Remains of Joseph Alleine, Sacramental speech 6
A SACRAMENTAL Speech grounded on,
Mark 1. 15.
Repent ye, and beleive the Gospel.
MY dearly beloved brethren, you have often heard our Savior preaching to you by his Ambassadors: but now he is come to preach to you, as it were, in his own person. What was said of Abel is true of Christ, he being dead yet speaketh. Christ being dead yet preacheth to you.
But what doth Christ preach to you, now he is dead?
Why, he preacheth no other thing to you, now he is dead, than he did in his life: Repent, and believe the Gospel. That, Christ preacheth to you, faith and repentance, repentance towards God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
First, Repentance towards God, see here Christian what thy sins hath done. Now is a time to have your hearts filled with sorrow, and your faces with shame, to see what you …ave brought upon Jesus Christ. Look upon him, every wound in his body, and thorn in his head, calls upon the to repent. The wounds in his side, and the blood that flowed from thence, calls upon thee to repent. Now let thy repentance by stirring, seeing he calls thee to repentance, what shall stir thee up to repent, if this shall not? here you may see the Lords severe wrath against sin. See it here in the beloved Son of God, who is slain before your eyes for your sins. Ah, Christian, if thou hadst stood with Abraham, and seen the fire of Sodom. Or with Adam, and seen God commanding, and then thrusting them out of the garden. If thou hadst been in heaven, and seen what the wrath of God did there, what work it made when the Angels sinned. Or if thou hadst been in hell, and seen and heard the damned there, how wouldst thou look upon thy sin? O see here, more than all this; Gods wrath burning against his own Son, for thy sin.
O see here the love of Christ! in vain were all thy tears and sorrow, had not Christ made way for thee. O see him, and hear him speaking from the crosse, my wounds shall heal thy soul, if thou wilt but repent. These hands shall work out thy salvation, if thou wilt but return and repent. Ah sinner! what is not thy soul melted yet? methinks I should hear thee making thy submission, and return to the Lord, as one that melteth at the word of his Lord. Lord is thy mind thus? shall I have all this if I will but repent? behold, I cover my head with sackcloth. I am the offender, as for this lamb what hath he done? O Lord it repenteth me of my rebellions: I lay down my w pons: I swear, I will be a resolved enemy against sin, as long as I live.
Secondly, Another thing that Christ in his costly death preacheth to you, is faith. Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, he calls upon you to believe now he is upon his crosse. Methin … hear him calling upon you from the crosse. Believe the reality and greatness of my love. Believe the infiniteness of my power. The full expiation of all thy sins. The truth of all Gods threatnings. The certainty of all my promises. Thy unquestionable right and title to the Kingdom of glory.
First, Believe the reality and greatness of my love. Methinks he speaks thus to thee, O man, what should I have done more to testisic my love to thee than I have done? read all the Antiquities, and see whether there was any love like mine! thou canst not believe, but that thy parents love thee, when they take eare of thee: but whose love is like mine? did these ever suffer for thee or do for thee what I have done? what are all these sufferings that I have suffered for thee? did I despise my fathers glory, and leave it for th…, & did not love …? O slow of heart to believe all that I have done and suffered for thee! if I did not love thee, what should move me to dye for thee? did any thing in thee? no, did any profit from thee move me? no, I knew that man is not profitable to God. Was it any returns from thee? no, I knew how thou wouldst be: how unkind thou wouldst be to me. O Christian, doubt not of my love to thee. Doubt not of my help, dost thou think that I would give my self for thee, and will not give my hand for thee? do not doubt that I will cast thee off, dost thou think that I have su…ered all this for thee, and that I will cast thee off at last? no, no.
Secondly, Believe the infiniteness of my power. This is the language of Christ from his crosse, believe the exceeding greatnesse of my power. He speaks thus: O man, what if thou shouldst have no friend but I, cannot I uphold thee? These shoulders, that did bear up under all that Hell could invent against me, shal not they uphold thee? fear not to commit thy self with considence to me. See, I am able to keep what thou committest to my trust.
Thirdly, Believe the full expiation of all thy sins. I am here a satisfaction for thy sin. Fear not, I am thy atonement, thy peace, thy propitiation of thy sins, what though thou art empty? behold the fulness of my satisfaction, what am I here for? I am cut off, but not for my self, 'tis for thee. This is my meaning in my death: this is the end why I am upon the crosse, to make expiation for sin, and bring in everlasting righteousness. All you like sheep are gon… astray, and God hath laid on me the iniquities os you all. Believe it, God will not require the debt of the principal and surety too Doth … trouble thee at any time? sprink… it but with this blood, and it will be at peace. Art thou afraid to come into the pre… of God? do but carry me with thee, and thou shalt be safe.
Fourthly, Believe the truth of all Gods threatnings: here thou seest all the threatnings of God executed upon me. See here, and believe what God will do to those that go on in their trespasses. If he laid so much on me, what will he do to them? believe also his threatnings of correcting you, … you sin: for he will punish your sins with rods, and your iniquities with chastisements.
Fifthly, Believe the certainty os all my promises, this is another word that Christs crosse and death speaks to you, what … the meaning of this death of mine, and of this blood and satisfaction of mine, but that the covenant might be ratified, and all the promises sealed, and nothing diminished, but all my Testament and covenant might he ratified for ever? Behold, this blood that flows from my wounds is sprinkled upon the people for the purifying of them. All is as sure as my death and blood can make them. Here thou seest all ratisied in my blood. Man, thinkest thou that I would dye with a lye in my mouth? dost thou think that I would suffer all this for thee, is I meant not to do thee good?
