Moses Choice, Treatise · Part 3 · Chapter 37
CHAP. XXXVII. Seeing Chriſt makes our ſufferings his, we ſhould make his ſufferings ours.
FIfthly, if Chriſt will take our ſufferings and our reproaches, and make them his; then we are Uſe 5.to take Chriſts ſufferings, and Chriſt reproaches, and make them ours. It was the burning love of Chriſt, and his zeal to his people, that made him take the reproaches of his people to himſelf; and ſo our burning love to him, and zeal for him, ſhould make us take his reproaches upon our ſelves. Chriſt is many ways reproached in the world, not onelyonly in his perſon, when he lived upon the earth, and in his people; and ſo we are not onelyonly to take the reproaches of Chriſt upon us in theſe regards, but in any particular, whatſoever reproach falls upon Chriſt any way, let us account of it as our own: When the Doctrine of the Goſpel is reproached, then he is reproached; when the ways and light that God hath diſcovered to his people is reproached, he is reproached; when the Ordinances are ſlighted, when as the blood of Chriſt is counted a common thing, and every baſe luſt is preferred before it; when as the bleſſed authority of Chriſt is villified and ſlighted, either when it is ſlighted openly or ſecretly, if the authority of Chriſt be caſt off, then he is reproached, Numb. 15. 6, 30. When you put a reed into the hand of Christ, and bow to him, and ſay, Hail King of the Jews: when you ſhall profeſs obedience and ſubjection unto Chriſt, and in ſtead of a Scepter, put a reed into his hand, then he is reproached. Again, when Gods people walk unworthy of Chriſt, then Chriſt is reproached. And when Chriſt is reproached in any of theſe, let us take them to heart, as throughly, as if we were reproached; yea, take them more to heart, becauſe the reproaches of Chriſt are far worſe then our reproaches: Thoſe that are firſt upon Chriſt, and then upon us, are worſer then thoſe that are firſt upon us, and then upon Chriſt: To ſpit upon the face of a man, is more reproach to the body, then to ſpit upon ſome other member of the body is a reproach to the face; and ſo the reproach of Chriſt that is the face of the Church, is more then the reproach of any other member: And therefore confider, whether your hearts be more broken when Chriſt is reproached, then when you your ſelves are reproached, this is a good ſign of grace. And if you demand what ſhould be the behavior of a gracious heart, when he is in any company that he hears Chriſt reproached in;
I anſwer, Firſt, thy ſpirit ſhould riſe in indignation againſt ſuch deſperate evils and wickedneſs as 1.this, that any ſhould dare to be ſo bold as to reproach How a gracious heart behaves its ſelf, when he hears Chriſt reproached.the holy One of God, ſuch a bleſſed one as Chriſt is, that is ſo infinitely dear to thy ſoul, and hath done ſo much for thy ſoul; though in our own cauſes we may be quiet and give way, yet when it comes to the cauſe of Chriſt, it is good for the heart to riſe. It is the ſpeech of Oeclampadius to his fellow Miniſter, Let our Zeal be hot and burning, not when ſcorns and reproaches are cast upon us, but when the truth is endangered, and the name of God is blaſphemed. Ye have heard that of King Croeſus his ſon, who though he were dumb all his life, yet when one would have ſtruck at his Father, the affection to his Father broke the bars of his ſpeech, and he ſaid, Take heed of killing the King: And ſo though we be dumb in things that concern our ſelves, yet when Chriſt comes to be reproached, let our hearts ſwell in us and break out.
Again, look upon them with trembling hearts, that ever the patience of God ſhould ſuffer ſuch 2.wickedneſs as this: As they did admire at Mordecai, when he would not bow to Haman, they held their peace, and wondered what would become of that matter.
