Moses Choice, Treatise · Part 3 · Chapter 35
CHAP. XXXV. Sixteen ſeveral Conſolatións ariſing to the Saints from this conſideration, That their ſufferings are Chriſts ſufferings.
SEcondly, the conſideration of this point is of Uſe 2.admirable uſe for the conſolation of all the people of God, in all their ſufferings and reproaches. If reproaches and ſufferings be the reproaches of Chriſt, Chriſt is engaged in them more then you; there may be many branches of comfort to Gods people from hence, That Chriſt is ſo engaged in all their ſufferings, as they are accounted Chriſts own: it is a great matter, when any one ſuffers any thing, if they know this, that any great man is engaged in their ſufferings: if a ſubject ſhould have a King ſo engaged in any thing he undertakes, that he can ſay, Whatſoever I ſuffer in this, is the ſuffering of the King, this is a great comfort to him; ſo here there are ſeveral branches of comfort that may be drawn from this, Our ſufferings are the ſufferings of Chriſt.
Firſt, it is a great deal of comfort, that God does 1. Comfort againſt reproaches.take notice of our reproaches: This was the comfort of the Pſalmiſt, in Pſal. 69. 19. Thou haſt known my reproach, and my ſhame, and my diſhonor, my adverſaries are all before thee▪ If a man ſuffer reproach, and diſgrace, and trouble for his friends, while he is abroad from them; O ſays he, Did but my friends know what I ſuffer, and ſuffer for them, it would comfort me: If it be comfort to be known, much more when they ſhall be accounted their own; Chriſt is acquainted with all the ſufferings of every member: and therefore do not ſay, I am a poor creature, who takes notice of my ſufferings? Heaven takes notice of your ſufferings, Chriſt takes notice of them better then your ſelves.
Secondly, if they be the ſufferings of Chriſt, they are no other but ſuch as are predetermined for 2.you from the beginning of the world; for certainly the ſufferings of Chriſt are determined: It may be ſaid of theſe ſufferings, as truly as of thoſe he ſuffered in his own perſon, Act. 2. 23. They are by the determinate counſel & foreknowledge of God: & therefore it is not in the liberty of man to reproach you as he pleaſes, but all is by the fore-determinate counſel of God.
Thirdly, certainly you do not want compaſſion in 3.your ſufferings neither; for one to ſuffer much, and to be reproached, and no body to have compaſſion, is grievous; but ſurely you have compaſſion enough, Chriſt muſt needs take compaſſion on you: and it is not a forced compaſſion, but a natural compaſſion: was there ever any that was not ſenſible of the ſufferings of his own fleſh, unleſs it be dead? Indeed if you be a dead member of a Church, it may be Chriſt does not compaſſionate your ſufferings, but if you be a living member, Chriſt does compaſſionate your ſufferings, and pity you in every lye and ſlander that is told of you: many times when we hear of the ſervants of God (and eſpecially thoſe we know to be godly) to have ſuch ſtrange reports of them, our hearts begin to break, and to yern towards them. If one member have compaſſion of another, much more the head; the head is more ſenſible of the evils done to the body, then the other members are.
Fourthly, all theſe reproaches and ſufferings do not 4.argue your rejection, they may ſtand with the infinite love of God: many of Gods people are ready to draw ſad concluſions from their reproaches, ſurely▪ God would not ſuffer this if he loved them: they may ſtand with the ſame love wherewith the Father loved the Son, for they are the reproaches of the Son.
Fifthly, they muſt needs be ſanctified to you: thoſe that are the ſufferings of Chriſt, are fanctified ſufferings; 5.certainly Chriſt will not ſuffer them to go away unſanctified; Chriſt is ſo holy, that if they come near to him, he will make them holy: and therefore your bodies and ſouls having union with Chriſt, they come to be ſanctified: ſo all your conditions and ſufferings come to be ſanctified by union with Chriſt: he is the bleſſed one of God, and therefore all your ſufferings muſt be bleſſed from him.
Sixthly, if they be the reproaches of Christ, then 6.you are not left to bear the burthen of them alone, you have but the lighter end of the ſtaff: if a burthen be never ſo heavy at one end, and a ſtrong man is under that, and the other be light, though a weak man be under that, he does not care: ſo the weight and burthen of reproaches lie upon the ſhoulders of Chriſt: and therefore when you think it is hard for one reproach thus to follow upon another, and for one evil to follow another, it will break my heart; ah, if you did bear it alone, but Chriſt bears the weight of our reproaches.
Seventhly, if they be the reproaches of Chriſt, then for that part you do bear, although it be but little, 7.you may expect his ſtrength in, you are not left to bear that little by your own ſtrength; Chriſt gives out his own ſtrength, to bear his own reproaches; if the burthen be his you bear, you ſhall have ſtrength from him to bear it.
