The Fountain of Life, Sermon 4
The FOURTHSerm. 4. SERMON.Opens the admirable love of God in giving his own Son for us.
JOH. III.XVI.
For God so loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, &c.
YOU have heard of the gracious purpose and design of God, to recover poor sinners to himself by Jesus Christ; and how this design of love was laid and contrived in the Covenant of Redemption, whereof we last spake.
Now according to the terms of that Covenant, you shall hear from this Scripture; how that design was by one degree, advanced towards its accomplishment: in Gods actual giving or parting with his own Son for us: God so loved the world, that he gave, &c.
The whole precedent context is spent in discovering the nature, and necessity of Regeneration; and the necessity thereof is in this Text argued and inferred, from the peculiar respect and eye God had upon believers, in giving Christ for them; they only reaping all the special and saving benefits, and advantages of that gift. God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish.
In the words are considerable.
The Original, Spring, or Fountain of our best mercies; the love of God. The love of God is either benevolent, beneficient, or complacential; his benevolent love, is nothing else but his desire, and purpose of saving and doing us good: so his purpose of grace to Iacob, is called love: Rom. 9.13. Iacob have I loved; but this being before Iacob was, could consist in nothing else, but the gracious purpose of God towards him: his beneficent love, is his actual doing good to the persons beloved: or the bestowing the effects of his love upon us, according to that purpose. His complacential love, is nothing else but that delight and satisfaction he finds, in beholding the fruits, and workings of that grace in us; which he first intended for us, and then actually collated, or bestowed on us. This love of benevolence is that which I have opened to you under the former head, Gods compact with Christ about us, or his design to save us, on the Articles and terms therein specified.
The love of beneficence, is that which this Scripture speaks off, out of this fountain Christ flowed to us, and both run into that of complacency; for therefore he both purposed, and actually bestowed Christ on us, that he might everlastingly delight in beholding the glory and praise of all this, reflected on himself by his redeemed ones. This then is the fountain of our mercies.
The mercy flowing out of this fountain, and that is Christ: the mercy as he is Emphatically called,Hic igitur unigeniti, nomen foreign est ad commendandam i… nos amoris divini v…he…entiam. Buling. in loc. Luk. 1.72. the marrow, kernel, and substance of all other mercies. He gave his only begotten Son: this was the birth of that love, the like whereunto it never brought forth before, therefore it's exprest with a double emphasis in the Text, the one is that particle foreign so; he so loved the world: here is a sic without a sicut: how did he love it? why he so loved it; but how much, the tongues of Angels cannot declare. And moreover, to encrease and aggravate the mercy, he is stiled his only begotten Son; to have given a Son, had been wonderful; but to give an only begotten Son, that's love unexpressible, unintelligible.
The objects of this love, or the persons into whose lap and arms the eternal love delivered Christ, and that is the [world] this must respect the elect of God in the world; such as do or shall actually believe: as it is exegetically exprest in the next breath, that whosoever believes in him should not perish: those whom he calls the world in that, he stiles believers in this expression; and the word [world] is put to signifie the elect, because they are scattered through all parts, and are among all ranks of men in the world; these are the objects of this love: it is not Angels, but men that were so loved; he is called foreign, a lover, a friend of man, but never foreign, or foreign the lover of friend of Angels, or Creatures of another species.
The manner in which this never enough celebrated mercy flows to us from the Fountain of Divine love; and that is most freely and spontaneously. He gave not he sold, or barely parted from, but gave: nor yet doth the Fathers giving imply Christ to be meerly passive, for as the Father is here said to give him; so the Apostle tells us, Gal. 2.20. that he gave himself, who loved me and gave himself for me: the Father gave him out of good will to men, and he as willingly bestowed himself on that Service. Hence the Note is.
DOCT.Doct. That the gift of Christ is the highest and fullest manifestation of the love of God to sinners, that ever was made from eternity to them.
