to be forsaken that we might not be forsaken and to bee condemned that wee might bee acquitted Oh all you stubborne hearts that heretofore have made nothing of the blood of Christ and his honour but though the judgements of God and the hammer cannot breake your hearts yet let this mercy breake you and reason with thy owne heart in this manner and say Good Lord is this possible Lord this is too much for reason cannot reach it nor nature cannot doe it to give himselfe and his life and to bee forsaken and despised that a rebbell and a traitor should be received to mercy certainly I shall love him as long as I live yes and doe so too and seeke to that Jesus Christ and honour him and say for ought I know I may obtaine a part in Christ therefore I will never wrong him nor grieve his good Spirit more The Lord say Amen to the good desires of your hearts that you may stand and wonder at this compassion of the Lord that is out of measure great Vse 4 Hath the Lord suffered all these punishment for us then what shall wee doe for the Lord Jesus Christ returne an answer to the Lord what course you will take to answer the kindnesse of the Lord. When David had received many kindnesses from the Lord he lookes up to Heaven and saith I will love thee dearly O Lord my strength Love is the loadstone of love therefore have love inlarged in this dutie be not scantie in your love but bestow your hearts fully and liberally upon the Lord Jesus Christ and let all returne love to the Lord Jesus Christ and love him in all things by all means and at all times and know that the death of Christ requires this and will call for it I doe not love that a man should give the Lord Iesus Christ a little scanty desire and a few lazy wishes but love him with all thy soule and with all thy strength and say I will love thee dearly Oh Lord my strength when thou dost rise in the morning love Iesus Christ and bathe thy heart in it and when thou art in the way or at thy labour love Iesus Christ that strengthens thee when thou feedest upon the sweetnesse of thy meat thinke upon the sweetnesse that is in Christ and thanke the blood of Christ for all that thou hast in all the riches thou seest and in all the honours thou hast and in all thy friends and means and whatsoever thy heart loves or esteems in that see Christ and in that love Christ why what doth that concerne Jesus Christ I answer it will make it appeare that all that thou hast is from the blood of Christ and the blood of Christ is better than all the blessings you doe enjoy and they are all nothing without this for it is the death of the Lord Iesus Christ that ads a seasoning vertue to all the good things thou hast so that these are not good to us neither doe they worke good to us but that they are given to us in and by the Lord Jesus Christ for were they not given us in Christ there is such venome and gall in our sinnes and the wrath of God it selfe which slides thorow all the good things here below that it makes all the morsels gravell in the belly In a word the blood of Christ takes away the venome and indignation of Gods curse which otherwise would bring a plague upon what wee have and what we doe enjoy how many rich and honourable are there if the Lord let but in a veine of vengeance into their consciences all their riches and honours are base and worth nothing what 's that to me if I bee rich and a reprobate honoured and damned and the wrath of God to pursue me therefore without the death of Christ all these things are but curses to us the world is a prison and the creatures are our enemies and every one of our actions are our witnesses to condemne us and all our comforts are but gall and wormwood to us nay were it not for the blood of Christ your prosperity would be your ruine your beds your graves and your comforts your confusion and therefore that they are not so and that thou hast any comfort from these goe blesse God for it and say Lord it is through thy blood that I have received any blessing upon these blessings Lord I might have drunke the cup of thy wrath when I drunke this beere I might have eaten my bane when I eat my meat I blesse thy Name blessed Redeemer for thy love it is thy blood that hath purchased these things for me if you have received from any thing here below any good at all looke up to Christ and blesse his Name for it and say if this meat be so sweet then what is the blood of Christ therefore love Christ by all means let all your words be words of love and all your labour be the labour of love and all your thoughts bee thoughts of love and muse of love and speake of the treasures of mercy and let all your affections be full of love and all your workes be love and lift up his Name and say all ye that see my conversation that I walke so comfortably blesse his Name for it the blood of Jesus Christ hath done all this for me I was a wretched creature but the blood of Christ hath overpowred this rebellious heart of mine honour him and lift him up and say my heart was hard and filthy and my soule was destitute of all good and my sinnes many yet now I have some evidence of the love of God blessed bee his Name for it the blood of Christ hath done this for me muse of him speake for him worke for him and doe all for him in all miseries and troubles sorrowes and vexations temptations without and terrours within love Jesus Christ therein though these befall thee yet the venome and poyson of them is gone and they are sweetned unto thee thy prison is libertie thy contempt is advancement in all the things thou hast love Jesus Christ that hath procured these and now if you will not love Jesus Christ let mee aske you whom will you love nay whom else can you love answer mee will you love your friends that are deare unto you or your Parents that doe provide for you or your wife that is loving and mercifull to you you will love these as there is good cause you should but love Christ more than all these If you will love a friend or a father then much more Christ that is the Author of all and the continuer and preserver of all a friend would be an enemy but that the blood of Christ frames his heart A wife would rather bee a trouble than a helpe but that the blood of Christ orders her therefore I say with Paul 1 Cor. 16.22 If any man love not the Lord Iesus Christ let him bee Anathema Maranatha aske your neighbours if they love not the Lord Jesus Christ Let that soule bee accursed untill the comming of Christ to judgement Curse him all yee Angels in Heaven and all yee Devils in Hell Curse him all yee creatures and let this curse remaine upon him untill the comming of Christ unto judgement and let these curses bee sealed downe upon him for ever and when you are come to the end of all this will bee the plague and the curse of all that you had Christ and mercy rendered to you once and you would not receive it therefore since Christ hath thought nothing too good for us even his life and blood and was content to part with the sense and feeling of the sweetnesse of the love of God the Father thinke nothing too good for Christ but love him in all things and by all means the Lord grant wee may FINIS
