come to it without true Faith and we must not go from it without an increase to our Faith We must lay hold on Christ that we may come and we must come that we may lay faster hold on Christ Now the consideration of Christ dying as a Curse for us will notably confirm us in our resolutions to adhere and cleave fast to Christ For now The considerate serious meditating Communicant may hence reflect upon the choice which he hath made the gift he hath received the condition he is now in by believing and so approve the choice keep fast the gift settle himself in that condition and farther secure that state to himself by strong resolutions of Faith and adhering to Christ who by this death delivers us from that cursed death we deserved and so you may suppose the soul to argue with it self 1. I do this day commemorate the death of my Lord which died under a Curse for me and if I do not now believe or if I ever should by unbelief cast off my Lord I must bear my own deserved Curse I have then good grounds I have best reason to warrant my first believing and going to Christ I have as good reason to continue my purposes and confirm my resolution of believing still It is not possible I should have any reason to repent my first choice of Christ my first fiducial adhering to Christ by that I was delivered from a Curse and this deliverance is freshly remembred in the Sacrament and the reasonable well advised and prudent choice of my soul is presented to me and now my soul thou mayest say this was the wisest most justifiable and rational compact thou ever didst make And I assure thee until thou see a reason why thou shouldest be in love with and dote upon a Curse thou canst not be out of love with or weary of thy adhering to Christ The more thou seest the wisdom and prudence of this Act the more thou wilt like it and the more resolute and constant thou wilt be in it and now the oftener thou considerest at the Sacrament the lively pourtraiture of thy deliverance from a Curse by Christ received and adhered to by Faith the oftener wilt thou renew thy purposes and resolutions to adhere to him the oftener wilt thou look and take heed of that which may weaken thy adherence or withdraw thee from Christ and such renewed carefulness and heed will much improve thy Faith Renewed purposes to believe are renewed strength in believing 2. Secondly The considering soul will see in this review of Christ dying a Curse The benefit profit and gain of Faith chusing and adhering unto Christ It will see it self repaired and made whole after the greatest and sorest dammage sin which brought the Curse upon the soul did the soul greatest injury and dammage it made a shipwrack of all its excellencies and treasure Sinful and accursed man is the poorest forlorn and undone wretch in the world a very bankrupt But now application unto Christ with a purpose to adhere unto him and chuse him for ever this sets the man free from the Curse it sets him up again it puts a new stock into his hand it enricheth him with the fulness of a Blessing For if Christ bear thy Curse thou shalt wear his Crown if he take upon him thy guilt and sin and wretchedness he will take thy believing soul into his blessedness if he suffer thy deserved punishment thou shalt inherit his glorious purchase and what unspeakable profit is this how good and enriching a bargain is this and all this doth the believing soul receive and gain by Christ dying a Curse to redeem it from the Curse and to purchase the blessing of Abraham for it and all this becomes the believing souls gain God gives this to every one who chuseth his Son By his Poverty we are made Rich and by his Curse we gain the Blessing Now at every Sacrament this Bargain is confirmed and ratified and the soul sees the gain of it and until it can rationally desire to lose such a bargain it cannot but strongly desire to keep to its contract Every remembrance of our riches by Jesus Christ is or ought to be a confirmation of our choice of him Renewed views of our gain will be renewed purposes to hold fast our bargain and thus may the soul grow strong in its adhering and cleaving fast to Christ 3. The considering soul doth view its own security and sweetest peace in the Death of Christ thus dying a Curse for it At the remembrance of its Lord's Death in a Sacrament it calls to mind that peace which is made for it through the blood of the Cross The soul saith if Christ hath born my Curse I shall not bear it If I have chosen him if I keep to this my choice if I first believe and persevere in believing I shall still have this peace in believing viz. that I am delivered from the misery of an accursed state Before thou didst believe thou didst or mightest have heard the sad ecchos of a Curse alarming and frighting thee if thou hadst not desired chosen and believed in Christ dying thou hadst never heard one word of peace and if after thy first choice and faith thou repent relapse and forgo Christ through unbelief thy danger sin and trouble will return upon thee thy last state will be thy worst state think therefore what is best for thee whether to go on to believe or to go back through unbelief Art thou surfeited with thy peace art thou weary of thy rest is trouble under the misery of a Curse more desirable than peace under the felicity of such a blessing I know the meditating soul which can discern this will never think of deserting its choice of Christ until it can think of parting with peace for trouble with joy for sorrow with blessedness for misery I know the more it perceives and finds its peace in believing the more serious and resolute will it be to believe that it may have and keep its peace Renewed meditations on this Death of Christ will be renewed peace to a believer and renewed peace will be renewed purposes of believing Fourthly and lastly The considering believing soul is able to discern this ignominious cursed Death of Christ to be the fountain of true honour and real excellency The soul is delivered from a state of baseness and dishonour by this Death of Christ A cursed condition is base and dishonourable as well as miserable and unhappy The dregs of the people were by the Jews called the people that are cursed Cam cursed by Noah is devoted to servitude to a base condition And Esau's loss of the Blessing was the bringing of servitude and baseness on him But now if Christ dying a Curse were abased for me may the believing soul say I shall be exalted to honour and my first act of believing was my first step to honour and my continuing to believe will be the
3. 3. The third and last concern of Faith is its present actings or fruit which it doth in some measure sustain the soul by whilst it waiteth for those great things to come for Faith is not all taken up with expectation it doth now possess much though it expect more all is not in reversion though the most though the best be Faith looks unto things hoped for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vt igitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat aliquando sisto sic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significare potest actum habitumve fiducialem habentem vim non tantum statuminandi sperantem sed sistendi rem speratum Capellus in Heb. 11.1 yet in some sort gives them subsistence not only confirmeth the person who hopeth but sets before him as a thing present that good he hopeth for as the learned and judicious Divine Jacobus Capellus observeth on the word the Apostle useth Heb. 11.1 Indeed it seeth what is far off yet brings that which it seeth so near that it embraceth what it seeth Heb. 11.14 Faith is of very great and present advantage to the soul and exerts its power and vertue on the soul in these four particulars 1. Faith doth by the improvement of the Promises ratified in the blood of Christ our Sacrifice quiet and settle the soul in some good measure of peace and assurance This is one of the sweet and first-fruits of Faith that it quieteth the heart and pacifieth it whereas unbelief doth fill the heart with fears And a convinced soul under doubts is as restless as fears can make it for it is full of them Where there is little Faith there are usually on every awakening alarm as in Peter's case great fears Let not your hearts be troubled saith Christ cast out disquieting thoughts for saith he Ye believe in God Joh. 14.1 And indeed the Believer may well be quiet for he believeth on Christ of whom the God of Truth hath said That whoso believeth on him shall not be confounded 1 Pet. 2.6 Now this greatly pacifieth the soul it knows it shall not be confounded it hath received the earnest of a glorious inheritance and is sealed with the holy Spirit of Promise upon its believing Ephes 1.13 14. Amidst the many and great troubles the Apostle met with for the Gospel his Faith kept his heart in a very quiet and pacate frame I know saith he whom I have trusted 2 Tim. 1.12 He speaketh of himself as of one whom no troubles could much disquiet for he did both know that he believed and he knew whom he believed Hence it is that when he prayed for Peace and Joy to fill the believing Romans cap. 15.13 He makes express mention of their Faith as the means of their Peace Pax acquiritur fide Vatablus in loc Now the God of Hope fill you with all Joy and Peace in believing c. Peace and sedateness of mind is one of the first-born of Faith as on the contrary disquietude of mind is the first-born of despondency and unbelief So David's experience assureth us who found his quiet of mind decrease and the disquiet thereof to increase as his trust in God did decrease therefore he rowseth up himself to trust in God that he might recover the calm of his spirit Why art thou cast down oh my soul and why art thou disquieted within me hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God Psal 42.11 This then is one of the present great businesses of Faith to quiet the heart and bring it into a peaceable state Now what can give the heart rest if such glorious things expected and secured to us do not The Believer may see all his hopes most inviolably and under the most sacred seals confirmed to him in the Death of Christ by Sacrifice and certainly if greatness of hopes accompanied with immutable assurance of a future enjoying them do not satisfie and quiet for present nothing ever will be able in this world to compose the spirit of any man How quietly doth an expectant about Court wait for his preferment and advance upon the promise of his Friend and Patron who possibly may fail How well will it become us to wait quietly for our great advancement on the Promise Covenant and Oath of our God in which it is impossible he should fail us 2. Faith doth at present revive and refresh the soul it administreth cordials to it I had fainted if I had not believed saith David Psal 27.13 And he prescribeth waiting or believing as an excellent preservative against such faintness and despondence of spirit v. 14. on which he resolveth at what time he is afraid he will trust in God Psal 56.3 No support no reviving comparable to that Faith doth aford That Peace and that Joy which the Apostle Rom. 5.2 hath annexed unto Faith is a Peace with God and a Rejoycing in hope of the glory of God viz. That God will make us glorious in that glory which he hath prepared for all that believe Now they that expect on unfailing promises such Glory may justifiably say that their inward man is renewed not in strength only but in comfort also day by day 2 Cor. 4.16 We faint not ver 16. though our outward man perish why what kept up their spirit did any thing but Faith The Apostle mentioneth nothing else For our inward man is renewed day by day while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen v. 18. While we look i. e. with an eye of Faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Grotius paralleleth it with Heb. c. 11. v. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syr. Laetari c. if from Arab. it is either amicum se praebuit or else quievit quietavit So Grotius paralleleth the place with Heb. 11.1 And the Syriack whether it use a native or a forein word in its translation doth use a word which implieth an eminent act of Faith When the heavy burthen of guilt overloadeth the heart when the violence strangeness and frequency of temptations sadneth the soul when fierce long and wasting persecutions make havock of the Church when spiritual dulness and deadness of soul afflicteth a Believer what but his Faith can or doth comfort and revive him Faith carrieth him to his Sacrifice in the blood whereof he seeth his God atoned and reconciled who then shall condemn A Covenant of grace and mercy what grace then can he want In this Sacrifice he seeth Christ hath perfected all that are sanctified and done all that which Legal Sacrifices shadowed out but could not work out viz. Perfect Reconciliation to God and full pacification of Conscience This revives the heart God speaks peace and Conscience speaks peace and Faith doth at present employ it self in ensuring and improving both these for the comfort of the Believer And
Sacrifice for so were Covenants of old made confirmed as hath been observed a very pregnant place to our present purpose we met with in Psa 89.30 seq If his children forsake my Law Psal 89.30 31 32. â—â— and walk not in my Judgments if they break my Statutes and keep not my Commandments then will I visit their transgressions with a Rod and their iniquity with stripes 2 Sam. 7.14 Virgâ hominum i.e. moderatâ correctione in eorum commodum Poli Synops Crit. This Rod 2 Sam. 7.14 is the Rod of men that is with moderate correction and for their good But or Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him Here 's a rich Cordial to the drooping soul which smarteth under the didivine corrections God hath not nor will he take away his loving kindness nor suffer his faithfulness to fail ver 33. My Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips Now then when thy sin whether of folly or frowardness is corrected and thou mournest under sense of divine displeasure call to mind the Covenant made in Christ thy Sacrifice and be comforted sense of thy peace may but the Covenant of thy peace shall not be broken 4. Under the apprehension of divine displeasure and present dereliction yet this Sacrifice may soon quiet and sufficiently support the soul in that it will be its present refuge against the violence of this trial still the soul may interpose the Propitiatory vertue of this Sacrifice between it self on the one part and God's displeasure with its own fears on the other part hitherto this Altar may the troubled and the trembling soul fly as Joab to the horns of the Altar and certainly when the blood of this Sacrifice is found sprinkled on the soul God will speak a present peace or support with a secret infused hope of life and at least seasonably let the Believer know he will never take him from the Altar that he may die but yet as a Father he may correct his offences without violating the priviledge of sanctuary And indeed this is the utmost God intends in the exercise of his Sons and Daughters who are reconciled to him through Christ their Sacrifice In vertue whereof all Believers might and I believe the most of them do one time or other in this life after such spiritual troubles recover some degree of spiritual peace and joy in the favour of God however seldom go off the stage without the joy of good old Simeon departing in peace because they have seen the salvation of God But they never fail to see and rejoyce in God through Christ when they receive the peace which after death is to be obtained with God by vertue of this Expiatory Sacrifice the truth hereof they firmly believe and hope for it also Rom. 5.11 We may then joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received the atonement Joy in God is a fruit of atonement and this an effect of the Sacrifice of Christ So near alliance there is between our Joy in the Divine Favour and Christ procuring and maintaining it for us in the vertue of his Sacrifice Much to the same purpose is that of the Apostle Heb. 10. v. 19. Having boldness to enter by the blood of Christ Now at least this boldness is a fruit or consequent of our perswasion and hope that God beareth a gracious respect to us And ver 21. and 22. Having an High Priest and consequently a Sacrifice let us draw nigh with a true heart in full assurance of faith c. If any complain notwithstanding all this I must assure them their own inability to improve the vertue of Christ our Sacrifice is the reason why they draw not out the excellent Oil which would make their face to shine it is not want of excellency in him or in his death our Sacrifice Sect. 3. 3. A third thing a soul is disquieted at is the sinful imperfections of duties weakness of graces and unworthiness of his person all which concurring do oftentimes occasion a doubt whether such shall be accepted with a God of infinite holiness and glorious Majesty Can God indeed take pleasure in such will such persons be accepted such graces allowed such duties approved and if not where shall the troubled soul seek rest For removal of this Disquietude from the soul there is sufficient in Christ dying our Sacrifice For 1. It is that which procureth an acceptation of our persons it restoreth us to the Favour of God who delighteth in every one who hath by faith a real interess in this Sacrifice The Grace of God through Christ looketh to our persons Quâ gratos nos sibi reddidit per illum dilectum Vatab. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. So that he maketh us accepted Ephes 1.6 He hath respect to our persons and this through Christ our Sacrifice as ver 7. By whom we have redemption through his blood Expounding the material cause how we are made acceptable to God in Christ for it is he only whose Sacrifice by the mercy of God is imputed to us for forgiveness of sin as some note on these words It is the order observed in the New Covenant Semper igitur sentiendum est nos consequi remissionem peccatorum Et personam pronunciari justum i. e. gratis acceptari propter Christum per fidem postea vero placere etiam obedientiam erga legem reputari quandam justitiam c. Augustan Confess Ar. 6. confirmed in the death of this Sacrifice to look to the person first through the precious blood of his Sacrifice and next to the performance of his duties subsequent As God is said to have had respect to Abel first and then to his Sacrifice So here the person of the Believer is through Christ accepted with God thus the fears lest our unworthy persons be rejected are removed God valueth them not as in themselves but in the superadded favour which for Christ's sake he beareth to them 2. Secondly The excellency of this Sacrifice removeth the fears which arise from the weaknesses and perfections of our gracious works too For the excellency of this Sacrifice ennobleth every spiritual Sacrifice we offer unto God by faith Rev. 8.3 And another Angel came and stood at the Altar having a golden Censer and there was given him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all the Saints upon the golden Altar which is before the Throne On which words Junius hath this passage among others This is that Great Emperour the Lord Jesus Christ our King and Saviour who maketh intercession to God the Father for the Saints filling the heavenly Sanctuary with most sweet odours and offering up their prayers c. in such sort as every one of them so powerful is that sweet savour of Christ and the efficacy of his Sacrifice are held in reconcilement with God c. You