How is this gift of God to sinners signalized in that place of the Apostle,Omnia dili…it deus quae fecet, & inter ea, magis creaturas rationales, & de illis ea amplius quae sunt membra unigeniti, & multo magis ipsum unigenitum. Aug. T. 9▪ in Johan. 1 Joh. 4.10. herein is love, not that we loved God; but that he loved us; and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins; why doth the Apostle so magnifie this gift, in saying herein is love, as if there were love in nothing else? may we not say, that to have a being, a being among the rational creatures; therein is love, to have our life carryed so many years like a taper in the hand of Providence, through so many dangers; and not yet put out in obscurity: therein is love, to have food and rayment convenient for us, beds to lye in; relations to comfort us, in all these is love; yea, but if you speak comparatively; in all these there is no love, to the love exprest in sending or giving Christ for us: these be great mercies in themselves, but set by this mercy they are all swallowed up, as the light of Candles when brought into the Sunshine: no, no; herein is the love, that God gave Christ for us. And it is remarkable that when the Apostle would shew us in Rom. 5.8. what is the noblest fruit that most commends to men the root of Divine love that bears it; he shews us this very fruit of it that I am now opening. But God (saith he) commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners; Christ dyed for us; this is the very flower of that love.
The Method into which I will cast this precious point, shall be this. (1.) To shew how Jesus Christ was given by the Father. (2.) How that gift is the fullest and richest manifestation of the love of God, that was ever made to the world. (3.) And then draw forth the Uses of it.
How was Jesus Christ given by the Father, and what is implyed therein?
You are not so to understand it, as though God parted with his …terest and propriety in his Son, when he is said to give him; he was as much his own as ever, when men give they transfer propriety to another, but when God had given him; he was, I say, still as much his own as ever: but this giving of Christ implyes. (1.) His designation and appointment unto death for us: for so you read that it was done according to the determinate counsel of God, Acts 2.23. look as the Lam… …nder the Law was separted from the flock, and set apart for a Sacrifice▪ though it were still living, yet it was intentionally, and p… paratively given, and consecrated to the Lord: so Jesus Christ was by the counsel and purpose of God, thus chosen; and set apart for this Service; and therefore in Esa. 42.1. God calls him his elect or chosen one. (2.) His giving Christ implys a parting with him, or setting him (as the French hath it) at some distance from himself for a time: there was a kind of parting betwixt the Father and the Son, when he came to tabernacle in our flesh: so he expresseth it, Joh. 16.28. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world; again I leave the world, and go to the Father; this distance that his incarnation and humiliation set him at, was properly as to his humanity which was really distant from the glory into which it is now taken up; and in respect of manifestation of delight and love. The Lord seemed to carry it as one at distance from him. O this was it that so deeply pierced and wounded his Soul, as is evident from that complaint, Psal. 22.1, 2. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from the voice of my roaring? O my God I cry in the day time, and thou hearest not, &c. (3.) Gods giving of Christ implies his delivering him into the hands of Justice, to be punished. Even as condemned persons are by sentence of Law, given or delivered into the hands of executioners. So Acts 2.23. Him being delivered by the determinate counsell of God, ye have taken; and with wicked hands have slain. And so he is said, Rom. 8.32. To deliver him up to death for us all. The Lord when the time was come that Christ must Suffer, did as it were say; O all ye roaring Waves of my incensed Justice, now swell as high as heaven; and go over his soul and body. Sink him to the bottom, let him go like Ionah his Type into the belly of Hell, unto the roots of the Mountains. Come all ye raging storms that I have reserved for this day of wrath, beat upon him; beat him down that he may not be able to look up. Psal. 40.12. Go Justice put him upon the rack; torment him in every part, till all his bones be out of joynt; and his heart within him be melted as wax, in the midst of his bowels. Psal. 22.14. And ye assembly of the wicked, Jews and Gentiles that have so long gaped for his blood, now he is delivered into your hands; you are now permitted to execute your malice to the full. I now loose your chain, and into your hand and power is he delivered. (4.) Gods giving of Christ implys his application of him, with all the purchases of his blood; and setling all this upon us, as an inheritance, and portion. Ioh. 6.32, 33. My Father giveth you the true bread, from heaven, for the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven; and giveth life unto the world. God hath given him as bread to poor starving creatures, that by faith they might eat, and live. And so he told the Samaritaness, Ioh. 4 10. If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee give me to drink; thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living waters. Bread and water are the two necessarys for the support of natural life, God hath given Christ you see to be all that, and more, to the spiritual Life.