agreeable to the exactnesse of the Law and for which a man may be condemned that cannot justifie a man but it is so here therefore they cannot be justified p. 119 Use 1. It is a ground of confutation of the Church of Rome that holds the formall cause of the justication of a sinner it is the frame of holinesse wrought in him not imputed to him p. 122 Use 2. It is a word of consolation and it is a Cordiall to cheere up a mans heart and to carry him through all troubles whatsoever can betide him or shall befall him ibid. Use 3. It is an use of exhortation will nothing doe the deed but a Christ why then above all labour for a Christ more than all labour to prize a Christ p. 127 A TABLE OF THE Soules Iustification out of these words 2 COR. 5.22 For hee hath made him to be sinne for us which knew no sinne that wee might bee made the righteousnesse of God in him OVt of these words two things are to bee opened First the discription of justification Secondly opening of the discription p. 132 Iustification it is an act of God the Father upon the beleever whereby the debt and sinnes of the beleever are charged upon the Lord Iesus Christ and by the merits and satisfaction of Christ imputed to the beleever hee is accounted just and so is acquitted before God as righteous ibid. Doctrine 1. Iustification is an act of God the Father upon the beleever p. 133 For the clearing of the doctrine 2. particulars are to be opened Particular 1. The first particular is this why is it called an act of God the Father Answ First because the Father was the party that was properly offended p. 135. Secondly because the Father is the Fountaine in the Deitie p. 137 Particular 2. Why it is an act of God the Father upon the beleever Answer Because it is a transient action that passeth from God upon the creature and so doth worke thereby a change and alteration upon the creature p. 139 The charge that is wrought upon the creatures is two wayes Particular 1. The Lord is said to passe a worke or an action upon the creature when hee puts some kinde of abilitie upon the creature either spirituall or naturall as when the Lord makes a wicked man a good man an adulterous man a chaste man and this wee call a naturall change because there is a gratious frame put into the heart p. 140 Secondly the Lord is said to make a change upon the creature when he takes off some relations and respects which the creature had and puts upon it other respects and this is called a morall change p. 140 Use 1. It is a ground of admirable comfort to beare up the heart of a poore sinner above all the accusations of sinne Satan or the envy of the world p. 143 Use 2. It is a word of direction to all the Saints to appeale to the Iudge of the Court in their judgement p. 148 Use 3. It is a groung of terrour to the wicked and to all unbeleevers that they have no share in this point of justification p. 154 Doctrine Christ Iesus never yeelded the least improvement of heart to sinne neither did he ever commit the least sinne in his life p. 159 Reason 1. Looke into the nature of our Saviour and it was pure p. 159 Reason 2. Looke into the Office of our Saviour and hee was without sinne p. 160 Use 1. It is a word of exhortation to the faithfull to conforme their hearts and conversations answerable to Christ p. 161 Doctrine God the Father did impute all the sinnes of all the world to the charge of our Saviour p. 166 When God the Father doth charge the sinnes of the faithfull upon Christ it doth appeare in these three particular acts Particular 1. God the Father and the Lord Iesus Christ made a mutuall decree and purpose that so many as should beleeve should be saved and this was left to the care of Christ that he should make them beleeve p. 170 Particular 2. Our Saviour having undertaken to keepe these he therefore put himselfe into the roome and place of all those lost sheepe p. 173 Particular 3. Our Saviour having put himselfe into the room of a sinner the Law now proceeds with full scope against him p. 175 Reason 1. That which the Lord Iesus Christ did willingly submit himselfe to without sinne that God the Father might justly charge upon him p. 176 Reason 2. Because the justice of God requireth this at the hands of Iesus Christ that hee should take the guilt of sinners upon himselfe p. 177 Reason 3. Because herein is abundantly magnified the love and mercy of Christ p. 179 Use 1. It is a word of instruction to the Saints if God the Father hath laid thy sinnes upon Christ then doe not thou take them from him to thy selfe p. 180 How farre a beleever may charge himselfe with his sinne doth appeare in these foure conclusions Conclusion 1. Every beleever is bound to see and examine the sinfull carriage of his soule and to judge that it hath power to make him guiltie and also to condemne him p. 182 Conclusion 2. Every beleeving soule justified ought to acknowledge that it were righteous with the Lord to let out his wrath against him though not to condemne him yet to distract him p. 185 Conclusion 3. Every beleever accepted and justified in and through Christ by the Father yet hee is thus farre bound to charge his sins upon himselfe as to maintain in his owne heart a sense of the need that he hath of Christ as well to continue his respect and acceptation with God as to bring him at first into the love and favour of God p. 187 Conclusion 4. Thus farre the Saints of God ought to goe in charging their owne soules with their sinnes so far to see them and to bee affected with them as to bring their hearts to be truly carried with hatred against them and with resolution to get power and strength against them p. 189 How farre a beleever may not charge himselfe with his sin may bee conceived in these two conclusions Conclusion 1. A beleever should not in his judgement conceive nor in his heart be perswaded that any sinne nor all his sinnes shall ever bee able to fasten the guilt of sinne upon him so as to cause revenging justice to proceed against him to his condemnation p. 192 Use 2. It is a word of terrour to all unbeleevers they are destitute of all hope of the pardon of their sinnes p. 197 Use 3. It is a word of exhortation to the Saints was Christ made sin for thee then be thou content to bee made shame for him p. 200 Use 4. It is a word of comfort to all the faithfull learne to cast all thy sins on the Lord Iesus Christ Doctrine 4. The Lord Iesus Christ suffered fully whatsoever punishments divine justice required or were deserved by the sinnes
is accomplished by two meanes The first is the union which the soule hath with Christ The second is a conveyance of sap or sweetnesse or a communion with Christ and all the treasures of grace and happinesse that is in him then to make up the growing together of the graft and the stock First the graft is put into the stock Secondly there must bee a communicating of the moisture that is in the stock to the graft and so they grow together otherwayes it growes not at all but withers away now wee are first to describe the nature of the worke in generall and then we will descend to particulars and the severall parts of it now wee will define this union so farre as it concernes our purpose not intâ—enching into particulars It is such a joyning of the faithfull soule in such a meanes to Christ that it becomes one spirit these are not by way of collection to be gathered but they are plainly expressed in the text and two points of doctrine I meane to prosecute the first point is from the first part of the text Doctr. 1 Every true beleever is joyned unto Christs the word in the originall is glued he is glued he is waxed he is firmly and neerly combined and knit to the Lord Jesus Christ The second part of the description is the second point in hand Doctr. 2 He is so joyned unto the Lord that he becomes one spirit as the adulterer and the adulteresse is one flesh so he that beleeves in Christ is so neerly joyned to him that he becomes one spirit so we see the verse offers two doctrines First that a faithfull soule is firmly and neerly knit unto Christ Secondly hee is so knit that he becomes one spirit But first of the first doctrine What ever by way of comparison can be alleaged concerning the neere combination of one thing with another they are all tyed to this knitting of the soule to Christ looke what a friend is to a friend looke what a father is to a childe what a husband to a wife looke what a graft is to a tree and that is neerer than a husband to a wife nay goe yet farther Galat. 2.20 what the soule is to the body the soule is not only knit to the body as one member to another as the hand is knit to the arme and the arme to the shoulder but the soule doth communicate it selfe universally thorow the least part of the body so the Apostle saith Christ is the very soule of a beleever I live yet not I but the Lord Iesus liveth in mee so that looke as the body liveth by the soule the soule closing and communicating and quickning of the same so Christ is in a Christian and speaks in a Christian and enableth a Christian to the performance of that he doth hence the body of the faithfull is called Christ 1 Corin. 