live on them muddy and shallow scarce worth the tasting and which is worse yet they prove bitterer than gall and wormwood and of shorter continuance than a morning dew But our Joy in blessed peace with God in sweet hopes of glory in sure foundations of faith in endless happiness to crown our faith to satisfie our hopes and to be the manner of enjoying our God which are the pleasant fruits of Christ thus dying do increase upon us as our insight into them increaseth and are purest when nearest are deepest in the spring or rather ocean of true Delight and Joy are sweetest when most lived upon and are most lasting when we enter at last into them The Joys of others are never so great as their hopes nor so lasting as their desires But the Joy of a Believer in his Dying Lord is at last greater than his hopes and as long liv'd as his desires And in this he may exalt his Joy above the greatest that ever the world boasted of If ever mortal man satiated and glutted himself with worldly Joy it was with a sudden gush which left him so soon that he had the more time to lament himself and wofully wrack himself with the loss of it I believe Caesar never met his expected content and joy in obtaining Rome's Empire I know it lasted not with him so long as he desired in one or both of these it proved less to him when he knew most of it This made a good Emperour once say That if men knew what thorns and cares a Crown was lined with they would not take it up if they found it in the street Now oh blessed soul whose Joy lives upon the Death of thy Lord tell me did ever any experienced knowing and expert Christian abase the worth of those Joys with such a report of them Can thy own jealous fears suggest a rational probable likely ground of suspicion that these Joys are greater in hope than they will be in hand dost thou think that there is any disappointment in Heaven Are there any complaints that less is possessed than was looked for Hast thou ever had any cause to wish thou hadst known less of Christ and his Death or couldst thou ever say that the Joy had been greater if thy knowledge and experience had been less I know thou darest not say so nor debase the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus thy Lord. Turn therefore thy serious thoughts upon this meditate more that thou mayest know more for the more thou knowest of this the more wilt thou rejoice in Christ Thus renew thy Meditations on the Cause of thy Joys and they will renew thy Joys Others will see and thou wilt find in thy own soul that the more thy Cause of Joy aboundeth the more thy Joy will abound Now that Christ hath thus died thy soul oh happy Believer shall not be left in Hell nor shalt thou see an eternal corruption This is ensured to thee by the Lord whose Death thou commemoratest Say then and speak it with enlarged heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoiceth moreover my flesh shall rest in hope for God will not leave my soul in hell And now oh my soul set thy self to hear what may be spoken to thee By these who will have to do with thee in thy most weighty matters And so 1. First what would a judicious and affectionate Believer say What news would such a one tell thee from Mount Calvary from the Cross of Christ Suppose thou heardest such an one improving this Doctrine why should I fear when the iniquity of my heels compasseth me about hath not my Lord taken away all the Curse I feared Do I not see him evidently set forth crucified before mine eyes he drank off the bitter cup of astonishment I will therefore take the cup of salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord. I will rejoice in him yea and I will tell my Brethren the good news that they may rejoice with me Come all ye that fear the Lord hear and rejoice for I have found at the Cross of Christ the blessing which I lost in Paradise and which is more I found yours there too and if you will go with me quickly you shall find it too Come oh come and see Christ laying down a Blessing for thee when he took up thy Curse would not such a friend's voice sounding in thine ear ravish thy heart or at lest revive thy drooping spirits and turn thy grief into joy Could'st thou do less than smile to see thy lost Heaven found thy dying Soul recovered to life thy God reconciled and delighting in thee Hear next 2. What language the Embassadour of thy Soveraign and Gracious Lord useth to thee when he offereth a Dying Christ unto thee a Christ bearing thy Curse for thee Behold thou drooping Believer That Blood which I offer thee in this Cup is the purchase of that happiness which thou desirest the atonement of that wrath thou fearest Lo here is that Blood which can abate the scorching heat of a self-accusing condemning and tormenting soul Oh taste drink of it this never failed of curing easing comforting so many Saints in Heaven In one word Christ's Minister doth in Christ's Name offer thee that Blood which was shed for the remission of the sins of many and in which thou mayest find forgiveness of thine also and thou findest little if thou findest not Joy in the forgiveness of sins Thou art very slow of understanding if a Publick Officer proclaiming thee acquitted and cleared doth not raise thy joy But yet oh fainting soul hearken Lastly What will be the language of Christ himself to thee when he unfolds thy blessedness and declareth before Men and Angels that he took upon him thy sin thy guilt thy punishment was made a Curse for thee and so presents thee to God and makes good all thy claim to Blessedness What heart is large enough to conceive the thousandth par of that Joy Oh! a single sight of this one unrepeated once pronounced sentence of Christ's own mouth Soul thou art blessed for I was made a Curse for thee would swallow up all other Joys and would fill the heart of the believing soul with Joy unspeakable Now I must tell thee oh thou doubting sollicitous and trembling Believer that Christ will so bespeak thee ere long and so give thee an entrance into thy Master's Joy that thou mayest rejoice for ever in this Blessedness which I tell thee is the fruit of Christ's Death as it was an accursed Death And if after all this thou wilt weep and not be comforted I must also tell thee thy tears are not wiped away because thou wilt not suffer us to do it thou art a stranger to thy desired joy because thou art so much a stranger to the Death of thy Lord. Oh that our eys were opened to see that fountain whence most refreshing streams do flow continually
giving them rich Legacies At a Sacrament we may and should view Jesus Christ the Blessed One nailed to the Cross loaded with a Curse and dying an accursed Death that we might escape it Thus we owe our Peace to his Sacrifice our spiritual treasure to his will and testament our blessed hope and life to his accursed Death and by particular reflections on these we should awaken exercise and improve our graces The facilitating this work and the attaining this effect is the design of the following Discourse which doth first endeavour to promote grace by a particular improvement of Christ's Dying a Sacrifice for us let us then the other two having their due place begin with this great truth Our Lord Died a Sacrifice for us and under this notion ought we to commemorate his Death and in meditating thereon we may make an improvement of grace That I may proceed distinctly I resolve the whole subject into these following particulars 1. The general proof and confirmation of his DYing as a Sacrifice or Victim for us Cap. 1. 2. How this could be that a man should be a Sacrifice for us Cap. 2. 3. What particularly is contained in this being made a Sacrifice and so dying Cap. 3. 4. That these are fit foundation to lay for Sacramental graces and how our graces may be increased awakened confirmed and acted in due meditation on Christ our Sacrifice Cap. 4. seq CAP. I. Christ died a Sacrifice for us prefigured THE Holy Scriptures do abundantly testifie to us that Christ our Lord died our Sacrifice and Victim and so do the writings of all Christians who have treated of our Redemption and Salvation by Christ if you would have forein testimonies you require what is not needful and should we attempt to seek them we should lose our time and labour for no other Pen maketh mention of this but the Scriptures and the Pens which write after this Copy Now among other arguments the Scripture affordeth us these five for proof of Christ's Dying a Sacrifice 1. The Type 2. Prophecies 3. Promises 4. Historical declaration of it 5. Assuming it as a matter unquestionably true and certain of all which briefly in their order Sect. 1. This manner of Christ's Death viz. as a Sacrifice was prefigured and foreshewn in the Type thereof The very enemies of this Doctrine do not quite deny this though they doubt Socin lib. 2. c. 8. de Servatore or deny some particular places to refer hereto Let us however look to some few places of Scriptures where we may find Christ our Sacrifice in his Death typified out to us 1 Cor. 5.7 Christ our Passover is slain for us The allusion used by the Apostle proves that the old Paschal Lamb was a type of Christ and that Christ was the Antitype of the Paschal Lamb. Again Joh. 1.24 The Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world whether in reference to the Lamb daily offered or whether to the Paschal Lamb it altereth not the case It is a Lamb and a Lamb that must be slain in Sacrifice yea in an Expiatory Sacrifice to take away the sin of the world We are assured Heb. 9.22 that without sheding of blood there is no remission and we are sure 't is not every sheding of blood but it is the sheding of the blood of a Sacrifice which procureth remission of sins and this blood-sheding was not by opening and breathing a vein but by dying to take away sin The Baptist then applying unto Christ that antient and lively type telleth us that Christ was prefigured in his state life and death by it And that Heb. 9.23 24. tells us of patterns of things in the Heavens v. 23. and of figures of the True v. 24. yea v. 8 9. the whole Tabernacle and the service of it were a figure for the time then present Among other services that of Sacrifices is specified as a figure serving for the present until Christ should come and enter into the Holy Place without blood of Bulls and Goats but by his own blood v. 11 12 14. In a word the whole of Mosaical positive instituted service was a figure and type This part of the Law had the shadow of good things to come Heb. 10. v. 1. In Sacrificiis id manifestissimum quae Sacrificium expiationem Messiae praesignificabant Joh. Hoornbeek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de convertend Judaeis lib. 7. c. 1. pag. 452. This very thing is most manifest in the Sacrifices which did presignifie the Sacrifice and Expiation of the Messiah as the Learned Hoornbeek hath rightly observed to our hands from all which I do not ill to conclude that he died a Sacrifice to take away sin who was praesignified by the Dying Expiatory Sacrifices under the Law Sect. 2. Secondly It was foretold and by the Prophetick impulses of the infallible Spirit of God revealed to the Church of old that the Messiah should die and particularly that he should die a Sacrifice to expiate sin in this cause we have among others the testimonies of the Prophet Isaiah Isa 53.7 cap. 53.7 He is brought as a Lamb to the slaughter where possible may be more than a general symbolizing between the Innocency Humility and Sufferings of the Lamb slain and Christ typified thereby like enough there is a particular symbolizing between them both as they were Sacrifices the footsteps whereof I might trace out somewhat in 1. the word slaughter which Prov. 9.2 seemeth to be determined to the slaying of a Sacrifice And 2. in the word he is brought which Isa 18.7 expresseth the bringing of a present to the Lord. But much more in the word 3. Lamb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used Lev. 5.7 12.8 22.28 Deut. 18.3 which is the very word that expresseth the Paschal Lamb Exod. 12.3 5. which was a Lamb to be sacrificed Deut. 16.6 And 4. from the place which parallel to this Act. 8.32 He was led as a Lamb to the slaughter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what kind of slaying this was A pecudum mactatione 72. alio nomine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vocarunt Amos 5. v. 25. Cloppenb Schol. Sacrif pag. 3. let Rev. 13.8 determine where it is the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world Isa 53.10 If this be not full enough to our purpose yet the 10th verse affordeth a plain and express Prophecy of the Messiah's dying a Sacrifice Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin Indeed the Hebrews read it conditionally if or when but then adds a promise what shall be the fruit and effect of his Dying a Sacrifice Now we do see the promise fulfilled in the numerous seed of Christ therefore with reason we conclude the condition performed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si posuerit hostiam pro peccato reatu 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 proprie est dâ—lictum per Metonymiam significat oblationem pro delicto
Lev. 5.6 7 15. Joh. Hoornb Socin Confut. Vol. 2. l. 3. c. 1. p. 562. The words of the Learned Hoornbeeck cited in the margent shall suffice for clearing the text to Scholars and the true reading of the words of the text in our translation shall suffice the unlearned In a word or two if thou believest that this Chapter foretels the sufferings of thy Saviour if thou believest that this text speaketh of his death if thou believest that he is come so long ago and died so long since thou needest only read plain English He hath then in his Death made his soul an offering for sin and this was foretold by the Prophet not in this verse only but also in the 11th and 12th verses He shall bear their iniquity Ita in caput Hostiarum olim reatus offerentium quasi manibus imponebatur luendus caeremonialiter ibi in Christo vere Joh. Hoornb lib. 3. vol. 2. Socin Confut. c. 1. and he shall bear the sin of many So of old the guilt of those who brought the Sacrifices was as it were laid on the head of the Sacrifices by their hands that it might be punished Observe then how Sacrifices of old times did bear the iniquity and sin of those that brought the Sacrifices So did Christ dying bear our iniquity and our sin He did bear them truly they ceremonially as the learned Author noteth To these passages of Isaiah let us farther add those of David and Paul compared together and we shall there find David foretelling what Death Christ should die and Paul explaining what Death he did die Psal 40.6 7 8. with Heb. 10.5 6 7 8. When he i. e. Christ cometh into the world he saith Sacrifice and Offerings thou wouldest not c. putting the very words of the Psalmist and thereby assuring us that the place was to be understood of Christ who was hereafter to be born and die whenas David wrote this and who was now born and had died whenas Paul wrote this or rather interpreted these words of Dauâ—â— leading us from the Sacrifices under the Law to Christ our Sacrifice and from the Death of those ceremonial and inefficacious Sacrifices to this real and meritorious Sacrifice ver 10th and 12th Now the whole discourse of Christ's dying a Sacrifice for us had been mislaid on David's words if he had not prophesied that Christ should die a Sacrifice for us Either this kind of Dying must be in the Prophetick words of David which are the Apostle's premisses or it could not Logically be put into his Conclusion Sect. 3. Thirdly Christ to die for us a Sacrifice was promised to the Church and if it were promised it may well be concluded that it either shall be accomplished which is as little as an unbelieving Jew will gather from the promise but not so much as a believing Christian must gather who is verily perswaded that our Jesus the true Messiah is already come and hath died for us and died a Sacrifice fo us according to the promise which is made to Sion Zech. 9.11 As for thee by the blood of thy Covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the Pit wherein is no water In the words you have a relation of a double deliverance set forth in figurative expressions 1. First A relation of their deliverance out of the seventy years Captivity which God wrought for them for the Covenant sake he had made with them in Christ this was a temporal deliverance The 2. Second deliverance is spiritual and wrought by the Lord Jesus dying and sheding his blood for us Now it is plain This 1. Blood denoteth a death whoever it be that it is spoken of 2. Blood of a Covenant speaketh the Death of a Sacrifice in the blood whereof the Covenant was confirmed and ratified and it is therefore called the Blood of the Covenant this I will a little farther treat and clear It was a very ancient rite of making and confirming Covenants in the blood of Sacrifices offered up at the time when the Covenants and their terms or conditions were assented unto and approved Possibly the Feast we read of Gen. 26.30 made by Isaac was after a Sacrifice offered when he made a Covenant also with Abimelech and confirmed it by Oath However we are assured it was a rite among the Politer Nations of the Earth as in Homer who brings in his Graecians and Trojans making a covenant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iliad 3. Carm. 94. 105. and confirming it by Sacrifice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but these are alien and forein we have surer testimony Exod. 24.7 where a Covenant is mentioned and this Covenant wrote in a Book and read to the people who therein heard the terms God proposed and to these the people answer All that the Lord hath said we will do and be obedient they give their assent to the Covenant on which Moses forthwith sprinkleth the people with the blood of the Sacrifices which were offered on the Altar mentioned ver 4. and were brought by young men of Israel ver 5. This blood is called eminently the blood of the Covenant ver 8. applied by St. Peter 1 Ep. 1 cap. 2 ver to Christ So then the Covenant confirmed in blood leadeth us to a Sacrifice dying and sheding its blood in which sprinkled according to the Rite or Custom the Covenant is confirmed So that to me there remaineth no farther scruple in this point If any would have it cleared that this blood is to be understood of the blood of Christ I shall refer them to the context viz. ver 9. and 10. and unto Isa 61.1 where the like delivering of the like prisoners is mentioned and unto the Heb. 13.20 where this blood of the Covenant is called the blood of the everlasting Covenant And let them who desire farther satisfaction consult Commentators on the place Sect. 4. Christ's Death was the Death of a Sacricrifice for so it is historically declared and asserted in the history of his Life and Death and in the writings of his Apostles penn'd on this subject since his Death and Resurrection They that have wrote the story and they who have improved it assert the same I do Heb. 9.26 Now once in the end of the world hath he i. e. Christ ver 24. appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself And again ver 28. Christ was offered to bear the sins of many places so full and clear that nothing needs be subjoyned for explication Christ expresly named and he is offered a Sacrifice and this an Expiatory Sacrifice and he that offered it up was the same with the Sacrifice He offered up himself a Sacrifice c. So again Heb. 7.27 this speaking of the Sacrifices offered up often underthe Law viz. offering for the peoples sins he did once when he offered up himself What the daily weekly monthly and yearly reiterated Sacrifices of the Levitical Priests could not effect though they were continually offered
