The Souls Exaltation, Text 2 (3 of 3)

The Souls Exaltation · Text 2 (3 of 3)

p. 2501Firſt, I will ſhew you what the Scripture ſaith of that agonie in the 14. of Saint Marke, and in the 26. of Matthew.

2Secondly, I will make it good that thoſe ſufferings p. 251were moſt grievous ſufferings, which hee ſuffered in his ſoule:

1For the firſt, what our Saviour ſuffered when he was in that agony in the garden, when he crieth out, Father, if it be poſsible let this cap paſſe from me. The Scripture diſcovers the pith of all that anguiſh of ſoule, and the whole compaſſe of it, what it was that did thus fill the ſoule of our Saviour, and that is in theſe two things, and you ſhall finde them both in Marke 13.33. where the text ſaith, when our Saviour was to enter into the combate, he ſaith thus; hee beganne to his amazed, and to be very heavie: let me expreſſe them thus: hee beganne to bee driven to an aſtoniſhment, and to have his ſoule fild with the indignation of the Lord. Firſt, our Saviour Chriſt foreſeeing the wrath of God, and the combate of God the Father comming againſt him, hee began to be amazed: the word in the originall is this; That ſo you may ſee the depth of the diſtres, and the bottome of the cup. The word amazement comes from a word that ſignifies to bee in a ſtand, or to be aſtoniſhed: ſuch a ſorrow as men uſe to have for the loſſe of ſome deare friend; nay the prepoſition in that which is added ſignifies a griefe beyond aſtoniſhment: whatſoever griefe could befall a creature without ſinne, that all befell our Saviour: this word carries two things with it:

1Firſt, there comes an admiration from the ſuddenneſſe of the thing.

2Secondly, a ſtroke of errour, which ſmiteth p. 252upon the ſoule with the admiration of it, as when a ſudden and an unwonted and an intolerable evil beginneth to ſeize upon a man, and the ſtroke of ſome terrour and fe… ſtrikes in and drives the ſoule to an amaze, and inſomuch that the heart ſaith, good Lord what will this come to? if this befall mee, what ſhall become of mee? this is aſtoniſhment. The ſecond part is this, and that goes further, and our tranſlation expreſſeth it to the full; My ſoule beginnes to be very heavie, thats our tranſlation; but the word goes a degree further, when this ſorrow act onelyonly ſtrooke and ſhooke the heart of our Saviour with the ſuddenneſſe of it, but it entred into his ſoule, and fild it abundantly, and rackt it to the uttermoſt of the abilities of nature to beare it: ſhall I deale nakedly? this word heavie, carries two things with it. Firſt, that the ſoule of our Saviour was ſurcharged and fild, being full: with the indignation of the Lord, and that heavy vexation that lay upon him: for ſo the word implies, abundance of miſery which doth beare downe the heart of a poore creature, but this was not in the Lord Jeſus Chriſt: though his ſoule were filled brimme full of the indignation of the Lord, yet hee was not overcharged with it. Secondly, hence it followes, that all the faculties of the whole nature of the ſoule of our Saviour, they gathered up themſelves, and they drew up all their forces, to beare up themſelves againſt the wrath of the Lord, which was now comming upon them; all the powers of his ſoule, the minde and the memory, p. 253and hope and feare, they were all gathered up: as in time of warre, the ſouldiers come all forth from their garriſons to cloſe in the maine battell; ſo the Lord Jeſus foreſaw the wrath of the Father comming againſt him, and hee drew forth all his abilities, and left all other imployments wholly, and brought them to fence and to fortifie themſelves to beare this wrath of the Lord; as if our Saviour had ſaid, Come yee all hither, and help to beare up my ſoule againſt the unſupportable wrath of God; this is the very skirt and ſelvedge of the word: yet obſerve this by the way, our Saviour was not deprived of this worke of any of his abilities, but onelyonly they were cald off from all other imployments, and they wholly betooke themſelves to beane the wrath of the Lord, as the maine worke which now did lie upon them: and this may be done, and was done by our Saviour, and yet without ſinne. As it is with a clocke, a man may ſto… the wheels upon force, and make them ſtand ſtill, though there bee no diſtemper in the wheels cauſing it, but onelyonly the hand which ſtops it: So it was with Chriſt, there was no infirmitie in the minde or memorie of our Saviour; but the hand of God was ſo heavie upon him, and the wrath of God ſo ſeized upon him, that all other actions ceaſed, and hee attended to no other thing, but to this, how to beare the wrath of God; the Evangeliſt in Matthew 26.38. ſhewes the explication of both theſe, My ſoule is exceeding heavie, tarrie yee here and watch with mee; my ſoule is p. 254heavie even unto the death: that is, my ſoule is beſieged and beſet, and beleagered with ſorrowes, in every part, and I would expreſſe it thus: our Saviour Chriſt knowing Gods counſell and the hour approaching, and the thrones of juſtice prepared, and God as an angry Judge ſitting thereon, with all the bookes brought forth, and all the ſinnes of all the world there laid open, and God the Father as a Judge ſaith, theſe are the ſinnes of thoſe, for whom thou haſt undertaken to die, and if thou anſwer not for them they muſt be damned; and there he ſaw the ſinnes of Manaſſes and David, and Peter and Paul, appeare before the Lord, and withall, he ſaw the glorious attributes of God all comming out againſt him; and mercy pleads, I have beene deſpiſed; and patience pleads and ſaith, I hauehave beene deſpiſed; and juſtice pleads and ſaith, I have beene wronged by theſe men in the time of their ignorance: and therefore mercy, and patience, and goodneſſe, and holineſſe, and long ſuffering, and all theſe that have beene wronged, they all come to the Father for juſtice, and ſay, Theſe have beene oppoſers of thy grace, and ſpirit, and they have wronged us, if they be ſaved, Chriſt muſt be puniſhed; and hee ſeeth the wrath of the Lord making a breach againſt him, and ſeizing againſt him, and not onelyonly ſo, but even all the Devils, and all the Jewes and Gentiles; God lets them all in upon our Saviour: now ſee whether hee had good cauſe to complaine; if hee looked up to God, there were all his attributes crying for juſtice p. 255againſt him, and death before his face, and the Jewes and the Gentiles, Herod and Pilate and all conſpired againſt him to bring in ſorrow upon our Saviour: therefore hee cries, Oh my ſoule it heavie even to the death, my ſoule is beſet with ſorrowes; the Jewes, and the ſinnes of all the world will have my life; thus he began to be aſtonied, and was faine to gather up all his abilities, that hee might fortifie himſelfe againſt thoſe evills. This is the ſufferings of Chriſt in the garden, and yet I ſpeake under it; and if I had the tongues of men and of Angels, I could not expreſſe it; for theſe words are never read of any mortall man, but that there is weakneſſe in the ſame, onelyonly Chriſt hath expreſt thus much, that howſoever miſery and wrath was able to overcome a poore creature, yet hee bore it, and that without ſinnes. Let theſe two cavils of the Jeſuites bee removed before wee goe any further, and the explication before ſpoken of will anſwer both.

Object. 1 Firſt, ſay they, if Chriſt in his agonie ſuffered the wrath of God, and if this made him to crie out, Father, if it bee poſsible, let this cup paſſe from mee, if this bee ſo, then ſay they, our Saviour muſt continue in the agonie from the garden, till he came upon the croſſe; but that hee could not doe, for hee checks Iudas, and reproves Peter; not as a man aſtoniſhed, but as a man in his right wits; and hee anſwered Pilate calmly, and hee prayed holily, and commended himſelfe to God the Father, and he was not as a man aſtoniſhed in all this: therefore hee was not now in the agonie.

p. 256Anſwer. To this I anſwer, the objection growes upon a falſe ground, for they conceive that becauſe he was in the agonie, therefore it muſt continue untill his being upon the croſſe; I ſay no, thats falſe; for our Saviour entred into the agonie, as into a combat, and he that enters into a combat, hath many bouts in it: as there are many ſtormes and tempeſts, but there are ſome beames of ſunſhine betweene them, ſo here there is ſome interims. It is in this caſe as it is with a man in a burning fever, a man hath many intermiſſions betweene the fits; ſo although our Saviour bore all the whole wrath of God, yet he had intermitting fits of it; as in Matthew 26.39, 42, 44, in the 39. verſe, he prayed and ſaid, Father, if it bee poſsible, let this cup paſſe from mee; and he went away againe the ſecond time, and prayed ſaying, Father, if it bee poſsible let this cup paſſe from mee; and hee went againe the third time, and prayed yet more earnestly ſaying, Father, if it be poſsible let this cup paſſe from me: and as it is in Luke …2.44. Hee entred into the agonie, that is, into the fit, as we uſe to ſay of a ſicke man; now the fit is upon him, he prayed once and came againe, ſo one fit was over; he prayed yet againe, ſo two fits were over; then he prayed yet more earneſtly, ſo the the third fit was over: here are three bouts which hee had, when hee wreſtled with the indignation of the Lord. There were three ſtormes in this tempeſt, and betweene every little ſtorme, he had a pleaſant gale of eaſe and refreſhing: This is the anſwer to the firſt objection.

p. 257Object. 2 Secondly, if the wrath of God ſeized upon the ſoule of our Saviour, then the cauſe being the ſame, the effect muſt needs be the ſame; therefore he muſt needs be ſtill in the agonie, when he was upon the croſſe:

You muſt know that the ſorrowes and ſufferings of our Saviour iſſued onelyonly from theſe two cauſes.

1Firſt, from the wrath of God comming upon him for our ſinnes.

2Secondly, our Saviour did willingly according to the agreement made betweene him and the Father, put himſelfe under the wrath of the Father; he laid his head upon the blocke, and upon the anvill, under the blow of divine Juſtice. Now it is not the wrath of God alone, nor the willingneſſe of Chriſt alone, but from the wrath of God comming upon him, and his willingneſſe in ſubmitting to the wrath of God: for Juſtice ſaith, if theſe bee ſaved, thou muſt ſuffer; and Chriſt ſaith, I am contented, I will, yet ſo farre as I ſee fit, and may be for my honour; this ſhewes that he did it willingly: Therefore hee was a cauſe by counſell, and a voluntary diſpoſer of his owne worke; therefore he might either ſatisfie juſtice by bearing the whole wrath of God, or elſe he might take a breathing while as he ſaw fit; ſo that howſoever you frame the objection, yet the anſwer is cleere: for when a man hath taken worke to doe by the great, hee may goe to his worke, or he may leave his worke, provided that he doe performe it according to bargaine: p. 258or a man may ſpeake if he will, or elſe if he will, he may keep ſilence: ſo Chriſt undertooke to ſuffer for us, but provided when hee would, and as he would: Matthew 26.37. He began to wax ſorrowfull, that is, hee did it freely, hee entred into the combat of Gods diſpleaſure, he undertooke it when he would, and as much at once as he would, provided that hee did pay and ſuffer all, for the curſe doth not require that Chriſt ſhould ſuffer all at once, but onelyonly that he ſhould ſatisfie the juſtice of God againe: the humane nature of Chriſt could not ſo well beare all the wrath of God at once; therefore he tooke it at three times: as when a man cannot well drinke a great potion at one draught, he drinkes and breathes, and then drinks againe and breathes, and then drinkes the third time: ſo Chriſt was reſolved to beare all the wrath of God, and becauſe it was too grievous for the humane nature to drinke it all at once, therefore hee drinkes and breaths againe, and then drinkes the ſecond time, and breaths againe; and ſo drinkes the third time, and ſo our Saviour was able to ſuffer all, and not to bee driven to any diſtemper or weakneſſe; for all thoſe diſtempers of affections, they ariſe from theſe three grounds:

1 Either affections prevent judgement:

2 Or elſe it will not yeeld to judgement:

3 Or thirdly, it diſturbs judgement.

Now our Saviour tooke one draught, and then breathed, and then tooke another draught, and … had againe, and ſo thinke it at the third time, p. 259ſo that none of all the ſorrowes of the agonie that he undertooke troubled him, becauſe hee undertooke it when he would, and yet bore all, and ſo gave full ſatisfaction. Thus you ſee what our Saviour ſuffered in the garden in his ſoule, and it was ſuch a kinde of ſorrow, that he tooke onelyonly Peter, and Iames, and Iohn with him, and no more.

