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
themselves cannot be supposed to be infinite for the habits cannot exceed the capacity of the subject if the humane soul of Christ be but a created thing then the habits of grace which are in it are not simply infinite yet notwithstanding this the love which is to be found in Christs humane nature is exceeding great and a love surpassing the love of men or Angels and the reason is the humane soul of Christ hath the Divinity inhabiting in it now as the Son receives all the Father hath in the eternal Generation the whole substance of the Father is communicated to the Son in the eternal Generation there is no perfection that is in the Father but it is to be found in the Son therefore by consequence it follows that the love of the Father must necessarily be communicated to the Son and doth reside in the Son and there is but one and the same Divine love both in the Father and in the Son Now the Son the second person in Trinity taking our nature both the love of the Father and the Son for as an Holy man observes Sweet is this contemplation doth in some sort abide and reside in our nature therefore the humane Soul of Christ being inflamed and set on fire with the fire of Divine love which is so near it which inhabits and dwells in it must needs be fuller of love than any creatures heart ever was The humane nature of Christ by means of its Union and Conjunction with the Divinity takes in the influence of the Divinity and the Divinity thus personally united to the Humanity must needs fill his soul with that love that no creature was ever filled with therefore we must necessarily suppose there was the greatest love imaginable in Christs humane soul the greatest as was possible there could be in any created nature The Godhead dwelling in Christ bodily that infinite love of God must be supposed in some sense to dwell in the heart of Christ Man How loving how tender how affectionate must that heart be that hath all the love of the Father and the Son poured out into it For consider it the Son receives all from the Father by eternal Generation the Son takes up our nature and dwells in it the humane nature united to the Son takes in the influence of the Fathers and the Sons love by means of its personal Union with the Son And thus the humane nature is not only warmed but wholly set on fire by the Divinity inhabiting in it Therefore it is well observed by one of the Ancients There is some warmth some heat that comes from Christ the eternal Word into all the Saints hearts In hac anima ipse ignis divinus substantialiter requievisse credendus est Orig. but in Christs humane Soul the very fire of Divine love dwells substantially there it rested substantially for in him the fulness of the Goahead dwells bodily Col. 2.9 Therefore there is the greatest love imaginable to be found even in the humane Soul of Christ More particularly the love that was in the humane Soul of Jesus Christ may be described and set forth under three considerations 1. The heart of Christ-Man was filled with the most sweet tender merciful compassionate dispositions that ever any heart was filled with Hence is it that we have those expressions that he is a merciful and a faithful High Priest Heb. 2.17 that he is touched with the feeling of our infirmities Heb. 3.15 We read also of the bowels of Christ the meekness the gentleness of Christ 2 Cor. 10.1 Never were there such words of love and sweetness spoken by any man as by him never was there such a loving and tender heart as the heart-of Jesus Christ Grace was poured into his lips Psal 45.3 Certainly never were there such words of love sweetness and tenderness spoken here upon this earth as those last words of his which were uttered a little before his Suffering and are recorded in the 13 14 15 16 17 Chapters of John Read over all the Books of love and friendship that were ever written by any of the sons of men they do all come far short of those melting strains of love that are there expressed So sweet and amiable was the conversation of Jesus Christ that it is reported of the Apostle Peter in the Ecclesiastical History that after Christs Ascension he wept so abundantly that he Quoties recordaretur illius suavissimae conversationis Christi was always seen wiping his face from the tears and being asked why he wept so he answered He could not chuse but weep as often as he thought of that most sweet conversation of Jesus Christ 2. The love of Christ as Man or which was in his humane nature may be seen in the compliance of his humane will with the Divine will in point of suffering It is true it was the Divine will that gave up the humane nature to suffer Joh. 6.51 The bread which I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world It was the Divine will that gave up the humanity to suffer yet his humane will complied with the Divine will Father not as I will but as thou wilt There is a will and a will in Christ a Divine will and a humane will and the humane will complies with the Divine will Father save me from this hour nevertheless for this cause came I to this hour Joh. 12.27 Hence is it that the Apostle tells us he was obedient unto the death Phil. 2.8 The Lord Jesus knew right-well how great a burden the weight and pressure of his Fathers wrath was and yet he was content to undergo this burden for our sakes The cup which my Father hath given me to drink shall not I drink of it Joh. 18.11 I have a baptism to be baptized with and how am I straitned till it be accomplished Luk. 12.50 It is true had he not been God he could never have stood under such a burden as the burden of Divine wrath and had not his love been more than a created love had his love been the love of a meer creature he would never have undertaken such a work But being supported by the Godhead he was inabled to undergo his Sufferings and also his humane will influenced by the Deity was made willing to suffer therefore it is said For their sakes I sanctifie my self Joh. 17.19 There was a concurrence of his Divine and humane will in his suffering the Divine will in the person of the Son sanctifies and sets apart the humane nature to suffer the humane will concurs with the Divine and is made willing to suffer Joh. 10.17 18. Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life The person that lays down his life is the Son of God incarnate the life which he lays down is the life of his Humanity for the life of his Divinity could never be laid down Now the Divine person had the
corroborated and strengthened the humane nature in suffering so that as the Apostle saith it was Christ that was offered There was a concourse of both natures in his Satisfaction If he were not man he could not have suffered and if he were not God he could not have satisfied Christ is a Priest in our nature and as the High-Priest under the Law bare all the names of the children of Israel upon his Breast-plate so Christ bears all the names of the Elect upon him Christ sustains the persons of all the Elect Because the children were made partakers of flesh and blood he also took part of the same Christ assuming the nature of man sustains the persons of all the Elect and in their room and in their stead in a part of their nature presents himself to God and taking their guilt upon him is willing to bear the punishment due to them therefore he suffers and dyes in their nature and remains under the power of death for a time 2. Christ by his Incarnation is fitted for the work of his Intercession As it was the work of the Priest to offer Sacrifice and make atonement so to intercede and pray for the people Now Christ by taking our nature is fit for this work also Christ as to his Divine nature is equal with the Father and so is the object of prayer together with the Father but Christ according to his humane nature is inferiour to the Father and so fit to intercede And therefore it is a common saying among Divines Christ intercedes and prays as he is man and Mediator 3. Christ by assuming our nature performs the Office of a King to the Church Christ hath a natural Kingdom and he hath a dispensatory Kingdom As he is God so he hath a natural Kingdom over all creatures Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and thy dominion is an everlasting dominion As he is God-man so he hath a Kingdom by way of donation and dispensation Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Sion Psal 2.6 The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment to the Son Joh. 5.22 that is to the Son incarnate Christ as Head and King of the Church dispenseth all grace to the Church rules and governs the Church in and by the humane nature assumed Eph. 1.21 22 23. Thus have we shewn how that Christ by the work of his Incarnation lays the foundation for the work of Mediatorship in general and for the executing of those three great Offices of Prophet Priest and King in particular 16. The love of Christ in his Incarnation is seen in this In that by means of Christs Incarnation our nature which was alienated from God deprived of communion with him lay under the curse was subject to all sorts of miseries and unto death it self is now restored to communion with God again delivered from the curse set above all misery and death cloathed with immortality and possessed of perfect happiness 1. The Son of God by his Incarnation hath restored our nature unto communion with God Adam by his Fall was turned out of Paradise banished from the presence of God lost his communion with God Now the Son of God taking a part of our nature into unity of person with himself hath brought our nature near to God again our nature in Christ is admitted to the sight of God and communion with him Christi humana natura semper usque à primordio incarnationis vidit Deum Divines observe That the humane nature in Christ had the sight of God from the beginning of his Conception and Incarnation and the reason of this assertion is this Christ was full of grace he had the Spirit of God given to him not by measure Aquinas observes That Christ from the beginning of his Incarnation had more grace given to him than the Saints in Heaven Now the Saints in Heaven are admitted to a clear sight and vision of God therefore if Christ had more grace given to him from the beginning than the Saints in Heaven we must suppose Christ had a clear sight and vision of God besides the great demonstration of Christs love in his sufferings was that he was content to be deprived of the sight and comfort of his Fathers love therefore he crys out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me This argues Christ had been used and accustomed to the sight of his Fathers face and countenance otherwise why did he cry out Why hast thou forsaken me But for our sakes he was content to have his Fathers face hid from him for a time that it might not be hid from us for ever Now then Christ in his humane nature being admitted to the sight of God all the Elect in their measure shall have a share in this priviledge Scientia visionis competit Christo ut capiti electis ut membris The knowledge of vision is first