Discourses Upon Several Divine Subjects, Part 4
HEBREWS ii. 3.
How ſhall we eſcape, if we neglect ſo great Salvation?
IN handling theſe Words, I ſhall endeavour to ſhew, 1. The Greatneſs of the Salvation wrought for us by Chriſt; and 2. Our Inexcuſableneſs and the intolerable Aggravations of our Guilt and Puniſhment, if we neglect it. That ſo either common Gratitude in reflecting upon the infinite Condeſcenſions of Divine Love may draw us, or at leaſt the Terrors of the Lord may affright us into Obedience. For how ſhall we eſcape, if we neglect ſo great Salvation?
I. I am to ſhew the greatneſs of the Salvation wrought for us by Chriſt. And this appears,
1. From the Conſideration of the Greatneſs and Majeſty of the Perſon undertaking it. Now 'twas not any one of the Patriarchs, who were burning and ſhining Lights in their Generations. 'Twas not Moſes, nor one of the Prophets, by whom in times paſt he ſpake unto the Fathers; But when the Fulneſs of the time was come God dealt with us, as the Lord of the Vineyard did with his Husbandmen; laſt of all ſending even his own Son to be his Ambaſſadour to Mankind. His own Son, from whom by the Spirit all thoſe Divine Teachers, which from the Beginning of the World to his Birth went before him in the Fleſh, receiv'd their Power and Commiſſion. Of whom Moſes and the Prophets were only Types, Fore-runners and Shadows; Figures, Miniſters and Subſtitutes, to prepare and enable the World by degrees to receive this great Myſtery of Godlineſs, God manifeſted in the Fleſh: this laſt and univerſal Declaration of Life and Immortality brought to light in his Goſpel. His own Son, who is his only-Begotten, Co-eſſential and Co-eternal with himſelf, the Heir of all things, the Lord of Glory, the very Brightneſs of his Fathers Glory, the Expreſs Image of his Perſon, full of Grace and Truth. His own Son, *Col. 1.16, 17.by whom were all things made, Viſible and Inviſible. Thoſe moſt glorious and exalted Sons of the Morning, who when the Foundations of the World were laid, ſang melodiouſly together, and ſhouted for Joy, as well as the Beaſts of the Field. All Thrones, Dominions, Principalities and Powers in Heaven and Earth, as well as the ſubordinate Claſſes of inferiour Beings, and who ſtill upholds them all by the Word of his Power. This is the Perſon, that comes to Save us. Even He, †Phil. 2.6, 7.who ſubſiſted in the Form or Nature of God, and therefore thought it no Robbery, but his inviolable Right, to be Equal with God, makes himſelf of no Reputation, but takes upon him the Form or Nature of a Servant, and is made in the Likeneſs of Men. Deus Humanâ viſit ſab imagine terras. God himſelf, I ſay, even the High and Lofty One, that inhabiteth Eternity, and whoſe Name is Great, Wonderful and Holy; the Lord Jehovah, with whom is Everlaſting Strength, in very deed bows the Heavens, and comes down to dwell among Men. Well then might the officious Hoſt of Heaven, the Quires of Angels, who long deſir'd to ſee the Myſtery of this Day uſher in the Birth of this great Prince with Songs and Allelujahs. Well might one of them, cloath'd with the Brightneſs and Similitude of a Star, call the Levantine Princes, the great and Learned Magi, as Emblems of his Future Conqueſts over the Princes and Learned Sages of the Heathen World, to do him Obeiſance; and others, wing'd with Joy and Triumph carry theſe glad Tidings to the humble Shepherds, and ſend them likewiſe, as the Firſt-fruits of his own People, to pay their Homage to their Lord. For had the heavenly Hoſt been ſilent, the Loweſt Claſs of Beings, the very ſenſeleſs and inanimate Parts of impatient Nature, had queſtionleſs found a Voice to have told us, That unto us a Son was born, unto us a Child was given, whoſe Government is upon his Shoulders, and whoſe Goings forth from Everlaſting.
But now how miſerable and wretched was our Captivity which the Arm of Omnipotence only could lead captive? How thick and diſmal the Darkneſs we were in, which the irreſiſtable Rays of the Sun of Righteouſneſs only could diſperſe and ſcatter? How weighty and inſupportable that Wrath which nothing could appeaſe, but the adequate Condeſcenſions of an Infinite Love? Where were all thoſe ſpotleſs Beauties of the Upper World? Thoſe kind, compaſſionate Spirits, who ſeem to make it a great Part of their Heaven, to relieve us here below? Where all thoſe bright Squadrons of exalted Seraphims whoſe Names are renown'd and glorious for their tranſcendent Love in the Habitations of Men here, as well as in the Manſions of Glory? Could not theſe unſtain'd, pure, and undefiled Images of our heavenly Father, Theſe faultleſs, innocent, and unblameable Beings, who continually ſurround his Throne with Anthems of Praiſe, intercede for, and reconcile the offended Deity to Sinful Man? No, we were ſuch heinous Offenders, that nothing leſs than God himſelf, could ſatisfie for our Faults: Theſe Bleſſed Spirits could only in ſtrains of Sorrow lament our Fall, and with a Pity and Concern commenſurate to the paſſible Nature of ſuch happy Beings, expect the Final determination of Infinite Wiſdom, Goodneſs and Juſtice.
