personal subsistence in the Godhead his taking our nature the Vnion of the two Natures the Nature of God and the nature of man in that one person of Christ his Passion his Resurrection his Ascension into Heaven his sitting at the right hand of God in our nature all these are wonders Now his love is the root and foundation of all and runs through all whatsoever respects us whatsoever Christ is whatsoever Christ doth with relation to us his love is the root of all and runs through all his love runs through his Incarnation Passion Resurrection Ascension and sitting at the Fathers right hand It was out of love to us he took up our nature subjected himself to the Law dyed in our nature rose again in it carried our nature into Heaven and wears it there and will wear it to all Eternity I say his love is the root of all this My desire is to speak a little of this infinite Love of Christ The Apostle intimates in the Text that it is a great duty incumbent on us to take in as much as possibly we can of this infinite and incomprehensible love of Christ That ye may comprehend with all Saints what are the heights c. Here it may be inquired what is this expression added with all Saints I conceive it is to shew us two things First That Grace in the hearts of the Saints doth naturally put them upon this study It is the natural tendency of the Spirit of Saints as they are Saints to study and take in as much of the love of Christ as is possible That ye may comprehend with all Saints as much as if he should say This is that which all Saints are pressing after and aspiring unto they all desire to know more and more of the love of Christ Secondly This expression is added to shew that it is the great duty of all the Saints to make the Love of Christ their great study That ye may comprehend with all Saints as much as if he should say It is your duty and the duty of all the Saints to study the dimensions of Christs love What will Heaven be but a clear and perfect knowledge of the love of God in Christ Then shall we know and understand perfectly what the purpose of the Father was to communicate himself to the Elect by the Son and so shall we be filled with the fulness of God as the expression is here in this Text and elsewhere it is said God shall be all in all 1 Cor. 15.28 Not that we shall be able in Heaven it self to comprehend and take in the whole of this love for our understanding being finite cannot fully comprehend the infinite love of God but the souls of the Elect shall then be brim-full of it they shall take in as much of this love as they are able to contain Now there is something of this love may be understood and taken in here on earth for the Apostle is speaking of something that may be taken in here on earth when he saith that you may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the height and depth and breadth and length of the love of Christ as much as if he should say This is that knowledge that the Saints ought to be pressing after here on earth all Saints ought to aim and level at this mark The more we know and understand of this love of Christ the more will our hearts be ravished with it and the more shall we be over-powered and swallowed up in the admiration of it for we love him because he first loved us Amor est qui amatur It is love it self that is that which we love it is Gods love to us made known to us in and by his Son that must draw our hearts to love him The great end why God chuseth his people is that they should be holy and unblameable before him in love Eph. 1.4 Now this being the great end of God to bring us to love him the more we come to know and understand his infinite love to us the more will our love be perfected towards him There are two things that lye in the words of the Text. 1. Here is a Supposition The Supposition is that the love of Christ is exceeding great and carries all dimensions in it That ye may comprehend what is the height and the depth and the breadth and length of the love of Christ The Apostle supposeth this that there are heights and depths and breadths and lengths in the love of Christ 2. We have in the Text the Apostles prayer for the Saints upon this supposition and that is that the love of Christ being so great they may know understand and comprehend it more and more There are two Observations or Doctrines that do naturally arise from the words of the Text. Doct. 1 That the Love of Christ is infinite and surpassing great and such a love as carries all manner of dimensions in it there are heights and depths and breadths and lengths in Christs Love Doct. 2 That it ought to be the endeavour of all the Saints to know understand comprehend and take in more and more of this infinite and surpassing love of Christ I shall begin to speak to the first Observation which is That the Love of Christ is infinite and surpassing great Doct. 1 and such a love as carries all manner of dimensions in it there are heights and depths breadths and lengths in the Love of Christ Here there are two things I shall treat of 1. Shew what the Love of Christ is 2. Shew how the greatness infiniteness and surpassingness of this Love may be a little described and set forth to us 1. We must open the Nature of Christs Love in the general To understand this there is a threefold Love we may distinguish of 1. There is a love of Benevolence or good-will 2. There is the love of Beneficence 3. There is the love of Complacency 1. There is the love of Benevolence or good-will and this is nothing else but an intention purpose or decree of doing good to another 2. There is the love of Beneficence and this is that love whereby a man doth not only will good to another but doth actually confer and bestow some good upon him and this is not so properly love as the effect of love 3. There is the love of Complacency and that is when a man takes delight and pleasure in that good which is in another According to this threefold distinction we may a little conceive of the Love of Christ 1. There is the love of Benevolence or good-will in Christ This is such a love whereby a man wills good to another purposes and intends to bestow good upon him This love was in the Lord Jesus Christ Christ had a purpose and intention from Eternity to bestow grace and glory upon his people To understand which we must know that all the works of the Trinity which do respect
seek after reconciliation with God and to labour that we may be made friends with God Christ laid down his life for us not because we were made friends before but to make us friends Since therefore the end of Christs death was to reconcile us to God we should seek after reconciliation with him This is the Apostles Argument 2 Cor. 5.19 20. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed to us the word of reconciliation Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God It is as much as if the Apostle had said God is willing to be reconciled to us and he hath testified his willingness in giving his Son to dye for our sins and making satisfaction to his Justice Now since God hath expressed himself to be so willing to be reconciled to us we ought to be willing to be reconciled to him We pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God Here it may be inquired But what is it for us to be reconciled to God When the Apostle prays us here with so much earnestness in Christs stead to be reconciled to God what is the reconciliation he aimeth at how ought we to be reconciled to God Two or three things I conceive are here intended 1. We ought to seek after reconciliation with God Isa 55.6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found that is seek his face and favour seek reconciliation with him Secure sinners are not aware of the difference that is between God and them although the sinner thinks little of it sin makes a vast breach an hostile difference between God and him God is angry with the wicked every day saith the Psalmist Psal 7.11 And The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men Rom. 1.18 God doth maintain his controversie against thee whilst thou goest on in the ways of sin therefore seek reconciliation with him Agree with thy adversary quickly whilst he is in the way Mat. 5.25 Labour to take up all differences between God and thee 2. To be reconciled to God is to accept of the reconciliation which God tenders humbly to embrace that grace which God offers God is in Christ reconciling the world and hath committed to us the word of reconciliation As much as if he should say God hath put himself into Christ on purpose to exhibit and give forth grace and mercy to sinners and he sends his Ministers and Ambassadors on purpose to make a tender of grace and mercy to him Now then are we reconciled to God when we do humbly embrace this grace and mercy offered to us Rom. 10.10 With the heart man believeth unto righteousness We ought with the full bent of our affections to embrace the grace of God offered to us in the Gospel 3. If we would be reconciled to God we ought to pray for renewing grace that we may lay aside the old enmity that lurks in our hearts against God It is sin that first of all made the quarrel and difference between God and us and how can we expect in reason that ever we should be brought into perfect reconciliation with God so long as that which first bred the quarrel and made the difference between God and us is retained and kept by us Isa 59.2 Your iniquities saith the Prophet have separated between you and your God Sin is that which sets us at a distance from God If therefore we would have the breach made up and the difference reconciled we must pray for that grace from God whereby we may lay aside that which first made the quarrel The Apostle tells us we are enemies in our minds by evil works Col. 1.21 So long as our minds are set upon sin so long as we continue in the love and practice of any thing that God hates Amicorum est idem velle nolle how is it possible we should be friends with God It is the property of friends to will the same thing and nill the same thing If we would be the friends of God we must will what God wills hate what God hates and love what God loves You that love the Lord hate evil Psal 97.10 This therefore is the second Use an Use of Exhortation to exhort us to seek after reconciliation with God In the third and last place Vse 3 Learn from what hath been opened to admire the greatness of Christs love to us who in some sense accounts us friends whereas indeed we are enemies Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends We are all by nature enemies so we have heard and yet in some sense Christ accounts us friends Christ had a purpose of good will to us even when we were enemies towards him It was from his love that God sent his Son to dye for us when we were enemies Herein God commended his love towards us in that whilst we were yet enemies Christ dyed for us Rom. 5.8 So that God had a purpose of good will in his heart towards us when we were full of enmity in our hearts towards him Only that none may abuse this Doctrine take this caution No man can conclude that God hath a purpose of good will to him that remains an enemy to God and persists in his enmity but he hath reason on the contrary to think that he being an enemy to God by nature and continuing still to be so God remains so to him But however this was the love of God to the world in general that when the whole world were enemies and all were found in a state of enmity against God God loved the world so far as to find out and prepare a means of Salvation for the world God loved the world so far as that he gave his only begotten Son to deliver the world from its perishing condition and to bring it eternal life this was the love of God to us and this commends and sets forth the greatness of Gods love to us that when we were enemies to him he had a kindness for us and so great was his kindness to us that he sent his Son to bring us unto life Joh. 4.9 In this was manifested the love of God towards us because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him The end of the second Sermon SERMON III. Joh. 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends THE general Proposition that I have laid down as the foundation of our Discourse from these words hath been this That our Lord Jesus Christ hath laid down his life for his people In speaking to this Doctrine I have propounded to speak to these four Heads 1. To open the import of this Phrase what it is to lay down a mans life
into the Country of Canaan above he dived into the meditation of that Text of Paul The time is short having prepared some heavenly Notions about the shortness of time and the uncertainty of life concluded thus We should not desire to continue longer in this world than to glorifie God and finish our given work and be ready to say Farewel Time welcome blest Eternity even so come Lord Jesus come quickly Thus this Evening-Star set in an Ocean of Joy to arise a Morning-Star in the Eastern Ocean of Glory But before his disappearance the frame of his Spirit being much agitated with sollicitude about the Church of God and particularly in this Land and Nation uttered a Swan-like Song testifying somewhat of a prophetick Spirit If God begin to deliver his Church in an October remember me which how far began to be fulfilled in October 1678. the Saints surviving may give in evidence and I humbly pray it may never end though it may mix with some overshadowings till we see Zions full deliverance past Thus much of that holy Soul I shall now conclude with a Direction and a Prayer A Direction as to the Faith and Holiness of former Saints and Ambassadours of Christ and as to such as survive To such as are gone up to Injoyment I might apply what 's said of Astraea that when ascending to Heaven left a train of light all the way like the Via lactea to illuminate the Followers of Justice in the same illustrious path to Happiness Lee's hear the Apostle Remember them which have the rule over you Heb. 13.7 who have spoken to you the word of God whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation Jesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and for ever As to infirmities for who is without them imitate the Spirit of God in the New Testament who never relates or remembers the infirmities of Saints in the Old They are at rest in the bosom of Christ let them be at rest in your bosom as in a bed of Spices As 't is said of Josiah his name was like precious Oyntment composed by the Art of the Apothecary For such as survive learn of the same Apostle To obey them that have the rule over you Heb. 13.17 and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that 's unprofitable for you We beseech you brethren 1 Thess 5.12 to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and esteem them very highly in love for their works sake and be at peace among your selves Forget not that when Moses and Aaron were gone to Heaven from two distinct Mountains God set apart Joshua and Eleazar in two distinct Vallies to lead their surviving children into the Land of Promise and withal told Joshua Josh 1.5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life as I was with Moses I will be with thee I will not fail thee nor forsake thee Nay what 's doubly remarkable Moses could only lead them through the Wilderness but Joshua must bring them into Canaan The Law can only school us to Christ Heb. 4. but 't is our heavenly Jesus or Joshua that can safely bring us to the Eternal rest and besides its observable we read of no murmurings under Joshua as formerly under Moses Thus God provides for his Church When Elijah was rid into Heaven Elisha must follow in the power and spirit of Elias When one stream is slid and shed into the Ocean another circulates from the same Ocean through the bowels of the earth into the springs under the mountains and refreshes the scorched Plains When one Star sets another rises to guide the wandring traveller and at length the bright Morning-lamp glitters in the East and then the glorious Sun of Righteousness While the Church sits fainting under a Juniper-tree in the Wilderness there shall fly Prophets to feed her till the blessed resurrection of the Witnesses It 's our high duty to study present work and prize present help and greatly rejoyce when the Lord sends forth as once both Boanerges and Barnabas together Pray for the mantle girdle and blessing of Elijah for the love of John and the zeal of Paul to twine hands together to draw Souls to Heaven till the Beloved comes like a Roe or a young Hart upon the mountains of spices till the shadows flee away till the day dawn and the Day-star arise in your hearts My prayer shall end with the same Apostle Heb. 13.20 Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen From Bignal near Bisseter Sept. 13. 1679. SAMVEL LEE EMMANVEL OR THE Love of Christ explicated in his Incarnation being made under the Law and his Satisfaction BOOK I. SERMON I. Ephes 3. vers 17 18 19. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that ye being rooted and grounded in love May be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge THE work of a Christian lyes especially in two things First in the study of himself secondly in the study of Christ The study of a mans self will acquaint him with his own sin and misery and make him see the infinite need that he hath of Christ the study of Christ will cause him to admire the Plot of Divine Wisdom and Grace which hath provided all that in one Christ which is answerable to all that sin and misery that is in us The Mystery of Christ is the greatest Mystery that ever was There are breadths and lengths depths and heights in this Mystery It is Calvins Comment on the Text Continet una Christi dilectio omnes sapientiae numeros Calv. that one love of Christ contains in it all the dimensions and measures of wisdom When the Apostle speaks of breadths lengths depths and heights that which he intends is that in one Christ is the height breadth length and depth of all true wisdom in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Col. 2.3 and in him are ye compleat A Christian needs to study nothing but one Christ there is enough in Christ to take up his study and contemplation all his days and the more we study Christ the more we may study him There will be new wonders still appearing in Christ The Name of Christ is called wonderful Isa 9.6 and indeed well may it be called so every thing in Christ is a wonder most wonderful his eternal Generation from the Father his