given to Christ as the Head to the Elect as Members and although all the Elect be not as yet admitted to the vision of God yet it is certain they shall be as Christ now is When he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is 1 Joh. 3.3 and in the mean time our life is hid with Christ in God Col. 3.3 hid as in the fountain root Tanquam in fonte radice principio and principle of that life Christ in his humane nature being admitted unto the sight of God and communion with him is an argument all the Elect also shall be brought to the same happiness 2. The Son of God by his Incarnation hath delivered our nature from the Curse set it above misery sorrow and death and cloathed it with immortality The sentence pronounced concerning man was That in case he sinned he should dye the death Gen. 2.17 Christ by taking our nature and dying in it hath born the substance of that curse The curse comprehended two things in it First natural death the separation of the soul from the body Secondly spiritual death the separation of the soul from God Here lay the sting of the curse Thou shalt dye the death or In dying thou shalt dye thou shalt not dye once only but dye twice as it were thy soul shall not only be separated from thy body but both body and soul shall be separated from me Now Christ under-went both parts of the curse if rightly understood First Christ in a right sense endured that part of the curse which consisted in a separation from God for although the personal Vnion was never dissolved neither was Christs humane soul ever separated in love or affection from his Father his soul clave in love and affection to his Father in the midst of all his sufferings Christ did not undergo separation from God in either of those respects yet his humane soul was separated for a time from the light and comfort of his Fathers love as was hinted before when he cryed out My God
nature to lay down his life and dye for our sins Certainly he that believes this will find no reason to doubt of the love of God If God sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins if he had no other end in sending of him and if the Son of God did freely lay down his life for us then there is no reason that we should retain suspicious and jealous thoughts of the Father or the Son We know and believe the love that God hath to us How so Because God hath sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins If we can realize the sufferings of Christ to our minds by the eye of faith this will confirm our souls in the love of God towards us 2. Another effect of our studying the love of Christ in his sufferings for us is This will be a means to beget much love in us to Christ What more powerful argument to inflame our love to Christ than to consider what Christ hath done and suffered for us Can we behold the Son of God the second Person in Trinity God equal with the Father Emmanuel God with us God come down into our nature can we behold this great and excellent Person giving himself to suffer and dye for us taking the whole curse and punishment upon himself that we deserve and not love this person who hath so loved us and hath done and suffered such things for us The Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 5.14 The love of Christ constrains us The love of Christ that is Christs love to us the apprehension of Christs love to us constrains us why so Because saith the Apostle we thus judge That if one dyed for all then were all dead If Christ had not dyed we must all have dyed If Christ had not suffered the wrath of God we must have suffered it to Eternity If Christ had not been deserted we must have been deserted If he had not undergone dereliction and the hiding of Gods face the face of God must have been turned away from us for ever If Christ had not conflicted with the Divine displeasure we must have conflicted with the wrath of God for ever If Christ had not been cast into that Agony wherein he sweat drops of blood we must have been cast into those inexpressible horrours and torments of soul and body which would have pressed us down to all Eternity The deep and serious consideration of these things cannot but constrain us to love Christ The love of Christ constrains us saith the Apostle because we thus judge That if one dyed for all then were all dead The consideration of this That Christ hath freed us from that by his death which otherwise we must necessarily have undergone must needs be a strong ingagement upon us to love Christ We love him because he first loved us Learn how great the sin and ingratitude of the world is in slighting and abusing all this love Vse 2 and also how just that revenge is which God takes upon the world for slighting and abusing all this love If the love of Christ be so eminently seen in his suffering and dying for sinful men for the sinful world then how great is the sin and ingratitude of the world in slighting and abusing all this love God hath sent his Son from Heaven to save the world he hath sent his Son from Heaven to dye for the world but all this love is little thought of little regarded or esteemed by the generality of men this is the cause of the Lords great indignation against the world The world is guilty of many other sins it is guilty of great immoralities and many abominations in point of practice and these may have their influence and no doubt have as to the bringing down Gods displeasure upon the sinful world but that which is the fundamental sin the root sin of all it is the contempt of Christ and the Gospel the slighting and rejecting Gospel-love gospel-Gospel-grace This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light And we may say This is the condemnation that love is come into the world that the Son of God who is love it self the Son of God who hath all the love of the Father in him and God is love that he is come into the nature of man and hath dyed for men that they might be saved and this is not at all regarded by them When all this love of his hath been published and made known to men the generality of men have taken no notice of Christ and his love so they may have their honours pleasures and profits take Christ and his grace who will for them for this so great contempt of Christ and his grace when God hath offered his love and the grace of his Gospel to the world and men have slighted it taken no notice of it hath God come to revenge himself upon the ingrateful world and I speak it with a bleeding heart I fear will yet revenge it more sorely The end of the sixteenth Sermon SERMON XVII Job 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends I Come now to other Particulars that set forth the greatness of Christs suffering for us 5. The greatness of Christs love in laying down his life for us appears in this That there was no one else that could have satisfied for us If men or Angels had attempted this work their sufferings had been but the sufferings of finite creatures there would not have been infinite worth and value in them to have satisfied for the sins of the whole world The expiation of sin requires a price of infinite value and the reason is because every sin is committed against an infinite Majesty an infinite Majesty being offended there must be a price of infinite value to expiate the offence Now whoever had been but a meer man could not have offered a price of infinite value but Christs sufferings were of infinite value because he was God as well as man and this is that which enhanceth the price of Christs love that none else could have suffered for us but Christ so as to have satisfied Gods Justice this Christ himself sets before us Isa 63.3 I have trod the wine-press alone and of the people there was none with me So vers 5. I looked and there was none to help and I wondered there was none to uphold therefore mine own arm brought salvation This commends the greatness of Christs love in his sufferings That when none was able to suffer for us so as to satisfie Gods Justice Christ undertook the work The sixth Consideration is The greatness of Christs love in his sufferings appears in this That so great and excellent a person should come to suffer for us 1 Joh. 3.16 Hereby perceive we the love of God that he laid down his life for us that is that he who was the Son of God and God that
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
humane soul and body united to himself in the bond of personal Vnion The Divine person gives up the humane soul and body to be separated from each other at his death and yet holds them both to himself in the bond of personal Union Divines use an apt similitude to illustrate this by It is as if a man held a sword in his hand sheathed and should draw forth the sword out of the sheath the sword and sheath are separated one from the other yet the hand holds both Here then is the acting of the Divine will the Divine will in the person of the Son gives up the humane nature to suffer this is intimated in those expressions No man taketh away my life from me but I lay it down of my self I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again Now the humane will knowing that it is the pleasure of the Divine will that the humanity should be given up to suffer submits unto and complies with the Divine will this is implied in that expression This commandment have I received of my Father Joh. 10.18 The Divine will of the Father and of the Son are all one Now the humane will knowing that it was the pleasure of the Divine will that the humane nature should be given up to suffering and death complies with the Divine will herein 3. The third consideration to set forth the love of Christ as he is Man or in his humane nature is this The love of Christ as he is Man may be seen in the Petitions he offered up to the Father for us whilst he was here on earth Much of that love which dwelt in his humane soul may be seen by the prayers and petitions he offered up to the Father for us It is true Christs Intercession is a work that belongs to him as Mediator now Christ is Mediator not according to one nature only but according to both natures and there is a communion of both natures in this action of his praying for us as well as in the rest of his Mediatory actions but yet although the person praying for us be God-man that very person who subsists in both natures yet that nature in which he is most properly said to pray is his humane nature as in his sufferings the person suffering is God-man yet the nature according to which he is said to suffer is the humane nature therefore he is said to be put to death in the flesh 1 Pet. 3.18 So in his praying for us the person praying is God-man but the nature in which he prays is the humane the whole action proceeds from the person but the proximate and immediate principle is the humane will Christs praying was the act or desire of his humane will though it be true that will was acted influenced and governed by the Divine will Hence is that saying of the Ancients Christus orat ut homo ut Deus adoratur ut homo orat Patrem Christ prays as he is man as he is God so he is prayed unto as he is man so he intercedes prays