I know many Learned Men, both Ancient and Modern, are of Opinion, That God might have pardon'd the Sins of Mankind without any Satisfaction made to his Juſtice, Solo nutu, & juſſu, & voluntate, merely by the unexceptionable Prerogative of his Soveraign Will and Power; and that 'twas only to ſhew his great Concern for the Honour of his Laws, and his everlaſting Hatred and Deteſtation of Sin, that he humbled his own Son to become a propitiation for it. Far be it from me, to intrench upon the Divine Omnipotence, or impiouſly to ſay to his Goodneſs, what himſelf does to the Sea; Hitherto ſhalt thou come, but no farther, and here ſhall thy Operations be ſtaid. Yet I think we may venture to affirm, that theſe Excellent Perſons ſeem to be ſo enamour'd with the Beauty, of that lovely Attribute, his Mercy, that they have hardly vouchſaf'd to caſt ſo much as one glance upon his Juſtice. Mercy, I acknowledge, is his Favourite, his darling Excellence; the very Flower and Beauty, as I may ſo ſay, of his Nature, in which his Soul takes moſt Delight and Complacency. And this, conſider'd alone, might have remitted the whole Debt without any payment at all, or at leaſt have accepted the Satisfaction of an Angel. But then I conſider on the other hand, that Juſtice is as Eſſential to him as Mercy, and that as the one is infinite, ſo is the other too. Now Juſtice (you know) demands the whole Debt ſhould be diſcharg'd, and the Sinner not releas'd till he has one way or other paid the uttermoſt Farthing. But which, I pray, of all the Angels, is ſufficient for theſe things? or where ſhall we find, amongſt thoſe Finite, tho' glorious, Beings, a Saviour able to ſatisfie Infinite Juſtice for the Sins of the whole World? The Bleſſed Jeſus look'd and ſaw there was none to help, and wonder'd there was no Interceſſor; therefore his own Arm brought Salvation to him, and his Righteouſneſs it ſuſtain'd him. What I ſay, none of all Created Beings, none of the heavenly Powers, thoſe Magiſterial and Maſter-pieces of his Creation, could Undertake, the Son of God himſelf humbly deſcends from his Throne of Glory even down to his Foot-ſtool, to perform and accompliſh. Welcome then, thrice welcome, Bleſſed Jeſu, into thine own World. Welcome to the unhappy Dwellings of forlorn and helpleſs Man. May the ſenſe of thine infinite Love enlarge thy Dominions, and cauſe all People, Nations, and Languages, to riſe up, and call thee Bleſſed. May all Nations, whom thou haſt made come and worſhip thee, and glorifie thy Name; For thou art Great, and doſt wonderous things, thou art God alone.
Now then, my Brethren, let us not ſo ill requite this ſtupendous Condeſcenſion of the Son of God, as to debaſe him (as ſome impious and ungrateful Wretches do) beneath the Condition he humbled himſelf unto. Let us not, I ſay, for his infinite Love caſt Dirt in his Face; or, becauſe he vouchſaf'd to aſſume the Infirmities of Humane Nature, deſpoil him (as much as we can) of the Glory and Majeſty of the Divine. Though his Beauty was benighted under a Cloud, there was Form and Comelineſs enough in him, that we ſhould deſire him. The unconverted *Joſeph. de Antiq. Jud. l. 18. c. 4.Jew himſelf will tell us, that his Divinity, like the Sun ſhining through a Cloud, gave ſuch Illuſtration and Teſtimony to all his Actions, that 'twas hardly lawful to call him a Man. And now he has run his Race, and finiſhed his Courſe; the Cloud is remov'd, and the Miſts all ſcatter'd before the prevailing Sun. The Incarnate God ſhines forth in his full Glory and Triumph; yea, he is now altogether lovely. 'Tis the higheſt Repaſt of Angels, and the peculiar Entertainment of Glorified Spirits, to behold, admire, and praiſe his excellent Greatneſs; and when our enlarged Souls ſhall fly away to the ſame bliſsful Manſions, and be admitted to the Comprehenſions of an intuitive Beatitude, they ſhall with equal Satiſfaction contemplate his Divine Beauty, and as skilfully tune their Harps to his Praiſes as they. Let us therefore, in the mean time, lay our Hand upon our Mouth, and with all due Proſtration both of Body and Mind adore this great Myſtery of Goodneſs, this aſtoniſhing Miracle of the Divine Mercy and Condeſcention, which, though above the adequate Comprehenſion of our Reaſon, is put beyond all poſſibility of Diſtruſt; being moſt amply confirm'd to us by the concurrent and infallible Teſtimony of God, Angels, and Men.
At his Baptiſm and Transfiguration, you know, he was proclaim'd by a Voice from Heaven, to be the Beloved Son of God, in whom he was well pleas'd. And again, when he bringeth in his Firſt-begotten into the World, he commands, that this Exinanition of himſelf (this Obſcuration of his Eſſential Glory under the Veil of Humane Fleſh) may not diminiſh one Ray from the Honour of his Divine Majeſty; but that all the Potentates in Heaven and Earth fall down and worſhip him. Worſhip him, †Pſal. 97.7.ſays he, all ye Gods, all ye Angels and Thrones in Heaven, all ye Kings and Judges of the Earth. The holy Angels, with their uſual Chearfulneſs, obey'd the Royal Orders. They humbly ador'd the holy Child Jeſus, and ſtood ready, through all the Periods of his Life, to Serve and Worſhip him. St. Peter, though he ſaw him not ſo clearly as theſe Bleſſed Spirits, generouſly confeſs'd, that he was Chriſt the Son of the Living God; and he receiv'd this Confirmation from the Mouth of our Lord himſelf, That Fleſh and Blood had not reveal'd it unto him, but his Father only, which is in Heaven. Nay (to the everlaſting Shame and Confuſion of the unbelieving Sons of Men) the Devils themſelves have ever ſubſcrib'd to this Article. They knew and confeſs'd him here on Earth, and ſtill believe and tremble. The over-aw'd and trembling ‖Vid. Suidam in Auguſt.Oracle plainly confeſs'd to the Roman Emperour at his Birth, that though he appear'd under all the diſadvantageous Circumſtances of Humanity and Weakneſs, He was the Soveraign Lord and King of the bleſt Beings above; *Luke 8.28.which was afterwards confirm'd by a whole Legion of unclean Spirits, when in the Man poſſeſs'd they joyntly lifted up their Voices to him with a Jeſus thou Son of God Moſt High. But to what purpoſe, I ſay, was all this? or why all this Noiſe and Oſtentation, had he not been the Son of God in another and more excellent manner than were any of the Sons of Men, who either liv'd with him, or that went before him, had there not been ſomething in it extraordinary, that entitled him to ſo ſublime and divine a Privilege?
Angels, Kings, and Prophets (I confeſs) are frequently call'd the Sons of God. They have a larger Participation of his Power, or a Communication of more ſpecial Grace than is indulg'd and granted to his other Children; but yet their Honour and Dignity fall infinitely ſhort of that of Jeſus the Son of God. For to which of the Angels ſaid he at any time, Thou art my Son, this Day have I begotten thee? Or who is he amongſt all thoſe exalted Sons of the Moſt High, whom the Father advanc'd to ſit at his own Right-hand till his Enemies are made his Footſtool? David (you know) was a King, and yet he calls him Lord; and John the Baptiſt, though he was more than a Prophet, was never by Angels, Men, or Devils acknowledg'd to be properly the Son of God: no; theſe are the high Prerogatives of our Lord Chriſt Jeſus: to him alone belong the moſt glorious and ſupereminent Titles of his own Son, his only Son, his only Begotten, and the Heir of all things. So that in all things (I ſay) he has the Preheminence.
