An Exposition of Hosea 1-3, Chapter 2 · Lecture 17
The Seventeenth Lecture.
HOSEA 2. 19. 20.
And I will betroth thee unto me for ever, yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteouſneſs, and in judgement, & in loving kindnes, & in mercies.
I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulneſs, & thou ſhalt know the Lord.
BUt how betroth? (this phraſe ſeems to be very ſtrange) ſhe had been the wife of God before, and was gone a whoring from him; though God ſhould be reconciled to her, one would have thought it ſhould rather have been, I will receive you againe, No, but I will betroth you. The reaſon of the phraſe is, to note that God would receive her with that love as if ſhe had been a pure virgin, and he would never upbraid her former departing from him: you have beene an adultereſſe, beare your ſhame, but for my own Names ſake I will be content to receive you again, No, but I will be…roth you unto me, you ſhall be as now taken to me, and your ſins ſhall be no more remembred, they ſhall be as if they had never been committed.Obſer. When God pardoneth ſin he will remember it no more, the Lord will never charge upon ſinners their former ſins. And if God will not remember the ſins of his people, of his repenting people, to charge them upon them, we ſhould not remember them, to up brayd them for them; what ever they have been before, if now converted, it is too much boldneſſe in any of us to upbraid them for any of their former ſins. I remember Beza tells of himſelfe, that the Papiſts upbraided him much for the ſinnes of his youth, for his laſcivious Poems he made before his converſion; but Beza anſwers them thus, Hi homines invident mihi graciam divinam, theſe men envy me the grace of God.
I will betroth thee unto mee,Lect. 17 yea I will betroth thee unto me, I will even betroth thee unto me.
The repenting Church might ſay, How is it poſſible that ſuch an adultereſſe who hath been ſo vile, who hath been ſo impudent in her wayes of forſaking the bleſſed God, her glorious husband, who hath ſo long continued in filthy whordoms, should yet expect to receive mercy? What, this mercy, to be betrothed to God, to be taken as if she were a chaſt Spouſe before him? Yes ſaith God, I will do it, and therefore it is repeated three times for the aſſurance of the humbled repenting Church that God will again betroth himſelfe unto her, and that with ſome Emphaſis, I will betroth, yea I will betroth, even I will betroth: there is betrething, and betrothing, and betrothing, and I, and I, and I, shewing how much the heart of God is in this thing. As if God should have ſaid, Though you think ſuch a thing can never be, you ſee nothing but cauſe of doubting and diſcouragement in your ſelves, but I wil doe it, yea I wil doe it, and it is thus repeated to note alſo the excellency of the mercy that is in it.
It is an excellent mercy indeed that the Lord will take a people into ſo neer a communion with himſelfe, from this mercy floweth moſt glorious mercies, I will doe this ſaith God, I need ſay no more, here is mercy enough to ſatisfie any ſoule living, I will doe it, I will doe it, I will doe it.
But will this mercy hold? will it hold? I have already apoſtatized from the Lord, I have ſtill an apoſtatizing heart, & am like to fall off from God againe, and ſo may condition is like to be worſe then ever yet it was; no ſaith God, I will betroth you unto my ſelfe for ever, my heart shal bee for ever towards you, and your heart shall be for ever towards me, there shall never bee any breach of conjugal love and communion betweene you and I any more.
But the Lord is a righteous God, he is a God of infinite juſtice, and I have moſt fearfully ſinned againſt him, oh the hideous ſins that I ſtand guilty of before him! how shall that infinite juſtice of God be ſatisfied for my ſinnes? this is the care of a repenting heart, not onelyonly to obtain mercy for pardon, but how shall that juſtice of God be ſatisfied? Yes ſaith God, I will have a way for that too, though you have been very ſinful, yet when I receive you to mercy, it ſhall be in ſuch a way as I will be righteous, as wel as gracious, I wil doe it in righteousneſſe, it shal be no dishonour at all to my righteouſneſſe, that I take you again to my ſelf. And I wil put ſuch a righteous frame into your hearts, that it shal be no ſcandal unto me before the Nations that I have betrothed ſuch a one as you unto my ſelfe.
But what reaſon can there poſſible be that God ſhould do thus? how can it be imagined that ever the Lord should do ſuch a thing as this? God hath ten thouſand wayes to honour himſelfe, though we perish for ever, no people have ever provoked him as wee have done ſaith this repenting Iſrael.
Well ſaith GOD, though you know no reaſon why it should be done, yea indeed though there bee no reaſon at all in your ſelves, yet that which I will doe, I will doe it in judgment too, I know a reaſon why I will do it, it is not a raſh thing that I ſhall do, I will do it in judgement, it is no other thing that now I promiſe you, but that I have exerciſed my wiſdome about from all eternity, it is not onelyonly a worke of my grace and mercy toward you, but it is a work of my wiſdome too, and there will one day appeare a glorious ſhine of wiſdome in this my work of taking you unto my ſelfe again, I know what I do in it, yea and on your part though hitherto you have ſeene no ſuch excellency in my wayesto cleave to them, but you have departed from them, and followed other lovers, yet I ſhall when I come in wayes of mercy to you, convince you ſo of the vanity of all other things your hearts runne after, and of that fulneſſe of good there is in me to ſatisfie your ſoules for ever, that you ſhal ſee infinite reaſon to joine your ſelves unto me in an everlaſting covenant. You though there were ſome more ſpecious shews in wayes of falſe worship, but when you shal be reconciled, you shal ſee there is infinite reaſon in thoſe wayes of worship your ſoules have heretofore rejected, you shal not only have your affections a little ſtirred, and have ſome heate for the preſent, but that change that shal be in you shal be out of judgment, I will betroth you unto me in judgement, in judgement on my part. I will have reaſon for what I doe, and in judgement on your part, you shall ſee reaſon for what you doe, you shal ſee ſo much reaſon in comming in to me, that you shall admire at the former folly of your hearts, when you departed from me, and ſought your comforts elſe-where. The workings of my heart shal be in judgment toward you, and the workings of your hearts shal be in judgment toward me.
But take it at beſt that my heart doth indeed come in to God, yet I ſhall remain a poor, ſinful, weak creature, there will hang upon me many infirmities that will be grievous to the Spirit of the holy and juſt God. Well ſaith God, I will betroth you unto me in loving kindneſſe. I wil deale gently and favourably with you, I will not take advantage of your failings and infirmities, I will remember you are but flesh, I will have a tender reſpect to you.
But it may be there will not onelyonly bee ſome ordinary infirmities which may be grievous enough to the Spirit of God, but I may perhaps fall into grievous offences that will provoke the Spirit of God bitterly againſt mee, and ſo I ſhall fall into as woful, yea worſe condition then before: No ſaith God, I will betroth you unto me in mercy as well as in loving kindneſſe, my bowels of mercy ſhall yearn toward you, not only to paſſe over leſſer infirmities, but to ſwallow up greater iniquities. And accordingly I will worke in you gracious diſpoſitions of loving kindneſſe towards mee, you ſhall have a moſt ſweete and ingenuous diſpoſition of ſpirit, you ſhall doe what you doe for mee out of principles of love, out of abundance of ſweetneſſe in all your ways, that perverſe, ſurly, crooked, ſowr ſpirit of yours towards me ſhall be changed into a ſweet, gentle, gracious frame. And this ſweeteneſſe and loving kindeneſſe ſhall be in you toward one another, you ſhall have your hearts changed that were ſo rugged, and ſo harſh, and peeviſh toward one another afore, when I am once reconciled unto you, you ſhall be reconciled one to another. And you ſhall have bowels of mercy, as my bowels ſhall yerne towards you, ſo your bowels ſhall yern toward me, as it ſhall pity my ſoule to ſee you in miſery, ſo it ſhall pity your ſoule to ſee me diſhonoured, and you ſhall have bowels likewiſe one toward another, pitying one another, and helping, and relieving one another in the greateſt ſtraits, I will betroth you unto me in loving kindneſſe and in mercy.