12.12 but we will open this a little further in two passages First the carriage of the soule in this closing Secondly the manner how it doth close The carriage wee shall desire to discover in three particulars which may bee expressed in a graft when it is put into the stock and I say therein observe three particulars First there is an exercise of the elements that are in the graft upon the stock and are so farre mingled one with another and doe so farre close one with another that they become one Secondly the graft joynes to the stock and none other Thirdly they doe not onely act thus but are bound one to another and this makes them act answerably to these three particulars There is also an expression of the knitting of the soule to Christ in three particulars First the soule gathers up it selfe and all its spirits its faculties that doth exercise in the worke thereof upon Christ and that makes the soule to grow unto the Lord when the soule turnes the promise into good bloud it doth not only chew the meat but disgest it and it becomes good bloud a true beleever gathers up all the faculties of his soule and imployes them upon Christ hope expects Christ and desire longs for Christ and love and joy imbrace Christ and the will closeth Christ thus the soule settles it selfe upon Christ hoping expecting longing desiring loving embracing looke as it is with a woman that kneads dowgh if there be two parts of it the moulding and the kneading knits them together and makes them one lump so there is the moulding of the soule to the promise hoping and desiring and longing and chusing faith kneads all these together and knits them unto God and drawes the soule to him Secondly the soule is satisfied with Christ and the riches of his grace the beleever doth repose his confidence wholly thereupon Prov. 5.19 that which makes the love of a husband increase towards his wife is this Hee is satisfied with her breasts at all times and then hee comes to bee ravished with her love if a husband hath a loose heart and will not content himselfe with the wife of his youth but hath his back doores and his goings out this makes a breach in matrimoniall affection but when he is satisfied with her brests he is ravished with her love so hope hath an expectation of mercy and is satisfied therewith desire longs for mercy and is satisfied therewith the will closeth Christ and it is fully satisfied with him and if it were to chuse againe it would chuse none but Christ thus suck thou up the consolations in the promise and be satisfied therewith and then thou wilt grow there upon but if you will bee resting here and staying upon the contentments of the world this is weake confidence and drawes the soule from God Thirdly the last thing is the binding of the heart upon both these viz. the keeping of the heart to the exercise of the promise and to bee satisfied with the promise 1 Coloss 23. If yee continue in the faith being grounded and setled so that a man doth stake downe his heart to the promise and holds hope and desire and love and joy and the will unto it it receives all Christ and none but Christ and stayes here and continues here for ever this same covenant that bindes the soule to Christ is that which makes the union betweene Christ and the soule thus we see how the soule carries it selfe in this union The second thing considerable is the manner how it is done and the qualitie of this union and this we will discover in three particulars First it is a reall union but it is spirituall you must not conceive it grosly as if my body were joyned to Christ but there is a reall union which is spirituall there is a union betweene the nature of Christ God and man and a true beleever that which I desire to declare is upon this ground to difference this union from that which Divines are deceived in viz. that it is an union more than it bare notion
course of profession in the way of life and salvation but they never come to bee opposers and resisters of God and his grace till there comes some to bee wiser and stricter in a Christian course than they and then hee fals away Vse 4 Is it so that the faithfull soule is thus neerly knitted to Christ as the member to the body or the branch to the vine then all you that beleeve in Christ observe from hence a ground of strong consolation against all the contempt of the world and the misery that can betide and against all the temptations that Sathan can lay against you to cause you to fall finally or totally First it is a ground of great comfort and consolation to carry up the soule and lift up the heart against all the contempt and disgrace against all the troubles and miseries and persecutions that can betide or befall you or can be cast upon you in this wandring pilgrimage of yours when a Christian begins to turne his face heaven-ward and goe home to the Lord then all his friends flie away and depart from him David complaines that his honours stood afarre off and hee was a mocking to the enemie and a contempt to those that were before neere unto him so it will bee with you nay it is so with most that live in the bosome of the Church how often can many of you speake of it when the Lord hath given you a heart to walke with him and depend upon him how often are you made the off-scouring of the world your carnall friends detest your persons and scorne your societies why raise up your hearts with the consideration of the former truth yee that doe endure it or may feare it comfort your selves doth man cast you off doth man cast you out Christ will receive you why then are you discouraged what though the servant frowne if the Master welcome what though we be not with the wicked if we be with Christ and Christ with us why are we then discontented it is that which comforts a party that matcheth against her parents minde when her parents frowne this comforts her heart though she hath not their love and society yet she hath the love and company of her husband and that contents her so it is with every beleeving soule you have matched against the minde of your carnall friends they would not have you take that course Oh then they tell you Woe and beggerie will befall you well though you have matched contrarie to the mindes of your carnall friends or master or husband yet comfort thy selfe though thou hast the ill will of an earthly husband yet now God will be a husband in heaven thou maist sing care away and bee for ever comforted and refreshed it was that which God himselfe gave for a cordiall to cheare up Iacob in that long and tedious journey of his when hee was going into a farre countrie Genes 28.14 15. when he was going from his owne countrie and had no friends to succour him the Lord met him and said I will goe with thee and keepe thee in all places whither thou goest and I will bring thee back into this land and I will never leave thee untill I have done that which I spake unto thee of this was that which lifted and bare up the heart of the good man though hee could not but expect hard dealing why yet saith the Lord I will goe with thee and never leave thee thinke of it and consider of it seriously what a ground of consolation may it be when we shall wander up and downe and goe into caves and holes and dens of the earth when wee shall goe into prison or banishment and friends may not nor will not goe with us yet Christ will goe Esay 43.2 When thou passest thorow the waters I will be with thee and thorow the rivers they shall not overflow thee when thou walkest thorow the fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee a man cannot save his wife sometimes in the water though shee bee ready to be drowned a man cannot goe into the fire to helpe her though she be ready to be burnt but Christ will be with thee in the water and in the fire that is in the heaviest trials and forest troubles what can come to us if Christ be with us if miserie and sorrow and trouble bee with us if Christ our husband be with us what matter he is the husband of his spouse and the Saviour of his people why should wee then bee discouraged or disquieted Secondly as it is a ground of comfort against all opposition and troubles of the