to excite our languishing graces and to strengthen our infirm graces which ought to be more especially found in us and acted by us in our approaches to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper as shall particularly be be shewed in these that follow Sect. 1. Repentance is unquestionably a Sacramental Grace None is fit to commemorate the Death of Christ who repenteth not of the sin which occasioned his Dying The weeping eye and mourning heart are exceeding lovely to the Lord at his Table A Repenting soul is a welcome guest there Now let me trace Repentance through these paths and see as we go how it may be suitably fitted with improveing arguments from Christ our Sacrifice 1. Repentance beginneth ordinarily in a conviction of sin not in general only but particularly in the convictions of our owne sin The righteous need no repentance Mat. 9.13 it is the Sinner which is called to repent so long as a proud Pharisaical opinion of our own Righteousness is maintained by us we shall never embrace the practice of Repentance 2. Apprehension of danger either attends or flows from this conviction of the sinner and this forwardeth his repentance the shameful cursed death sin deserveth and the sinner feareth in the midst of his sorrows hath strong influence upon the soul to grieve for self-undoing sin Although a secure unconvinced sinner blesseth himself and feareth no danger the awakened convinced Penitent apprehends greatest danger from his sin 3. Consternation of mind or Amazement at the sight of sin and danger unavoidable for ought the man can do of himself for his own help this I might call if none will be offended at it a seasonable and profitable despair of our selves while we consider our selves and observe what we have done what we deserve what God hath threatned and what millions do and must for ever suffer for sin 4. A mixture of Hope that there may be and of Desires that there should be and of enquiry whether there be not some effectutal help remedy to be obtained The awakned soul doth as it were look about to see what or whence it's help may come Enquireth what shall I do to be saved How shall I escape c. Now when it descryeth mercy to be had upon it's Humbling of it self before God upon condition of sorrow for what is past and of hatred of sin for time to come the Penitent soul set's it self to exert all these and in a vigorous constant uniform exerting these consisteth the whole life and Practice of Repentance And I hope I shall cleare it Christ considered Dying our Sacrifice will be an awakening consideration preparatory to and promoting of this Repentance in its farther Exercise and Growth Sect. 2. Christ Dying a Sacrifice well considered will conduce much to the Convincing us of a state of sin and that we were in particular involved in it we were sinners and the righteous Law of God imputed the sin to us and the righteous Judge whose it was to execute the Law accounted thee and me and every one of the children of Adam as we are transgressours of the Law if thou seest not this look to the Lord Christ a Sacrifice for sin and ruminate what answer thou canst make to these few Questions 1. What need had there been of a Sacrifice for sin if there had been no sin to expiate by Sacrifice There is certainly sin committed where 't is necessary to take away wrath by a Sacrifice There is sin of the soul wheresoever an offering for sin is appointed Tell me then seeing Christ was made an offering for sin what was thy state and mine and what was the state of all men for whom he became a Sacrifice 2. Couldest thou escape the imputation of sin when Christ a Sacrifice for sin could not escape it Could he not be a sacrifice for sin by a voluntary susception of our cause but he must bear our guilt and shall we judge it likely reasonable or indeed morally possible that our wilful transgressings of the Law should be passed over not imputed If thy sins were imputed to thy sacrifice doubtless they had been imputed unto thy self if thou hadst not had a sacrifice Stand then a while and view this No need of Sacrifice to expiate where no sin is but alas I needed such a Sacrifice No need of Sacrifice where no guilt is imputed but I see my sin I see 't is imputed I must not delay or trifle in this matter my sin is evident its imputation is certain it will be laid on my own head or on my Sacrifice and oh how impossible is it I should escape the imputation of it if I carelesly neglect this great Sacrifice For 3. Whose is the guilt is it his or is it mine who deepest in the guilt he who did no guile or I who am full of guile who nearest the crime he who never did it or I who very wickedly committed it Did God impute it to him and can an unhumbled sinner think God will not impute it unto the committer of the sin 4. With whom was God angry who was it against whom offended justice was most incensed was it against him that was the Sacrifice or against him that needed the Sacrifice and brought it undoubtedly the Sacrifice can bear no other displeasure than what it bears for him whose Sacrifice it is and for whom it is offered And canst thou hope guilty offenders may escape when guiltless victims are charged with another's guilt and suffer another's punishment 5. Who hath greater share in the Love of God had Christ thy Sacrifice for sin or hadst thou for whom he became a Sacrifice I know thou wilt not pretend a comparison with Christ the only begotten of the Father thou darest not think but his share was greater in his Fathers love as his love obedience and likeness to his Father was greater infinitely more excellent than thine was or could be Tell me then if God imputed sin to the Son of his Love when his Son had undertaken to bear the fault and punishment of offenders will he thinkest thou spare those who hate him and might justly be hated of him 6. Would God admit his Son his eternal Delight to be thy Saviour on no other terms than that he should as a Sacrifice take upon him and bear the sins of his people imputed to him that they might not be imputed unto them and dost thou not believe canst thou perswade thy self to imagine that thou mayest though a sinner yet not be charged with thy sin Dost thou not clearly discern that God will charge sin either on the sinner or on his Sacrifice In a word or two whoever knows that Christ was made a Sacrifice for sin knows also that they were under a state of sin for whom he was made a Sacrifice and if thou art a Christian and professest that Christ was thy Sacrifice thou dost thereby confess that thou wert under a state of sin that unless mercy toward
thee impute thy sin to Christ justice will impute it unto thy own self View these these things and weigh them impartially possibly they may prevail to the convincing of the heart of its sinful state and of the certainty of a future imputation of sin unless it be prevented by repentance And lest thou shouldst flatter thy self that there is little or no danger in appearing before God under imputed sin I advise thee to consider Sect. 3. The greatness of thy danger as it will appear in thy Sacrifice See if thou mayest not descry 1. Death as certainly following thy Sacrifice as imputation of sin did follow the substitution of a Sacrifice He must die who took thy sin upon him he cannot escape who is thy Sacrifice If Christ taking thy sin on him could not have the Cup pass from him thinkest thou there can be any thing but death awaiting thee under thy sin is not here danger is not here great danger I know not what may be accounted danger if death be not I know not what is greatest danger if death under imputed sin be not 2. Was not the Death of Christ thy Sacrifice full of sorrows and grief he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief Isa 53.3 and if his life were spent in sorrows I am sure his death was full of them Look on him his in agony in the garden explain me the meaning of those unparalleld drops of blood tell me the story of his enemies cruelly buffetting spitting crowning him with thorns and forcing those into his tender temples his blessed head These were preparatory griefs was ever grief like this this thy sin deserved this thou must if Christ had not suffered thou must have been the scorn and triumph of Devils who forever would torment and wrack thee What then judgest thou of death thus aggravated what thinkest thou of the grief and pain of his soul when hands and feet were nailed to the Cross when he hanged there under the sharp pains of a lingriug death what grief was that breath'd out it self in that My God My God why hast thou forsaken me I speak not of the acuteness of his pains which the School-men speak of Let me obtain thy sober thoughts of the sorrows of our Dying Saviour and Sacrifice and then say whether there is danger and how great the danger of thy sin is then say canst thou think of thy danger without fear and astonishment what will become of sinners under the burthen of sorrows which their sins deserve and God will heap upon them 3. View the person who thus suffered view him I say in all his Interresse in the Father's love in all the Priviledges of his nature person and office in all the perfection and excellency of his obedience and see whether any one or all these could exempt him from or defend him against that flame thy sins had kindled and which his blood alone must quench or it will burn for ever and when thou hast thought of this then tell me thy danger 4. Was not his power and strength the power and the strength of a God united to the Humane Nature to support it and yet for all this his Fears Dangers Sorrows were enough to try all his power and albeit he conquered yet not without a bitter conflict How then couldest thou have escaped or born these dangers Thus make an unconvinced heart look on sin in it's Sacrifice make a self flattering secure fearless heart look on the certainty and greatness of it's own danger in the sorrows and grief which fell upon Christ our Sacrifice when thou hast proceeded thus far in this Matter bring thy self to determine these two things 1. whether thou canst bear all the misery which sin deserved and all the sorrows this Sacrifice did sustain Canst thou bear the displeasure of the Almighty if thou think'st thou canst I pity and mourn for thee if thou thinkest thou canst not then 2. say canst thou find out a way for thine escape if the infinit wise God hath not found out any expedient beside this dost thou think thou canst find it out well then if it be intollerable and thou canst not bear it if unavoidable and thou canst not fly from it what remaineth but being shut up under sin as the Scripture speaketh thou shouldst also be shut up in Prison reserved for the day of Execution without any hope in thy self for thou readest thy guilt in the Imputation of sin to thy sacrifice thou readest thy death and danger in the death of thy sacrifice thou readest despair in the unsupportableness of the misery and in the unavoidableness of it's approaches thou art undone and miserable in thy self which cannot but end in consternation of mind and amazement and likely may break out into such enquiries who can dwell with devouring Fire with everlasting Burnings who shall deliver us from wrath to come how shall I escape such great misery what shall I do to be saved Is there not yet Balm in Gilead is there not a Physician there may not this wound be healed dost thou begin thus to fear and enquire I send thee to this Sacrifice for hope and help Sect. 4. 4. Although the death of thy Sacrifice did preach thy danger and thy helpless state in thy self yet doth it also preach help for thee in another it proclaimeth hope of escape for here is a Sacrifice for sin and where a Sacrifice is admitted the offence may possibly be remitted and the offender may be reconciled They that sought out and prescribed their own sacrifices for their Gods maintained their false hopes by this mean And the carnal Jew mistaking the nature of his sacrifices kept up his presumptuous hopes by the same means concluding his peace was made because the sacrifice is offered But he among the Jews who understood the Institution Nature End and Use of the Propitiatory Sacrifices did obtain at first and did maintain unto the last a sound peace between his God and his soul Where there is an appointed sacrifice there is an open and plain declaration of our apprehensions that 1. Our sins are expiable 2. That sacrifice is the way of expiation And 3. That this sacrifice is believed by us fit to expiate our offence These are the common if not universal suppositions of all sacrificing offenders Now beside these common inducements of our hopes let me acquaint my Reader with two things 1. That God hath admitted this sacrifice whose Death we commemorate in the Sacrament Albeit he checked the formal Jew and rejected the Idolatrous Heathen and their sacrifices witha Who hath required this at your hands yet he never will discourage any one who tenders to him by a hand of faith this Propitiatory Sacrifice He will admit this if thou canst present it to him by faith Lift up therefore the feeble hands the drooping head the fainting heart there is hope nay assurance that sins may be expiated For 2. This Sacrifice is of God's own
appointment he provided it when we were at a loss and could not find wherewith we should come before the Lord and bow our selves before the most High God when the fruit of our body could not expiate the sin of our soul when finite wisdom was non-plus'd then the Lord discover'd his Grace and Mercy and chose out a sacrifice for us he prepared this sacrifice We may as Abraham said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 varying the tense say God hath provided himself a Sacrifice This he shadowed out to us by prescribing all his Sacrifices This he telleth us when he saith He prepared a body for Christ when he saith He sent him and gave him to be a propitiation for us and sealed him c. and such like expressions He the Lamb of God because ordained of God was our Sacrifice These two things considered let the guilty convinced fearing and almost desponding soul debate the case against his own fears and distrusts Put such Questions to an issue 1. Shall I despair when I have a ground to hope Let him embrace his despondencies who cannot see a ground for hope my heart breaks not while my hope is whole and unbroken 2. Are not those hopes well bottom'd which are built on the assurance that sins my only dangers and fears are pardonable Cain perhaps would have hoped if he had apprehended his sin pardonable And I am bound to hope because God assureth me by this sacrifice that my sins are expiable and may be pardoned 3. Why is there an Expiatory Sacrifice admitted nay provided by God himself who is the supreme vindex culpae and who alone had jus poenae the power of executing punishment on the offenders Hath he appointed a Sacrifice to expiate my sin and can it be that my sin remaineth inexpiable unpardonable Is not that sacrifice sufficient which God himself sindeth out Away with unreasonable fears banish forever sinful distrust Here 's a Sacrifice to atone my offended Lord of his own providing and will he not accept it I will tender it I will mention it he will not refuse his own choice 4. Can any one be found who missed the benefit of a pardon that sought it in the blood of this Sacrifice Oh that I could believe and hope until I heard of one so disappointed then should I never be ashamed Hath he not put away sin by once offering of himself and hath he not by one sacrifice forever perfected those that believe that are sanctified 5. Am I not one who may betake my self to this sacrifice What should more hinder me than others Am I excepted out of the Act of Oblivion Why may not my sins be laid on this Sacrifice Do I not read that he liveth for ever to make intercession for those that come to God by him Oh glorious hope Intercession for all that come to God by him Then cheer up doubting heart here is a sacrifice for all that come to God by him for this Intercession is an act or exercise of Christ's Sacerdotal Office subsequent to and dependent upon his foregoing Sacrifice He sacrificeth for as many as he intercedeth if then the Intercession of Christ can impetrate and obtain favour it is because the Sacrifice of Christ hath expiated thy sin and crime Sect. 5. 5. Thus far Guilt Danger and Feares may by eyeing the Sacrifice convince the sinner how seasonable a good hope would be and this Sacrifice sheweth how good the believer's hope is Now would it well become the soul to humble it self and if thou find thy heart remain still proud and unhumbled ask it these Questions over thy Sacrifice 1. Canst thou be proud and yet be found worthy to die in thy Sacrifice can this be born wilt thou confess death is thy desert and yet bear up as if thou wert innocent and in no deserved danger 2. Canst thou be proud of any thing so long as thy life is the fruit of an Expiatory Sacrifice Thou livest by the death of another and wilt thou pride thy self as if thou neededst not any ones help 3. Canst thou confess guilt and yet profess a thought of worth in thy self How shameless is that pride which at the bar confesseth it's Guilt against the Law and advanceth it self against the Law-giver It is a most unseemly thing to behold a heart rising with pride and falling in a Sacrifice Let thy humility then sute thy state as it appeareth in thy Sacrifice and I dare say it will sute the state of thy soul in it's repentance and mourning for sin Sect. 6. 6. Fountains and Springs lye deep where the soul is laid thus low if it doth not freely and spontaneously weep bring it's Sacrifice into sight let that be viewed see it standing before an offended and displeased God who was provoked by thy sin look on it loaded with imputed guilt Alas my sin lyeth upon it observe thy Sacrifice falling before the Altar and say alas was not this for my sake should not I have fallen thus if he had not He bled and out of excess of love to me poured out his life for me he groaned sighed breath'd out his soul for my sake and could he do more alas have I brought my Sacrifice to this was ever man more unhappy to his friend to his Brother how hard are those stony Rocks how dry that flinty heart which gusheth not out with tears in Remembrance of these things My dearest Lord pity unrelenting soules and oh give a mourning heart that may be more equal in it's griefes and sorowes in it's teares and sympathies how many eyes weep at newes of an endangered troubled imprisoned and wrackt friend How many hearts are softned melted and broken with the sweats burning fits and Agonies of a dying man yea how many melting hearts and weeping eyes how many compassionate discourses on the death of some one deserving more than Law inflicts for his breach of the Law But how few over a suffering bleeding dying Saviour and Sacrifice whither are the compassions of men and women fled where may they be found where shall we seek or how shall we wooe and prevail with them Lo their friend and Lord charged with their guilt sweating under its weight groaning under its penalty sighing with sobs that drew blood out of his veins bleeding dying a Sacrifice loaded with our deserved punishment And few alas very few grieving hearts weeping eyes or mourners for their want of tears Lord give more that I may give some tears to wash thy bleeding wounds A second grace requisite to a Christian in the commemoration of the Lord's Death at the Lord's Supper 2d Grace Faith exercised and improved and improveable on consideration of Christ dying a Sacrifice is Faith a grace indisputably necessary to him that will come duly to that Ordinance and therefore I lay not out any time or pains on the proving thereof a grace well improveable by consideration of Christ dying our Sacrifice on which I intend to insist next