But there are many glorious promiſes that we find God made to his people, ſurely according to what wee read in his word there are great things to be done for them, ſhall ever theſe promiſes be made good unto us? If wee may have mercy, though we be never ſo low, if Gods loving kindneſſe be manifeſted unto …s in a way of reconciliation, though wee be but hired ſervants; if we may be Spouſes, though we be kept hardly, it will be well with us: But ſaith God, there are glorious promiſes made to the Church, and I will fulfill them all unto you; though you have departed from me, and provoked me againſt you, yet upon your returning you ſhall be ſo received, as to have intereſt in all the precious, gracious, glorious promiſes I have made to the Church, I will make them all good to you, for I will betroth my ſelfe unto you in faithfulneſſe, as well as in mercy; looke what ever I have ſaid concerning my Church, that is yours to be made good to the uttermoſt, and there is nothing that can be for your good, that concerns me as a loving huſband to doe, but you ſhall be ſure to have it: And as for you, howſoever your hearts have been hitherto unfaithful towards me in departing from me, yet now you ſhall have put into you a faithful ſpirit, there ſhall be faithfulfulneſſe on your part as well as on mine, ſo as my heart ſhall confide in you, you ſhall not deale falſely with mee as before; your hearts ſhall confide in me, that I will deale faithfully with you, and my heart ſhall confide in you, that you will deale faithfully with me, ſo that whatſoever befalls you, yet you ſhall be faithfull to me, and faithfull one to another, ſo as your hearts ſhall truſt one in another. I will betroth you unto me in faithfulneſſe.
And whereas it is but little that yet you have known of me, and this indeed hath been the cauſe of all your vile departings from mee, becauſe you have not known me the Lord, therefore you ſhall know the Lord; know him in another manner then ever yet you knew him; I will ſhew my glory to you, I will open my very heart to you, the ſecret of the Lord ſhall be with you, you ſhall all know me, though your parts be but weak and meane, yet you ſhall be taught of God; perhaps you may be ignorant of other things, but you ſhall know the Lord.
And as for outward bleſſings, you ſhall have your fill of them too, all the creatures ſhall be moved towards you to comfort you, to ſuccour you; Let Iezreelory to the corne, the corne ſhall cry to the earth, and the earth ſhall heare the corne, the earth ſhall cry to the heavens, the heavens ſhall heare the earth, and the heavens ſhall cry to me, and I will heare the heavens; There ſhall be in them, 1 a readineſſe to help, 2 a greedineſſe to relieve you; yea 3 a concatenation of them all, 4 and I will joyn them for the good of Iezreel.
But yet we are a people ſcattered about the world, and moſt of us are conſumed: but, I will ſow her unto me in the earth; you were ſcattered, this is a judgment, but now it is turned to a mercy, your ſcattering is as ſeed, you ſhall fructifie, & encreaſe abundantly, & ſo be a bleſſing to the whole earth.
But we have lien underthe curſe of God a great while, and have ſeemed to be rejected; but ſaith God, I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy.
Laſtly, we are a proverb uuto all the world (as you know the Jewes are) we are a by-word, a ſcorn, a reproach amongſt all people, they ſay, God had rejected us, and ſo trample upon us: No ſaith God, I will not onelyonly betroth you to my ſelfe, but it ſhall appeare to all the world you are my people, I will ſay to you which were not my people, you are my people; though you be a people ſcorned and vilified in the world, yet I will owne you, and it ſhall appeare ſo, your low and miſerable condition ſhall not hinder me from ſaying, you are my people: and as for you, whatſoever you ſhall meet withall in my wayes, whatſoever you ſuffer for my worſhip, though it be ſcorned and deſpiſed in the world, yet you ſhal own it before the world, and you ſhall ſay, Thou art my God.
Thus you have a ſhort paraphraſe upon this gracious expreſſion of God to his reconciled people. You have here but a flaſh of this merciemercy of the Lord to his Saints.
But when was all this fulfilled you will ſay? or is it to be fulfilled? to what times does this propheſie refer?Quest.
There is in part the making good this propheſie, when ever a ſoule is brought into the embracing the Goſpel; but the height of this ſhall be at the calling of the Jewes,Anſw. then not only the ſpiritual eſtate of particular converted ſoules ſhal bee thus happy, but the Church ſtate ſhal bee thus, the viſible Church ſhal be betrothed unto the Lord for ever. We cannot ſay ſo of any viſible Church here, there is no viſible Church but may fall off from the viſibility of it, but when God ſhal bring in the Iewes, they ſhall never fall off from the viſibility of their Church-communion. Revel. 21. 2. ſeemeth to have reference to this propheſie. And I John ſaw the holy City, new Jeruſalem, coming down from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband: And I heard a great voyce out of heaven, ſaying, Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they ſhall be his people, and God himſelf shall be with them, and be their God. This hath almoſt the ſame words that wee have here in this propheſie that is to be fulfilled in that glorious Church-eſtate, that ſhal bee when God calls home to himſelfe his own people: Mark there, God himſelf shall be with them; God is always with his people; but God himſelfe, that is, a more eſpeciall, and immediate, and full preſence of God ſhall be with them. But the words muſt have yet a more full ſearch into them I will betroth thee.]
The Scripture makes much mention of Eſpouſals and of marriage, to expreſſe the great myſterie of the grace of God to his people. The holy Ghoſt ſeems to delight much in this Allegory: there is none more frequent in Scripture then it, which is a very great honour to a married condition: And ſuch ought to be the lives of thoſe that are in a married condition, as much as may be to reſemble the bleſſedneſſe of the condition of a people reconciled unto God, for in all ſimilitudes there muſt be ſomething in the thing to reſemble that which it is brought for. Married people ſhould ſo live, as all that behold the ſweetneſſe, the happineſſe of their lives, may be put in mind thereby of that ſweetnes & happineſs there is in the Churches comunion with Jeſus Chriſt. I appeale to you, are your lives thus? Now in a married condition there are theſe foure things moſt remarkable. Firſt, There is the neereſt unino that can be, They two ſhal be made onefleſh; this is the power of God in an Ordinance, conſider it, two that not perhaps a month before were ſtrangers one to another, never ſaw the faces one of another, did not know that there were ſuch in the world, if they come under this ordinance, though it be but a civill ordinance,The ſtrong union in marriage. theſe two ſhal now be neerer one to another then the child that came out of the fathers loynes, or out of the bowels of the mother, the fruite of the wombe ſhall not be ſo neere now to thee, nor muſt it love thee ſo much as this party, that not long ſince it was a meere ſtranger unto.
Whence cometh this but meerly from the power of an Ordinance? One would thinke that the affection of a mother to the fruite of her own bowels ſhould be more then it were poſſible for her to have to a ſtranger ſhe had never ſeen before in her life; but it is not ſo, when a woman cometh under this Ordinance, ſhe now commeth to have (according to that which is her duty) more affection to one that was ere while a ſtranger, then to the child that came forth of her owne bowels, ſo a man then to one that came out of his owne loynes. Here is the power of Gods Ordinance, though but civill.