How this gift of Christ was the highest and fullest manifestation of the love of God that ever the world saw?God might have redeemed us in another way (for I suppose 'tis opus liberi consilii) a free dispensation; but God so loved the world (i. e) he took this way that we might love Christ as well as believe in him. He might have redeemed us so much in another way, but he could not oblige us so much in another way. Manton in Iude. p 108. Mr. Wall in his none but Christ. And this will be evidenced by the following particulars. (1.) If you consider how near and dear Jesus Christ was to the Father. He was his Son, his only Son; saith the Text. The Son of his Love. The darling of his soul. His other self. Yea one with himself. The express Image of his person. The brightness of his Fathers glory. In parting with him, he parted with his own heart, with his very bowels, as I may say. Yet to us a Son is given, Esa. 9.6. And such a Son as he calls his dear Son, Col. 1.13. A late writer tells us that he hath been informed that in the Famine in Germany, a poor family being ready to perish with Famine; the Husband made a motion to the Wife, to sell one of the Children for bread, to relieve themselves, and the rest. The Wife at last consents it should be so, but then they began to think, which of the four should be sold. And when the eldest was named, they both refused to part with that, being their first born, and the beginning of their strength. Well, then they came to the second; but could not yield that he should be sold; being the very picture and lively image of his Father. The third was named, but that also was a child that best resembled the mother. And when the youngest was thought on, that was the Benjamin: The child of their old age And so were content rather to perish altogether in the Famine, than part with a child for relief. And you know how tenderly Iacob took it, when his Ioseph and Benjamin were rent from him. What is a child; but a piece of the parent wrapt up in another skin? And yet our dearest children are but as strangers to us, in comparison of the unspeakable dearness that was betwixt the Father and Christ. Now that he should ever be content to part with a Son, and such an only one; is such a manifestation of Love, as will be admired to all Eternity.
And then (2.) let it be considered, to what he gave him, even to death and that of the Cross; to be made a curse for us. To be the scorn and contempt of men. To the most unparalell'd sufferings that ever were inflicted or born by any. It melts our bowels, it breaks our hearts to behold our children striving in the pangs of death. But the Lord beheld his Son struggling under agonies that never any felt before him. He saw him falling to the ground,Dolor Christi major suit omnibus doloribus. Aquinas. groveling in the dust, sweating blood, and amidst those agonies turning himself to his Father; and with an heart rending cry beseeching him, Father if it be p…ssible, let this cup pass. Luk. 22.42. To wrath, to the wrath of an infinite God without mixture, to the very torments of hell, was Christ delivered; and that by the hand of his own Father. Sure then, that love must needs want a name, which made the Father of mercies deliver his own only Son, to such miserys for us. (3.) It is a special consideration to enhance the love of God in giving Christ, that in giving him, he gave the richest Jewel in his Cabinet. A mercy of the greatest worth and most inestimable value. Heaven it self is not so valuable and precious as Christ is. He is the better half of heaven. And so the Saints account him. Psal. 73.25. Whom have I in heaven but thee? Ten thousand thousand worlds, Christus, & coelum non patiuntur hyperbolem.(saith one) as many worlds as Angels can number; and then as a new world of Angels can multiply: would not all be the balk of a ballance, to weigh Christs Excellency, Love, and sweetness.
O what a fair one! What an only one! What an excellent lovely ravishing one, is Christ. Put the Beauty of ten thousand Paradices, like the garden of Eden into one; put all Trees, all Flowers, all Smells, all Colours, all Tasts, all Ioys, all Sweetness, all Loveliness in one; O what a fair and excellent thing would that be! And yet it should be less to that fair and dearest well beloved Christ, than one drop of rain to the whole Seas, Rivers, Lakes, and Fountains of ten thousand Earths. Christ is heavens wonder, and earths wonder.
Now for God to bestow the mercy of mercys, the most precious thing in heaven or earth upon poor sinners: and as great, as lovely, as excellent as his Son was; yet not to account him too good to bestow upon us, what manner of love is this! (4.) Once more, let it be considered on whom the Lord bestowed his Son. Upon Angels? No, but upon men. Upon man his friend? No, but upon his enemies. This is Love; And on this consideration the Apostle lays a mighty weight in Rom. 5.8, 9, 10. But God (saith he) commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ dyed for us.— When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son. Who would part with a Son, for the sake of his dearest friends? but God gave him to, and delivered him for enemies. O Love unspeakable! (5.) Lastly, let us consider how freely this gift came from him. It was not wrested out of his hand by our importunity, for we as little desired, as deserved it. It was surprizing, preventing, eternal love that delivered him to us. Not that we loved him, but he first loved us. 1 Ioh. 4.19. Thus, as when you weigh a thing; you cast in weight after weight, till the scales break: so doth God, one consideration upon another to overcome our hearts, and make us admiringly to cry, what manner of Love is this! And thus I have shewed you what Gods giving of Christ is. And what matchless love is manifested in that incomparable gift.