for future and doth for present sufficiently influence our Faith to quiet revive quicken and support the soul under fears languishings dulnesses and sufferings Go then aside and take a view of the particulars and meditate on them in the certainty which Christ suffering and dying our Sacrifice hath given to us concerning them and when thou hast so done observe well whether thou art not perswaded to believe in hope against hope and whether thou art not enabled to believe the Promises without staggering and to say thou faintest not because thy afflictions are light and yet do work out for thee a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while thou art able to look to and see both him that is and the things that are invisible such a Faith will be our victory by it we shall more than conquer Having discoursed somewhat on the Improvement of our Divine sorrow and our Faith in the Commemoration of Christ Dying our Sacrifice I have made way for the Improvement of our Peace and Quiet of soul likewise 3d. Grace improved viz. Peace of Soul for this is a sweet fruit of our sound Repentance and sincere faith and carry's a proportioned dimension with the increase of those Graces But I purpose to attempt a more particular discovery of the influence Christ's Death our Sacrifice hath upon the Tranquillity and Peace of the soul of a Communicant who discerneth this Death as it was a Sacrifice and under that notion improveth his Redeemer's love to him Now if I can shew my Reader that there is in this Sacrifice somwhat sufficient to remove all that disquieteth the soul I need take no further care to perswade an opinion that Peace will follow Let the storm cease and a calm will follow if the Earthquake end the old Foundations will stand firm and well setled Let that be removed which alarmed the soul and all will be in Peace Amongst other lesser which I pass over there are four grand disquietudes of the soul 1. Danger of divine displeasure and wrath in condemnation for our sin The drawn sword of Divine vengeance hanging over the head is enough to affright all peace out of the heart and to fill it with amazing horrour and overwhelming terrours How did Adam's fears seize him when his sin had laid him open to that threat Thou shalt die the death Gen. 2.17 then his guilty conscience did chase Ea conscientia est quae filgat terret accusat damnat Parentes nostros Certissimum testimonium Deum tandem ultorem futurum omnis mali Fagius in cap. 3. Gen. 8. affright accuse condem him forebode a severer Judge and Avenger whom he could not escape or shun whom he could not stand before whom he feareth and flieth The Apostle elegantly expresseth the disquietude of a self-condemning heart by the trouble of bondage Heb. 2.15 The fear of death kept them in bondage all their life the expectation of death was death to them or ere they died and they scarce lived because they continually tortured themselves with the preapprehensions of a hastening death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot which to secure nature is the greatest of terrours though ignorance of what is consequent to death did hide the most dreadful part of death from the eyes of nature Psal 55.4 Psal 116.3 yet in David's phrase terrours of death will make the heart sigh under pain and fill it with trouble and sorrow too unless the heart be assured of the the removal of guilt the freedom from condemnation Joh. 8.21 24. Rev. 2.11 that the man dieth not in his sins nor shall be hurt of the second death No man's heart was strong under the apprehensions of the wrath of an Almighty and Eternal God nor can the greatest cheats of the world I mean hypocrites who can counterfeit almost every thing put on the counterfeit of boldness Isa 33.15 when they see the everlasting burnings and the devouring fire they are then surprized with fearfulness 2. Loss of the wonted sweetness of Divine favour and the refreshing expresses which God by his spirit did formerly give to the soul When once the soul hath been favoured with an acquaintance and knowledg of a Heaven upon earth it cannot without disquietude live on earth without it's Heaven Darkness cannot but greatly afflict the soul which enlightned once did rejoice in the light of God's Countenance shining on it What is said of the great darkness which fell on Abraham in his sleep Gen. 15.12 may be verified of all the desertions which fall upon the children of Abraham they are attended with horrour and trouble When God hid his face from David he was troubled Psal 30.5 and his soul refused to be comforted Psal 77.2 his spirit was overwhelmed ver 3. so troubled he could not speak ver 4. All which proceeded from the spiritual desertion he then lay under God hath cast off and he feared it was for ever ver 7. that he would be favourable no more c. verse 8 and 9. So that when David had lost the sense of God's love he could find peace or joy in nothing about him An Idolater once expostulated with a great deal of trouble you have taken away my Gods and do you ask what aileth me But whilst we deride or pity his blindness we should resent the real troubles of the soul which hath lost the sense of the Love of his God and Father and indulge him in a more than usual trouble for the suspence or intermission of his desired rest and peace wherein he found though imperfect yet a growing happiness and in David's words expressed his felicity He heard the joyful sound and walked in the light of God's countenance Psal 89.15 but now feareth his misery will recall his former happiness only to prove him as much sunk in woes as he was exalted in joys above other men Miserrimum est fuisse felicem this disquieteth the soul that it hath been what now it is not blessed 3. Sense of sinful weakness and suspition of worse insincerity and want of uprightness in its duties and the exercises of its Devotion towards God are a trouble to the soul in its reflections on its services and examination of it self it seeth sin adhere to every one of its best workes and it seeth imperfection still dwelling in its perfectest graces so that when he findeth to will yet how to perform he findeth not as Rom. 7.18 On which observation of his defects he judgeth himself in a miserable perplexity and under apprehensions hereof crieth out wretched man that I am who shall deliver me c. ver 24. This worthlesness of persons and performances is the subject of the Church's complaints Isa 64.6 We are all as an unclean thing And our iniquities as the wind have taken us away iniquities saith David in his complaint prevail against me Psal 65.3 And elsewhere prayeth God would search him and try him and see whether there be any
way of wickedness in him Psal 139.23 24. It is that which giveth a trouble to God's Children that they are not perfect that their heart retaineth too much of its native guile and is deceitfull above all things Jer. 17.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isa 6.5 In brief with the Prophet they cry on t each one in sight of his Pollution wo is me I am of Polluted heart and lips When David saw the Divine jealousie breaking out on Vzza 2 Sam. 6.9 He was afraid and durst not bring up the Ark of the Lord whither he first intended He was afraid of the Lord that day and said how shall the Arke of the Lord come to me he feared and fears are troubles and questionless disquiet the mind his fears and the trouble of them arose from his foreseen unmeetness to entertain the Arke of so holy a God he was not as he desired a meet and prepared Receiver and lodger of that glorious guest This David's trouble this the disquieting thought of every good heart it cannot offer a Sacrifice pure enough immaculate and perfect as becometh the purity perfection and Majesty of his God 4. A Fourth and the last I shall now mention is a succession of doubts and jealousies lest guilt and unworthiness should hinder his acceptance with God and at last cut off his hope of every desireable blessing from God For although the believer is delivered from danger of condemnation and hath had often experiences of the favour of his God and is made upright and without prevailing guile in all his services which might in very reason be sufficient ground of a constant peaceful hope confidence and assurance that God will ever accept him and delight to bless him and at last reward him yet for all this many doubts and the same frequently returning do disquiet the soul putting it to suspect the worst and what shall never befall it Oh saith one my sins make me doubt lest that be my sad state which was Israel's complaint or should have been in Jeremiah's words Sins have hidden good things from me Jer. 5.25 And another is ready to suspect though I might be establisht yet my unbelief suggesteth apprehensions that I shall not for I have not been obedient I have been guilty of much unbelief A third complains of back-slidings and what doubts arise thence And almost every one hath his peculiar doubts or a peculiar ground for those which disquiet others as himself Now it is I judge needless to exemplifie the troublous nature of doubts and endless to enumerate the particular doubts of Christians or the easie returns they make on the souls who have frequently removed them and have thought sure now they should no more be disquieted with them I shall rather address my thoughts to the second thing I suggested viz. that there is in the Sacrifice of Christ for us somewhat which may remove these disquietudes of the soul And so Sect. 1. 1. In the first place for removal of the danger of condemnation the first disquietude mentioned there is sufficient in Christ dying our Sacrifice to effect this as will appear on these Considerations 1. Christ dying our Sacrifice was pleased to stand in our stead he was substituted in our room for us in this he became what is necessary in every Sacrifice a representative of us for whom he made himself a Sacrifice so the Sacrifice doth vices ejus qui reus agitur subire take the place or turn of the guilty of which substitution I have already spoken somewhat cap. 3. sect 1. This Substitution of the Sacrifice was so generally received an Opinion and an inseparate appendage to every Sacrifice expiatory that thou shall easily discerne it both in the writing of Heathens mentioning their Sacrifices as also in the writings of Moses relating the particularities of Jewish Sacrifices if an ordinary care be used in reading But I do not farther insist on that come we rather to see what quiet this substitution may afford to the soul how full of peace may the soul be which can carry all that is laid to it's charge to Christ which can say Christ stand's for me is substituted in my stead and if there be ought of danger it first falleth on him in whose hand never did any one miscarry who had Christ undertaking for him Christ now substitute for us stands between us and danger who are thus in Christ to allude to that of the Apostle Rom. 8.1 Are exempt from condemnation For in this substitution of our Sacrifice there is 2. A due sufficient and full transferring our guilt on our Sacrifice so that the guilty soul may now say mercy hath transmitted my guilt from me upon my substitute and he hath voluntarily taken that upon himself to answer it before my Judge against all accusers and how then can condemnation be justly feared when no guilt is found lying upon the person what servant or child needeth fear a chiding for that fault which the Master or Father hath on the interposing of a Mediatour transferred from the servant or child solicitous fears may de facto disquiet the soul for whom Christ made himself a Sacrifice but were such fears arrested examined and discovered they would be checkt discarded and cast out as groundless for it would then appear that they come intruders on innocent acquitted and imputatively guiltless soules Doth any such feare of future condemnation perplexe look to thy Sacrifice consider guilt which onely can condemne is by thy Judge in a valid sufficient form transferred from thee to thy Sacrifice and certainly thy Judge will as justly acquit the from thy guilt as he did mercifully transferre it he whose mercy so contrived to make thee innocent that thou mightest not be condemned His Justice will find thee what mercy made thee and thou shalt not be condemned Read that text 2 Cor. 5.2 He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him Certainly then the danger of Condemnation is over when we are made Righteous in Christ and he our Sacrifice made sin for us The Righteous Judge of Heaven and earth will do so justly that he will not codemn one whom grace hath made Righteous Though all we like lost-sheep have gone astray yet there is hope for the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all Isa 53.16 3. Christ our Sacrifice standing in our stead admitting the transferring of our guilt from us upon himself by his dying our sacrifice did undergo that punishment and did bear that wrath which our sin deserv'd that we might be absolved and acquitted so that now either we must doubt an after-punishment will be inflicted on us for the sin Christ hath born and suffered and we shall be condemned though he died to the end we might not be condemned which how little consistant with either the justice of God or his mercy any one may easily discern who will consider It
were it all to be done over again Now this doth add new evidence of the certainty of the Promise and ought to add new degrees of strength to our Faith How sure must those Promises be which are the Promises of one unchangable and who repenteth nothing which he hath spoken Away then with unbelief and doubts banish them all from thy soul If thou wouldst but love thy Lord in truth of heart if thou grievest for thy deadness and non-proficiency if thou strivest to walk more worthy of thy relation unto Christ and of his love to thee be not too much dejected Thy Lord foresaw this and hath provided a pardon for and help against it and notwithstanding all the baseness thou confessest and bewailest in thy self Christ would make the same VVill if he were to make it anew and give thee as much as he hath done Raise up thy Faith therefore and at the Sacrament be think thy self Here are the Promises reduced to the form of a last VVill that they might be sure and they are so disposed by my Lord who foresaw all that can discourage me and who would not change any thing were all to be new done Surely he intends as he speaketh is in very good earnest he will perform that at last which he would not change or alter in the least Oh then I must perswade my self it is all truth which is in these Promises and I should believe them more stedfastly if I did understand them more clearly None can have such equal ground of believing his friend none shall equal me in believing Christ my friend and Lord. 6. Lastly let it be considered for ensuring the promises they are the legacies of one who is sole and supreme judge of all pleas and causes which can arise concerning our Right and Title to them Symbol Nicen. John 5.25 We believe that he shall come to be our Judge is an article of our faith and the Father hath committed all judgement to the Son having appointed a day wherein he will judge the world by the man whom he hath ordained Acts 17.31 who was adjudged by man unto death died and was buried but rose again and shall come to judge Quick and Dead whose sentence shall stand for ever good so he hath a Prerogative Royall peculiar to himself for others last wills are by other men decided if any thing of controversy arise concerning them No man is judge in the case and plea of right between those he hath made joint Legatees but one is the Testator and dieth another is the Judge and interpreter of the Testament whence it doth not seldom fall out that the Legatees are defeated of their right and lose the gift of their Friend and the mind of the Testator is not fulfilled because it is either not understood by the judge or because it must not be understood although indeed it is well enough known this therefore leaves some uncertainty in a man's claim and the event upon trial is sometime a disappointment But here is no such uncertainty in the event for he is Judge who is Testator and he is to declare his own mind of whom we expect the gift and who certainly doth well understand his own mind Besides in expecting and claiming the Legatee shall assuredly have all the favour shewed him that hee needeth It is a rule in law that wills should be interpreted in the more favourable sense That love which was so great to give the Legacy will be great enough to adjudge it to the Legatee Moreover it is not possible that a case should arise between the Legatees of Christ wherein the one should gain and the other lose for such are the gifts of Christ that they are intire and whole to each one none hath the less for any ones having much so the controversy shall never be but between the soul and its unbeleif fears and doubts between the soul and Satan accusing and impleading it And in this case Christ being Judge of his own Will you may soon say what favourable gracious and merciful judgement he will give and how surely he will adjudge their title good whose faith love and desires sue for it to him Awaken thy self then and look on what sure ground thou standest who hast Promises so full of certainty and unchangeable truth Let thy soul admit no more unbelief than the Promises confirmed by Christ framing them into his last VVill and Testament do admit uncertainty Let not unbelief enter until thou seest uncertainty attend thine expectation from the Will of Christ Reason with thy soul propose the case to thy serious thoughts At a Sacrament I do remember the Death of my Lord Dying and making his VVill wherein is given to me all that which the Sacrament representeth to me remission of sin peace in believing strength to walk with God and after my drinking this wine with his people at his Table Luke 22. The drinking it new with him in his Father's Kingdom This Ordinance is as all other Ordinances of Christ are exceeding full of grace for every one that heartily willeth it and this fulness of grace is bequeathed by VVill this VVill valid and to be judged if any case arise by him who made it Come then Will Christ think you enervate his own Will Can it be imagined that he will not see it performed who lives to be his own Executor who would make no other if he were now to die and make his VVill again Fear not oh believing soul thy claim will be adjudged good doubt not thy Plea of right he is Judge who gave thee the right stagger not through unbeleef He did designedly give thee all assurance possible not to prevent any unfaithfulness in himself but to prevent all infidelity in thee Not to confirm his own word by any new arguments or new bonds which might be sure to hold if others did break for his word and promise is faithfullness and truth but to confirm thy faith and that if unbeleef broke through some yet it might not break through others if it did prevail with the soul against any one it might not prevail against every one of the encouragements and perswasives to believe Weigh well the certainty of those promises which are confirmed by the last will of such I say of such a Testator who changeth not who cannot be overruled by any superiour Judge and then say how great your perswasion of the truth of them should be It should be great faith that hath such great assurance and strong perswasion which hath such perswasives Oh that our faith were porportioned to the ground of faith laid down before us in this very matter there can be no colour of doubt where these grounds and perwasives of our belief are rationally considered Bring therefore to the Sacrament an extract of the promises set them in order before your eyes see them all summarily contained in that one clause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luc. 22.20 This is