Now then if an Ordinance of God, though but civill, hath ſuch an efficacy in it, what efficacy have divine Ordinances then? Certainly they have mighty efficacy upon the ſoule when they are adminiſtred in the way of God. So it is here, I will betroth thee; as if God ſhould ſay, thou waſt not long ſince as a ſtranger unto me, one caſt off, yea thou waſt as an enemy unto me, but now all the creatures in heaven and in earth, the very Angels themſelves ſhall not be more deare unto me, in a nearer communion then you. This is true of a wretched ſinfull creature that hath not onelyonly been as a ſtranger unto God, but an enemy unto him, he cometh now upon converſion and union with Chriſt, to be in a nearer conjunction and further communion with God then the very Angels in heaven are in ſome regard, for they are never ſaid to be the Spouſe of the Son of God ſo as the Saints are.
This is the mighty power and love of God in uniting his Saints to his Son.
Secondly,Conjugall communion the ful. leſt There is in nothing in the world that full communication of one creature to another, as there is in that condition of marriage; ſo in our ſpiritual marriage with Chriſt, there is an inconceiveable communion of one to another …ally,
God hath two wayes of communication of himſelfe, one is infinite, that is to his Son in that inconceivable myſterie of the generation of the Son; he hath other wayes of communication of himſelf after a finite manner; but of al the finite ways this is the greateſt, his comunication of himſelf to his Saints in Chriſt; God hath no ſuch comunication of himſelf to all the creatures, as he hath to his Saints in his Son. God in compariſon communicateth little or nothing of himſelf to the frame of heaven & earth, ſo as he doth to any one of his Saints. So far as there wants communion in a married eſtate, ſo far there wants the bleſſing of it, it ſhould be full: The communion of God to his Church is a full communion, his wiſdome, power, riches are made over to the Saints, the merits, the righteouſneſſe of Chriſt are made all over to them.
This is mutuall, there is no ſuch communication of any creature to another, as there is of the hearts of the Saints to God; one converted to God, lets out his heart into God in a fuller way then any creature can let out it ſelfe to another creature. Suppoſe all the creatures in the world ſhould have their beauty and excellency put together in one, and preſent it ſelf wholly unto thee to be an object of thy delight, yet it were not poſſible that thou ſhouldſt communicate thy ſelf ſo fully to it, as thy ſoul will communicate it ſelfe to God upon thy converſion. The ſoul gives up it ſelfe to God, as into an infinite ocean of goodneſſe, ſo as it would not retaine any thing of its owne, as a drop of water into a tun of wine, it retains not its ſavour or colour that it had before, but it is as it were turned into wine. And hereby you may know whether your converſion be right yea or no, As that which is Chriſts cometh to be thine, ſo that which is thine cometh again to be Chriſts. My beloved is mine, and I am his, ſaith the Church. Hence it is that the honour that Chriſt the Husband hath, reflects upon the Saints; they ſhine with the brightneſſe of his beams. Eſay 43. 4. Since thou waſt precious in my ſight thou becameſt honourable. It was wont to be the cuſtome among the Romanes in their marriages, when the wife was brought home, ſhe had this ſpeech,The Saints partake of Chriſts honour, and they are an honor unto Chriſt. Where you are Ca…us, I am Caja. How meane ſoever the woman was before, yet being married, ſhe partakes of the honour of her husband. So the Saints, whatſoever they were before, they are now looked upon as honourable in the eyes of the Father, in the eyes of Chriſt, in the eyes of the holy Ghoſt, aud in the eyes of the Angels and the reſt of the Saints, who are able to diſcerne their excellency. And ſo on the other ſide, (for ſtill it is mutuall) as the Church hath honour from the luſtre of the beams of Chriſts glory, ſo even the Church is a glory unto Chriſt. As the Scripture ſaith, The wife is the glory of the man. (which place heretofore you have had opened unto you) ſo the truth is, the Church is the glory of Chriſt. How is that? you will ſay: It is true, Chriſt is the glory of the Church, but that the Church who is a company of poore creatures ſhould be the glory of Chriſt, how can that be? yes, it is ſo, Chriſt accounteth himſelfe glorified before the Father, that he hath ſuch a Spouſe.
Mark that place, 2 Cor. 8. 23. Whether you inquire of Titus, he is my partner, or of our brethren, the meſſengers of the Churches, the glory of Chriſt, Titus and the brethren are there called the glory of Chriſt. And Epheſ. 1. 23. the Church is ſaid to be the fulneſſe of him that filleth all in all. Howſoever we are to be low in our own eies, yet this is certaine, that it is the glory of Chriſt before the Father and the bleſſed Angels, that he hath ſuch a Spouſe as he hath. Hence Rev. 21. 9. Come, Behold the Bride, the Lambs wife: The very Angels rejoice in this, O come, behold the Bride, the Lambs wife. Certainly had it not been for the glory of Chriſt, the Angels would not in ſuch a triumphing way have called all to behold the Bride the Lambs wife. They call to behold the glory of Chriſt in his Bride, Pſalm, 45. the Church is deſcribed to be brought in to the King all glorious and beautiful, with ara…ment of needle-worke, &c. Chriſt rejoyceth, and his very heart even ſprings againe to preſent his Church unto his Father, Father here behold my Spouſe that I have married unto my ſelfe. It is true, a childe may ſometimes marry againſt his fathers conſent, ſuch a one as he may be aſhamed to think of bringing to his fathers houſe, becauſe ſhe will be a diſgrace to his father and his friends: But how mean and ſinfull ſoever we are in our ſelves, when once we are betrothed unto Chriſt, he will not thinke it any diſhonour, no not before his Father, that he hath ſuch a Spouſe, but he will account it his glory before him and the bleſſed Angels, that he hath betrothed her unto himſelf.Afflictions are mutual betweene Chriſt and his Church And again, this communion makes the Afflictions of Chriſt the Churches afflictions, and the afflictions of the Church the afflictions of Chriſt. There is a communion in evill things as well as in good. The very ſins of the Church come to be charged upon Chriſt; as a woman that was in debt before maryage and ſo ſubject to arreſts, if ſhe be once maryed ſhe is no more troubled with the Serjeants, none can arreſt her, but all the debts are charged upon the man: ſo though we be in debt, owing a debt of puniſhment becauſe we have not payed the debt of obedience, and while we are out of Chriſt, before this bleſſed marriage, we may feare every moment to have ſome ſergeant of the Lord upon us to arreſt us, to hale us to priſon, there to lye untill we have paid the uttermoſt farthing; but when the ſoul is married unto Chriſt, all debts, all ſinnes are all tranſacted upon Chriſt, all charged upon him, if the law come now and require ſatisfaction, if juſtice comes you may ſend them unto your husband to anſwer all, and he will not take it ill. A husband perhaps may take it ill, and thinke he hath brought himſelf to miſery, when arreſts come upon him for his wives debts, it may take off his heart from her, but Chriſt will never love you the worſe for all your debts when they are charged upon him, he will willingly ſatisfie them, and he will rejoyce in the ſatisfaction of them before his Father. And if there be any affliction befall you, Chriſt is afflicted with you. Eſay 63. 9. In all their afflictions be was afflicted. So on the other ſide, all the afflictions of Chriſt are the afflictions of the Church; doth Chriſt ſuffer? you take it unto heart as if it were your own ſuffering. Chriſt takes your ſufferings unto heart, as if … his own; …
And you take the ſufferings of Chriſt unto heart as if they were your owne.