the creature are undivided What the Father doth the Son doth and the Spirit doth what the Father purposeth the Son purposeth and the Spirit purposeth It is true Election is in a peculiar manner attributed to the Father Eph. 1.3 4. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ according as he hath chosen us in him Here we see Election is in a peculiar manner attributed to the Father but when Election is attributed to the Father the Son and the Spirit are not to be excluded from electing for Election being an act of Gods will there is but one and the same essential will in Father Son and Spirit what the Father wills the Son must needs will and the Spirit wills also and the reason is As there is but one and the same Essence so but one and the same Will in the three persons Therefore the Father willing to bestow grace and glory upon such a number of men the Son must needs will it too Therefore Christ saith All thine are mine and mine are thine Joh. 17.10 All the Elect are common to the Father and the Son they are both the Father's and Christ's As the Father hath chosen them so the Son hath chosen them and as the Father is glorified in their salvation so is the Son therefore are the Elect said to be Christs own Joh. 13.1 and they are called his sheep and these sheep he knows Joh. 10.14 How doth he know his sheep he knows them from Eternity and loves them from Eternity So that there is the love of Benevolence or good-will in Christ Therefore he saith in Joh. 10.28 I give unto them eternal life It is in the present Tense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I do give unto them eternal life How can Christ be said to give to his sheep eternal life they are not as yet perfectly and compleatly possessed of eternal life The meaning is Christ from Eternity hath decreed to bestow eternal life upon them he gives them the beginnings of it in this world in their Justification and Sanctification and they shall as certainly have the complement and perfection of it in Glorification at last as if they had it already 2. There is the Love of Beneficence in Christ Christ doth not only will good to his people but he bestows good upon his people As he did from Eternity intend to bestow grace and glory upon them so he doth in time actually conser grace and glory upon them This is exprest by the Apostle to the full Rom. 8.30 Whom he did predestinate them he also called whom he called them he also justified whom he justified them he also glorified The creatures love is oftentimes a barren love men may wish well to others they may have a purpose and desire to do good to them but ostentimes they want that power and ability to do the good they would but Christs love is a fruitful love he actually bestows that good upon his people he intends Vocation Justification Sanctification Glorification are all the fruits of this eternal Love of his Christs Love is such a love as brings all manner of spiritual blessings along with it Eph. 1.3 not only Election which is the Decree of God to bestow good things upon us but also Adoption the forgiveness of sin the acceptation of our persons all which the Apostle speaks of in the same place and these things are actually conferred on Believers and they are brought into the possession of them 3. There is the love of Complacency in Christ which is that love whereby he takes delight in the persons and graces of his Saints 1. Christ takes delight in the persons of his Saints Isa 43.2 I have called thee by name thou art mine The Lord tells Moses Thou hast found grace in my sight and I know thee by name Exod. 34.17 What is it for God to know Moses by name It was to take special delight in Moses to know him so as he did not know other men to take that delight in him which he did not in other men Isa 43.4 Since thou hast been precious in my sight thou hast been honourable Zeph. 3.17 The Lord thy God will rejoyce over thee with singing he will rest in his love Isa 62.5 As the bridegroom rejoyceth over his bride so shall thy God rejoyce over thee 2. Christ takes delight in the graces of his people He first bestows grace upon his people and then he delights in his own graces Psal 147.11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him Prov. 8.17 I love them that love me God is Love and he loves the love of his people If any man love me he shall be beloved of me and I will manifest my self to him Joh. 14.21 Thus we have seen what the nature of Christs love is in general We come now to the second particular and that is to speak of the dimensions of Christs love The love of Christ is such a love as hath breadths and lengths heights and depths in it What are these dimensions of Christs love We are now lanching into the vast Ocean the love of Christ is such an Ocean as hath no bounds nor bottom in it We may as soon think to comprehend the Ocean in the hollow of our hands as comprehend his love the Apostle tells us it passeth knowledge and if so then it is in vain for us to think to comprehend it but though we cannot comprehend it yet there is something we may know of it otherwise the Apostle would not have prayed as he doth in the Text that ye may comprehend with all Saints what are the heights c. We may gather in some drops of the Ocean though we may not think to drain the Ocean and all that we can hope for is to make known some drops of the infinite love of Christ And that we may be able a little to conceive of it we shall consider the love of Christ these three ways 1. In the properties of it 2. As it is to be found in both his Natures the love that is in his humane and that is in his Divine nature 3. In the effects of it 1. The love of Christ will appear to be a furpassing love to have all manner of dimensions in it if we consider the properties of Christs Love 1. Christs love is an ancient love Christs love is more ancient and of longer standing than the world Eph. 1.4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world The effects of Christs love are seen in time but the love it self was before all time Gods love to his people is as ancient as his love to himself Gods love to himself is from Eternity and his love to us is from Eternity therefore doth he say I have loved thee with an ever lasting love Jer. 31.3 It is a saying of one of the Ancients Mirus profecto amor hominum unà cum Deo aeternus Cyril Wonderful indeed is the love
of God to man which is together with God eternal that is eternal as God is eternal Where can we place the beginning of this love The Scripture teacheth us expresly that it was before the foundation of the world and therefore consequently before all time and if before all time then it must needs be from Eternity Christ loved us before we had a being yea it was his love that first of all gave us a being and he therefore gave us a being that he might demonstrate and set forth the riches of that grace and love he had in his heart towards us Rom. 9.23 That he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had before prepared unto glory The Lord had prepared glory in his thoughts and purpose for the vessels of mercy from Eternity and he therefore gave them being that he might bestow that glory on them which he had prepared for them from Eternity Christs delights were with the sons of men from Eternity Prov. 8.31 Christs delight from Eternity was to think what he should do for us before ever we had a being even then when he was the object of the Fathers delight as it is in the verse immediately preceding I was daily his delight Even then when the eternal Son who lay in the bosom of the eternal Father was the Fathers delight yet if we may so speak he had another delight that took him up and that was to think what he should do for us It is the property of love not to be pleased in its own happiness only but have desires of the happiness of the person whom it loves Christ was infinitely happy in the Fathers bosom in being his delight but he loved us and therefore was not satisfied with his own happiness but pleased himself with the thoughts of making us happy 2. Christs love is a free love The freeness of Christs love appears in three respects 1. Christs love is free because it was not necessary Christ was not drawn from any necessity of nature to love us as if he could not chuse but love us he might have chosen whether he would have loved us God indeed loves himself necessarily he loves himself and cannot but love himself but God loves the creature freely and arbitrarily he might have chosen whether he would have set his love upon it yea or no Rom. 9.15 I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy Gods will is the reason of his own love to the creature God was under no constraint to shew mercy but he therefore shews mercy because mercy pleases him he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy Gods goodness and perfections were sufficient for himself and if he had needed any thing the creature could have given him nothing for the creature had nothing to give him but what God had first given to it and therefore Gods love was most free God was not necessitated to have made the creature or to have given it a being much less was he necessitated to have given it such a supernatural good as grace and glory was God might have made man and never ordained him to the glory of Heaven he was not necessitated to make man at all to give him so much as a natural being much less was he necessitated to give the happiness and glory of Heaven to him 2. Christs love is free for as much as there is no advantage or profit that comes to him by loving us Rom. 11.35 Who hath first given to him and it shall be given to him again God did not stand in need of any thing out of himself he had alsufficiency and perfection in himself within the compass of his own essence if we may so speak whatsoever is in the creature is first in God after an eminent manner before it is in the creature There is nothing in the effect but is first in the cause therefore the Ancients have this observation All created things are more perfectly in God than they are in themselves even as silver is more perfect in gold than in it self That virtue whereby the creatures were produced was first in God as the cause before it was drawn forth in the creature as the effect and therefore it is well observed by Austin God had a purpose from Eternity to make the creatures but he therefore made them in time that he might shew he did not stand in need of the creatures but had been perfect and happy without them from Eternity 3. Christs love is free for as much as it was without respect of merit in us Rom. 9.11 13. The children being yet unborn neither having done good or evil it was said Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated 2 Tim. 1.9 Who hath saved us and called us not according to our works c. Rom. 8.28 All things work together for good to them who love God to them who are the called according to his purpose It is true the Elect do love God yea but they are first called first loved of God It was not our love to God was the cause of Gods love to us but Gods love to us is the cause of our love to him God first elects and then calls us and then we love him God decrees to give to the Elect both faith and obedience Tit. 1.1.1 Pet. 1.2 therefore his love cannot possibly be grounded upon the foresight of our faith and obedience but is every way most free Sweet are the expressions which Bernard hath Amat Deus nec aliunde hoc habet sed ipse est unde amat ideò vehementiùs quia non amerem tam habet quà m hoc ipse est Bern. God saith he loves neither hath he his love from any thing out of himself but himself is the cause of his own love and therefore his love is most strong because he is not so properly said to have love as himself is love 1. It is a special peculiar love There is a common general love which God bears to all creatures but there is a special peculiar love which God bears to his people God loveth all his creatures with a general love but it is some only he loves with a special and peculiar love God Omnes quidem diligit sed non ad aequale honum Tolet as one observes loves all his creatures indeed but he doth not love them so as to will the same good or to bestow the same equal good upon them all God is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works He feeds the ravens cloaths the lilies gives life breath being to all creatures but then there is a special love which he bears to his people First he gives himself to them Heb. 8.10 This is the covenant I will make with them I will be their God Secondly he gives them his Son Having given us his Son Rom. 8.32 Joh. 3.16 Thirdly he gives Heaven Salvation and eternal life unto them Luk. 12.32 1
Thess 5.9 These are the things that God bestows upon his people so then it is a special love in this respect God bestows common blessings upon others he bestows many temporal blessings upon all men but his special favours are reserved for the Elect therefore he is said to be the Saviour of all men especially of those that believe 1 Tim. 4.10 God preserves and saves all men by a common Providence but he is in a special peculiar manner the Saviour of Believers therefore he is called the Saviour of the body Eph. 5.23 Compare these Scriptures together in one place he is said to be the Saviour of all men and in another place he is said to be the Saviour of his body the Church Christ is the Saviour of all men in some respect but not so as he is the Saviour of his body the Church he saves all men with a common salvation but he doth not save all men with a spiritual eternal salvation it is the Church only he so saves 2. The love of Christ is a discriminating love because it is such a love as is bestowed upon some persons which is not bestowed upon others Whom he foreknew them he did predestinate Rom. 8.29 How did he foreknow them he foreknew them so as to love them He knows all his creatures from Eternity but he doth not so foreknow all as to love all alike but he foreknows some after a special manner he so foreknows some as he doth not foreknow others he so foreknows some from Eternity as to love them from Eternity he so foreknows some as to pass by others hence it is said he loved his own which were in the world Joh. 13.1 he hath chosen them out of the world Joh. 15.19 and he prays for them not for the world Joh. 17.9 Here we may cry out with the Apostle O the depths There was no reason on the part of the Elect why they should be chosen and not others Mal. 1.2 Was not Esau Jacobs brother saith the Lord yet I loved Jacob. As much as if it had been said What preheminence had Jacob more than Esau when I made my Election Was not Esau Jacobs brother Did not Esau and Jacob stand upon equal ground and might I not have taken one as well as another Nay Esau was the elder brother yet saith God Jacob have I loved There is no dignity or worth in the Elect why they should be chosen more than others the Elect themselves were involved in the same common condition of sin and misery with others but God who is rich in mercy for the great love wherewith he hath loved us Eph. 2.4 hath bestowed that love on some which he hath denied to others The reason of this love is not from any thing on the Elects part but from Gods own Soveraign will he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy Those who are chosen are not better and more worthy than others but God out of his own love will make them to be vessels of mercy when as he will pass by others 1. Vse 1 A word to Sinners O labour from what hath been spoken to be sensible of your mifery while you lye out of Christ and continue in your sins you can challenge no part in this rich and glorious love Rom. 8.29 whom he predestinated them he also called therefore till you be called you have no evidence of your Election of God Think then of thy sad condition poor sinner poor unconverted soul O there is all this rich and glorious love in the heart of Christ but for any thing that yet appears thou art never like to have share in it why thou art yet uncalled and lyest wallowing in thy sins The first dawnings of Christs love appear and break forth in vocation Eph. 5.26 Christ loved the Church that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word Christs love to the Church is seen in sanctifying the Church and cleansing it by the Word and Spirit O but thou wast never sanctified and cleansed by the Word and Spirit to this day Thou art a poor creature wallowing in thy blood thou continuest in thy ignorance unbelief prophaneness hardness to this day Whoever thou art whilst thou continuest such thou hast no evidence as yet of thy election of God that thou hast any share or part in this glorious love of Christ O pray that thou mayst feel the sanctifying and cleansing work of Christs Spirit that the Word may have a work on thy soul for conversion Christ loves the Church and sanctifies and cleanses it with the washing of water by the word The Word is the ordinary means by which the Elect are sartctified and therefore Christ prays Sanctifie them by thy truth thy word is truth Joh. 17.17 If thou wouldst have some evidence of Christs love pray that the Word of God may have some effect upon thee to bring thee from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God To the People of God Vse 2. Is there such a rich and glorious love in the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ Oh then labour to admire and adore this glorious love labour to get your hearts affected with this love stand and wonder at it that the Lord Jesus should have such love for you such ancient free peculiar love for you that you should be made the objects of this ancient free peculiar love of his when so many are passed by Meditate much on this love think of it night and day never cease thinking of Christs love till you have thought your selves into love to him It is an excellent speech of Bernard When the love of Christ doth so swallow up our affections that we even forget our selves and can think of nothing else but Jesus Christ and the things of Jesus Christ then is love perfected in us The love of Christ is a great abyss that we should be swallowed up in and lose our selves in the contemplation of it and the more spirituality we grow unto the more shall we contemplate this love and the more we contemplate the love of Christ the more shall we find our selves drawn out in love to him The end of the first Sermon SERMON II. Eph. 3. vers 17 18 19. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that ye being rooted and grounded in love May be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge WE have already heard three Properties of Christs love viz. that it is ancient free peculiar The fourth Property of Christs love is that it is an intense and a strong love He is said to have the greatest and strongest love to another that intends most good to another and is willing to be at the greatest cost and charges to procure that good for him If a father intend to settle such an inheritance upon his child and will lay out
all the money he hath to purchase that inheritance it is a sign he loves that child well So is it in this case the things that God intends to bestow upon his people are the greatest things and he hath been at the greatest cost and charges to bring them to this inheritance 1. God bestows upon his people the greatest things and therein he shews how strong his love is to them What things are they no less than himself his own glory and blessedness all the riches of Heaven Heirs of God coheirs with Christ Rom. 8.17 Heirs of God what is that We shall inherit God himself for our portion we shall enjoy all that he is all that God hath so far as we are capable or according to the measure and capavity of creatures 2. As the things are great in themselves which God bestows upon his people so God hath been at great charge and expences to bring us to this inheritance He hath given us his Son his Spirit his Promises his Providences his Ordinances to bring us to this inheritance All things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose Rom. 8.28 Observe the last expression the called according to his purpose Those whom God hath a purpose to save those whom he hath laid out his eternal love upon all things are ordered to bring them to that happiness he hath purposed to bestow upon them God lays the train of all his providences so as to bring his Elect to that happiness he hath chosen them to 3. The love of Christ is constant unchangeable and everlasting The unchangeableness of Gods love ariseth from the unchangeableness of his nature Mal. 3.6 I am the Lord I change not therefore the sons of Jacob are not consumed As much as if God should have said My nature is unchangeable and that is the reason my love and mercy towards you is never changed The manifestation of Gods love may be changed towards us we may not apprehend the same effects of love at one time as at another therefore doth the Church complain Lam. 5. ult Thou hast utterly rejected us thou art very wroth against us but yet the root and fountain of Gods love is still the same Whom the Lord loves he rebukes and chastens Rev. 3.20 Gods correction of his people proceeds from his love Not but that God is truly displeased with the sins of his people when his people give way to such particular sins he disapproves of such particular acts of theirs and disapproves of them in relation to those acts therefore when David committed that sin in taking Vriah's wife the Text saith expresly but the thing which David did displeased the Lord 2 Sam. 11. ult It is contrary to the nature of God who is Holiness it self to approve of the sins of his people or of them with relation to such sinful acts nay God may be so far angry for particular miscarriages in his people as to take up the rod and correct them yet in this very case Gods original love remains The Scripture is very clear to this purpose Psal 89.30 31. If his children forsake my law c. then will I visit their transgression with the rood c nevertheless my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from him Here we see Gods paternal displeasure or his fatherly corrections may consist with his love yea in some sense Gods corrections are the Fruit of his love 1 Cor. 11.32 We are chastened of the Lord that we may not be condemned with the world he therefore chastens that he may not condemn Gods love to his people is a fixed unalterable thing Gods love is founded in his eternal purpose now there is no changing of Gods purpose It is a great expression that of the Apostle Rom. 9.11 That the purpose of God according to election might stand The purpose of God in election stands firm and this is matter of singular and unspeakable comfort to the Saints of God If thou canst once see a line of electing love drawn forth upon thee thou mayst conclude the purpose of God remains unalterable concerning thee Now it is possible a Saint may know his election 1 Thess 1.4 Knowing beloved your election of God A Saint may know his Election by his Vocation 2 Pet. 1.10 Give diligence to make your calling and election sure Now if thou canst find out thy election thou mayst conclude the purpose of God stands unalterable to thee Christs love is from Eternity and his love never ends Having loved his own he loved them to the end Joh. 13.1 2. Having spoken of the Properties of Christs love I come to speak of the love that is to be found in both his Natures in the Divine and in the humane nature The Love of Christ is a great love if we consider the love that is to be found in each of his Natures the Divine and humane nature Eph. 5.25 it is said Christ hath loved the Church and given himself for it Christ as God hath loved the Church from Eternity therefore is it said I have loved thee with an everlasting love Jer. 31.3 Now to this ancient and first love of his there was a new love added and that was the love of Christ as Man this love which is founded in his humane nature had a beginning even as the humanity it self had a beginning but yet it is such a love as never shall have an end Christ therefore loves his Church with a twofold love with a Divine and a humane love each of which is the most sincere the greatest the most perfect the most constant and abiding love I shall speak 1. Of the love that is in his humane nature because that will help us to conceive the better of the love that is in his Divine nature the love that is in the humane nature is the product or effect of the love that is in his Divine nature and if the love of his humane nature be so great the love of his Divine nature must needs be far greater as we shall hear The love which is in his humane nature is exceeding great To understand which we must consider as there are two natures in Christ the Divine and humane nature so there are two wills the Divine and humane will and as there are two wills in Christ so we must necessarily suppose a twofold operation of those wills and so by consequence a twofold love in Christ for love is nothing but the efflux of the will some motion in the will whereby some good is willed to another now the love that is in Christs humane nature is exceeding great It is true that which the School men call Habitual grace which is in the soul of Christ is not simply infinite and the reason that they give is this The humane soul of Christ being but a creature and not infinite the habits of grace which do inhere in his humane soul as the subject they
which is in the Divine nature is the fountain and spring of all the love that is in the humane nature and it was meet we should contemplate a little the love that was in Christs humane nature that by this consideration we might rise up to contemplate the love of the Divine nature which is the fountain and head-spring Now to help us a little to conceive of the love which is in the Divine nature of Christ I shall propound you three considerations to illustrate it 1. All the love of the Father resides and is to be found in the Divine nature of the Son The Scripture when it speaks of the love of God doth all along commend and set forth the love of God the Father Behold what manner of love the Father hath shewed us 1 Joh. 3.1 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God c. 2 Cor. 16.14 The love of God that is the love of the Father for when Christ and God are set in distinction by God we are to understand the first person of the Trinity the Father So Joh. 3.16 God so loved the world that is God the Father Still we see the Scripture describes the Father to us as the fountain of love As the Father is the Fountain of the Deity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so he is the fountain of love Now then if all the love of the Father resides and is to be found in the Son then certainly the Divine nature of the Son must needs be full of love but so it is the whole intire love of the Father is to be found in the Divine nature of the Son and the reason is because there is but one and the same Divine nature in the Father and in the Son Non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Father and the Son are not of alike Essence but they are of the same Essence and because of the sameness of the Essence in the Father and in the Son there is the same love in the Father and in the Son Love is an essential property belonging to the Essence of God there being the same Essence both in the Father and the Son there must needs be the same love in both The Father communicates all he is and hath to the Son in the eternal Generation Joh. 16.15 All that the Father hath is mine therefore the Son receiving all from the Father in the eternal Generation the whole intire love of the Father is communicated to him and resides in him Therefore he is called the express image of his person the brightness of his glory Heb. 1.3 The whole nature of the Father is to be seen and is made conspicuous in the person of the Son Therefore if we conclude that there is the highest and most immense love in the Father we must necessarily conclude there is the same love in the Son who is the express image of his person Hence is that expression of our Saviour Joh. 14.21 If any man love me he shall be loved of my Father and I will love him Observe it my Father will love him and I will love him We may not conceive there is a twofold love one of the Father and another of the Son but both Father and Son do love with the same love There is but one and the same Divine love in the Father and the Son It is true if we understand it as some do of the love that is in Christs humane nature then we may suppose a twofold love and so there is a Learned man that gives this sense My Father will love him and I will love him i. e. I will love him not as God only for so the Father and the Son love with one love but I will love him as man also Quomodo Pater sine Filio aut Filius sine Patre diligeret quomodo cùm inseparabiliter operentur separabiliter diligant Aug. But I incline rather to understand it as Austin of the Divine Love there is but one and the same Divine love in the Father and the Son It is Austins Exposition upon the Text How is it possible the Father should love without the Son or the Son without the Father How is it possible when the Father and the Son work inseparably their love should be divided and separated The Son having all the Fathers love in him and the Scripture describing the Father to be the fountain of all love the Divine nature of the Son must needs be full of love We come now to make a little Use of what hath been opened Vse We have heard a little of the sweetness of Christs love not only in the properties of it but as this love is to be found in both his natures Behold here matter for new wonder Well may we cry out with the Apostle O the heights and depths and breadths and lengths of the love of Christ Here is love the most glorious love in both the natures of the Lord Jesus in his humane and in his Divine nature 1. Great was his love in his humane nature his humane nature was filled with that love that no creature was filled with great are the affections that are seated in his humane heart never so much sweetness kindness tenderness compassionateness to be found in any heart as his Never any thing so sweet so lovely so amiable in the whole Creation of God as the Humanity of Jesus Christ Thou art fairer than the sons of men Psal 45.2 The humane soul of Christ was composed and made up all of love and sweetness yea the humane nature was the receptacle as it were into which the Divinity poured forth all its love In him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily Col. 2.9 It is not a particle or some small portion of the Divinity but the fulness of the Godhead and if all the fulness of the Godhead then all the fulness of Divine love dwells in the humane nature assumed Not that the love of the Humanity is formally and essentially the same with the Divine love or that the love which immediately flows from his humane will and affections is simply infinite as the Divine love is although it is a far greater love than ever was found in the heart of any creature but thus we may conceive of it The Humanity is as it were the seat of the Divine person in this humane nature that person who is love it self dwells Gods nature is love now in the humane nature assumed that very person who is love it self dwells and takes up his abode how sweet how full of love must the heart of Christ be that hath love it self dwelling and inhabiting in it 2. Here is the love of the Divine nature and how great that love is no heart can conceive no tongue can express A few words from hence to Sinners and to the Saints of God O that poor Sinners would be perswaded to look after a share in this love
