Exposition of Philippians 3, Part 27 – Part 28
VERS. 10. And the fellowship of his Sufferings.
THe Apostle having shewed his desire of Christs righteousnesse, now comes to shew his desire also of having communion with Christ in his sufferings; shewing that whosoever brags of justification, he must shew it in his sanctification: he must shew that he hath his part in the fellowship of his sufferings, if hee meaneth to shew he hath his part in the power of his resurrection, water is not alone, but water and blood must goe together. Now Christs sufferings are either for us as mediatour, or with us, as being our head, and we his members: As mediatour he suffered death, which was onelyonly for our good, we can have no trust in our death, as to deserve any thing thereby as he did: for by his death he appeased Gods wrath, and got his favour to us which we lost, and by it he sanctifies our sufferings, and puls out the sting of all our afflictions▪ as it is with the Vnicorne, who having put his horn into the water, discharges all poison thereout, so as the beasts may freely drinke without hurt: so it is with us wee may suffer and indure afflictions without hurt, seeing Christ hath purged them of all poisonous nature that was in them.
But there are other sufferings, that wee and Christ suffer joyntly, he as our head suffering with us his members; for as if the foot be grieved, the head is grieved, so the Christians sufferings are called Christs sufferings: and a Christian must looke to suffer, if he be a lively member of the body of Christ. Yet is not every suffering of affliction Christs suffering, for a man may suffer justly for his deserts, notwithstanding even then when a man suffers for his faults, after repentance Christ may bee said to suffer with him: and therefore the Fathers called the death of the repentant Thiefe, a martyrdome. For in all our sufferings Christ is in us, teaching and helping us to beare them with patience, and as a sanctifier of all of them to a blessed end, and as one that frames us to beare all of them, even as he himselfe did.
Vse. 1.This ought to teach us to conceive aright of the estate of a Christian, that hee is not alone when he seemes to bee alone: Christ leaves them not in miserie, no for in miserie he is most neare and present. It is therefore a good estate (though miserie in it selfe be not desirable) for Christ desired to die, and not to die; and so we in severall respects may doe: for if wee regard death as a destroyer of nature, so is it not to be desired, but considering it as the will of God my father, so are we to desire it, and yeeld our selves to it: and accordingly wee desire not afflictions for their proper naturall good, yet in regard they are a meanes to prepare and fit us for heaven, we say with David its good for us to be afflicted.
In the second place, this will teach us that we are not to feare any thing that we shall suffer; because there are more with us than against us. Ioseph in the dungeon, Israel in Egypt, Daniel among the Lions, the three children in the fire, Paul in prison, feared not danger: for what cared they, so long as they knew God was with them, and therefore they rejoyced; if we have Christ we have all, if we want Christ we want all.
Thirdly, this may serve to daunt Christs enemies, they cannot hurt the least of his little ones but they hurt him, Saul, why persecutest thou mee?
Fourthly, this should teach us to take part with Gods children; what though they suffer affliction? Moses chose the better part, that did chuse to bee with the afflicted people of God, before the Court of Pharaoh; wicked men may bite and kicke, but they can doe no hurt, lingua malorum est lima bonorum.
VERS. 10. Being made conformable to his death.
THis conformitie here meant, is not in regard of the end, that as Christ dyed for sinne, so should we; but in the manner of suffering as he did suffer and die, so must wee suffer and desire death. Secondly, as he died patiently and meekely, so must we suffer patiently and meekely. Thirdly, as he had, so must wee have sweet comforts to sustaine and support us, and Fourthly, as he had, so must wee indeavour to obtaine the same issue of our afflictions, that is, eternall glorie; briefly, we are to bee conformable to Christ in grace, in suffering, and in glorie, all these are unevitably linked together, and our head having led us an example, we are to follow. Every Christian must therefore die to sinne, as Christ died for sinne.
But how shall we know whether wee die to sinne or not?
Signes of mortification.A dead man does no harme, hath no power; contrarily are we strong to commit sinne, and doe we earnestly intend it? surely wee are not mortified. Secondly, dead mens senses are not delighted with faire and sinfull objects, if we be dead with Christ, let the sinfull objects bee never so delightfull, they will not move us or affect us one whit, nay, they will be distastfull to us. Most are of a contrary minde, offer them good discourse and occasions, they cannot away with them; offer any fleshly pleasure, (like tinder) they are soone set on fire, such as these, as they have no heart to suffer for righteousnesse, so if for vaine glory they would: neither would God honour them so much as to suffer them. For grounds of this doctrine:
First, its honourable to bee like Christ our Captaine, our head, our husband.
Secondly, its not proportionable for the head to be crowned with thornes, and the members to bee clad delicately: that the naturall sonne in whom is no blemish should suffer, and the adopted sonnes who are the causes of all offence should goe free. It is equitie that we having taken Christ for our husband, he should bee accompanied by us in sicknesse and in health, in dishonour as in honour.
Thirdly, it is long agoe decreed of God, and predestinated: and therefore cannot bee avoyded. Rom. 8.….9. Whom hee did fore-know, them he predestinated to be conformed to the Image of his Sonne.
Fourthly, its equall that if hee were conformed to us, we should be conformable to him: now he was conformed to us, in that hee suffered that which wee should have suffered, and did that for us which we were to do and could not: he having drunke deepe of the cup prepared for us, let us therefore at the least taste of it. Yea, let us suffer any thing with an undaunted courage, when we are called thereto for Christ he will come with comforts, he is not emptie, he will make us like him, hee will prepare us hereby for glorie, feare not therefore, God will turne all thy troubles to thy good. And thus we doe fill up the measures of the afflictions of Christ in our flesh. Col. 1.24. And are made partakers of Christs sufferings. 1 Pet. 4.13. We have the like exhortations hereunto, 1 Pet. 2.21. 1 Pet. 3.14. to 18. Thus did Paul 2 Cor. 4.10. hee carryed the dying of Christ about with him. Let no Christian therefore promise to himselfe immunitie from crosses, he that will be a Christian, must be conformable to Christ, and he that will be like to him in glorie, he must be like to him in drinking the Cup hee dranke of, while hee was here in the flesh.