and supplicates to the Father for us Now we may consider the love of Christ in the desires that were in his humane will for us It is true it was the Godhead that directed and inclined his humane will to those desires and gave that virtue and efficacy to his prayers If they had been the prayers of a meer man they had not had such efficacy But yet we may consider the love that was in his humane soul when he prayed here on earth for us There was no small love in the Humane soul of Christ when he asked such great things for us a little before his going out of the world It is true his humane love is not all or the principal thing to be considered in the great things he asked for us If his love had not been more than the love of a man he could not have asked such great things for us as we read of in Joh. 17. yet certainly there was a great deal of love in his humane soul which was filled by the Divinity inhabiting in it His heart was brim-full of love when he came to make that last prayer of his to the Father for us Judge of his love by the things he asks for us Cujus Christiani cor non liquescit dum manifestè cognoscit Filium Dei aeternum pro se rogâsse Patrem ut unum sit cum ipsis What are the things Christ asks No less than Union with himself and the Father Joh. 17.21 23. It is a good speech of one of the Ancients What Christian heart is it that doth not melt when he doth clearly understand that the eternal Son of God did ask for him in particular that he might be one with him and the Father Can we desire a greater happiness than this to be one with the Father and the Son This is the happiness Christ asks for us that we might be one in the Father and the Son And as he prays for this Union the top of all so he prays for many other blessings as 1. That the Father would keep all that are his through his own Name vers 11. How would he have them kept He would have them kept unto this union So it follows That they may be one as we are one As the Father and the Son had intended the Elect unto this union so he prays that they may be preserved unto this union preserved unto eternal life preserved from miscarrying that they might come unto that union the Father and the Son had elected them unto What comfort is this that our Lord Jesus hath prayed we may be kept to our last happiness that God would be his own power keep us to Salvation The Salvation of the Elect must needs be secure when Christ hath prayed the Father that he would keep all his by his own power to Salvation 2. He prays that we might be kept from the evil of the world vers 15. You that fear to be overtaken with any scandalous sin you may know the worth of this prayer 3. He prays for our Sanctification vers 17. 4. He prays that we might be where he is vers 24. 5. He prays that we might have a share in his Glory not only that we might be with him but also behold the glory that the Father had given him What love must that heart needs be filled with that prays for such things It is true it was not the love of a meer man that could ask such things but it was the Divine love filling his humane soul and acting of it that carried him forth to ask such things And thus I have finished the consideration of the love that was in the humane nature of Christ 2. There is the love that is in Christs Divine nature The love which is in the humane nature is very great but the love of the Divine nature is infinitely greater The love
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
Christ our Saviour that is through the Merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour It is God that sheds the Holy Ghost into our hearts but it is through the Merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour It is through the Merits of Christs death that this Spirit is purchased for us Well! but what doth the Holy Ghost do when he is sent into our hearts as the purchase of Christs death He regenerates and renews us So the former verse tells us According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost The Spirit of God takes away the heart of stone and gives us a heart of flesh The Spirit of God working grace in the heart takes away the enmity and opposition that naturally lies in our heart against God and inclines our hearts to love God and to fear him 4. The fourth Particular we would lay down for the clearing of the Point is this That our Saviour here in the Text is speaking of the greatest love amongst men Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends The greatest love amongst men will go no higher than this for one man to lay down his life for another Now saith our Saviour you cannot complain that my love is defective towards you in that I am ready to do as much for you as ever any man did for his friend The highest love that you can instance in is when one man doth lay down his life for another now I am ready to lay down my life for you therefore it is that our Saviour saith here Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends 5. Another Particular for the clearing of it is this The Disciples to whom Christ was here speaking Greater love than this hath no man that he lay down his life for his friends were already made friends but yet they and all others who were made friends before his incarnation were made friends to God by virtue of that Sacrifice which now he was about to offer up For Christ was a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world and the virtue of his death and sufferings was extended to all the Saints that were made so in all Ages therefore although they to whom Christ was now speaking were already made friends yet it was through the virtue of his death and sufferings that now he was to undergo that they were made so All men by nature are enemies alike and that now any were made friends was by virtue of the death of Christ that he was to suffer and undergo for them For it was the Decrce of God that Christ should dye and suffer before he did dye and suffer and it was in the virtue of his sufferings that all the Elect that lived before his Incarnation and those that lived in the time when he was here in the flesh were reconciled unto God 6. The sixth Particular is this Christ had in the former verse been exhorting his Disciples to love one another according to the Pattern himself had given to them This is my commandment that ye love one another as I have loved you Now in this verse he shews wherein he did manifest his love to them he was ready to manifest his love to them by Laying down his life for them therefore if they intended to love one another in conformity to his Pattern they must be ready to shew the highest offices of love one to another He would have them love one another even as he hath loved them His love to them made him willing to lay down his life for them and therefore if they would love in conformity to him they should be ready to perform the highest offices of love one towards another Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren 1 Joh. 3.16 7. Our Saviour was about to owne them as his friends and to acquaint them that he intended to deal with them as with friends Now it was not accommodate to his present design and scope in this place to say he would lay down his life for his enemies for immediately after he tells them that he owns them for his friends in the 14. verse Ye are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you Henceforth I have not called you servants but I have called you friends And he tells them he deals with them as with friends The servant knoweth not what his Lord doth but I have called you friends for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known to you Joh. 15.15 Christ tells them that he looked upon them as friends and that he intended to deal with them as friends therefore it was not accommodate with our Saviours present scope and design in this place to use the expression of enemies though we were all enemies when Christ dyed for us but he chuseth to express it thus Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends Upon these accounts I conceive it is in this place that Christ saith he laid down his life for his friends whereof elsewhere it is said we were enemies when Christ dyed for us Thus have I dispatched the third Particular to shew you how it is said Christ laid down his life for his friends It remains now that I should enter upon the fourth Head and that is to speak something concerning the Doctrine of Christs Satisfaction but because I chuse to reserve that intire to be spoken to by it self I shall make some Application of what hath been mentioned and indeed the Use that ariseth from hence is of great moment The first Use therefore shall be this Vse 1 Doth Christ lay down his life for his friends Let us be exhorted from hence to be sensible of the condition that we are in by nature we are not born friends but we are made so by the Death of Christ We are so far from being born friends as that we are born enemies unto God now we ought to be sensible of the natural enmity that is in us against God But here it may be said Wherein doth this enemity consist How doth it appear that we are enemies unto God I answer It appears in these three Particulars 1. It appears in this That our wills are most opposite to the Will of God That natural enmity that is in us against God appears in this Qui alterius voluntati adversatur saith a Learned man He that resists and sets himself to cross the will of another and doth this always so that his will can by no means consent or agree to anothers will he is said to be a mans enemy Now such is the will of every natural man the will of every natural man doth perpetually rise in opposition against Gods Will. Rom. 8.7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God for it
