Joy in Tribulation, Chapter 19
CHAP. XIX. Comforts taken from the second person of Trinity.
AS God the Father hath vouchsafed us that unspeakeable comfort and honour to be our Father, so the Sonne yeeldeth us no lesse, in that hee undertakes to bee the Saviour of all the faithfull; and not in part, but an entire and perfect Saviour from all evill. For evill may be considered either in the roote, or fruit of it; and our Saviour hath utterly abolished both for us. The greatest evill, and the very root of all other is sinne: and the fruit of sinne is principally (as including al the rest) the wrath of God and death. Now our Lord saves his people (first) from sinne, Mat. 1.21.in being a perfect sacrifice (Heb. 10. 14) and consequently, a propitiation for all their sinnes; I Ioh. 2.2. Secondly, he delivers his people from wrath, 1 The. 1.10and the curse, Gal. 3.13.by bearing the curse and wrath for them. In a word he hath redeemed the faithful from all enemies of body & soule. See, Luke 1. 71. 74. Death, Sinne, and the curse of the Law, hee hath swallowed up into victorie, 1 Cor. 15. 55, 56,57.
Obiect.But some weake Christian, perhaps, will here sigh out an objection: How hath Christ delivered mee from sinne, when I still finde this cursed law of my members rebelling against the law of my mind, Rom, 7.23and leading me captive to the law of sinne? How am I delivered from death, when nothing is more sure to me than death, & I dye daily? Ans. Answ.First, observe that the Apostle (who in the person of the faithful uttereth those words) was even then devered frō sin by Christ, and gives thanks in the words instantly following for his deliverance. Hence it is apparent, that even thē whē sin rebelleth in us, nay, by strong hand carrieth us captive, wee are delivered from it; delivered first from the usurping power,Rom. 6.14. and dominion of it, whereby we were enslaved, and served it with greediness…; and againe, from the guilt of it; It shall not bee imputed or accounted to us: but wee reconciled to God, 2 Cor. 5.19. Insomuch that where the Apostle confesseth plainly his sins both of omission and commission, yet in this regard hee dares confidently, and doth truly affirme,Rom. 7.19, 20. It is no more I that doe it, but sinne that dwelleth in me. Sinne in the faithfull, is as sicknesse in the body, getting up now againe, and having overcome, yet not wholly freed from al incombrance of the disease. Now as when our children, through bodily distemper, and sickly weakenesse, cannot doe what they desire, and endevour to doe, and doe some things which they hate themselves, and are to us offeusive, we impute to them neither their omissions or commissions: so dealeth God with his children.
Secondly, as the Lord by Jesus (the Sonne of Nun) brought in his people into the land of Canaan, and trod all their enemies under their feet… yet left some of the Ca…anites among them for divers ends: So is i… with us; (For all that story of Israels passage from Egypt to the land of rest, is but as a type, or picture of Gods dealing with all his Saints;) The Lord our God hath given us the true Jesus to lead us into possession of that heavenly Canaan our eternall life, and kingdom of glory. Now hee hath already entred us into that eternall life (for hee that beleeveth hath eternall life. Ioh. 5.24.) and taken, and holds possession of glory for us.Eph… ….…. (For in him wee alreadie sit in heavenly places.) He hath conquered our enemies, and led them in shew & triumph, yet for some ends hath left some of these enemies; and hath) not yet fully destroyed them.
And as among that people some of those Ganaanits were reserved as enemies, some as servants; the former to prove Israel, Iudg. 3. 1, 2,3,4.whether they would hearken to the Commandements of the Lord, and to teach them warre: the other to helpe them in some workes, as the G…beonites (Iosh. 9.21.27.) so hath the Lord in the faithfull, left some of these inhabitants of our corrupt nature, as well to teach us spirituall warfare, as to prove us whether wee will cleave to him:Eph. 6.11. &c. and hence is it, that hee frameth for us, and giveth us spirituall armour, and commandeth us to exercise our selves in it. (And such are all our …infull corruptions and rebellions:) as some also to serve us, to doe some good office for us: and such is death, which is to us, as those servants to the Prodigall,Luk. 15.2 appointed by our Lord and Father to pull off our ragges,2 Cor. 5.…. that wee may be clothed upon; and as those who tooke from Iehoshuah his filthie garments, Zech. 3.4.…and set a faire Diadem upon him: Este… 6. 8. 11.As Haman to Mordecai, who (against his will) clothed him with royall appa…ell, set the Crowne-royall on his head, and brought him into the presence of the great King.
Now then looke as it was with those Israelites, and the fierie Serpents, when God had, by the sight of the Brazen Serpent, cured them of their wounds and bitings, especially if withall hee had pulled out their stings, they might be truly said to bee perfectly saved from those Serpents, although they were yet among them, and did many wayes annoy and encumber them… So, when the Lord hath not onelyonly cancelled our sinne, and healed those poysonous bitings of it,1 Cor. 15. 56,57, but taken out the sting also of it, that it shall not be able to kill, we are said truly to bee saved, and delivered already from sinne and death; which still are enemies, but not able to effect their malice, or doe any evill to us, which Christ hath not, or will not tnrne to our eternall good and happinesse.