But the Scriptures (if poſſible) ſpeak plainer yet. They not only inſtruct by natural and neceſſary Illations and Conſequences, but alſo (to prevent all Cavils and Diſputes) are careful in many places to aſſert this Truth as clearly, and as expreſly, as Words can ſpeak. *Joh. 20.28, 29.St. Thomas believes and confeſſeth to him, that he is his Lord and God; and thoſe who ſhould afterwards inherit the ſame Faith, are pronounced Bleſſed. The Beloved †Joh. 1.1.Diſciple is poſitive, that the Word was God; and in the Cloſe of his firſt Epiſtle ſpeaking of Jeſus, (to ſhew againſt an Objection, which he rightly foreſaw would be afterwards urg'd againſt the Chriſtians, that they might ſafely worſhip him, without any Fear or Danger of that Idolatry which the Heathens were guilty of in worſhipping their Daemons,) This, ſays he, is, not Deus factus, a made God, a God by Office, not by Nature; but foreign, the True God. The Learn'd *1 Cor. 15.87. 1 Tim. 3.16. Rom. 9.5.Apoſtle adds, that this Second Man is the Lord from heaven, and God manifeſted in the Fleſh, and again, (moſt blaſphemouſly, if not truly; this being that particular Eulogy which is due only to Jehovah, the one Supreme, Eternal God of Iſrael) foreign, God over all Bleſſed for Ever and Ever. Nay, (not to mention the many Repetitions of this moſt glorious Doxology to him in other places of Scripture) This is that good Confeſſion our Lord himſelf made before his Judge. He had all along, to the Rage and Amazement of his Enemies, held his peace; ſhewing by his Silence, that he deſpis'd all their Accuſations as certain and apparent Calumnies. But no ſooner is urg'd to determine this Point, but he opens his Mouth, and decides the matter. I adjure thee by the living God, *Mat. 26.63, 64.ſays the High-Prieſt, that thou tell us whether thou be the Chriſt, the Son of God. Jeſus, after their modeſt way of Affirmation, ſaith unto him, Thou haſt ſaid, Or, as St. Mark more poſitively, Jeſus ſaid, I am. 'Tis certain, the High-Prieſt underſtood him not in that Vulgar Senſe wherein Great and Righteous Perſons, Kings and Prophets, are call'd the Sons of God; but that he affirm'd himſelf to be ſo in the Literal, Proper, and Natural Signification of the words: For otherwiſe he could not, upon the account of this Confeſſion, have charg'd him with Blaſphemy, nor conſequently the Council have voted him to be guilty of Death. Thus too in the Fifth of St. John he tells the Jews plainly, that God is foreign, his own Father; making himſelf thereby (as they rightly concluded) to be Equal with God. And in another Conference with them in the Tenth of that Evangeliſt, He not only owns himſelf to be the Chriſt, and the Son of God in the moſt proper ſence; but adds farther, that He and his Father are One: One, not in Will only, but in Eſſence, Glory, Honour, and Power. I am ſure the Jews underſtood him thus: for knowing, that none could call himſelf the proper and natural Son of God, who muſt not aſſert himſelf likewiſe to be God, and allowing him to be nothing more than a mere Man, they again tax him with Blaſphemy, and go about to ſtone him. I and my Father, ſays our Lord, are One. Then the Jews took up Sones again to ſtone him. Jeſus anſwer'd them Many good Works have I ſhew'd you from my Father; for which of thoſe Works do ye ſtone me? The Jews anſwer'd him, ſaying, For a good work we ſtone thee not, but for Blaſphemy, and becauſe that thou, being a Man, makeſt thy ſelf God. The Jews, I ſay, in theſe places accuſe him of calling himſelf the Son of God in the moſt proper Senſe, and conſequently of making himſelf alſo very God. And yet our Lord is ſo far from traverſing the Indictment, or reſelling the Crimination, that in Verſ. 38. he confirms their Logick, and then leaves them in this Opinion, which certainly he could never have done without infinite Derogation from the Honour of the Divine Majeſty, and downright blaſphemy, had he not really been what they apprehended he ſaid he was: the Proper, Natural, and Only Begotten Son of God.
