Looking Unto Jesus, Book 6 · Chapter 3 · Section 7 – Section 8
SECT. VII. Of joying in Jeſus in that Reſpect.
7. LEt us joy in Jeſus, as carrying on the great work of Salvation, in his ſufferings and death: what? hath Chriſt ſuffered for us? hath he drunk off all the cup of God's wrath, and left none for us? how ſhould we be but cheered? Precious ſouls! why are you afraid; there is no death, no hell,Rom. 8.1. no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jeſus. There is no divine juſtice for them to undergo, that have their ſhare in this death of Chriſt; Oh the Grace and Mercy that is purchaſed by this means of Chriſt! Oh the waters of comfort that flow from the ſufferings, and obedience of Chriſt! Chriſt was amazed, that we might be cheered: Chriſt was impriſoned, that we might be delivered; Chriſt was accuſed, that we might be acquitted; Chriſt was condemned, that we might be redeemed; Chriſt ſuffered his Fathers wrath, and came under it, that the victory might be ours, and that in the end we might ſee him face to face in glory: is not here matter of Joy? It may be the Law, and ſin, and juſtice, and conſcience, and death, and hell, may appear as enemies, and diſturb thy comforts; but is there not enough in the blood of Chriſt to chaſe them away? Give me Leave but to frame the objections of ſome doubting ſouls; and ſee whether Chriſt's death will not ſufficiently anſwer, and ſolve them all.
1. One cries thus, Oh I know not what will become of me, my ſins are ever before me; againſt thee, thee only have I ſinned, and done this evil in thy ſight. Pſal. 51.3, 4.I have ſinned againſt a moſt dear, and gracious, and merciful God and Father in our Lord Jeſus; O the aggravations of my ſins! are they not ſins above meaſure ſinful.
It may be ſo, but the blood of Chriſt is a fountain opened for ſins and for uncleanneſs; in him we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveneſs of ſins. Zach. 13.1. Eph. 1.7. Heb. 1.3. Heb. 9.26. Ver. 28. Levit. 16.21, 22.— He by himſelf purged our ſins.—And now once in the end of the world hath he appeared, put away ſin by the ſacrifice of himſelf.—And Christ was once offered to bear the ſins of many. foreign, to bear away the ſins of many. As the Scape-coat under the Law had upon his head all the iniquities of the Children of Iſrael, and ſo was ſent away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderneſs; ſo the Lord Jeſus (of whom that Goat was a type) had all the iniquities of his Elect laid upon him by God his Father, and bearing them, he took them away, Behold the Lamb of God, John 1.29.that taketh away the ſins of the world; he bore them, and bore them away; he went away with them into the wilderneſs, or into the land of forgetfulneſs. See what comfort is here.
2. Another cries thus, Oh I know not what will become of me, the Law is mine enemy, I have tranſgreſſed the Law, and it ſpeaks terribly, Gal. 3.10.curſed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them: Oh I have offended the Law, and I am under the curſe.
Say not ſo, for by the death of Chriſt, though the Law be broken, yet the curſe is removed; the Apoſtle is clear, Christ hath redeemed us from the curſe of the Law, Gal. 3.13.being made a curſe for us; he was made a curſe for us, (i.e.) the fruits and effects of God's curſe, the puniſhment due to ſinners, the penal curſe which juſtice required, was laid upon Chriſt, and by this means we are freed from the curſe of the Law. It is true, that without Chriſt thou art under this Law, Do, or Die, end if thou offendeſt in the leaſt kind thou ſhalt periſh for ever, the curſe of the Law is upon thee to the uttermoſt; but on the other ſide, if thy claim be right to the blood of Chriſt, thou art freed from penalty; not but that we may be corrected and chaſtiſed, but what is that to the eternal curſe which the Law pronounceth againſt every ſin? we are freed from the curſe, or damnatory ſentence of the Law,Rom. 8.1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Chriſt Jeſus; the Law is ſatisfied, and the bond is cancelled by our Surety Chriſt. O what comfort is this?
3. Another cries thus? Oh I know not what will become of me, I have offended juſtice; and what ſhall appeal from the ſeat of juſtice, to the throne of grace? my ſins are gone before, and they are knocking at heaven gates, and crying, juſtice Lord on this ſinner; I know not what will be the iſſue, but either free Grace muſt ſave me, or I am gone.