to the soul For they are desires fixed upon a good which is in some degree already enjoyed Christ and his benefits are ever enjoyed whilest sincerely desired These messengers of the soul seeking for Christ are sent by Christ himself who is with the soul much as he was incognito with the Disciples before he made himself known in breaking of bread The soul desireth Christ absent but these desires are raised in the soul by Christ present And as a Friend in a disguise sometime visits and feasteth with his Friend cheering and comforting him and minding him of his absent Friend and raising wishes and desires after him as absent who indeed is present with him and entertaineth him so doth our blessed Lord satisfy the desires of them that love him and that long for him He is enriched by Christ who truly desireth the riches of Christ These the advantages of the Christians desires oh then let out thy desires fear not to set thy soul in a longing fit for Christ whilst thou longest thou shalt enjoy and ere long thou shalt see how much thou hadst of him all that time wherein thou thoughtest thou hadst no more of him than an empty desire or hungring wish for him thy desires are like the Mariners approaches to the spicy Islands the sweet and delicate odours assure them they are not far off and delight them untill they set foot upon the shore so Christ assures and delights the desirous soul so Christ sends abroad the sweet perfumes of grace and glory These refresh the soul untill its arrival where it shall live upon full satisfactions which is a 3. Third excellency in which the believers desires after these Legacies of Christ do exceed all the best desires of other men who must ever write over them lesse in hand than in Hope Minuit praesentia famam the believer on the contrary must write this as the motto of his possessed desires great in Hope greater far in hand or as the Queen of Sheba said in another case 1 King 10.8 It was a true report which I heard in my own land but the one half of their glory was not told me These things which draw out the desires of other men are like the Apples of Sodom beautiful and please the eâ—e at distance but they moulder into ashes when the hand gathers them and they who feed on them feed on ashes Such are honours such are pleasures such are the riches of this world and of men of this world fully uncertain when we purpose to seek them fully vexatious whilst we are seeking them fullest of torment and disappointment when they are grasped and possessed yet our desires after them are passionate and earnest our contrivances to obtain them are solicitous and secret our pursuit vigorous and unwearied But Christian here is honour a crown bequeathed here is joy an eternal feast on the fruit of the true vine in the Kingdom of thy heavenly Father here are treasures bequeath'd an inheritance a Kingdom and all proposed to thy desires with transcendent advantages they are certain that thou mayest pursue them with Hope they do refresh whilest thou art pursuing that thou mayest not languish and faint they satisfy fully and eternally that thou mayest never repent thy labour Look on these and let them have but as much of thy desire as there is of desireableness in them above all other things and then I am sure thou wilt desire them above all and rest in them after all Awake Awake oh my soul and before thou make thy approach to the Lord's table look over the last Will and Testament of Christ thy Lord see there is pardoning mercy to take away death which is the desert of sin there is purifying mercy to take away the filth of sin to dry up the poisonous fountain of sin there is pacifying mercy to take away inward distracting troubles there is interceding mercy to procure acceptance of all the good thou dost there is preserving mercy to keep thee from falling away and perishing there is crowning mercy to encourage thy expectations and satisfy thy best and largest desires In a word here is Christ's Spirit his Righteousness his Kingdom with eternal life given by Will and last Testament and all these tendered to thee as Christ's Minister tenders the body and blood of Christ to thee all these things are delivered to thee in the copy of Christ's will sealed unto thee at the Sacrament and thy desires are now expected Good things and possible yea certain and ensured to thee if thou wilt but heartily desire them Awake therefore a sincere wish a strong longing after them that they might statisfy thee All these are thine if thou wilt be Christ's oh then desire he would unite thee to himself that thou may'st be one among them that are one with Christ these shall be heirs to these great things these must be of Christ's kindred and alliance this alliance is not by natural consanguinity it is by a foederal covenant Union and this Union is effected by us for our part by willingness and desire say then art thou willing to lose and miss these great things or dost thou think them unworthy of thy desire or rather dost thou not wish thou couldest desire them dost thou not feel thy heart kindly bubling forth such affectionate desires as these after Christ oh that I were of that happy family which are so blessed with Christ oh that my name were written in the will oh that there were a blank where I might secretly or openly write mine own name there then I would as Jacob yet without offence steal a blessing oh that there were some would shew me how I might imbody my self with this houshold and kindred why now if such desires stir behold here is a short but a sure method Longings and desires after nearer Vnion and closer conjunction with Christ heary desires of communion with Christ will do this great work and ensure this exceeding rich blessing to thee Blessed are they who thus hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be satisfyed Thus renewed meditations on the common in centives of desires and renewed meditations on the peculiar and extraordinary incentives of our desires in likely-hood can do no less than increase our desires after this most desireable Union to Christ CAP. V. Sect. 4. Love and esteem of Christ Improved by his Dying a Testator A Fourth Grace improveable by the meditation of Christ's Death as such a loving and bountiful Legator Love and Esteem of Christ 4th Sacramental Grace improved is love and high esteem of his person and concernment There are some graces which may be better spared in part or in whole others that are more needful for a communicant at the Lord's table joy in believing may be little perhaps none yet the soul not unfit for the Sacrament But the grace of love to Christ with an high esteem of the person and concernments of Christ is so needful
enriching us it doth exceedingly enhance our worth honour we therefore are highly obliged to contend for his honour we rightly judge the son bound to plead the honour of his dying Father and we do as rightly judge the Christian much more bound to plead the honour of his dying Lord whose Testament hath made him a Son and gave him a share both in the honour and wealth of the family 2. In the last Will of our Dying Lord we read his Zeal and strength of affection for our peace our comfort our safety and our happiness all which falleth to the ground and vanisheth if the Legacies of our Lord fail us we had need therefore with Zeal contend for his honour not as though our plea would in any thing ratify or confirm for as we cannot give so neither needs he to derive ought of his authority from us he hath received all power from his Father But yet after the manner of men be it spoken we are bound to assert and defend the glory of his authority and power of disposing and bequeathing to us and to others whatsoever he hath by Will and Testamentary disposition left to us and to them If he had given what was not his to give we must either soon have parted with it or for ever have missed of it but herein lieth our advantage and comfort that the large Legacies of our Lord to us are as the fruit of so much Zealous love for us so they are the Acts of Soveraign power delegated to Christ by the Father as our Lord himself intimateth to us Luk. 22.29 As the Father hath appointed unto me so I appoint a Kingdom unto you Our Zeal then for the honour of Christ doth as well maintain our hope comfort and interess as it doth maintain his authority and what man would suffer the power to be nulled which gave him a rich and inestimable Legacy 3. The least degree of good bequeathed to us by the Will of our Testator in his will remembred by us in the Lords supper doth greatly surpass all the Zeal we can bear to his glory and honour read over his will and see there is justification in his blood shed for remission of sin assurance of peace with God secured by the frequent remembrance of the blood of sprinkling Sanctification consolation and future glory all these promised by him who being Mediator of the Covenant hath reduced the whole to the form of a Testamentary disposition and confirmed it by his death Now when thou art going to a Sacrament consider and judge with thy self should I not be very Zealous for his honour who hath given many inestimable gifts to me am I not less than the least of grace bequeathed is not remission of my sin greater love than my love can requite is not Hope of glory greater than mine obedience can ever equall shall I then ever think I have affection enough or have done enough for his honour by whom I have received what I have already by whom I shall receive what I hereafter expect No! No! I must be ever blowing my love into a greater flame of Zeal for his honour and yet his love and Zeal for me will outshine and overpower all mine for him 4. View the Will of thy Testator be perswaded to remember that he is now living in glory and beholdeth all that Love and Zeal which thou carriest in thy breast which thou expressest in thy life toward him he is not like other men who dying know no more of the deportment and behaviour of befriended survivours thou canst not bury the knowledge for dust hath not blinded the eye of the Lord he lives for ever and he knows how thou receivest improvest and resentest his Love and Zeal for thy good and with what face wilt thou appear before him one day if thou hast not been hired shall I say or bought with so great price into the love of and into a Zeal for thy beneficent liberal and incomparable Friend and Lord I observe Jacob dying recommended the care of his burial to Joseph above all his sons it was likely because cause Joseph more than any of his sons was debtor to the love and care of his Father for a double portion bestowed on him of all men we who have a double portion by Christ a portion of blessings on earth and in Heaven should zealously perform his will we must account it sacredly inviolable and shew it in shewing forth his praises 1 Pet. 2.9 CAP. V. Sect. 6. Joy Improved on Christ Dying a Testator A Sixth grace well suiting the Lord's supper 6th Sacramental grace Improvable Joy and Improveable on account of the Lord 's Dying a Testator is joy and gladness in the Lord and in his goodness It is confessed by all that it well suiteth with feasts of love that the guests should joy together and rejoice in their Friend who is equally Friend unto them all The soul which cometh burthened with sins and sorrows confesseth he should rejoice in the Lord and is well pleased that others do it whilst he cannot it is a spiritual joy which well becometh this spiriritual feast I do not say the heart is unfit for it who doth not rejoice I know the spiritual hunger and thirst of the soul speaketh the soul fit and such may such indeed ought to come yet when hunger and thirst after the Lord are accompanied with joy in the Lord the soul is better is more throughly prepared for this feast this commemoration of their Dying Lord. Now the Christian's joy beside the general motives of joy arising from the general nature of the object of delight and joy as goodness in the thing enjoyd propriety whereby it becomes ours and possession or presence of it with us according to our present capacity and exigency whether refreshing repairing or filling us or in what other manner of operation it affecteth in which the Christian joy and the delight of other men do agree The spiritual joy of the Christian hath great advantages from the last Will and Testament of his Lord As 1. First the transcendency of them If there were any blessings better than others in the possession and at the disposal of their Lord surely these should be given among the beloved Friends Servants attenders complemental visiters and such like common Friends possibly may be put off with common gifts but the best shall be distributed unto the best Friends A Kingdom in glory the spirit of Adoption remision of sins increase of all grace and consolations through faith c. are the choice blessings bequeathed to believers in Christ's Will and represented ensured and in praelibations or foretast conveyed to believers in the right reception of the Lord's Supper let it be therefore throughly considered and when either of those forecited mercies appear contained in his Will ask your selves whether the least of these do not deserve the highest pitch of your joy are they not better worth your delight than
which lyeth a Curse indeed Now this duly considered will promote the increase of our graces The Communicant who can meditate on Christ dying a Curse for us may thereby excite his graces and exercise them to an improvement of them such meditations will be as lesser streams to a River which they greaten whilst they run in the same chanel A brief specimen of this will satisfie I hope and set the soul on work wherein for his help I shall shew him an Essay in a rude draught of this in eight following particular Graces which well become a Communicant 1. Humility and Self-abasement is unquestionably a Sacramental grace 1. Sacramental grace improved a grace we should Bring to exercise at and improve by the Sacrament of our Lord dying for us And the consideration of his death represented under the circumstances of a Curse is a very suitable and a likely means to effect this For it doth represent to our thoughts not only the sufferings of our dearest Lord and friend but convinceth us that it was our sin which procur'd this to him and that we must have been miserable for ever if he had not thus died Thus our sin and misery is set before us and these will humble a soul these will bow the generous courage and stoutness of the noblest and highest mind Misery alone cannot break the courage of a virtuous and innocent mind Nil conscire sibi c. A soul clear and approv'd to its self is an impregnable fortress And the spirit of a man will bear these infirmities Indeed a base and degenerous mind breaks into shivers under a load of crosses But the soul under sorrows or in danger of deserv'd misery reflecting on its own guilt and looking through the vileness of sin on the greatness of its sorrows is the more humble because more refined and excellent in it's temper principles and aims True lowliness of spirit or humility that is genuine may possibly first gush out in a tear from pain But it 's constant running is in tears for sin Misery may broach the vessel but it is sin that keeps it running Misery may make the best despised in others eyes sin makes him despised in his own Men will tread on a distressed fortune but the humble soul will tread on its sinful self And now serious Reader cast thine eye upon Christ made a Curse and suppose for thy self and then tell me what is first reflected on is not thy misery the title page of that great Volume of sorrows which Christ did bear for thee when he was made a Curse and underwent it in thy stead wa st not thou in danger of that Curse didst thou not dwell on the borders of an eternal infinite misery and wast thou not every moment in danger to be haled and thrust headlong into a prison of wofullest darkness and unspeakable sorrows Did not the Curse laid on Christ hang over thy head It was thy sin thy misery that Christ lay under and this will humble thee if thou hast any spark of spititual ingenuity if there dwell any generous dispositions within thy breast 1. For what is it to be cursed but to lye under the transgression of a righteous Law and what will abase an ingenuous spirit if the baseness of sin will not Humility is the judgement or opinion of its little worth arising from due sense of sin Humility what Thus did Moses instruct Irsael to be humble Deut. 9.7 12 22. 23. 24. shews them how great their sin had been and leaves then to say how little their opinion of themselves ought to be tells them how near they were to utter ruine when nothing but a Moses and his prayer was between them and the execution of that word Deut. 9.6 14. I will blot out their name from under Heaven Let thy soul renew the memory of thy sin when thou renewest thy thoughts of Christ's dying a Curse Remember thy sins and do as they Ezek. 20.43 Gen. 41.9 Loath thy self for all thy sins The remembrance of a fault made a Courtier blush In a Sacrament thou seest Christ dying an accursed death in his Curse thou dost or shouldest see thy own sin and with Ezra in another case Ezra 9.6 Thou shouldest be ashamed and blush to look up to Heaven For 2. Thou most righteous and just hast condemned me and judged what my fault is how great how vile it is in the Curse my Saviour did bear for me It was not a rash hasty and inconsiderate passion of a man that cursed the sinner but it was the just deliberate sentence of a wise and holy God who never curseth one that deserves to be blessed who never curseth before the creature hath sinned and deserved it How inquisitive is a good disposition if he be cursed as David by a Shimei 2 Kings 2.23 or as the Prophet reproached by the Boyes of Bethel or by a contemptible beggar How ready are best natures to enquire into the cause Have I given an occasion to this reproach Have I deserved it And how is he abashed and ashamed that any reason is pretended for unreasonable railing Now much more abashed is the ingenuous spirit when a sober man when a judicious observer of his own words as well as of other mens carriages shall condemn and adjudge him worthy of a Curse But here it is the Lord who adjudged thee to a Curse and canst thou remember this and not be humble and not reflect upon thy sin which provoked so just a Wisdom and such deliberate Justice to execrate thee David was humble when Shimei cursed because it might be God had said to him Curse David When thou receivest the Sacrament thou remembrest Christ whom God made a Curse for thee there God tells thee Thou hadst been forever cursed if Christ had non been once cursed There thou mayest see a holy wise just and infinitely excellent person displeased with thee and provoked against thee and surely such a sight will I am certain it should make thee abhor thy self and be humble 3. Farther thou hadst a fair and open tryal of thy Cause and it now stands in the greatest Court of Record in the world It is there registred that thou art the son or daughter of a tainted blood a child of an accursed stock In the first Adam God tryed and cast thee and told thee what thou must expect in the second Adam he shewed thee this Record stood firm the sentence unrepealed and if the blood of Christ dying and bearing the Curse for thee had not washt out the stain thou hadst remained still under a curse and stain It is accounted a glory in an Antient Family that the blood is not stained with any treasonable practices against the Soveriagn and it is a disparagement and diminution of their glory and greatness that the blood is embased by disloyal designs and attempts When thou receivest the Sacrament and seest Christ dying an accursed death