which was That he did not only feel the wonted presence of his Father withdrawn from him but he saw God alienated from him yea he saw his Justice armed against him to revenge upon him the sins of the Elect. O this was more than a thousand deaths Learn from what hath been opened Vse 1 how great a pain the pain of loss is Learn how great a misery it is to be separated from the sight of God This was so grievous to our Saviour that he could not contain himself from that bitter out-cry we heard of before he crys out in the bitterness of his soul My God my God why hast thou forsaken me O if Christ could not bear the want of the sight of God for so short a season and space foâ—â—â— was but for a short space of time this desertion continued with him how wilt thou bear to be separated from God for ever Mark what the sentence is that will be pronounced upon wicked men at the great Day Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire O in those words Depart from me is the very Hell of Hell there is not any thing worse in Hell than this Depart from me Consider also what the Apostle saith 2 Thess 1. Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord. How canst thou bear the thoughts of being separated from God for ever I often think of the expression I heard from a troubled Soul O said that person I have lost God and must be separated from him for ever O can you think what a misery it is to sustain the loss of God and be separated from him for ever It is true wicked men love not God and care not for his presence and therefore they think it will be no great loss for them to be separated from him whom they do not love But when wicked men shall come to understand that there is no happiness but in the injoyment of God and that the last perfection that their Being was capable of was to injoy him though they love not God yet they love themselves though they love not God yet they love happiness therefore though they think it a little thing to be separated from God now they will not think it a little thing to be separated from happiness at last With thee saith the Psalmist is the fountain of life and in thy light we shall see light Psal 36.9 Being separated from God they are separated from light separated from joy separated from happiness separated from every thing that is good God that is the chief good makes every thing good that is so and what can be good where the chief good is absent therefore this will be matter of eternal torment to lost souls that they are destitute and come short of that happiness which their Beings were capable of Here is comfort to deserted Souls Vse 2 Christ himself was deserted therefore if thou be deserted God dealeth no otherwise with thee than he did with Christ thou mayst be beloved of God and not feel it Christ was so he was beloved of the Father and yet had no present sense and feeling of his love This may be a great comfort and support to holy Souls under the suspension of those comforts and manifestations which sometimes they have felt Christ himself underwent such a suspension therefore such a suspension of Divine comfort may consist with Gods love Thou mayst conclude possibly I am a Hypocrite and therefore God hath forsaken me this is the complaint of some doubting Christians I am a Hypcorite and therefore God hath forsaken me but thou hast no reason so to conclude there was no failure in Christs obedience and yet Christ was forsaken in point of comfort therefore desertion in point of comfort may consist with truth of grace yea with the highest measure of grace so it did in our Saviour It is true there is a root in us of this desertion some sin of ours that oftentimes occasions this desertion It was not so with Christ Christ had no sin of his own for which he was deserted he only bare the guilt of our sins and he was deserted for a time that we might not be deserted for ever But though there be that in us that may occasion desertion yet this is some relief to us that Christ hath undergone desertion though not for any sin of his own as we do and the greatest relief of all is that Christ was deserted that we might not be deserted the face of God was hid from him for a time that so it might not be hid from us for ever Wherefore to conclude this point If thou be one that hast fled for refuge to the hope that is set before us if thou hast come to Christ and believed on him in truth thou needst not fear that thou shalt be deserted of God for ever because Christ hath born desertion for us the Lord may hide his face from thee for a time but he will not hide it for ever because Christ hath suffered this part of the punishment due to us he hath born that absence of Divine comfort which thou deservest to lye under for ever Christ hath suffered dereliction for us The end of the eighth Sermon SERMON IX Joh. 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends HAving shewed already how our Saviour underwent the Pain of loss in his spiritual dereliction or desertion it remains that I should shew how it was that he suffered the pain of sense in being made a Curse for us That which Divines call the Pain of sense is a most perfect sense of the wrath of God and all the miseries that do attend it it doth I say In vivo efficaci sensuâ—irae Divinae consist in a quick and lively sense of the wrath of God Now our Saviour in being made a curse for us had this perfect sense of Gods wrath and felt those miseries that do attend it as we shall shew more by and by That Christ was made a curse for us the Scripture is clear the Apostle tells us expresly in that known Text Gal. 3.10 That Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Sin was the inlet of the Curse and the Curse was the punishment of sin When Adam had sinned the Lord saith to him Cursed is the ground for thy sake Gen. 3.17 Now if the ground be accursed for Adams sake Adam himself must needs be much more accursed Quod efficit tale est magis tale for that which makes any other thing to be what it is is much more so in it self If therefore Adam be the cause why the ground is cursed Adam himself must needs be much more accursed This is more fully explained in that sentence of the Law Deut. 27.26 Carsed be he that confirmeth not all the words of the Law to do them Every transgressor of the Law is
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
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 Christ hath given himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2.14 Observe that expression That he might purifie unto himself Christ did not give himself that he might purifie to the Father only a peculiar people but also that he might purifie to himself a peculiar people So Eph. 5.25 Christ gave himself for his Church that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious Church Here it is said That he might present it to himself a glorious Church As Christ by his death and sufferings reconciled us to God the Father so he reconciled us to himself also It is true the Scripture when it speaks of the work of reconciliation doth in a peculiar manner attribute it to the Father as the Person to whom we are reconciled and it speaks of our reconciliation to God by Christ 2 Cor. 5.18 All things are of Godâ— who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ Col. 1.20 By him to reconcile all things to himself By him that is by Christ To reconcile all things to himself that is to the Father by Christ then we are reconciled to the Father But we must understand this aright When it is said We are reconciled to the Father by Christ we must not suppose that the other Persons are excluded We are not only reconciled to the Father but we are reconciled to the whole Trinity and Christ considered as Mediator as God-man reconciles us to himself considered as God simply And here lies the Mystery of Divine wisdom and goodness that God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself God is the person offended and yet in and by his Son it is he that offers reconciliation to the world 3. The greatness of Christs love in laying down his life for us appears in this That there was no merit in us to move Christ to lay down his life for us It is well observed by Austin It was our sins not our merits that drew Christ from Heaven to earth As we could not merit Christs Incarnation so neither could we merit his death and sufferings for us For what is it that we can suppose that should merit Christs death and sufferings for us Was it our fore-seen faith or our fore-seen obedience This is all that can be supposed Now these were the effects of Christs death and sufferings therefore they could not be the cause of them It is observed by Alvarez That Christs fore-seen Merits were the cause of all that grace that was bestowed upon man in the state of lapsed nature Joh. 1.17 Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ All the grace that we receive in lapsed nature is by Jesus Christ Eph. 1.4 God hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Christs Merits are the foundation of our faith and obedience Whatever faith and obedience is found in us is wrought by the Spirit of Christ in us Now the Spirit it self that works all grace in us is the purchase and fruit of the death of Christ Tit. 3.4 After that the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done but 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 abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour that is through the Merit of Jesus Christ our Saviour Now it is by this Spirit that faith it self and all other effects of grace are wrought in us therefore it is said By grace are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 4. We were so far from having any merit to oblige Christ to suffer and dye for us that we were full of demerit full of evil merits We were sinners enemies rebels against God and herein God commended his love to us that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us Rom. 5.8 The greatest love amongst men is when one friend will dye for another Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friend But where was it known that ever any man laid down his life for his enemy Yet Christ hath commended his love to us in that while we were enemies he dyed for us 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 It is commonly said That sin is a kind of God-murther Peccatum est Deicidium the sinner would dethrone God and take away the life and Being of God if it lay in his power Now herein the admirable and transcendent love of God to man appeared That when man by sin would dethrone God and take away the life and Being of God if it were in his power that God would lay down his life for them that would take away his life and Being God redeemed the Church with his own blood and Hereby perceive we the love of God that he laid down his life for us Learn to study much the greatness of Christs love in his sufferings Vse 1 and in the work of his Satisfaction Let us often have recourse to the Cross of Christ and by the eye of faith behold the Son of God in our nature giving himself a Sacrifice for our sins The more we study the love of Christ in his sufferings and in the work of his Satisfaction we shall find two notable effects of it 1. Hereby we shall be strengthened and confirmed in our belief of Christs love to us 2. This will be a means to beget greater measures of love in our hearts to Christ 1. The more we contemplate the love of Christ to us in his sufferings and satisfaction the more shall we be strengthened and confirmed in our belief of Christs love to us 1 Joh. 4.16 We have known and believed the love that God hath towards us for God is love How come we to know and believe the love that God hath towards us Compare this with the former verses and they will shew us vers 8 9 10. God is love In this was manifested the love of God to us that he sent his only begotten Son that we might live through him Herein was love not that we loved God but that God loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins When by faith we can apprehend and believe that God hath sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins this will confirm us in the certain belief and perswasion of the love of God to us Who hath reason to doubt of Gods love when he is certainly perswaded and doth firmly believe that God hath sent his Son from Heaven to earth to take our nature and being in our