world so it is a ground of comfort to stay our soules against the fiercenesse of all temptations whereby Satan labours to plucke us from the Lord Iesus Christ and our hearts sinke within us and we shall wee say one day perish by the hands of Saul by the hand of the enemy attempting and corruptions prevailing cleare your hearts and know though temptations may outbid your weaknesses and corruptions may outbid your abilities and when you would doe good evill is present with you and sinne cleaves and sticks close to you why cheare your hearts with this consideration that you have Christ that sticks closer to you than your sinnes and this should cheere up weake and feeble ones I know what troubles you were I as strong as such a christian had I such parts and such strength of faith and shall such a poore little one as I am beare the brunt of persecution and indure in the time of perplexitie Why consider though thou canst not helpe thy selfe yet Christ can and know this that Christ will not lose the least member he is a perfect Saviour the Lord will not suffer Satan to take thee away from him nor suffer his love to bee taken from thee Rom. 8. the two last verses it was the triumph of the holy Apostle Paul I am perswaded saith he that neither death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which it in Christ Iesus our Lord when health is separated from thy body and light from thy eyes and strength from thy feeble nature yet remember that when thy body is separated from thy soule the Lord will not separated his love from thee neither from thy body in the grave nor from thy 〈…〉 it is departed out of thy body he will love thy body in the grave he loves the dust of his Saints and he will take thy soule up into heaven therefore cheare up thy heart and comfort thy soule in the consideration of Gods goodnesse Vse 5 Lastly are the Saints knit to Christ thus firmly then it shews us our dutie we ought to take notice of the goodnesse of the Lord vouchsafed unto us hath the Lord advanced you thus highly then walke
the Word tels the deepe things of God the Word saith I am sanctified therefore I am justified therefore called therefore elected the Word reveals these deepe things of God therefore the spirit must needs goe inseparably with it this is an undoubted conclusion Conclus 2 The second is this and I take it to bee somewhat difficult the Spirit of grace the holy Ghost the third Person in Trinitie working with and accompanying of the promise of grace and salvation it doth therein and thereby leave a supernaturall dint and power and a spirituall and overpowring vertue upon the soule and thereby carries it and brings it unto Christ and there lieth a great weight and observe it The principall and efficient cause in the worke of the soule to bring it to beleeving it is not so much any thing in the soule as a spirituall assisting and moving and working upon the soule by vertue of which working and motion it is moved and carried to the Lord Iesus Christ as thus the spirit let in a power to stirre hope and it is stirred and moved it lets in a power to quicken desire and it goes it lets in a power to kindle love and it flames it lets in a power to perswade the will and it takes and chuses the Spirit moves upon these faculties and by vertue thereof they are moved and carried to the Lord therefore I conceive the maine principall cause of faith is rather an assisting power working upon than any inward principall put into the soule to worke of it selfe but the worke is upon the soule the soule by that power and assistance is conveyed and carried home to Christ observe it I will expresse it in severall passages because here lies the difficulty of the point Then know that the Spirit of God doth in the first stroke of faith as the Spirit of God did upon the waters Gen. 1.2 the text saith there 〈◊〉 confused lumpe and the Spirit moved upon the 〈◊〉 and set upon that confused lumpe fasâ—â—◠〈…〉 the creature out thereof so it is with the Siprit and when I speake of the Spirit I intend the promise too the Spirit in the promise meeting with an humbled soule now abased and staggering and quarrelling with himselfe he is in a confused estate hee knowes not what to make of himselfe nor of his confused condition now the good Spirit of the Lord moves upon the soule and leaves a spirituall dint and supernaturall work upon it and the soule by vertue thereof is carried and fitted and fashioned to goe to Christ this I take to bee the meaning of that place Acts 26 18. Saint Paul was sent to turne men from darknesse to light Now it is a confession amongst all Protestant Divines that the first stroke of the Spirit is upon the soule there is nothing in the soule that can drive sinne from the soule and plucke the soule from sinne but the Spirit works this and the soule takes this blow and by vertue of that Spirit the soule is pulled from corruption and turned from sinne this is a confessed truth that the first stroke in conversion is not from any thing within the soule but it is from the Spirit nay the same stroke doth two things it turnes from darknesse to light the same hand and the same stroke doth both these as for example when you teare one thing from another as you reare it from the other you pull it to your selfe he that puls a bough from a tree as he pulls it from the tree hee pluckes it to himselfe so the same Spirit that workes upon the soule in calling it from sinne it doth worke upon the soule in drawing it to Christ it pulls off hope from the world and makes it expect a Christ it pulls off desire from the world and makes it long for Christ it pulls off love from the world and makes it entertaine a Christ it pulls off the will from the world and makes it chuse a Christ so that one stroke doth both and it is plaine therefore the worke of the Spirit upon the soule must bring it unto Christ The like phrase wee have Iohn 15.19 I have called you out of the world therefore the world hates you so that it is there the same voyce the same spirit that calls a man from sin as that is not the way thou poore sinner the way of pride and idlenesse c. that is not the way to Heaven Now that call as it pulls the soule from sinne so that motion and moving and supernaturall worke that it leaves upon the soule the soule thereby being moved and drawne it is comming to the Lord the soule hath not so much the worke of the Spirit of grane in him as the work of the spirit of grace working upon him to draw him from evill and to turne him to the Lord and by vertue of the same worke hee is drawne from the one and brought to the other this I conceive to be the great difference between the union that Adam had with God and that which the faithfull have Adam had a stocke in his owne hand God made him wise and holy and righteous this was his stocke he had a principle within himselfe either to hang upon God and so to bee sustained or to slide and withdraw himselfe from God he had power either to hold or to let goe he had the staffe in his owne hand he might turne unto God and close with the command if he would or he might depart from God and withdraw himselfe from the assistance which hee lent him as he did but now here is a maine difference in the bringing of the heart home to Christ in this union because the first stroke that drawes the soule and brings the soule to Christ is not from any thing within so much as from the spirit without the hand of Christ it layes hold upon the heart and workes upon the heart and brings him home to himselfe this first stroke is from without wee doe beleeve being framed thereunto and drawne by the Spirit of the Father the everlasting arme of the Lord that appeares in the Gospell hee lets it downe and workes upon the soule and brings the heart to himselfe and so the heart is brought to Christ not from any Principle first in it selfe but by the Spirit that workes upon it when the Word of God comes to the soule the Spirit of God accompanies that Word and puls the earthly minde from earthlinesse and the uncleane heart from his lusts and saith Come out thou poore soule this is the way to a Christ that will pardon thee this is the way to a Christ that will purge thee so that my soule moves but it is because it is moved my will closeth but it is because it is perswaded so that the first stroke of this union is not from my selfe but it comes from Christ the hand of the Spirit layes hold on me and drawes me to him hence in the third place