Now in the next place, I come to faſten upon the proofe of the point, to wit, that this ſorrow muſt needs bee more than can come from the paines of death, and I ſhall make it good by force of argument, that this ſorrow cannot come barely from the naturall death; I ſhall give you grounds from Scripture, and from reaſon, and I reaſon thus:

All the ſorrowes that came upon our Saviour, they came by reaſon in this cup, that is, from theſe ſorrowes, and miſeries that he was to beare, both in the agonie in the garden, and upon the croſſe: Now that cup which brought aſtoniſhment in upon his ſoule, and fild it full of anguiſh, and drove him to an amaze, and not only to weep bitterly, but to trickle downe drops of clodded blood, that cup muſt needs bee more than the pains of a naturall death, but that cup which cauſed all this, was that which brought them in, and made him thus to be aſtoniſhed, and fild his ſoule with anguiſh, and wreſted clodded blood from his body; therefore this was more than naturall death: the latter part of the argument is undeniable, namely that the agonie came from this cup; p. 260therefore the cup was the cauſe of his ſorrowes, and griefes, and teares; but to thinke that naturall death ſhould drive our Saviour to this aſtoniſhment, it is unreaſonable to thinke it, that the Souldier ſhould beare that which the Commander cannot beare, and that many a poore Chriſtian that hath but a little grace, ſhould beare the paine of a naturall death for a good cauſe, and that comfortably; and ſhall not Chriſt the Fountain of all grace beare much more? it is unreaſonable for any man to thinke ſo: therefore there muſt be more than the paines of a naturall death, in the ſufferings of our Saviour. Hee that gave his Saints grace to beare theſe paines of the naturall death, he hath much more grace in himſelfe to beare them, and to come forth from under them.

Vſe 1 Is it ſo that the Lord Jeſus Chriſt was driven to this aſtoniſhment, and to all this miſery? then what uſe will you make of the point? ſhake the …ee, and gather the fruit: Let every ſoule learne from hence what will bee the fruit of ſinne, and what he may expect from ſinne, if he doe rightly conceive of it: wee uſe to judge of phyſicke by the working of it, eſpecially if it be ſome ſtrange kinde of phyſicke, then the working of it will diſcover the nature of it: And as it is with ſome great perſonages, as the Popes and ſuch like, they have their taſters to taſte their meat for them; for certainly if the meat doe poyſon him that taſtes it, then it will doe him no good that eats i…: ſo ſee what ſinne hath done in Chriſt, and the ſame p. 261it will doe in thee; what he hath received from it, doe thou looke to partake of the ſame, if thou continue in ſin: He onelyonly taſted of it by way of imputation, and he had only the ſhadowes of ſin, as I have formerly ſhewed: hee had onelyonly the taſte of ſin by way of account, and charge, and imputation: therefore if it made him ſicke even to death, then know thou ſhalt bee ſure to feele the ſame: it will worke upon thee much more that haſt ſin not by way of imputation, but thou haſt it by way of commiſſion: and thou canſt ſit at thy baſe pleaſures, and looſe company, and ſinfull occaſions, and drawest on iniquitie as it were with cart-ropes; it will bee thy death, if the Lord be not mercifull unto thee to ſave thee, and the Lord Chriſt gracious to pardon thee: therefore let us not judge of our ſinnes according to our conceits; it is that which cozens and deceives thouſands of poore creatures; therefore let us not value our ſinnes according to the ſweetneſſe that our owne corrupt heart findes in them, nor according to the pleaſure that wee expect from them; they goe downe merrily now, but they kill as certainly. It is the great weakneſſe of poore ſoules, that wee ſee ſinne a great way off through many glaſſe windowes, many mediums and covers, there are many profits, and pleaſures, and dalliances, that are betweene ſinne and us, and we ſee ſinne through all theſe, and therefore ſin is welcomed and received, becauſe it ſeemes pleaſant: but now I would have you ſee ſinne in the nature of it, and therefore looke upon ſinne p. 262in the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and there ſee it in its colours, and ſee what vexation it brought on our Saviour, the ſame it will bring upon thee, unleſſe the Lord be the more mercifull. Is is with ſinners, as it is with children; little children that know not the nature of a Beare or a Lion, if they lie ſleeping, they will bee ready to play with them; but if the Beare begin to ſhake himſelfe, and the Lion begin to rore, it makes not onelyonly children afraid, but even the ſtouteſt to flie, wee dally with the hole of the Aſpe: ſinne hath devoured thouſands at this day, and children that wee are, we play with ſin, and with the pride of our owne curſed hearts, and our luſts, and our ambition, and uncleanneſſe, and with the neglect of Gods ordinances, and every other corruption: The drunkard playes with his drunkenneſſe, and the adulterer with his dalliances, and the proud man with his ambitious thoughts, and ſo every wretch with his wicked practices, and this ambition is now aſleep: but if you could ſee theſe roring upon you, and ready to devoure you, then certainly you that now take delight in them, would flie from them: Proverbs 7.27. It is obſervable what ſinne will doe, the adulterous woman meets the poore deluded creature, and ſhe inticeth him with her baſe luſts, and he dreams of nothing but Downe beds, and all kinde of dalliance, and hee knowes nothing but goes as an Oxe to the ſlaughter, untill a dart ſtrike through his liver, and he knowes not that it is for his life, hee goes and his life goes: Her houſe is the way to the grave, p. 263which goeth downe to the chambers of death: the like is in Iudas, hee deſired to betray Chriſt, and for what? onelyonly to get a little poore pittance of thirtie pence: his covetouſneſſe was now aſleep, and he had a murthering heart towards the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and a covetous heart for himſelfe: all this while ſinne was aſleepe; but when Chriſt was attached and condemned, then Iudas began to be worried with his corruptions; hee comes in horrour of heart and throwes downe the thirtie pence, and comes into the high Prieſts hall, and ſaith, I have ſinned in betraying innocent blood: Now tell mee, Iudas, is it good to bee covetous now? when his conſcience was awake, and thus wrath of God began to ſeize upon it, and that Lion began to rore upon him, then his heart begun to ſhake within him, and hee departed and went away and hanged himſelfe, his ſinne made way for it: and thus it will be with every wicked man in the world. Howſoever now you have del… ons to cozen others, and you have your unjuſt meaſures, and you can carry it away bravely; your corruptions are now aſleep but that covetouſneſſe out of thy ſhop, and that adultery out of thy chamber, it will one day rore upon thee: looke upon the hands of Chriſt, and they will ſay, there hands were pierced by ſinnes, and it was ſinne that hath fild this ſoule with aſtoniſhment. Oh all you that ſee and heare the good word of the Lord this day, ſee what ſin hath done with our Saviour, and expect the like effects from ſinne, if you ſtill continue in it.

p. 264Now we come to the ſecond part, that is, his ſufferings upon the croſſe, where wee ſhall have much to doe with the Jeſuites. You ſee what he ſuffered in the garden, now follow him to the croſſe, for when he was in the garden, he only taſted of the cup; but when he was upon the croſſe, he drunke the cup quite off; in the garden he only ſipped the top … it, but now hee drunke the dregs of it, and the bottome and all. For the opening of this, looke Mat. 27.46. about the ninth houre, that is, about three of the clocke in the afternoone, when he was crucified, he cried out ſaying, Eli, Eli, lamuſabactani: Now Divines ſay, and Interpreter conclude and … profeſſe it, and I beſeech you attend to it, that in this crie & cōplaint of our Saviour, was diſcovered the dregs of the cup of the fierce indignation of the Lord; now before I come to the … and proper ſenſe of the words, conſider thus much: there are two interpretations of it; Firſt, there is one of the Jeſuites, which we muſt confute and remove. Secondly, there is another interpretation of ſound Divines, which we muſt receive and yeeld unto. For the firſt, Bellarmine and others make the meaning of the words to be this, that our Saviour Chriſt here complaines that he was left to the hands of the Jewes, and that God the Father would not deliver him from that temporal death which they would put him to; therefore ſaid they, our Saviour in the ſenſe of the death natural, cries out that God had left him in the hands of thoſe ungodly men; therefore they ſay the words run thus, My p. 265God, my God, why haſt thou thus forſaken me, and loſt me thus in the hands of Pilate, and Herod, and the Jewes to crucifie mee: it is a ſinew leſſe and a weake imagination, that I may ſpeake no worſe of it, for I can hardly beare it with patience: and that this ſenſe is falſe there are a reaſons to beare againſt it. Firſt, this meaning is taken from a falſe ground, and therefore the ground and bottome being brittle and weake, the building muſt needs fall. It is a weake thing for a man to ſay, that ſometimes the miſeries and deaths of the Saints of God, argue a forſaking of God: for I ſay, that though the Saints of God are ſometimes delivered up to death by the wiſe providence of God, yet they are not ſaid to bee forſaken of God: 2 Cor. 4.9. Wee are perſecuted, but not forſaken; cast downe, but wee periſh not: You know what the ordinarie promiſes are in this kinde; I will be with thee in ſix troubles, … the ſeventh I will deliver thee: marke this, the heavieſt afflictions of the Saints of God, nay death it ſelfe is ſo farre from being an argument of Gods forſaking them, that it is an argument of their glorying in God; as in 2 Cor. 12.10. Therefore I take pleaſure in my infirmities and reproaches, neceſſities and perſecutions: and in anguiſh for Chriſts ſake, the Apoſtle rejoyceth in perſecutions, and in the midſt of all extremities.

