continued sin and professing a crucified Jesus It is such a self-contradicting course that none ever would continue it if ever they understood it Nor is he what he professeth to be who professeth our crucified Jesus to be his Lord yet serveth his own cursed lusts Christ doth not own him he will declare to all the world that he knows not that he never knew such workers of iniquity But suppose it possibly might be which yet never shall be that such a one resolvedly continuing in sin should be owned by Christ at last and received into a blessed state of glory what kind of answer could such one make to his Lord when questioned what was it not enough that I was once made a Curse for thee or did I not bear sins enough for thee at first or wouldst thou indeed be crueller to me than Jews and Roman souldiers or hadst thou a design to wound my heart after I was gotten out of the reach of all others after wicked men and Devils had done their worst and I had triumpht over them and none but my friends could wound me wouldst thou be my friend that thou mightest do it more deeply was this thy friendship to me are not they the sorest and cruellest enemies who cover their hearty enmity with pretences of friendship either then be my cordial friend saith Christ and renounce thy sins serve them no more or else come no more pretending to commemorate my friendship to the dying a Curse for thee nor ever let me be provoked with such counterfeit alliance and friendship Christ cannot endure such seeming to be what we are not such contradictions to his Death In truth it is most unseemly to live in the cursed service of sin after we are redeemed from the Curse of sin And therefore the believing and considerate soul casts off the thoughts of continuing in sin with a God forbid 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how shall I live any longer in sin since I am dead to it 3. Thirdly The renewed consideration of Christ dying a Curse for sin doth renew our thoughts of the odiousness and hateful nature of sin which carryeth a Curse into every place and person where it cometh Christ's dying a Curse for us sheweth us how hateful sin is to the eyes of our God Reverâ est odium quo Deus peccatum prosequitur ab eâ perfectione quae Numinis naturam decet Th. Salmur de trib Foed Div. th 18. who doth and cannot but so do loath detest threaten and curse it where-ever he findeth it of which truth the considerate believing soul hath so clear proof in the Curse which Christ did bear for sin that he stands convinced beyond possible doubt of it and cannot but conclude that whoever resolves to continue in sin must also resolve to abide the hatred of God against sin He that will keep and maintain a communion with sin must expect that God will keep and maintain wrath and hatred against him and this the Communicant is at every Sacrament minded of whilst he seeth his Lord evidently set forth crucified before his eyes so that he is put to such a kind of deliberation with himself What! could not Christ take upon him my sin but he must also take upon him the burthen of divine displeasure and hatred due to my sin what is God so irreconcilable an enemy unto sin that he would not or could not restrain his just wrath against the guilt where it lay without the foulness of committing the fact was the displeasure of my God so hot against his blessed Son who was never tainted with any one sin only bare the guilt of many I