Thus, I ſay, is the Divinity of our Lord put beyond all poſſibility of Diſtruſt, being preach'd to all the World by Angels, Prophets, and Apoſtles; Proclaim'd more than once from Heaven by the God of all Truth, the Eternal Father of Angels and men; and alſo moſt poſitively aſſerted in a publick Aſſembly by our Lord himſelf, who, as the *1 Pet. 2.22.Holy Ghoſt bears him witneſs, did no Sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. What need we then, My Brethren, any farther witneſs? Or how is it poſſible for any Man, who rightly underſtands the weight of Divine Teſtimony, to call it into Queſtion? Such Men as †Hiſt. Eccleſ. lib. 5. cap. 28.Euſebius has long ſince obſerv'd, muſt be more wiſe than their Maker, more knowing, and more intelligent, even than God that made them. Thoſe inſpir'd and infallible Witneſſes, the Prophets and Apoſtles, were not ſo knowing; and the moſt intelligent of all the Heavenly Spirits, the Cherubims themſelves, if compar'd to them, are found wanting. The Church of Chriſt, in all Ages, has unhappily been overſpread with the thick, uncomfortable darkneſs of Ignorance and Error; and Theſe Men alone have had the ineſtimable Privilege of enjoying the happy Goſhen, the Dwellings of Light, the glorious Habitations of Wiſdom and Knowledge. For if after the complicated, irrefragable Teſtimony of ſo many Infallible Witneſſes, the Belief and Confeſſion of the Church be requir'd in this Matter, She has in all Ages believ'd and confeſs'd it. This is that Faith, ſays the *Concil. Pariſ. tom. 1. pag. 844.Synod of Antioch, which we have receiv'd from the Beginning, and which the holy Catholick Church preſerves pure and undefil'd; having deriv'd it by a conſtant and uninterrupted Succeſſion, even unto this Day, from the Bleſſed Apoſtles themſelves. And †Videas Bulli Defenſionem Fidei Nicenae, & Whitbit tractatum de verâ Chriſti Deitate, ſect. 2.ſome truly excellent and Learned Divines of our own, have ſhewn at large the Truth of this Aſſertion, from the particular Writings and Monuments of the Primitive Fathers; who, as well before as after the Council of Nice, with one Heart and one Voice confeſs and maintain the Divinity and Eternal Generation of the Son of God. Theſe well-grounded and pious Souls could not be laugh'd or ridicul'd by the Scoffs and Jeers, the Taunts and Sarcaſms of their Learned and witty Adverſaries; nor frighted by the ſevereſt Appearances of Torture and Perſecution, out of their Truſt and Confidence in the Holy Jeſus; but notwithſtanding all the Imputations of Folly and Madneſs from an invidious Trypho, a ſcoffing Lucian, a virulent Celſus, and a malicious Julian, they continually call'd upon him in the time of Trouble, and (as *Epiſt. l. 10. Ep. 97.Pliny tells Trajan) ſang Praiſes to him as to the God of their Salvation. Neither did they only thus bravely contend for the Faith againſt the violent Incurſions of the wild Boar out of the Foreſt; the Menaces and blaſphemous Aſſaults of their profeſs'd Enemies, the Jews and Gentiles; but alſo were infinitely careful to ſecure it from the Wiles and Stratagems of the little Foxes; thoſe falſe Teachers, that crept in amongſt them, and under the ſpecious Pretences of Reaſon and Revelation continually endeavour'd to ſpoil the Lords Vineyard. No ſooner did any Heretick dare to impugn or invalidate this Doctrine, but he was immediately diſown'd by all the Faithful, and Anathematiz'd or caſt out of the Church as a ravenous Wolf, who deſign'd only to devour and tear in pieces the Lord's Flock, which is demonſtratively Evident from that Claſs of Hereticks, Ebion, Theodotus, Artemon, Paulus Samoſatenus, and Photinus. In ſhort, Socinus himſelf confeſſeth, that the whole Stream of Antiquity runs againſt him; and, that of all the Primitive Fathers and Councils, there is not ſo much as one that any way countenanceth his Opinion. So that you ſee, from all hands, that unleſs with a truly Satanical Pride we exalt our ſelves above all that is called God, and flatly give Heaven and Earth, God, Angels, and pious Men the Lye to their face, and ſide only with Jews, Turks, and Pagans, we muſt acknowledge the Bleſſed Jeſus to be in very deed no other than the Only-Begotten Son of the Moſt High, the Maker of All things, the King of Glory, Alpha and Omega, the Firſt of Beings, and the Laſt of Ends, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Thus then does the Greatneſs of our Salvation appear from the Greatneſs and Majeſty of the Perſon undertaking it. It does ſo
2. From the Greatneſs and Unconceivableneſs of thoſe Sufferings, whereby he did accompliſh it. Some, indeed, leſſen the Sufferings of our Lord, by thinking he had the Comprehenſion of Bleſſedneſs, the Supports of actual Glory in the midſt of all his Torments; that even then he did behold the Face of God, and communicate in Glory. But in anſwer to Men of theſe Thoughts, I conſider with the Excellent Biſhop *Great Exemplar, pag. 413, 414.Taylor,
1. That though the two Natures of Chriſt were knit by a myſterious Union into one Perſon, yet the Natures ſtill retain'd their incommunicable Properties; ſo that as the Divine Nature could not by vertue of this Union derive upon it ſelf the Infirmities of the Humane, ſo neither did the Humane partake in all Inſtances of the Felicities of the Divine: theſe indeed being eſſentially in God, but to Man communicated without Neceſſity, and by an arbitrary Diſpenſation. Tho' therefore, as God, he is omniſcient, and knows every thing; yet that, as Man, he was ignorant as many things, ſeeking Fruit upon the Fig-tree when the time of Figs was not come, and telling us himſelf, that he knew not the Day nor the Hour when he ſhould judge the World; and therefore being ſaid to have increas'd in Wiſdom and Knowledge. Though, as God, he is from Everlaſting, and World without end; yet that, as Man, he had a Beginning in the Circumſcriptions of time. Laſtly, Though, as God, 'twas impoſſible for him to ſuffer, yet that, as Man, he was the Subject of Torment and Miſery.
2. That ſome Virtues and Excellencies were then in the Soul of Jeſus, which are not conſiſtent with a glorify'd State; ſuch as Hope, Holy Deſires, and the like: All which having their Seat in the Soul, do ſuppoſe her yet in a ſtate of Pilgrimage; a Condition, that is imperfect, and in order to ſomething beyond what is preſent, it being impoſſible (as St. Paul obſerves) for a Man to hope for that which he already ſees and enjoys.
3. That this Opinion annuls and deſtroys the whole Merit of his Sufferings. For the leaſt glympſe of Glory, the minuteſt Ray of Beatifick Viſion, out-weighs the greateſt Calamities, and infinitely exceeds all that Spirit of Pain that can be extracted from the Infelicities of this World. But the Holy Scriptures everywhere aſſure us, that his Paſſion upon the Croſs was a ſtate of Merit and Work, and that as a Reward of it, he was crown'd with Glory and Immortality. We ſee Jeſus, ſays the *Heb. 2.9.Apoſtle, who was made a little lower than the Angels, for the ſuffering of Death crowned with glory and honour. And ‖Phil. 2.8, 9.again, Chriſt humbled himſelf, and became obedient to Death, even the Death of the Croſs. Wherefore God alſo hath highly exalted him, and given him a Name which is above every Name. For his Sufferings (you ſee) his Name was exalted, his Kingdom glorify'd, and his Humanity advanc'd above all the Orders of Angels. For theſe he was made the Lord of all the Creatures, the Firſt-fruits of the Reſurrection, the Exemplar of Glory, the Prince and Head of the Catholick Church: And therefore ſince all this was his Recompence, the Reward of his Sufferings, it could not be a neceſſary Conſequence and natural Efflux of the Perſonal Union of the Godhead with the Humanity.