Yea, we ſhould, if it were poſſible, labor to wipe off all the reproach of Chriſt, and take it upon our ſelves 3.that we might rather be ſpit upon and contemned then Chriſt. It was a brave ſpeech of Ambroſe, he wiſhed it would pleaſe God to turn all the adverſaries from the Church upon himſelf, and let them ſatiſfie their thirſt with his blood: This is a true chriſtian heart. And therefore if it be for our ſakes, and we have any thing in the buſineſs by which Chriſt is reproached, we ſhould be willing rather to ſacrifice our ſelves, then that Chriſt ſhould be reproached: And as Jonah, when he knew that the tempeſt roſe for his ſake, ſays he, Caſt me into the ſea: And ſo Nazianzen, when contention roſe about him, ſays he, Caſt me into the ſea, let me loſe my place, rather then the name of Chriſt ſhould ſuffer for me.
Again, the behaving of a Chriſtian ſhould be this, it ſhould take his heart from his own name, ſo long 4.as Chriſt is reproached: What though I have eſteem? Chriſt is not eſteemed, he is contemned. I have theſe comforts, and I through Gods mercy want nothing, and my friends cleave to me, and prize me; but Chriſt is not cleaved to, he is not prized: and what are all my comforts to me? they are Ichabods, the glory of all is departed from me.
And further, we ſhould be willing to intereſt our 5.ſelves in the cauſe of Chriſt: when we hear any of Gods people reproached, we ſhould not ſay, What have we to do with them, let them clear themſelves? but be willing to intereſt our ſelves in it, and take it upon our ſelves, as if our own name were to be cleared.
And laſtly, we ſhould labor to wipe away the reproach of Chriſt, in laboring to expreſs the convincing 6.power of that grace which is contrary to their carriage for which Chriſt is reproached: Such a one is ſcandalous, and Chriſts name ſuffers in that, let me labor to make up the breach in being ſo much the more faithful, and walking in the contrary grace: Such a one is proud, let me be more humble; ſuch a one is covetous, let me be more liberal, that there may be ſomewhat to anſwer: As it is ſaid of the wiſe ſon, when his father is reproached, he carries himſelf ſo as his father hath wherewithal to anſwer from his good carriage, Prov. 27. 11. So let Chriſt have wherewithal to anſwer his reproaches from your godly convincing converſation. Suppoſe others have caſt an aſperſion upon the ways of godlineſs, becauſe ſuch are falſe and covetous, yet walk thou in the contrary, that Gods people may anſwer, Though ſuch and ſuch be ſo, what ſay you to ſuch an one? is not the breach made up in thoſe? And ſo much for that Uſe.
Sixthly, we muſt not onelyonly labor to wipe away Uſe. 6.the reproach of Chriſt: But if Chriſt have ſuffered ſo much in us and for us, let us labor to honor Chriſt as much as we can in the world, and ſet up the name of Chriſt, as much as others pull it down. How are we to ſet up the name of Chriſt?
Firſt, in holding forth the beauty and glory of 1.the Spirit of Chriſt in our lives, that though Chriſt How we may honor Chriſt in the world.be reproached in others, he may be glorified in us: Others may be forced to ſay in their conſciences, Bleſſed be God that ever I ſaw ſuch men: I never ſaw the graces of Chriſt ſhine more brightly in any, then in them. And then ſet up Chriſt, in ſpeaking 2.all the good we can of Chriſt, in bringing others in love with him: As they in the Canticles ſaid, What is thy beloved more then another beloved? ſays ſhe, My beloved is the chiefest among ten thouſands. Again, let us ſet up the Ordinances of Chriſt, 3.therein appears the honor of Chriſt, and let the beauty of his holineſs appear in his Ordinances, that men may ſay, Bleſſed are the people that are in ſuch a caſe. Fourthly, let Chriſt have the honor of our 4.names, and of all our comforts: Surely if he have the ſhame of our reproaches, he ſhould have the honor of our honors: If he have the pain of our ſufferings, ſurely he muſt have the praiſe of our comforts: Chriſt hath a ſhare in our ſorrows, ſhall he not have a ſhare in our comforts? when we are reproached he is reproached; when we are honored, let him be honored too. What a ſad thing will it be, that when you go out of the world, it ſhould be ſaid, Chriſt hath had more diſhonor by you, then he hath had honor?
