Moses Choice, Treatise · Part 3 · Chapter 34
CHAP. XXXIV. The reproaches of Gods people are the reproaches of Christ.
IF you take the reproaches either materially or formally Point 2.; materially, that is when all the ſufferings of Gods people for which they are meanly eſteemed and looked upon as contemptible, all their ſufferings are the ſufferings of Chriſt: Formally, and that is the very ſcorn that is caſt upon them, is the ſcorn of Chriſt. I intend to handle this point in both theſe, materially and formally: So that the thing we have to handle, is, That all the ſufferings, and contempt, and diſeſteem of Gods people, are the ſufferings, and contempt, and diſeſteem of Chriſt. So that Gods people may turn the ſpeech of Chriſt concerning his Father, The reproaches of them that have reproached thee, have fallen upon me: But we may ſay, Lord and bleſſed Savior, the reproaches of them that have reproached us, are fallen upon thee; and mark therefore in Heb. 13. 13. the reproaches of Chriſts people are called the reproach of Chriſt, Let us go forth unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach: And the ſufferings of Gods ſervants are called the ſufferings of Chriſt. Colloſſ. 1. 24. and fill up that which is behinde of the afflictions of CHIST, they are the afflictions of Chriſt, and every one muſt make account to fill them up; not the ſatisfactory ſufferings of Chriſt, but the ſufferings of Chriſt in his myſtical body, in his members: And ſo every member is to fill up a ſhare in his ſufferings. And ſo Iſa. 63. 9. In all their afflictions he was afflicted: The ſufferings and troubles of Gods people are the ſufferings and troubles of Chriſt, he is ſenſible of them; and therefore in Acts 9. 4. Chriſt cryes out, Saul, Saul, why perſecuteſt thou me? Further, compare two places together in one, Pſal. 79. ver. 4, 12. at the 4. verſe, ſays the Text, We are become a reproach to our neighbors; a ſcorn and deriſion to thoſe that are round about us: And at the twelfth verſe it is, Render unto our neighbors ſevenfold into their boſom, their reproach wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord: He goes on in the ſame argument, and firſt he calls them the reproach of the Church, and then the reproach of God.
But is it ſaid here the reproach of Chriſt? It may be asked, Why not the reproach of God the Father, or the reproach of the Holy Ghoſt?
The reproaches of Gods people are the reproaches of Chriſt in a ſpecial maner; becauſe Chriſt is the head of the Church, and it is from the fulneſs of Chriſt, that they have that grace conveyed which is reproached; and the union they have with God, and with the Spirit, is by Chriſt; and therefore it is the reproach of Chriſt here named, according to the ſeveral workings of the Father, and Son, and Holy Ghoſt: ſo the three perſons are reproached by mans ſin: There is a reproach unto God as God, and unto Chriſt as Chriſt, and unto the Spirit as the Spirit.
There is a reproach unto God as he is Creator, the preſerver of the world, and governor of all things: When the work of God, the firſt Perſon of the Trinity, is reproached, then he is reproached, Prov. 14. 31. He that oppreſſeth the poor, reproacheth his maker: It is a work of the Father to order things ſo, as to make one poor, and one rich: And you take an advantage to mock at the poor upon this difference which God hath made in the world, when as you ſhould honor the work of God in making any difference between you and others: but in ſtead of honoring of it, you caſt an aſperſion upon his work, and deſpiſe others, becauſe God hath put them in a low condition; you reproach your Creator in this. And when the work of Redemption is deſpiſed, when that is oppoſed, and when the profeſſion of the Goſpel hath diſhonor put upon it, then Chriſt is reproached: Heb. 6. 6. the Apoſtle ſays, Thoſe that fall off after they have taſted of the heavenly gift, and the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, they put the Son of God to an open ſhame. And when enlightning, and drawing, and the quickening and comforting work of the Spirit is reproached and vilified, then the Spirit is reproached, Heb. 10. 29. They do deſpite to the Spirit of grace: So that you ſee both Father, Son and Holy Ghoſt, all three are reproached by mans ſin; not that the ſin of man is able to caſt the leaſt ſtain upon the glory of the bleſſed God, or make God to be leſs glorious, no more then a little duſt caſt up into the air can darken the brightneſs of the Sun ſhining in its ſtrength; but it keeps the glory of God from ſhining upon others, and upon himſelf, ſo as he and others ſhall not ſee it, and admire it, and adore it as they ought.