or the like the aime of him that takes him is not to take away his life but to make him deny his colours and commander and if hee can make him doe this then he conquers him but if hee dye under the hand of the tyrant if he be more able to stand for his commander and countrie than he is to drive him from it if he can beare misery better than hee can inflict it then hee is not conquered but conquers so it is here a Saint of God is never mastered before his patience bee mastered and his holinesse crushed but when a man is more able to beare misery than the enemy to lay misery upon him if his patience hold and his courage hold and his uprightnesse hold he is not conquered in this case but he is a conquerer therefore the place is excellent Esay 58.8 see how the Lord preserves his people hee is said to be the whole army of his servants however there bee many storms yet the rivers of water make glad the people of God the text saith Thy righteousnesse shall goe before thee and the glory of the Lord shall bee thy rearward when a man doth walke uprightly and sincerly wee must presume that a man is in a combat for why doth hee speake of the rearward else there are two parts in a battell first the vant-gard which is the former part of the battell Secondly the rear ward which is the hinder part of the battell now Christ is both these you shall have enemies before you in the vant-gard and you shall have enemies behinde you to smite you in the rear-ward now righteousnesse shall goe before thee that is the vant-gard and the glory of the Lord shall be thy rear-ward that is God is all about his servants the vant-gard before them to succour them and the rear-ward behinde them to releeve them so that he doth not onely give grace but he maintaines and preserves that grace he gives to the soules of his servants The fourth part of the tenure and conveyance of grace to the faithfull soule is this and I speake but only in the generall the Lord doth not onely preserve what grace hee gives but hee quickens that grace he maintains he drawes forth that ability hee bestowes hee puts life unto that strength and succour which hee vouchsafeth to worke in the hearts of his children hence all those places are marvellous pregnant God giveth the will and the deed so that it is not onely the having but the doing that wee have need of from God and Paul professeth that hee hath not onely grace from Christ but he lives not but Christ liveth in him if Christ did all in him and this is that wee shall observe Luke 1.74 That hee would grant us saith the text that being redeemed from the hand of our enemies we might serve him without feare take notice of two things here First that the Saints of God are redeemed and justified by Christ and now one would thinke a man that is justified and hath Christ â—ght trade for himselfe no but that he would grant us that being redeemed from the hand of our enemies wee might serve him without feare it is one grant to be redeemed and it is a new grant to serve him without feare as it is a mercie for God to bestow ability before wee have it so it is a mercy to quicken that abilitie which hee vouchsafes that wee may honour him by it and he may honour himselfe by us therefore it is a most pregnant place Colos 1. last verse when Paul was there labouring what hee could yet as though hee had nothing as though hee did nothing he gives all to God for marke the manner of the sense of the words Whereunto saith he I also labour and strive the word in the originall signifies I sweat at it and take great paines according to his working which worketh in me mightily Paul laboured and strived but how comes this about his striving is by the working of Christ and by his working he works as who should say It is grace I have any grace it is hee assisting it is he co-operating it is he accompanying I know not what to say it is his worke works and hee works mightily in them that worke and strive to advance the glory of God so then we have those foure particulars that in reason almost might satisfie any man what you want Christ hath what is fit Christ will bestow if you cannot keepe it hee will preserve it for you if you bee sluggish hee will quicken it in you what would you have more one would thinke this were enough but that nothing might be wanting take a passage or two more Fiftly therefore as he quickens what hee maintains so hee perfects what hee quickens hee doth not only inable us to doe what we should but he makes us make worke of it and he brings to perfection what he bestowes Heb. 12.23 there the text speaks of the spirits of just and perfect men hee begins the worke and never leaves till hee makes the worke perfect it is Christ that puts a mans weapons into his hands it is Christ that teacheth him to fight with those weapons and it is Christ that gives him the victory in that fight 1 Corin. 15.55 O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victorie the sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the law but blessed be God that hath given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ the weapons are Christs and the fight is Christs and the victory is Christs he will not onely bring you into the field and put weapons into your hands but give you the victory and all you Saints of God that sinke under the fiercenesse of temptations without and corruptions within hee will give you grace hee will give you weapons and you shall triumph over all your enemies therefore Ephes 4.13 it is said Hee will bring his body to a perfect stature all the Saints of God are compared to members now looke as it is in the body every member doth increase according to its measure till it come to its full bignesse so it is in the body of Christ all the members thereof shall increase till they come to be perfect hath God given thee a heart to looke towards Zion and hast thou any intimation of his love then though the word and meanes may faile he will provide help and meanes he will never leave thee till thou art a perfect man and woman till thou hast attained to bee a perfect member in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ there is no withered bow in this stock of the Lord Jesus Christ but as he gives grace so he will bring it to perfection in its measure God will never leave thee till hee hath brought thee to that perfection he hath appointed now a man would think here were enough but yet a little further and then I am as farre as I can goe
against him and to take all the advantages against him and howsoever the Lord will not condemne him yet to let out his wrath against him though not to condemne him yet to distract him This is that which Iob makes to be the ground of that bitter complaint of his and made him sit downe in distractednesse of heart under the heavy displeasure of the Lords wrath that though God would not damne him yet when the Lord takes away his loving countenance and lets in his indignation into his soule to his humiliation terrour and vexation this sunke him infinitely and this God might doe to every beleever under Heaven Iob 13.24 26. Why hidest thou away thy face and takest mee for thine enemie God seemed to bee displeased with him and to frowne upon him and carried himselfe to Iob as an enemy and in the 26. verse Thou writest bitter things against me and makest mee to inherit the sinnes of my youth The old lusts and the old bruses of his youth whereby he had dishonoured God though these were pardoned before yet God renewes them and puts in the suit against him the second time and makes the sinnes of his youth to bee inherited by him that looke as the land descends to the heire so the Lord made the sinnes and vanities of his soule to be possessed by him and brought out all his abominations out of record Thou writest bitter things against me that is the Lord tooke all the