On the other hand there are who affirm, that the Soul of Jeſus upon the Croſs ſuffered the Pains of Hell, and all the Torments of the Damn'd; and that without ſuch Sufferings, it is not imaginable he ſhould pay the Price which God's Wrath did demand of us. But the ſame that reproves the former, does likewiſe reprehend theſe latter. For the Hope, which was the ſupport of his Soul in the midſt of its Agonies, as it confeſſeth an Imperfection, that is not conſiſtent with the ſtate of Glory, ſo does it exclude that Deſpair which is the Sting and Torment of accurſed Souls. Our deareſt Lord ſuffer'd indeed the whole Condition of Humanity, Sin only excepted; and by thoſe ſad Pains he endur'd upon the Croſs, merited Heaven for himſelf as the Head, and for all his faithful Servants as the Members of his Myſtical Body. But yet (I ſay) we cannot conceive that he was ever under the Amazement of Hell, or that upon the Croſs he felt the formal Miſery and Spirit of Pain, which is the Portion of Damned Spirits, becauſe 'twas impoſſible he ſhould deſpair, and without Deſpair 'tis impoſſible there ſhould be a Hell.
But though I can by no means ſubſcribe to this Aſſertion; yet I think 'tis highly probable, that in the Intention of Degrees and preſent Anguiſh the Soul of our Lord upon the Croſs might feel a greater Load of Wrath than is incumbent in every inſtant upon periſhing Souls. S. Paul tells us, that every Sinner, as ſuch, carries no leſs a Load about with him than a whole Body of Death. How many Deaths then, and unconceivable Agonies, muſt the Lamb of God have felt, when (as the Prophet ſpeaks) the Lord laid on him the Iniquities of us all? Certainly the lively Senſe of united, concentred Vengeance due to the Sins of the whole World, and the vaſt and ſingular Capacity of his Soul who was the Word incarnate, rendred his Sufferings moſt amazing and inſupportable. His Agony was ſo great, that it compell'd him, for a time, almoſt to deſpair, and ſink under its weight. Sure we are, it extorted from him this moſt bitter Cry, My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken me? And how inſupportable muſt thoſe Sufferings have been, which could appear even to ſtagger ſuch a Faith, and to eclipſe his Aſſurance of the Preſence and Love of his Heavenly Father?
But now again, How great is the Bitterneſs of that Death, the reſcuing us from which, brought ſo much Shame, and Pain, and Amazement upon the Son of God? How unparalell'd and unconceivably great that Salvation, in the purchaſing of which the Lord of Hoſts himſelf did even bleed and die? The Waters of Bitterneſs (you ſee) entred his Soul, and the Storms of Death and of his Father's Anger broke him all in pieces. But if this was done in the Green Tree, what without this would have been done in the Dry? If (I ſay) the Sufferings of our Lord, who was the Son of God and innocent, who was all fair, and had no ſpot in him, were ſo ſad and lamentable, then how amazing and inſupportable had our Portion been without this Atonement, whom Sin had rendred his profeſs'd Enemies; and, as it were, fitted and mark'd out as Fewel for everlaſting Burnings? But,
3. The Greatneſs of our Salvation appears, in that it frees us from the Bondage and Slavery of the Law. This was a grievous and ſervile Diſpenſation, conſiſting of innumerable little Rites and Ceremonies, which had no intrinſick Value in themſelves, and are therefore ſaid by God himſelf to be Statutes that were not good; but were only adapted for a time to the weak Capacities and babe-like Humours of the Jews. Of Rites and Ceremonies, I ſay, ſo heavy and burdenſome, that the Apoſtles themſelves complained, that 'twas a Yoke upon their Necks, which neither they nor their Forefathers were ever able to bear. But now has Chriſt taken this Yoke from off our Necks, and made out a way for us into the Liberty of the Sons of God. He deals no longer with us as with Children in our Minority, but has deliver'd us from the Tutorage and Paedagogy of the Law, from the Severity of its Commands, from the exact Punctilio's and Numerouſneſs of its Impoſition. The new Moons and Sabbatical Years, the many Waſhings and Purifications ſtand us in no ſtead; neither are we oblig'd to long and tedious Journeys to Jeruſalem, to preſent our Oblations and Sacrifices at the Temple. Chriſt our Paſſover having been ſacrificed for us, and the Meſſiah cut off, all thoſe typical Oblations and Sacrifices muſt for ever ceaſe, the Shadow give place to the Subſtance, thoſe Ritual Obſervances to Natural and Moral Duties, thoſe Carnal Ceremonies to the Spiritual Worſhip, and that Temporary Diſpenſation to the Everlaſting Covenant of the Goſpel. Circumciſion now avails no more than Uncircumciſion, and 'tis neither Meat nor Drink, but a new Creature only, that commends a Man to God. In a word, our Duty is no longer clogg'd with a company of uſeleſs and troubleſome Ceremonies, but (like the Services of the ancient Patriarchs) is more eaſie and acceptable, more plain and ſimple, more humane and natural, more becoming the Grandure and Majeſty of the Divine Being, and, more agreeable to the Nature of a ſpiritual and immortal Soul. 'Tis only to be happy the moſt proper and compendious way; to love our bleſſed Maker for himſelf, and our Neighbours for his ſake; to viſit the Fatherleſs and Widows in their Afflictions, and to keep our ſelves unſpotted from the World. All which, eſpecially if we conſider the extraordinary Indulgence of Divine Aſſiſtance, which we now enjoy, render our Salvation Great, Wonderful, and Glorious. And ſo I come to my Fourth Particular, which is to ſhew, the Greatneſs of our Salvation, from the Conſideration of thoſe greater Aids of Divine Grace, thoſe particular Mercies we now enjoy under the Diſpenſation of the Goſpel, whereby we may be freed both from the Guilt and Puniſhment, and alſo from the Power and Dominion of Sin.