Next we shall apply this, in some practical Corolaries.
Corolary 1.
Corol. 1.Learn hence the exceeding preciousness of Souls; and at what an high rate God values them, that he will give his Son, his only Son out of his bosom as a ransom for them. Surely this speaks their preciousness. God would not have parted with such a Son, for small matters. All the world could not redeem them. Gold and Silver could not be their ransom. 1 Pet. 1.18. So speaks the Apostle, You were not redeemed with corruptible things, as Silver and Gold; but with the precious blood of Christ. Such an esteem God had of them, that rather than they should perish: Jesus Christ shall be made a man, yea a curse for them. O then learn to put a due value upon your own souls. Don't sell that cheap, which God hath paid so dear for. Remember what a treasure you carry about you. The glory that you see in this world, is not equivolent in worth to it, Matth. 16.26. What shall a man give in exchange for his Soul?
Corolary 2.
If God have given his own Son for the world, then it follows, that those for whom God gave his own Son, Corol. 2.may warrantably expect any other Temporal mercies from him. This is the Apostles Inference, Rom. 8.32. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up to death for us all; how shall he not with him freely, give us all things? And so 1 Cor. 3.21▪22. All is yours, for ye are Christs, (i. e.) They hold all other things in Christ; who is the Capital, and most comprehensive mercy. To make out the grounds of this comfortable deduction, let these four things be pondered, and duly weighed in your thoughts. (1.) No other mercy you need, or desire, is, or can be so dear to God, as Jesus Christ is. He never layed any other thing in his bosom, as he did his Son. As for the world and the comforts of it, it is the dust of his feet, he values it not. As you see by his providential disposals of it; having given it to the worst of men. All the Turkish Empire (said Luther) as great and glorious as it is,Totum Iurcicum imperiam quantum, quantum est; mica tantum est▪ quam Pater familias projicit cambus. Luther. is but a crum which the Master of the family throws to the Dogs. Think upon any other outward enjoyment that's valuable in your eyes, and there is not so much compare betwixt it, and Christ, in the esteem of God, as is betwixt your dear Children, and the Lumber of your houses, in your esteem. If then God have parted so freely from that which was infinitly dearer to him than these, how shall he deny these, when they may promote his glory and your good? (2.) As Jesus Christ was nearer the heart of God than all these, so Christ is in himself much greater, and more excellent than them all; Ten thousand worlds, and the glory of them all, is but the dust of the ballance, if weighed with Christ. These things are but poor creatures, but he is over all; God blessed for ever. Rom. 9.5. They are the common gifts, but he is the gift of God. Joh. 4.10. They are ordinary mercys, but he is the mercy, Luk. 1.72. As one Pearl or precious stone is greater in value than ten thousand common pebbles. Now, if God have so freely given the greater, how can you suppose he should deny the lesser mercys? Will a man give to another a large inheritance, and stand with him for a trifle. How can it be. (3.) There is no other mercy you stand in want of, but you are entitled to it by the gift of Christ. It is (as to right) conveyed to you with Christ. So in the forecited, 1 Cor. 3.21, 22, 23. The world is yours, yea, all is yours; for ye are Christs. So 2 Cor. 1.20. For all the promises of God in Christ, in him they are, yea, and in him Amen. With him he hath given you all things, foreign. 1 Tim. 6.17. Richly to enjoy. The word signifies rem aliquam cum laetitia percipere. To have the sweet relish, and comfort of an enjoyment. So have we in all our mercys, upon the account of our title to them in Christ. (4.) Lastly, if God have given you this nearer, greater, and all comprehending mercy when you were enemies to him; and alienated from him: it is not imaginable he should now deny you any inferiour mercy, when you are come into a state of reconciliation and amity with him. So the Apostle reasons, Rom. 5.8, 9, 10. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And thus you have the second Inference with its grounds.
Corolary 3.