Vse 1 Never will you find any love to match this love you may go from creature to creature but never find any love like the love of Christ Look upon the love of Christ-man it is the sweetest love that ever was never any created love like to his but then look to his Divine love and where will you find a parallel What are a few drops to the Ocean All the love that is scattered among the creatures is but as a drop the Godhead that is the Sea and Ocean of love Here are you drawn by a double cord of love by the love of his humanity and his Divinity When Christ would win upon souls how doth he do it He sets his love before them I love them that love me Prov. 8.17 If any man love me he shall be loved of my Father and I will love him Joh. 14.21 Love is the thing which is most naturally loved who can withstand the power of love Can you hear of all this love in the heart of this amiable person the Lord Jesus and not find it in your hearts to love him Never will you find so much love and sweetness any where else as in the Lord Jesus The things that have been set before you are the greatest realities and not meer notions of words or love We hear much of love in this world men speak much of love but the love that is spoken of in the world is for the most part nothing but words and air there is little reality in it but the love of Christ is the most real solid substantial love Here is the love of God himself the love of the Divinity here is love lodged in a part of your own nature lodged in that nature which is akin to you here is the love of your own flesh and blood should not the consideration of this sweet matchless love of Christ joyned with the consideration of your extreme misery and necessity make up the most powerful argument to draw souls to Christ Here you have the sweetest and most glorious love in the world to invite you on the one hand and on the other you have the necessity of your own misery Vnless you believe that I am he you shall dye in your sins Joh. 8.24 He that believes not on the Son the wrath of God abideth on him Joh. 3. ult As many as are under the law are under the â—erse Gal. 3.10 If you despise and reject this Lord Jesus do you know where to find another Saviour If ever you be saved Divine Justice must be satisfied an angry God must be pacified your debts must be discharged otherwise your â—â—ns will be all charged upon you another day If you neglect such a Saviour whose love is most sweet and your need of him so great your condemnation will be most just If any man love not the Lord Jesus let him be anathema maranatha You that are the Saints of God Vse 2 learn from hence to study and contemplate the love of Christ more and more Ye complain your hearts are cold and frozen ye cannot get them inflamed with love to Christ warm your cold and frozen hearts by the fire of Christs love Love is the Load-stone of love Consider well the love that â—s in both his natures consider the sweetness of his humane nature consider the sweet kind compassionate sympathizing heart of Christ as man consider that love is lodged in the heart of one that is your elder Brother that it is seatâ—d in that nature that is near akin to you and â—s in all things made like to you sin only exceptâ—d and then consider the fulness and perfection â—f his Divinity consider well the infinite treaâ—ures of love and kindness that are lodged in his Divine nature let us ponder and consider these things surely our hearts are hard frozen indeed if they will not melt under these considerations The end of the second Sermon SERMON III. Eph. 3. vers 17 18 19. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that ye being rooted and grounded in love May be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge WE are yet under the consideration of the Love that is in Christs Divine Nature we have mentioned one consideration about it the second follows 2. The second Consideration about the love that is in Christs Divine nature To help us to conceive of the love that is in the Divine nature of Christ consider That love is most natural to God We have heard in the first consideration That the Divine nature of the Father is in the Son As the Father hath the whole nature of God in him so the Son hath the whole nature of God in him therefore doth John say of the Son This is the true God 1 Joh. 5.20 The Father and the Son are but one and the same true God Now love is most natural to God love is his very Essence hence it is said God is love 1 Joh. 4.7 I do not remember in all the Scripture that God is called anger wrath or hatred It is true anger wrath hatred are attributed to God but I do not remember that it is formally or categorically expressed thus that God is wrath anger hatred but God is love his very nature and essence is love In some sense we may say Had it not been for sin there had been no such thing as hatred in God Not that we do or can suppose that there are or can be any new immanent acts in God for then it could not be said that God was without variableness or shadow of change Jam. 1.17 God always was what now he is God was from Eternity that which now he is all the change is from the creatures part there is no change in God what God is once he is for ever there is no manner of change in him But thus we ought to conceive of it That property in God whereby he is inclined to hate sin which is natural and essential to him as the Psalmist tells us Thou lovest righteousness and hatest iniquity had never had an object to work upon had not sin entred into the world But now God had himself and his own goodness to love had there been no such thing as sin for him to hate therefore love is most natural to God it is most natural to God to love yea it were a wonder he should not love Austin observes it is as natural for God to love as it is for him to be and live God is an intellectual Being and being so he must needs know understand and love himself and God being a pure Act he cannot sometimes love and sometimes not love but as he knows himself always so he loves himself always It is true Gods love to the creature is not necessary as it is to himself God loves himself necessarily but he loves the creatures freely and arbitrarily but
memorable speech of one of the Ancients which may clear the matter in hand By that nature which is seen Per naturam quae cernitur adoretur quae non cernitur Divinitas the Divinity which cannot be seen may be worshipped We worship God in and by the humane nature of Jesus Christ but this cannot be said of any of the Saints we cannot worship God in and by any of the Saints as we do in and by the humane nature of Jesus Christ 3. Consider Christ-man hath Dominion and Soveraignty over all creatures as hath been shewed at large This cannot be said of Angels or men that they have this Soveraignty over all creatures So that we see Christ hath the preheminence in all things as the Apostles expression is Col. 1.18 These things are necessary to establish our judgments when many have been so injurious to the honour of the Lord Jesus as to level his person and dignity with the persons of the Saints Learn to admire the great Love of God in Christ Vse 2 We have heard how our nature is advanced in the Head of the Church now what God hath done for Christ he hath in some measure done for us therefore is it said Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ Eph. 1.3 And in another place He hath made us to sit together in heavenly places with him Christs advancement in some sort is our advancement his exaltation is our exaltation God hath honoured our nature in advancing Christ-man so high the Divine nature in Christ needed nothing it was capable of receiving nothing as he was the Eternal Son so he was coequal and coessential with the Father all the glory that comes to him in time is cast upon the humane nature Now that God should advance our nature so much as he hath done in our Head this should affect our hearts greatly What is man that thou art mindful of him or the son of man that thou shouldst magnifie him Psal 8.4 That the Divinity should shew it self in and by a part of our nature that a part of our nature should stand and continue in personal union with the second person in Trinity that a part of our nature should be advanced above Angels set in authority above all creatures this should astonish us Chrysostome saith he was swallowed up by this consideration It is a great thing saith he a thing full of wonder and amazement that our flesh should sit at the right hand of God and be adored by Angels and Archangels When I think of this says he I find my self put into an ecstasie Learn from what hath been opened Vse 3 where to seek for God how we ought to come to God Would we know where to seek for God and where we may expect to find him We must seek for God in and by the humanity of Jesus Christ the humanity of Jesus Christ is the Temple of the Divinity here therefore it is we must seek for God and here may we hope to find him It is an expression that Luther hath Deus nec vult nec pocest inventri nisi in hac humanitate per hanc humanitatem Luther God neither will nor can be found but by the humanity of Jesus Christ which says he God hath lifted up as a Standard that by it he may gather to himself all his children out of the world Christ himself hath told us He is the way to the Father Joh. 14 6. How is he the way to the Father The Son incarnate the Son become man is the way to the Father Joh. 1.18 No man hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father he hath revealed him How doth the Son reveal him In and by the humane nature assumed He that hath seen me hath seen the Father Joh. 14.9 How is it that he that hath seen Christ hath seen the Father The meaning is the Divinity lay hid in that humanity of his and the Divinity was to be seen and apprehended by that humanity of his This is notably set forth by the Apostle Heb. 10.19 20. Having boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us thorough the veil that is to say his flesh It is an observation which Calvin hath upon this Text The flesh of Christ is not be despised because it is as a veil that doth cover the Majesty of God and yet directs us the way to injoy all that is in God Look as the veil in the Temple did cover all those things that lay hid and secret in the Sanctuary Nec quisquam Deum inveniet nisi cui via ostium erit Christus homo Calv. and yet withal was the way that opened unto all so the Divinity that lay hid in the flesh of Jesus Christ brings us to Heaven No man shall ever find God unto whom Christ-man is not the way and the door This is that our Saviour means when he says Ye believe in God believe also in me Joh. 14.1 The naked absolute Divinity is at too great a distance from us and we know not where to find God in his naked simple Essence therefore our Saviour directs us to look to God manifest in his flesh By the Son incarnate there is a fair way opened for us to the Father Vse 4 This may inform us whence the Church hath had all its preservations and what may be a ground to our faith that the Church shall still be preserved in all Ages Eph. 1.22 And hath put all things under his feet That is he hath put all things under Christs feet God the Father hath subjected all things to Christ-man the Head of the Church the government is upon his shoulders Now saith the Apostle No man ever hated his own flesh c. Eph 5.29 The Church is near akin to Christ flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone no wonder therefore that Christ takes care of the Church which is so nearly related to himself The Church is as it were a part of Christ the head and members make up Christ mystical so also is Christ 1 Cor. 12.12 The Apostle speaks there of Believers As the body is one and hath many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body so also is Christ All Believers together with Christ their Head make up Christ mystical Christ may be considered personally and he may be considered mystically Christ personally considered is that person who was born of the Virgin dyed on the Cross rose again the third day ascended up into Heaven and sits on the right hand of God Christ mystical is Christ and all Believers the head and members in conjunction The Church is said to be the Body of Christ the fulness of him who filleth all in all Eph. 1.22 Now then the Church
and help us True indeed God is love in himself his name is the Lord gracious merciful long-suffering pardoning iniquity transgression and sin but God being at such a distance from us and also a God of such infinite Purity and Majesty we are apt to doubt whether God will take any notice of such vile and sinful worms as we are therefore in a way of condescension God is come down into our nature that so faith may have the greater incouragement that since God dwells in the nature of man he will not shut up his own bowels against them who are his own brethren and kindred Christ is akin to us nearly allied to us in respect of his humanity one in nature with us in respect of his humanity as he is nearly allied to his Father and one in nature with him in respect of his Divinity Heb. 2.11 The Apostle here speaks of Christ and his Members He that sanctifies and they that are sanctified are of one that is they are one and the same nature of one and the same common nature We may well suppose that part of our nature which Christ wears will put him in mind to be kind to us if he were not otherwise inclined unto us There is a common Law of humanity which commands some compassion in all men even in those who are most degenerate by sin the Law of common humanity will force some bowels from the worst of men to them that are in great distress How powerful then is this Law where the force of it is not abated by any allay from sin but where this Law is heightned and elevated by the greatest measures of grace and the presence of the Divinity inhabiting in the humanity Thus it is in Christ Christ hath the greatest perfection of grace in him and the presence of the Divinity inhabiting in his humanity Hence it is our Saviour comforts the hearts of his Disciples upon this account Joh. 14.1 Ye believe in God believe also in me It is as much as if he should say You take this for granted this is a confessed Principle among you you ought to believe in God now you believe in God believe also in me Our Saviours meaning is this Look upon God come down into a part of your nature behold God in my humanity Ye believe in God believe also in me Faith in Christ is no prejudice to faith in God the Father at the same time we believe in Christ we believe in God the Father for the Divine Essence is one and the same in all the three persons at the same time we believe in the Son we believe in the Father Now our Saviour to incourage us to believe would have us to behold God in the glass of his humanity You believe in God believe also in me As much as if he should say I that am now speaking to you am God and man in one person you cannot think that I your Lord and Master who have been conversing with you so long and of whose tenderness and compassion you have had so much experience should want any bowels or tenderness in me to do you good now I am God as well as man if you think I am inclined to pity you as I amman I want no power to help and relieve you as I am God 15. The love of Christ in his Incarnation is seen in this In that by means of his Incarnation there is a foundation laid for the work of his Mediatorship in general and also for executing those three great Offices of Prophet Priest and King in particular My design is not at present to treat of Christs Mediatorship at large nor to speak largely of his Offices but only to shew how Christs Incarnation or his taking of our nature lays the foundation for his undertaking the work of Mediatorship in general and also of executing those three great Offices in particular of a Prophet Priest and King and also to shew how his love is demonstrated to us in this 1 Christs undertaking the Office of Mediatorship is the great demonstration of his love to us for Christ as Mediator brings us back to God we were at variance with God now we being at a distance from God and at enmity with him by reason of sin there was need of a Mediator to reconcile the difference and bring God and us together Now here was the great demonstration of the love of Christ that the Son of God would undertake the Office of Mediator and that he might do so he was willing to take up our nature in his Incarnation that he might perform the Office of Mediator in it Hence is that expression of the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.5 There is one Mediator between God and man the man Jesus Christ The Apostles intention in using this expression the Man Christ Jesus is not to exclude the Divine nature from the person of the Mediator for it is here observed by Calvin when the Apostle calls him Man he doth not hereby deny him to be God for this is a sure Rule in Divinity The person of the Mediator accomplisheth the work of Redemption according to both natures so that the work of Redemption is the work of the person working in both natures that which is proper to each nature Hence is it that a Judicious Divine observes By a wonderful temperament it is so ordered that the Hypostatical union of the two natures is made in the person of Christ Vt esset mediatrix humana Divinitas Divina humanitas August that he who is our Mediator should be Man-God and God-man therefore we ought thus to conceive of it Christ took up our nature that he might perform the Office of Mediator in it and this is expressed by the Apostle Heb. 10.5 When he cometh into the world he saith Sacrifices and burnt-offerings thou wouldst not but a body hast thou prepared me When he comes into the world Christ came into the world by his Incarnation by his Assumption and taking up of our nature and wherefore did he come into the world It was to perform the Office of a Mediator to reconcile us to God to offer up the great Sacrifice for sin Other Sacrifices would not serve the turn and therefore the Son of God would offer the great and true Sacrifice namely the Sacrifice of himself and by this means reconcile us to God Now what must Christ do that he may perform the Office of Mediator and reconcile us to God He must take a true humane body Sacrifices and burnt-offerings thou wouldst not but a body hast thou prepared me The Son of God must assume mans nature if he will be a Mediator between God and man It is the office of a Mediator to conjoyn and unite those between whom he is a Mediator The extremes are united in some middle and he that is Mediator had need to have some interest in both parties to be reconciled Christ therefore being to reconcile us to God and to unite
