Christ Revealed, Scriptural typology · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
8. Sampson a type of Christ.
1. IN person and condition.Sampson a type in 4. respects. 1. His conception foretold by the Angell of God, Iudg. 13. 5. So was Christs. His office foretold, he must be a Saviour: So Christ.Conception. Borne beyond strength of nature, of a mother long before barren, Iud. 13. 3. So was Christ. His mother saluted by the Angell as Mary was, that though she was barren she should conceive a sonne, a saviour; the one shall begin to save Israel out of the hands of the Philistims, vers. 5. the other must save his people from their sinnes. And this promise confirmed by a signe to both the mothers,Nazarite. Iud. 13. 4. Luk. 1. 30. 2. Both must be Nazarites, Sampson by the Law of Nazarites, Numb. 6. 2. Christ by occasion of the place in which he was educated not by that Law. But as a Nazarite signified one that was seperated and severed from the common course of men to a more holy profession of sanctity, and to a stricter care to avoid all manner of impurity, such a one the Prophets signified Christ should be; not onelyonly holy and seperate from sinners, but the author of holinesse. And as Sampson was sanctified from the womb: So was Christ much more. So the Angell, The holy thing that is in thee is of the holy Ghost. And herein beyond Sampson, for in Christ are all sanctified. 3. Sampson grew and the spirit waxed strong in him,Growth in Spirit. so as he became a Saviour of incomparable strength. So Christ grew every way; in stature, in favour with God and man; and the Spirit was so strong in him (because it was not measured unto him as unto Sampson) as he became a Saviour stronger then the strong armed man. He was the true Sampson that overcame many enemies, and slew heaps upon heaps. And although Sampson the type was at last overcome by his enemies: our true Sampson is invincible, and hath gloriously triumphed over them all. Both of them were great deliverers; the one from great thraldome and temporall misery: the other from a greater spirituall and eternall thraldome under sinne, the Law, Satan, hell, &c.
II. Sampson was a type of Christ in three especiall actions. 1. He found meat in the eater,Actions. and from the strong sweetnesse, and brought some of it to his parents: Christ by his death (which seemed to eate him up) brings us meat, the bread of life, sweeter then hony; and out of this dead Lyons mouth, that is, Christ dead, comes sweetnes.Christianorum processit extmen instar aepum. Thence sprang whole flocks of Christians, like so many swarmes of bees. 2. Sampson loved strange women and went among the enemies of God for a wife;August. ser. 107 de temp. which might seeme a sinne in him, but that the text saith, It came of God, Iudg. 14. 4. A type of Christs love to the Gentiles, casting his love on her that was not beloved, to make his dispised and dispersed of the Gentiles his spouse and wife: as Hos. 2. 23, I will have mercy on her &c. Where the whole contract on both parties is set downe at large. 3. Sampson put forth his mind in parables and riddles: so did Christ his doctrine to the Pharises, Mat. 13. 34.
III. In passion and suffering they were very like in many passages. 1. Both sold for money,Sufferings. Sampson by Delilah to the Princes of the Philistims, Iudg. 16. 5. Christ for thirty peeces of siluer unto the chiefe Priest. Both betrayed by their most familiar; the one to the Philistims, the other to the Pharisees. Both under pretence of love, Sampson by Delilah, Iudg. 16. 15. Christ by Iudas with a kisse, Both apprehended by their enemies; both led away, both bound, both brought forth at a great feast, both blinded, both scorned, both fastened to a post, the one of the house, the other of the crosse. 2. As Sampson offered himselfe freely unto death among wicked men, as a most valiant Captaine being called to be a revenger of Gods enemies; and therfore it is said, Heb. 11. he died (not as a selfemurtherer, but) in faith; that is, as a faithfull servant of God adventured his owne life for the destruction of the enemies of God and his Country, as every good subject and souldier (pressed to the field) ought to do. So Jesus Christ voluntarily offered himself to death, and went out to meet the apprehendors, and was content to dye among wicked men, and to be hanged betweene two theeves, that he might destroy and scatter the powers of the enemies of his Churches salvation.
