Gospel Reconciliation, Chapter 55
CHAP. 55. Chriſts willingneſs to be Reconciled to ſinners, further Opened.
NOW before we come to anſwer the Objections, or to any application; there is yet ſomthing more to be opened unto you. [as though God did beſeech you by us, we pray you in CHRIST'S ſtead] as the heart of God is ſo ſet upon it to be reconciled unto ſinners: ſo is Jeſus Chriſt; it is true, Chriſt is God: but Chriſt, and God are here ſpoken of ſeverally; Chriſt is the ſame God with the father: but he is God and man; God incarnate; God the mediator between the father and us: ſo that it wil be exceeding uſeful to ſhew how the heart of CHRIST is ſet upon Reconciliation of ſinners to God (for the Apoſtle doth come in the name of Chriſt, as wel as of God the father) now that the heart of Chriſt is in it; that appears in the underſtanding of the great worke of Reconciliation. That he hath undertaken it, and that ſo willingly as he hath done; Certainly if Chriſt had not been much ſet upon this work to bring ſinners to be reconciled unto the Father, he would never have undertaken ſuch a work, which he knew would prove ſo difficult to him, and he knew what it would coſt him: but yet he took it willingly, and delightfully, and for that compare thoſe two Scriptures the firſt in Pſal. 40.7. Then ſaid I, Lo, I come: in the Volume of thy book it is written of me. It begins in ver. 6. Sacrifice, and offerring thou didſt not deſire, mine ears thou didſt open: burnt offerring, and ſin offering thou didſt not require: then ſaid I, Lo, I come: in the Volume of thy book it is written of me; I delight to do thy will Oh God. It is a Pſalm of Chriſt, and a Prophecy of him, and that it is of him it appears plainly if you compare the Scripture in Heb. 10. at the beginning, and ſo on; there you have the Apoſtle quoting this very Text (only with a little difference in the word.) Now there are three, or four things that are here to be obſerved of Chriſt in his willingneſs to come, and undertake the great work of making Attonement between God and ſinners. Mine Ears haſt thou opened; that is one. Lo I come: and then, I delight to do thy will, and thy Law is within my heart. There are theſe four. Lo I come ſaith Chriſt to do it. It appears plainly that there was a Covenant between the Father, and the Son from al eternity that Chriſt ſhould come in due time into the world, and take our natures upon him: Now the time was for Chriſt to come. There is many that wil agree to do ſuch a thing beforehand: but when it comes to be done (if they ſee there wil be any difficulty in it, and that they ſhal endure ſome hardſhip) they hang back. But Chriſt had agreed from al eternity with his Father, that at ſuch a time he would come into the world, and take the nature of man upon him, and be in the form of a ſervant, and be made a curſe for mans ſins, and al that he might reconcile ſinners unto himſelf. This was the agreement. Now the time approaches for him to come, and undertake this great work; when the time came, Obſerve now how Chriſts heart was in it. He did not hang back; he did not repent him of the Covenant: But I come, I come, (ſaith Chriſt) as we uſe to expreſs our ſelves when we are called to do a thing that we love to do; we ſay; I come I come: now the time is come for you to do that which you undertook to do; to go into the world, to take the nature of man; be made in form of a Servant, and to bear my wrath and to ſatisfie my Juſtice for the ſin of man. I come, I come ſaith Chriſt and he doth not only come: but come with delight to do thy Will, and what was this wil? It was that Chriſt ſhould be humbled to the death of the Croſs, Though I knew it would coſt my life: yet I delight to do it: becauſe my heart is ſo much ſet upon reconciling Sinners unto thy ſelf, and not only ſo but thy Law is in my heart, it hath gotten a deep impreſſion in my heart; thy Law; that i…, that Law of thine whereby I am tyed to this that I have undertaken; for it is within my heart, in the very midſt of my bowels that I ſhould do it. And then Fourthly [Mine ears haſt thou opened] the words are; mine ears haſt thou boared. The meaning of that Phraſe muſt be underſtood by comparing it that way which was of God in the time of the Law, commanding that if a ſervant would not goe out of his ſervice in the years of Jubilee that his maſter ſhould take an awle, and boar his ear and ſo he ſhould be a ſervant forever. This Phraſe hath alluſion to that; as if Chriſt ſhould ſay thus, I am content that I might do this work to be as a ſervant whoſe ear is boared, who muſt be a ſervant for ever: ſo ſaith Chriſt, that I might accompliſh the work of reconciling ſinners to thy ſelf, I am content to be as a ſervant whoſe ear is boared: thereby ſignifieing; that he would be willing to liſten to any thing that ſhould be commanded him. His maſters commandements are not grievous, but it is his meat and drink to do the wil of his Lord.
