A Manual of Practical Divinity, Treatise · Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Great Salvation in Chriſt for ſinners.
GOD that might have damned all mankind for ſin, and might have left us in that loſt eſtate for ever, hath ſo loved the world, that he hath ſent his only begotten Son, that whoſoever believeth in him might not periſh, but have eternal Life.
Some things we ſhall here take notice of concerning him, in whom God accepts us, and giveth us eternal Life.
Chriſt our Mediator is God, Joh. 1.2. Phil. 2.7,8. 1 Tim. 3.16. He is God by nature. God the Father acknowledgeth him to be God, Heb. 1.8. when he ſaith to Chriſt, Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever; he knows the hearts of men, Joh. 2.22. All the Angles, every one of them is by the command of God the Father to worſhip him, which ſhews he is God, Heb. 1.6. He laid the Foundations of the earth, and the Heavens are the work of his hands, Heb. 1.10,11,12. He is God and therefore he is mighty to ſave: he is God, and therefore hath everlaſting arms to hold his members from falling into hell. O what a glorious head hath the Church! though we are but like Nebuchadnezzars Image, the feet of clay and Iron, yet our head is of pure gold.
Chriſt Jeſus our Surety and Mediator is man, he was made fleſh, 1 Joh. 2. came in the likeneſs of ſinfull fleſh, took our nature after it was corrupted. Rom. 8.3. Becauſe the Children that God hath given him were pertakers of fleſh and blood, he alſo took part of the ſame, Heb. 2. This is no ſmall comfort to us, that Chriſt hath taken our nature, and was made like unto us in all things, ſin only excepted, he knows what it is to be tempted, and can ſuccour them that are tempted.
O, This is wonderfull that Chriſt ſhould put on the poor ſuit of our nature, and after we had ſo ſtained it by ſin: O, That God ſhould be ſo mindfull of us, as to ſend his Son in our nature to die for us, that God who was infinitly happy before ever we were, that he ſhould …o it; That God that had ſo many thouſand Angels to ſing praiſes to him, and could have created millions of creatures more glorious then the very Angels to praiſe him for ever, and that could have created a thouſand worlds before this of men to praiſe him; that glorious God that took infinite delight in his Eternal Son, the Lord Jeſus, before ever the world was, Prov. 8. that this bleſſed God ſhould ſend his Son in our Nature, and humble him to death, even the death of the Croſs; This is wonderfull indeed.
The Lord Jeſus was a publique perſon, Rom. 5. therefore he is called a Surety, Heb. 7. A Saviour, Luke 2.23. An Advocate, 1 Joh. 2.1. A Captain of Salvation, Heb. 2.10. The Covenant of the People, Iſa. 42.6. A Ranſom, 1 Tim. 2.6. A high Prieſt, Heb. 4.4. What he did was for others; for our ſakes he ſanctified himſelf; He was delivered for our offences, roſe again for our Juſtification, Rom. the fourth and the laſt.
There is infinite merit in Chriſt to juſtifie all that believe in him, that nothing needs to be added to his Righteouſneſs for Juſtification in him: in him alone without works ſhall the houſe of Iſrael be juſtified, and ſhall glory. Iſa. 45. ult.
The Believers under the old Teſtament looked for acceptance with God only through Chriſt; and therefore offered up the Sacrifices that were Types of him; prayed in his name. Dan. 9.10. He ſet open his window, prayed towards Jeruſalem, which was a Type of Chriſt, and prayed, verſe 17. that God would look upon his Sanctuary which was deſolate, for the Lords ſake, that is, for the Lords Jeſus ſake.
Chriſt hath purchaſed all Sanctification, and is the Author of it to ſinners: The precious Faith by which we believe to everlaſting Life, is from Chriſt, 2. Pet. 1.1. There the Apoſtle ſaith, that precious Faith is obtained through the Righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt our Lord; and ſo Heb. 10.2. And Repentance is from him, Act. 5.31. And of his fulneſs we receive Grace for Grace, Joh. 1.16. yea Phil 1.11. All the fruits of Righteouſneſs, all Grace whatſoever is ſaid to come by Jeſus Chriſt; he was filled with Grace to communicate to us; He is that Fountain and River of Life that ſerveth all the City of God, that ſpiritual Joſeph that laid in with abundance to ſerve all Aegypt.