4. Now the Law only diſcovers Sin, but affords no degrees of ſupernatural Power to ſubdue it; but with the Preaching of the Goſpel the Holy Ghoſt was ſent down from Heaven, who by illuminating, preventing, and exciting Grace aſſiſts Men to perform the Conditions of Salvation, and is promis'd in rich and liberal Supplies to all that humbly and ardently pray for him. God now pours Water upon him that is thirſty, and Floods upon the dry Ground; he pours out his Spirit upon our Seed, and his Bleſſing upon our Off-ſpring, whereby they may ſpring up as among the Graſs, as Willows by the Water-courſes. The Law directs to no means for the Expiation of Guilt, but peremptorily and dogmatically denounceth Death to all Offenders. The Soul that ſins ſhall die. But the Goſpel delivers us from this terrible Sentence of the Law, and allows a Renovation of the Sinner by Repentance, to which the plenary Pardon of Sin is aſſured. Waſh ye, Iſ. 1.16, 17, 18.make ye clean, ſays God by his Evangelical Prophet, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; ceaſe to do evil, learn to do well, and though your Sins be as ſcarlet, they ſhall be as white as ſnow; though they be red like Crimſon, they ſhall be as wool. God indeed will not pardon thoſe who flatter themſelves in their Sins; but they who confeſs and forſake them ſhall find Mercy. The Law exacts abſolute perfect, uninterrupted Obedience; and for the leaſt Omiſſion or accuſing Act, paſt an irrevocable Doom upon the Offender: Curſed is the man that continues not in a things written in the Law, to do them. But the Goſpel mitigates and allays this Strictneſs and Severity; calls only for ſincere and perſevering, though imperfect Obedience, and propounds ſuch merciful Conditions to the guilty, that upon the performance of them they may plead their Pardon ſeal'd with the Blood of their Redeemer, to be ſav'd and crown'd in the Day of Judgment.
And thus whereas the Law worketh nothing but Wrath, being as terrible in its Injunctions, as 'twas at firſt in its Promulgation; the Kingdom of Heaven, the Goſpel of Peace, addreſſeth it ſelf to us after another manner. It ſpeaks to us in a ſtill, ſmall Voice; the whole Tenour of it (you ſee) running in this gentle ſtrain, Sin no more; Repent and be converted; Come to Chriſt, and be refreſh'd, and find Reſt unto your Souls. The Grace of God, I ſay, which bringeth Salvation, doth thus appear, teaching us, that if the time paſt of our Lives ſhall ſuffice us to have wrought the Will of the Gentiles, and we will now in good earneſt renounce all our ungodly and worldly Luſts, and take care for the time to come faithfully to diſcharge our Duty to God, our Neighbour, and Ourſelves, to live ſoberly, righteouſly, and godly in this preſent World, Sin ſhall not have Dominion over us, God having oblig'd himſelf by expreſs Promiſe, that he will not ſuffer us to be tempted above what we are able, but that in all our Temptations he will make a way for us to eſcape, that we may be able to bear them. So that though Sin is not entirely deſtroy'd, (that being the Privilege of Angels and Souls freed from the Fetters of Mortality) yet (as St. Paul ſpeaks of its Effect, Death) it has loſt its Sting, and is only inſtrumental to the Advancement of the Glory of God, who upon our ſincere and hearty Repentance, and Reformation of our Lives, will pardon all our paſt Offences, though never ſo many and great in themſelves; and for thoſe daily Failures, thoſe Sins of Infirmity, thoſe Lapſes of Humane Nature, which the Beſt of Men muſt more or leſs be ſubject to, as long as they lie under the Diſadvantages of Mortality, will put them all upon the Score of the Croſs.
5. The Greatneſs of the Salvation wrought for us by Chriſt, appears, in that he has deliver'd us from that Ignorance and Darkneſs which the whole World lay in at his Coming. Both Jews and Gentiles (I confeſs) had ſome Notices or Conception… of a Future State; but then they were ſo miſerably intricate and obſcure, ſo confus'd and uncertain, that they were very little better than none at all. Thoſe moſt Thinking and Learned Pagans, the Pythagoreans and Platoniſts, after the moſt diligent Search and Enquiry into theſe Matters, could never advance beyond a Probability: all their fine Harangues and rapturous Diſcourſes upon the Immortality of the Soul, being Indications rather of their good Wiſhes, than Demonſtrations of its Reality. Ariſtotle not only wavers and fluctuates in his Opinion, but alſo Problematically diſputes againſt it; though it muſt be confeſs'd, that in his Book De Animâ he ſtiles her, without any ſcruple, Eternal and Immortal. But the Stoicks are as Dogmatical in this Point as in any other. Sometimes indeed they talk like Abſtracted Beings or pure Intelligences, with the nobleſt Flights of Rhetorick and Fancy decyphering the Exalted Happineſs of the Soul when ſhe is entirely looſned from the Clogs of Matter, and freely roves up and down in the pure unmixed Regions of Light and Glory. But then (as though they had lain all this while in a Trance, and had only been entertained with the fantaſtick illuſive Repreſentations of a ſportive Imagination) they for the moſt part peremptorily determine, That Death is not only the Separation of the Soul from the Body, but the utter Diſſolution likewiſe, or Diſſipation of both; there being no more after the Death of a Man than was before his Birth, viz. Emptineſs, Inſenſibility, and Darkneſs: Nay, when in their abſtracted Humours they vouchſafe to allow her a Subſiſtence without the Body, 'tis only till the next Univerſal Conflagration, when ſhe and all Created Beings muſt End and Die together. Nor indeed was the Confeſſion of that great Maſter of Morality, Socrates himſelf, much better; for, concluding his gallant and moſt excellent Apology before the Areopagites, with ſome glorious Reflections upon the ineſtimable Happineſs of Good Men in the other World, he in the very laſt Words daſh'd all with an open undiſguis'd Acknowledgment of his remaining Doubts and Jealouſies.Sub finem Apol. apud Platonem. foreign. Could I be aſſur'd (ſays he a little before) of the Reality of this Bleſſed State, I would gladly die a thouſand times over to enjoy it. But now (my Judges) the time of my Departure is come: 'Tis your Lot to live, and mine to die; which of theſe two is the Better, foreign, is a thing utterly unknown to any but God alone. In ſhort, Dicaearchus, Democritus, Epicurus, and their Followers, as conſtantly as poſitively declare, That there is no Subſiſtence of the Soul after this Life; but that when the Body returns to Duſt, ſhe immediately relapſeth into the bottomleſs Abyſs of Annihilation and Darkneſs.