ready to lay down my life for you this is the minor Proposition that is necessarily implied for otherwise the Argument of our Saviour here in the Text would have no force in it The scope of our Saviour in the Text is to perswade his Disciples to love one another upon the account of his love to them and he lays down this as the main Proposition That it is the highest love for any man to lay down his life for his friend Now unless the Assumption be supposed That Christ hath laid down his life for us the Argument would fall to the ground and come to nothing therefore this is supposed and this is the minor Proposition necessarily to be understood That Christ hath laid down his life for his friends Greater love than this hath no man that he lay down his life for his friends But this is my love to you I have thus laid down my life for you I am just now about to do it and therefore 't is as certain as if it were already done this must necessarily be supposed 2. The second Assertion is That Christs laying down his life for his friends is the highest demonstration of love Greater love than this hath no man that he lay down his life for his friends Our Saviour speaks here after the manner of men he speaks of that which is the highest love among men The highest love among men is when one man is ready to lay down his life for another Now saith our Saviour I am ready to lay down my life for you it is the work I am now going about I am now going to lay down my life for you and therefore my love to you is the highest and greatest love From these two Assertions there are these two Propositions that do naturally arise The first is Doct. 1 That our Lord Jesus Christ hath laid down his life for his people The second is Doct. 2 That the love of Christ in laying down his life for us was the highest demonstration of love Greater love than this hath no man that he lay down his life for his friends To begin with the first of these The first Proposition then is this Doct. 1 That our Lord Jesus Christ hath laid down his life for his people This my Beloved is a point of great weight and moment and there are many things of great weight and moment that will necessarily fall in in speaking to it In the Explication of this Point I shall proceed in this Method 1. I shall shew what the import of this Phrase is what it is for a man to lay down his life for another 2. I shall shew how it was that Christ laid down his life for us 3. I shall shew how it is said that Christ laid down his life for his friends whenas elsewhere it is said that Christ dyed for us whilst we were enemies 4. I shall take occasion from this Text to speak something concerning the Doctrine of Christs Satisfaction I have already treated of the Love of Christ 1 In his Incarnation 2 Of the Love of Christ in his being made under the Law for us And when I first undertook to speak to those Heads there were two more I had in my thoughts to speak to the one was to speak of the Love of Christ in his Satisfaction and the other was to speak of the Love of Christ in his Intercession and now I shall take occasion from this Text to treat of that Argument viz. of the Love of Christ in his Satisfaction Greater love than this hath no man that he lay down his life for his friends It is one main demonstration of Christs love to us That he hath laid down his life for us But first I shall begin to open this Phrase what the import of this Phrase is what it is to lay down a mans life for another and then I shall shew how it was that Christ laid down his life for us 1. What is the import of this Phrase what doth it signifie for a man to lay down his life for another Greater love than this hath no man that he lay down his life If we would go about to translate it exactly according to the letter we might render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut quispiam animam suam ponat sive deponat That a man lay down his soul for his friends It is an Hebrew Phrase the Soul is put for the life which is the effect of the Souls presence or being in the body It is the presence of the Soul that causeth life take away the Soul and life ceaseth and therefore it is that the Soul is put for life so that to lay down a mans soul which is the Phrase here used it is to lay down a mans life for another The import of this Phrase is no more than we in our ordinary way of speaking are wont to express thus it is for a man to be willing and ready to dye for another Thus Peter saith Joh. 13.37 I will lay down my life for thy sake It is the same Phrase as in the Text I will lay down my life for thy sake that is I am ready to dye for thee So 1 Joh. 3.16 We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren that is we ought to be ready to dye for them if the case so requires So that Christs laying down his life for us is no more than his voluntary undergoing of death for us his giving up himself to dye for us But here we must inquire a little before we go any farther what was that life which our Saviour was willing to lay down for us Greater love than this hath no man that he lay down his life for his friends I answer It was his corporal life the life of his humanity or his life as he was man for as for the life of his Divinity that was not possible for him to lay down As he was God so he lives always and could not dye as he was God he was above the power of death It is true that person who was God assumed our nature and according to that nature he dyed he laid down the life of his Humanity but still he retained the life of his Divinity This our Saviour himself explains and it is a great Text Joh. 10.17 18. Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life that I may take it again No man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self and then it follows I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again Christ had power to lay down his life this he had not had if he had been a meer man no meer man hath power to lay down his own life every mans life that is but a meer man is under the power of God it is at Gods dispose and not at his own and no man may dispose of his own life till God who gave him his life give him
lies all our comfort Homo qui debuit homo qui solvit Propter nostram justificationem sic dictum est per Christum nam nos peccatores in ipso infernales poenas quae justè merebamur exolvimus That Christ hath born what we should have born he hath suffered what we should have suffered It was man that owed the debt and man that paid the debt It is a memorable passage of a Learned man For our Justification it was that Christ was so dealt with for we sinners have suffered and undergone in Christ those very pains of Hell which we deserved 2. The Doctrine of Christs Satisfaction confutes the Papists who bring in other satisfactions besides that of Christ The Papists tell us That a man by some good act as they call it an act of charity or love to God may satisfie for sin also they tell us That we may make satisfaction by external works as by Fasting Prayers and Almsgiving and the like also some of them have affirmed That one man may make satisfaction to Divine Justice for another But all these assertions are impious and most derogatory to the honour of our Saviours Satisfaction For if it had been possible for us to have satisfied Divine Justice our selves what need our Saviour have suffered and undergone such things as we have heard Besides the Scripture teaches us That by one offering Christ hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 That one Sacrifice of his was sufficient to make satisfaction for sin therefore if Christs Satisfaction were sufficient whatever is done by us must needs be superfluous upon that account If that one offering of Christ were enough there is no need of other satisfactions of mens invention and bringing in Heb. 9.26 Christ hath appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He hath appeared to the abrogating of sin to the disannulling of sin so the word properly signifies Christ by his Sacrifice hath taken away the condemning power of sin wholly so that the power which sin had before to condemn us is perfectly abrogated and cancelled Therefore there is no need of humane satisfactions or if there were need of some satisfaction to be made by us what should we be able to bring to satisfie God Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or ten thousands of rivers of oyl shall we give the fruit of our body for the sin of our soul as the Prophet expresseth it Mic. 6.7 If we should attempt any of these things none of these would be able to satisfie God what then will become of all the Popish Satisfactions They tell us indeed That an act of love to God especially if it be intense and strong may satisfie for sin but how can that satisfie for a crime committed which is in it self due and a just debt Love to God yea the highest degree of love is a just debt that we owe to God The first and great Commandment of the Law is That we should love the Lord our God with all our heart with all our soul with all our strength with all our might Therefore it is not possible that by any good act as they call it we should satisfie God for any sin committed by us and the reason is because that good act was a thing due that which is a just debt in it self cannot satisfie for a former debt Besides there is no proportion between the act of a finite creature to make satisfaction and an infinite Majesty that is offended And whereas they suppose that some external works as Fasting Alms Penances and the like may pacifie God and make satisfaction for sin this proceeds from gross ignorance of the Nature of God and of the nature of sin For if God be infinitely holy and do infinitely hate sin and if God be infinitely just that he cannot but punish sin and that in the highest manner and if the demerit and desert of sin be such as that it deserves no less than the wrath of God and the torments of Hell it is very ridiculous to imagine that the Justice of God should be satisfied with such pitiful things as men may impose upon themselves And that one man who is but a meer man should be able to satisfie for another this is much more absurd For if a man be not able to satisfie for himself how is it possible that he should satisfie for another Si alio peccante alium poenitet non est ista prudens sed insana poenitentia August And we may well apply that speech of Austin If when one man sins another man thinks to repent and to make satisfaction for it that is not a prudent but a mad and frantick repentance And yet Bellarmine and other of the Papists tell us That one man may compensate and bear the punishment for another But we may oppose to them another speech of Austin Christus suscipiendo poenam non suscipiendo culpan culpam delevit poenam Aug. Christ by taking upon him the punishment of our sins and not taking upon him sin it self hath blotted and taken away both sin and punishment If Christ hath fully born the punishment that was due to our sins nothing need to be done by us by way of satisfaction for that is but a diminution to what our Lord Jesus Christ himself hath suffered and done for us The second Use is by way of Exhortation Vse 2 Let us be exhorted to make use of Christs Satisfaction and to have recourse to it upon all occasions in our approaches unto God this is in effect the use which the Author to the Hebrews makes of the Doctrine of Christs Priesthood Christs Satisfaction belongs to his Priestly Office and is a principal part of it Christs Satisfaction is that act of his Priestly Office whereby he offers himself as a Sacrifice to God to make atonement for our sins Now we ought by faith to have continual recourse to this great and eternal Sacrifice of the Son of God This is the Use which the Apostle teaches us to make of the great Doctrine of Christs Priesthood Heb. 10.19 20 c. Having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the veil that is to say his flesh and having an High Priest over the house of God let us draw near with a pure heart in full assurance of faith Having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus it is the Blood of Christ that lays the foundation for out access to God and our acceptance with him This expression By the blood of Jesus is a Synecdoche a part being put for the whole the blood of Christ signifies his whole sufferings that Sacrifice of his and the work of his Satisfaction upon the Cross by that great and most perfect Sacrifice of his it is he offering
that believes on me as crucified he that looks upon me as lifted up on the Cross to make satisfaction for the sins of men he it is that shall not perish but have eternal life Therefore it is that Paul said He determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified 1 Cor. 2.3 Paul knew that the foundation of our happiness lay in Christs crucifixion and sufferings and in the satisfaction that was made to God by them therefore this was the fundamental Doctrine that he insisted upon and in another place where he tells what the substance of the Gospel is he says That God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing to them their trespasses but imputing to them the righteousness of his Son 2 Cor. 5.19 20 c. So that the substance of the Gospel consists in this That God offers reconciliation unto men by the death sufferings and satisfaction of his Son If therefore the death of Christ and his satisfaction be the only foundation of our peace with God and the alone means of our reconciliation with him it concerns us to make much of Christs satisfaction and to apply our selves by faith unto it 2. Christs sufferings and satisfaction are the food and nourishment of our souls Christs sufferings and satisfaction are the means to continue us in the love and favour of God as well as to bring us into the love and favour of God at first This is notably set forth by our Saviour in that mysterious Sermon of his in the sixth of John which many of his Hearers were not able to bear because it was so spiritual In that Sermon our Saviour calls himself the bread of life and he tells us The bread which he will give is his flesh which he will give for the life of the world vers 51. This Text doth plainly point out to us the work of Christs Satisfaction Christ gives his flesh for the life of the world that is to say he gives himself to suffer that in a part of our flesh which he assumed which we ought to have suffered and in this respect it is that he saith He gives his flesh for the life of the world this is a plain intimation of his satisfaction Now what is it that our Saviour saith of this work of his satisfaction vers 55. My flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed It is as much as if he had said My sufferings and my satisfaction are the true food and nourishment of souls Here it is that souls must repair for spiritual food and nourishment When-ever guilt lies upon the conscience when the load and burden of sin oppresseth the soul there is no remedy but by flying to the flesh of Christ who was crucified and to his blood which was shed to make atonement for sin My flesh is meat indeed Look as natural life is maintained by the constant use of our food and taking of it in omit the use of food but for a few days and the body is starved natural life ceaseth so the life of our souls is maintained by a daily living upon Christ crucified by living upon his sufferings and satisfaction and the reason is plainly this The life of the soul consists in the favour of God In thy favour there is life saith the Psalmist and thy loving-kindness is better than life Without the favour of God there is no life there can be no life to the soul for God to frown upon the soul to manifest himself as an enemy this is the death of the soul Now it is a constant recourse to the sufferings and satisfaction of Christ that is the only means to keep us in the favour of God for it is sin that separates between God and us Now the sufferings and satisfaction of Christ are the means to take away the guilt of sin The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 Therefore as we would have the life of our souls maintained which consists in the favour of God and in the sense of his love we must have a constant recourse to the Satisfaction of Christ for we cannot expect one smile from God out of Christ This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Sin doth in its own nature tend to alienate the heart of God from us Now it is the respect that God hath to the Satisfaction of his Son Christ having born that displeasure that punishment which we deserved that is the only means to turn away Gods displeasure from us Therefore is it said We have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins 2 Joh. 1.1 It is as much as if the Apostle had said Sin doth in its own nature incline God to anger and displeasure towards us but God respects the satisfaction of his Son he respects what Christ hath done and suffered and so he turns away his anger and becomes propitious kind and savourable upon the account of what Christ hath done and suffered for us therefore it becomes us to keep the satisfaction of Christ much in our eye because this is the means of preserving us in the favour of God as well as of bringing us into it at first Hence are we said to be preserved in Christ Jesus Jude 1. The merit of Christs obedience and sufferings is a means to preserve us in the love of God We might soon fall from the love of God did not Christ preserve us and continue us in his love by the merit of his satisfaction Hence also are we said to be saved by his life Rom. 5.10 If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Saved by his life that is continued in the love and favour of God brought to the perfection of salvation The Apostle supposeth that we are brought into the love and favour of God when he tells us We were reconciled when we were enemies therefore this expression of being saved implies our being kept and continued in the favour of God and our being brought to the consummation and perfection of salvation We are saved by his life that is Christs living to make Intercession for us and pleading by his Intercession the virtue and merit of his sufferings this is the means to keep us in the favour of God till we be brought to salvation therefore we ought to have a constant recourse to the death sufferings and satisfaction of Christ because it is the means of continuing us in the love and favour of God all along as it was to bring us into the favour of God at first Hence is that expression in Jude 21. Keep your selves in the love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life It is that grace and mercy which is given to us in Christ through his merit and satisfaction that carries us along