Thirdly, In a married condition there is a mutuall intire love. That is,
Firſt,Intire love in a married condition in three things. loving the perſon more then what cometh from him. True conjugall love is pitched upon the perſons mutually, rather then upon the eſtates, or any thing they enjoy by the perſon. So on Chriſts part, his love is pitched upon the perſons of the Saints, Chriſt loves your perſons more then al your actions. It is true, all theſe gracious actions you doe are lovely before Chriſt, for they ate the fruits of his ſpirit, but know, the pitch of Chriſts love is upon your perſons chiefly. So the pitch of your love, if it be a right conjugall love, is upon the perſon of Chriſt rather then upon any thing that comes from him; thou ſeeſt him altogether lovely in himſelfe, beſides thoſe riches of pardon of ſin and precious promiſes that thou enjoyeſt by him, his perſon is that which ſatisfies thy ſoule.
Secondly, In priſing the love each of other, true love can be ſatisfied witht nothing elſe but love, love villifies every thing that is tendered, except it comes as a fruit of love, and if there be love, a little is highly prized, if it be but a cup of cold water, it is more then a kingdome without it, the giving the body to be burned is nothing without it. I will give you two Scriptures, one wherein the Saints prize Gods love, the other wherein God prizes the Saints love, Pſal. 36. 7. How excellent is thy loving kindneſſe O God. Pſal. 91. 14. Becauſe he hath ſet his love upon me, therefore will I deli…er him, I will ſet him on high.
Thirdly, This intire love is a love in all conditions. Chriſt loves his Church in their afflictions as intirely as he doth out of their afflictions. Deut. 32. 10. He found him in a deſart land, and in the waſt howling wilderneſſe, he led him about, he inſtructed him, hee kept him as the apple of his eye. Marke, they were in the wilderneſſe, in the waſt howling wilderneſſe, yet even there they were deare unto Chriſt, they were kept as the apple of his eye. The Church on the other ſide looks upon Chriſt in his afflictions as lovely ſtill as ever, Cant. 1. 12. A bundle of myrrhe is my well beloved unto me, he ſhal lie all night betwixt my breaſts. Myrrhe is a bitter thing, yet the Church profeſſeth that Chriſt though bitter in his afflictions, ſhould lie as lovely betweene her breaſts as a bundle of myrrhe. I remember Herodotus reports of one Artemeſia, Queen of Halicarnaffus (and Plinie ſpeaks ſomething of her too) when her husband was dead, ſhe took his aſhes & drank it in wine out of reſpect to him though dead. The Church loveth a crucified Chriſt as well as a glorified Chriſt. A moſt notable example of the love of a Spouſe to her husband wee have in our Engliſh Chronicle, Elenor the wife of Edward the firſt, the King having got a wound by a poyſoned dagger, ſhe to ſhew the intire love ſhe bare to her husband, becauſe ſhe thought if the poyſon did ſtay a while in the wound there would be no cure, therefore with her own mouth ſhe ſucked out the poyſon that was in the wound, & ſo ventured the loſſe of her own life to preſerve her husbands. Here was love in a Spouſe to her husband. There is the like love of the Church unto Chriſt, if Chriſt be wounded with the poyſonous tongues of ungodly men in reproaches and blaſphemies,Vtinam dominus avertat adverſarios ab eccleſia & in me omnia ſua tela convertant, meo ſanquine ſitim ſuam expleant. Ambr. let him be never ſo perſecuted in the world, they that are truly gracious are willing to ſuck in that very poyſon to themſelves, ſo they may take it from him. Let the reproaches of Chriſt fall upon me, O let me ſuffer rather then Chriſt. It was Ambroſe his wiſh, Oh that God would turne all the adverſaries of the Church upon me, that they might turne all their weapons upon me, and ſatisfie their thirſt with my blood, this is the diſpoſition of a true ſpouſe of Chriſt.
The fourth is unſpeakable delight; communion hath delight: the greateſt communion, the greateſt delight: the greateſt delight that God hath is to communicate himſelfe, to his Son firſtly, and next in letting out himſelfe to his Saints. If there be delight in God in letting out himſelf to the Saints, in reaſon one would thinke there muſt needs be delight in the Saints, in letting themſelves out into God, in flowing into God. God takes ſuch delight in letting out his mercy to his Saints, as that he was well pleaſed with the death of his own Son as a meanes conducing thereunto. One would thinke that the death of Chriſt ſhould be the moſt abhorring to the heart of God of any thing in the world,Mutual delight betweene Chriſt and the Saints. yet the Scripture ſaith God was well pleaſed with it, Eſay, 53. 10. Why was God pleaſed with it? Becauſe the Lord ſaw this was the way for him to communicate himſelf in the fulneſſe of his grace unto his Church, and therefore though it coſt him ſo deare as the death of his own Son, yet he was well pleaſed with it. And as for Chriſt, he takes delight in letting out himſelf to his people, after he had ſuffered, the Text ſaith, he was ſatisfied when he ſaw of the travell of his ſoul. As if Chriſt had ſaid, O let me have a Church to communicate my ſelf unto, though I ſee it hath coſt me my blood, it hath coſt me all theſe fearfull ſufferings, yet I am ſatisfied, I thinke all is well beſtowed, ſo I may have a people to partake of my love and mercy for ever. Cant. 4. 9. Thou haſt raviſhed my heart, my ſiſter, my ſpouſe, thou haſt raviſhed my heart with one of thine eyes. Then for the Saints, the delight they have in communicating themſelves unto Chriſt is unutterable. Stay me with flaeggons, comfort me with apples, for I am ſick of love, ſaith the Church, Cantic, 2. 5. Pſal. 63. 5. My ſoul ſhall be ſatisfied with marrow and fatneſſe, and my mouth ſhall praiſe thee with joyfull lips, when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate of thee in the night watches.
Take this note, the more fully you lay out your ſelves for Chriſt, the more comfort you ſhall have in your lives. Here is the great difference between hypocrites and others in the comfort of their lives. It is impoſſible that any hypocrite can have that comfort in his life as a gracious heart can have, upon this ground, becauſe a hypocrite reſerveth ſomewhat of himſelf for ſomething elſe, there is not a full comunication of himſelf unto Chriſt, he alwayes keepes ſomewhat back and thereby loſeth his comfort: But a gracious heart fully letting out himſelfe into Chriſt, from thence cometh the comfort, & ſweetneſs that he hath in the ways of Chriſt above all hypocrites in the world.
Perhaps you thinke that the onelyonly comfort you can have is by receiving ſome benefit, ſome mercy from God, you are much miſtaken, the comfort of letting your hearts out to God, is a greater comfort then any comfort you have in receiving any thing from God.
And now, Oh how happy are they unto whom Chriſt is thus eſpouſed! How comfortably may you live being made ſure to Chriſt? and how comfortably may you die? It is our work to ſeeke to draw ſoules to Chriſt, to allure ſoules to be in love with him. Gen. 24. 35. You may ſee what courſe Abrahams ſervant took in drawing the love of Rebekah and her friends to his Maſters ſon, he begins wi…h telling them that he is the ſervant of Abraham, and that the Lord had bleſſed his Maſter greatly, ſo that he was become great, and that the Lord had given him flocks, and herds, and ſilver, & gold, and that he had an onelyonly ſoone that was to be heire of all this. This is the work of Miniſters, to tell people what riches of mercy there are in God, and that all the treaſures of thoſe infinite riches of the infinite God are in JESUS CHRIST and to be let out in him, this gaines the heart. Yea it is not onelyonly the work of Miniſters, but it ſhould be worke of every gracious heart thus to ſeek to draw ſouls to Chriſt, as Rev. 22. 17. not onelyonly the Angels there ſay Come, but the Bride ſaith Come, and let him that hea eth ſay Come, and let him that is a thirſt come, and whoſoever will let him take the water of life freely.