Surely then this truth, that the Sonne of God blessed for ever is our Saviour, is a privilege wonderfull; especially if wee consider the manner how he wrought salvation for us. Looke then first to his Incarnation, wherein he fitted himselfe for our redemption; then to his passions and exaltation, whereby he hath p…rfected our happinesse, and we shall finde unspeakeable consolations in every one of them.
First, there is no Creature can boast of so glorious a prerogative, as a fai…hfull man; that God refusing the nature of Angels, hath taken our nature into him, and become man l…ke us in all things: H…b …. 16, 17, 18.covered, and troubled with the same infirmities, that from the sense of them in himselfe, hee might more compassionately intercede for us, more effectually and speedily helpe us. The Word was made flesh, Ioh. 1.14. of the seede of Abraham, Heb. 2. 16. and of David, Rom. 1. 3. conceived in the wombe of a Virgine,Luk. 1. 31. and borne by her. Thus hee became one with us; Flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone: so nearely was this our nature united to him, that as body and soule make up one man, so God and man make one Christ; that as the Word is sayed to bee flesh, so the blood of that flesh is called The Bloud of God.Act. 20.28
Secondly, in this our flesh hee gave full satisfaction to the Justice of God, by suffering in that nature, in which God was offended.
This Prince of our salvation was consecrate through afflictions. Heb. 2.10…Hee gave his backe to the smiters, his cheekes to the nippers, he held not his face from shame and spitting.Esa… 50.6.
Hee was attached, bound, accursed, and condemned as an offender, in whose mouth there was no guile, by the same Iudg, who knew and confessed himselfe innocent: he was rejected by the heathen, by his owne people, abused, mocked, and scorned by all sorts, nayled to the Crosse, there dyed, and after buried; and not onelyonly swamme through his owne bloud, but waded through the fiery streame of Gods wrath for us. Oh then, if he hath loved us to his death, how much more will hee love us to our life? Will the Lord after all his sufferings lose the soule for which he suffered? Or can he, who thus loved us, being then enemies, that hee chose to beare off the wrath of God for us, by drawing it on himselfe, suffer any part of that wrath to fall upon us, now that hee hath redeemed us to himselfe, killed the enmitie, and drawne our hearts to thirst, longue, and pine for him and his righteousnesse.
Thirdly, that he might perfect us, as hee dyed for our sinnes, so he rose againe for our justification:Rom. 4.25 ascended into heaven, and having received all power and authority, sitteth at the right hand of God, a continual Intercessour for us:Rom. 8.34. Heb. 7.25.and shall thence descend with the shout of an Angell, and the trumpet of God, to raise, quicken a…d receive us to glorie. I cannot but here, therefore, insert that sweet meditation of holy Augustine in Psal. 148.
From his heavenly Countrey hee brought all good things unto us, and in our Countrey endured all our evils; yet promised us, that wee should be there, from whence he came, and said, I will that where I am, they may be also with me. So wonderfull was his love, that because hee was with u… in our habitations, wee should be with him in his Mansions. Oh mortall man, what hath he promised thee that thou shalt live for ever; And dost thou not beleeve him? Beleeve, beleeve.
It is more that hee hath alreadie done, then that which hee hath promised. What hath hee done? hee died for thee. What hath hee promised? that thou should'st live with him. It is more incredible, that the Eternall should once dye, then that a mortall should live for ever.
Now wee hold fast what is harder to beleeve. If God dyed for man, shall not man live with God? Shall not a mortall live aeternally, for whom hee dyed, who liveth aeternally?
Verily, the afflictions of this life are so farre from being worthy of the glory which is purchased for us in the life to come, that rather they are nothing to those comfortable, nay glorious privileges, which wee presently enjoy: For what can any earthly misery, (which at the furthest proceedeth to a temporall death) shew comparable with this union with God, and glorious fellowship with the Father through Christ? Wee are united to God by affinity, by a spirituall, and therefore indissoluble bond of marriage: he hath married our nature, nay, our persons: hath set his owne image on us, & given us his, even the divine nature: and so as he is our flesh, so we flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone. Eph… 5.30.We are united to him by a spirituall consanguinity; to the Father, as our father, (Ioh. 20.17.) to the Sonne, as our brother; Heb. 2.11. nay, as members to the Head, Eph. 5. 30. And because all fleshly and mixt union is no way comparable to that simple union of Spirits, We are one Spirit with him, 1 Cor. 6.17. that as there is no union like that of the Trinity of persons in the unity of the God-head, so wee also should be united spiritually to our God,Ioh. 17.21 That as the Father is in Christ, and Christ in the Father, so wee may bee one in them.
Goe to now; Let all the world conspire against us, to load our harts with affliction: let sinfull flesh joyne with the world, and all the infernal spirits with both, if thou hast tasted this cordiall, if ever thou hast truly relished the sweetnesse of the Lord Jesus, (the strength of thy heart) all they shall effect is but this; somewhat the sooner, and closer to knit thy soule unto God in Christ, and by with-drawing earthly & sensuall, to heap upon thee spirituall and eternall comforts.