The Lord Jeſus had experience of all kind of ſufferings and temptations, that he might be a pittifull and a mercifull high Prieſt for us, Heb. 2. ult. Heb. 4. ult. He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without ſin. It was requiſiite that the Lord Jeſus our high Prieſt ſhould be tempted in all points. (1) That he might know the malice of the Devil experimentally by his own feeling. (2) That he might overcome Satan. The Lord Jeſus, the Captain of our Salvation fought a ſingle duel with Satan that we might ſee his ſtrength, and that Satan might be overcom, that ſo the Saints when they are ſet upon by Sathan, might have faith in him, that he who hath overcome him, and broke the Serpents head, where his wound is uncurable, will prevent all his deſigns againſt them. (3) That he might ſympathize with the Saints, and ſuccour them when they are tempted; in that fourth of the Hebrews, v. 15. the Apoſtle ſaith, We have not an high Prieſt which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was tempted as we are, (foreign) pierced through as we are The darts of temptation were thrown at Chriſt as well as they are at us. (4) Chriſt was thus tempted that the Saints might know that great Temptations might conſiſt with great love; yea the greateſt Temptations with the greateſt love; For what greater Temptations then Chriſt had in the fourth of Matthew? But many poor Saints are fit to think that if God loved them, and they had Truth of Grace, they ſhould not have ſuch Temptations, whereas Chriſt him ſelf who was ſo infinitely beloved of the Father, and had ſo much Grace, and was ſo full of the Spirit, had all manner of temptations; and truly Satan as he made the world his laſt temptation to Chriſt, Mat. 4. offering him the Glory of the World to ſee whether Chriſt would be allured with that; even ſo doth he deal oftentimes with the Saints, that after he hath tempted them much in their firſt converſion with blaſphemous thoughts, ſcruples about every thing almoſt, and with infinite more temptations, his laſt temptation when they grow old, ſhall be to draw them to the love of the World, to grow covetous and earthly in the old age of their profeſſion, to ſee if he can ſlily draw their hearts from God, and take them off their zeal and life in religion by minding of earthly things, the Lord Jeſus who himſelf overcame this Temptation, and who prayed for his members, Joh. 17. that the Father would keep them from the evil of the world, yea and Gal. 1.4. gave himſelf for us, to deliver us from this preſent evil world. He breaks this ſnare of this cunning Fowler Satan, that our foot be not taken.
Again the Lord Jeſus ſuffered by reproaches and perſecution from the world; this alſo was requiſite, (1.) That he might ſuccour his people in ſuch caſes. (2.) That the Saints might not think much to ſuffer from the world, when the Maſter of the Houſe had done it. (3. That the Saints might not think that they are Hypocrites and have not ſincerity, becauſe that the world raileth on them and perſecutes them; for Chriſt he had no ſin, and yet the world would have dirt to caſt in his face. (4.) That the Saints in all theſe ſufferings which they endure, might have an example of patience from Chriſt, who when he was reviled reviled not again.
O Bleſſed are they that fall into this pittiful Samaritans hands the Lord Jeſus, a pittiful and merciful high Prieſt indeed: Are they poor? he knows how to ſuccour and pitty them in that condition, for he had not whereon to lay his head: Do they lie under the apprehenſion of Gods wrath? Chriſt knows how to ſuccour them in that condition; for he knows what a burden that is, which made him cry out, my God my God, why haſt thou forſaken me? Is a poor creature come to his dying hour? Chriſt knows what the pangs of death are. Thus the Lord Jeſus hath not only infinite Love as God, but as Mediatour, and as one that hath ſhot the ſame gulphs of temptation that we are to paſs through. The carriage of Chriſt upon earth towards ſinners is to be diligently ſtudied by thoſe who would ſee the heart of Chriſt towards ſinners, and what infinite riches of mercy God beſtoweth upon us in him; he converted many in his own perſon, and of the pooreſt ſort, Fiſhermen and men of mean rank many of them; and as few of them were mighty and Noble, ſo few of them were of the Wiſe men after the fleſh, though Chriſt could as eaſily have made Herod & the learned men of thoſe times have followed him as Matthew and the reſt. That follow me, that Chriſt ſpake to Matthew, accompanied with that Almighty Power, of the Spirit, that it came to his heart withal, would have made any of them have followed Chriſt. O the Grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt the Lord of Glory, that he would condeſcend to keep company conſtantly with a few Fiſhermen and other poor people in the dayes of his fleſh, when he could have called all the Princes of the earth to wait upon him the Lord of all; he could have fetcht them from the uttermoſt parts of the earth to hear his Wiſdom and to miniſter unto him; and though Chriſt would uſe many harſh words to the Phariſes becauſe they truſted that they were righteous in themſelves, and deſpiſed others, yet how ſweet in his carriage to others; even bringing Publicans and Harlots into the Kingdom of God! O his compaſſions to the very bodies of men, healing their ſick! O the affectionate expreſſions of Chriſt to his Diſciples a little before his death recorded in John, and what affectionate Prayers he put up for them to the Father, and for all that ſhould believe on him through their word, John 17. And behold what manner of affection he diſcovered after he was riſen; He appears firſt to Mary Magdalen that had been ſuch a great ſinner, ſends word to Peter that had denied him, of his Reſurrection, and never mentions his fall; O what manner of Mediatour hath God provided, ſo full of merit, ſo full of Grace to be communicated to ſinners, ſo full of compaſſions towards ſinners! Thus God hath laid in Sion a ſure Foundation, a tried Stone, a precious corner Stone; and he that believeth on him, ſhall not be aſhamed.