Again, this is an eighth ſtream of comfort, if they 8.be the reproaches of Chriſt, they are the reproaches of all the members of Chriſt, who ſympathize with you, and help to bear the burthen with you.
Ninthly, it may be comfort that your names ſhall 9.be vindicated, your names are as dear to Chriſt as his own, and it does as much concern Chriſt to vindicate your names as to vindicate his own.
Again, if our reproaches be Chriſts reproaches, 10.and Chriſt is content to own our reproaches; ſurely, he will not leave us to take our ſins upon our ſelves: if his love be ſuch as he will take the burthen of our ſufferings upon himſelf; ſurely his love is ſuch as not to ſee us ſink under the burthen of our ſins: No, our ſins are upon him as well as our ſufferings; not that he takes them upon him to be guilty, but only by imputation: the Text ſays, He was made ſin; what abundance of conſolation is this, that Chriſt is willing both to take off our ſins and ſufferings? there are nothing but theſe two that ſhould trouble us in the world, our ſins and ſufferings, and Chriſt takes them off both.
11. And yet further, if Chriſt will own our reproaches, 11.proaches, then he will own our ſervices: there is no great difficulty of believing the one, if we believe the other: we may comfortably go to Chriſt and ſay, Bleſſed Savior, wilt thou own upon thy ſelf, the dirt caſt upon our faces, and wilt not own the work of thine own Spirit? though we may ſtain the work of Gods grace by our ſin, yet Chriſt that is ſo indulgent to take reproaches, will ſurely own our ſervices; he will own our active obedience, as well as our paſſive obedience.
Again, then we may be aſſured there will come good of them, and that we ſhall be carried through 12.them; conſider three or four things here for our help in this, to aſſure us of a bleſſing in theſe our ſufferings. Firſt, were it that we onelyonly did know that God had a love to us, and were merciful to us, that were enough to aſſure us. But, ſecondly, God may have love and not binde himſelf by promiſe; but as he hath love, ſo he hath engaged himſelf by promiſe to help his people in ſufferings, and that is more. But, thirdly, we have the experience of Gods dealings with his people, that he never left them in ſuffering. And fourthly, we may riſe higher, it is Gods own caſe, we have further aſſurance by this: If a man love me, I hope it will be well with me; if he promiſe me, that is more; if others have had experience, I am more aſſured: but if it be his own cauſe, I am ſure enough. If a man go to ſea, and he knows the Mariner hath skill, and he loves me, and the Mariner promiſes he will have care, and others have had experience of his care, this is much: but when I conſider, my life is the Mariners life, if I periſh, he periſhes; this aſſures me, that as far as the Mariner can do it, it ſhall be well with me. Luther writing to Melancton troubled with fears; If we fall, ſaith he, Chriſt Si nos ruit mus ruet e Chriſtus, ſaith Luth.falls.
Again, here we have a notable ground to go to God in prayer in all ſufferings, becauſe we can go with 13.this argument, Lord it is thy own Name: that was the plea of Moſes, Lord, if thou deſtroyest thy people, what will become of thy Name? our names are nothing, what though ten thouſand ſuch as we are come to nought, and rot? but if God put his name to ours, and twiſt them together, there is abundance of ſafety, then our names are a ſtrong argument.
Yea, ſuppoſe we be in ſuch a condition as we cannot 14.pray, yet here is comfort in this, our ſufferings are the ſufferings of Chriſt; and the ſufferings of Chriſt do preſent themſelves as a mighty prayer to God: The ſufferings of Chriſt, have a mighty cry in the ears of the Father, and they will be heard.
And yet further, if ſo be our ſufferings be the 15.ſufferings of Chriſt, then ſurely Chriſts ſufferings are our ſufferings; if Chriſt have an intereſt in our ſufferings, then we have an intereſt in his ſufferings: for how come our ſufferings to be Chriſts, but by vertue of our relation to him; and therefore his ſufferings muſt be ours, by the relation of Chriſt to us.
Laſtly, there will be an end of ſufferings, they cannot laſt always, for they are the ſufferings of Chriſt 16.; and it cannot ſtand with infinite juſtice, that Chriſt which hath undertaken for us, ſhould be eternally under ſuffering; & if he ſhal not ſuffer always, we ſhal not always ſuffer; for ſo long as we ſuffer, he muſt ſuffer: the time therefore is a coming, wherein Gods people ſhall be too high for to be reproached, they ſhall be in ſuch a condition, as it ſhall be impoſſible for any to reproach them: for reproach comes from ſome kinde of apprehenſion of the reproacher, to be in ſome meaſure above the reproached: no man can reproach another for a thing that he fully knows, and certainly believes that he is above him in that thing: and therefore the people of the world do reproach the people of God, becauſe they apprehend themſelves to be above Gods people in wiſdom, or the like; but time will come, that the dignity of Gods people ſhall be raiſed to ſuch a heighth, that though wicked men do hate them, they ſhall not be able to reproach them, they cannot poſſibly have a conceit to be above Gods people in any thing.