Seventhly, If Chriſt ſuffers in all our ſufferings, Uſe 7.hence we learn not to ruſh into ſufferings, before we be called to them, nor to withdraw from ſufferings, when we are called to them. Chriſt ſuffers in all our ſufferings, then it is not in our liberty to ruſh into ſufferings when we pleaſe, though it ſhould be in the cauſe of Chriſt. Indeed if we ſuffered alone, we might venture, but becauſe Chriſt is intereſſed in it, we muſt ſtay till we know whether Chriſt be willing to ſuffer; though our time be come, yet it may be Chriſt will ſay, My time is not yet come; becauſe it is in a good cauſe you think you may ſuffer in it, but conſider, is Chriſts time come? In Proverbs 10. 10. it is ſaid, He that winketh with the eye cauſeth ſorrow, but a prating fool ſhall fall. when a man is loth to ſtand for thoſe truths of God that ſhall bring him into ſuffering, he winks: He that winketh with the eye, cauſeth ſorrow, he will bring ſorrow to his heart. But others will ſay, We will not wink with the eye, it is the cauſe of God, and we will ſtand for it, but a prating fool ſhall fall. A true man may ride in the rode, and fear no danger, yet he will not willingly ride into dangerous places, and ſo a man is not to ride into danger. As now if you be partners with another, you cannot give what you will, becauſe it is not your own, but it is your partners too. If a man have a cottage of his own alone in a field, he may ſet it on fire, but if he ſet his own houſe on fire in the town, it may coſt him his life, becauſe others are intereſſed in the damage as well as himſelf. Again, if Chriſt do call, we muſt go freely, becauſe they are the ſufferings of Chriſt, It is reported of Peter in Eccleſiaſtical Story, that he was coming out of Rome for fear of ſuffering; and as he was coming out of the gates, he met Chriſt, and he asked Chriſt wherefore he came; ſays he, I come to be crucified, then he thought Chriſt came to be crucified in him, and therefore he went back and reſolved to ſuffer, and ſo he was crucified. And ſo though we be ſhy of ſuffering, yet if we know Chriſt calls to it, we muſt yield, as being willing to ſuffer in us.
But when are we called?Queſt.
There is an ordinary call, and an extraordinary call. The extraordinary call is by the Spirit: And that is Anſw.firſt, when there are none that will ſtand for the cauſe of God in an ordinary way. Secondly, thoſe that God calls extraordinarily, are ſuch as have extraordinary graces: They act not their own natural boldneſs, but are carried beyond it by a mighty work of Gods Spirit: And therefore thou mayeſt ſuſpect thy ſelf, that thou art not called extraordinarily, but after much humiliation, and much abilities to deny thy ſelf.
But for an ordinary call▪ Firſt, then we are called when if we do not ſuffer, Gods cauſe will ſuffer. Secondly, when God does take away the means and helps of delivering us from ſuffering. Thirdly, the more helps are taken from us, the more we finde the conſolation of Gods Spirit come into us.
But when helps are taken away, and the Spirit of God does abſent it ſelf, ſhall we fear then that we are When we are called to ſuffering.not called?
Some think, ſurely they muſt not ſuffer, then they ſhall betray Gods cauſe: If they do, becauſe they do not finde God preſent with them: If God do give you a fair way to eſcape when his preſence is gone, you may take it; but if he ſhut you up that you cannot eſcape, you may comfortably go on; though now he be gone, he will return again; as it was with Mr. Glover, who wanted the preſence of God even till he came to the Stake, and then he clapt his hands and cryed, He is come, he is come.
The laſt Uſe of the point is this, If Chriſt ſuffer Uſe 8.in his people, and if all the evil you caſt upon Gods people is Chriſts, then all the good you do to them is Chriſts: If when you ſpeak evil of Gods people and reproach them, you reproach Chriſt; then when you ſpeak well of Gods people, you ſpeak well of Chriſt: If when you perſecute Gods people, you perſecute Chriſt; then when you relieve Gods people, you relief Chriſt; Chriſt will own the good that is done to his people, as well as the evil: And therefore as the argument once was, Relieve all ſtrangers, for ſome unawares have done good to Angels; So now, do all the good you can to Gods people, for unawares you may do much good to Chriſt. And thus I have finiſhed the ſecond point from this Verſe, That the reproaches of Gods people are the reproaches of Chriſt. Now we are to proceed to the third.