Wel might the Apoſtle ſay, As in Chriſts ſtead we beſeech you as if he ſhould ſay, Chriſts heart is much towards ſinners that he might bring them to be reconciled unto God, and we in his name come to prevail with ſinners no get them in unto God.
Secondly, Obſerve what was the firſt Sermon that ever Chriſt preached; [For the the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand] that is the firſt Sermon, calling ſinners to repent; becauſe the Kingdome of grace wherein the Goſpel of God ſhould reign, that is at hand ſaith Chriſt, and then Chriſt would preach ſo as to gain moſt, when he had the greateſt Auditors; What was it that he preacht? when he was amongſt the Jews at the Feaſt of dedication, In the great day of the Feaſt (ſaith the Scripture) Chriſt lift up his voice, and cryed; Hoe every one that is a thirſt. A Miniſter when he is to preach to a great Congregation, and he is not like to come to them again, he ſhould ſpeak on ſuch a ſubject that his heart is moſt in. Now Chriſt at the Feaſt of dedicaton he was not like to come to them ſodainly again to uſe ſuch an argument to them; he cryed, Hoe, every one that is a thirſt, come, and Chriſt further doth profeſs that it is the end why he came into the World; To ſave, & to ſeek that which was loſt: Not to call the righteous, but ſinners to repentance. That is the great end that he came into the world about; it was the great ſubejct of his preaching, the great errand that he came into the world about.
And further obſerve, with what lovingneſs, gentleneſs and ſweetneſs he doth it; what a gratious invitation we have in Math. 11. Come unto me al you that are weary, and heavy leaden, and I wil give you reſt: and he profeſſes in John 6.37, None that comes to me wil I caſt of. I wil not caſt of any that do come to me: Yea he tells us, that he wil not quench the ſmoaking flax, nor break the bruiſed reede; to encourage ſinners he tells them if there be but any ſtirrings of the heart unto him, but as the ſmoaking flax, and as the bruiſed reed; yet he wil not break one, nor quench the other: but he wil encourage new beginnings though never ſo ſmal in ſinners coming unto him. Theſe are the expreſſions of Chriſt towards ſinners to ſhew them how tender he is over them, and when the time drew neer for Chriſt to ſuffer, then (if ever) one would think (if the heart of Chriſt were not much in it) Chriſt would draw back; not only when he was to come into the world: but in the work of his Mediation when he was to ſuffer the violence of the wrath of his father; to be poured out upon him. But mark how he doth expreſs himſelf in Luk, 22. verſe, 15. And he ſaid unto them, with deſire I have deſired to eate this paſſover with you before I ſuffer. Why did Chriſt deſire? he deſired, that is, ſtrongly deſired to eat this paſſover; why? becauſe he knew, that aſſoon as ever he had eaten it, he ſhould be called to ſuffer for mans ſin; and to accompliſh the great work of redemption for ſinful men. Then it was to be done, Why? Was there any ſuch cauſe that Chriſt ſhould be ſo ſtrongly upon it to deſire this paſſover? One would have thought, that above al paſſovers Chriſt ſhould have been afraide of this: becauſe this was to put a period to his life: for then Chriſt was himſelf to be made the paſſover to ſuffer: when this paſſover came once, he knew that he was to be made the paſchal Lamb, and yet he doth deſire above al to eate this paſſover, thereby ſhewing, what a minde he had to finiſh the work whereby ſinners might come to be reconciled unto God. And another expreſſion there is, I have a baptiſme to be baptized with, and how am I ſtreightned till it be accompliſhed? Chriſt was ſtreightned in his heart til the work was done. You may ſee how much the heart of Chriſt was in it to be reconciled unto ſinners, when became to do the thing indeed, when the wrath of God was even juſt comming upon him, then (though nature had ſome kind of reluctancy) he ſaieh, if it be poſſible, let this cup paſs from me, to ſhew how ſenſible his humane nature was of it, yet preſently, Not my wil but thy wil but thy wil be done. And the ſcriptue tells us that he did make his ſoul an offering for ſin, and that he layd down his life.
