Joy in Tribulation, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Comforts sealed up in the Sacraments.
IT hath also pleased our gracious God to adde seals to his Word, That by two immutable things, wherein it is impossible that God should lye, wee might have strong consolation. Heb. 6.18.Certainly, every word of God is infallible. Heaven and earth shall passe, but not a word that he hath spoken. God hath not therefore annexed seales to his Covenant, that it, or his purpose, but that our weake hearts might bee strengthned and confirmed. How unspeakable is this comfort, that the Lord should be so farre from despising our weake faith, and disdaining our poore soules, strugling under unbeleefe, that hee should yeelde to our weaknesse, and underprop it with these powerfull abetters of his truth? Hee might shake the head at us when hee seeth so little credite given to his Word; but hee rather strengthneth us with these sacred mysteries; which are to us as the hand of Christ, reached out to Peter, to save our wavering soules ready to sinke through unbeleefe. The Covenant of God is,Ier. 32.38. 40,41. I will be their God, and I will not turne away from them to doe them good, but will put my feare into their hearts, that they shall never depart from mee: Yea, I will rejoyce over them to doe them good. The consolations… flowing from this Covenant thus sealed, how strong, how full?
For first, throw downe a man thus sealed up in this covenant of grace, from all the joyes of this world, into a very hell upon earth; Had hee lost all his substance, children, health of body; nay, peace of soule also, in some measure, as Iob; yet may hee thence, with strong comfort, infallibly conclude, That this estate is good for him; nay, best for him. For God is faithfull, and his Covenant sure, (beyond all possibility of deceiving, or being deceived) who hath promised, and sealed his promise to doe him good, to rejoyce over him in doing him good. Hence the faithfull soule will build this conclusion, and rest upon it:Ps 119,71 It is good for me to be thus afflicted. Lam. 3.27It is good for mee to beare the yoake in my youth. Oh, if my faith were as strong as my sense, I should taste much more sweetenesse in Gods goodnesse, than bitternesse in his affliction.
Againe, especially when wee consider the matter of these Sacraments, and nature of these seales; what rivers of comfort must needs flow into the heart of him who rightly partaketh them? Look as Princes grave their owne portraitures in their seales, sitting in state upon their Thrones, invested with their royall apparell, adorned with their Crownes and Scepters: So the Lord Jesus Christ in these his Signets hath lively represented himselfe in his death, conquering, triumphing and leading captive all our enemies, and even trampling them under our feete. But Princes can grave nothing on their seales but their dead Images: Not so here; For in these the very person of the Lord Jesus is given us, as being not onelyonly represented, but presented and exhibited to the faithfull. The body of Christ feeding and strengthning, the blood of Christ, washing, and (more than wine) cheering up our fainting spirits, is there offred and given us who reach out the hand of faith to receive him. Now how hee should be unhappy, who hath Christ, or misse of comfort, whose soule is filled with the Lord Jesus, it is not possible to conceive.
But let us consider them a little severally.
Baptisme is that Sacrament wherein God applyes the bloud of Christ to wash us from all the pollution of our sin, and to communi…te unto us his own glorious purenes. Let us therefore take some notice, first, as well of the filthinesse of sinne, as our filthinesse by it, and then of this excellent purenesse.
Certaine is it, that our created understanding cannot find power in it selfe to conceive, much lesse words to expresse the infinite loathsomnesse of sinne. Hence is it that in Scripture the wisedome of God resembleth it to all those things which are to our senses most abhorred: sinne to stinking mudde, a sinner to aswine wallowing in that mire: sinne to a loathsome vomit, a sinner to a dogge licking up his vomit: in a word, sinne to death, a sinner to a rotten carkasse, and his throat to an open Sepulchre, exhaling, and belching out stench and putrefaction: so infectious, that one sinne entring into the world, tainted and slue the whole world with sinne, turning Saints into swine, Angels into Divels: so loathsome, that even both the materials of man,Levit. 25. in the very touch, defile; and the most pure and holy duties,Pro. 15. 8. passing through a sinfull heart, are altogether abhorred, and abominable: It staineth the very righteousnesse of the Saints,Esa. 64. 6. (who are not on earth yet absolutely clensed from it;) so that in it selfe it is no better than a filthy clout. This is our estate, from which by Christ (applied unto us in Baptisme) wee are delivered.
Secondly, ponder well what is this image of Christ, which Baptisme imprinteth upon us: It is even the Divine nature, that glorious beauty of holinesse, which, in God, the blessed Angels (above all other attributes) admire and prayse. Esa. 6.3. Surely, if any thing can be in God more excellent than other, then holinesse is it: As the face is in the body, so is holinesse in the Lord, the very beauty of the Divine Nature. And as a passionate Lover is even ravished with the presence and sight of his beloved; so is it the compleate happinesse of the creature to behold that face of God shining with that ravishing bewty of holinesse. Men sweare by the greater,Heb. 6… 13. 15. but because none is greater than God, therefore God sweareth by himselfe, but in himselfe, by nothing (that I remember) but his holinesse. Psa. 89.35Oh then how unspeakeable is the comfort of this holy Ordinance, which clensing us from such a filthinesse, washeth us into such a beauty.
Againe, the Lords Supper is that holy Mysterie wherein the Spirit perfecteth this worke which hee hath begun in us, and throughly assures us Christ.
Looke as when the wax is hard, the first impression changeth the forme, and mak…th some, though no perfect print of the Image ingraved in the seale: so that Image of God, which by Baptisme is stamped upon us, but by reason of our sinfull hard hearts, as yet in part onelyonly, is by often applying the Lord in that other Seale more perfectly expressed, and more lively pourtrayed in us. So being entred into life by Baptisme, wee are nourished by the Lords Supper, and more strengthned, till wee attaine unto full growth and ripenesse.