remember this Thou art minded of thy stained blood and of the recorded atteindure that God brought in against thee Here thou seest what judicial process should have been made against thy self see it and be humble 4. And thou mayest do well to remember what proof and evidences were against thee too ere God adjudged thee to this Curse which thy Saviour underwent for thee the notoriousness of the fact the self-silencing conviction of Conscience thy Father against thy Mother Adam against Eve thy own family evidence against thee in this matter Thou canst find no pretence of an exception to the witness Here thou mayest reflect upon thy own adjudged baseness and be proud if thou canst when thou hast reflected on thy self Whoever thou art who rightly perceivest the mystery of this Ordinance and dost rightly receive it thou art evidence for God against thy self and confessest the matter that thou deservedst to die for thy sins in that very capacity and notion that Christ died for them If he died an execrated cursed death for thee The Sacrament is a memorial of thankfulness to God and to Christ for sparing thee and letting thee escape whilest the blessed Son of God died in thy room Consider this and be humble 5. Consider lastly How humble thy heart and hand ought to be when thou receivest Christ in the Sacrament since from him alone thou receivest deliverance from a Curse None would none indeed could deliver thee but Christ Thou couldst not send for another Physician to heal thy distemper Here thou couldest not as in a Market seek a better bargain No He alone who was made a Curse for thee was able to deliver thee he was over all God blessed for ever able to restore accursed creatures to blessedness and to invest them with happiness Be then as ingenuous toward Christ thy only hope as thou wouldest be toward a Patron a Benefactor a Lord on whom thou dost solely and intirely depend Thou wouldest humbly observe and with due reverence receive his Commands and abhor a seeming proud lofty or insolent behaviour towards him I entreat for as much from thee towards Christ as thou dost give to a man without intreaty At a Sacrament reflect on these things say with thy self here is the renewed memorial of Christ dying a Curse and this renewed remembrance convinceth me that I was a vile wretch else my God had never cursed me I had never been attainted arraigned condemned and recorded among those that were not worthy to live in a holy and happy Common-wealth and Court I had never recovered my former state of bliss if the Lord had not put himself in my stead and bore my punishment My life hope and glory are all the fruit of another's death and shame I must be lowly who was redeemed from so low and cursed state By this thou mayest discern what influence is in the Death of Christ considered as a Curse and how it may be drawn out to abase and humble thy soul before thy God And let this suffice for an Essay or Pattern Go thou and meditate on what thou canst see farther in this thing and be humble all thy days In the second place Take an Essay in another Sacramental Grace Let it be supposed to be Strong and servent Desire to be partaker of that deliverance which Christ wrought by dying a Curse for us A good and hungring appetite is not more necessary at thy friend's table when thou art invited to feast with him than this strong Desire is needful and required for the Lord's Table Our blessed Redeemer invites the hungry and bids the heartiest welcome to the hungriest comers his language is My friends you are welcome and let me see you come as to one that you know does bid you welcome by your free eating and drinking I may think you either know not how excellent the provision is or you like it not or you are full of somewhat else or you doubt your welcome if you sit as if you came to feed your eye but not to satisfie your souls If the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ be the Supper of the Lord if it be a feast if it be stored with choicest variety of spiritual and heavenly rarities if it be the Gospel Mannah why are your longing desires so weak so unconstant so uneasily taken off Surely you and I should be better stomach'd for this feast Christ hath prepared his body to be your food and you must prepare your desires and awaken your hungrings after him The best wine is drawn out for this feast and it's pity it should not have a thirsty soul whose thirst can relish its worth He knows nothing of this Ordinance who knows not it is a spiritual feast to be attended with a spiritual appetite and therefore I proceed to give you a specimen of that which is in this Dying of our Lord to whet the appetite of the soul and so let the first Consideration for example be this first In this kind of Death the soul sees both that which will awaken and add vigour to its aversation of sin or evil and what will awaken and strengthen its inclination and prosecution after deliverance from that evil In the Curse thou seest what an evil sin is and thou must bear it or desire Christ that he would if thou desirest not that he may really bear the Curse for thee as in the Lord's Supper he Sacramentally doth it will be interpreted that thou desirest all that evil should light on thee which thy sin deserveth and canst thou desire to be cursed canst thou desire to de damned canst thou see misery like a black storm hang over thy head and not fly to shelter See then in a Sacrament Christ tendered to bear thy Curse thy misery and ask thy self whether it be not desirable ask thy self shall I desire this or no shall I wish and intreat and be willing to be freed from so great evil or no In the Sacrament the Lord tells the discerning soul Here take my Son and if thou desirest it he shall bear thy deserved Curse and thou shalt inherit an undeserved blessing go think on it and tell me what thou wilt do whether thou wilt desire and be willing or no And now judge what is like to be the Answer of the soul will it not be This O let the Blessing be mine and let my loving Saviour thus deliver me thus bless me also oh my Father and it shall suffice 2. And as the proper Incentives of desâ—â—â— are contained in the things themselves offered so the very language notion and frame of words do awaken the soul to exert its desires A misery to be avoided by this means will perswade the soul to a willingness to apply the means But surely a misery expressed by a Curse by an Execration will hasten the soul's desire to escape it In some cases a man may commendably desire and chuse affliction but in no case can a man
Love of Christ and be thankful to him for us Remember the daies of thy fears when thou wouldst have welcomed the news of thy pardon and received it on thy knees with ten thousand praises to thy God Remember the anguish of thy soul when the Arrows of the Almighty stuck fast and the poison thereof drunk up thy spirits what pains wouldst thou have taken then what cost wouldst thou gladly have been at to procure thy soul's peace and ease When thou thoughtest Hell would be thy tormenting prison for ever and thou lookedst on it as the greatest evil because thou shouldst bear thy sins there for ever and never have one smile from God what thankfulness didst thou then think was meet for thee to pay and for Christ to receive Oh let not this be forgotten when thou comest to commemorate the Death of thy Lord say then and think so Here is the blood of my loving gracious Redeemer who was content to be made a Curse for me that I might not slavishly fear my guilt nor be in Hell a So Francis Spira thought spake of his fears and tears before I came to Hell that I might not go mourning under the heavy burthen of my own easeless pains which were worse than death it self those fears terrours and pains which no tongue can describe my blessed Redeemer delivered me from them and duly confirms it to me in minding me that he died and that he died being made a Curse for me I must therefore mind my debt of thankfulness I vowed at least promised and purposed never to forget that more thankfulness was due to Christ then I could ever pay Let my renewed view of this blood so affect me oh my dearest Lord at every Sacrament that it may ever renew my thankfulness until thankfulness be so perfected that I may never more need a Sacrament to put me in mind of this my duty Thirdly The renewed thoughts of Christ dying thus accursed for us will add to our thankfulness In that the heart of a Believer meditating on this may conclude he is judicially acquitted from the charge laid in against him by the Law This charge is sin deserving death to which charge every one must make his plea and bring it to an issue in which process there will be no denying of the charge it is so undeniably true that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God only the believing soul hath a gracious Redeemer who stept in between the passing of the righteous sentence and the execution of it and offered Bail body for body life for life took upon himself the Curse which was all the Law threatned and died thus a Curse for the Believer so that now he may sue for his discharge and plead for his release Nay he hath the discharge and release offered to him as it were sealed signed and delivered to him at the Sacrament whilst God by his Minister doth put the New Covenant into his hand and shews him that blood which was shed for confirmation of the Covenant and for remission of the sins of as many as do believe And that we may know how all this can be how sinners can be acquitted and the Curse threatned can be avoided we are at every Sacrament minded of this that Christ died for us being made a Curse for us that is undertaking and performing what he undertook on our behalf he presented himself to the Justice of God abode the Trial was found in the likeness of sinful flesh humbled himself to the death even the death of the Cross and so suffered all which is exemplified to us in the remembrance of his death considered as the death of one who lay under a Curse for us It is not only entred in the Court Rolls in Heaven but it is entred in the Register-books of the Church by Christ's own order and every believing soul at the Sacrament may see and read it and conclude it for himself and make improvement of it to his comfort Now what heart can look on all this and not look on this duty of thankfulness what soul can receive a pardon under the broad Seal of Heaven and not bow the knee and kiss the Seal When an offender upon indictment and trial is acquitted it is a custom and seemly enough to testifie his thankfulness by praying for the King How much more doth it become us to give thanks at the remembrance of our acquittance absolution and being declared acquitted as we are so often as we duly partake communicate in the blood which was shed for the remission of the sins of many In a word a bare promise of pardon deserveth a grateful acknowledgment but the passing of it under seal doth much more deserve it Had God passed his word onely and required us to believe it and praise him for it we must have done it Now he hath given us greatest assurance he hath proceeded judicially against Christ the common and adequate representative bail and undertaker for us and hath appointed the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper as an Authentick and Publick Record or Testimony hereof we ought the rather to be thankful Renewed thoughts of this will renew our judicious and rational praise if we have either judgments or reason exercised in things that excel Fourthly and lastly A fourth particular which will increase our thankfulness to Christ for our deliverance so often as we remember it at a Sacrament under the notion of a deliverance by his dying a Curse for us is this That it mindeth us we were delivered not simply from sorrow trouble and affliction but we were saved from an accursed sorrow from an accursed trouble we are freed from misery but that is not all we are freed from an accursed misery and this should enhance our thankfulness There is an affliction that hath the promise of Comfort Rev. 21.4 Jer. 31.9 Psal 126.5 6. tears that shall be wiped away sorrow and sighing that shall flee away there is a weeping which God will accompany and lead this is a blessed weeping for such carry forth seed which is precious and they shall teturn rejoycing Matth. 5.4 There are mourners whom Christ hath pronounced blessed so that trouble and sorrow are not such evils when they are considered without the imbittering thoughts of a Curse in them it is the Curse which maketh the Cup so full of astonishment It is the Curse which goeth with the condemned into Hell that maketh it Hell indeed unto them Affliction with the favour of God is a blessed state but affliction with the hatred and displeasure of God is a miserable state and unspeakably sad forlorn and woful Now Christ dying a Curse for us hath saved us from sorrows and the Curse from misery aggravated with the hatred of God toward the miserable so that he deserveth much more thanks from us it had been worth our thanks if we had been by him delivered from a bloody issue or a deformed crookedness
or a burning fever or a loathsom leprosy or a sad and solitary blindness But more than this more than all I can speak did Christ deliver us from when he did die a Curse for us Oh unparallel'd love of Christ and oh the unparallel'd ingratitude of Christians Sirs though you and I must leave the greatest the best part of this work of praise to another world yet let us not leave it all let us do somewhat whilst we live and are among men on earth Heaven is full of those praises which did we hear would ravish us Let Earth be witness that we do not quite forget our Lord. Whereas you could have born all the envy anger and malice of creatures and it may be have contemned the weakness of it you could never have stood under nor have made head against the anger and indignation of the Lord nor have fortified your selves with resolutions to lessen the fury by lessening your apprehensions of it The dear children of God in their bitter complaints cry out if an enemy if any but God himself had done it I could have born it And the hopeless unbelievers cry out the same in effect let any thing come let all come upon us rather than the wrath of the Almighty let rocks grind us to powder or mountains bury us for ever under their weight Oh the heaviest of all these are lighter than one stroak of an angry avenging God! All these may be more easily endured than one Curse of the Law See then and consider what thou owest oh my soul to Christ made a Curse for thee remember and be thankful let thy heart oh thou who feastest with thy Lord weigh first the burthensomness of that Curse which justice casteth upon every sin and then weigh the exceeding great love of Christ who did take this Burthen and bear it for thee and I do nothing doubt but as often as thou layest these in the ballance thou wilt still find thy praise thy thankfulness too light thou wilt be still with the Apostle adding Glory and Power to him who loved thee Rev. 1.5 6. and washed thee in his blood And with the great Apostle of the Gentiles Thanks be to God who hath given us the Victory Could you and I entertain these things within our breasts and renew our thoughts and meditatations we should more clearly discern that if there be sweetness in our mercies or respite from our fears or absolution and discharge from our guilt or deliverance from accursed sorrows miseries and death we owe it all unto this kind of Death of our Lord beside all the positive blessings of grace and glory of which I may not now speak if the blessing of Abraham on the Gentiles be worth our thanks then our thanks is due to Christ dying thus for he was made a Curse for us that we might be redeemed from under the Curse of the Law and that we might be restored to a blessed state In one word whosoever seeth his own blessedness procured by Christ dying a Curse for him cannot but see so much thanks as blessedness is worth due to Christ and so the reviving of the memory of Christ's Death considered as a Curse will be the reviving of our thankfulness and reviving of thankfulness will be an increasing and improving of thankfulness So much to the seventh Sacramental Grace The eighth and last I shall now mention followeth viz. A disposition and purpose of mind to walk in new Obedience towards God in all manner of conversation 8th Sacramental grace New Obedience such a mind must every welcome guest bring to the Lord's Table No man may come thither who intends to go thence to his old course of sinning We must not as Naturalists report of some venemous creatures which lay down their poison when they go to drink and having drunk suck it up again we must not so lay aside our old sins while we go to the Lord's Supper as to renew our old acquaintance with them nor tender our service to them so soon as we depart from the Table of the Lord Men will not endure such sycophants and parasites who come to their table for a meals meat and to fill their bellies but then sort themselves for months together with the veryest enemies they have in the world No more will God endure him for a guest at his Table who comes for a meal out of a customary formality and then sorts himself with those sins which God hateth and commandeth should be slain This above many others aggravated Judas's treason that he came and ate with his Lord when he had resolved to betray him this is to kiss him with All hail Master when the kiss is the very token by which his enemies should know and apprehend him The Lord Jesus who knoweth what is in man and needeth not that any should testify of man will never let a man who lives and dieth of this temper escape deserved punishment He knows they flattered him with their lips but their hearts are far from him Thou that comest to make a Covenant with thy God at a Sacrament must come with a firm purpose to keep thy Covenant for God will not be mocked Better never come at all than come with a mind hating to be reformed God will ere long ask such hateful hypocrites what they had to do to declare this Statute of his or that they should take his Covenant into their mouths Psal 50.16 c. It is confessed of all sides and would to God it were as well practised on all sides that every Sacrament should engage us to better lives to holier conversations that we should sin the seldomer because we have been so often at the Lord's Table Now I say that the remembrance of the Death of Christ dying for us a Curse hath in it good and strong reasons to move us to renew our obedience and if these reasons be well considered I do not doubt but they may prevail with some to renew their purposes and endeavours of living less to sin because Christ died a Curse for us sinners For 1. First In this manner of his dying beside the powerful influence of his Death considered in the general of which I speak not now I say In his dying thus as a Curse for us we have a clear discovery of the vileness of sin how much it abaseth and depresseth us We look upon cursed things as the vilest and basest of things A curse and a reproach go together Jer. 42.18 This was the thing which brought our Lord into so low estate that he was despised of men this made him of no reputation because of our sin imputed to him and the Curse due to us for our sin laid upon him he became like a servant and so died Now then let a sober judgment be made of this and see how forcibly it disswadeth from continuing in sin Do I renew the remembrance of my Lord dying as a Curse Could sin which he