And then for the Jews, at the time of our Saviour's Coming, they ſtood much upon the ſame Level: For, though from the Tranſlation of Enoch and Elias, and the Death of their Patriarchs, who never inherited the Promiſes of Temporal Felicity, and particularly that of Moſes, which their Rabbins are pleas'd to call The Kiſs of God's Mouth, intimating thereby, that he breathed out his Soul by the Force and Energy of Contemplation; without thoſe Pains and Convulſions which are the uſual Concomitants of the Death of other Men, reſolving himſelf into the Embraces of his Maker: From the poſitive and expreſs Words of Job, which (however ſome Modern Commentators are pleas'd to underſtand them) are, I conceive with S. Hierom and the Ancients, as plain and clear a Confeſſion of the Reſurrection, as any that have been made ſince the Promulgation of the Goſpel: From the glorious Confeſſion of that excellent Woman and her ſeven Children in the Maccabees, who all refus'd Deliverance, that they might obtain a better Reſurrection: and from thoſe many Promiſes of Eternal Life ſcatter'd up and down in the Book of Pſalms, and other Writings of the Old Teſtament. Though (I ſay) from all theſe one might reaſonably expect the Jews ſhould have had ſome fuller and clearer Knowledge of the State after Death; yet being no part of that Covenant which (if ſtrictly conſidered as made with that People at Mount Sinai) was founded only upon Temporal Promiſes; Peace, Long Life, Plenty, and Proſperity in their own Land, they had generally no other Effect, than that they were believ'd to be the Reward of Men of Heroick and Extraordinary Piety. Nay, their unaccountable Blindneſs and Unattention to the Faith and Manners of their Fathers, who did all eat the ſame ſpiritual Meat, and did all drink the ſame Spiritual Drink, as we Chriſtians do, occaſion'd ſo many Cavils and Diſputes amongſt them, that the Sadduces peremptorily deny'd it; not only, decrying the Reſurrection of the Dead, but affirming likewiſe, with the foremention'd Epicureans, that the Souls of Men did periſh together with the Body. And tho' the Phariſees on the contrary confeſs'd it, yet their Notions of it (as Joſephus himſelf, *Antiq. Jud. l. 18. c. 2.who was one of them, tells us) were no better than thoſe of Fairy-Land or Elyſian Dreams. Delicious Dwellings, flowery Fields, Cryſtalline Rivers, and beautious Trees of Gold, under whoſe delightful ſhade they ſhould play and toy away a whole Eternity with fair and amorous Virgins, was the utmoſt Heaven they could or car'd to imagine; and therefore the Sadduces ſo often foil'd and buffled them with that Argument of the Woman and her ſeven Husbands, which they thought to be ſo concluſive, that (but with different Succeſs) they attack'd likewiſe with it our Saviour himſelf.
But now the Veil is taken off by Chriſt, and we behold the Glory of the Lord with open Face; For this (ſays the Apoſtle) is the Promiſe that he has promis'd us, even Eternal Life. A Life not of ſenſual and brutiſh Pleaſures, not a Paradiſe of all Filthineſs and Debauchery (whereby the Epileptick Impoſtor has likewiſe impos'd upon his Followers) but a Life of perfect Purity and Holineſs, a Life of immaterial, ſpiritual, abſtracted Joys, of chaſte and rational Delights; where our Nature ſhall be entirely conform'd to the Divine, made like to God, and we enjoy an endleſs and uninterrupted Communion with our Maker. This he has promis'd, and of this he has given us Aſſurance; all the Aſſurance the thing is capable of, in that he has not only rais'd himſelf from the Dead, but call'd likewiſe ſome of our Brethren already out of the Grave, and taken them up with him in their glorious Bodies to enter before-hand upon the Poſſeſſion of this promis'd Inheritance. So that we may boldly ſay with the Apoſtle, We know for certain, and are fully aſſured, that if this earthly houſe of our Tabernacle be diſſolved, we have a Building of God, an Houſe not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens. Thus has the Sun of Righteouſneſs diſpell'd all thoſe Clouds of Ignorance and Darkneſs which overſpread the whole World at his Riſing, and brought Life and Immortality to perfect Light thro' the Goſpel. Which muſt certainly be acknowledg'd to be a very great Salvation, if we conſider in the next place, that he has hereby reſcu'd us from that baſe and ſlaviſh Fear of Death, by reaſon of which we had otherwiſe been all our life-time ſubject to Bondage.
6. Now how unwelcome ſoever Death muſt be to thoſe Men, to whom 'tis therefore all Terror before, becauſe all Darkneſs behind; who are therefore diſmay'd at his Approach, becauſe they know not the Conſequences of this King of Terrors; 'tis impoſſible that Perſon ſhould immoderately fear Death, who conſiders, that 'tis only a Paſſage from this Wilderneſs to the true Canaan, the Reſt above, that flows with Milk and Honey, with Innocence and Happineſs for ever: who knows, that the Death of the Saints is not total, but that as in the Ceremony of Purification from Leproſie one Bird was kill'd, the other let fly into the open Air, (the myſterious Shadow of the Lepers being reſtor'd to a ſtate of Liberty) ſo when the Body dies, and returns to the Earth, the Spirit is freed from the Clogs of Mortality, and returns, with Songs of Joy and Triumph in its mouth, to the Object of its Happineſs, the God that gave it. Nay, the faithful Chriſtians, the true Lovers of Jeſus, who have taſted the Goodneſs of the Lord, and long conſider'd and well weighed the incomparable Difference between the mean, imperfect, frail Felicities of this preſent World, and the ſubſtantial, ſolid, immutable Glories of that which is to come, muſt certainly cry out with the inflamed *Cant. 1.4.Spouſe, Draw us, and we will run after thee: O! looſen our Affections from this World, that we may readily aſcend to thee. Their longing Souls will renew the paſſionate Sighs of the Exil'd Prophet, O when ſhall we come and appear before the preſence of God! How welcome muſt Death be to them, when it comes (as it were) with Olive-branches in its hands to offer them Peace? to ſet them at perfect Liberty from the Bondage of Corruption, the Servitude and Thraldom of their mortal Bodies? They know their happy Souls will be immediately convey'd by Angels into the Preſence of their Savior, and by him preſented to his Father without Spot or Wrinkle, inveſted with his Righteouſneſs, compleat in his Holineſs, and prepar'd and qualified for an Everlaſting Communion with him in Glory. That they are the Reward of his Sufferings, the precious and dear Purchaſe of his Blood, and therefore that they ſhall be joyfully received into Heaven by him, who will then ſee the glorious Effects of the Travail of his Soul, and be ſatisfied. That the Angels, who rejoyc'd at their Converſion, will much more do ſo at their Glorification; and the Church of the Firſt-born, who have before them entred into Glory, have a new Acceſſion of Joy, to ſee them ſafely arriv'd at the ſame undefil'd and immortal Inheritance. Theſe things (I ſay) thus duly conſidered, muſt needs inſpire them with Courage and Alacrity, and enable them chearfully to lay down their Bodies, that they may aſcend to the Seat of Bleſſedneſs, this happy Society above, that inſpires mutual Endearments and Joys for evermore. I am ſure 'twas thus with the Primitive Chriſtians. S. Paul, with the moſt earneſt Affections and paſſionate Zeal, deſir'd to depart hence, to leave the tranſitory, diſſatisfying Pleaſures of this Life, to be diſſolv'd and to be with Chriſt; and the Martyrs with all imaginable Boldneſs and Gallantry encountred Death, that interpos'd between them and Glory. They as willingly left their Bodies, as Elias let fall his Mantle, to aſcend into Heaven.