Say not ſo, for by this death of Chriſt, free grace, and juſtice are both thy friends. How e're ſome do, yet certainly thou needs not to appeal from the court of juſtice to the Mercy-ſeat; in this myſtery of Godlineſs there may be as much comfort in ſtanding before the Bar of juſtice, as at the Mercy-ſeat, (i.e.) by ſtanding therein, and through the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, yea, this is the Goſpel-way, to go to God the Father, and to tender up to him the active and paſſive righteouſneſs of Chriſt his Son for an atonement, and ſatisfaction for our ſins, in this way is the comfort of juſtification brought; if we go to God in any other way than this, it is but in a natural way, and not in a true Evangelical way. A man by nature may know thus much, that when he hath ſinned, he muſt ſeek unto God for mercy, but to ſeek unto God for pardon with a price in our hands, to tender up the merits of Jeſus Chriſt for a ſatisfaction to Divine juſtice, here is the myſtery of Faith; and yet I ſpeak not againſt relying on God's mercy for pardon, but what need we to appeal from juſtice to mercy, when by faith we may tender the death of Chriſt, and ſo find acceptance with the juſtice of God it ſelf? come ſoul, and let me tell thee for thy comfort, if thou haſt any ſhare in the death of Chriſt, thou haſt two tenures to hold thy pardon and ſalvation by, Mercy, and juſtice; free-grace, and righteouſneſs; mercy in reſpect of thee, and juſtice in reſpect of Chriſt; not only is free-grace ready to acquit thee, but a full price is laid down to diſcharge thee of all thy ſins: ſo that now when the Prince of this World comes againſt thee, thou mayeſt ſay in ſome ſenſe as Chriſt did. He can find nothing in me, for how can he accuſe me, ſeeing Chriſt is my Surety? ſeeing the bond hath been ſued, and Chriſt Jeſus would not leave one farthing unpaid? as Paul ſaid to Philemon concerning Oneſimus, if he have wronged thee, or owe thee any thing, put it on my account; ſo doth Chriſt ſay to God, if theſe have wronged thy Majeſty, or owe thee any thing, put it on me. Paul indeed added, I Paul have written it with mine own hand, but Chriſt ſpeaks thus,Gen. 2.17. I Jeſus have ratified and confirmed it with my own blood.
4. Another cries thus, Oh I know not what will become of me, the firſt threat that ever was (in the day that thou eateſt thereof thou ſhalt ſurely die) now ſits on my ſpirit; methinks I ſee the grizly form of death ſtanding before me; Oh this is he that is the King of fears, the chief of terrors, the inlet to all thoſe Plagues in another world; and die I muſt, there is no remedy; Rom. 8.94.Oh I ſtartle, and am afraid of it.
And why ſo? it is Chriſt that dyed, and by his death he hath took away the ſting of death, that now the drone may hiſs, but cannot hurt: come, meditate much upon the death of Chriſt, and thou ſhalt find matter enough in his death, for the ſubduing of thy ſlaviſh fears of death, both in the merit of it, in the effect of it, and in the end of it. 1. In the merit of it; Chriſt's death is meritorious, and in that reſpect the writ of mortallity is but to the Saints a writ of eaſe, a paſſage into Glory. 2. In the effect of it, Chriſts death is the conqueſt of death; Chriſt went down into the grave to make a back-door, that the grave which was before a priſon, might now be a thorough-fare; ſo that all his Saints may with eaſe paſs through, and ſing, O death where is thy ſting? Heb. 2.14, 15.Oh hell where is thy victory? 3. In the end of it, Chri'ſts death amongſt other ends aims at the ruine of him that had the Power of death; that is, the Devil; and to deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time in bondage. Chriſt purſued this end in dying, to deliver thee from the fear of death; and if now thou feareſt, thy fearing is a kind of making Chriſt's death of none effect. O come, and with joy draw water out of this well of Salvation!Iſa. 12.3.
5. Another cries thus, Oh I know not what will become of me; the very thoughts of hell ſeem to aſtoniſh my heart; methinks I ſee a little peep-hole down into hell and the devil roaring there, being reſerved in chains under darkneſs, untill the judgment of the great day; and methinks I ſee the damned flaming, and Judas, and all the wicked in the world, and they of Sodom, and Gomorrah there lying, and roaing, and gnaſhing their teeth: now, I have ſinned, and why ſhould not I be damned? Oh why ſhould not the wrath of God be executed on me, yea even upon me?