VVere I not in ſuch a way of explication as I am, ſurely wee could not get off ſuch a point as this; but that which I ſhall ſay for the preſent is onelyonly this. Know that it is not want of any worth in you that can hinder communion with Jeſus Chriſt, doe not reaſon in that manner. I am a poor wretched ſinfull creature, will ever Chriſt be married unto me? It is not thy ſinfulneſſe, it is not thy baſe condition that can hinder thee; Chriſt never joynes himſelfe to any becauſe they are worthy, but he joynes himſelf to them that they may be worthy, hee makes them to be worthy in joyning himſelfe unto them. The woman is not married unto the King, becauſe ſhe is a Queen, but the King maryeth her, to make her a Queene. And further know, if your hearts be not taken with Chriſt to joyne with him in his holy mariage, if he be not your husband to enjoy conjugall communion with you, he will be your judge to condemn you. But beſides this betrothing between Chriſt & a ſoul, there is a betrothing between Chriſt & a viſible Church, eſpecially the Church of the Jews when they ſhall be called.
God ſhal appeare in his glory when this maryage ſhall be between Chriſt and the Jewiſh Church, the King will then be in his Robes, if a man of eſtate have a ſonne to marry,Chriſtmar rying himſelfe to the Church of the Iews. and intends to ſolemnize the maryage according to his eſtate, if he have any better cloathes then other, he puts them on that day; ſo at the calling of the Jewes, the King of heaven will be in his robes; God will appeare in a moſt glorious manner to the world then ehe did ſince the creation. Yea and you know the Bridegroome too will be very fine upon the mariage day; ſo Jeſus Chriſt will then appeare, (whether perſonally or otherwiſe wee ſay not) but certainly hee will gloriouſly appeare at that day. Tit. 2. 15. We looke for the glorious appearance of the great God, and our Saviour jeſ…s Chriſt. And 2 Theſ. 1. 10. Chriſt ſhall come ſo as to be admired in all them that believe; the Church likewiſe ſhall then be arrayed in her fine cloaths, ſhee ſhall be then cloathed in white cleane, and fine li…nen, as it is Rev. 19. 8. all in the righteouſneſs of Chriſt, the great doctrine of juſtification by Chriſt ſhall be made out full and cleare. Yea and the creatures, her ſervants, ſhall put on the beſt rayment, as in a great marriage the ſervants in the houſe have new cloathes, at that day there will be a change in all the creatures, and another kind of face in the world then now there is. Then will be the marriage ſupper, and happy ſhall thoſe be that ſhall then be found worthy to enter into the bed-chamber; let us now love Chriſt, let us now cleave to him, let us now ſuffer for him; we may perhaps be ſome of thoſe, who beſide our eternal enjoyment of chriſt in heaven, may enjoy him in this mariage upon the earth. But we muſt leave this argument, we ſpake ſomething of it in the end of the firſt chapter.
And I will betroth thee unto me for ever.
[For ever.] This adds to the mercy to make it glorious, this [for ever] makes a miſery though never ſo little, an infinite miſery, and a mercy, an infinite mercy. This betrothing for ever, ſhall be fulfilled in a viſible church communion to the Jewes, and in the ſpirituall communion of Chriſt with the ſoule for the preſent. Of the viſible form firſt.
Iſa. 60. 15. I will make thee an eternall excellency, a joy of many generations. I thinke this is not onelyonly meant concerning the ſpiritual happines of the Saints, but that God hath a time to make his viſible church to be an eternall excellency, and a joy of many generations, an excellency that ſhall never have an end. And this their perpetuall condition, their enduring happineſſe ſhall ariſe from three grounds.
Firſt, from the precious foundation that ſhall be laid upon that Church when it ſhall be.The grounds of the enduring happineſs of the Church. Iſa. 54. 8. With everlaſting kindneſſe will I have mercy on thee, ſaith the Lord; but mark the ground, verſ. 11. Behold I lay the foundation with Saphires; all the rubbiſh ſhal be taken away, it ſhal not be raiſed upon a rubbiſh foundation. God will lay the foundations of it with Saphires, and then with everlaſting mercy he will embrace that Church.
Secondly, that Church ſhall be in a peaceable condition, no rent, no diviſion there, therefore in a perpetuall condition. Eſay 33. 20. A Tabernacle that ſhall not be taken down, not one of the ſtakes thereof ſhall ever be removed: Why? the very words before ſhew the reaſon, Jeruſalem ſhall be a quiet habitation.
Thirdly, this Church ſhall look wholly at Chriſt as their Judge, and their Law-giver, and their King. Iſa. 33. 22. The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Law-giver, the Lord is our King. Churches are ready to change, while they mixe other things with the worſhip of Chriſt, and the lawes of men with his laws; but when they can look to him, I mean in that which is ſpirituall, as their Law-giver, as their Judge, and as their King, then the happineſſe of it ſhall be perpetuall never to ceaſe in this world, the Lord Chriſt will betroth this Church unto him for ever.
Though I verily think the holy Ghoſt aymeth at this in great part, yet we are to underſtand this betrothing for ever, further of the ſpirituall communion the ſoul hath with Chriſt. When Chriſt betroths himſelfe unto a ſoule, it is for ever; the conjugall love of Chriſt with a gracious ſoule ſhal never be broken: At the firſt, mans condition was ſuch, as man laid hold upon God, and let goe his hold; but now God lays hold upon man, and hee will never let goe his. The bond of union in a believer runs through Jeſus Chriſt, it is faſtned upon God, and the ſpirit of God holds the other end of it, and ſo it can never be broken; This union is in the Father who hath laid a ſure foundation, 2 Tim. 2. 19. Rom. 9. 11. In the Son who loves his to the end, Iohn 13. 1. In the Spirit, who abides in the elect for ever, John 14. 16, 17. Eſay 54. 10. The mountains ſhall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindneſſe ſhall not depart from thee, neither ſhall the covenant of my peace be removed, ſaith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. My loving kindneſſe ſhall be more ſtable with thee, and endure longer then the mountains themſelves. It is as ſure as the ordinances of heaven. Jer. 31. 35, 36. Thus ſaith the Lord, which giveth the Sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the Moon and of the Stars for a light by night, if thoſe ordinances dopart from before mee, then the ſeed of Iſrael ſhall ceaſe, &c. And Jer. 33. 20, 21. Thus ſaith the Lord, if you can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, that there ſhould not be day and night in their ſeaſon, then may alſo my covenant be broken with David my ſervant. You have theſe three expreſſions of the abiding of Gods love to his people.
1. The continuance of the mountains. 2. The continuance of the ordinances of heaven and earth. 3. Gods covenant with night and day. Here is the bottome of conſolation to the Saints, They ſhall be kept by the power of God, 1 Pet. 1. 5. As if God ſhould ſay, the ſpeciall power that I meane to put forth in this world, ſhall be to uphold the ſpirits of my Saints, to bring them to ſalvation, certainly it is ſo. The ſpeciall work that God hath in this world to exerciſe his power about, is to keep Chriſt and the Saints together.