IV. In victory and fortitude. 1. His first stratagem (which was as a praeludium to his calling) in which he assayed his power,Stratagems and victories. was that he overcame a stout Lyon in the desert, and slew him with his owne hand, ch. 14. 6. and tare him, as one should have rent a Kid: So the first powerfull worke in which our Sampson shewed himselfe, was the conquering of the devill that roaring Lyon hand to hand, who assaulted him in the wildernesse by three horrible and hellish temptations. 2. Sampson slew with his owne hand (being alone) above a thousand men at once, having nothing but the Jawbone of an Asse; a weake, base, and insufficient weapon for so great a warre and victory; and as it was unfit, so it was an uncleane weapon of an uncleane beast by the Law, which his strict profession of a Nazarite should not have touched, had it beene out of case of necessity: So our true Sampson by as weake and vile instruments, and as contemptible in the eyes of flesh conquers thousands daily; while by the foolishnesse of preaching, by the doctrine of the Crosse, by weake earthen vessells he subdues whole countries and kingdomes unto him; that the worke may bee knowne to be his owne hand and power, and not the instruments. 3. Sampson slew more of Gods enemies at his death then in all his life, Iudg. 16. 30. And this was the effect of the death of Christ; when sinne, Satan, hell, the grave, and his enemies seemed to triumph over him, and make themselves merry (with the Philistims) as having in their power their greatest enemie; but suddenly he afflicted them more in his death then in all his life. This death of Christ pulled Satans house over his head; it was the death of death, and squeasing of all enemies at once. 4. Sampson being in the Citty Azzah, and the Citizens now lying in wait to kill him, and to make an end of so furious an enemy whom they had sure within their gates, he arose at midnight and tooke the doores of the gates of the City, and the two posts, and lift them away with the barres, and layd them on his shoulders and departed, ch. 16. 3: So when satan and sinners had buried Christ, laid a stone on him, sealed it, and watched him, thinking they had him sure enough never to molest them more; he like another mighty Sampson rose in his might, carried away the gates and barres of death from himselfe and all his members. All the bonds of death and sinne, with which he was bound in our stead, he shooke off, as Sampson did the seven greene cords, and broke their power as towe is broken when it feeleth fire. 5. Sampson never had helpe from any other, in slaying the Lyon, the enemies; but with his owne hand without any other second or weapon: So Christ in the wildernesse alone; in the garden at prayer alone; before Pilate alone, all the disciples fled; on the Crosse alone. No other must tread the winepresse; none must share in the honor, nor conquest with him.Vse 1. Judge none by outward calamities.
I. Not to judge of the piety or impiety of Gods children by their calamities. Sampson hath many enemies, many conflicts, many dangers; by the Lyon, the Philistims, the Azzhites, and his owne wife; his life painfull, his death violent: Jesus Christ himselfe beset with enemies on all sides, as the sunne with moats; never free from conflicts with the Lyon the devill, with his owne Jewes, with Pharao, Saduces, Herodians; his person despised, his miracles traduced, his life painfull, his death shamefull and accursed.Or inward. Yet may we not judge either of them forsaken of God, who still assisted them with his owne strength, and was strongest in them when they seemed weakest.Psal. 73. 15. Neither may we mis-judge the generation of Gods children in their conflicts with Satan, with temptation, with sinners, or with the terrours of their owne hearts.22. 1. If they shall cry out; My God, why hast thou for saken me? wait a while, and Gods strength shall doe great things in their weakenesse.
II. God can and usually doth use strange,Vse 2. Strange means used by God for the Churches good. weake, and unexpected meanes to overthrow his enemies, and the enemies of his Church; his strength is most seene in weake things, his wi…dome working by the most foolish. When a thousand enemies set upon Sampson at once without any weapon or meanes of defence, he can use a jawbone to kill a thousand of them when they thinke him farre enough from any weapon; and if Sampson wants a better and readier meanes against Gods enemies, hee can by two hundred Foxes (a most unexpected meanes) burne up their graine and fields at harvest time: Our Lord by the foolishnesse of preaching can and doth overcome his enemies; nay God can and doth by contrary meanes wrack his foes. Sampson shall marry a wife among the Philistims to bee an occasion of warre and revenge, and this came of God: whereas marriages among Princes ordinarily are made to compose and make up differences, not to make them. Our Lord Jesus overcomes sinne, death, hell, grave, by suffering, by death, by descending into hell, by lying in the grave, most unlikely or contrary meanes. Let Gods enemies feare revenge by every thing, even where no feare is. An enemy of God and his Church is never safe, seeme he never so secure. An army of frogges shall drive Pharaoh out of his bedchamber in the middest of his greatnesse; a fly shall choake Pope Adrian, if other meanes be wanting; and proud Herod shall be eaten up, not by an army of men but of lice.