for you That very body of Christ in which he suffered dyed rose again is offered to us in the Sacrament to be looked upon by faith The Sacrament is as the Ancients call it Verbum visibile a visible Word The Sacrament declares by visible signs and representations that which the Word doth in another way Now as it is a great sin to contemn Christ when he is made known to us in the way of the Word so it is a great sin to contemn Christ when he is revealed to us by his own signs and symbols which are of his own institution instituted on purpose by himself to make himself known to us 2. The Sacrament is appointed to confirm our union and communion with Christ The bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ The cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion of the blood of Christ 1 Cor. 10. The ancient Church called the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Sacramentum unionis the Sacrament of Vnion because it is that special Ordinance by which our union and communion with Christ is strengthened and confirmed And our Saviour in effect tells us as much when he saith He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him Job 6.56 When we eat Christs flesh and drink his blood Christ dwells in us and we in him Now when we profess the nearest union and communion with the person of Christ and with the death and sufferings of Christ and we slight both his person and his sufferings this must needs be a great sin Thus have we heard now how Christ and his sufferings may be contemned there is another thing that may be added and that is 5. That Apostates such as fall from deny and renounce the faith of Christ they once presessed they do in an eminent manner pour contempt upon the sufferings of Christ Of these the Apostle speaks in a peculiar manner Heb. 10. and of these he saith That they account the blood of the Covenant by which they are sanctified an unholy thing He that apostatizes from the Christian Profession what doth he do but make a mock of Christ and his sufferings as if all that he had formerly professed concerning Christ and his sufferings were but a meer sable Now it concerns us greatly to see that we be not found in the number of such who are contemners of Christs person or of his sufferings and the reason is because great punishment is denounced on such Heb. 10.29 Of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace There is a sorer punishment shall be inflicted upon such who despise the person of Christ and contemn his sufferings and I verily believe this is one main cause of the Judgments which God hath already executed and will yet further execute upon the unthankful world because his Son hath been revealed to the world in this last Century of years more than in former Ages by that clear and great light that hath broken forth and yet men make no reckoning of Christ and of his grace but are grown worse and worse more profane and atheistical under the light of the Gospel that hath shone upon them As Idolatry was the great sin that God did avenge under the Old Testament upon the Jews that were then his professing people so the contempt of the Gospel wherein there hath been a plain and manifest revelation of the Son of God and of that grace and salvation which is brought by his death and sufferings seems to be the great sin that God is avenging upon professing Christians The end of the nineteenth Sermon SERMON XX. Joh. 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends I Proceed now to another Consideration to shew the greatness of Christs Love in his Sufferings Consid 7 The love of Christ in his sufferings appears in this That the Son of God so great a person should suffer such things as he did suffer for us The love of Christ doth not only appear from the consideration of the excellency of the person suffering but also from the consideration of the things themselves that he suffered for us that so great a person should suffer so much shame such reproach such indignity as he did for us this is that which commends Christs love to us Heb. 12.2 He endured the cross and despised the shame Isa 50.6 I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair I hid not my face from shame and spitting That the Son of God should suffer such things for us poor men that he should suffer such pains and torments in soul and body for us this commends his love to us The sufferings of Christ did far exceed the sufferings of any other man yea if the sufferings of all men were put together they are not to be compared with the sufferings of Christ and the reason is because Christ did suffer the very pains of Hell for us as we have heard Christ did not only suffer from men but he suffered from the hands of his Father it pleased the Father to bruise him he put him to grief Isa 53. Christ did not only suffer in his body but he suffered in his soul yea his soul-sufferings were the greatest sufferings there it was that he suffered dereliction there it was that he suffered the sense of Gods wrath no sorrows were ever like to Christs sorrows and yet these sorrows Christ did voluntarily and electively undergo for our sakes Our Saviour knew before-hand what his sufferings were like to be and yet he freely underwent them Christ did not rush upon his sufferings unawares but he knew what his sufferings would be and yet he was content to undergo them for our sakes Luk. 12.50 I have a baptism to be baptized with he speaks of the Baptism of his sufferings The Lord Jesus knew that he was to undergo such sore and grievous sufferings and yet he voluntarily underwent them he did not rum ignorantly upon them but he knew before-hand what he was to suffer and yet he chose voluntarily to suffer that which he knew would be so bitter and grievous to him It is a great alleviation of a mans sufferings not to know what he hath to suffer the contemplation of a mans sufferings before-hand is sometimes almost as great a suffering as the suffering it self that he is to undergo but yet the Son of God had the contemplation and foresight in his mind of the sufferings that he was to undergo for us yet he was content notwithstanding to under go them Mat. 16.21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew to his Disciples how he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things of the
death of Christ is a certain Sacrament or pledge which certifies us that our death is nothing at all For if death hath executed all its power and strength upon Christ if death hath poured out all its venom and malignity upon Christ then there is nothing that remains in death to hurt us Death had nothing at all to do with Christ but only as he put himself under the power of death for our sakes Now the Son of God who was above death freely subjecting himself to death for our sakes and death having done all that it could against Christ it hath nothing more to do against a poor Believer It is true Believers dye still but yet their death is not part of the Curse the death of the Saints is only a passage unto life and it is that which prepares the way for a more blessed Resurrection Whatever was truly formidable or terrible in death is taken away by the death of Christ That which was most formidable in death was this that it was a part of the Curse that it was the effect of Divine wrath Now Christ having suffered the whole of Gods wrath for us death is not inflicted upon Believers as the effect of Gods wrath nay it is so far from being sent to a Believer in wrath that it is sent in mercy to him and death is an introduction unto a Believers happiness All things are yours things present things to come life is yours and death is yours 1 Cor. 3.21 22. Blessed are the dead that dye in the Lord Rev. 14. Death is an introduction to the Saints unto their perfect and compleat happiness the Saints happiness is inchoate and begun in this life when they are first brought into the Kingdom of Grace and their happiness is compleat and consummate in the next life when they are by death ushered into the Kingdom of Glory Consid 11 The love of Christ in his sufferings appears in this That he came into our nature and became man on purpose that he might suffer for us One of the principal ends of the Incarnation of the Son of God was that he might suffer and dye for men This is intimated by the Apostle Heb. 2.14 For as much as the children are made partakers of flesh and blood he also himself took part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the devil It is as much as if he had said Had he not partaken of our nature he could not have suffered for us as he was the Son of God and possessed of the Divine nature so he was not capable of suffering but therefore did he take on him our nature and became the Son of man that he might be in a capacity to suffer for men O what overcoming love was this that the Son of God did therefore take upon him our nature that he might be in a capacity to suffer for men had he always abode in the form of God only it had not been possible for him to suffer but therefore would he take upon him part of our passible and mortal flesh that so he might be in a capacity to suffer and dye for us Consid 12 The love of Christ in his suffering may be seen in this Because so great benefits accrue and come to us by the sufferings of Christ Christ by the merit of his sufferings hath purchased and procured the greatest blessings for us To instance in a few briefly 1. Christ by his sufferings hath purchased for us the forgiveness of sins Eph. 1.14 In whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins 2. Christ by his sufferings hath purchased for us peace and reconciliation with God Eph. 2.16 That he might reconcile us to God by the cross 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 3. Eternal life it self is the purchase of Christs sufferings Rom. 6. ult The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord that is through the merit of Jesus Christ our Lord so that eternal life is the merit of Christs death We have another clear Text to confirm this Heb. 9.15 For this cause he is the Mediator of the new Testament that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Testament they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance The eternal inheritance the inheritance which all the Elect are brought unto in Heaven is purchased by the death of Christ for so the Apostle expresseth it That by means of death those that are called might have the promise of eternal inheritance Hence is it that Heaven is called a purchased possession Eph. 1.14 Vntil the redemption of the purchased possession the Glory of Heaven is called a purchased possession Now in every purchase there must be a price there can be no purchase without a price the price therefore that was laid down for us that we might obtain eternal life was the price of Christs blood the death of Christ as appears from the former Scriptures 4. The Spirit of God and all that grace whereby we are inabled to believe and obey and in general whatever blessings are comprehended in the Covenant of Grace these are all the purchase of the death of Christ This is apparent from those words of our Saviour in the institution of the Supper This cup is the new Testament in my blood as much as if he should say All the mercies all the blessings of the new Covenant are the purchase of my blood and the Covenant it self is ratified and confirmed by my blood Now in the Covenant of Grace there are many great things promised in it the Lord promiseth to forgive the sins of his people he promiseth that he will put his Law in their minds and write it in their hearts he promiseth that he will give his Spirit to them and the like all these blessings are purchased and procured by the death of Christ great therefore must the love of Christ be in giving himself to suffer and dye for his people since by the death of Christ such great and admirable priviledges are purchased for them The Covenant of Grace is the greatest Charter of all our spiritual Priviledges whatever Priviledges belong to a Believer they are contained within the compass of the Covenant Now the Covenant it self is founded in the blood of the Mediator of the Covenant How precious then is that blood that purchased such great things for us And how great was the love of Christ that shed his blood to obtain such things for us Vse If the love of Christ be so great in his sufferings let us be exhorted from hence to meditate much on the sufferings of Christ O it were well for us if we could take many a turn at the Cross of Christ and