Though it be through Gods power that the heavens and the earth be kept up, yet if God muſt withdraw his power from one, hee would rather withdraw it from upholding heaven and earth, then from upholding one gracious ſoule that hath union with his Son.
The union that is between Chriſt and his people, it is too neere an union ever to be broken.Sicut imposſibile eſt fermentom mixum a paſta ſeparari, quia immutabit paſtae naturam, it a imposſibile Chriſtianus rapi aChristo, quia eſt in eis Chriſtus fermentum, it a incorporatus, ut unum ſit corpus, una maſſa. Luth. I remember Luther hath a notable expreſſion about this: As it is impoſſible for the leaven that is in the dough to be ſeparated from the dough, after it is once mixed, for it turneth the nature of the dough into it ſelfe; ſo it is impoſſible, ſaith he, for the Saints ever to be ſeparated from Chriſt:
For Chriſt is in the Saints as neerly as the leaven in the very dough, ſo incorporated as that Chriſt and they are as it were one lump. Chriſt who came to ſave that which was loſt, will never loſe that which he hath ſaved. Heb. 7. 16. it is ſaid that Chriſt was made a Prieſt not after the law of a carnall commandement: That is, he was not made a Prieſt as the Prieſts in the law, after a ceremonial way, but after the power of a indiſſoluble life: Coeli virture, foreignby a celeſtiall vertue, ſo Calvin upon the place. The argument why Chriſts life is indiſſoluble, rather then the Prieſts in the law, is becauſe they were made by the power of a carnall commandement, not by a Celeſtiall power. So thoſe who profeſſe godlineſſe according to a carnall comandement in a ceremoniall way, may faile, vaniſh, and come to nothing in their way of worſhip as many have done; but ſuch as are profeſſors of Religion by the vertue of Gods Spirit in them, they have the power of a life indiſſoluble. There are two ſoul-ſtaying and ſoul-ſatisfying grounds to aſſure of Chriſts betrothing himſelfe for ever.
Firſt, when any ſoul is taken in to Chriſt, it hath not onelyonly all the ſinnes that it hath committed heretofore pardoned,Two ſoulſtaying and ſoul-ſatisfying grounds for perſeverance. but there is a pardon laid in for all ſin that is to come. There is forgiveneſſe with thee, Pſal. 130. 4. There lyes pardon with God before hand for all that is to come, as well as for that which is paſt. There is no condemnation unto them which are in Chriſt Jeſus, Rom. 8. 1. That is, there is no inſtant of time after they are once in Chriſt Jeſus wherein it can be ſaid they are under the ſentence of condemnation. Now were it not that there were a pardon laid before-hand for all ſin that is to come, there might upon commiſſion of a new ſinne be ſaid at that time, that now they are under condemnation; for if the leaſt ſin be not pardoned, there is condemnation: but this cannot be. I do not ſay the ſin is pardoned before it is comitted, for that is a harſh & improper ſpeech: for when we ſpeake of pardoning ſin, we ſpeak of a work applyed to the creature, not of that which is in God: a pardon is laid up to be applyed by God when ever the ſin is commited, ſo that there ſhal be no inſtant of time wherein the ſinner is unpardoned, & ſo under condemnation. Then ſurely he can never fall off from Chriſt; for what doth endanger the falling off from Chriſt, but commisſion of ſin? Chriſt hath as well merited at the hand of God pardon for any ſin that is to come, as he hath merited pardon for ſin paſt; do not ſay this opens a gap to licentiouſneſſe, then we need not care; No, the grace of Chriſt hath no ſuch malignity in it, in ſaying thus thou ſpeakeſt againſt thy life. The ſecond ſoul-ſtaying argument for perſeverance is, that perſeverance is a ſpiritual mercy purchaſed by Chriſt as well as any grace, Epheſ. 1. 3. Bleſſed be God who hath bleſſed us with all ſpiritual blesſings in Jeſus Chriſt. Now you will ſay, Faith is a blesſing, and Humility is a bleſſing, and Joy is a blesſing we have in Chriſt, why is not Perſeverance a blesſing, a ſpirituall blesſing too? Chriſt hath as truely and as really layd down his bloud to purchaſe the perſeverance, as to purchaſe thy pardon, as to purchaſe any thing he hath purchaſed for thee.
That which Chriſt hath laid down his blood to purchaſe, ſurely muſt be had, the purchaſe of Chriſts blood ſhall not be fruſtrate. Is there any thing thou haſt by vertue that purchaſe? Thou mayeſt be as ſure of perſeverance, for Chrſt hath laid down his blood to purchaſe that alſo.
Chriſtian then ſatisfie thy ſoul in this, God gives the comforts in this world, but he gives them not for ever, but when he betrotheth thee unto his Son he betrotheth thee for ever. Perhaps the Lord in mercy hath made thy life here in this thy pilgrimage very comfortable in giving thee a comfortable meet yoke-fellow, in this thy betrothing thou art happy, but this happineſſe is not for ever, thou canſt looke upon thy yoke-fellow as a mercy of God unto thee, that makes thy pilgrimage ſweet, but there muſt be a diſſolution between thee and her; but thy union with thy Husband Chriſt is for ever, there ſhall never be diſſolution of that. Perhaps ſome of you have loſt comfortable yoke-fellowes, death hath come and ſnapt aſunder the union between you, and you complain never woman loſt ſuch a husband, never man loſt ſuch a wife as I have, if you be godly you have a husband that you ſhall never loſe, it is he that will fill up relations, he ſaith, Thy maker is thy husband, Eſay, 54. 5.
And further, this is mutuall, I will betroth thee unto me for ever, & I will give thee a heart that thou ſhalt cleave unto me for ever. This will afford unto us another uſefull meditation, viz. When the Lord chooſeth any ſoule to himſelfe, as he ſetteth his own heart for ever upon thar ſoul, ſo he gives unto that ſoul a principle of grace to cleave unto him for ever too; to give up himſelfe unto him in an everlaſting covenant, Pſal. 119. 112. I have inclyned my heart to performe thy ſtatutes alwayes; Is not that enough? No, he muſt have another word to expreſſe the thing, alwayes, even to the end. Davids heart was much taken with the ſtatutes of God, O Lord through thy mercy my heart is inclined to keep thy ſta…utes, yea and it is ſo alwayes, yea and it ſhall be unto the end. It is a kinde of pleonaſme, or rather the expreſſion of the fulneſſe of his heart, in his reſolutions never to depart from God.
But what are thoſe riches Chriſt beſtoweth upon his people whom he betrotheth to himſelf? the bracelets, and ornaments hee putteth upon their necks and upon their hands are theſe.
I will betroth thee unto me in righteouſneſſe, and in judgement, & in loving kindneſſe, and in mercies, I will ever betroth thee unto me in faithfulneſſe, aud thou ſhalt know the Lord.
There is much of the Goſpel in this.
In righteouſneſſe.]
This according to ſome is underſtood, as oppoſed to disſimulation, Sine fuco, without any diſſembling, in this he aſſures his people that they ſhall finde his dealings with them altogether right and equall, and ſo I expect from you, and will cauſe it in you, that in your dealings towards me, you be right and equall, there ſhall be nothing feigned betwixt us, all ſhall be plain, right, and juſt.