III. The greatest victory against the enemies of the Church is by passion and patience,Vse 3. Our victory stands in patience and passion. submitting our selves meekely unto God in obedience, walking in our callings, and doing the worke of God. Thus did these two mighty Sampsons most overcome their enemies when they seemed most overcome by them. Our warre (saith Isidore) is contrary to the striving of the Olympicks.Illic qui caedit & superat; hic qui caeditur & perfert: Illic qui vicissim ferit; hic qui alteri maxillam praebet: non in ultione, led patientia victoria ponderatur. There hee gets the garland which striketh and overcommeth; heere he which is strooke and suffereth. There he which being strooke striketh againe, heere he which offereth his cheeke to the striker. And thus he concludeth; Our victory consisteth not in revenging but in suffering. Oh let the children of the Church lay aside worldly weapons, clamour, reviling, revenging speeches or actions; and betake themselves to the weapons of the Church, prayers, teares, patience, weapons mighty under God. The power of a Christian is patience, who must overcome evill with goodnesse.
IV. In that Christ is the true Sampson, Vse 4. Fourefold comfort to Gods people.heere is much consolation, and many comforts to the Israel of God. 1. Comfort. As Sampson revenged the wrong offered him in his wife: So will Christ: Mat. 25. In that yee did it to one of these little ones, yee did it to mee. And though Sampsons wife may be taken from him and given to another: Christs cannot. Ioh. 10. 28. none shall pluck them out of my hand. 2. Comfort. A mightier deliverer is heere then Sampson for Israel. For, 1. Though Sampson was strong to overcome a Lyon: our Sampson is stronger to overcome the Devill;Christ a mightier and better Deliverer, then Sampson, in six things. not in himselfe onelyonly, but for us, in us, and by us. 2. Sampson was strong, but might abuse his strength, as hee did in whoring and wantonnesse, which in prison he repented: But Jesus Christ used all his strength for God, against sinne and his enemies. 3. Sampson abusing it, might lose his strength, for it was not the parting with his haire, but his sinne grieving the Spirit, that weakned him: but Christ could not lose his strength, because hee could not lose his obedience. 4. Sampson was so strong, as the Philistines thought it bootlesse to assay him with power, but by policy and indirect meanes they conquer him: but our Sampson cannot bee conquered neither by power, nor by policy; for hee is stronger then all, and in him are treasures of wisedome. 5. Sampson overthrew the enemies, but that was his owne overthrow: but Christ not so; his conquest was to his most glorious exaltation, 6. Sampson as a type onelyonly began the deliverance of the Church, but hindred by death could not perfect it: Our Sampson perfected the deliverance and salvation of the whole Church, and did more after death then in his life or death; and will most fully perfect it for all his members in the resurrection. 3. Comfort. The glory of Gods children appeares not yet, but shall when hee shall appeare, 1. Ioh. 3. 2. Sampsons strength for a time lurked in the prison: the glory of Christs Deity lay hid a while in the grave, but both most powerfully brake forth: So shall the glory of the despised Saints, Psalm. 37. 6. 4▪ Comfort. Wee shall never doubt of meanes to comfort and supply us in want. The same God that supplied Sampson a Jawbone against his enemies, supplied him out of the same Jawbone a well of water to drinke when hee was ready to faint.Psal. 37. 3. Trust thy selfe with God in thy wants, reserve to him all meanes, instruments, and wayes of bringing thee helpe. If thou see no apparant or great meanes of thy comfort and supply, hee can use weake and unexpected meanes; onelyonly walke in thy calling, and the rocke shall yeeld thee water rather then thou shalt be destitute in Gods way, or worke.
V. In both learne to contemne the greatest and extreamest perill in Gods causes.Vse. 5. In Gods cause contemne greatest perill. Sampson offered himselfe to death, so did Christ; hee went out to meet his enemies, so must thou learne not to love thy life to the death, Revel. 12. 11. and with Paul, not count thy life deare to finish thy course with joy. For a man to thrust himselfe in hazard,Injussu Dei, privato assectu. or venture his life without warrant from God, or by his owne private motion, is rash: but God calling, in standing against the enemies of the Church, it is honourable.And prepare for death approaching. In both, learne to prepare for death approaching, by faithfull and fervent prayer. So did both these Sampsons. And the issue will bee comfortable as theirs; that all thy life and combat shall not give such an overthrow to thy enemies as such a death, though enemies seeme never so much to prevaile.