of the wrath of God And the wine press was trodden without the city and blood came out of the wine-press even unto the horses bridles by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs It is observable these two Angels which come out with their sickles to reap down the world with great Judgments come not until after the Promulgation of the Gospel which was made to the world by the three Angels which we read of in the beginning of this Chapter When God had sent the Gospel to the world and offered reformation to it and the world did not obey the Gospel nor embrace the reformation offered to it then God sent these two Angels to reap down the world with his Judgments Cluverus in Apocalyp It is the opinion of a Learned man that this Prophecy concerns the times of Reformation when light had been offered to the world and the world grew wicked after light and reformation was offered to it Now that which is observable in the second Angels Commission is That he should thrust in his sickle and gather the cluster of the vine of the earth And the Angel thrust in his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth Now this expression of the Vine when it is taken mystically doth usually in Scripture signifie the Church of God Jer. 2.21 I have planted thee a choice vine And so in that passage of the Psalmist Behold and visit this thy vine The Church is compared to a Vine frequently in Scripture Now the Angel is commanded to gather the vine of the earth so that the Judgment here Spoken of is such a Judgment as did concern the Church at least the people that do profess themselves to be the Church The Reformed Churches which were planted at the first as a choice Vine with purity of Doctrine and more integrity of manners being degenerated from their first purity and bringing forth wild grapes of corrupt Doctrine and evil manners God sends his Angel with his sickle to cut down the cluster of this Vine And that which doth confirm this interpretation is this That the wine press is to be trodden without the City the City in the Revelations is Babylon the Mother of Harlots and abomination of the earth Now the wine-press was trodden without the City and blood came out of the wine-press even to the horses bridles So that the Judgment here spoken of doth not reach Babylon Rome which is mystical Babylon God hath his time when he will visit her he hath reserved a more fore Judgment for her but the Judgment that is here spoken of is a Judgment that reaches the Protestant Churches they are the Vine of the Earth the true Church by profession but not living up to their profession God punisheth them for their sinful and profane lives and the Judgment which God executes upon these is no small Judgment We read here of blood coming out to the horses bridles Which notes the copiousness and abundance of bloodshed which shall be at the time of the pouring out of this Judgment The Lord grant that we may not see this Scripture more and more verified I have been apt to think that the destruction which the Sword hath already made hath been in part a fulfilling of this Scripture and O that we could say that the force of this Prophecy and the strength of that Judgment which flows from it were already spent and exhausted but may not we yet fear that this Prophecy may bring forth more wrath and judgment upon us than yet we have seen If any thing prevent the farther effusion of blood which we read of here in this Scripture and that great wrath here threatened it must be humble hearty affectionate crys to Heaven faith in the blood of Christ with the through reformation of our lives for otherwise there seems to be great wrath determined against us therefore let us make this use of it to cry heartily to God let us endeavour to stand between the living and the dead to divert if it be possible that wrath which yet hangs over our heads The end of the fifteenth Sermon SERMON XVI Joh. 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends THere have been two Observations that have been propounded out of this Verse The first was Doct. 1 That our Lord Jesus Christ hath laid down his life for his people The second was Doct. 2 That the love of Christ in laying down his life for us was the highest expression or demonstration of his love Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends Under the former Point I have had occasion to open the nature of Christs sufferings and to unfold as I was able the great Doctrine of Christs Satisfaction that which I am now to do in this latter Point is to shew the greatness of the love of Christ in his suffering and in the work of his Satisfaction for here lies the stress of the Text to shew that the love of Christ was eminently displayed in the work of his Satisfaction Greater love than this saith our Saviour hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends Christs laying down his life for us was the most eminent expression of his love to us The Scripture when it speaks of the love of Christ it speaks of the heights and depths lengths and breadths of the love of Christ Now there are five things especially wherein these heights and depths and lengths and breadths of Christs love are eminently to be seen and they are 1. His Incarnation 2. His subjection to the Law 3. The work of his Satisfaction 4. The work of his Intercession 5. His Headship Now having already spoken of the Love of Christ in his Incarnation and also of the Love of Christ in his being made under the Law I come to shew how the love of Christ doth manifest it self and is to be seen in the work of his Satisfaction It is very observable that the Scripture when it speaks of the love of Christ lays the stress here it sets before us the love of Christ in his sufferings making the sufferings of Christ to be the great instance of Christs love to us Eph. 5.2 Walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour So at the 25. verse of that Chapter Even as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it Christ giving himself for the Church that is giving himself to suffer for it this was the great instance of his love Gal. 2.20 Who hath loved me and given himself for me Rev. 1.5 To him that hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood 2 Cor. 5.12 The love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge that if one dyed for all then were all dead 1 Joh. 4.16 Hereby perceive we
yet thus we ought to conceive of it God being love love being his very nature and essence God loves the creatures freely indeed but yet he loves according to the condecency or becomingness of his own goodness What so proper to Love as to love God is love Bonum est sui ipsius diffusivum and therefore he loveth us The more good any thing is the more diffusive it is of it self God is good by nature and essence there is no one good but God Mat. 19.17 Creatures are good by participation but they are not originally essentially good but the Essence of God is goodness therefore God being goodness it self it is most agreeable to his nature to impart and communicate good to the creature 3. The third Consideration The love that is in the Godhead or Divine nature in Christ is the cause of all the love that is to be found in his humane nature The humane nature indeed is the glass in which the perfections of the Divine nature do shine forth but the Godhead is the source and spring of all Gods love is most visible to us in the effects of it that God should be incarnate and become man that the Law should be fulfilled for us that the pains and torments of Hell should be suffered and undergone for us that our nature should be carried into Heaven and filled with glory there these are the effects of Divine love and these effects of love are made visible and conspicuous in the humane nature but the Divine nature is the principal Efficient in all these For mark it it is the Divine nature in the person of the Son which sanctifies the humanity and assumes it into unity of person that carries forth the humanity as to all actions and sufferings so that if these be demonstrations of the highest love for God to dwell in our nature to see the Law fulfilled for us to see the torments and pains of Hell undergone for us to see Divine Justice satisfied for us we ought to behold and contemplate the love of the Divine nature as the first root of these things for it is the Divine nature that is the principal efficient cause of all God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son c. 1 Joh. 3.16 There was the love of the humanity which did concur in Christs laying down his life for us That the world may know that I love the Father and as the Father gave me commandment even so I do Joh. 14.31 Christ as man loved the Father and having received a commandment from the Father he laid down his life for the sheep He was willing even as man out of love to the Father and to the sheep to lay down his life but notwithstanding this the love that was in his Divine nature was the principal therefore doth John say Hereby we perceive the love of God that he laid down his life for us 1 Joh. 3.16 Therefore we ought not to terminate our thoughts or to stick meerly in the consideration of the actions and sufferings of Christ-man but we ought to contemplate the love of the Divine nature in all these things for it was the Godhead was the primary and principal cause Habuit rationem causae minùs principalis ministrae and the humane nature is to be considered as the less principal cause and as the servant to the Divinity So that whatsoever is sweet or amiable in Christ as man consider all his actions and sufferings in the humane nature and whatsoever may make him amiable in that respect we ought to look to the Divine nature as the principal cause and to the humanity as acted by the Divinity the humanity is the Organ of the Divinity in all these things Thus have we passed over the second Consideration there are heights and lengths and depths and breadths in the love of Christ if we consider the love of Christ distinctly as it is to be found in both his natures in his Divine and humane nature 3. I proceed in the third place to speak something of the effects of Christs love As the love of Christ hath heights depths lengths and breadths and all manner of dimensions in it if we consider it in the properties of it and as it is to be found in both his natures so it hath the same dimensions in it if we consider the effects of his love The effects of Christs love are most admirable 1. The first effect of Christs love is his Incarnation O that God would give us an heart to listen to the great Mysteries of God that are contained herein as the weight of these things requires that the Word should be made flesh that God should assume a part of humane nature and become true man here are heights breadths lengths Opus mirabile opus singulare inter omnia super omnia opera sua and depths of love indeed Bernard calls the Incarnation of Christ a wonderful work a singular work among all the rest of Gods works yea above all the rest of his other works The work of Incarnation is the greatest of all the works of God it is a greater work than the creation of Heaven and Earth for God to make all creatures out of nothing this is a work suitable to the Majesty of God but for God to come into the nature of his own creature after he hath made it this is more wonderful Quid potentius quà m conjungere Creatorem creaturam Creator ac Dominus omnium unus voluit esse mortalium qui manens in forma Dei fecit hominem idem in formaservi factus est homo Leo. Non miror miracula mundi miror Deum in utero Virginis What greater Argument of power than to joyn the Creator and the creature in one Phil. 2.7 8. Made in the likeness of men and found in fashion as a man They are melting expressions to any one that weighs them and considers what the meaning of them is For the God of Heaven to be made in the likeness of men and to be found in fashion as a man this will overcome and swallow him up that understands a little what the meaning of that is Heb. 4.15 This work of Christs Incarnation is a stupendious work the greatest work that ever was done the greatest that ever shall be done The glorification of all the Saints in Heaven is not so much as this for the Godhead to dwell personally in our nature This was that made Cyprian to say I do not wonder at the other miracles that are in the world I wonder at this that God should be in the womb of a Virgin that God who is incorporeal should cover himself with the covering of our flesh that he who is invisible should after a sort make himself visible that he who is the immortal God should become a mortal man that he who is infinite and uncircumscribed should take to himself a finite nature these
is apparent in those words of Thomas My Lord and my God Joh. 20.28 First he saith My Lord Dominum propter humanam Deum propter Divinam dicit naturam then my God He calls him Lord in respect of his humane nature God in respect of the Divine nature Now Thomas saith first My Lord then my God it is one and the same person that is Thomas his Lord and his God but faith could more easily apprehend Christ in his humane nature than it could in the Divine nature and therefore Thomas his faith begins there my Lord and from thence climbs up and ascends to the Divinity my God Hence is that expression 1 Pet. 1.21 By him we believe in God 2. As by means of the Incarnation God hath brought himself down to us and rendred himself more facile and easie to be apprehended and conceived of by us so by means of the Incarnation God hath rendred himself more sweet for us to approach unto him We may now approach to God as dwelling in our nature and God dwelling in our nature must needs be sweet kind benign propitious to them that draw nigh to him Hence is that expression 2 Cor. 5.19 God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself God having brought himself down to us in Christ is full of grace and compassion to poor sinners It is an expression I have met with in Luther Christ is nothing else but meer and infinite mercy giving it self Christus nihil aliud est quà m mera infinita misericordia donans donata Luther and being given to poor sinners This is a true description of Christ When Divine love and grace would put forth it self and manifest it self to the uttermost then it manifests it self in the gift of Christ Hence Christ is called the gift of God Joh. 4.10 If thou knewest the gift of God The Mystery of Christ the Incarnation of the Son of God is the greatest instance and demonstration of Divine love that ever was Hence God is called Love upon this account 1 Joh. 4.8 God is love why so The next words tell us In this was the love of God manifested because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him As much as if it had been said Here was the great demonstration of Divine love that God sent his Son God in Christ is God manifesting himself all love all grace all kindness and compassion to poor Sinners Hence is that expression Tit. 3.4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour had appeared to mankind The words are emphatical first we have here the kindness of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Criticks in the Greek Tongue tell us this word properly signifies the study of doing good to another that is kindness when a man studies to the uttermost how he may do good to another God to speak after the manner of men studied how he might recommend his love to man 1 Joh. 4.10 Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins Here is the kindness of God the study that was in God to express his good will to the sons of men And then there is another word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Philanthropy of God God took an affection to our race to our kind as it were God took that affection to our nature as he did not to Angelical nature if we may so speak Heb. 2.16 Verily he took not on him the nature of Angels as much as if he should say He did not take such an affection to Angelical nature so as to cloath himself with a part of their nature but it was his affection to our nature that he would cloath himself with it Now God taking such affection to us to come into our nature and cloath himself with it he must needs be most sweet most benign and kind for man