advantages against him that might be and said Remember the old lusts of thy heart and the vanities of thy youth and this made him like a drie leafe tossed too and fro as verse 25. Oh how easie were it for God if hee should but report to a mans conscience any little sinne that was committed the night before and set it on and seale it to the heart it would drive the stoutest heart under heaven to despaire Psalme 88.15 Thy terrours have I suffered from my youth upwards and I have beene distracted with them Lord why castest thou off my soule I am afflicted and ready to die It is certaine and I have knowne it that the most stoutest heart and rebellious lion-like disposition that sets himselfe against God and his grace if God let him but see his sinne and say this is thy pride and thy stubbornnesse and rebellion it would drive the stoutest heart under heaven beyond it selfe nay to utter distraction of minde Psalme 40.12 Innumerable troubles have taken hold upon me they have so compassed me about that I am not able to looke up Every sinne is like a great bandog that is muzzeld and if hee bee once let loose he will teare all in peeces so the Lord sometimes muzzels a mans corruptions and keeps them under and if the Lord doe but now and then let them loose then they pull a man downe and hence comes all those pale lookes and discouragements of soule these are they that will thus worry a man Thus every beleever must acknowledge that it were just with the Lord to let loose his sinne howsoever not to condemne him yet to make him live at little peace or quiet and hence it is that the Prophet David praies so against it Psalme 51.9 when he had committed those two great sins of adultery and murther though God after his confession had sealed to his soule the pardon of them yet hee went with broken bones and therefore he saith Hide away thy face from my sinnes and put away all mine iniquities as if he had said looke not upon my sinnes as a judge doe not follow the Law against me let not my sinnes or my person bee once brought into the Court or bee once named but looke upon the Lord Jesus Christ for mee and for his sake blot out all mine iniquities Thirdly every beleever accepted and justified in and through Christ by the Father yet hee is bound thus farre to charge his sinne upon his owne soule and lay them so much upon himselfe as to maintain in his owne heart a sense of the need that he hath of Christ as well as to continue our respect and acceptation with God as to bring us at first into the love and favour of God Indeed if we could quit our selves and cleare our hands of any sin committed by us it were something then we would be ready to say as the people to Ieremie We are holy we are lords we will come no more at thee No it is necessary seeing Christ is yet in the worke of the mediatourship that we should see a dayly need of him this is the reason of that great complaint of David Psal 51.1.2 a man would thinke that hee would have beene comforted and gone away cheerfully having the pardon of his sinnes but marke how hee cries Have mercy upon me oh God according to the multitude of thy compassions wash away all my transgressons wash mee throughly from all my transgressions and purge mee from my sinne Hee had not onely need of Christ before his conversion to justifie him but he had need of Christ now to continue the assurance of his justification it is not a drop but a bucket full of mercy not a little mercy but a whole ocean Lord I have had a great deale of mercy for the sinnes of my youth and I have need of a great deale of mercy still to wash away the guilt of my sinnes this the Law required of every man that did offer sacrifice as they were to offer their dayly sacrifice so wee have dayly need of Christ and therefore wee must have a dayly recourse to Christ therefore the sacrificer was to lay his hands upon the head of the sacrifice Even so doe thou lay thine hands upon the Lord Jesus Christ and rest upon him and thou shalt finde acceptance with him this is that which sometimes chears up the drooping heart and bears it up in the midst of all the waves of wickednesse when he sees the vanitie of his mind and the deadnesse of his heart and frothinesse of his speech and now sinne and then sinne and in every thing sinne as you cannot but see and confesse it this stands the poore sinner in stead when hee considers this and saith though I am dayly sinning yet there is a Saviour in Heaven and mercy and grace in him that I may be comforted therein for ever Hebrewes 7.25 Hee is able to save to the uttermost those that come to God by him It implies these two things not onely from all sinne but also at all times not onely from the sinnes of your youth but also to the uttermost of your dayes the reason is hee lives for ever to doe it this is the chearing of a poore sinner and this wee should labour to maintain and to keepe the sight and sense of our sinne though our sinnes endure for ever our living and sinning goe together and we still continue to be as sinfull and lazy and idle as ever yet see a need of a
the suit against the partie offending our Saviour steps into our roome and submits himselfe to the censure of the Father and as we were accounted so he was content to bee accounted and as we were to suffer so he was content to suffer for us God the Father loved him as he was God and holy and innocent yet he condemnes him and lets in his wrath upon him as he was to beare our sins for God the Father might love Jesus Christ and yet give his body to death naturall so God the Father might love the soule of our Saviour and yet give it over to paine supernaturall all the world confesseth that it was without anger that Christ died and yet the Father slew him this conclusion helps us to the interpretation of that place Matthew 27.46 My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee He was a Father to our Saviour and our Saviour a Son to him Fourthly whatsoever punishment proceeded from the Father our Saviour tooke it upon himselfe yet so as neither his sins deserved it neither did he sinne in bearing of it nor yet was hee overwhelmed in bearing of it as the wicked are which are damned but hee wrestled with it and overcame it hee first tooke upon himselfe that should have come upon a beleever when the wrath of God comes out like a Lion to take the sinfull sons of men from off the earth and the sea of his indignation flowes in amain then the Lord Jesus Christ steps in between the wrath of the Father and the soule of a beleever and hee bears all Iohn 18.11 when Peter would have rescued our Saviour from the high Priests Our Saviour said suffer it to bee so put up thy sword into its place shall I not drinke of the cup which my Father giveth me to drinke of hee doth not say shall I not sip or taste of the cup but shall I not drinke of it that is he drinkes the cup of wrath which was prepared for poore sinners cleane off therefore Esay 63.3 hee is said to tread the wine-presse of the Fathers wrath alone he did squeese it all out observe these explications in this kinde and know thus much that the want of the sense and feeling and operation of Gods love and the feeling of the indignation of Gods wrath in it selfe considered it is not a sinne but so far as our sinnes deserve this wrath of God and deserve this separation and so far as we out of our infidelitie dash the sweetnesse of Gods love we sin in this kinde but none of all this befell our Saviour the bare want of the one and the sense of the other is not a sinne but we sin in bearing it It is a sweet observation of the Schoolmen that our Saviour cried my God my God even in the losse of the sweetnesse of Gods favour and when Christ complaines and sweat water and blood yea clods of blood so that his heart broke within him under the fierce indignation of the Lord this fierce indignation may be attended two wayes or there are two things in it I say in the separation of God from the soule there are these two things to be attended First a want of that grace and holinesse and confidence whereby the soule should close with God that howsoever God goes away yet the soule should follow