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
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
he expresseth it thus Of his fulness we receive and grace for grace which expression intimateth thus much That the humanity of Christ is the first receptacle of all grace To understand this we must know that our nature had lost original righteousness our nature was deprived of the image of God was alienated from the life of God and the way was barred and shut up as to our reception of grace for our iniquities had separated between God and us as the Prophets expression is Isa 59.1 The Son of God therefore by his Incarnation hath so united the Divine nature to the humane that he hath brought down and deposited as it were the whole fulness of the Godhead in the humane nature assumed that so grace life salvation from which we were estranged and alienated by sin might be brought near to us again and grace being now deposited in a part of our nature from this part of our nature which is taken into personal union with the Son of God which is a nature consubstantial with ours and near akin to us grace life salvation might be derived to us from his fulness we might receive grace for grace Heb. 2.14 Because the children were made partakers of flesh and blood he also took part of the same Now saith the Apostle elsewhere No man ever as yet hated his own flesh He that is a brother indeed it is no grief to him to part with some of his substance with some of the goods he is possessed of to his own brethren who are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone It is a great Scripture yet farther to illustrate this As the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself and hath given him authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of man Joh. 5.26 27. Calvin observes from that expression because he is the Son of man Christ was therefore ordained by the Father to be the Author of life that so we might not have life to seek afar off Christ received nothing for himself as if he needed any thing for himself but he received that wherewith he might inrich us and the sum of these two verses he makes to be this That is laid open to us in Christ man which did before lye hid in God because the Majesty of God as it is at a great distance from us is like to a spring that lyes hidden and latent Habemus promptum expositum fontem ex quo haurire licet Calvin therefore God hath displayed himself openly to us in Christ We have in Christ a fountain that is near and ready at hand and that which lyes open to us from whence we might receive all grace 10. The love of Christ in his Incarnation appears in this In that by means of the Incarnation of the Son of God grace is not only brought near to us but it is made most firm and sure That which a meer man received might be taken away and lost as it was in Adam therefore grace was deposited in the hands of one who was God as well as man that so grace might be made most sure and firm The best of creatures are mutable things and subject to change hence is that expression Job 4.18 Behold he puts no trust in his servants and his Angels he chargeth with folly The Angels themselves which are the highest rank of creatures are subject to change the good Angels who never sinned yet might have sinned and fallen had they not been confirmed by Divine grace And that they might have done so it appears plainly by the instance of the evil Angels The evil Angels were created at first in the same state of dignity and glory as the good Angels were but they being left to the mutability of their own will fell from God whereas the good Angels were confirmed by grace It is a wise speech of Austin God Deum sic ordinâsse Angelorum hominum vitam ut in ea priùs ostenderet quid posset liberum arbitrium deinde quid posset gratiae suae beneficium Aug. saith he hath so ordered and disposed concerning the life of Angels and men that he hath shewn first of all what free-will could do and then what the benefit of his grace could do Free-will both in Angels and men discovered it self to be a mutable thing therefore that grace might be laid sure it was laid in the hands of one who was God as well as man Austin observes Christ was predestinated to be Head of the Church and we are predestinated to be his members Now grace in the Head of the Church is laid most sure The Godhead in Christ is an indeficient never failing Principle of grace So that the humane nature of Christ had not only created habits in it as Adams soul had but the Godhead was personally united to it so that unless we could suppose a dissolution of the Hypostatical or personal Union it is impossible that the humane nature in Christ should cease to be filled with Divine grace Hence is that expression of Christ Joh. 6.57 As the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father It is as much as if our Saviour had said The Godhead is a living spring a living fountain of grace It is usual with Christ when he speaks of those things which belong to the Divine nature which is common to him and the Father to attribute them to the Father therefore he saith I live by the Father The Father is the first person in the Deity and although the Son be possessed of the same Deity yet when Christ speaks of such things as belong to the Deity or the Divine nature he useth the name of the Father in which expression his own Divinity is comprehended So Joh. 14.10 The Father that dwelleth in me he doth the works his meaning is the Divine nature The Divine nature is common to him and the Father but he expresses it thus The Father in me doth the works Now saith he As the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father his meaning is the Divinity which is united to my flesh is a living Spring and fountain of grace my humanity receives all grace life and virtue from the Divinity inhabiting in it The Divine nature in the person of the Son holds the humane nature in the nearest closest and most indissoluble union and being so nearly and strictly united to the humanity fills the humanity with all grace So that the firmness and sureness of grace to the Elect depends upon a treble Basis or foundation 1. It depends upon the firmness and indissolubility of the Union that is between the two Natures in Christ 2. It depends upon the Indeficiency of grace and the inexhaustible Fulness that is in the Godhead 3. It depends upon a Believers Union with Christ 1. If the personal Union can never be dissolved then the humane nature which always abides in the nearest union
my God why hast thou forsaken me He was deprived of the sense and comfort of his Fathers love Secondly Christ suffered natural death his humane soul was truly separated from his body Now Christ having satisfied that Law In the day that thou eatest thou shalt dye the death by suffering the penalty of that Law hath fully delivered his people from the curse Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us A Learned man observes Because according to the sentence of the Divine Judgment in that day Adam fell and sinned humane nature ought to have been punished with eternal perdition therefore the Son of God offered himself to assume humane nature and afterwards did assume it that so man might not dye the death And the same Learned man hath another expression to the same purpose Because humane nature was depraved and lost so that it became the body of sin and death therefore the Son of God in lieu thereof was pleased in the humane nature assumed to condemn sin and abolish death and in his own person restore humane nature to righteousness life and happiness Christ having dyed for sin once dyeth no more death hath no more dominion over him Rom. 6.9 10. Our nature as it is in Christ it is above death and the fear of death O let us think of these things these things are the most solid grounds of comfort Our nature in Christ is above death and the fear of death it is possessed of life and immortality and brought to perfect happiness Hence is that expression 2 Tim. 1.10 Christ who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel Christ hath already brought life and immortality into our nature Christ doth already stand possessed of immortality in his own person And this is the singular comfort of Believers that they may see a part of their own nature set above sorrow misery and death and brought to the greatest happiness they can wish or long for and that they may be assured they shall be possessed of the same happiness in their measure which Christ their Head is possessed of This Christ assures them of Joh. 17.22 The glory which thou hast given me I have given them Christ had glory with the Father from Eternity as he was his natural and coessential Son this he speaks of vers 5. Glorifie me with thy self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was Now besides this there is a glory which is given to him the glory which thou gavest me I have given them Christ had a glory given to him as man and Mediator Now the glory which was given to Christ as man and Head of the Church is given to the Elect so that all the Elect do participate and share in it in their measure The glory which thou hast given me I have given them Calvin observes upon that Text The Samplar or pattern of perfect happiness is so exprest and set forth in Christ that nothing is confined to Christ only but Christ was therefore inriched that he might inrich Believers the glory which thou hast given me I have given them Christ and his Members share in glory in common only reserving the difference between Head and Members Christ hath the glory of the Head Believers have glory as Members Christs glorification is the surest pledge of our glorification for how is it possible that he who is our Head and is now in glory with the Father should