never committed which he never loved which he hated infinitely which was no otherwise his than by imputation could this bring him to such shame What shame and confusion of face will cover and overwhelm me when after my serving my sins both the guilt imputed and the baseness vileness and reproach of the fact committed shall meet in one and be charged upon me Is it not high time to forsake this service which will end in the shame and reproach of a Curse Doth the Sacrament mind me of the Death the accursed Death of Christ the Lord of Glory I see then such a worm such a lump of worthless flesh as I am cannot expect any other event of sin than to lye down in shame for it and if after I do know this I should still love sin and delight in it how brutish and unreasonable should I appear to be how unlike a man I must either renounce my reason or renounce my sin It is no dallying in a matter of this nature I see the just and righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth would not spare his own Son when he found him under my sins but laid upon him the punishment of them the Cross and the shame and I deceive my self if I think he will spare me and not cast the shame of my sin upon me the sinner if I live and die in this service I shall rise with those who rise unto everlasting shame and contempt I will therefore resolve and keep my resolutions of departing from sin because I would not depart from my God with the shame and reproach of a Curse for my sin Thus the renewed thoughts of Christ dying a Curse for us will renew the apprehensions of that shame which attends the sinner and so renew our purposes against sin as the only thing which can clothe us with shame and we shall be as unwilling to live in sin as we are to bear the shame of sin 2. Secondly In the renewed thoughts of our Lord 's dying a Curse there lieth a motive to New Obedience drawn from the congruity and suitableness of the thing it self Nothing more unseemly than to continue in sin after our professing our selves to be his servants friends and followers who died for sin Nothing more justifiable than their leaving of sin whose Lord died for sin especially seeing sin brought upon him an accursed Death What wilt thou answer for thy self in the day when this absurd unreasonable and monstrous deportment of thine shall be laid open before Men and Angels when Christ shall ask thee whether thou hadst not heard and seen that he was made a Curse for thy sins whether thou hadst not often been minded of this at the Sacrament and when he shall farther demand of thee what thou couldest see in sin or hope to find in sin or expect from sin when as thy Lord could see did find and expected to find nothing else but a Curse in it wa st thou so sottish to think of finding any thing in sin better than what thy Lord found in it or wast thou so unthankful that thou wert resolved to offer despite to thy Lord and serve that which brought an accursed Death upon him Whatever sinners now judge I know that a day will come when they shall judge nothing so unreasonable and unseemly as living in continued sin and professing a crucified Jesus It is such a self-contradicting course that none ever would continue it if ever they understood it Nor is he what he professeth to be who professeth our crucified Jesus to be his Lord yet serveth his own cursed lusts Christ doth not own him he will declare to all the world that he knows not that he never knew such workers of iniquity But suppose it possibly might be which yet never shall be that such a one resolvedly continuing in sin should be owned by Christ at last and received into a blessed state of glory what kind of answer could such one make to his Lord when questioned what was it not enough that I was once made a Curse for thee or did I not bear sins enough for thee at first or wouldst thou indeed be crueller to me than Jews and Roman souldiers or hadst thou a design to wound my heart after I was gotten out of the reach of all others after wicked men and Devils had done their worst and I had triumpht over them and none but my friends could wound me wouldst thou be my friend that thou mightest do it more deeply was this thy friendship to me are not they the sorest and cruellest enemies who cover their hearty enmity with pretences of friendship either then be my cordial friend saith Christ and renounce thy sins serve them no more or else come no more pretending to commemorate my friendship to the dying a Curse for thee nor ever let me be provoked with such counterfeit alliance and friendship Christ cannot endure such seeming to be what we are not such contradictions to his Death In truth it is most unseemly to live in the cursed service of sin after we are redeemed from the Curse of sin And therefore the believing and considerate soul casts off the thoughts of continuing in sin with a God forbid 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how shall I live any longer in sin since I am dead to it 3. Thirdly The renewed consideration of Christ dying a Curse for sin doth renew our thoughts of the odiousness and hateful nature of sin which carryeth a Curse into every place and person where it cometh Christ's dying a Curse for us sheweth us how hateful sin is to the eyes of our God Reverâ est odium quo Deus peccatum prosequitur ab eâ perfectione quae Numinis naturam decet Th. Salmur de trib Foed Div. th 18. who doth and cannot but so do loath detest threaten and curse it where-ever he findeth it of which truth the considerate believing soul hath so clear proof in the Curse which Christ did bear for sin that he stands convinced beyond possible doubt of it and cannot but conclude that whoever resolves to continue in sin must also resolve to abide the hatred of God against sin He that will keep and maintain a communion with sin must expect that God will keep and maintain wrath and hatred against him and this the Communicant is at every Sacrament minded of whilst he seeth his Lord evidently set forth crucified before his eyes so that he is put to such a kind of deliberation with himself What! could not Christ take upon him my sin but he must also take upon him the burthen of divine displeasure and hatred due to my sin what is God so irreconcilable an enemy unto sin that he would not or could not restrain his just wrath against the guilt where it lay without the foulness of committing the fact was the displeasure of my God so hot against his blessed Son who was never tainted with any one sin only bare the guilt of many I
see then it is self-deceiving flattery to hope for the love and favour of God whilst I love my sin and continue in it if I will have his love and escape his hatred I must leave off sin for he hateth all the workers of iniquity Psal 5.6 He hateth the evil way Prov. 8.3 I must either leave the evil way or perish in his hatred For none ever escaped perishing who by continuing to sin provoked his displeasure and wrath against them Resolve therefore as becomes a man O my soul fly and hasten thy flight from wrath to come prevent the misery of being hated and accursed of thy God cast off thy sin cease to do evil and then God will cease to be angry There cannot be any thing in sin to compensate thee to reward thee for the loss of the favour of God Sin can never heal the wounds which the hatred of God will make in thy soul Poor creature thou wert better have all the men on Earth and all the finite invisible powers of light and darkness to hate thee thou mightest bear this than have one God to hate thee thou canst never bear this In fine therefore saith the believing serious and considerate soul I will not hazard I will not run the venture and danger of divine displeasure of the hatred of an Almighty God for I see in the Curse which my Lord lay under what I must lie under for ever if I will by continuing longer in sin own my former sins pull the punishment of them upon my self and love that which my God so perfectly hateth I will every day labour to hate that with perfect hatred which my God hateth I will seek his love by a present separation and divorce from sin I will this day renew my purpose and attempts to leave my cursed sins for God hath renewed my thoughts of his hatred against sin by the renewed remembrance of Christ dying a Curse for my sin Fourthly In the renewed thoughts of this kind of death The Believer hath the renewed sight and evidence of a death hanging over the head of every sinner which of all deaths is the most dreadful which is fullest of horrours and soul-tormenting fears Death is the King of terrours though represented and cloathed in the lest dreadful manner it can be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristotel No kind of death but is terrible enough but of all this is the most terrible and only to be feared it is this at the heels of the other that makes it dreadful It is a most undoubted truth that every one continuing to sin and so dying shall die under a Curse for his own sin though the sinner should live to an hundred nay to many hundred years yet if he live and die a servant to his sin he shall die accursed and this we may be sufficiently assured of by the accursed Death of our Lord for he died so for as much as the sins of God's Elect and chosen ones were laid to him he was loaded with them and all the guilt of them was charged on him and therefore was he punished therefore he died in such a manner He was made a Curse because the guilt of our sins was laid on him and punishment due to that guilt inflicted on him Nothing more certain He was wounded for our transgressions Isa 53.5 He bare the sin of many ver 12. He his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree 1 Pet. 2.24 And all this evidently set forth before our eyes so that the serious and considering soul soon comes to this conclusion that whoever doth bear the guilt of sin he must die a Curse for it and he needs no other proof of it but this Christ did bear guilt and this brought him to a cursed Death Now then he begins to argue the case with himself Can I continue in sin and not bear the guilt of sin Can I yield my self a servant to sin and yet not be accounted a servant of sin Can I do the works of iniquity and not be thought by judicious and wise men a worker of iniquity How much more will the just and righteous God occount me so When I do any fact for which the Law of man will call me to account can I do the fact and the Law not impute it to me It is most sottish folly to continue in the service of sin and to flatter my self that I shall not be accounted a servant of sin or to hope I shall not be loaded with the guilt of my sin And it is no less folly to think that we may lye under the guilt of sin and yet not sink under the importable burthen of a Curse No no either I must leave my sinning or I must die that Death which of all is the most terrible I must be a Curse under the wrath of God Now therefore resolve what thou and I shalt do God proposeth a Christ dying a Curse for thee to encourage thee to leave sin or to shew thee what thou must trust to if thou live in sin He preacheth to thee this Doctrine Life through Grace if thou wilt obey if thou wilt renounce thy evil way for then thy Saviour shall be thy Peace bear thy Guilt and endure thy Curse or else Death if thou wilt still refuse to convert and leave thy sin And let me tell thee it is Death with a Curse and consider thou whether thou canst endure it and let me ask thee these few questions 1. Dost thou not believe that there is somewhat more in Death when it is sharpened with this sharp and piercing sting Dost thou not think that the Curse doth add unto the dread and fear of Death When God proclaimeth any one blessed in death dost thou not perswade thy self that God taketh away much of the terrour of death if so then certainly when God addeth a Curse with death he addeth terrour to it and thou must confess it also if thou wilt consider it Now then say Canst thou contentedly think of dying for thy sin Canst thou think of doing more than dying for thy sins Vntil that time be come wherein thou canst say thou wouldest be willing to suffer more than death for sin thou should'st not be willing to serve sin any more in thy life I know when we come to die we shall judge sin unworthy of such a pledge of love or service as one pang or one fear or one sigh for its sake oh then we shall say He loved sin too much who for sin's sake added the lest pang to death Whatever thou dost therefore leave to sin lest tlou add the misery of a Curse to thy death 2. Let me ask thee Is there no manner of dying which is a terrour to thee more than ordinary If thou wert now to die and mightest chuse thy death wouldst thou chuse any that were full of pains or loathsomness or both these continuing long Are there not some kinds of death from which
thou prayest to be delivered and what kinds of death are these are they not those wherein God's hand would most immediately and most publickly and with most displeasure appear against thee wouldst thou not account it worse than death to be long dying with such a tormenting lingring and loathsom disease as Sylla the Roman or as Maximinus the bloody persecutor or as Herod the great whose story is better known to thee eaten up of worms Would not others be ready to say of thee That God had indeed set his hand against thee that God judged thee unfit to live among common men and unworthy so good a death as the death of common men how would this trouble thee This was the thing wherewith Job's friends did most aggrieve him that they would conclude God's hand against him as against an enemy But now let me tell thee The afflictions of Job nor the woful death of a Sylla or a Herod have no such evidences of God his displeasure and wrath in them as the easiest death of an accursed sinner hath in it For other deaths may and usually are inflicted by other means this is inflicted by the immediate hand of God alone and can thy heart endure or thy hands be strong when God shall do this is not his wrath as he is He alone can bless and he alone can curse and this shall be known to the sinner in the day wherein God will appear against him think then whether sin deserve so well that thou shouldst not only die but die a Curse for it whether there be any thing in sin to fortifie thy spirit against the terrours of God's immediate furious rebukes and slaying of thee Who dieth a Curse dieth under the revenging strokes of an infinite God Look then how much there is in infinite Power and Justice more than can be in finite so much indeed is there in dying a Curse for sin more than in naked single dying For 3. Thirdly Let me ask thee one question more Doth not Death a cursed Death reach the soul and kill this no other disease but is in the body and is the disease of the body and kills the body and so vanisheth But who dieth a Curse dieth in his soul that is his soul is separated and disjoyned from that sweet communion and fellowship with God which is the true life of souls and Angels When God slayeth these wretches and makes them sacrifices to his offended Justice he slays them with this Depart from me ye cursed Matth. 25.41 Now is it not more dreadful to die thus a Curse than barely to die or if thou couldst die and be willing to lose the life of thy body for sin sake canst thou also be willing to lose the life of thy soul for sin's sake This is another arrow in this quiver and which woundeth deeper than any other The soul dieth when the man dieth a Curse for sin and let me tell thee albeit foolish and inconsiderate slaves of sin will cast away their souls for sin the wise and considerate Believer judgeth his soul and the life of it infinitely too good to be so spent and wasted The death of the soul is so much more dreadful than the death of the body as the soul is more worth than the body thou mayest not then continue in cursed sins for they will bring down upon thy soul a death of all most dreadful cease therefore to sin that thou be not a curse for thy sin Fourthly Let it be considered after all this if this do not convince enough whether thou couldst be willing to die more than once for thy sin Would not a thousand deaths one after another be too much to undergo for sin He that dieth a Curse for his sins shall die more than ten thousand times for them he shall be ever ever dying as many daies nay hours nay moments as are in eternity so many times shall the miserable deplorable cursed sinner die in the acute fresh and renewed pangs of soul every lash of conscience every dolorous remembrance of what he suffereth for shall be a death unto him This makes it death indeed and if thou canst not love thy self so little as to chuse to be ever dying thou must not love thy sins so much as to be ever serving them Say then if thou canst not but fear endless dying I must fear and fly endless sining who dieth a Curse for his sin is as long dying as his soul is living and that is for ever and ever Fifthly and lastly Can any thing sweeten the thoughts or allay the bitterness of such a Death Can there be any thing wherewith others may or thou mayest bless thy self after God shall have so cursed thee Consider what a loss it is which is so great that nothing can lessen it say then though possibly thou couldst endure somewhat for sin's sake yet I can never endure a Curse for it which is more than to die it is to die under the immediate avenging hand of God it is to kill my soul That is to be as often dying as are moments in eternity and all this without any recompence and sweetning allay I cannot chuse so to die therefore saith the considerate Believer the renewed thoughts of my Lord 's dying a Curse renew my apprehensions of the danger of sinning any longer this renews my dislike of sin and I must needs reolve to leave it FINIS ERRATA'S PAge 44. l. 24. for woad r. word p. 70. l. 28. r. hither to p. 73. l. 21. r. Imperfections p. 104. in the margent r. communionis r. christianorum p. 112. l. 9. r. provision p. 123. l. 21. for his r. this p. 143. l. 13. r. imbitter l. 14. dele i before alwaies p. 189. l. 3. r. another p. 221. l. ult r. no. Part 3. p. 22. l. 34. r. easily p. 27. l. 28. for in r. and p. 36. l. 34. for 1. r. in p. 39. l. 3. r. might p. 58. l. 5. r. peace p. 61. l. 7. r. virtue p. 77. l. 17. r. account p. 78. l. 3 1. r. thou Books Printed for and are to be sold by Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside IN the Press a hundred Select Sermons by Dr. Tho. Horton Sermons on the whole Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians br M. J. Daille translated into English by F. S. with Dr. Tho. Goodwin's and Dr. J. Owen's Epistles Recommendatory An Exposition of Christ's Temptation on Matth. 4. and Peter's Sermon to Cornelius and Circumspect Walking by Dr. Tho. Taylor A practical Exposition on the 3d Chap. of the 1 Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians with the Godly Man's Choice on Psa 4.6 7 8. by Anthony Burgesse An Exposition on four select Psalms viz. The fourth Psalm in eight Sermons The forty second Psalm in ten Sermons The fifty first Psalm in twenty Sermons The sixty third Psalm in seven Sermons Forty six Sermons upon the whole eighth Chapter of the Epistle of the Apostle