And theſe are the conſolations that ariſe from this point, that our ſufferings and reproaches are Chriſts: and theſe conſiderations being put together, why ſhould we diſtract our ſelves, and take immoderate care what ſhall become of us; if we be unbelieving, Chriſt will count it a diſhonor to him, and ſay, Is it not my caſe? we need not take any ſhifting courſes to help our ſelves; a man that hath an enemy ſurprize him, if he have no weapon in his hand, it may be he will take up ſtones and dirt, but if he have his weapon, he uſeth that, and ſcorns to take up ſtones and dirt: when people are reproached, that have no intereſt in Chriſt, reproaches come upon them and take them unarmed, and they take up any thing near hand, and reproach and revile again: but thoſe that have intereſt in Chriſt, have this weapon; they know all their reproaches are the reproaches of Chriſt, and we ſhall not need to depend upon any outward comfort for to comfort us; much leſs have we need to help our ſelves by reviling again. The comfort of a Chriſtian, is this, That his reproaches are the reproaches of Chriſt; this is enough to quiet his heart: you need not comfort your ſelves in your parts, or eſtates; this is enough alone: do but anſwer all your diſtractions and troubleſome workings of your hearts with this, and this will quiet them.
Queſt. But how ſhall I know that my reproaches How to know that our reproaches are the reproaches of Chriſt.are the reproaches of Chriſt?
Anſw. Firſt, if you be reproached for the ſake of Chriſt; though you be not a member of Chriſt, yet if your adverſaries reproach you, becauſe they take you for a member of Chriſt, there is ſome comfort 1.in this. Secondly, if you can under all reproaches 2.bring your hearts in ſubjection unto Chriſt, and quiet your hearts under reproaches in obedience unto him. Thirdly, if you finde the rule by which you are guided 3.and acted in that condition to be the rule of Chriſt. Fourthly, if you finde the chiefeſt comfort that you gather in to help you, to be the comfort of 4.Chriſt. Fifthly, if you finde the end you do aim 5.at in your bearing them, is the honor of Chriſt; and that you do deſire rather that Chriſt may be in the concluſion honored, then your ſelves cleared. Sixthly, take this as a ſpecial note, if you make 6.thoſe reproaches that Chriſt ſuffers in his cauſe, his truth, his people, yours; then he makes yours his: how does your hearts ſtand affected to the reproaches Chriſt ſuffers in others? Zeph. 3. 17, 18. God promiſes much mercy, to ſuch to whom the reproach of the ſolemn aſſemblies were a burthen. That heart that is burthened with the reproaches of Gods ways, ſhall finde eaſe in the comforts of Gods Spirit. If theſe things be in you, certainly theſe come from the Spirit of Chriſt; and if from the Spirit of Chriſt, then you are Chriſts; and if you be Chriſts, then your reproaches are Chriſts.
A third Uſe is this: Seeing Chriſt ſuffers for us, and 2.all our reproaches are the reproaches of Chriſt, Let us take heed that he do not ſuffer by us. Now Chriſt may come to ſuffer by us two ways: Firſt, if ſo be that we cauſe the name of Chriſt to be ſpoken evil of. Secondly, when we come to be actors our ſelves in ſpeaking evil of Chriſt, or of his people.
Firſt, if we cauſe Chriſt or his people to be ſpoken evil of by any ſinful, way of ours, this is the reproach of Chriſt (but not in that ſenſe I ſpoke of before.) Chriſt does not onelyonly ſuffer in you, but he ſuffers by you. This is the charge that the Apoſtles lays upon the Romans, For your ſake is the name of God blaſphemed: we had need look to our ſelves in this. Mark Rom. 2. 24.what charge the Apoſtle lays upon women, 1 Tim. 5. 13, 14. that they ſhould take heed of tatling, and carrying themſelves unchriſtianly; and that they give none occaſion to the adverſary to ſpeak reproachfully. That was the reaſon why Nehemiah was ſo careful in his buſineſs, in Neh. 5. 9. Becauſe of the reproach of the Heathen. And ſo I ſay to you that are Gods people, Is it not enough that Chriſt hath ſuffered for you and in you, but muſt he ſuffer by you? O that the fear of God might be upon you, becauſe of the reproach of your adverſaries: Is Chriſt dear to you? did Chriſt ever do any thing for you? Is it not better a thouſand times that you were croſt, and your lives were taken away, and you laid rotting in the grave, if your names could waſh away any ſtain that is upon the name of Chriſt? know there are many that Chriſt have fuffered reproach by, and you cannot clear your ſelves of it, and know what an evil and bitter thing it is, that after all the goodneſs and mercy of Chriſt to you, and the near relation that he hath taken you into; will you abuſe all this mercy, and this near relation? if Chriſt had never taken you for his own, had you been never ſo vile, Chriſt had not ſuffered reproach by you; but now in regard of your near relation to him, he ſuffers reproach by you; and is this the uſe you make of your near relation?