to approach unto for as much as God himself now dwells in the nature of man It is a notable Scripture to illustrate this Heb. 12.18 19 20 21 22 23 24. There are two things which the Apostle here designs to set forth 1. The greatness and excellency of Gospel-grace above the Legal Dispensation and that he doth in the 22 and 23 verses 2. The sweetness of Gospel-grace Tandem subjicit Jesum Mediatorem quoniam is solus est per quem nobis placatur Pater qui serenum atque amabilem ejus vultum nobis reddit Calv. this is described to us at the 24. verse And to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant Calvin observes Last of all the Apostle speaks of Christ the Mediator because it is by him only that the Father is pacified and it is he that renders the countenance of the Father sweet and amiable to us by Jesus the Mediator is the Father become sweet propitious and benign to poor sinners 3. By means of the Incarnation God doth actually give and communicate himself to his people The flesh of Christ as Luthers expression is is the covering as it were of the Divine Majesty Involucrum Divinae Majestatis God by means of this flesh of his Son communicates and gives himself to his people the humanity of Christ is the Medium by which God exhibits offers and gives himself to be injoyed by his people Acts 20.28 God hath redeemed the Church with his own blood Though it was the flesh only that was capable of suffering and dying yet God was he who was in that flesh and it was he that did all in that flesh So in that other place God is in Christ reconciling the world Faith ought to apprehend God in Christ as giving himself to the soul and as doing all for the soul though we ought to contemplate Christ-man yet faith ought not to rest or terminate it self in Christs humanity but faith ought to apprehend God in Christ as giving himself to the soul and doing all for the soul He hath loved me and given himself for me saith Paul Gal. 2.20 And that passage of the Church in that triumphant Song of hers is most remarkable to illustrate this point Isa 12.2 Behold God is my salvation c. This Prophecy hath a manifest relation to the days of the Messias and it speaks clearly of Christ and his Kingdom Now what shall be the thanksgiving Song of the people of God in the days of the Messias This shall be the Song Behold God is my salvation c. The faith of the Saints looks to God in Christ they see God in Christ doing all for them and giving himself to them Though God hath sent his Son to take up the humanity and is pleased to make use of that Medium yet they see it is God himself that is the Author of their salvation and that it is God who doth all for them by his Son 2 Cor. 5.18 All things are of God who hath reconciled
great difference between these two Propositions to say That the humane nature in Christ is a creature and to say that Christ is a creature for Christ is the name of the person that subsists in both natures Therefore though it be true Christus est nomen personae in duabus subsistentis naturis that one of the natures in Christ is a creature yet the person is Divine and no creature and therefore the Apostle saith Rom. 9.5 that Christ though he came of the fathers concerning the flesh yet he is over all God blessed for ever Although Christ as to the flesh and in respect of his humanity came of the Fathers and we say truly and properly his humanity is a creature yet his person is Divine and Christ is still God blessed for ever 2. We must know that the humane nature of Christ never in any moment of time subsisted of it self or by it self but always had its subsistence in the Divine person and the reason is this If we should suppose the humane nature at any time subsist in it self out of the Divine person that would necessarily infer there were two persons in Christ which is most contrary to the Doctrine of the Scriptures Therefore although we do suppose the humane nature simply in it self considered to be a creature and in a state of subjection yet considering that the humanity was always personally united to the Divinity and the humane nature never subsisted out of the Divine person we must conclude that Christ was no otherways in a state of subjection than what he brought himself into by his voluntary condescension Therefore the Apostle tells us He emptied himself and took upon him the form of a servant and became obedient As it was part of his condescension he would take upon him the form of a servant so this was another part of it he would become obedient for our sakes 3. We must consider it was a voluntary act in Christ to assume our nature Christ took our nature indeed but he was not bound to it it was his own free and voluntary act that he did assume it 4. We must also consider that Christ did not lose the Digniey of his person by his assumption of our nature He was the Son of God before his Incarnation and so he was after he was God before he took mans nature and so remained still It is true Christ in the state of his Humiliation was content to have the Glory of his Divinity hid and obscured for a time and this is that the Apostle calls his emptying himself But yet Christ did not neither could he divest himself of his Divinity neither did he lose the essential Dignity of his person He was the Son of God and God after as well as before his Incarnation 5. Christ might if he had pleased without running such a course of obedience here on earth have glorified the humane nature when first he assumed it For this is granted by Divines That Christ by virtue of the personal Union had a natural right unto Glory The Son of God incarnate and become man continues to be the Son of God yea the natural Son of God And hence is it the School-men do truly say That Christ-man is the natural Son of God Therefore the Apostle tells us That Christ is more excellent than the Angels because he hath obtained a more excellent name by inheritance than they Heb. 1.4 And what name is this to be the Son of God Consider vers 5. To which of the Angels said he at any time Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee Now the Apostle tells us Christ had this name by inheritance that is he was naturally the Son of God and therefore naturally an Heir to all the Father was possessed of Now as he was the Son of God before his Incarnation so he did not cease to be the Son of God by his Incarnation Therefore Christ had a natural right to Glory and might if he had pleased have glorified the humane nature when he assumed it Now then as the result of all that hath been said follows That Christ would become and put himself into a state of subjection and obedience this was for our sakes and it was his voluntary condescension so to do Nay the Apostle tells us expresly in the Text He was made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law So that it was for our sakes Christ put himself into this state of subjection and it was his voluntary condescension so to do We may not suppose Christ was necessitated to be in this state of subjection True indeed it is said of Christ as man and Mediator That the Father is greater than he Joh. 14.28 and Christ as man is under God as his Head 1 Cor. 11.3 The head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man and the head of Christ is God But then we must still remember 1. It was at Christs liberty whether he would have become man yea or no. He was not bound to take our nature till he did freely of his own accord ingage to do so 2. Remember inequality of Office makes no inequality of Person or Essence although Christ as Man and Mediator be inferiour to the Father in a state of subjection to the Father yet that makes him not to be inferiour to him as to his Person or Essence Consider Christ as the second Person in Trinity he accounts it no robbery to be equal with God that is with the Father Consider him as God so he and the Father are one Now that he who was equal with God and so above all Authority should take upon him the Office of Mediator and put himself into a state of subjection this was marvellous condescension O stand and admire this love How great was his love that would come to serve and obey who was Lord of all and had all obedience of right due to him from all creatures 2. The greatness of Christs love in being made under the Law appears in this That although Christ was free from the Law yet by his own voluntary condescension he made himself subject to the Law as much as any of us This the Apostle sets forth Heb. 2.11 12 13. For both he that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren Saying I will declare thy Name unto my brethren in the midst of the Church will I sing praise unto thee And again I will put my trust in him and again Behold I and the children which God hath given me Christ doth here put himself into the rank of his brethren and he performs the same duties in common with them To praise God in the Congregation to trust in God to obey God all these are moral duties now Christ having assumed our nature performs these duties in common with the rest of his brethren 3. The third Proposition is
doubting Christians who are concerned about their Salvation other men are concerned about their temporal interests in this world but the great concernment of serious Souls is to secure their Salvation Now these considerations may be of great use unto such The end of the first Sermon SERMON II. Joh. 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends IN the former Discourse I dispatched the two first Particulars 1. I opened the import of the Phrase what this Phrase did import for a man to lay down his life for his friend 2. I shewed you how it was that Christ laid down his life for us It remains now that I proceed to speak something to the third thing and that is this How is it said that Christ laid down his life for his friends whereas elsewhere it is said that we were enemies when Christ dyed for us Rom. 5.10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Here it is said that we were enemies when Christ dyed for us and yet in the Text it is said that Christ did lay down his life for his friends How are these two to be reconciled I shall lay down several Particulars for the clearing of this which also are necessary to be laid down for the understanding of the Text it self 1. It is certain that by Nature we are all enemies unto God and Christ when he dyed for us when he laid down his life for us found us in a state of enmity Although some of the Elect who then lived when Christ suffered were already reconciled to God yet consider them and us all by nature we are enemies unto God and Christ dyed for us when we were enemies so in the Text before If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Rom. 5.10 Also it appeareth from another Text Col. 1.21 You that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your minds by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death Sin is a plain rebellion against God sin is a fighting against him a perfect opposition to the will of God so opposite is the sinner to Gods will and so much bent upon his own will that he is angry with God and hates God because Gods will crosses his will Now when we were sinners and enemies when we stood in this direct opposition and desiance to God even then Christ dyed for us Rom. 5.8 God commended his love to us that whilst we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us Those who are called Sinners in this verse are called Enemies in the 10. verse If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Every sinner is an enemy to God Christ therefore dyed for us when we were enemies that is the first thing 2. The second Particular to clear the Point in hand is this Though we were truly and properly enemies unto God yet in some sense God accounted us and looked upon us as friends how so not as being friends to him but as he being a friend to us not that we had any love or affection for God but that God had good will and kindness for us It is a great Text to clear this 1 Joh. 4.10 Herein is love not that we loved God but that God loved us and gave his Son to be the propitiation for our sins Hence is it that one of the Ancients hath this expression Etsi nondum quidem amantibus sed tamen jam amatis Christ saith he dyed for his friends although not for such friends as did already love him yet for such friends as were in some sort beloved by him For it was out of his love that he dyed for us 3. The third Particular to clear it is this Christs Death was the means to make us friends and to reconcile us to God Col. 1.22 You hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death It is a Speech of one of the Ancients Christus non aliter pro amicis mortuus est nisi pro acquirendis scil ut amicos faceret ex inimicis Christ did no otherwise dye for his friends than that he might make them friends that is that he might make them friends who were enemies before and Christs death was influential to make us the friends of God or to reconcile us to him these two ways 2. Christ by his death hath abolished and taken away the enmity that was between God and us Hence is it said expresly that Christ hath slain the enmity by his Cross Eph. 2.16 That he might reconcile both in one body by the Cross having slain the enmity thereby That he might reconcile both that is that he might reconcile both Jews and Gentiles in one body by the Cross that is by the Sacrifice of himself upon the Cross Having slain the enmity thereby that is having taken away the enemity that was between God and us by the Sacrifice of himself upon the Cross God was infinitely offended with us by reason of sin now Christ offering himself as a Sacrifice upon the Cross for our sins hereupon God is pacified and appeased the enmity that God had against us is now slain and taken quite away God hath now no more against us There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8.1 Now the enmity that was between God and us being slain and removed there is a foundation laid for friendship between God and us whilst two persons remain unreconciled they cannot cordially love one another whilst the difference remains there are heats and animosities heart burnings one against another but when the difference is taken up then there is a foundation laid for love and friendship So in this case so long as we apprehend that God hath a controversie with us that he is angry with us for our sins that he is ready to condemn us for them this drives us farther from God we cannot love him whilst we are under such apprehensions but when we know that God is reconciled by the death of Christ that his Justice is satisfied that he will not condemn us for our sins this lays the foundation for friendship then are we ingaged to draw near to God and to give up our selves in ways of obedience to him Now Christ by his death hath satisfied Gods Justice and thereby slain the enmity that was between God and us and so laid the foundation of friendship between God and us 2. Christ by his death hath purchased the spirit of regeneration which doth renovate and change our hearts and take away the natural enmity that is in them against God and inclines our hearts unto God Tit. 3.5 According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour The Holy Ghost is shed on us through Jesus