be that Love which hath so loved me Let him carry away all my affection who thus hath carried all my transgressions He shall have my love whilst I live by whose love it is that I live Oh let my love at the Sacrament revive where there is the revived memory of my Lord his love to me None but those foolish and mad creatures who are in love with their faults and with their misery will withhold their love from Christ who delivered us from both 3. Did Christ die such a death in thy stead let this then awaken thee to consider how thou wouldst resent another mans suffering for thee and speak what interess thy friend should purchase in thy affections by his undergoing afflictions for thee Wouldst thou love thy rich friend that took thy debts on him wouldst thou do less than dearly love thy skilful friend that cured thee of thy disease thy powerful friend at Court who rescued thee from a prison thy watchful friend who kept strict and careful watch lest thou shouldst be surprised and ruin'd whilst thou wert sleeping secure in greatest danger and in greatest ignorance and security But what wouldst thou say if thy friend should deliver thee from thine by making it his own disease or should go into a prison that thou mightest go out of it or expose himself to ruine that thou mightest be indemnified Just so did Christ for thee he did bear thy disease and took thy sickness upon him he became a prisoner first to unjust hands seizing on him and then to the grave which could not hold him yet a while he was a prisoner there for thy sake in thy stead and what acknowledgment wilt thou make of all this How wilt thou certifie the Christian world that thou dost well resent what Christ hath done if thou wilt not love him for doing it Thou lovest those that speak well of thee that bless thee that wish well to thee and endeavour to do thee good and what law reason or equity wilt thou pretend why thou dost not love Christ who speaks best of thee to his Father and who wished best to thee and hath done most for thee and all this by his dying a Curse for thee Let thy own heart ponder this and draw to a conclusion what ought to be done in this case say Had any man whom I know done this for me which Christ hath done I could not but love him and why do I not love Christ if I did see my friend loaded with curses and reproaches and bearing them patiently for me that I might not be reproached that I might not be cursed it would endear such a friend to me why now in the Sacrament the visible memorial of Christ's dying a Curse for me I do see such a friend so loaded for my sake that I might not be loaded with my deserved Curse I may not I will not be less to him than I would be to another I will love him more than any else for he hath done more for me than all could and I see it in the Sacrament the blessed memorial of his cursed Death Fourthly and lastly Is the Sacrament of the bloody Death of Christ a memorial of his dying an accursed death for me oh then I see the evidence of a love to me which surpasseth the love of best friends which indeed exceeds the thoughts and belief of most considerate men For who will believe beside a Christian who is taught by the revealed word of the God of truth that Christ would become a Curse for us Some men will hardly believe that the Apostle spake his very thoughts when he wished that he himself were accursed from Christ for his brethren his kinsmen after the flesh Some judge it so inconsistent with reason that they think the Apostle could not soberly sedately and rationally desire it but that he did use the liberty and freedom of an Orator to commend his greatest affection to his kindred by a greater expression But behold Reader Paul's wish for his kindred is Christ's own act for his what Paul wisht but could not do for his brethren Christ hath undertook and undergone for his brethren What some do think was too great for a rational and sober desire in the one hath been found not too great for the choice and performance of the other Now let Christ have but a serious view of this he hath done for thee and answer thy self this or such like questions Is that too little to engage my love which was too great for any to undertake but Christ Do I see Christ doing that which few men will believe a man could wish he mght do and do I still withhold my heart my affection from Christ Do I know that his love was stronger than death he was content to be accursed for the sake good life and salvation of Believers I see him for a while separated from God that he might bring me to God and now he shall have that love which is too great for any one since he hath done what is so great for me In the fifth place 5. Joy in believing a Sacramental grace The Believer's Joy is or at least might be considerably improved in the commemoration of Christ dying as a Curse for us It is not to be questioned whether joy and rejoycing through faith in the Lord be seasonable in our feasting with the Lord. Joy is the souls rest with delight in the Lord and such a disposition of mind doth the Lord require and accept at this seast Now let us observe how that his dying a Curse for us may increase our joy and this may appear 1. From the Nature of Joy which is the triumph of the mind in its freedom and deliverance from its fears or in its attaining and possessing of its hopes It is a rational security of our best hopes and a due removal of our worst fears singing a rest and happiness to the soul Joy is the rapture of our soul hearing and observing desired events sweetly keeping tune with our desires and hopes It is the Tripudium Animae the soul's dance to the Musick which the God of Heaven makes for it If there be any exstasies of joy it can be from no other harmony than which is heard not from Pythagoras his melodious spheres but from the Cross of our Blessed Lord seting Heaven and Earth in a blessed concent by his accursed Death The Philosopher will tell us Dilatatio cordis ob bonum praesens that Joy is the dilatation of the soul the enlarging of the heart to entertain a present desired good Good wished for is the Sun the heart is the Heliotrope the flower of the Sun Joy is the opening and turning of this flower towards the Sun This or somewhat like this is Joy Now in what can the soul triumph if not in its freedom from a dreadful Curse What may possibly be imagined will secure the rational hopes and wishes of a Christian better than Christ's
bearing his sin its curse and punishment that Justice may not lay any sentence of condemnation upon it but absolve and acquit justifie and save it Where can the soul better rest and congratulate its happiness in its rest than in a pacified propitious God Tell me who ere thou art reading or hearing these lines canst thou desire more than happiness Is any thing greater and better in thy wishes Certainly either thou knowest not what thou answerest or else dost answer it is thy greatest dailyest hourly desire and that the man or woman who would assure thee of this would fill thy heart with raptures of joy Now behold these desires answered in the Lord Jesus dying to remove that Curse which kept thee from thy happiness If Joy be the enlarging of the heart to entertain a desired good lo here a good worth the entertaining Christ bearing thy Curse lo here a good so great that no heart but an enlarged heart can rightly entertain it Oh be perswaded to receive it and tell me then what affection it raiseth in thy soul Certainly he never feared because he never knew the danger of Hell who doth not greatly rejoyce in his deliverance and escape from it Open but thy heart to receive and thy Joy will as surely break out as the streams do when the springs and fountains are opened Secondly Christ dying a Curse for thee will heighten thy Joy For whatever thou canst approve a ground of Joy in other mens rejoycing without this thou mayest much more approve in thine own rejoycing in this without any other There is very much Joy in the world which is unseemly and there is some which is justifiable seemly and seasonable but whatever makes it so seemly that and much more is in the Death of Christ dying an accursed Death for us to justifie and warrant the Christian 's Joy I dare stand to plead the Christian's Joy to excel on this account as much as the Joy for recovery of a Crown and Kingdom doth excel the Joy of a wise man for the finding of a Pin. Could a Christian enlarge his Joy to the exceeding greatness of his cause of Joy it would incomparably excel all other mens Joy as much as the recovery from a mortal wound excels the healing of a scratcht finger Indeed all other Joy without this is the unseemly Joy of fools or madmen but this without all other is Joy of wise considerate and knowing men and might we enter the comparison it would appear what trifles men of the world how great soever and how wise soever in the account of the world do rejoice in It is reported of Francis the first recovering the French shore upon his delivery out of his Captivity Je suis le Roy. That he leapt and rejoyced with this I am a King And who that values liberty or safety or power or a Kingdom censureth him for it or doubts whether it were seemly But oh believing soul thou seest at a Sacrament a worse prison a more doleful Captivity crueller enemies and more deadly dangers left behind thee and thou set at liberty in a more blessed safety and entitled to a Crown and Kingdom as much better as Heaven is better than France was and this by Christ's Death as it was an accursed Death to free thee from the Curse The men of the world rejoice in their full harvests The victorious Conqueror rejoiceth in the dividing of the spoils The ambitious Courtier rejoiceth in his Court-preferment But what Joy will the Barns and Stores of the wealthy man be when he dies the accursed Death and with Dives is tormented in endless fires Will the Joy of the preferred Courtier continue to him under the disgrace which he shall fall into when God shall arrest imprison condemn and execute him as an accursed wretch What will become of the Joys of Victories and Triumphs when the Crowns shall wither before the hot displeasure of God and when the crowned Conqueror shall be delivered up an accursed wretched prisoner and captive in eternal chains In few words there are many daggers lifted up and striking at the Joy of every man who rejoiceth in any thing but the Cross of Christ and first or last some one or other of these daggers will reach the heart and let out the life of such Joys But the Believer's Joy in the Death of Christ dying a Curse for him is a Joy which is immortal and cannot be destroyed It is a Joy will most gloriously crown the Believer when other mens Joys do most shamefully forsake deceive and torture them If then any may rejoice the Believer may much more and this he may do at every remembrance of his Redeemer's dying a Curse for him And such renewed remembrance of our cause of Joy will undoubtedly renew our Joy he may rejoice still more than yet he hath rejoiced who seeth he hath more to rejoice in than all the jovial merry world ever shall have Thirdly Renewed Meditations of Christ's dying such a Death for us will renew our Joy appeareth from this That our Joy will be most full satisfactory and transporting to us when we come to the distinctest fullest and liveliest knowledge and apprehension of this Death of Christ They who most fully apprehend and who most particularly apply the Benefits of this Death to themselves who live upon it and know what life it is how excellent how happy c. These are fullest of purest Joy and truly as we abate in our ability and skill to meditate on this Death of Christ or as we abate in the exercise and actual meditation and thought of Christ's dying for us as a Curse the more our Joy will abate also The Saints in glory do now rejoice and will forever rejoice for they do ever behold the scars which this Curse hath left in Christ they ever remember that Christ dying a Curse hath given them that blessed Life in which they ever shall rejoice Now what it hath wrought on them and what it will work one day upon us proveth to us what it might work in us at the present It hath now all in it which it ever will have but we have not all in us which we shall have when this dying of our Lord shall fill us with a never-dying or abating love to him who did it and with Joy in the thing done for us The reason why the Believer rejoiceth more in the sight of Christ dying a Curse for him as his distinct knowledge of it groweth is not that his knowledge addeth any thing to it but because his knowledge of it now maketh more of that Death which appeared not so much then to his own eye so his Joy groweth with his knowledge But now it is not so with other Joys they lessen as our knowledge of them increaseth and those which at distance we flattering our selves hoped would be pure and deep sweet and lasting as a Crystal stream prove to us when we come nearer and
those which have equal share and interess with thy self in this peace and wilt thou not judge it comely convenient necessary and what must be done by thee viz. to embrace them with hearty peaceable affections who are embraced by thy God with as hearty affections as thou art or canst be Oh come then make peace with all thy Brethren and forgive them as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven thee And thus I have very briefly drawn out three particular inducements among many other which from Christ dying a Curse for us and all Believers should perswade us and them to live in a Christian brotherly peace which becomes a Sacrament and which should be improved by each Sacrament I now proceed to A seventh Sacramental Grace 7th Sacramental grace a Thankful heart which ought to be exercised at each Sacrament and which may receive some addition from the consideration of Christ's Death as a Curse in our stead Now this grace is a Thankfull acknowledgment of the great mercy we have by Christ's dying a Curse for us It doth exceeding well become us to be thankful and praise the Lord for his mercy to us in Christ dying for us And though praise be ever seasonable yet a Sacrament is the season of seasons for praise then it is most in season though it be never out of season The commonness and universal praenotion of this truth among all Christians saveth me the labour of proving it I need not prove that to any one which is denied by no one let then praise and thanks attend our communion at the Lord's Supper And among other motives unto praise let us view some few arising from the Death of Christ as it was an accursed death for us And so 1. First To this kind of Death of thy Lord thou must be beholden for all the sweetness which thou tastest in thy mercies Thy sin which brought thee under the Curse imbittered every thing to thee also nay that sin which cursed thee forfeited all thy mercies thou hadst no right to them when once thou hadst sinned and thou couldst taste no sweetness in them if thou hadst still lain under the Curse thou hadst no more right to thy estate and life than a condemned man hath to his thou couldest have no more enjoyed them than a pensive condemned person who is kept in prison with a daily allowance to keep them alive unto the day of his near approaching execution every morsel is bitter to him so would it have been to thee Thou mayest read this in the emblem of the sinner's state a naked man cast out of a fruitful garden and left in a place of thorns and briars Such was the consequence of thy sin cast naked out of what thou hadst and turned out among grieving thorns and briars Now would he not deserve thanks who restoreth thee to a title gives thee a new right unto all desirable blessings who shall root up those cursed thorns and plant the Vine and the Olive to yield thee fruit Look then this and more than this done for thee by the Death of thy Lord made a Curse for thee Lo thy title renewed to necessary mercies and mercies renewed unto their sweetness and delightfulness thou a Prodigal received as a Son and the husks thou didst feed on turned into bread in thy Father's house Christ was accursed for thee that every blessing might be sweetened to thee Ever praised be our Physician who hath taken out the most of the poison and hath turned the rest into necessary and seasonable Physick God hath blest thee with every thing in Christ that thou mightest bless and praise that thou mightest be thankful for every thing and ascribe it all to the goodness of God in Christ We owe all to this Death of Christ and how little do we pay when we are thankful Let us not then with-hold this little too In one word read over the latter part of Deut. 28. from v. 15. to the end of the chapter and consider how well he deserves blessing and thanks from thee who hath delivered thee from the bitterness of so many Curses imbittering all thou enjoy'dst Secondly The renewed thoughts of Christ bearing thy Curse will be renewed Thankfulness in renewed security and assurance against the fears and terrours of a self-accusing and condemning heart Thou shalt never bear that Curse which the righteous Law threatned thou needst not fear it if Christ died for thee for he did die a Curse for every one in whose stead he did die and that God who accepted his Death will never go from his word or disown the virtue of his Son's Death nor cast the Curse upon thy soul Oh thou trembling Believer thy fears are the weakness of thy graces or the want of exercising them either thou knowest not what it is to have a Christ a Jesus dying a Curse for thee or else thou dost not enough consider it nor observe how little ground of fear is left Oh! It would be a blessed tranquility of mind to us to feel as little fear within our souls as Christ hath left of Curse behind him in the Law against us Happy soul who believeth that Christ died for him He may look upon the Law and find that there is not in it any Curse against him for Christ made a Curse died to redeem them who were under it There is no doubt to be made of this Truth there cannot be just cause of fear where Christ hath taken away the Curse Which the Law threatned Now there is no condemnation to such nor may any one lay any thing to the charge of these redeemed ones And when this is duly weighed how thankful will it make us How much would a feeble swouning person thank you for a sweet reviving cordial what life would there be in his expressions of kindness for such a courtesie what loving embraces would such a one court his friend with especially if his life had certainly miscarried without this Oh unkindness unthankfulness of us Christians who lay in a swound of death strucken with the thunder-bolt of the Law perishing without recovery hopeless without a Christ accursed for ever unless Christ become a Curse for us and we profess to know all this and to believe it and yet are straitned in our thankfulness to him The a Plutarch in vit Artaxerxes Historian reports that Artaxerxes King of Persia gave one a thousand b The Darick was a coin bearing the image of Darius and the value of each piece was two shillings four pence so the whole sum amounted to one hundred and sixteen pounds six shillings and eight pence beside the Cup of Gold Daricks in a Cup of Gold for a recompence of a little fair water offered him in the palms of the man's hand But what have we given unto Jesus Christ who hath brought us not a little water in his hands but his heart and hands full of love and blood shed for us Oh come magnifie the