him as Iacob did after the Lord when hee said I will not let thee goe unlesse thou blesse mee Now it is one thing when God goes away and it is another thing when we push him away therefore that want of grace and holinesse and confidence whereby the soule should cleave to and close with God this is one thing which causeth the separation of God from us this is on our part Secondly there is another worke on Gods part that howsoever the soule stands Godward and Christward and it cleaves to him as Iob did that would trust in him though he kild him yet God may withdraw the sweet refreshing operation and the sensible conveyance of his mercy and compassion from his soule and he frownes upon him and plucks away the hold and lets in his indignation upon him the first of these two can never bee without sinne and it is a hainous sinne when our soules sit loose from God and when we shall separate our selves from the mercy and goodnesse of God and are weary of Gods presence in his ordinances as many wicked men are and are weary of the promises and say as those in Iob did Depart from us for wee desire not the knowledge of thy wayes this is a cursed sinne and this never was nor could not be in our Saviour but now that the Lord may plucke away the sense of his love and favour and take away the operation and conveyance of his mercy this God may justly doe as he seeth good this was not a sinne in Iob that God did take away the sense of his love and mercy and seemed to be his enemy but if Iob had gone away from God as God did from him then he had sinned but hee held God still this was not a sinne in Iob that God did thus forsake him though haply it was through his sinne deserving it all this did befall our Saviour Christ and yet he was full of holinesse and hangs upon God and said My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And God was angry with him because he had our sinnes upon him but the first of these was not in Christ hee did not depart from God the second was inflicted upon our Saviour and that might be justly this ads much light to those passages those two ardent petitions of those two worthy lights Moses and Saint Paul Exodus 32.32 Moses perceiving that the Lord was ready to destroy the Israelites for their sinne he saith Now if thou pardon this sinne thy mercy shall appeare but if thou will not then rase mee out of the booke of life which thou hast written and in Rom. 9.3 Saint Paul foreseeing the rejection of the Jewes and that God would throw them away for sixteen hundred yeeres together the good man seeing the dishonour that was like to come to God the utter destruction of the people of the Jewes he saith I could even desire to be separated from Christ to be cut off from the Nation of the Iewes that they might not be forsaken of God Now should a man pray to be removed out of Gods presence and to be separated from God for ever and to be cut off from God and to be separated from Christ Jesus no for this were sinfull either it signifies that Paul should have his heart loosened and sit loose in his affections to God and to Jesus Christ this Paul did not pray for for it is a horrible sinne and it is an argument he hated Christ and himselfe too Now so farre as it implies our want of love to God and our want of depending upon God it is a fearfull sinne and these holy
his body then doe can it bee possible that men should harbour sinne in them if they did but know what it hath done to them can you see it and not haâ—e it Oh behold that sinne which hath caused God the Father to be angry with thy Saviour and doe thou hate it and let thy soule for ever loath thy sinne which hath caused Christ thus to doe to come downe from heaven and to bee tortured by wicked miscreants and to cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and as sin hath caused God the Father to punish thy Saviour so goe thou and be revenged upon thy sin and say Oh my pride and my stubbornnesse and my loosenesse and uncleannesse and base drunkennesse these were the nailes that pierced his hands aâ—â— his feet they pierced his sacred body and 〈◊〉 the wrath of God the Father upon his soule therefore let mee bee for ever revenged of this proud stubborne and rebellious heart of mine and let mee for ever loath my sinne because it brought all this sorrow upon my Saviour To presse this use a little more I charge you brethren as ever you had any tender love unto Jesus Christ or any regard of your owne comfort goe your wayes and bee for ever cast downe and humbled for those evill waies of yours which have brought our Saviour to such a gulfe of misery and to be angry with those sinnes that have made God the Father angry with the Lord Jesus Christ and take thou revenge upon that proud stubborne heart that brought all this misery upon thy Saviour This is the course of humanitie amongst men if a man knew of any one which had murthered his father or his friend whom he highly regarded and honoured nature shewes us thus much that our hearts would rise against the man and you would not bee able to brooke the sight of him and you cannot endure to see him in your companies and if law and conscience did not forbid it you could be contented to give him his deaths wound and to bee his bane and you would cry out against him Oh he hath murthered my father or my deere friend and though you would not run upon him and kil him yet this every one would doe he would follow the Law to the uttermost and if all the law in the land will do it he will have him hanged and if he might have it put to his choyce what death hee should die hee would chuse him a death as bad as hee could devise and if he might be his Executioner how would he mangle him and say thou wast the death of my father and then hee would give him one blow for this and another blow for that and say thou wretch thou hast taken away the life of my father and I will have thy life Now is a man thus inraged and is the heart of a man carried with such violence unto him that hath murthered his father or his friend and that for the losse of the naturall life Oh then how should your hearts bee transported with infinite indignation not against the man but even against the sinne which is the cause of all this and which is wholly opposite against God and not onely because it hath taken away the life of the body of our Saviour but also made him undergoe the wrath of an everlasting father your sinnes are they that have thus slaine the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of life Therefore follow thou the law against these sins and raise hue and crie after them and bring them to the Sessions and set them before the tribunall of God and crie justice Lord justice against these sins of mine these slew my Saviour Lord slay them they have crucified my Saviour Lord crucifie them let me have life for life body for body and soule for soule these are the sins that have taken away the life from the body of our Saviour and tooke away all comfort from his soule Lord take away their life thus pursue thy sins and never leave them untill thou seest them bleed their last never thinke that thou hast power enough against corruption nor never thinke that thou dost enough against them but give thy corruptions one hacke more and confesse thy sinnes once more and say Lord his pride and this stubbornnesse Lord and this loosenesse of heart Lord these are they that kild my Saviour and I will be revenged of them and herein consider this when your hearts are inclining to any corruption or to any temptation of Satan and when thou findest thy soule drawne aside to any sin and when thou findest some temptings unto corruptions and stirrings of cursed lusts it is good then to have an actuall consideration of what sin hath done to the Lord Jesus Christ and reason thus with thy selfe and say these sins were the death of my Saviour and shall they be my delight these sins did pierce his hands and wounded his soule and shall they give contentment to my soule the Lord forbid did these sinnes plucke teares from his eyes and blood from his heart and shall I make them the delight of my heart the good Lord in mercy forbid it were