If you ask why the reproaches of Gods people are Object.called the reproaches of Chriſt?
I anſwer, Firſt, as Chryſoſtome, becauſe they do Anſw.ſuffer the ſame things that Chriſt ſuffers; you ſhall finde the reproaches of Gods people, and the reproaches of Chriſt are juſt alike one another. In Pſal. 42. 6, 7, 8. there are three things upon which Chriſt ſeems to be reproached, and they are the three ſpecial things upon which Chriſtians are reproached: As firſt the outward means of Chriſt in the world, I am a worm and no man, ſo the outward, mean and low condition of Gods people ſubjects them to reproach. Secondly, Chriſt bore the world Why the Reproaches of Gods people are called the Reproaches of Chriſt.in hand that he truſted in God, and depended upon God, and no outward help; and therefore they ſaid, Let us ſee whether he will deliver him, being he truſted in him; ſo the men of the world ſcorn at Gods people, becauſe they ſpeak ſo much of God, and truſting in God. Thirdly, they reproached him, becauſe he ſaid, God delighted in him; ſo becauſe the Saints of God do profeſs their relations to God, and do expect an eſpecial love of God, therefore the world reproaches them.
Secondly, it is the reproach of Chriſt, in regard of the near relation, and cloſe union that is between 2.Chriſt and his people: As the reproach of the Wife is the reproach of the Husband, and the reproach of the Husband is the reproach of the Wife, becauſe of their union, and therefore in 1 Cor. 11. the Apoſtle calls the woman, the glory of the man: Either in regard that the man may glory in her if ſhe be godly and good, or elſe becauſe the woman does honor the man, the Wife is to honor her Husband, and to give glory to him; as the people of God are called The glory of God, partly becauſe God does glory in them, and partly becauſe they do give glory to God: ſo the woman ſhould be ſuch a one as the man may glory in her, and ſuch a one as may give glory to her husband: Now the Church is the glory of Chriſt, as the wife is the glory of the man; and therefore it is ſaid in 2 Cor. 8. 23. ſpeaking of Titus and others which were meſſengers of the Church, he ſays, they are the glory of Chriſt, then certainly their reproaches muſt be the reproaches of Chriſt.
Nay, there is a nearer union then this, for this is onelyonly by convenant, but there is a union between the head and the members, that is a nearer union; the Church is not onelyonly fleſh of Chriſts fleſh, and bone of Chriſts bone, but it is the fleſh of Chriſt, and the bone of Chriſt, it is the very fulneſs of the body of Christ, Eph. 1. 23. it is a high expreſſion: Yea, and beſides this, the Church is called Chriſt, myſtical Christ: 1 Cor. 12. 12. For as the body is one, and hath many members, & all the members of that one body being many, are one body, ſo alſo is Chriſt; that is, The Church having many members, ought to be joyned in union as the body; yea, there is yet anearer union between Chriſt and his people, the in-being is mutual, Chriſt is in them, and they are in Chriſt, John 14. 20. You in me, and in you: The arm is in the body, but the body is not in the arm; the branch is in the vine, but the vine is not in the branch; but here as the Saints are in Chriſt, ſo Chriſt is in them: and in regard of this near union between them, their reproaches may well be eſteemed the reproaches of Chriſt.
Thirdly, becauſe they are reproached for the ſake of Chriſt: if a dog be abuſed for the ſake of his maſter, 3.it is the abuſe of his maſter: much more when Gods own people are abuſed for the ſake of Chriſt; and therefore we finde that this hath been the plea of Gods people, for thy ſake have we been killed all the day long; it was for Chriſts ſake rather then any evil in themſelves. And therefore though they be reproached for their ſins, it may come to be the reproach of Chriſt, namely thus, When as men ſhall take advantage the rather againſt them, becauſe they are profeſſors of Religion; and were it not for this reaſon, they might juſtly reproach them; yet when as they put in this reaſon, They could bear well enough with the ſin, were it not they were profeſſors of Religion, then the reproaches that they juſtly might ſuffer for their ſins, do come to be the reproaches of Chriſt. And further, when in theſe they will take advantage to reproach the ſhews of Religion, which in others they cannot bear well enough; as when one that is a Profeſſor expreſſes devotion in lifting up his eyes, or his hands to Heaven, they will reproach him for making ſhews of Religion, and preſently they are Hypocrites: and yet there are others can make mighty ſhews, and they are commended.