A ſecond reaſon why it is falſe is this, God is ſaid to leave his ſervants two wayes, and there are no other wayes in Scripture that I know of Firſt when God takes away his aſſiſtance in the time of p. 266trouble, and hee lends not that ſtrength and that aſſiſtance, whereby with patience they may be…e, and with courage goe through thoſe afflictions, but now and then hee lets them not bee ſoiled, by their owne infirmities, and to fall by their weakneſſes, that they may learne to ſee their owne weakneſſes, and learne not to truſt in themſelves, but in the Lord their God: Now this forſaking cannot, nor did not befall our Saviour in common ſenſe, becauſe hee prayed for aſſiſtance, and whatſoever hee prayed for, hee had; as Hebrewes 5.7. Hee was heard in that which he feared; and ſo conſequently aſſiſted: nay, he was confident of the iſſue of it, Luke 23.42.43. when the good theefe upon the croſſe ſaid, Lord, remember mee when thou commeſt into thy Kingdome; the Lord anſwered him, this way ſhall thou be with … in Paradiſe: nay, David did propheſie this of Chriſt, and Chriſt himſelfe performes it, Pſalme 16.8. I have ſet the Lord alwayes before mine eyes, for hee is at my right hand, therefore I ſhall … be moved: therefore God the Father did not leave our Saviour, but he did aſſiſt him, that hee was above all ſorrowes, and all miſeries.

2Secondly, the other kinde of leaving which the Scripture ſpeakes of, is this; when the Lord takes away the ſenſe and feeling of the ſweetneſſe of his love, and … from the ſoule: in Pſalme 27.9. David ſaith, Hide not thy face away from me, neither cast away thy ſervants in diſpleaſure, put not a ſervant … of doores. Here I demand of any p. 267man, but eſpecially of the Jeſuites, whether of theſe two they will grant? God did not forſake the Lord Jeſus Chriſt the firſt way; therefore he muſt doe it this way, or none at all; and if any man grant this, then he grants the cauſe: for then there was not onelyonly the death naturall, but the diſpleaſure of the Lord ſeized upon his ſoule; and unleſſe they doe grant this, then this abſurditie muſt needs follow upon it, that Chriſt was not at all forſaken of God: for he that was conſtantly aſſiſted, and refreſhed by the ſenſe of the love and favour of God, he was no way forſaken: Ioſeph was in priſon, but God was with him; and Daniel was in the Lions den, but God was with him: and in 2 Chron. 15.2. God is with you, while yee are with him: now if Chriſt had aſſiſtance from God the Father to ſtrengthen him, and the ſenſe of the ſweetneſſe of Gods love to refreſh him, then hee was no way forſaken, which is profeſly contrary to this truth, and it is to give the good Spirit of God the lie; therefore away with thoſe imaginations, ſo that the anſwer is cleare, that God the Father did take away the ſenſe and feeling of the ſweetneſſe of his love from our Saviour; and this made him to crie out, My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken mee? thus much to wipe away the cavils of the Jeſuits. Now I come to ſhew the right ſenſe and interpretation of the words which wee ought to receive; and here you may ſee the great worke of Chriſt, and the love of Chriſt, and the comfort of a Chriſtian: the text includes two things, which p. 266duplicate page p. 267duplicate page p. 268containes the very dregs of the cup: Firſt, that God tooke away the ſenſe and feeling of his love and favour: Secondly, God the Father laid a curſe upon him. There is a dereliction, and a malediction, in the words forſaking, and the curſe: therefore adde to this place but Gal. 3.13. and you ſhall have the full ſufferings of Chriſt, Chriſt hath redeemed us from the curſe of the Law, being made a curſe for us, becauſe it is written, curſed is every one that hangeth on a tree: ſo that when hee was crucified and hanged on the croſſe, then hee was made a curſe for us, and then he was forſaken. Let mee a little open both the paſſages to you: Firſt for the forſaking of our Saviour, Why hast thou forſaken mee? when he cried thus, and rored for the very diſquietneſſe of his ſoule, there was more in it than ordinarie: I will diſcover the ſubſtance of this forſaking of Chriſt how farre it went, and that in three particulars, that you may know how far to ſteere your judgements in conceiving the ſenſe of the Spirit of God in this place: this forſaking of Chriſt may be conceived of in three concluſions:

1Firſt, it was not a totall forſaking of our Saviour, but onelyonly in part, and it was not a perpetuall forſaking, but for a while, and it was not a taking away the Godhead from the manhood of our Saviour; but the Godhead was ever united to the manhood, and did evermore ſupport it.

2Secondly, this forſaking was on the Fathers part, and not on our Saviours part; the Father forſakes Chriſt, but Chriſt went after him: God p. 269tooke away the ſenſe of his love, but the Lord Jeſus Chriſt cried after him, and laid hold upon him, and ſaith, My God, my God, why hast thou forſaken me? the Father went away, but the Lord Jeſus Chriſt went after the Father, and would not let him goe: God the Father might juſtly forſake our Saviour, being made ſinne for us by account and imputation: being our ſuretie, God the Father might juſtly take away and withdraw the ſenſe of the ſweetneſſe of his love and favour from the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, without any ſinne; but now the Lord Jeſus Chriſt could not have forſaken and gone away from the Father without ſinning, ſo that this forſaking was on the Fathers part, but our Saviour held faſt, and would not be carried away, My God, my God, &c. As Iob ſaith, Though hee kill mee, yet will I trust in him: ſo that Iobs truſting, and Gods killing anger might ſtand together: and when the Lord wreſtled with Iacob and ſaid, Let me goe, for the day breaketh; Iacob ſaid, I will not let thee goe, untill thou bleſſe me. God may goe away from Iacob, but Iacob may not goe away from God for want of confidence, and affiance: ſo that this forſaking is to be apprehended wholly on the Fathers part, for our Saviour did not goe away from God by diffidence and diſtruſt.

3Thirdly, and here lies the main pith and heart blood of the point, that wee may ſpeake tremblingly and wiſely, in this great and difficult point. The concluſion is this, the ſoule of our Saviour, that is, the whole man was for the while p. 270deprived of the ſenſe of Gods favour, and the feeling operation of his love and mercy that might comfort him; I ſay, it was for the while, and this ſeemes to be the reaſon of thoſe ſtrong cries, and heart-breaking complaints of his: You know when a man cries, then there is miſery, and trouble upon him; and when he cries loud, and puts forth all his powers, it implies a marvellous weight, nay, it gives us to conceive of a kinde of admiration, and a kinde of wondering with himſelfe, what the cauſe of it ſhould bee: It ſeemes here that this was the cauſe of the ſad complaint, becauſe in his agonie there were ſome inklings of Gods mercy, and now and then a ſtarre-light, and a little flaſh of lightning to cheere him: but now all the ſenſe and feeling of Gods love was gone, and not ſo much as any little ſtar-light to cheere him up; and that drives him to a wonderment, ſaying, My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken mee? Is it poſſible that thou canſt thus forſake thy Sonne? whats the reaſon of it? what, and an onelyonly begotten Sonne; not that the ſpirit of conſolation was ever taken away from our Saviour, nor that the Godhead was taken away from the manhood, and ſo left comfortleſſe, and ſupportleſſe; no, no, but howſoever the ſpirit of comfort and conſolation was there, yet the ſweetneſſe of that conſolation, wherein he had refreſhed and ſolaced himſelfe, that was quite taken await.

Object. Oh but, ſay the Jeſuites, this ſeemes ſtrange; for if this bee ſo that all the ſenſe and ſweetneſſe p. 271of Gods love was taken away from him, then how can he ſay, my God, my God?

Anſwer. It is a conceit for a Jeſuite, and not for a Chriſtian; for faith and the want of feeling may goe together: Chriſt longed after mercy, though hee ſaw nothing, and hee cried, my God, my God; though hee had no ſenſe of Gods love, the ſtrongeſt faith may ſtand where no ſenſe is; Eſay 50.10. Hee that walketh in darkneſſe, and hath no light, that is, he that is altogether in miſery, and ſorrow, and anguiſh, and ſeeth no light of comfort and conſolation, what muſt hee doe? muſt hee caſt away all hope? no, let him ſtay himſelfe by the power of faith upon his God. So then Chriſt may have, and had confidence, to ſay, my God, my God, and yet hee was deprived of the ſenſe of Gods love, and the feeling operation of his mercy and favour; and: God the Father might take away the ſenſe and ſweetneſſe of it, without any weakneſſe on our Saviours part, becauſe this withdrawing of the ſweetneſſe of: Gods love, brings onelyonly a puniſhment upon the ſoule, and takes to grace nor holineſſe from the ſoule of our Saviour.

Now wee are come to the bottome, now our Saviour foreſaw all the mercy, goodneſſe, and compaſſion of God the Father going away from him, and hee panted after it, ſaying, my God, my God, mercy is gone, and compaſſion is gone in regard of the ſenſe of it. Now that you may ſee the weight of the ſufferings of our Saviour, conſider thus …ich; that the … away the ſelfe p. 272of Gods love, diſcovers it ſelfe in Scripture after this manner.

The Lord in this worke of his, and in this heavie withdrawing himſelfe, he turnes away his face, and lookes another way, deprives him of the injoying of the ſweetneſſe of his fellowſhip which formerly hee had: Ionah 2.4. Ionah was a good and a gratious man, though he was a ſtrange man, as one obſerves, yet when the Lord had dealt ſomething ſtrangely with him, and caſt him into the ſea, a whale receives him; and when hee was ſwallowed up of the whale, he was then ſwallowed up of a greater griefe; for God had taken away the ſweetneſſe of his love from him: therefore ſaith he, I am caſt out of thy ſight, hee would play the runne away with God, and would goe to Tarſus; therefore God caſts him out of his ſight to his owne apprehenſion: therefore ſaith hee I am caſt out of thy preſence this was onelyonly in regard of the ſenſe and ſweetneſſe of Gods love and favour: this you may ſee in the example of David, Pſalme 31.22. I ſaid in my haste, I am caſt out of thy ſight; as no queſtion but Ionah prayed in the whales belly, and ſaid, Lord pardon my ſinne, and forgive my tranſgreſsions; no, ſaith the Lord, get you downe to Tarſus: ſo David prayed, and cried earneſtly ſaying, not ſmile of thy favour Lord; no, ſaith the Lord, and hee looked another way, yet thou heardeſt the voyce of my prayer: and ſo Ionah, yet will I looke towards thy holy Temple; hee looked to mercy whiles his eyes and his heart and all faild; ſo that faith may well ſtand, even there p. 273where there is no ſenſe at all.

Thus it was here in the caſe of our Saviour, and thus the Scripture ſpeakes admirable pithily; Pſalme 77.9. Hath God forgotten to bee gracious, and hath he ſhut up his tender mercies? as if he had ſaid, though I may not have mercy, yet let me ſee mercy: hath God in anger ſhut up his mercy? the face of mercy is ſweet, and the preſence of mercy is comely: but hath God in anger ſhut up his tender mercies? hee hath not onelyonly ſent him going out of doores, as hee did Ionah, but hee ſhuts himſelfe up that the poore ſinner cannot come within fight of him.