Sixthly, Believe thy unquestionable right and title to the Kingdom of glory. Why here thou dost see the price and ransome, the money paid down: and what meaneth all this thinkest thou, but to buy in thy name into the inheritance?
Now Christians, where is your faith? O methinks your sails should be up. Methinks you should be triumphing, though you are here in the world. As Paul, Who is he that condemns? it is Christ that died. Why? what objections can be made? what can unbelief say, that cannot be answered here in the death of Christ? shall I muster up all its force, & tell you what the death of Christ doth speak to it? give me leave to touch upon some of them.
First, methinks I hear unbelief objecting from the terribleness of Gods threatnings. O sayes the soul, my heart melteth within me, while I hear the wrath of God threatned against sin, methinks I come lately from Mount Sinai, wher I heard the Law given withthe Trumpet, & a shout, and a curse pronounced upon all that kept not the words of this Law. O how can my soul bear up against all these curses?
But now how sweetly doth the crosse of Christ, and death of Christ answer thy fears? Hear thy Saviors language.
O soul be not afraid, do not thou fear and flag: all these threatnings were intended against me; all wer fulsilled upon me. Justice hath nothing to say to thee: all the curses are met together upon me. That is the meaning of it: that thou mayst be free, though I take in the wrath of the Lord into my own body. Oh! behold me, behold me: see how full I am of the wrath of God in body and soul: my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death.
Methinks I should hear thee say, now Lord, I see my liberty, in thy bonds. My salvation, in thy torment and pain. I have seen thy sorrow and out-cry, and understood the meaning and intent of all: that it was to remove the curse from me. Now arise O my soul and inherit the blessing. Therefore was Christ made a curse that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles. What was the blessing of Abraham? I will bless thee, and make thee a blessing. I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee. And again, I establish my Covenant between me and thee. Rejoyce, O my soul rejoyce, and let my soul rejoyce in God my Saviour. O my soul, God hath blessed thee, and shall bless thee. Fe…r not, now the mouth of the Law is for ever stopt thou shalt never hear one curse more of the flaming mouth of the Law. O soul, what canst thou wish for that is not laid up in the everlasting covenant? he hath said, he will be a God to thee. Canst thou be able to know the immensity of his covenant? all is made over to thee.
Second, Object. But sin begins to rise up. The soul begins to cry out of his sins: O the multitude, multitude of my sins! they are gone over my head, and I am sore afraid, I have nothing to pay my debt.
But hear now what Christ speaks to thee. This is the language of his death and wounds, fear not sin. Have I been so long with thee and dost thou not know me, Philip? so saith he to thy soul, what! been here so long with me, and conversed with me so long, and dost thou not know me yet? are thy sins infinite, and are not my merci…s infinite? are thy sins great, and am not I God above all, equal with the father? O look unto me, and rest in the fulness of my satisfaction: I am thy surety. All thy debts be upon me: all thy wants are upon me, what if thou hast nothing to pay? I have enough for me and thee. I am the Scape-goat that have carried away thy sin into a land of forgetfulness, I have slain the enmity of sin upon the crosse, and have reconciled you to my Father. Here is redemption, full redemption, plentiful redemption, behold, my blood speaketh peace to you. Wilt thou not believe the voyce of my death and blood to thee? thus Christ's death can speak sufficiently to all that thy sins can say' against thee.
Now doth not thy faith stand upright yet, Christian? methinks I should hear thee say, Lord 'tis enough, thou hast laid down thy life for a ransome: I see my cure in thy wounds. I doubt not butthy blood is sufficient to cleanse me from all my sins.
And who now shall appear-against me? Ah Justice, once a terrible word, now I can see thy face with comfort. Once Justice was so terrible, as never was the face of a judge more terrible to the prisoner at the bar, than that to me, but now 'tis pleasing to me. Once, I had rather have fallen into the lions mouth, than to come to it. O how did my soul grow pale, and my heart ready to dye like Nabals within me, when I saw the ballance held up in one hand, and the sword in the other! but now, I see, that the death of Christ and his blood shall be put into the ballance with me, I am not afraid. Here now see a great wonder: the pure holyness of God taking pleasure in a sinner: and the strictest justice shaking hands with the off…nder, now the justice of God is become my friend.
Third, Object. O but unbelief seems yet to object from the multitude, and strength, and policy of the enemy. Methinks I see the trembling soul in the posture of the prophets man, who beheld the mountain beset with Charriots and Horses, and crying out O Master! what shall we do? If it were but flesh and blood it were not altogether so much: but 'tis principalities, and powers; who can break thorow the host of these Philistines? But Christian, look to this crosse: look to a dying Christ, look what his death speaks to thee, wherefore art thou ready to fall with these fears, and ready to sink under them? methinks, I see him taking thee by the hand as he did Peter, O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt? look here by my cross, and see all thine enemies lye slain by my death: and what wilt thou be afraid, that thy slain-enemies will rise again, and pursue thee? methinks, soul, I should hear thee triumphing and crying out, what can you do, O my enemies? I have seen captivity led Captive: and for whom did he overcome but for me? as for me, now I will throw out the gantlet, and bid defiance to my enemies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that dyed, who shall seperate us from the love (or death) of Christ? shall tribulation, or distresse, &c. Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors &c. For I am perswaded, that neither death, nor life, &c. shall be able to seperate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I see now all overcome in the death of Christ. Devils, I fear you not; I behold all your legions in chains, and made captives by Christ. Death, I fear thee not; for I know that thou art slain, by him that had the power of death and devils. I know that thy commission is altered, and thou comest, not with authority to arrest me; but with an invitation, to invite me to feast with the Lord. And thanks be to God who hath given us the victory.