I anſwer, the death of Chriſt acquits thee of all.Rom. 20.6. Bleſſed is he that hath a part in the firſt reſurrection, on ſuch the ſecond death hath no power. Chriſt's death hath took away the pains of the ſecond death, yea, pains and power too, for it ſhall never oppreſs ſuch as belong to Chriſt. If Hell and Devils could ſpeak a word of truth, they would ſay, Comfort your ſelves ye believing ſouls, we have no power over you, for the Lord Jeſus hath conquered us, and we have quite loſt the cauſe. Paul was very confident of this, and therefore he throws down the Gauntlet, and challengeth a diſpute with all commers, Who ſhall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect? Rom. 8.33, 34.it is God that juſtifieth; who is he that condemneth? it is Chriſt that dyed: let ſin, and the law, and juſtice, and death, and hell, yea, and all the Devils in Hell unite their forces, this one argument of Chriſt's death (it is Chriſt that dyed) will be enough to confute and confound them all.
Come then, and comfort your ſelves all believers in this death of Chriſt; what? do you believe? and are you confident that you do believe? why then do you ſit drooping? What manner of communications are theſe that you have, as ye walk, and are ſad? Luke 24.17.Away, away dumpiſhneſs, deſpair, diſquietneſs of ſpirit? Chriſt is dead, that you might live, and be bleſſed, in this reſpect every thing ſpeaks comfort, if you could but ſee it; God and men, heaven and earth, Angels and devils; the very juſtice of God it ſelf, is now your friend, and bids you go away comforted, for it is ſatisfied to the full; Heaven it ſelf waits on you, and keeps the dores open that your ſouls may enter; We have boldneſs (ſaith the Apoſtle) to enter into the holieſt by the blood of Jeſus, Heb. 10.20.by a new and living way, which he hath conſecrated for us through the veil, that is to ſay, his fleſh. Chriſt's death hath ſet open all the golden gates and dores of glory; and therefore go away chearily, and get you to heaven, and when you come there, be diſcouraged, or diſcomforted if you can. O my ſoul, I ſee thou art pouring on ſin, on thy crimſon ſins, and ſcarlet ſins, but I would have thee dwell on that crimſon ſcarlet blood of Chriſt; Oh it is the blood of ſprinkling, it ſpeaks better things than the blood of Abel, it cryes for mercy, and pardon, and refreſhing, and ſalvation; thy ſins cry, Lord do me juſtice againſt ſuch a ſoul; but the blood of Chriſt hath another cry, I am abaſed, and humbled, and I have anſwered all. Methinks this ſhould make thy heart leap for joy; Oh the honey, the ſweet that we may ſuck out of this blood of Chriſt! come lay to thy mouth, and drink an hearty draught, it is this ſpiritual wine that makes merry the heart of man; and it is the voice of Chriſt to all his gueſts, Eat O friends, Cant. 5.1drink, yea drink abundantly, O beloved.
SECT. VIII. Of calling on Jeſus in that reſpect.
8. LEt us call on Jeſus, or on God the Father in and through Jeſus.
1. We muſt pray that all theſe Tranſactions of Chriſt in his ſufferings and death may be ours; if we direct our prayers immediately to Jeſus Chriſt, let us tell him what anguiſh and pains he hath ſuffered for our ſakes; and let us complain againſt our ſelves, Oh what ſhall we do, who by our ſins have ſo tormented our deareſt Lord? what contrition can be great enough, what tears ſufficiently expreſſive, what hatred and deteſtation equal, and commenſurate to thoſe ſad and heavy ſufferings of our Jeſus? And then let us pray, that he would pity us, and forgive us thoſe ſins wherewith we crucified him, that he would beſtow on us the vertue of his ſufferings and death, that his wounds might heal us, his death might quicken us, and his blood might cleanſe us from all our ſpiritual filth of ſin; and laſtly, that he would aſſure us that his death is ours; that he would perſwade us, That neither death, nor life, nor Angels, Rom. 8.38, 39.nor principalities nor powers, nor things preſent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature ſhould be able to ſeparate us from the love of God, which is in Chriſt Jeſus our Lord.
2. We muſt praiſe the Lord for all theſe ſufferings of Chriſt. Hath he indeed ſuffered all theſe puniſhments for us? Oh then what ſhall we render unto the Lord for all his benefits upon us? what ſhall we do for him, who hath done and ſuffered all theſe things? but eſpecially, if we believe our part in the death of Chriſt; in all the vertues, benefits, victories, purchaſes, and priviledges of his precious death, oh then what manifold cauſe of thankfulneſs and praiſe is here? be enlarged O my ſoul, ſound forth the praiſes of thy Chriſt, tell all the world of that warmeſt love of Chriſt, which flowed with his blood out of all his wounds into thy ſpirit; tune thy heart-ſtrings aright, and keep conſort with all the Angels of Heaven, and all his Saints on earth; ſing that Pſalm of John the Divine,Rev. 1.5, 6. Ʋnto him that loved us, and waſhed us from our ſins in his own blood, and hath made us Kings and Prieſts unto God, and his Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.