You know there is often a great deale of diſſimulation in marriages, great pr…ffers, and promiſes, and overtures of what one ſhould enjoy in the other, and when they meet not with what they expect, it cauſes great diſſention between them, and makes their lives exceeding uncomfortable; But now ſaith God, there ſhall be no diſſimulation betwixt you and me, I will deale with you in the plainneſſe of my heart, and you ſhall deale with mee in the plainneſſe of your hearts. So the word [righteousneſſe] is taken in Scripture, Iſa. 48. 1. They make mention of the God of Iſrael, but not in truth nor in righteouſneſſe, one expounds the other, I will receive you againe though you have departed from me, in the very integrity of my ſoule, doe not feare me, doe not ſuſpect me, doe not thinke though he make a ſhew of love unto mee, and of great favour, yet hee intendeth to caſt mee off at laſt: Theſe are the jealous thoughts of many troubled conſciences. Indeed I heare of mercy, and God is working toward me as if he intended mercy to me, but I am afraid he will caſt me off in the concluſion; No ſaith God, do not feare, do not ſuſpect me, this mercy I offer is bona fide, it is in the very truth of my heart, therefore let there not be ſuch ſuſpitious thoughts betwixt you and me, you may be ſure that what is fit and right for you to have from ſuch a husband as I am, that doth belong to ſuch a Spouſe as I profeſſe to take you to be, you ſhall certainly have it, you need not be afraid, for you ſhall have plain and upright dealing with me. This I take to bee one part though not all of the meaning of the holy Ghoſt here, I will betroth thee unto me in righteouſneſſe, that love I profeſſe to you I do not do it to mock you ſaith God, but I do it in truth. From whence the notes which are very uſefull may be,
Firſt,Obſer. guilty hearts are full of ſuſpitions of Gods reall meaning in all his expreſſions of love and mercy. They judge God by themſelves. As they firſt ſlight ſinne, becauſe they judg of God by themſelves, they ſee not ſuch a dreadful evill in ſinne, they think God ſees it not: ſo after they have ſinned, they judge of Gods mercy by their own, they think thus; if any had offended us ſo as we have offended God, though we might ſay wee would be reconciled to him, yet wee could not bring our hearts fully to come off to it, ſomething would remain in our hearts, they therefore think ſo of God, they ſuſpect God that he doth not mean really in his expreſſions of love and mercy to them. But take heed of this, doe not judge of God by your ſelves, though you have a baſe and cruell heart, and cannot be reconciled to thoſe that provoke you; it is not therefore ſo with God. There are theſe two evils in ſin, firſt in the nature of it there is a departing from God; ſecondly, it cauſeth jealouſies and ſuſpitions of God, and ſo hinders the ſoul from coming unto God again.
Secondly,Obſer. God is very carefull to prevent all theſe ſuſpitions in the hearts of his people. God deſires that you ſhould have good thoughts of him, and this is that we plead with you for, and do often open the riches of Gods grace to this end that you may have good thoughts of God, and to take off your jealouſies and ſuſpitions of him, as if there were no reall intention in all the proffers of mercy he makes to you; doe not thinke that all thoſe riches of Gods grace are meer words, they are certaine intentions of Gods heart towards you. I will betroth thee unto me in righteouſneſſ.
And for your parts, I will give you a heart, you ſhall return to mee bona fide, you ſhal do it in the plainneſſe of your hearts. There was a time indeed, as Pſal. 78. 34, 35, 36. God complained of his people that they ſought him and returned unto him, nevertheleſſe they did flatter with their mouth, and lyed unto him with their tongues, there was no reality in their returning unto him, they made great promiſes, that whatſoever God ſhould ſay unto them they would do it, but there was no reality in it, yea but ſaith God, there ſhall come a time that you ſhall have righteous hearts, and that which you promiſe to me you ſhall promiſe really, there ſhall not be that falſeneſſe in your hearts, thoſe ſhews and overtures that were heretofore, but you ſhall return to me with all your hearts in righteouſneſs.
God hath made adoe at firſt with us to make us believe that he is in good earneſt with us in his proffers o… mercy;Obſer. and much adoe there is before our hearts can be gotten to work towards God in good earneſt.
Further note, this is one reaſon why God doth betroth for ever, becauſe he doth it in the plainneſſe of his heart; and this is alſo a good reaſon why the Saints continue for ever, becauſe what they do to God is in the plainneſs of their hearts. Thoſe who return to God in an hypocriticall way, will fall off, but they that return in uprighteneſſe will hold conſtant with him, Prov. 8. 18. it is ſaid of Wiſdome, that with her are durable riches and righteouſneſſe, they are put together; where there is true righteouſneſſe in the heart, there is durable riches.
But yet there is another thing in this betrothing in righteouſneſſe, and that I thinke hath more in it then the former. God will be ſo reconciled to his Church, as yet he will manifeſt himſelf to be a righteous God. In the works of the riches of his grace he will manifeſt the glory of his juſtice too; I will doe it in righteouſneſſe, though indeed the Lord intendeth to glorifie rich grace, yet ſo as he will declare his righteouſneſſe to men and Angels, that in this very work of his he ſhall be acknowledged by them unto all eternity to bee a righteous God; GOD will make ſuch a way for this his love and goodneſſe as that hee will have ſatisfaction to his juſtice in it. That place, Rom. 3. 25, 26. is remarkable for our purpoſe; Whom God hath ſet forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood; How? To declare his righteouſneſs for the remisſion of ſinnes. Marke it, it is not that he had ſet forth Chriſt to be a propitiation, to declare his mercy in the forgiveneſſe of ſins; you will ſay, What is there in the forgiveneſſe of ſins but only the mercy of God? Yes, there is ſomewhat elſe, there is righteouſneſſe too, and the Lord doth declare his righteouſneſſe in the forgiveneſſe of ſins, and therefore it is that he hath ſet forth Chriſt to be a propitiation, that hee might declare his righteouſneſſe. If the Lord ſhould have ſaid but thus, Well, you are great and grievous ſinners, I will be content freely to forgive you all your ſins, this would have declared Gods mercy, but not his righteouſneſſe: but now when the Lord hath ſet forth Chriſt as a propitiation, and forgiveth ſins through the blood of his Son, in this God declareth as much righteouſneſſe as grace. This text Luther had a great deale of do to underſtand, and he prayed much before he could get the right meaning of it; yea it is repeated again, To declare, I ſay, his righteouſneſſe, that he might be juſt, & the juſtifier of him that believeth in Jeſus; not that he might be mercifull in juſtifying him that believeth in Jeſus, but that he might be juſt in juſtifying him that believeth in Jeſus.
And this is the great myſtery of the Goſpel, this is that which the Angels pry into, the Saints and Angels ſhal admire & bleſſe God to all eternity, for the reconciling riches of mercy, and infinite juſtice both in one. This was that which ſet the infinite wiſdome of God on worke from all eternity, how to find a way to ſave ſinners, and to be infinitely righteous notwithſtanding. If all the Angels in heaven, and all the men in the world had been put to it, to find out a way to anſwer this queſtion, How ſhall ſin be pardoned, the ſinner reconciled unto God, and God glorifie his juſtice? they could never have done it, but God in his infinite wiſdome hath found out a way to doe it. This coſt God dear, it coſt him the heart blood of his own Son, and that was a ſign that Gods heart was much in it, and indeed we are not Chriſtians untill in ſome meaſure we ſee, and have our hearts taken with the glory of God in this myſtery. We muſt looke at righteouſneſſe in our reconciliation, as well as to loving kindneſſe and mercy.