Corol. 3.If the greatest love hath been manifested in giving Christ to the world, then it follows, that the greatest evil and wickedness is manifested in despising, slighting, and rejecting Christ. 'Tis sad to abuse the love of God manifested in the lowest gift of providence, but to sleight the richest discoveries of it; even in that peerless gift; wherein God commends his love in the most taking and astonishing manner: this is sin with a witness. Blush O heavens, and be astonished O earth; yea, be ye horribly afraid. No guilt like this. The most flagitious wretches among the barbarous Nations, are innocent in comparison of these. But are there any such in the world? Dare any slight this gift of God? indeed, if mens words might be taken; there are few or none that dare do so; but if their lives and practices may be believed; this, this is the sin of the far greater part of the Christianized world. Witness the lamentable stupidity and supiness, witness the contempt of the Gospel, witness the hatred and persecution of his Image, Laws, and People. What is the language of all these but a vile esteem of Jesus Christ.
And now let me a little expostulate with these ungrateful souls that trample underfoot the Son of God. That value not this love that gave him forth. What is that mercy which you so contemn, and undervalue? Is it so vile and cheap a thing, as your entertainment speaks it to be? Is it indeed worth no more than this in your eyes? Surely you will not be long of that opinion. Will you be of that mind think you, when death and Judgement shall have throughly awakned you? O no, then a thousand worlds for a Christ. As its storied of our Crookback'd Richard, when he lost the field and was in great danger by his enemies that pressed upon him; O now (said he) a Kingdom for an Horse. Or think ye that any beside you in the world are of your mind? You are deceived, if you think so. To them that believe he is precious through all the world, 1 Pet. 2.7. And in the other world, they are of a quite contrary mind. Could you but hear what is said of him in heaven, in what a dialect the Saved of the Lord do extoll their Saviour:Fye fye (saith one) upon this condemned and foolish world, that will give so little for Christ, and salvation; Oh! if there were but a free market proclaimed of Christ and salvation in that day, when the Trumpet of God shall awaken the dead, how many buyers would be there? God s…nd me no more happines… but that which the blind world [to their ete… nal wo] leteth slip through their fingers. or could you but imagine the self revenges, the self torments which the damned suffer for this their folly: and what a value they would set upon one tender of Christ, if it might but again be hoped for: you would see that such as you, are the only despisers of Christ. Beside, methinks its astonishing, that you should despise a mercy in which your own souls are so dearly, so deeply, so everlastingly concerned in; as they are in this gift of God. If it were but the soul of another, nay less, if but the body of another; and yet less than that, if but anothers beast, whose life you could preserve, you are obliged to do it: but when it is thy self, yea, the best part of thy self; thine own invaluable soul that thou ruinest and destroyest hereby: Oh what a monster art thou to cast it away thus! What! will you slight your own souls? Care you not whether they be saved, or whether they be damned? Is it indeed an indifferent thing with you, which way they fall at death? Have you imagined a tollerable Hell? Is it easie to perish? Are you not only turned Gods enemies, but your own too? O see what monsters can sin turn men and women into! O the stupifying, besotting, intoxicating power of Sin! But perhaps you think that all these are but uncertain sounds, with which we alarm you. It may be thine own heart will Preach such Doctrine as this to thee. Who can assure thee of the reallity of these things? What shouldst thou trouble thy self about an invisible world? or be so much concerned for what thine eyes never saw, nor didst ever receive the report from any that have seen them? Well, though we cannot now shew you these things, yet shortly they shall be shewn you: and your own eyes shall behold them. You are convinced and satisfied that many other things are real, which you never saw. But be assured, that if the word spoken by Angels was stedfast, and every transgression, and disobedience received a just recompence of reward: How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation? Which at first began to be spoken to us by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by them that heard him: God also bearing them witness, Heb. 2.2, 3, 4. But if they be certain, yet they are not near. It will be a long time before they come: poor soul, how dost thou cheat thy self! It may be not by twenty parts, so long a time as thine own phancy draws it forth for thee. Thou art not certain of the next moment.
And suppose what thou imaginest, what is Twenty or Forty years when it is past? yea, what is a thousand years, to the vast eternity? Go trifle away a few days more, sleep out a few nights more, and then lie down in the dust; it will not be long ere the Trump of God shall awaken thee: and thine eyes shall behold Jesus coming in the clouds of heaven, and then you will know the price of this sin. O therefore if there be any sence of eternity upon you, any pity or love for your selves in you, if you have any concernments more than the beasts that perish, despise not your own offered mercies, slight not the richest gift, that ever was yet opened to the world, and a sweeter cannot be opened to all Eternity.