of the Ancients I think it is Ambrose's observation Therefore saith he it was said to Adam In dying thou shalt dye or as it is rendred Thou shalt dye the death and not simply Thou shalt dye because the death here spoken of concerns both soul and body Now then as Adam and we in him became subject to a double death one of the body the other of the soul So our Saviour being pleased to be our Surety subjected himself to a double death for our sakes to a natural death and to a supernatural death 1. To a natural death the separation of his humane soul from his body 2. To a supernatural and spiritual death the separation of his soul for a time from the comfort of Gods presence Hence is it that we read that our Saviour did not only suffer death in the Singular number but he underwent deaths in the Plural number as if it were intimated that there was a double death that he suffered Isa 53.9 He made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death in the Hebrew it is in his deaths in the Plural number and this was not without some special Mystery in it as some Learned men conceive yea there is a judicious Divine that saith expresly he is perswaded that both kind of deaths natural and supernatural are intimated by that expression when it is said He made his grave with the rich in his deaths Our Saviour underwent therefore a double death a natural death and a supernatural death That our Saviour suffered the first death a natural death a separation of his humane soul from his body that we do all know and believe Now that he tasted of the second death or supernatural death the separation of his soul from God taken in a right sense that I must speak unto To understand this we must know that the soul may be said to be separated from God two ways 1. By a voluntary aversion from God by sin this was not in our Saviour and could not be in him his will did always firmly and inseparably adhere to God even in the midst of his greatest sufferings It is true this is part of the punishment of sin in us namely that our wills are turned aside from God Adam voluntarily deserting of God this is now part of the punishment that is come upon him that he is now left to himself and thereupon there is an aversion of his will from God and this is that which we call spiritual Death when the will declines and turns from God the chief Good But this kind of death could not be in our Saviour and the reason is because he that was to bear the punishment of all other mens sins must necessarily be supposed to be without all sin himself Christ could not have been a Surety for our sins born the punishment of them if he had not been without all sin himself This aversion of the soul from God as it is the punishment of sin so it is in it self a sin Now Christ so bears the punishment of our sins as that he himself is still without all sin in a way of inhesion Christ hath the guilt of our sins laid upon him by way of imputation but he hath no sin in him by way of inhesion 2. The soul may be said to be separated from God in a way of deprivation namely when the soul is deprived of the comfort of Gods love and presence Now this our Saviour did undergo he was deprived of the comfort of his Fathers love and presence for a time as we shall shew more hereafter Psal 88.14 Lord why castest thou off my soul why hidest thou thy face from me This is spoken in the letter in the person of Heman but Learned men conceive that Christs sufferings are here represented to us under these expressions Lord why hidest thou thy face from me Gods face was hid from Christ for a time that so it might not be hid from us for ever And this was the spiritual death that our Saviour underwent not a death in sin which we are all subject to not any aversion of his will from God but desertion of God in point of comfort to be deserted and forsaken of God as our Saviour was is in some sense the spiritual death of the soul It is a good speech of one of the Ancients That is not death so properly that separates the soul from the body but that is most properly death which separates the soul from God God is life life it self he therefore that is separated from God must needs be dead as the body lives from the soul so the soul ut beatè vivat that it may live happily must live from God Hence are those expressions of Austin The life of the body is the soul but the life of the soul is God the body dyes when the soul recedes from it and the soul dyes when God recedes from it Therefore when our Saviour was so far forsaken and deserted of God for our sakes as to have no sensible taste of his love and favour for a time in this sense he underwent spiritual and supernatural death for us 6. The sixth Particular which follows upon this is That our Saviour tasting of supernatural death for us he did in so doing undergo the very pains of Hell for us Hence are those expressions Psal 116.3 The sorrows of death compassed me the pains of hell got hold of me I found trouble and sorrow So likewise My soul is heavy to the death Mat. 26.38 It is a great expression which we have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 2.24 Having loosed the pains of death or the sorrows of death The Greek word properly signifies the sorrows of a travailing woman and what were these sorrows Those which he had in the Garden when he was in his Agony and when he sweat drops of blood and those which he had upon the Cross when he cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me These are called the sorrows or pains of death but indeed they were the sorrows or pains of Hell and therefore the vulgar Latin renders it the pains of hell because in these sorrows our Saviour did not only taste of the sorrows of natural death but he also tasted of the sorrows of supernatural death that is of the pains of Hell Hence is it as Learned men have observed That the sufferings of Christ and those great sorrows that he underwent are set forth in such a variety and multitude of expressions in the Scripture that sometimes they are set forth by the grave by darkness sometimes by the land of oblivion sometimes they are called wounding killing sometimes they are set forth by his being forsaken forsaken of his friends of his kindred yea of God himself sometimes they are called debts afflictions tempests solitude prison cuting off abjection treading under foot all which and many more which the Scripture is full of sets forth those most perfect
the Law hath no more to demand When there is a full payment made there is no more debt can be exacted Christs obedience was full and compleat there remained nothing more for him to suffer Therefore is it said That he hath brought in everlasting righteousness Dan. 9.24 By one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 Who was delivered up for our offences and raised again for our justification Rom. 5. ult Christ was delivered up for our offences that is delivered up to death Christ in dying bare the guilt and punishment of our sins but he was raised again for our justification Now if Christ had not satisfied and discharged the debt to the utmost he could not have been raised for our justification for if there had been any part of the punishment not suffered the Law might have exacted part of us but saith the Text Christ was raised again for our justification Therefore it is plain and evident that Christ in dying bare the whole punishment that the Law would have inflicted upon us When the debt is paid the prisoner is let out of prison Christ being our Surety was under an arrest by the Law and by Divine Justice but now Christ our Surety having fully paid the debt Christ is released out of prison having paid the debt which he owed in his sufferings he is raised again for our justification Christs Resurrection was an evidence that our debt was fully paid and discharged by our Surety Hence also is that of our Saviour himself Joh. 16.8 9. The Spirit shall convince the world of sin of righteousness and of judgment Why of righteousness Because I go to the Father Christs Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven was a certain evidence that Christ was a righteous person For if Christ had not fully answered the Law he had never been raised up from the dead and taken up into glory he had been detained and kept in prison still and the reason is plainly that which was intimated before that Christ was not born for himself nor dyed for himself but he was born a common person he was born for us and dyed for us therefore Christ being a common person and our Surety and so transacting our cause the Law would not have been satisfied neither would Divine Justice have been quieted till all that had been undergone that we deserved Therefore when it is said that Christ went to his Father after his suffering and when it is said He was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification it is plain and evident that the Law and Justice had taken their fill of Christ and had nothing more to demand of him The fourteenth Proposition is That Divine Justice being satisfied in what Christ hath suffered God acquits and discharges Believers from the guilt and punishment of their sins Rom. 8.33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect it is God that justifieth who is he that condemns it is Christ that dyed It is as much as if the Apostle should say A Believer is acquitted and discharged from the guilt of his sins no one can lay any thing to his charge because God hath justified him no one can condemn him because Christ hath born the punishment that he should have born who is he that condemns it is Christ that dyed A Believer is not liable to condemnation because Christ hath been condemned for him and the Law hath sate in Judgment upon Christ and hath arraigned and condemned him now the Law is not wont to punish the same crime twice The Justice of God having punished sin in Christ the Head and Surety of the Elect will not punish sin the second time in Believers themselves It is a good expression of one of the Ancients Caput corpus unus est Christus satisfecit ergo caput pro membris Christus pro visceribus suis Ambros The head and body are but one Christ Christ therefore being the head hath satisfied for his members Christ hath satisfied for Believers who are his own bowels The last Proposition is this That Christs Satisfaction hath merit in it though merit and satisfaction are near akin yet they are distinct notions Satisfaction doth properly signifie the turning away of some evil that is impending and Merit properly respects some good to be procured Now Christ by his Satisfaction doth not only turn away that evil from us that we deserve but he also merits and procures good for us 1. Christ by his Satisfaction turns away evil from us He turns away the wrath of God from us he turns away the curses of the Law and all the effects of Divine wrath Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Hence also is that expression Rom. 11.26 The Redeemer shall come from Zion and turn away ungodliness from Jacob that is he shall turn away the guilt and punishment of sin from Believers he shall turn away all the evils and miseries that sin would bring upon us His name shall be called Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins Mat. 1. But this is not all Christ by his Satisfaction doth not only turn away evil but 2. He procures good for us he procures righteousness and the favour of God the Spirit the grace of the Spirit and eternal life for us The Sufferings of Christ have merit in them to purchase good things for us Hence is that expression of our Saviour in the Ordinance of the Supper This cup is the new Testament in my blood The meaning is that all the good things in the new Covenant all the blessings comprehended in the Covenant of Grace are purchased by the blood of Christ The Covenant of Grace is the Charter in which all good things are contained and all these things are the purchase of the blood of Christ The end of the eleventh Sermon SERMON XII Joh. 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends IT remains now that I should come to make some general Application of this great Doctrine of Christs Satisfaction Although there have been some particular Uses of this Doctrine all along in the several branches of it yet it may be meet in the close to annex some general Application as to the whole Doctrine about Christs Satisfaction The first Use shall be an Use of Confutation to confute the Adversaries of this Truth There are two great Adversaries to this Doctrine of Christs Satisfaction 1. The Socinians who deny the Satisfaction of Christ altogether 2. The Papists who bring in other Satisfactions besides that of Christ's 1. The Socinians they are the most professed Adversaries to the Doctrine of Christs Satisfaction they tell us that the sufferings of Christ were only a kind of Martyrdom that Christ dyed to confirm the truth that he had preached also that his sufferings were for an example but they wholly deny that what Christ suffered
nature to lay down his life and dye for our sins Certainly he that believes this will find no reason to doubt of the love of God If God sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins if he had no other end in sending of him and if the Son of God did freely lay down his life for us then there is no reason that we should retain suspicious and jealous thoughts of the Father or the Son We know and believe the love that God hath to us How so Because God hath sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins If we can realize the sufferings of Christ to our minds by the eye of faith this will confirm our souls in the love of God towards us 2. Another effect of our studying the love of Christ in his sufferings for us is This will be a means to beget much love in us to Christ What more powerful argument to inflame our love to Christ than to consider what Christ hath done and suffered for us Can we behold the Son of God the second Person in Trinity God equal with the Father Emmanuel God with us God come down into our nature can we behold this great and excellent Person giving himself to suffer and dye for us taking the whole curse and punishment upon himself that we deserve and not love this person who hath so loved us and hath done and suffered such things for us The Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 5.14 The love of Christ constrains us The love of Christ that is Christs love to us the apprehension of Christs love to us constrains us why so Because saith the Apostle we thus judge That if one dyed for all then were all dead If Christ had not dyed we must all have dyed If Christ had not suffered the wrath of God we must have suffered it to Eternity If Christ had not been deserted we must have been deserted If he had not undergone dereliction and the hiding of Gods face the face of God must have been turned away from us for ever If Christ had not conflicted with the Divine displeasure we must have conflicted with the wrath of God for ever If Christ had not been cast into that Agony wherein he sweat drops of blood we must have been cast into those inexpressible horrours and torments of soul and body which would have pressed us down to all Eternity The deep and serious consideration of these things cannot but constrain us to love Christ The love of Christ constrains us saith the Apostle because we thus judge That if one dyed for all then were all dead The consideration of this That Christ hath freed us from that by his death which otherwise we must necessarily have undergone must needs be a strong ingagement upon us to love Christ We love him because he first loved us Learn how great the sin and ingratitude of the world is in slighting and abusing all this love Vse 2 and also how just that revenge is which God takes upon the world for slighting and abusing all this love If the love of Christ be so eminently seen in his suffering and dying for sinful men for the sinful world then how great is the sin and ingratitude of the world in slighting and abusing all this love God hath sent his Son from Heaven to save the world he hath sent his Son from Heaven to dye for the world but all this love is little thought of little regarded or esteemed by the generality of men this is the cause of the Lords great indignation against the world The world is guilty of many other sins it is guilty of great immoralities and many abominations in point of practice and these may have their influence and no doubt have as to the bringing down Gods displeasure upon the sinful world but that which is the fundamental sin the root sin of all it is the contempt of Christ and the Gospel the slighting and rejecting Gospel-love Gospel-grace This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light And we may say This is the condemnation that love is come into the world that the Son of God who is love it self the Son of God who hath all the love of the Father in him and God is love that he is come into the nature of man and hath dyed for men that they might be saved and this is not at all regarded by them When all this love of his hath been published and made known to men the generality of men have taken no notice of Christ and his love so they may have their honours pleasures and profits take Christ and his grace who will for them for this so great contempt of Christ and his grace when God hath offered his love and the grace of his Gospel to the world and men have slighted it taken no notice of it hath God come to revenge himself upon the ingrateful world and I speak it with a bleeding heart I fear will yet revenge it more sorely The end of the sixteenth Sermon SERMON XVII Job 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends I Come now to other Particulars that set forth the greatness of Christs suffering for us 5. The greatness of Christs love in laying down his life for us appears in this That there was no one else that could have satisfied for us If men or Angels had attempted this work their sufferings had been but the sufferings of finite creatures there would not have been infinite worth and value in them to have satisfied for the sins of the whole world The expiation of sin requires a price of infinite value and the reason is because every sin is committed against an infinite Majesty an infinite Majesty being offended there must be a price of infinite value to expiate the offence Now whoever had been but a meer man could not have offered a price of infinite value but Christs sufferings were of infinite value because he was God as well as man and this is that which enhanceth the price of Christs love that none else could have suffered for us but Christ so as to have satisfied Gods Justice this Christ himself sets before us Isa 63.3 I have trod the wine-press alone and of the people there was none with me So vers 5. I looked and there was none to help and I wondered there was none to uphold therefore mine own arm brought salvation This commends the greatness of Christs love in his sufferings That when none was able to suffer for us so as to satisfie Gods Justice Christ undertook the work The sixth Consideration is The greatness of Christs love in his sufferings appears in this That so great and excellent a person should come to suffer for us 1 Joh. 3.16 Hereby perceive we the love of God that he laid down his life for us that is that he who was the Son of God and God that