When God is reconciled unto a ſinner, there is not only his mercy glorified, but in that way that God hath found out to ſave a ſinner, hee hath the glory of his juſtice as much, yea more then if the ſinner were eternally damned in hell.
How is that you will ſay?
I make that good three ways.
Firſt, when God appointed a ſurety, his Son, and charged his debt upon him, to ſatisfie his juſtice, in that God would not ſpare this Sonne of his the leaſt farthing token, I mean, not the leaſt degree of puniſhment, he would not remit any thing to his Son, the Lord did hereby ſhew a ſtronger intenſe love unto juſtice, then if he had damned tenne thouſand thouſand creatures Suppoſe a malefactor comes before a Judg, the Judg will not ſpare the malefactor, but requireth ſatisfaction to the law, this ſhews that the Judg loves juſtice: but if the Iudges own ſon be a delinquent, and it appears before all the Country that the Iudg will not ſpare him, but he muſt ſatisfie the law to the uttermoſt, you will ſay the Iudge doth honour unto juſtice more in this, then in condemning many other malefactors. So when the Lord ſhall caſt many thouſands into hell, there to be tormented for ever, this ſheweth that God loveth juſtice; but when his own Son ſhall take our ſins upon him, but by imputation, & God will not ſpare him (that is the very word of the Scripture, He ſpared not his own Sonn, ſaith the Text) this declareth Gods love to righteouſneſs, more then if all the world had been damned.
Secondly, ſuppoſe the ſinner that is reconciled had been damned, then the juſtice of God had been but in ſatisfying, and never had fully been ſatiſfied; but in that way that God hath found out to ſave a ſinner, his juſtice is not only ſatisfying, but it comes to be fully ſatisfied, to have enough. Now it is a greater honour to juſtice to be fully ſatisfied, then to be in ſatisfying.
As for inſtance, ſuppoſe a man be a Creditor to one who owes him five thouſand pounds, this man is poore, and the utmoſt he can pay is but ſixe pence, or twelve pence a weeke; ſuppoſe the Creditor ſhould lay him in the Jayle untill he had payed all, this man would be paying, but would never be payed ſo long as the Debtor liveth; but if another rich man ſhould come and lay downe five thouſand pound at once, the man is preſently ſatisfied. Here is the difference between Gods ſatisfying his juſtice upon ſinners, and upon Jeſus Chriſt; God cometh upon the ſinner, he requireth the debt of puniſhment, becauſe he did not pay the debt of obedience, God caſt him into priſon, the uttermoſt he can pay is but twelve pence a week as it were, that is but a little, and thereforefore he muſt be ſtill paying and paying eternally, which is the very ground of their eternall puniſhment in hell, becauſe they cannot pay enough in any finite time: Now commeth Chriſt, and he fully payes the debt, ſo that juſtice ſaith it hath enough, it is ſatisfied, this is the greater glory to the juſtice of God.
Thirdly, If the ſinner had been ſent down to hell, God had had the glory of his juſtice paſſively upon him, hee ſhould be for ever under the power and ſtroke of juſtice, but in the mean time the ſinner would have hated God for his juſtice, and hated juſtice; but when juſtice is honoured actively, the ſinner falleth down and acknowledgeth himſelfe guilty, putteth himſelfe under the ſtroake of Gods juſtice, and accepteth of the puniſhment of his iniquity; now God is delighted more abundantly in this active way of glorifying his juſtice, then if the ſinner ſhould have beene eternally in hell to have ſatisfied.
And now Devils and all wicked men muſt needs have their mouths ſt…pped for ever, they cannot cry out of God becanſe he will marry himſelfe to ſuch ſinners, this is mercy, but where is his righteouſneſs? where is the glory of his juſtice? here is an anſwer to them all, though the Lord ſetteth his love upon vile ſinners, yet ſo as hee doth it in righteouſneſſe. And this is a great encouragement to come in and believe, as thus, if the ſinner be terrified with the apprehenſion of his ſinne, I ſee by them the wrath of God is incenſed, and infinite juſtice comes upon mee, and I heare that crying for ſatisfaction; this bids the ſinner know likewiſe, that God hath a way to ſatiſfie infinite juſtice, and yet to ſave thy ſoul, he will marry thee unto himſelf, and yet he will do it in righteouſneſſe.
And this is a mighty helpe unto a ſinner againſt all faylings afterward, a mighty eſtabliſhment againſt a thouſand objections the ſinner may make againſt himſelf. Thus we muſt ſeek to God when wee ſeek for reconciliation, to be received againe when wee have departed from him, whatſoever GOD doth for us, hee muſt doe it in the way of righteouſneſſe as well as in the way of mercy. Take this with you ſinners, if ever you have a pardon ſealed unto you, it muſt be ſealed in the Court of juſtice as well as in the Court of mercy; therefore thou needeſt not appeale from the Court of juſtice to the Mercy-ſeat, for in that way of the myſtery of godlineſs that there is in God reconciling himſelfe unto a ſinner, there may be as much comfort in ſtanding before the bar of juſtice as at the Mercy-ſeat, that is, by ſtanding there, in and through Chriſt, for he hath made juſtice propitious to us, and now it pleadeth to mercy for us.
And indeed this is the very work of Faith, to go unto God this way, when by Faith the ſinner ſhall tender up unto God the Father the righteouſneſs of JESUS CHRIST for an atonement and ſatisfaction for ſins; It brings the comfort of juſtification this way. When you come to God in any other way but this, it is but in a natural way, not in a true evangelicall way; A man by nature may know thus much, that when he hath ſinned he muſt ſeek unto God for mercy, to pardon his ſin, or elſe he is miſerable; but to ſeek unto God for pardon with a price in our hand, to tender up the merits of Chriſt for a ſatisfaction to Divine juſtice, here is the myſtery of faith; faith is not onelyonly to rely upon Gods mercy for pardon, but this, I ſee riches of grace in Chriſt, and Chriſt my ſurety hath made an atonement, hath laid down a price, now by faith I tender up this unto God the Father, and by this way I believe my ſoul ſhall be accepted in him.
What a mighty ingagement is this for us to be righteous with God? the Lord betrotheth us unto himſelf in righteouſneſſe, & we ſhould give up our ſelves to him in righteouſneſſe too. O my brethren, take this away with you, what ever you forget; If the Lord hath thus ingaged himſelfe unto us in a way of righteouſneſſe, and if it hath coſt him ſo deare to ſhew himſelf righteous unto us; what an infinite ingagement is this unto us to be righteous before him,…laſphemiam inge it religioni quam colit, qui quod confitetur no… ante omnes impleverit. Cyper. de ſing. Cler. to glorifie Gods righteouſneſſe in our converſations: I will doe it in righteouſneſſe, and you ſhall have ſuch a righteous heart, as you ſhall never be a diſhonour unto me before the people, neither devils nor wicked men ſhal ever be able to upbraid me, that I ſet my love upon ſuch creatures as you, becauſe whatſoever you were, you ſhall be now righteous. When ever we expreſſe our ſelves to be the Spouſe of Chriſt, and be unrighteous in our converſations, we upbraid Jeſus Chriſt, wee are a diſhonor unto him before Men and Angels; what you the Spouſe of Chriſt, where is this ornament, this bracelet of righteouſneſſe then? whoſoever Chriſt maryeth, he putteth upon them this Jewel of righteouſneſſe. Hee blaſphems Religion which he ſeems to honour, ſayes Cyprian; who makes not good in his life what he profeſſes.