leave us to those miseries we are now obnoxious to whenas we are so nearly related to him we being members of his body of his flesh and of his bones Eph. 5.30 and he that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit The Church being so nearly related to Christ and Christ being in glory how is it possible Christ should leave them under those miseries they are now subject unto 17. The greatness of Christs love in his Incarnation appears in this In that by means of the Incarnation all the Elect shall have a standing Monument before their eyes wherein they may see and behold the infiniteness and transcendency of the love of God to all Eternity And the reason of this Proposition is this Because the Hypostatical or personal Union shall not be dissolved in Heaven the humane nature shall remain and abide united to the Divinity to all Eternity As in Heaven we shall be admitted to the sight of God we shall see the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity we shall see the Unity of the Essence and the three persons Father Son and Spirit subsisting in this one Essence of God so in Heaven we shall see the great Mystery of the personal Union the Mystery of the two Natures in the person of Christ more than now we can And this will be one part of the happiness of Heaven that we shall see our nature united to the Divinity in the person of the Son of God and by this means we shall come to understand the greatness of the love of God by seeing how near our nature is taken unto God in the person of our Head The Hypostatical or personal Union is the foundation of the mystical Union viz. of our union and communion with God God hath taken a part of our nature into personal union with himself and by means of this we have union and communion with him Now in Heaven we shall have a clear sight what that glory is which Christ our Head is advanced unto by the personal union And this I take to be carried in that great Text Joh. 17.24 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me The happiness of Heaven will be to gaze upon the glory of Christ as a Learned Divine expresseth it That they may behold my glory as if so be this would be Heaven enough for the Elect to see the glory their Head is possessed of And what glory is this That they may behold my glory certainly the glory of his Divinity Christ had glory with the Father before the foundation of the world Joh. 17.5 He was in the form of God saith the Apostle now all the Elect shall see and behold his glory that is they shall see the glory of his Divinity and how so They shall see and behold the glory of his Divinity shining forth through his humanity The humane nature is united to the Divinity in the person of the Son now the Elect in Heaven shall see that person who hath assumed their nature to be true God and to have all the glory of the Divinity in him As the second person in Trinity is true God and hath all the glory of the Divinity in him so the Elect in Heaven shall see the humane nature united to the Divinity in the person of the Son Therefore is it added in the close of the verse For
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
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
till we are brought to eternal life therefore the Satisfaction of Christ is of constant Use to us The end of the twelfth Sermon SERMON XIII Joh. 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends THat which we were last upon was Why we ought to live by faith upon the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ Two Considerations have already been offered 1. Consid 1 Because the Satisfaction of Christ is the only means of our reconciliation with God 2. Consid 2 Christs Sufferings and Satisfaction are the food and nourishment of our souls the means to continue us in the favour of God as well as to bring us into it at first I shall only add a third and then proceed 3. Consid 3 God hath ordained and appointed the death of Christ as the means of reconciliation and offers it to us for that end That the death of Christ is the means of our reconciliation with God hath been shewn at large heretofore that it is so by Divine ordination and appointment and that God propounds and offers it to us to be received by faith on our part is that which I am now to speak of and for this we must have recourse unto that Text Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quem proposuit Deus Whom God hath set forth or propounded as a propitiation This expression Whom God hath set forth may have relation to two things 1. It may have relation to the Eternal Decree of God namely that God from Eternity hath decreed Christ to be our propitiation and decreed his death to be the means of our propitiation 1 Pet. 1.18 Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world Consider that expression Who verily was foreordained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world to be a slain Lamb his death was decreed and foreordained to be the means and only means of our reconciliation with God 2. This expression Whom God hath set forth may have reference and respect to the revelation and tender that is made of Christ in the Gospel Whom God hath propounded or set forth that is God hath propounded Christ and his death in the Gospel as the means of reconciliation The Apostle speaking of the Gospel saith That therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith Rom. 1.17 God hath revealed the righteousness of his Son in the Gospel as the great object of our faith Now Christs righteousness is nothing else but the result of his obedience active and passive as it is commonly called Christ giving that obedience to the Law which the Law requires Christ suffering and undergoing the punishment which the Law exacts from us for the breach of it this is the righteousness of Christ and this is that which the Gospel tenders to us as the object of our faith to be embraced and received by us Therein saith the Apostle is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as much as if he should say The Gospel reveals the righteousness of Christ to be embraced and entertained of us by faith on our part Now if God do propound the righteousness of Christ whereof the sufferings and satisfaction of Christ are a principal part as the great object of our faith it concerns us then to have a constant recourse to this and to make use of it and therefore that expression is very observable in the Text before mentioned The righteousness of God is revealed in the Gospel from faith to faith Why from faith to faith The meaning I take to be that our faith ought to take a firm and fast hold of the righteousness of Christ and to take a deeper rooting in it from day to day We should not be content with some general apprehensions of this righteousness and that we have known a little of it but we should grow from faith to faith our faith should take deeper and firmer rooting in it continually I now come to the second thing propounded and that was to shew how we ought to make use of the Sacrifice and Satisfaction of Christ so as to draw down the virtue and benefit of it unto our own souls I take this to be an inquiry of great moment because much of the life of faith consists in the right understanding and practice of it I shall therefore propound several things by way of direction to shew how we ought to make use of the satisfaction of Christ so as to draw down the benefit and virtue of it unto our own souls 1. If we would make use of the Satisfaction of Christ let us look upon our selves as guilty persons most worthy of Divine wrath and condemnation as considered in our selves Satisfaction supposeth guilt an innocent person need not to have any satisfaction made for him an innocent person hath done no wrong and therefore nothing need to be tendered for him by way of compensation If therefore we would have the benefit of Christs satisfaction we must first see that we are guilty and condemned persons in our selves This was shadowed forth in the Levitical Ordinances he that brought his offering to the Priest was to lay his hand on the head of the Sacrifice Levit. 1.4 And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement This Rite of laying the hand on the head of the Sacrifice or Offering by him that brought it did carry in it a tacit or secret confession of the persons guiltiness he did hereby confess that he was worthy to be put to death for his sin He that brought the Sacrifice by laying his hand on the head of the Sacrifice did hereby profess that the beast suffered what he deserved That the beast being slain was an argument and token that he deserved to be so dealt with himself that he deserved to be destroyed for his sins therefore when we come to make use of the Satisfaction of Christ and his Sacrifice we ought to be sensible of our own guiltiness and worthiness of condemnation consider what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 11.31 If we judge our selves we shall not be judged of the Lord. If we would have benefit from Christs satisfaction we must first judge our selves worthy of condemnation Christs righteousness and satisfaction is sweet to none but a self-condemned person Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest saith our Saviour Mat. 11.28 We must be weary and heavy laden with the sense of our own guiltiness before we can prize the satisfaction of Christ We ought therefore when ever we come to make use of the satiffaction of Christ to see what