Whatſoever evil and miſchief ſin brought upon us, Chriſt freeth us from it that are in him; Sin made God and us to be at odds; Chriſt Reconciles us, and makes God and a poor ſinner friends never to fall out more; He hath made peace by the blood of his Croſs, Col. 1.20. Our ſins made a horrible ſtench in the Noſtrils of God, Chriſts death was a ſweet ſmelling ſavour to God, Eph. 5.2. to take away that ſtench. Sin brought the wrath of God upon us; Chriſt delivereth us from the wrath to come, 1 Theſ. 1.10. Sin brought us into priſon, Chriſt maketh us free, and we are free indeed, John 8. Eſay 61.1. Eph. 1.7. We have the Redemption through his Blood, even the forgiveneſs of ſins.
There is nothing but great things and wonders in what God hath done for ſinners in Chriſt. He raiſeth a poor ſoul that believeth in Chriſt to a better eſtate then ever we had before we fell; that our latter end after all our prodigality is better then our beginning: for we are made immutably happy and Righteous by Chriſt; we have union with the Lord Jeſus the ſecond perſon of the Trinity in an intimate Conjugal manner, which Adam had not before the fall; we ſtand upon free Promiſes, an abſolute Covenant; there was no ſuch Promiſe ſo free and abſolute without Conditions before the fall, as that after the fall, Gen. 3. The ſeed of the woman ſhall break the Serpents head: yea a Believer in Chriſt hath not only created gifts as the firſt Adam, but the Influences of the Bleſſed Spirit, and the ſtrength of Chriſt by which a ſoul can do all things, Phil. 4.13. that ſo he is fitted for all ſpiritual Duty from an unfailing ſtrength and ſpring of Grace in the Lord Jeſus.
And if thoſe that believe in the Lord Jeſus, are brought into a better ſtate then Adam at firſt was in: then much more is the Lord Jeſus the Author of all this to them, worthy of more Glory then Adam: for the Lord Jeſus had not only all thoſe created gifts that Adam had, but beſides he was God equal with the Father, and as Mediatour he was exalted far above Adam; for he had fulneſs of Grace in him, John 1.16. the Spirit without meaſure, John 3. had power over all fleſh, John 17.2. Mat. 28. He doth not ſpeak there of his Power as God, but of his Power as Mediatour, for that only could be given him, as he ſaith, thou haſt given me power over all fleſh.
Whatſoever a Believer hath, it is through Chriſt; for whatſoever God doth for a poor creature, either to juſtifie, ſanctifie, quicken, or comfort, he doth all for us in Chriſt, He bleſſeth us with all ſpiritual bleſſings in heavenly things in him, Eph. 1.3. We are by nature dead in treſpaſſes and ſins, and God makes Chriſt our Life, Eph. 2.1. Gal. 1.20. We are naturally in darkneſs, and God makes Chriſt our Light, Eph. 5.8. He makes Chriſt our Sun to ſhine upon us, the glorious Sun of Righteouſneſs that is ſo full of Light and heat to us: we are naturally in a famiſht and ſtarved condition like the Prodigal, and God makes Chriſt our food; he giveth us Chriſt as the true Manna & bread of Life, John 6. We are naturally poor and beggerly, and God makes Chriſt our riches and Treaſure, Prov. 8.17,18,19. We are naturally naked, and God makes Chriſt our cloathing, putting on us his Robe of Righteouſneſs: We are impotent and weak, and he makes him our ſtrength. Thus he makes Chriſt all in all to us, both Wiſdom, Righteouſneſs, Sanctification and Redemption.