And further after that Chriſt had layed down his life and riſen again, mark one expreſſion more that ſhews how willing Chriſt is to have ſinners reconciled, and brought in unto the Father, and to be at peace with him and that is very remarkable in Luke, 24. verſe 46. And ſo on, note what was that firſt preaching of Chriſt, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. So here in this world in his bodily preſence, this may ſeem to be his laſt ſermon, What was it he ſaid unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Chriſt to ſuffer. Wel, in verſ. 47. And that repentance and remiſſion of ſins ſhould be preached in his name amongſt al nations begining at Jeruſalem, and ye are witneſſes of theſe things, and then by and by he was caught up into heaven. That which I note this ſcripture for is this; that after Chriſt had been ſo notoriouſly abuſed in his ſufferings, yet this did not hinder his earneſt thirſting after reconciliation of thoſe that had put him to death, and had ſo abuſed him: ſaith he it is written, that it behoved Chriſt to ſuffer &c. To begin at Jeruſalem, and that is that that I would have done, The repentance ſhould be preached to al nations, but begin at Jeruſalem. Why begin at Jeruſalem? Becauſe Jeruſalem was the place where Chriſt was put to death; immediately bef… he was crowned with Thorns, mockt, a Reed put into his hands, ſpit upon, The Children of Barrabas rather than him, yea and they cryed Away with him, they carried him to the Croſs, and there nailed him til he was dead, and thus they dealt with Chriſt there, yet Chriſt would have repetance preacht to al Nations, but ſaith he, above al, think of Jeruſalem, and begin at Jeruſalem let them have it in the firſt place, Jeruſalem that took away my life, that killed me. If any thing in the world could take of the heart of Chriſt from being reconciled to ſinners, one would have thought that that which he had done to him at Jeruſalem, ſhould have taken of his heart, but he would have them begin at Jeruſalem. It is a notable Text of Scripture to us, and you ſhal find it the moſt remarkable converſion and bringing in of ſinners, was at that Sermon of Peter, when Peter charged them that they had crucified Chriſt, the moſt famous converſion that ever was made of thoſe people that put Chriſt to death, the moſt famous work of Gods reconcling ſinners to himſelf, of Chriſt bringing in of ſinners by the preaching of the Goſpel it was by bringing in of thoſe ſinners, and therefore in the laſt Sermon that Chriſt preached from Heaven, as the firſt Sermon upon Earth, and the laſt Sermon upon Earth, and the moſt ſolemn Sermon that was at the dedication of the Temple, is altogether about bringing in ſinners to be reconciled to God. So the laſt Sermon that he preacht from Heaven, or that ever he wil preach til he comes again, ſo in Revel. 22.17. And the ſpirit & the Bride ſaid, come, & let him that heareth ſay, Come, and let him that is a thirſt, ſay Come, and whoſoever wil, let him take the water of life freely. Theſe are the laſt words in effect that are at the concluſion of the book that ever Chriſt would ſpeak til he came to Judgment, never would he ſpeak more in that way to the children of men until he came in a new world: But in this word here is the laſt in this expreſſion; Let him that is athirſt, and whoſoever wil, let him come and take of the water of life freely. Now the Objections they wil come in, as firſt: