Fifty Sermons, Sermons · Sermon 23
SERMON XXIII.
Preached at Lincolns Inne.
The third Sermon on PSAL. 38. 4.
For mine iniquities are gone over my head, as a heavy Burden, they are too heavy for mee.
AS a Torch that hath been lighted, and used before, is easier lighted then a new torch, so are the branches, and parts of this Text, the easier reduced to your memory, by having heard former distributions thereof. But as a Torch that hath been lighted & us'd before, will not last so long as a new one, so perchance your patience which hath already been twice exercised with the handling of these words, may be too near the bottom to afford much. And therefore much I have determined not to need. God did his greatest work upon the last day, and yet gave over work betimes. In that day he made man, and, (as the context leades us, most probably, to thinke) he made Paradise, and placed man in Paradise that day. For the variety of opinions amongst our Expositors, about the time when God made Paradise, arises from one errour, an errour in the Vulgat Edition, in the translation of the Roman Church, that reads it Plantaver at, God had planted a garden, Gen. 2. 8.as though God had done it before. Therefore some state it before the Creation, which Saint Hierome follows, or at least relates, without disapproving it; and others place it, upon the third day, when the whole earth received her accomplishment; but if any had looked over this place with the same ingenuity as their own great man Tyr: (an active man in the Councell of Trent) hath done over the Book of Psalms, in which one Booke he hath confessed 6000 places, in which their translation differs from the Originall, they would have seen this difference in this place, that it is not Plantaver at, but Plantavit, not that God had before, but that he did then, then when hee had made man, make a Paradise for man. And yet God made an end of all this days work betimes; in that day, He walked in the garden in the cool of the Evening. The noblest part of our work, in handling this Text falls upon the conclusion, reserved for this day; which is, the application of these words to Christ. But for that, I shall be short, and rather leave you to walke with God in the cool of the Evening, to meditate of the sufferings of Christ, when you are gone, then pretend to expresse them here. The Passion of Christ Jesus is rather an amazement, an astonishment, an extasie, a consternation, then an instruction. Therefore, though something we shall say of that anone. First, we pursue that which lies upon our selves, the Burden, in those four mischievous inconveniences wrapped up in that Metaphor.
Of them, the first was, Inclinat; That a Burden sinkes a man, declines him,Inclinat. crookens him, makes him stoop. So does sin. It is one of Saint Augustines definitions of sinne, Conversio ad creaturam, that it is a turning, a withdrawing of man to the creature. And every such turning to the creature, let it be upon his side, to her whom he loves, let it be upwards, to honour that he affects, yet it is still down-ward, in respect of him, whom he was made by, and should direct himselfe to. Every inordinate love of the Creature is a descent from the dignity of our Creation, and a disavowing', a disclaiming of that Charter, Subjicite & dominamini, subdue, and govern the Creature. Est quoddam bonum, quod si diligat anima rationalis, peccat. August. De. ver. releg c. 20.There are good things in the world, which it is a sin for man to love, Quia infra illam ordinantur, because though they be good, they are not so good as man; And man may not decline, and every thing, except God himself, is inferiour to man, and so, it is a declination, a stooping in man, to apply himselfe to any Creature, till he meet that Creature in God; for there, it is above him; And so, as Beauty and Riches, and Honour are beames that issue from God, and glasses that represent God to us, and idea's that return us into him, in our glorifying of him, by these helpes, so we may apply our selves to them; for, in this consideration, as they assist us in our way to God, they are above us, otherwise, to love them for themselves, is a declination, a stooping under a burden; And this declination, this incurvation, this descent of man, in the inordinate love of the Creature, may very justly seem to be forbidden in that Commandement, that forbids Idolatry, Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them; If we bow down to them, we doe worship them; for it is in the love of all Creatures, as it is in money; Covetousnesse, that is, the love of money, is Idolatry, says the Apostle; and so is all other inordinate love of any, Idolatry. And then, as we have seen some grow crooked, by a long sitting, a lying in one posture, so, by an easie resting in these descents and declination of the soule, it comes to bee a fashion to stoop, and it seemes a comely thing to be crooked; and we become, infruniti, that is, quibus nem… frui velit, such as no body cares for our conversation, or company, except we be ill company, sociable in other sinnes,August. Et viliores quò castiores, if we affect Chastity, or any other vertue, we disaffect and distast other men; for one mans vertue chides, and reproaches a whole vicious company. But if he will needs bee in fashion, C…m pervers… perverti, to grow crooked with the crooked, His iniquities shall take him, and hee shall be holden with the cards of his sinne; Prov. 5. 22.that is, in that posture that he puts himself, he shall be kept; kept all his life; and then, (as it follows there) He shall die without instruction; Die in a place, where he can have no Absolution, no Sacrament, or die, in a disposition, that he shall receive no benefit by them, though he receive them. He hath packed a burden upon himself, in habituall sinne, he hath chosen to stoop under this burden, in an Idolatrous love of those sinnes, and nothing shall be able to erect him again, not Preaching, not Sacraments, no not judgements. And this is the first inconvenience, and mischief, implyed in this Metaphor which the holy Ghost hath chosen, Mine iniquities are as a burden, Inclinant, they bend down my soule, created streight, to an incurvation, to a crookednesse.
A second inconvenience intimated in this Metaphore, a burden, is the fatigat, Fatigat.a burden wearies us, tires us: and so does our sinne, and our best beloved sinne. It hath wearied us, and yet we cannot devest it. We would leave that sin, and yet there is one talent more to be added, one childe more to be provided for, one office, or one title more to be compassed, one tentation more to be satisfied. Though we grumble, not out of remorse of conscience, but out of a bodily wearinesse of the sinne, yet wee proceed in it. How often men goe to Westminster, how often to the Exchange, called by unjust suits, or called by corrupt bargaines to those places, when their case, or their health perswades them to stay at home? How many go to forbidden beds, then when they had rather stay at home, if they were not afraid of an unkind interpretation? We have wearied our selves in the ways of wickednesse; Plus miles in uno torneamento, quam sanctus Monachus in decem annis, says our Holkot, upon that place, a soldier suffers more in one expedition, then a Monk does, in ten years, says he, and perchance he says true, and yet no commendation to his Monke neither; for that soldier may doe even the cause of God, more good, in that one expedition, then that Monke in ten years: But it is true as Holkot intended it, (though perchance his example doe not much strengthen it) vicious men are put to more pains, and to doe more things against their own mindes, then the Saints of God are in the ways of holinesse. We have wearied our selves in the ways of wickednesse, says he, that is, in doing as other wicked men have done, in ways which have been beaten out to us, by the frequent practise of other men; but he addes more, We have gone the rough Deserts, where there lay no way; that is, through sins, in which, wee had no example, no precedent, the inventions of our hearts. The covetous man lies still, and attends his quarter days, and studies the endorsements of his bonds, and he wonders that the ambitious man can endure the shuttings and thrustings of Courts, and can measure his happinesse by the smile of a greater man: And, he that does so, wonders as much, that this covetous man can date his happinesse by an Almanack, and such revolutions, and though he have quick returns of receipt, yet scarce affords himself bread to live till that day come, and though all his joy be in his bonds, yet demes himself a candles end to look upon them. Hilly ways are wearisome ways, and tire the ambitious man; Carnall pleasures are dirty ways, and tire the licentious man; Desires of gain, are thorny ways, and tire the covetous man; Aemulations of higher men, are dark and …linde ways, and tire the envious man, Every way, that is out of the way, wearies us; But, lass…it sumus; sed … non datur requires, we labour, and have no rest, Lem. 5. 5.when we have done; we are wearied with our sins, and have no satisfaction in them; we goe to bed to night, weary of our sinfull labours, and we will rise freshly to morrow, to the same sinfull labours again; And when a sinner does so little remember yesterday, how little does he consider to morrow? He that forgets what he hath done, foresees not what he shall suffer: so sin is a burden, it crookens us, it wearies us; And those are the two first inconveniences.
And then a third is Retardat. Though a man can stand under a burden, that he doe not sink, but be able to make some steps, yet his burden slackens his pace, and he goes not so fast, as without that burden he could have gone. So it is an habituall sinnes; though we doe not sinke into desperation, and stupefaction, though we doe come to the participation of outward means, and have some sense, some feeling thereof, yet,Retardat. as long as any one beloved and habituall sin hangs upon us, it slackens our pace in all the ways of godlinesse. And we come not to such an appropriation of the promises of the Gospel, in hearing Sermons, nor to such a re-incarnation, and invisceration of Christ and his merits into our selves, in the Sacrament; as if wee were altogether devested of that sin, and not onelyonly at that time, we should doe. Quis ascendes, says David; Ps. 24. 3.who shall ascend unto the hill of the Lord? It is a painfull clambring; up a hill. And Saint August. makes use of the answer, Innocens manibus, He that hath clean hands; first, he must have hands, as well as feet; He must doe something for himself; And then, Innocent hands; such as doe no harme to others, such as hold, and carry no hurtfull thing to himself; Either he must have the first Innocence, Abstinence from ill getting, or the second Innocence, Restitution of that which was ill gotten, or he shall never get up that hill; for, it is a steep hill, and there is no walking up, but he must crawle, hand and foot. Therefore, says the Apostle, Deponamus pondus, Let us lay aside every weight; He does not say, sin in generall, but every weight, every circumstance that may aggravate our sin, every conversation that may occasion our sin; And, (as hee addes, particularly and emphatically) The sin, that does so easily beset us; Easily, because customarily, habitually; And then, says that Apostle, in that place, Let us run; when we have laid down the sin, that does so easily beset us, our beloved and habituall sinne, and laid down every weight, every circumstance that aggravates that sin, then we may be able to run, to proceed with a holy chearfulnesse and proficiency in the wayes of sanctification; but till that we cannot, how due observers soever we be of all outward means; for, sin is a burden, in perverting us, in tyring us, in retarding us.
And last of all, it is a burden, quaetenus praecipitat, Praecipitat.as it gives him ever new occasion of stumbling; He that hath not been accustomed to a sin, but exercised in resisting it, will finde many tentations, but as a wash way that he can trot thorough, and goe forward religiously in his Calling for all them;) for though there be coluber in via, A snake in every way, tentations in every calling, yet, In Christo omnia possumus, In Christ, we can doe all things, and therefore, in him, we can bruise the Serpents head) and spurn a tentation out of his way. But he that hath been long under the custome of a sin, evermore meets with stones to stumble at, and bogges to plunge in. It is S. Chrys… stomes application; He that hath had fever, though he have cast it off, yet he walks weakly, and he hath an inclination to the beds side, or to a chaire, at every turn that he makes about his chamber. So hath he to relapses, that hath been under the custome of an habituall sin, though he have discontinued the practise of that sin. And these be the inconveniences, the mischiefs, represented to us in this metaphore, A burden, Mine iniquities are as a burden too heavy for me, Because they sink me down, from the Creator to the creature; Because they tire and weary me, and yet I must bear them; Because when they doe not absolutely tire me, yet they slacken my pace; and because, though I could lay off that burden, leave off that sin, for the present practise, yet the former habit hath so weakned me, that I always apt to stumble, and fall into relapses.
Thus have you the mischievous inconveniences of habituall sin laid open to you,Conclusiv. Christus. in these two elegancies of the holy Ghost, supergressae, Mine iniquities are gone over my head, and the gravatae, As a burden they are too heavy for me. But as a good Emperour received that commendation, that no man went ever out of his presence discontented, so our gracious God never admits us to his presence in this his Ordinance, but with a purpose to dismisse us in heart, and in comfort; for, his Almoner, he that distributeth his mercies to Congregations, is the God of comfort, of all comfort, the holy Ghost himself. Nay, they whom he admits to his presence here, goe not out of his presence, when they goe from hence; He is with them, whilst they stay here, and hee goes home with them, when they goe home. Princes out of their Royall care call Parliaments, and graciously deliver themselves over to that Representative Body; God out of his Fatherly love calls Congregations, and does not onelyonly deliver himself over, in his ordinance, to that Representative Body, the whole Church there, but when every man is become a private man again, when the Congregation is dissolv'd, and every man restored to his own house, God, in his Spirit, is within the doores, within the bosomes of every man that receiv'd him here. Therefore we have reserved for the conclusion of all, the application of this Text to our blessed Saviour; for so our most ancient Expositors direct our meditations, first, historically, and literally, upon David, and that we did at first; Then morally, and by just application to our selves, and that we have most particularly insisted upon; And lastly, upon our Saviour Christ Iesus himself; and that remains for our conclusion and consolation; for, even from him, groaning under our burden, we may hear these words, Mine iniquities are gone over my head, and, &c.
First then, that that lay upon Christ, was sin, properly sin. Peccatum.Nothing could estrange God from man, but sin; and even from this Son of man, though he were the Son of God too, was God far estranged; therefore God saw sin in him. Non novit peccatum, He knew no sin; not by any experimentall knowledge, not by any perpetration; for,2 Cor. 5. 21. Non fecit peccatum, He did no sin, be committed no sin.1 Pct. 2. 23. What though? we have sin upon us, sin to condemnation, Originall sin before we know sin, before we have committed any sinne. They esteemed him stricken, and smitten of God; Esa. 53. 4.and they mistook not in that; He was stricken and smitten of God; It pleased the Lord to bruile him,v. 10. and to put him to grief; And the Lord proceeds not thus, where he sees no sin. Therefore the Apostle carries it to a very high expression, God made him to be sin for our sakes; 2 Cor. 5. 21.not onelyonly sinfull, but sin it self. And as one cruell Emperour wished all mankinde in one man, that hee might have beheaded mankinde at one blow, so God gathered the whole nature of sinne into one Christ, that by one action, one passion, sin, all sin, the whole nature of sinne might bee overcome. It was sin that was upon Christ, else God could not have been angry with him, nor pleased with us.
It was sin, and his own sin; Mine iniquities, says Christ, in his Type, and figure,Sua. David; and in his body, the Church; and, (we may be bold to adde) in his very person; Mine iniquities. Many Heretiques denied his body, to be his Body, they said it was but an airy, an imaginary, an illusory Body; and denied his Soul to be his Soul, they said he had no humane soul, but that his divine nature supplied that, and wrought all the operations of the soul. But we that have learnt Christ better, know, that hee could not have redeemed man, by that way that was contracted betweene him and his Father, that is, by way of satisfaction, except he had taken the very body, and the very soul of man: And as verily as his humane nature, his body and soul were his, his sins were his too. As my mortality, and my hunger, and thirst, and wearinesse, and all my naturall infirmities are his, so my sins are his sins. And now when my sins are by him thus made his sins, no Hell-Devill, not Satan, no Earth-Devill, no Calumniator, can any more make those sins my sins, then he can make his divinity, mine. As by the spirit of Adoption, I am made the childe of God, the seed of God, the same Spirit with God, but yet I am not made God, so by Christs taking my sins, I am made a servant of my God, a Beads-man of my God, a vassall, a Tributary debtor to God, but I am no sinner in the sight of God, no sinner so, as that man or the Devill can impute that sin unto me, then when my Saviour hath made my sins his. As a Soldier would not part with his scars, Christ would not.
They were sins, Plura.that lay upon him, part with our sins; And his sins; and, as it follows in his Type, David, sins in a plurality, many sins. I know nothing in the world so manifold, so plurall, so numerous, as my sins; And my Saviour had all those. But if every other man have not so many sins, as I, he owes that to Gods grace, and not to the Devils forbearance, for the Devill saw no such parts, nor no such power in me to advance or hinder his kingdome, no such birth, no such education, no such place in the State or Church, as that he should be gladder of me, then of other men. He ministers tentations to all; and all are overcome by his tentations; And all these sins, in all men, were upon Christ at once. All twice over; In the root, and in the fruit too; In the bullein, and in the coin too; In grosse, and in retail; In Originall, and in Actuall sin. And, howsoever the sins of former ages, the sins of all men for 4000 years before, which were all upon him, when he was upon the Crosse, might possibly be numbred, (as things that are past, may easilier fall within a possibility of such an imagination) yet all those sinnes, which were to come after, he himself could not number; for, hee, as the Sonne of man, though hee know how long the world hath lasted, knowes not how long this sinfull world shall last, and when the day of Judgement shall be; And all those future sins, were his sins before they were committed; They were his before they were theirs that doe them. And lest this world should not afford him sins enow, he took upon him the sins of heaven it self; not their sins, who were fallen from heaven, and fallen into an absolute incapacity of reconciliation, but their sins, which remained in heaven; Those sins, which the Angels that stand, would fall into, if they had not received a confirmation, given them in contemplation of the death and merits of Christ, Christ took upon him, for all things, in Earth, and Heaven too, were reconciled to God by him: for, if there had been as many worlds, as there are men in this, (which is a large multiplication) or as many worlds, as there are sins in this, (which is an infinite multiplication) his merit had been sufficient to all.
They were sins, Supergressae.his sins, many sinnes, the sinnes of the world; and then, as in his Type, David, Supergressae, his sins, these sins were got above him. And not as Davids, or ours, by an insensible growth, and swelling of a Tide in Course of time, but this inundation of all the sins of all places, and times, and persons, was upon him in an instant, in a minute; in such a point as admits, and requires a subtile, and a serious consideration; for it is eternity; which though it doe infinitely exceed all time, yet is in this consideration, lesse then any part of time, that it is indivisible, eternity is so; and though it last for ever, is all at once, eternity is so. And from this point, this timelesse time, time that is all time, time that is no time, from all eternity, all the sins of the world were gone over him.
And,Caput. in that consideration, supergressae caput, they were gone over his head. Let his head bee his Divine nature, yet they were gone over his head: for, though there bee nothing more voluntary, then the love of God to man, (for, he loves us, not onelyonly for his own sake, or for his own glories sake, but he loves us for his loves sake, he loves us, and loves his love of us, and had rather want some of his glory, then wee should not have, nay, then he should not have so much love towards us) though this love of his be an act simply voluntary, yet in that act of expressing this love, in the sending a Saviour, there was a kinde of necessity contracted on Christs part; such a contract had passed between him and his Father, that as himself says, there was an oportuit pati, Luc. 24.a necessity that he should suffer all that he suffered, and so enter into glory, when he was come; so there was an oportuit venire a necessity, (a necessity induced by that contract) that he should come in that humiliation, and smother, and suppresse the glory of the divine nature, under a cloud of humane, of passible, of inglorious flesh.
So,Tectum. be his divine nature this head, his sins, all our sins made his, were gone above his head; And over his head, all those ways, that we considered before, in our selves; Sicut tectum, sicut fornix, as a roof, as an arch, that had separated between God, and him, in that he prayed, and was not heard; when in that Transeat Calix, Father, if it be possible, let this cup passe from me, the Cup was not onelyonly not taken out of his hands, but filled up again as fast, as he, in obedience to his Father, dranke of it, more and worse miseries succeeding, and exceeding those which hee had born before. They were above him in clamore, Clamor.in that voice, in that clamour which was got up to heaven, and in possession of his Fathers ears, before his prayer came, Father, forgive them, for they are not forgiven that sinne of crucifying the Lord of life, yet. They were above his head,Aquae. tanquam aquae, as an inundation of waters, then when he swet water and bloud, in the Agony, when hee, who had formerly passed his Israel thorough the Red Sea, as though that had not been love large enough, was now himself overflowed with a Red Sea of his owne bloud, for his Israel again. And they were over his head in Dominio, Dominium,in a Lordship, in a Tyranny, then when those marks of soveraign honour, a robe, and a scepter, and a Crown of thorns were added to his other afflictions. And so is our first part of this Text, the supergressae sunt, the multiplicity of sin, appliable to Christ, as well as to his Type, to David, and to us, the members of his body.
And so is the last part,Graves. that which we handled to day, too, the gravata sunt, the weight and insupportablenesse of sin. They were heavy, they weighed him down from his Fathers bosome, they made God Man. That one sin could make an Angel a Devill, is a strange consideration; but that all the sins of the world, could make God Man, Nimis.is stranger. Yet sinne was so heavy; Too heavy, sayes the Text. It did not onelyonly make God Man; in investing our nature by his birth, but it made him no Man, by devesting that body, by death; and, (but for the vertue, and benefit of a former Decree) submitting that body, to the corruption, and putrefaction of the grave; But this was the peculiar, the miraculous glory of Christ Jesus. He had sin, all our sin, and yet never felt worme of conscience; He lay dead in the grave, and yet never felt worm of corruption. Sin was heavy; It made God Man; Too heavy; It made Man no Man; Mihi.Too heavy for him, even for him, who was God and Man together; for, even that person, so composed, had certain velleitates, (as wee say in the School) certain motions arising sometimes in him, which required a veruntamen, a review, a re-consideration, Not my will, O Father, but thine be done; and such, as in us, who are pushed on by Originall sinne, and drawn on by sinfull concupiscences in our selves, would become sins, though in Christ they were farre from it. Sin was heavy, even upon him, in all those inconveniences, which wee noted in a burden;Onus. Incurvando, when he was bowed down, and gave his back to their scourges; Fatigando, when his soul was heavy unto death; Retardando, when they brought him to think it long, Viquid dereliquisti, Why hast thou forsaken mee? And then, praecipitando, to make that haste to the Consummatum est, to the finishing of all, as to die before his fellows that were crucified with him, died; to bow down his head, and to give up his soul, before they extorted it from him.