Again, they are the reproaches of Chriſt, becauſe they are reproached in the work of Chriſt: 4.As when David ſent meſſengers to the children of Ammon, to congratulate their King, and they cut off their garments half way, and cut off half of their beards, David preſently counted it his reproach; and ſo when Gods people are in Gods work, and reproached, ſurely it Chriſts reproach. So Nehemiah was in Gods work, and he ſuffered a great deal of reproach; and mark how God is more provoked then Nehemiah, Nehem. 4. compare the third verſe with the fifth.
Laſtly, it is the Spirit of Chriſt that is in them that is reproached: As if ſo be that the skill or influence 5.that comes from a skilful Attificer, that is put into one that hath learned, that does as it were but act his ſpirit, if he ſhall ſee him reproached for that work which is done by vertue of that influence which he had of his ſpirit in him, then he counts himſelf reproached: ſo all the gracious works of Gods people are by the influence of the ſpirit of Chriſt; and therefore when they are reproached, Chriſt is reproached: we have not received the ſpirit of the world, but the Spirit of God, ſays the Apōſtle: this is the reaſon of all oppoſition, becauſe of the difference of ſpirits; now the ſpirit of God and the Spirit of the world are oppoſite. But to come to the application of the point.
Firſt, if the reproaches of Gods people be the reproaches Uſe 1.of Chriſt, then certainly Chriſt is wonderfully reproached in the world; none ſo reproached as Chriſt is, becauſe he is not onelyonly reproached himſelf, but all the reproaches that fall upon all his people in the world, not onelyonly ſince Moſes time, but from the beginning of the world, they are all the reproaches of Chriſt, none ſuffers ſo much as he: conſider we then with our ſelves, how we can love this Chriſt, a reproached Chriſt? Is Chriſt notwithſtanding all his reproaches dear and precious to us? howſoever he be to the world, yet can your ſouls ſay with the Church, He is altogether lovely, as the Apoſtle Peter ſays, 1 Pet. 2. 7, 8. He is a rock, and a ſtone of offence to thoſe that do not believe, but to you precious; and ſo Chriſt, though he be a reproached Chriſt, yet to you he is precious; to a godly and gracious heart how precious is Jeſus Chriſt? There is a notable place concerning the reproaches of Chriſt, and yet of the high eſteem that Gods people have of him, notwithſtanding he is reproached, Iſa. 52. 14, 15. His viſage was ſo marred more then any mans, and his form more then the ſons of men: what then, is there none therefore that ſhall prize him? yes; at the fifteenth verſe, So ſhall he ſprinkle many Nations: the Kings ſhall ſhut their mouthes at him, for that which had not been told them ſhall they ſee, and that which they had not heard ſhall they conſider; that is, there ſhall yet come a time when as the Lord ſhall ſprinkle many nations by the work of his Spirit, and draw many Kings, ſo as they ſhall ſhut their mouthes; whereas they contemned him, and deſpiſed him, now they ſhall ſhut their mouthes in a way of admiration, that that had not been told them which they ſee: as St. Paul, he knew Chriſt onelyonly after the fleſh, but when he came to know him after another maner, he thought otherwiſe of him: So when God does ſprinkle any with his Spirit, that they know Chriſt, though his viſage he marred more then any mans, and he is reproached more then any man, yet they ſhall prize him, and delight in him, and the more he is reproached, the more they ſhall delight in him: It is a notable Quanto pro me vilius, tanto mibi charius. Bern.ſpeech of Bernard, By ſo much the more Chriſt is vile for me, by ſo much the more he is dearer to me.