Oh ſaith the ſonne, I would my father would but looke out at the window that I might ſee him; but when hee will not ſuffer his ſonne to looke upon him, this is heavie: ſo the Lord ſaith to his ſervants, no no, you have ſlighted my kindneſſe, therefore I will locke it up, that you ſhall ſee him no more: In the ſecond Booke of Samuel, the fourteenth chapter, the twentie eighth verſe; When Abſolom had dwelt two yeares in Ieruſalem, and ſaw not the Kings face, at length hee ſends for Ioab to ſend him to the King, and ſaid, either let me ſee the Kings face, or elſe wherefore doe I live? It was a great favour that hee might but ſee the Kings face; though hee might not injoy fellowſhip with him: this is a great trouble, when the Lord ſhuts up his mercy in anger: mercy hath come home to your hearts, and it hath beſought you to take it; but you have dealt baſely with the Lord, and walked p. 274rebelliouſly againſt him, well the Lord will ſhut you out of his preſence, and will ſhut up his mercy, and then you ſhall ſay that you had mercy offered to you once, and you would not accept it.

3Thirdly, and this is the higheſt degree of all; the Lord doth not onelyonly ſhut up his mercy that he cannot be ſeene, but hee goes away that a man cannot tell where to ſeeke him: Oh, ſaith the ſonne, that I might but ſee my Father, but hee is gone, and then his heart is even ſwalloweed up; nay, God doth not only take away the ſenſe and feeling of his favour beyond ſight, but hee goes away from a man, that hee cannot tell where to ſeeke him, that if he would write letters as I may ſay, yet he knowes not where to ſend them, and if he call his father, he cannot heare him: Thus the Scripture ſpeakes, and thus the ſaints of God have found it from time to time, Pſalme 77.7, 8, 9. Will the Lord abſent himſelfe for ever, and will he ſhew no more favour? this tranſlation is reaſonable well, but the originall runs thus; will hee adde no more to bee favourable: as if hee had ſaid, what will he not only not entertaine me; but is hee gone that I cannot tell where to finde him; and in the …. verſe, Is his mercy cleane gone for ever? This is the laſt of all, and that which contains the pith of all, that our Saviour ſpeakes expreſly of himſelfe, that God goes not onelyonly out of his preſence, but out of his calling too: the place is excellent, Pſal. 22.1. from whence theſe words were taken, My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken p. 275mee? why art thou ſo farre from helping mee, and from the words of my complaint? God is gone beyond call. Now that you may ſee the weight of the ſorrowes that lay upon our Saviour, conſider thus much: our Saviour was not onelyonly caſt out of Gods favour, and God did not onelyonly take away the ſenſe of his love, and the feeling operation of his favour, that ſo he received not the ſweetneſſe that he had done; but Chriſt tooke the place of ſinners, and therefore God the Father ſhut him out amongſt ſinners, and drew his mercy out of ſight, and out of hearing, and therefore he cried out, My God, my God, &c. Nay further, why art thou ſo farre from my helpe? Hee cried out that hee …ore his bowels againe, and ſtretched out his throat and cries, my God, my God, and hee followes the mercy of God the Father in this kinde, not that his faith did not prevaile, but he had not the ſenſe and ſweetneſſe of Gods love; and ſo David in all that he ſpake, ſaying, Will he be favourable no more? hath hee in anger ſhut up his tender mercies? All this while God was preſent with him by ſupportation, though he held that viſion of mercy off from his ſoule: now at this time it ſeemes to me, and the text will beare it, that though Chriſt before had but three bouts in the garden, yet now all the ſins of all his elect children, and the cloud of ſins of all the faithfull did ariſe to a mighty great fog, and the cloud did overſpread all the whole heavens as I may ſay, and did darken all the Sunneſhine of Gods favour: as it is with the Sun in p. 276the firmament, when a little cloud growes greater and greater untill it cover the whole heaven, then we thinke it is almoſt night: ſo all the ſinnes of all the faithfull did overſpread all the whole heavens, that even the ſtar-light of Gods compaſſion, and the lightning of Gods love and favour appeared not.

Now I come to the reaſons of our Saviours grievous ſufferings in his ſoule, and the reaſons are theſe.

1Firſt, from the cauſe.

2Secondly, from the place to which our Saviour was called.

3Thirdly, from the love of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, which makes it moſt plaine of all.

Reaſon 1 Firſt from the cauſe, it cannot bee that it was the Jewes, and Herod, and Pilate, that made him crie out in this manner, but the juſtice of God the Father came againſt him, and the devill entred the combate with the Lord Jeſus Chriſt upon the croſſe: Luke 22.53. This is your houre, and the power of darkneſſe; hell gates were ſet open, and the devils were all let looſe upon our Saviour; and therefore as Divines doe wiſely and judiciouſly obſerve in Coloſſ. 2.15. Hee led captivity captive, and ſpoyled principalities and powers, and tooke the hand writing of ordinances that was againſt us, and fastned them to his croſſe: hee was now in the maine combat with all the powers of ſinne, hell, and death: Theſe were they that did make the combat with the Lord of life.

Reaſon 2 The ſecond reaſon, is taken from the place p. 277which he underwent; he was to be a Prieſt, and he was to offer up himſelfe for a ſacrifice, not his body alone, but alſo his ſoule; as Hebrewes 9.20.24. Chriſt offered up himſelfe for a ſacrifice.

Reaſon 3 Thirdly, the love of the Lord Jeſus was ſuch, that of neceſſitie it muſt bee ſo, and thoſe that thinke, that the Lord Jeſus ſuffered nothing elſe but onelyonly the death of the body, they wonderfully wrong the love of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt: the like love was never ſeene, for had he ſuffered only the death naturall, then ſome of Gods people had ſhewed greater love than ever Chriſt did: as Paul, Romans 9.3. I could bee content to want the ſenſe of the love of Chriſt, for the people of the Iewes, &c. Now if our Saviour had onelyonly ſuffered the death naturall, then Paul could have beene content to doe more than Chriſt did: Thus you ſee the nature of this forſaking of Chriſt.

2Secondly, there was alſo a curſe which befell our Saviour, which here is intimated, but is fully expreſt Gal. 3.13. Chriſt hath redeemed us from the curſe of the Law, why? becauſe he was made a curſe for us; how doth he prove that? becauſe it is written, curſed is every one that hangeth on a tree: He proves the truth by the Type, the curſe lay in this, that Chriſt did ſuffer whatſoever was due unto us: So the Apoſtle reaſons, that whatſoever curſe was due unto us, that our Saviour did ſuffer: the curſe was this, the Father did not only withdraw the ſenſe and ſweetneſſe of his love and favour from the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, but hee alſo let in his heavie indignation, and wrath into his p. 278ſoule, and that ſeized upon and fild the ſoule of our Saviour brim full, and this was the curſes. The Scripture doth expreſſe it in two particulars, or there are two degrees of it.

1Firſt, the juſtice of God had a ſingle combat with our Saviour in the garden, and there it had three bouts with him, the Lord dealt very roughly with him, and the blowes were very heavie that hee laid upon our Saviour there, for they went to the heart of him, and yet that was but a little skirmiſh: Eſay 53.4, 5. God ſmote him, and bruiſed him, inſomuch that there was clodded blood ſeene to come dropping from him: theſe heavie bouts that hee had, wounded him, and went to the very heart of him, but now patience, and forbearance, and longſuffering, and mercy, and compaſſion, they all come into reſcue our Saviour, and they afford him a little breathing, and refreſhing, ſo that though the blowes were heavie, and the thruſts were ſore, yet he did breathe and live; and it was not the maine ſtroke of all, and the reaſon was, becauſe patience, mercy, and goodneſſe, and bountie, came in to reſcue him: but then the ſecond part was this:

2Not only Gods anger had a ſingle combat with him, but at laſt the juſtice of God gathered up all the powers of it, and the wrath of God drew up all the forces together, and they marched in furiouſly againſt Chriſt: and whereas before the Father ſmote at him, and did thruſt at him, now hee ſlew him. When our Saviour came to the croſſe, and the heat of the battle lay upon him, then all the ſenſe and ſweetneſſe of Gods countenance and favour, they all left our Saviour in the open field; for in the garden hee had ſome refreſhings, and ſome breathing times, and mercy, and goodneſſe did ſtep in and ſay, ſlay him not, but let him have ſome refreſhings: but now the ſenſe and the feeling of all theſe was gone.

Vſe. The uſe of this laſt branch, it is a word of terrour, and it is able to ſhake the hearts of the proudeſt wretches under heaven: they that let themſelves againſt God and Heaven, and make nothing of the ſinnes they have committed, nor of the wrath of God threatned, and when the Miniſter ſaith, Oh the end of thoſe ſins will be bitterneſſe: this contempt of God, and grace, and holy ſervices, and theſe oaths will be bitter in the latter end: How can you beare the wrath of God, and you cannot poſſibly avoid it; tuſ…, ſay they, come, let us talke of other matters, and not buſie our ſelves with theſe matters; well, ſaith the Miniſter, but the word is true, and the word ſaith it; well then, ſaith the ſoule, and I will beare it as well as I can: If I ſinne, I will beare it; and if I come into hell, I ſhall beare it as well as another, and I ſhall make a ſhift for one? Oh poore ſinfull creature, wilt thou beare it, and make thy part good as well as another? doſt thou know what thou ſaiſt? ler all thoſe ſtouthearted men that ſit in the feat of the ſcornfull, and make nothing of God, nor his wrath, nor of hell, nor of the ſinnes that they have committed: let them know that they ſhall never bee p. 280able to beare the indignation of the Lord; ſee here and behold a little, all you that make nothing of the withdrawing of Gods favour, Pſalme 97.4, 5. and Revelation ….14, 15, 16, 17. The heavens departed away as a ſcrowle when it is rowled, and every mountaine and Iſle were removed out of their places, and the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chiefe captaines, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themſelves in the dens, and rocks, and in the mountaines, and ſaid to the mountaines, fall on us, and to the hils, cover us from the preſence of him that ſitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lambe, for the great day of his wrath is come, and who ſhall be able to ſtand? If any man could beare up himſelfe, then it were the great ones of the world: now take a ſcantling of your owne ſtrength; if any were able to beare the wrath of the Lord, it were the kings and the mightie men, and the captaines, and the rich men of the world, but faith the text, The day of the Lords wrath is come, and who ſhall bee able to ſtand? It is not the ſoveraigntie of the king nor the skill and courage of the captaine, or the libertie of the freeman, or the ſlavery of the bondman that can deliver them; but they all crie to the rocks, fall on us, and cover us from the preſence of the Lord: nay, that you may yet ſee the vildneſſe and wretchedneſſe of your hearts, and the miſerableneſſe of your condition, when the preſence of the Lord appeares, ſee what the text ſaith, Pſalme 114.5, 7. The ſea fled, and the earth trembled, the hils melted at the preſence of the Lord, nay, the devils p. 281themſelves tremble; as in the 6. and 8. verſes of the epiſtle of Saint Iude, The Angels which kept not their firſt love, he hath reſerved in everlasting chaines under darkneſſe to be kept for the judgement of the laſt day: they have their portion for the while, but there is a great deale of wrath to come, and there are many plagues comming, and they know Gods wrath, and they ſhake and tremble in the apprehenſion of it: now when you ſee this, goe home to your owne ſoules, and let every man that would heretofore (as his owne conſcience can tell him) flout God to his face, and make a ſcorn of hell, and of judgement, and condēnation: go home, I ſay, & lay this to your owne hearts, and ſay, is it ſo, that the mountains ſhak, and the ſea ſhrinks, and the devils tremble at the wrath of the Lord: good Lord then how ſhall I be able to beare it, that am not able to cōceive of it, nay if any man think that hee is able to undergoe the wrath of God, and to bear it off with head and ſhoulders, look but here upon the Lord Jeſus Chriſt that was perfect God, and perfect man, he that created heaven and earth, and bote up the foundation of heaven and earth, yet when hee came to bea…t the wrath of God, it forced teares from his eyes, and clodded blood from his body, and made him crie out, My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken mee? Doe but now compare your ſelves with Chriſt, and ſay, did my Saviour buckle under the wrath of God? then certainly it will breake you therefore ſay thou, if hee that was the Creator of heaven and earth could not beare it, then how ſhall I be able p. 282to beare it, when he comes againſt me for my ſi… and corruption committed by me therefore heart and feare all you ſtout hearted of the world, rather now tremble while you may be comforted, than hereafter when you ſhall never be eaſed: thinke but with your ſelves how dreadfull that day will be, when all the glorious attributes of God ſhall take their leaves of you he that before had a great deale of mercy, and patience, and the Lord hath wooed him ſaying Oh once at laſt heare and ſee the things that belong to thy peace: there is not one of you all in this congregation, but that you have beene compaſt about with mercies, and the juſtice of God; it would have broken out againſt you, had not mercy ſtepped in to reſcue you, how eaſie were it for the Lord to daſh us all into the bottomleſſe pit every creature of us: therefore thanke mercy, and patience, and forbearance, that ſtill you breathe, and ſay, bleſſed bee God, that I have to deale with a gracious, mercifull, and compaſſionate God, that hath kept mee from judgement, that I have not ere now periſhed in it: Now thinke with your ſelves what a day it wil be when mercy ſhal weep over you, & take his leave of you, & ſay, remēber thou poore creature how I met thee in thy walkes, and kneeled downe before thee, and beſought thee to take mercy, and to be ſaved and pardoned, but thou wouldſt not: adem therefore, this is the laſt time of asking, I will never ſee thy face more, and with that patience as it were buckles under the burthen, and ſaith, I have bond with their thus longe I have borne p. 283twenty years with ſome, thirtie years with ſome, fortie years with others, and all this which I have borne with thee in thy pride, and ſtubborneſſe, and looſeneſſe, and uncleanneſſe; but now adew, never more patience to beare with you, what no more mercy, nor no more goodneſſe, ſaith the ſoule, and they all ſay no; and ſtake their hands and ſay, adew thou rebellious heart for ever, it will make thy heart ſhake within thee, and thou wilt ſay, I ſhall ſinke downe ſuddenly, there is nothing but wrath to bee expected, they are all gone to heaven, and you muſt be forever packing to hell. Oh feare, and feare all you whom it doth concerne this day, if ſo bee Chriſt cannot beare it, then you cannot ſuffer it, but you will ſinke under the ſame for ever.

Now I come to the reaſons of the point in generall, why our Saviour ſuffered paines both in body and in ſoule, then the reaſons of it are three, and they are all of ſpeciall uſe.

Reaſon 1 Firſt, it is taken from the divine juſtice of God which required this by way of ſatisfaction, as being onelyonly ſurable and agreeable to the divine juſtice of God by reaſon of ſinne, whereby Adam had intrenched upon the privilege of God the Father: every breach of the Law of God intrencheth neerly upon God himſelfe, and therefore every ſinne is of a provoking nature, becauſe it is committed againſt an infinite majeſtie: therefore that divine juſtice may not be a loſer, there muſt be a puniſhment not onelyonly corporall, p. 284but alſo ſpirituall, for juſtice abates not any thing of the ſatisfaction, God is juſt, and this is juſtice to give every one his due; honour to whom honour belongs, and puniſhment to whom puniſhment belongs; therefore that juſtice may bee preſerved, ſhe muſt inflict theſe puniſhments upon our Saviour being in our roome: the Jeſuites have deviſed a cavill againſt this reaſon: ſay they, it needed not that Chriſt ſhould ſuffer theſe, for the dignitie of the perſon of our Saviour may diſpence with ſome part of the puniſhment, and if he beare death, it is ſufficient, he may bee, freed from the other paines in his ſoule. Now that this conceit of theirs is a thing marvellous injurious to the juſtice of God the Father, and to the wiſedome of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and to the death of Chriſt, I prove it thus; for by the ſame right that the dignitie of the perſon of our Saviour might abate of the puniſhment, by the ſame right the dignitie of his perſon might as well take it quite away: if one drop of the blood of Chriſt would ſave all the world, then what needed Chriſt to have ſuffered the pains of death; for if the dignitie of the perſon might free him from the one, it might free him from the other alſo, but the Law and Juſtice of God required whatſoever Chriſt did in his wiſedome ſuffer and the death of Chriſt was not ſuperfluous, and beſides the dignitie of the perſon is to farre from freeing him from the puniſhment, that it fits him to beare the puniſhment, it exempts him not from the puniſhment, but it furniſheth him with p. 285abilities to beare it: as he muſt be man, that hee may ſuffer finitely, ſo he muſt be God that muſt ſatisfie infinitely: the juſtice of God requires two things.

1Firſt, ſuch a kinde of puniſhment as may bee ſutable to the wrong of the Law, by the ſinne of Adam, that is an infinite puniſhment.

2Secondly, the perſon muſt bee ſuch a one, as may bee regarded: therefore he muſt bee ſuch a perſon, as muſt be able to beare the puniſhment, and to ſatisfie infinitely, and to come forth from under it: therefore the excellency of Chriſt as he was God, doth not diſpence with the puniſhment, but enables him to ſuffer it, as the infinite wrath of God was expreſs and ſhewed upon man by reaſon of ſinne, in laying on this puniſhment both in body and ſoule: ſo the infinite ſufferings of Chriſt underwent them both; therefore that which divine juſtice required and without which it is not ſatisfied, that he muſt ſuffer; but the juſtice of God did require it, and without it the juſtice of God was not ſatisfied: and therefore Chriſt did ſuffer both.

Object. To this argument the Jeſuites reply, it needed not, ſay they, that that curſe which Adam did deſerve, ſhould bee ſuffered by the ſecond Adam, which is Chriſt, for, ſay they, God might have pardoned all the ſinne of Adam without any ſatisfaction, or elſe by his infinite wiſedome and power he could have provided another way, and therfore if Chriſt ſuffer but in part, it may ſuffices

Anſwer. To which I anſwer, it is a fooliſh, nice, and p. 286ſilly curioſitie to inquire of Gods abſolute power what he might have done, and what he had power to doe, when we ſee what he hath done: For as hee will ſave the humble mercifully, ſo hee will preſerve his juſtice in the ſalvation of man, Eſay 53.10. The will of the Lord ſhall proſper in his hand, and Pſalme 40.8. I deſire to doe thy will, oh my God: It is the will of God that Chriſt ſhould come and ſhould ſuffer for our ſinnes; he hath revealed what his will is, and it is folly to inquire what God might doe, when we ſee what he hath done: and beſides, this I take to bee an everlaſting truth, that none of all the attributes of God can ever enterfeere or croſſe one another, it cannot be, for then God ſhould not procure nor maintaine his owne glory, for when hee ſhould procure the glory of his juſtice, hee ſhould wrong the glory of his mercy, and when he ſhould procure the glory of his mercy, hee ſhould wrong the glory of his juſtice; and the glory of his juſtice muſt bee preſerved as well as the glory of his mercy magnified; the mercy of God cannot wrong juſtice, nor the juſtice of God cannot overpower mercy: therefore hence I infer thus much; if there were no means in the world whereby the juſtice of God (which had received wrong) could be ſatisfied, but only by the ſufferings of him who was God and man; then it was againſt the will of God, and againſt the will of Chriſt which was both God and man, and againſt their glory and dignitie to deviſe another way or means to pardon ſinne without p. 287the ſatisfaction of divine juſtice, it is againſt his glory power, and wiſedome, to wrong either juſtice or mercy, for he ſhould either have wronged mercy in not pardoning, or elſe wronged juſtice in not puniſhing of Chriſt; therefore if there ſhould be no way to doe it, but only by the death of him who was both God and man, then there was no other way of redemption but this way, for an infinite juſtice being wronged, there is no way elſe to ſatisfie an infinite juſtice, but by the ſuffering of him who was infinite, and that was onelyonly the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, for there was no more infinites in the world.

I will winde it up thus, that puniſhment which was included in the curſe, and which was deſerved by the firſt Adam, that was ſuffered by Chriſt the ſecond Adam; but the puniſhment both of ſoule and body, were the puniſhments included in the curſe, and deſerved by the ſinne of Adam; therefore it is borne by the ſecond Adam, as certainly as it was deſerved by the firſt Adam.

Reaſon 3 The third reaſon is taken from the office of Chriſt, and the place which he underwent, becauſe our Saviour Chriſt was our ſuretie, and our ſinnes were charged upon him, and hee became paymaſter: ſo that the covenant which hee had made with God the Father, bound him to it, and his faithfulneſſe and truth tied him to it, nay he tooke all our ſinnes upon him, and therefore he muſt ſatisfie for thee. If the Lord Chriſt were our ſuretie, and tooke all our ſinnes upon him by imputation, and the debt was made his, then p. 288the payment alſo muſt be diſcharged by the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, but certainly all your pride and ſtubbornneſſe, &c. they were all charged upon our Saviour, and ſet upon his ſoore, and laid upon his backe: therefore hee muſt ſuffer for all, becauſe hee was made ſinne for all: ſo the iſſue of the point is this, unleſſe the Lord Jeſus Chriſt had ſuffered both in ſoule and body, juſtice had not beene ſo fully ſatisfied; but the juſtice of God required both, and the curſe included both, and therefore Chriſt ſuffered both, and hath fulfilled whatſoever was, or could bee required by divine juſtice.

Now to come to the uſe, ſomething muſt bee ſaid to juſtifie the riches of Gods free grace, the firſt uſe ſhall be this.

Vſe 1 It ſhall bee a word of confutation, and it directly meets with Popiſh Purgatory; a wicked errour that fals like Dagon before the Arke, and like clouds diſperſed by the Sunne; ſo that ſottiſh imagination is hence condemned by this doctrine: it is a dreame deviſed to picke mens purſes, and to delude mens conſciences, and to fill the Popes coffers, they thinke that Chriſt frees every faithfull man from the puniſhments of hell, and from all that any ſinne hath deviſed, but onelyonly there are ſome veniall ſinnes, and the puniſhments of thoſe, a man muſt ſuffer for himſelfe; and therefore when a man dies, hee muſt goe downe to Purgatorie, and there bee purged and cleanſed from the evill of them: this is that which they ſay, if they can but perſwade men p. 289that they ſhall be in Purgatorie, and that the Pope can pardon them; what will not a man give to bee freed from it? this dotage is cleerly confuted with the evidence of the former truth, I will onelyonly expreſſe it thus: If Chriſt ſuffered all the plagues which divine juſtice required, then there is neither the puniſhments of Hell, nor Purgatory to be ſuffered by the faithfull; but our Saviour ſuffered whatſoever the juſtice of God required: and therefore neither ſinne, nor hell, nor purgatorie, have any thing to lay to the charge of Gods choſen.

2Secondly, it not onelyonly meets with them, but it daſheth in ſunder another conceit that ſeemes to finde acceptance with others; for hence it is cleere, that all the troubles, and miſeries, and afflictions; either anguiſh of heart inwardly, or miſeries outwardly; they cannot properly bee called puniſhments inflicted upon the faithfull, be they never ſo ſharpe and bitter in themſelves: being laid upon the faithfull they loſe that propertie, and they become corrections; Chriſt hath ſuffered all puniſhments, and therefore God the Father will not require a double payment for one debt; and therefore howſoever their grievances are many and great, yet they are but chaſticements at the worſt, and they loſe that venome of plague and of puniſhment; as it is with the ſea water, it is ſalt of it ſelfe, and hath a briniſh ſaltneſſe, fretting wonderfully; yet when it paſſeth thorow the veines of the earth, all the ſaltneſſe is gone, and it becomes freſh, and is p. 290of a cooling nature: Juſt ſo it is with the afflictions that are ſometimes inflicted upon the godly, howſoever in themſelves they are ſharpe, and briniſh, and fretting; yet the heavieſt afflictions, though never ſo ſharpe and bitter, yet when they paſſe through the merits and mercy of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, they retaine onelyonly their cooling, cleanſing, and refreſhing nature.

Object. But ſome will ſay, doe not theſe things befall alike to all, as David ſaith, Pſalme 88.15. Thy terrours have I ſuffered from my youth upwards, doe not theſe things come alike to all? the ſame povertie, the ſame miſery, the ſame anguiſh of heart; doe not theſe fall alike to all, as in 1 Chron. 21.12; 13, 14. was there not much miſery befell David, and doe not the ſame plagues that befall the one, befall the other? the holieſt man, and the prophaneſt man partake alike in theſe; wherein lies the difference then?

Anſwer. I anſwer, the difference lies in two particulars.

1Firſt, the judgements that are laid on the wicked, they come from Gods anger, and God requires them in way of ſatisfaction unto divine juſtice; but all the corrections, and chaſtiſements, and terrours, and troubles that befall the godly, they come from Gods love, and from his Fatherly care. A Phyſitian cuts a man, and an enemy ſtabs a man, the knife was all alike; but to the one, it comes from a friend, and to the other it comes from an enemy: ſo God doth ſend afflictions to the godly, and to him they p. 291come from the hand of a Father, and to the other they come as from a Judge: there are no judgements are ſent upon the wicked, but they come in part of ſatisfaction; and divine Juſtice faith, thou muſt to hell for all thoſe ſinnes of thine, and I will have ſomething in part of payment, before thou come there; but to the godly, the wrath of God is ſatisfied to the full, and the debt is fully paid: and therefore God never layes any thing upon the Saints ſo much to ſatisfie divine juſtice, as to correct and amend them.

Secondly, all the puniſhments and corrections that come upon the godly, the Lord ſo orders, and tempers, and ſweetens them by his ſaving graces, and by the worke of his Spirit, that they all worke and turne to their good, the love of God is ſo farre ſhed abroad into their hearts by the power of Chriſts merits, and ſo ſhewed therein, that they procure good and comfort to their ſoules for ever; but in the puniſhments and curſes of the wicked, they come from under the croſſe more hardned, and more blinded, and more fierce and rebellious againſt God and his grace; but the godly come from under the croſſe more holy, and more meeke, and more patient, and reformed in their lives and converſations: as it is with the poyſon that is taken in hand by a skillfull Phyſitian, hee knowes the nature of it, and knowes how to correct it, and to take away the malignant qualitie of it, either of the cold, or of the heat: ſo afflictions of themſelves are plagues, and judgements, and they are able to p. 292harden the heart, and to blinde the minde: this is that Ahaz, ſaith the text, even wicked Ahaz; this is the puniſhment and poyſon of the wicked; and it bringeth puniſhment upon them; it blinds their mindes, and hardens their hearts; and therefore, whenſoever a wicked man doth come forth from under the curſe, he is farre worſe than hee was before, his heart more dead and more fierce, and hee walkes more rebelliouſly againſt God and his grace; but when they are laid upon the people of God, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt takes away the malignant qualitie of them, and all the poyſon of puniſhment and povertie, and takes away all the venome of ſickneſſe and diſgrace, and it is now a preſervative, and it is good to be afflicted, as David ſaith, and to have the poyſon thus corrected, and to humble him, and to purge him, and to doe him good in his latter end; they are the ſame in nature, that they are unto the wicked, but the difference is in the qualitie of them: therefore the concluſion is thus much; That all afflictions come from the hand of a loving Father upon the godly, and though they come in anger to their ſinnes, yet they worke for their good and ſalvation.

Thus much for the point of ſpeculation, and for the information of the judgement; now let us come home to the affections, and cheare up our hearts a little in the application of the point.

Vſe 2 In the ſecond place it is a word of comfort to all you that are beleevers: you that have heard p. 293the treaſures of mercy, and the death of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt laid open; view them & take them all to your ſelves for your comfort: Are your heart… perſwaded that Jeſus Chriſt ſuffered all the puniſhments, and drank off all the cup, and hath left none for you? then me thinkes this may make you goe away cheared: there is no death, no hell, no divine juſtice for you to undergoe; goe your way cheared, and ſo you may, for you are delivered from wrath, hell, and puniſhment: this is an incomparable chearing of ſoule, to all the faithfull of God; bee their condition never ſo meane, and their eſtates never ſo low, come all hither, and take that grace and mercy that is purchaſed and offered in the Lord Jeſus Chriſt.

Object. But me thinkes I heare ſome beginne to cavill againſt this truth, and ſay, let them take mercy that have a right to it, and thanke God for it thoſe that have a title to it, and that have great parts and abilities, and anſwerable obedience, let thoſe take it, and bleſſe God that ever they ſaw the day: but, what I? have I any ſhare in the death of Chriſt? and what, did Chriſt ſuffer the death of the croſſe for me, my ſinnes ſo many, and my condition ſo bad, and I cannot tell whether I have any faith or no, it is ſo weake and feeble? are all puniſhments removed? I cannot thinke it; This is your owne fault, for this mercy is for thee, for every faithfull beleeving ſoule, bee his eſtate never ſo low, be thy ſaith never ſo weake: Haſt thou faith but as a grain of muſtard ſeed, that thou canſt ſcarcely know whether thou haſt faith p. 294or no, yet if it bee true faith, there is grace and mercy enough for thee in the Lord Jeſus: therefore come and draw the water of life and comfort out of the wels of ſalvation, that is, out of the ſufferings and obedience of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt. You have heard that the heart of our Saviour was amazed, and aſtoniſhed, it was for thee; therefore bee thou cheared, Chriſt ſuffered the wrath of the Father, and came from under it, and that is thy victory, be thou for ever cheared. Our Saviour was impriſoned, that thou mighteſt bee delivered; hee was accuſed, that thou mighteſt be acquitted; he was condemned, and therefore there is no condemnation to thy ſoule; he ſuffered death, that thou mighteſt live for evermore: therefore goe your way, and goe chearily, and the God of Heaven goe with you: feare not any puniſhment now, for why ſhould you feare them, when you ſhall not feele them? You may here have a ground of double comfort in the time of thy greateſt diſtreſſe; whether it be in horrour of heart within, or trouble without; in both theſe the Lord Jeſus Chriſt will pittie you, and will reſcue you from all in his owne ſeaſon: therefore lift up your heads in the middeſt of all troubles whatſoever.

1Firſt in all outward troubles, and in the heavieſt trials, thou ſhalt be pittied in them: though Chriſt be gone up to heaven, yet hee hath his bowels of pitty and of mercy with him, and his bowels of mercy in heaven, earne over a poore diſmaid creature, that is diſmaid either becauſe p. 295of thy ſinnes, or becauſe of thoſe puniſhments which thou feareſt for ſinne: Hebrews 4.15. Wee have not an high Priest that cannot bee touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all things tempted in like ſort: wee have not an high Prieſt that is a ſtranger to croſſes and troubles, neither have wee an high Prieſt like Gallio, that cared nothing for thoſe things, that is, he was not troubled with the perſecutions of others: as their cups are full, and they are not troubled with the poverty of others, they are at reſt and eaſe, and they are not troubled with thoſe that are in miſery, but hee was tempted in all things like unto us: and ſo Hebrewes 2.13. wherefore in all things it behoved him to bee made like unto his brethren, that he might be mercifull, and a faithfull high Prieſt, becauſe he ſuffered and was tempted; hee is alſo able to ſuccour thoſe that are tempted. When the poore doe crie, oh pittie and compaſſion for the Lords ſake: oh you know not what belongs to a hungry belly, nor to a naked backe; ſo I ſay, you know not what it is to have a diſtreſſed conſcience, and therefore you have no remorſe to them that are ſuch; but you muſt not think that Chriſt was not touched with our infirmities: though hee ſit at the right hand of the Father, yet he hath not forgotten his people, but he hath left his love, and his compaſſion with us, and he is touched when we are troubled: Paul perſecuted the Church, and Chriſt ſaith, Saul, Saul, why perſecuteſt thou me? the foot is pricked in earth, and the head complaineth of it in p. 296Heaven; he felt the rage and malice of Pauls perſecutions, though haply poore goodman ſuch a one, and poore goody ſuch a one was perſecuted, yet our Saviour was touched and troubled with it: therefore let me tell you how to ſuccour your ſelves, when you finde the wrath of God lie heavie upon you, and the anguiſh of ſoule lies ſore upon you: I might alſo ſpeake of the rage and malice of the wicked, but when the arrowes of Gods wrath ſeize upon the ſoule, and God ſeemes to bee diſpleaſed, and to goe away from the ſoule, and mercy, and love, and the ſweetneſſe of compaſſion is going; as it was with Chriſt, when he cried out, My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken mee? Hee findes not that ſweetneſſe of mercies that formerly hee had done; theſe are troubles indeed: Now learne you to looke up to Chriſt, and looke to bee pittied by the Lord Jeſus Chriſt. It may be thy husband, or thy wife, or thy friends will not pittie thee, but will ſay, he is turned a preciſe fellow, and ſee now what good hee hath gotten by running to Sermons: thus they adde ſorrow to ſorrow, and perſecution to perſecution; becauſe God hath ſmitten thee, therefore they ſmite thee too, but yet notwithſtanding all this, looke thou up to the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and know that thou ſhalt finde favour; he will have a fellow-feeling with thee in all thy miſeries; therefore plead with the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and ſay, Lord in thy eſtate of humiliation, thou wert a man full of ſorrowes, and thou ſufferedſt much perplexity, thou knoweſt what it is to ſuffer p. 297the wrath of a diſpleaſed Father, and thou didſt crie out, Father, is mercy, and love, and goodnes, and all gone? Oh bleſſed redeemer, heare thoſe cries of them that crie to thee for mercy; thou that didſt ſuffer for poore ſinners, doe thou ſuccour poore ſinners: and Jeſus Chriſt will certainly pitie you, and will ſend his good Spirit from heaven to comfort you, and he will command loving kindneſſe to comfort and refreſh thee. You that groane under your burthens, hee will command loving kindneſſe to come to ſuch a mans houſe, and to viſite ſuch a one, and will ſay, ſuch a man is troubled, I command thee to comfort him: and, ſalvation, I charge thee goe to ſuch a houſe, and tell ſuch a man that I love him, tell him that I ſuffered for him, and was forſaken, that he might not be forſaken, I was condemned, that he might be redeemed: It is a great comfort that the Lord Jeſus Chriſt is touched, and knowes how to deliver ſuch as are tempted. He that bore up the frame of the heavens, and never groaned under the pillars of the earth, yet when he was to beare the wrath of God, he ſhrunke at it and ſaid, Father, if it be poſſible, let this cup paſſe from me: he that bore the wrath of God for thee, he will certainly pity thee.

2Secondly, you ſhall not be pittied in outward ſorrowes onelyonly, but goe your way for ever cheared; you ſhall bee free from all inward miſeries and troubles, you ſhall bee delivered from hell and condemnation every beleeving ſoule of you. Do not think that God will paſſe by poore little p. 298ones, no he will not loſe one of you, but he will in his appointed time helpe and deliver you: therfore be not troubled not diſmaied, but reſolve of this and ſay, I ſhall bee delivered, therefore let my ſoule be for ever cheared, what would you have, and what doe you feare? Is it your ſinnes? doe you think that they beare you an old grudge? and they will bee clamouring up to heaven againſt you, and complaining of you at the throne of grace, doe you feare them? ſo you may juſtly, becauſe of that ſecret ſliding off from the truth: Oh ſaiſt thou, my errand is done in heaven before this time, and my ſins knocke at heaven gates, and ſay, Juſtice Lord, I have taken them in their ſinnes, and therefore as thou art a God of juſtice, execute juſtice upon a rebellious ſoule. Now therefore remember that Jeſus Chriſt hath ſuffered, he hath taken thy ſinnes upon him, and hath ſuffered the puniſhments of them, 1 Iohn 2.1. Little children ſinne not at all: It were to be wiſhed that a man might be alwayes humble and poore in ſpirit, and doe all good againſt the evill done to him; and it were to be wiſhed that a man could walke exactly before God; but it is not poſſible ſo long as we have this body of death it will ſhew it ſelfe, but if we doe ſinne, we have an Advocate with the Father, Ieſus Chriſt the juſt; he is gone to heaven to tell the Father that all is fully anſwered, and he ſaith, Father ſave all thoſe poore ſoules whom thou haſt given mee; I have paid all, and anſwered all for them; and therefore, Father, I will that all that thou haſt given mee, p. 299may be with me; where I am, that they may behold my glory: thus he plead; for he doth not plead as we doe, but he ſaith, Father I will: now if there be any crie againſt the ſoule by reaſon of ſinne, Chriſt ſtops it; ſinne pleads, and Chriſt pleads, and who will prevaile thinke you? therefore be not diſcouraged, we have an Advocate with the Father: the ſinnes of your dreames this laſt night, they have done your errands in heaven before you did awake; but let them plead what they can, wee have an Advocate with the Father in Heaven, and he pleads our cauſe in heaven, and he will prevail in whatſoever he pleads for; he will be heard, & all the pleas of ſin ſhal be fully anſwered: Heb. 12.22, 23, 24. ye are not come to the mount that might not be touched, nor unto burning fire, &c. But ye are come unto the mount Zion, & to the citie of the living God, and to the Spirits of just and perfect men, and to Ieſus Chriſt the Mediatour of the new Teſtament, and to the blood of ſprinkling, which ſpeaketh better things than the blood of Abel: what did the blood of Abel ſpeake? ſee that in Gen. 3.9, 10. where is Abel thy brother, ſaid the Lord, and he anſwered, I cannot tell, am I my brothers keeper? Oh thou wretch ſaith the Lord the voyce of thy brothers blood crieth to me from the earth for vengeance againſt thee; thus all our ſinnes doe ſpeake: but there are ſome ſinnes that crie and ſay, Lord, this ſoule is taken to bee a Chriſtian, and a Profeſſer, and one that hath ſome grace; but, Lord, againſt knowledge, and conſcience, and the directions of the Miniſters, hee hath ſinned thus and this: p. 300therefore good Lord execute judgement upon him; but now here is your comfort you poore Saints; I confeſſe theſe wretched corruptions of your hearts play the backe friends with you many times; but we have the blood of Chriſt, that cries for mercy, and pardon, and refreſhing, and forgiveneſſe: ſinne pleads and ſaith, Lord doe me juſtice againſt ſuch a ſoule, but the blood of Chriſt ſaith, I am abaſed and humbled, and I have anſwered all: Chriſt ſhall be heard, and if he plead the cauſe, the day is certainly yours, and hee pleads without any fees, and his blood ſpeaketh on your behalfe, and your ſinnes ſhall never be heard againſt you: but what ſticks upon your ſtomackes?

Object. Oh you have heard, that the Lord is a juſt God, hee is ſo, hee is holy and bleſſed, and of pure eyes that cannot endure to behold any polluted or uncleane thing; and if God be ſtrict to marke what is done amiſſe, who can abide it? Oh then, ſay you, you have theſe ſinnes and corruptions, and God is pure, and you are polluted, and you have many ſecret windings, and turnings, and devices; and you ſay God knowes all the crevices of my heart, and ſees all the frame of my ſoule; and if the Lord marke what is done amiſſe, nay hee will marke what is done amiſſe, Who then ſhall be able to ſtand? How ſhall I be able to anſwer it: eſpecially conſidering that Satan ſaith, I have ſinned, and why ſhould I not be caſt out as well as others have beene caſt out that have ſinned; Lord execute juſtice upon them p. 301as they have deſerved: how ſhall wee helpe ourſelves herein? yes admirably, for then the blood of Chriſt comes in, and that ſatisfies all, Gal. 5.22.23. The fruits of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-ſuffering, gentleneſſe, meekneſſe, temperance, faith, againſt ſuch there is no law: ſo it is here, there is no law, nor no condemnation to beleevers truly penitent for their ſins, there is no puniſhment to them, nor no wrath to execute judgement upon them, becauſe the debt is paid, and the Lord is juſt and cannot, and righteous and will not doe it: but ſaith the Devill thou haſt ſinned, and why ſhalt thou not bee condemned for it? but ſaith juſtice, hold thy tongue Satan, for there is no law againſt them that repent: what troubles you now?

Anſwer. Why, the very truth is, the thoughts of Hell aſtoniſh my heart; me thinkes I ſee a little peephole downe into hell, and the devils roaring there, being reſerved in chaines under darkneſſe, untill the judgement of the great day; and me thinkes I ſee the damned flaming, and Iudas and all the wicked of the world, and they of Sodome and Gomorah: there they lie roaring, and damnation takes hold upon them, and the wrath of God finks them downe to hell: Now I have ſinned, and therefore why ſhould not I be damned, and why ſhould not the wrath of God bee executed againſt mee? I anſwer, the death of Chriſt acquits thee of all, and although the wrath of God be of admirable power and force, yet you ſhall bee acquitted by the death of the Lord Jeſus: p. 302Revelations 20.…. Bleſſed and holy is he that hath a part in the firſt reſurrection, for on ſuch the ſecond death ſhall have no power, that is, wicked men and the ruffians of the world that ſcorne all commands, and deſpiſe all the ordinances of God, and the lawes of men, and neither of them can take place in their hearts, they breake all bonds, and caſt away all commands, and the threatnings of God can take no hold upon them; but though they are ſo rebellious here, yet everlaſting condemnation ſhall take hold of them, and ſhall have power over them hereafter, and will drag their ſoules and bodies downe to hell, and there they ſhall ſuffer intolerably, and incomprehenſibly, and then hell and condemnation ſhall tell them thus much, ſeeing the commands of God could take no hold upon you, therefore we will: the mercies of God could not perſwade with you, but the judgements of God ſhall prevaile againſt you. What becomes of all the great and mighty men of the world? where is Pharaoh and Nimrod, and the reſt of them? the wrath of God hath throwne them upon their backs in hell; but you that are true beleevers, the ſecond death ſhall have no power over you; though wrath and condemnation ſeeme to lay hold upon you, yet there is no power in them to condemne you, becauſe if Chriſt hath taken away the paines of the ſecond death, then it ſhall never oppreſſe ſuch as belong to the Lord Jeſus Chriſt: therefore goe your way comforted, there is nothing that ſhall ever prevaile againſt you.

p. 303Object. Oh, but ſaith the ſoule, could I ſee Heaven gates ſet open, if the way were open and plaine that I might ſee the way and walke in it, then I could be comforted: but, what I in heaven? the Angels are all holy, and God is a holy God, and a pure redeemer, and all things there are pure, and undefiled; can ſuch a wretch as I am come to heaven? certainly, the Saints will goe out of heaven if I come there.