Thus we burdned him;Bernard. And thus he unburdned us; Et cum exonerat nos onerat, when he unburdens us, he burdens us even in that unburdening: Onerat beneficio, cum exonerat peccato. He hath taken off the obligation of sinne, but he hath laid upon us, the obligation of thankfulnesse, Ps. 116. 12.and Retribution. Quid retribuam? What shall I render to the Lord, for all his benefits to me? is vox onerati, a voyce that grones under the burden, though not of sinne, Luke 5. 8.yet of debt, to that Saviour, that hath taken away that sinne. Exi à me Domine, that which Saint Peter said to Christ, Lord depart from me, for I am a sinfull man, is, says that Father, vox onerati, the voyce of one oppressed with the blessings and benefits of God, and desirous to spare, and to husband that treasure of Gods benefits, as though he were better able to stand without the support of some of those benefits, then stand under the debt, which so many, so great benefits laid upon him: Truly he that considers seriously, what his sins have put the Son of God to, cannot but say, Lord lay some of my sinnes upon me, rather then thy Sonne should beare all this; that devotion, that says after, Spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious bloud, would say before, spare that Son, that must die, spare that precious bloud, that must be shed to redeeme us. And rather then Christ should truely, really beare the torments of hell, in his soule, (which torments cannot be severed from obduration, nor from everlastingness) I would, I should desire, that my sins might return to me, and those punishments for those sins; I should be ashamed to be so farre exceeded in zeal, by Moses, who would have been blotted out of the book of life, or by Paul, who would have been separated from Christ for his brethren, as that I would not undertake as much, to redeem my redeemer, and suffer the torments of Hell my selfe, rather then hee should; But it is an insupportable burden of debt, that he hath laid upon me, by suffering that which he suffered,Idem. without the torments of Hell. Those words, Vis sanus fieri, hast thou a desire to be well, and a faith that I can make thee well? are vox ex… nerantis, the words of him that would take off our burden; But then, the Tolle grabatum & ambula, Take up thy bed and walke, this is vox oncrantis, the voyce of Christ, as he lays a new burden upon us; ut quod prius suave, jam onerosum sit, that bed which he had ease in before, must now be born with pain; that sin which was forgotten with pleasure, must now be remembred with Contrition Christ speaks not of a vacuity, nor of a levity; when he takes off one burden, he lays on another; nay, two for one. He takes off the burden, of Irremediablenesse, of irrecoverablenesse, and he reaches out his hand, in his Ordinances, in his Word and Sacraments, by which we may be disburdened of all our sins; but then he lays upon us, Onus resipiscentiae, the burden of Repentance for our selves, and Onus gratitudinis, the burden of retribution, and thankfulnesse to him, in them who are his, by our relieving of them, in whom he suffers. The end of all, (that we may end all in endlesse comfort) is, That our word, in the originall, in which the holy Ghost spoake, is Iikkebedu, which is not altogether, as we read them, graves sunt, but graves fieri; not that they are, but that they were as a burden, too heavy for me; till I could lay hold upon a Saviour to sustaine me, they were too heavy for me: And by him, Psal. 18. 29.I can runne through a troop (through the multiplicity of my sins,) and by my God I can leap over a wall; Though mine iniquities be got over my head, as a wall of separation, yet in Christo omnia possum, In Christ I can doe all things; Mine iniquities are got over my head; but my head is Christ; and in him, I can doe whatsoever hee hath done, by applying his sufferings to my soule for all; my sins are his, and all his merit is mine: And all my sins shall no more hinder my ascending into heaven, nor my sitting at the right hand of God, in mine own person, then they hindered him, who bore them all in his person, mine onelyonly Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus, blessed for ever.