this great Person who is our High Priest sanctifies his Sacrifice by the dignity of his person he is the Son of God not a meer man as the Levitical Priests were and by the dignity of his own person puts the highest value upon the Sacrifice which he offered Hence is that expression in vers 27. Who needed not daily as those high Priests to offer sacrifices first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people for this he did once when he offered up himself Christs one Sacrifice was of more value than all the multitude of the Sacrifices offered by the Levitical Priests Why so He offered himself up saith the Apostle The reason why Christs Sacrifice was beyond all theirs was because he offered himself Christ was both the Priest and the Sacrifice He offered up himself so saith this Text and Heb. 1.3 it is said That by himself he hath purged away our sins It was the Son that was the Priest offering and it was the Son that was the Sacrifice that was offered For though it were the humane nature of the Son only that was capable of suffering and dying yet the person of the Son was conjunct with the Humanity in the sufferings of the humane nature Hence is that expression of Leo Verbo inviolabili non separato à carn◠passibili Leo. The inviolable Word that is the Son of God the second Person in Trinity who was inviolable and impassible was not separated from his passible flesh in the time of his suffering And another of the Ancients expresseth himself to this purpose and it is a memorable passage The Son of God that he might shew that he was not absent from the Temple of his body in the time of his Passion but that he was present with it in his suffering therefore it was that as he was God by the power of his Divinity at the same time when he suffered in his flesh he caused darkness to come over the Sun brake the rocks in pieces and raised the dead So that though it was the flesh that suffered yet God was personally united to that flesh that suffered Hence is that 1 Pet. 4.1 Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh Now we ought to turn the eye of our faith upon this great Person the Son of God transacting all in our nature It is true it was our nature in Christ that obeyed that suffered that dyed but still we ought to look upon it as influenced by the person of the Son of God who assumed it and did all in it and by it The humane will in Christ was governed by the Divine will yea the humane will in Christ was strengthened and corroborated by the Divine will In the work of Christs Satisfaction the Divine nature was the principal efficient cause the humane nature the less principal ministring or subservient cause as Divines speak Now this is a great relief unto faith that Christ in regard of the dignity of his Person is equal to him to whom the satisfaction is made For though in respect of his humane nature he be inferiour to the Father and the Father is said to be greater than he Joh. 14.28 yet in respect of his Divine nature he is equal with the Father Joh. 1.1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and this was the Word that took flesh and gave his flesh for the life of the world The same was with God in the beginning he was with God in the same equality of Power Glory and Majesty he was in the form of God and counted it no robbery to be equal with God Phil. 2.6 Now this is a great relief to faith the person who tenders the satisfaction is of equal Power Majesty and Glory with him to whom the satisfaction is tendered This may greatly comfort such as are distressed in conscience Great indeed is the person offended by thy sins O but great is the person tendering the satisfaction the person offended is God and the person who makes the satisfaction is God as well as man Consider that Text Joh. 10.18 No man taketh my life from me but I lay it down of my self I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again Divinitas filii est quae ponit rursus animam hominis quem serebat c. It is the Divinity of the Son that doth lay down and take again his life as he was man 1 Joh. 3.16 Hereby perceive we the love of God that he laid down his life for us Christ as he was man had power over his own life as he was man no meer man hath power over his own life but his life is under the dispose of God but Christ being God as well as man had the dispose of his own life and therefore as he was God he laid down his life as he was man The end of the thirteenth Sermon SERMON XIV Joh. 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends I Come now to the sixth Direction which is this If we would make use of the Sufferings and Satisfaction of Christ so as to draw down the virtue and benefit of them to our own souls we must lay the stress of our faith upon Christ and rely entirely upon the virtue of that eternal Sacrifice of his This was shadowed forth under the Law in the day of atonement the Priest was to lay both his hands upon the head of the live-goat Lev. 16.21 This the Priest was to do in the name of the people by this sign discharging them as it were and laying all their sins upon the beast which was a figure of Christ Whoever brought his Sacrifice under the Law was to lay his hand on the head of the Sacrifice Lev. 1.4 Now this Rite of laying the hand on the head of the Sacrifice as it did carry in it a tacite confession of guilt as hath formerly been shewn so also there was in it a profession of faith an expectation of pardon and atonement in the virtue of the Sacrifice that was to be offered up The man that brought his offering was to lay or impose his hand upon it himself while it was yet alive thereby disburdening himself of sin as it were and laying it on the Sacrifice and thereby testifying his faith in Christ the true Sacrifice that was to be slain for him Mat. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest Christ calls all such as are weary and heavy laden with the guilt of their sins to come to him and lay the burden of the guilt of their sins on him The Jewish Writers tell us That he that did impose or lay his hand on the head of the Sacrifice was to do it with all his might he was to lay both his hands upon the beasts head and what doth this teach us but that our
him giving himself to us for these are no vain words This is my body which was broken for you setting aside those gross conceits of the Papists That the bread is transubstantiated into the body of Christ and that Christ is corporally present under the outward form of the Elements I say setting aside their gross conceits there is certainly a real though spiritual presence of Christ to every believing soul in the Sacrament The humane nature of Christ indeed is really present in Heaven therefore is it said Whom the heavens must contain till the time of the restitution of all things Act. 3. Yet the virtue of Christs body and blood is still really communicated to every believing soul Corpus ipsum in quo passus est resurrexit yea not only so saith Calvin Not only the virtue of his Death and Resurrection but that very body that dyed and rose again this is offered to us in the Sacrament these are great Mysteries indeed Now not to have a due reverence to such great and sublime Mysteries as these are to come to these as if they were common and ordinary things or to come to them with a common and slight spirit this is to come unworthily 2. Then do we come unworthily to the Sacrament when we live in the practice of any gross sin or retain the love of any sin We profess by our coming to the Sacrament that we believe that Christ dyed for such and such sins and yet we love these sins or continue in the practice of those sins that cost Christ his life this is to offer the greatest indignity to the Son of God This is as if a Traitor should come to sit at Table with the King to dine or sup with him and yet never repent of his treason but retain a traiterous mind and intention in his heart all the while When a man sits at the same table to eat and drink with another it is a sign of friendship no one would willingly admit another to his table but whom he accounts to be his friend When we come to the Lords Table we profess the highest friendship to Christ now when we profess the highest friendship to Christ and yet retain that in our love and practice that is most directly contrary to the honour and glory of Christ this is the greatest indignity that can be This is that the Apostle calls the crucifying the Son of God afresh and putting him to an open shame Heb. 6.6 What is this but crucifying Christ afresh and making Christ as contemptuous as possibly we can whenas we profess to expect salvation by the death and sufferings of Christ and yet in the mean time love harbour entertain and practise those very things we say we believe Christ dyed for Certainly every loose Christian that makes a profession of Christ and yet lives in gross open sins makes a plain mock of Christ and his sufferings for he professeth that he believes he shall be pardoned by the sufferings and death of Christ and yet he continues in the love and practice of those sins as if so be the end of Christs death were that men might continue in their sins and not be delivered from them 3. Then do men come unworthily to the Sacrament when they come without examining themselves Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup 1 Cor. 11.28 It is observable the Apostle opposeth this examining a mans self to his eating unworthily In the former verse he had said He that eats this bread and drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord now he adds But let a man examine himself so then if a man do not examine himself then he eats unworthily But it may be said Object What ought a man to examine himself about Concerning two things Answ 1. Concerning his state 2. Concerning the present frame and dispostion of his heart 1. A man ought to examine himself concerning his state whether he be in Christ whether he have a right to such an Ordinance 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether ye be in the faith prove your own selves Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobate We must examine our selves concerning our fundamental estate whether that be good yea or no to examine what standing we have in Christ 2. We ought to examine our selves concerning the frame and disposition of our souls whether we be in a fit frame to partake of such an Ordinance We ought to examine our selves whether our hearts be strongly bent and inclined to any sin whether we be under the power of any sin this is the examination of our repentance We ought to examine what the frame of our hearts is God-ward whether the bent of our hearts be towards God and the ways of God this is the examining of our other graces Now when we rush upon the Sacrament without reflexion and examination of our spiritual state this is unworthy coming And here let us observe That the children of God themselves may in a degree come in an unworthy manner for there are several degrees of unworthy receiving They that have slight and contemptuous thoughts of this Ordinance they that live in gross and scandalous sins they are guilty of unworthy receiving in the highest degree But then they that have true grace and do not retain in their hearts the love of any sin yet if they are remiss in searching into their hearts to find out their secret corruptions and to judge themselves for them they come unworthily in a lesser degree and God may correct his own children for their spiritual remisness in this kind The Apostle tells us For this cause many were sickly and weak and many were fallen asleep 1 Cor. 11.30 that is for coming to the Sacrament without due preparation Others who grosly profane this Ordinance that come to this Ordinance and live in gross sins and continue to live and dye in them God punisheth them otherwise he punisheth them with eternal condemnation He that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself or judgment to himself as the word may be rendred The godly themselves coming in a rude and careless manner to this Ordinance may and oftentimes do bring the judgment of temporal chastisement upon themselves for not coming in a right manner to so great an Ordinance But such as are profane who come to this Ordinance and yet live in sin they eat to themselves the judgment of eternal condemnation Now to return unto what we first propounded to come unworthily to the Sacrament is one way of contemning Christs sufferings And if it be asked What is the reason of it why is the unworthy receiving of the Sacrament a contemning of Christs sufferings I answer 1. Because the Sacrament is a plain revelation and exhibition of Christ crucified This is my body which was broken
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