Anſwer. No the blood of Chriſt will doe all this for you, and it will make way for thee into heaven: as Hebr. 10.19, 20. Seeing therefore brethren, that by the blood of Ieſus we may moſt boldly enter into the holy places by the new and the living way which hee hath prepared for us, through the vaile which is his fleſh: marke two things in that place, you may have boldneſſe; you feare now that your ſinnes will not bee pardoned, and that God the Father will not accept of you: well, be not proud and ſawcie, but take the blood of Chriſt along with you, and goe on boldly, and chearfully. All you that have an intereſt in the great worke of God, either for brokenneſſe of heart, or vocation to call you to rely upon the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, bee thou a ſinner, If thou haſt faith; I ſpeake not of the meaſure of faith, but haſt thou faith, then why ſitteſt thou here drooping? Go you on cheerily, and undauntedly, and goe with comfort to everlaſting happineſſe: every thing gives you comfort, had you but eyes to ſee it, God and men, Heaven and earth, ſinne, juſtice, hell and condemnation, gives you all comfort. If you p. 304looke up to juſtice that ſaith, you poore beleeving creatures goe your way comforted, I am ſetisfied to the full: If you looke to hell, and death, and condemnation, they ſay be comforted, you poore beleeving ſoules, we have no power over you, the Lord Ieſus Chriſt hath conquered us, and if you looke to your owne ſinnes, they tell you thus much, and ſay, be for ever comforted, for wee have pleaded againſt you, but wee have loſt the cauſe: If you looke up to heaven, there you may ſee glory and happineſſe, and bleſſedneſſe ready to entertaine every beleeving ſoule, and they all call after you and ſay, Come ye bleſſed of my Father, inherit the Kingdome prepared for you: therefore goe away cheerily, and get you to heaven, and when you come there, be diſcomforted if you can; if Chriſt, and God, and Heaven, and all call you and ſay, come all hither, you beleeving ſoules, then lift up your heads with joy, and draw the waters of comfort and conſolation from this truth; onelyonly remember this here, when you finde your ſins roaring upon you, and telling your Father that you have ſinned, and juſtice cries, and hell threatens, then take the blood of Chriſt, and ſee before your eyes all that ever Chriſt hath ſuffered, and ſee juſtice fully ſatisfied, and heare the blood of Chriſt ſpeaking, as well as the clamours of ſinne: it is the miſery that we are in, that we can here the bawlings of Satan, and of corruption, crying and ſaying, what, you ſalvation, and yet have theſe and theſe corruptions? we heare theſe, and we hearken not to the other; p. 305the blood of Chriſt hath pardoned all, and will cleanſe all: Oh heare that voyce, and you ſhall ſee and heare that it ſpeakes admirable things: this is the ſecond uſe.

Vſe 3 Thirdly, hath Chriſt done all this? then ſtand amazed at that endleſſe and boundleſſe love of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, but onelyonly that the Scripture cannot lie, and God hath ſaid which is faithfull and true, and cannot be deceived, and is infinite in all his workes; otherwiſe, man that is ſenſible of his ſins and wants could not beleeve it, but yet Chriſt hath done it, and it is worth the while to weigh it, and to conſider of it in a holy admiration: although wee are not able to walke in any meaſure anſwerable thereto: had our Saviour only ſent his creatures to ſerve us, and had we onelyonly had ſome Prophets to adviſe us in the way to Heaven, or had hee onelyonly ſent his holy Angels from his chamber of preſence to attend upon us, and miniſter to us, it had beene a great deale of mercy; or had Chriſt come downe from the heavens to viſit us: It had beene a peculiar favour, that a King will not onelyonly ſend to the Priſon, but goe himſelfe to the lungeon, and aske, ſaying, is ſuch a man here: a man would thinke himſelfe ſtrangely honoured, and the world would wonder at it, and ſay, the King himſelfe came to the priſon to day to ſee ſuch a man, certainly he loves him dearly; or had Chriſt himſelfe come onelyonly and wept over us, and ſaid, Oh that you had never ſinned, and oh that you had more conſidered of my goodneſſe, and the excellency p. 306of happineſſe; oh that you had never ſinned, this had beene marvellous mercy; but that Chriſt himſelfe ſhould come and ſtrive with us in mercy and patience, and we ſlight it; and not onelyonly to provide the comforts of this life, but the means of a better life, and to give us peculiar bleſſings; nay, that the Lord Jeſus ſhould be ſo fond of a company of rebels, and hell-hounds, that he thinkes nothing good enough for them; hee hath prepared heaven for them, and he gives them the comforts of the earth for their uſe too: nay he hath given them his blood and his life, and all, and yet you are not at the higheſt: what doe you talke of life? hee was not onelyonly content: to part with life, but hee was content to part with the ſenſe and ſweetneſſe of Gods love, which is a thouſand times better than life it ſelfe, as David ſaith, The loving kindneſſe of God is better than life it ſelfe: He was content to be accuſed, that we might be bleſſed; he was content to be forſaken, that we might not be forſaken; and to bee condemned, that wee might bee acquitted. Oh all you ſtubborne hearts, that heretofore have made nothing of the blood of Chriſt and his honour, but though the judgements of God, and the hammer cannot breake your hearts, yet let this mercy breake you, and reaſon with thy owne heart in this manner, and ſay, Good Lord, is this poſſible? Lord, this is too much, for reaſon cannot reach it, nor nature cannot doe it, to give himſelfe and his life, and to bee forſaken and deſpiſed: that a rebbell and a traitor ſhould be received p. 307to mercy, certainly I ſhall love him as long as I live, yes, and doe ſo too; and ſeeke to that Jeſus Chriſt, and honour him, and ſay, for ought I know I may obtaine a part in Chriſt, therefore I will never wrong him, nor grieve his good Spirit more. The Lord ſay Amen to the good deſires of your hearts, that you may ſtand and wonder at this compaſſion of the Lord, that is out of meaſure great.

Vſe 4 Hath the Lord ſuffered all theſe puniſhment for us? then what ſhall wee doe for the Lord Jeſus Chriſt? returne an anſwer to the Lord, what courſe you will take to anſwer the kindneſſe of the Lord. When David had received many kindneſſes from the Lord, he lookes up to Heaven and ſaith, I will love thee dearly, O Lord my ſtrength: Love is the loadſtone of love; therefore have love inlarged in this dutie, be not ſcantie in your love, but beſtow your hearts fully, and liberally, upon the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and let all returne love to the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and love him in all things by all means, and at all times, and know that the death of Chriſt requires this, and will call for it: I doe not love that a man ſhould give the Lord Ieſus Chriſt a little ſcanty deſire, and a few lazy wiſhes, but love him with all thy ſoule, and with all thy ſtrength, and ſay, I will love thee dearly, Oh Lord my ſtrength: when thou doſt riſe in the morning love Ieſus Chriſt, and bathe thy heart in it; and when thou art in the way, or at thy labour, love Ieſus Chriſt that ſtrengthens thee; when thou feedeſt upon p. 308the ſweetneſſe of thy meat, thinke upon the ſweetneſſe that is in Chriſt, and thanke the blood of Chriſt for all that thou haſt, in all the riches thou ſeeſt, and in all the honours thou haſt, and in all thy friends and means, and whatſoever thy heart loves or eſteems, in that ſee Chriſt, and in that love Chriſt: why, what doth that concerne Jeſus Chriſt? I anſwer, it will make it appeare that all that thou haſt, is from the blood of Chriſt, and the blood of Chriſt is better than all the bleſſings you doe enjoy, and they are all nothing without this: for it is the death of the Lord Ieſus Chriſt that ads a ſeaſoning vertue to all the good things thou haſt; ſo that theſe are not good to us, neither doe they worke good to us, but that they are given to us in and by the Lord Jeſus Chriſt; for were they not given us in Chriſt, there is ſuch venome and gall in our ſinnes, and the wrath of God it ſelfe which ſlides thorow all the good things here below, that it makes all the morſels gravell in the belly: In a word, the blood of Chriſt takes away the venome and indignation of Gods curſe, which otherwiſe would bring a plague upon what wee have, and what we doe enjoy: how many rich and honourable are there, if the Lord let but in a veine of vengeance into their conſciences, all their riches and honours are baſe, and worth nothing; whats that to me? if I bee rich and a reprobate, honoured and damned, and the wrath of God to purſue me: therefore without the death of Chriſt all theſe things are but curſes to us; the world p. 309is a priſon, and the creatures are our enemies, and every one of our actions are our witneſſes to condemne us, and all our comforts are but gall and wormwood to us, nay were it not for the blood of Chriſt, your proſperity would be your ruine, your beds your graves, and your comforts your confuſion: and therefore that they are not ſo, and that thou haſt any comfort from theſe, goe bleſſe God for it, and ſay, Lord it is through thy blood that I have received any bleſſing, upon theſe bleſſings Lord, I might have drunke the cup of thy wrath, when I drunke this beere; I might have eaten my bane, when I eat my meat. I bleſſe thy Name, bleſſed Redeemer, for thy love, it is thy blood that hath purchaſed theſe things for me: if you have received from any thing here below any good at all, looke up to Chriſt and bleſſe his Name for it, and ſay, if this meat be ſo ſweet, then what is the blood of Chriſt? therefore love Chriſt by all means, let all your words be words of love, and all your labour be the labour of love, and all your thoughts bee thoughts of love, and muſe of love, and ſpeake of the treaſures of mercy, and let all your affections be full of love, and all your workes be love, and lift up his Name and ſay, all ye that ſee my converſation that I walke ſo comfortably, bleſſe his Name for it; the blood of Jeſus Chriſt hath done all this for me; I was a wretched creature, but the blood of Chriſt hath overpowred this rebellious heart of mine: honour him, and lift him up and ſay, my heart was hard and filthy, and my ſoule was deſtitute p. 310of all good, and my ſinnes many, yet now I have ſome evidence of the love of God, bleſſed bee his Name for it, the blood of Chriſt hath done this for me: muſe of him, ſpeake for him, worke for him, and doe all for him, in all miſeries and troubles, ſorrowes and vexations, temptations without, and terrours within; love Jeſus Chriſt therein, though theſe befall thee, yet the venome and poyſon of them is gone, and they are ſweetned unto thee: thy priſon is libertie, thy contempt is advancement, in all the things thou haſt, love Jeſus Chriſt that hath procured theſe: and now if you will not love Jeſus Chriſt, let mee aske you whom will you love? nay, whom elſe can you love? anſwer mee, will you love your friends that are deare unto you, or your Parents that doe provide for you, or your wife that is loving and mercifull to you? you will love theſe, as there is good cauſe you ſhould, but love Chriſt more than all theſe. If you will love a friend, or a father, then much more Chriſt, that is the Author of all, and the continuer and preſerver of all: a friend would be an enemy, but that the blood of Chriſt frames his heart. A wife would rather bee a trouble, than a helpe, but that the blood of Chriſt orders her: therefore I ſay with Paul, 1 Cor. 16.22. If any man love not the Lord Ieſus Chriſt, let him bee Anathema, Maranatha: aske your neighbours if they love not the Lord Jeſus Chriſt; Let that ſoule bee accurſed untill the comming of Chriſt to judgement: Curſe him all yee Angels p. 311in Heaven, and all yee Devils in Hell: Curſe him all yee creatures, and let this curſe remaine upon him untill the comming of Chriſt unto judgement, and let theſe curſes bee ſealed downe upon him for ever, and when you are come to the end of all, this will bee the plague and the curſe of all, that you had Chriſt and mercy rendered to you once, and you would not receive it: therefore ſince Chriſt hath thought nothing too good for us, even his life and blood, and was content to part with the ſenſe and feeling of the ſweetneſſe of the love of God the Father, thinke nothing too good for Chriſt, but love him in all things, and by all means; the Lord grant wee may.

FINIS.

End of the text · Thomas Hooker, The Souls Exaltation (1638)