When therefore you finde your hearts begin to ſtir, How Chriſt is reproached by us.and corruption boil; conſider the name of Chriſt lies proſtrate before you, and will you trample upon the name of Jeſus Chriſt: if one were ſet upon going to a place to do miſchief, and his Father and Mother ſhould throw themſelves in the path, that if he goes on he muſt tread upon them, and they ſhould ſay, You ſhall tread upon the bowels out of which you came, upon the loyns that begat you; this would be a great ſtop: and ſo you that are Profeſſors of the Goſpel, if you have a temptation to a luſt, the name of Chriſt calls Stay, and ſays, If you go you ſhall trample upon me, and my blood, and bring reproach upon me; will not this ſtop you? Never think that gain that you get by the reproach of Chriſt. It is true indeed, if we be going on in our duty, and do that we ſhould, though men ſay the name of Chriſt ſhall be reproached, we are to go on, and do our duty, and let Chriſt vindicate his name if he will: but if it be any thing that concern out ſelves, and the ſatisfaction of our own wills and deſires, whereby Chriſt may be reproached, this is a mighty argument to keep us from it: the word hath ſcarce a ſtronger argument to keep us from an evil way, then this, The name of Chriſt ſhal ſuffer by it: for the people of God to ſuffer reproach by you, is an evil thing: for a man to have but his kindred aſhamed of him, what an evil thing is it; but that it may be ſaid of one that is a Profeſſor of Religion, that he is not onelyonly a reproach to the Church of God, but a reproach to Jeſus Chriſt, if you have any ingenuity in you, this might ſtrike to your hearts.
It is reported of Alexander, having a Soldier of his name, and his Soldier being a coward, he came to him, and ſaid, Either leave off the name of Alexander, or be a Soldier: and ſo we have the name of Chriſtians, but when we are vile in our lives, Chriſt ſays, Either leave off your profeſsion, your name, or be a Chriſtian indeed: do not come in amongſt the number of Profeſſors, to let profeſſion ſuffer by you. And ſo Alexander Severus the Emperor, ſeeing a company of Chriſtians fighting together, he commanded them to leave off the name of Chriſtians; for ſays he, You profeſs your ſelves to be Chriſtians, and yet you are thus contending: this is not the ſpirit of him whom you do profeſs. It is a lamentable thing that we ſhould profeſs ſuch a glorious name as we do, and that we ſhould handle the matter ſo as that it ſhould ſuffer ſo much by us. It is ſaid of the high Prieſt, Numb. 6. 7. He ſhall not make himſelf unclean for his father, or for his mother, or for his brother, or for his ſiſter, becauſe he had the holy oyl upon him, the conſecration of his God was upon him: So I may ſay unto you, You have the holy oyl of the profeſſion of the name of Chriſt upon you; and therefore take heed what you do, ſays St. Paul, It were better for me to dye, then to loſe my glorying: were it then not better for us to dye, then to have the glory of Chriſt ſuffer by us. Know, though the name of Chriſt be not dear to you, he will defend his name when you ſhall rot and periſh for ever; and though it be defiled by you for the preſent, he can clear it otherwiſe: but wo to them that be the cauſes of reproaches that come thus upon Chriſt.
But as we muſt take heed that Chriſt be not reproached by us in this regard, much more that he be not reproached by our ſelves, ſo as to ſpeak evil of the ways of God: as we may hear it of thoſe that have been forward in profeſſion of Religion, if profeſſion of Religion do not come to ſerve their turns, they are ready to ſpeak evil of that way, and all the profeſſors of it. Take heed what you do in reproaching of a member of Chriſt, the name of Chriſt is upon him; take heed you do not reproach him that the name Chriſt is upon; the people of God do bear the name of Chriſt upon their foreheads; take heed you do not ſpit upon their faces, for it may be you may ſpit upon the name of Chriſt: as many unskilful hunters will ſhoot at wilde beaſts, and ſhooting at random may kill a man; and ſo many ſhoot at Chriſtians, but they hit Chriſt, they reproach Chriſt.