it so that our hearts were fully and throughly perswaded that all the vanities of our mindes and all the lusts of our hearts and all the distempers of our affections were those that stabd the Lord Jesus Christ and wounded him to the heart it could not be that we should so delight in them and lavish out our soules and affections thereupon nay not onely Christianitie will doe it but nature and reason will even compell a man to doe the contrary could hee but reason thus with himselfe when corruptions tempt him and occasions call him and say thus with himselfe was it not enough and more than enough that the Son of God came downe from Heaven and suffered such grievous pains but shall I againe crucifie the Lord of life and shall I againe pierce those blessed hands of his and pierce that blessed side of his and all goare his sacred body with my uncleane sins and force him to crie out againe by reason of my sinnes which I have committed this is more than brutish and more than savage I beseech you in the bowels of the Lord to consider well of it you know what Christ said when Saul persecuted the poore Saints at Damascus Saul Saul why persecurest thou mee It pierced the Lord Christ when any of his members were pierced Acts 9.4 but now for such as beleeve in Christ and looke for mercy from Christ consider how neerly it will touch him and trouble him not onely to have his members pierced and persecuted but also to have his good Spirit grieved and himselfe to be wounded Imagine you heard the Lord speaking as the Church did in Lamentations 1.12 Is it nothing to you all oh yee that passe by is there any sorrow like unto my sorrow have you no compassion at all upon a Saviour
seized upon his soule and unlesse they doe grant this then this absurditie must needs follow upon it that Christ was not at all forsaken of God for he that was constantly assisted and refreshed by the sense of the love and favour of God he was no way forsaken Ioseph was in prison but God was with him and Daniel was in the Lions den but God was with him and in 2 Chron. 15.2 God is with you while yee are with him now if Christ had assistance from God the Father to strengthen him and the sense of the sweetnesse of Gods love to refresh him then hee was no way forsaken which is profesly contrary to this truth and it is to give the good Spirit of God the lie therefore away with those imaginations so that the answer is cleare that God the Father did take away the sense and feeling of the sweetnesse of his love from our Saviour and this made him to crie out My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee thus much to wipe away the cavils of the Jesuits Now I come to shew the right sense and interpretation of the words which wee ought to receive and here you may see the great worke of Christ and the love of Christ and the comfort of a Christian the text includes two things which containes the very dregs of the cup First that God tooke away the sense and feeling of his love and favour Secondly God the Father laid a curse upon him There is a dereliction and a malediction in the words forsaking and the curse therefore adde to this place but Gal. 3.13 and you shall have the full sufferings of Christ Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us because it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree so that when hee was crucified and hanged on the crosse then hee was made a curse for us and then he was forsaken Let mee a little open both the passages to you First for the forsaking of our Saviour Why hast thou forsaken mee when he cried thus and rored for the very disquietnesse of his soule there was more in it than ordinarie I will discover the substance of this forsaking of Christ how farre it went and that in three particulars that you may know how far to steere your judgements in conceiving the sense of the Spirit of God in this place this forsaking of Christ may be conceived of in three conclusions First it was not a totall forsaking of our Saviour but onely in part and it was not a perpetuall forsaking but for a while and it was not a taking away the Godhead from the manhood of our Saviour but the Godhead was ever united to the manhood and did evermore support it Secondly this forsaking was on the Fathers part and not on our Saviours part the Father forsakes Christ but Christ went after him God tooke away the sense of his love but the Lord Jesus Christ cried after him and laid hold upon him and saith My God my God why hast thou forsaken me the Father went away but the Lord Jesus Christ went after the Father and would not let him goe God the Father might justly forsake our Saviour being made sinne for us by account and imputation being our suretie God the Father might justly take away and withdraw the sense of the sweetnesse of his love and favour from the Lord Jesus Christ without any sinne but now the Lord Jesus Christ could not have forsaken and gone away from the Father without sinning so that this forsaking was on the Fathers part but our Saviour held fast and would not be carried away My God my God c. As Iob saith Though hee kill mee yet will I trust in him so that Iobs trusting and Gods killing anger might stand together and when the Lord wrestled with Iacob and said Let me goe for the day breaketh Iacob said I will not let thee goe untill thou blesse me God may goe away from Iacob but Iacob may not goe away from God for want of confidence and affiance so that this forsaking is to be apprehended wholly on the Fathers part for our Saviour did not goe away from God by diffidence and distrust Thirdly and here lies the main pith and heart blood of the point that wee may speake tremblingly and wisely in this great and difficult point The conclusion is this the soule of our Saviour that is the whole man was for the while deprived of the sense of Gods favour and the feeling operation of his love and mercy that might comfort him I say it was for the while and this seemes to be the reason of those strong cries and heart-breaking complaints of his You know when a man cries then there is misery and trouble upon him and when he cries loud and puts forth all his powers it implies a marvellous weight nay it gives us to conceive of a kinde of admiration and a kinde of wondering with himselfe what the cause of it should bee It seemes here that this was the cause of the sad complaint because in his agonie there were some inklings of Gods mercy and now and then a starre-light and a little flash of lightning to cheere him but now all the sense and feeling of Gods love was gone and not so much as any little star-light to cheere him up and that drives him to a wonderment saying My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee Is it possible that thou canst thus forsake thy Sonne what 's the reason of it what and an onely begotten Sonne not that the spirit of consolation was ever taken away from our Saviour nor that the Godhead was taken away from the manhood and so left comfortlesse and supportlesse no no but howsoever the spirit of comfort and consolation was there yet the sweetnesse of that consolation wherein he had refreshed and solaced himselfe that was quite taken await Object Oh but say the Jesuites this seemes strange for if this bee so that all the sense and sweetnesse of Gods love was taken away from him then how can he say my God my God Answer It is a conceit for a Jesuite and not for a Christian for faith and the want of feeling may goe together Christ longed after mercy though hee saw nothing and hee cried my God my God though hee had no sense of Gods love the strongest faith may stand where no sense is Esay 50.10 Hee that walketh in darknesse and hath no light that is he that is altogether in misery and sorrow and anguish and seeth no light of comfort and consolation what must hee doe must hee cast away all hope no let him stay himselfe by the power of faith upon his God So then Christ may have and had confidence to say my God my God and yet hee was deprived of the sense of Gods love and the feeling operation of his mercy and favour and God the Father might take away the sense and sweetnesse of it without