Some indeed of theſe excellent Perſons (as ‖Hom. 8.S. Chryſoſtom tells us) went to Death with many Appearances of Fear. When they heard the wild Beaſts roar, they were ſtruck with Horror: At the ſight of the Executioners and the Inſtruments of Torture, they were pale and trembling. The Fleſh ſeem'd to cry out, O! Let this Cup paſs from me. But theſe, alas! were but the little ineffectual Struglings of innocent Nature, which, though weak and faint, follow'd the Spirit, and corrected its own Deſire with, Not my Will, but thine be done. As the Moon in Eclipſe, though obſcure, goes on in a Regular Courſe, as when 'tis full of Light by the Reflection of the Sun; ſo theſe Chriſtian Heroes, though as it were, forſaken and depriv'd of the kind Influences of the Spirit, the bright Beams and Irradiations of Divine Comfort, perſever'd notwithſtanding in their Regular Motion, the reſolute and undaunted Profeſſion of the Truth. No Torments could force them to renounce their Saviour; no Terrors of Death to warp from the Profeſſion of their Faith; but the Conſideration of that eternal weight of Glory, which after a ſhort night of Sorrow and Heavineſs they ſhould receive in the Inheritance of the Saints in Light, enabled them at length to overcome their Fears, and in ſpight of all the Reluctancy of Nature, to keep the Command of God, and the Faith of Jeſus. Thus the Stars fall down from Heaven, and Clods of Earth aſcend and ſhine in the Firmament. The Angels, that excell'd in Strength and Knowledge, kept not their ſtate of Purity and Glory, but are ſhamefully ſunk down into Corruption and Miſery: but theſe humble Believers, though weak and encompaſs'd with many Difficulties, were preſerved by the Blood of Jeſus from deſtructive Evil, from the Fear of the Firſt, and the Power of the Second Death, paſſing undauntedly through the Dominions of the King of Terrors to their Fathers Kingdom, where with all the Company of Holy Angels and Beatified Souls, they now lie infolded in the Circles of Peace and Joy, expecting the Conſummation of Bleſſedneſs, the Redemption of their Bodies in the joyful and glorious Morning of the Reſurrection. Which brings me to my Seventh and Laſt Particular, which is to ſhew the Greatneſs of the Salvation wrought for us by Chriſt, in that he has not only merited the Salvation of our Souls, but the Redemption likewiſe, or the Reſurrection, of our Bodies.
7. Of all the Chriſtian Doctrines, this was ever eſteemed the moſt incredible; and has accordingly, in all Ages, met with the greateſt Oppoſition. The Learned Heathens generally look'd upon the Body as the Priſon, the Dungeon, and Sepulchre of the Soul, and therefore do not ſtick to affirm, That for a ſeparated Soul to return into a Body, is to undergo a ſecond Death. Nay, that famous Rabbin Ben Maimon was of the ſame Perſwaſion; it being a known Aphoriſm of his in his Great Work, That in the World to come (or ſtate of conſummate Happineſs) there ſhall be nothing but pure Incorporeity. This engag'd them to employ all their Learning and Parts to repreſent this Doctrine as a monſtrous and ridiculous Paradox, not fit to be embrac'd by any of the genuine Sons of Wiſdom and Learning. Accordingly we find St. Paul was counted mad by Feſtus, and but a Babler at beſt by the great Wits at Athens, for venturing to preach to them Jeſus and his Reſurrection: and it chiefly ſtomachs the Heathen in Minutius Felix, that the Chriſtians ſhould peremptorily aſſert the Reſurrection of the Body, which every Eye ſaw to be ſubject to Corruption; and yet at the ſame time threaten Ruin and Deſtruction to the Heavenly Bodies, which the generality of Philoſophers acknowledg'd incorruptible. Nay ſome Chriſtians themſelves have not been very careful to anſwer us fairly in this matter. Photius tells us of Syneſius, that for his great Parts and ſingular Abilities he was made a Biſhop, before he believ'd this Article; and the Socinians, Anabaptiſts, and ſome other Sectaries, ſeem to be no great Favourers of it at this day. But what if theſe Men believe not? Shall their Unbelief make the Faith of God of none effect? God forbid. Yea let God be true (as the Apoſtle ſpeaks) though every Man a Lyar. He then that is Truth it ſelf, who therefore can neither deceive nor be deceived, has told us, that the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the ‖foreign. Joh. 5.28.Grave ſhall hear his Voice, and ſhall come forth, they that have done good to the Reſurrection of Life, and they that have done evil to the Reſurrection of Damnation.
And now (my pious Brethren) how joyful and pleaſant a thing is this, to hear of the Reſtitution of our loſt Parts, the Renovation of our corrupted and putrefy'd Bodies? that they ſhall not be devour'd in the Jaws of Death and the Grave, but reſtor'd to us again all Fair, and Beautiful, and Glorious? Sin indeed removes us all into the Retirements of the Grave, and ſecurely locks us up for a time in the Iron Embraces of the King of Terrors. It diſmantles us of all our Strength and Beauty, and dooms us to dwell for ever in thoſe dark Houſes of Forgetfulneſs and Corruption. We lie in the Grave like Sheep, helpleſs, and faſt bound in the Chains and Fetters of Death. This laſt Enemy has at preſent an abſolute and entire Domination over us; our Beauty, Honour, and Glory, mouldering and conſuming all away in his inſatiable Dwellings. But yet he who hath the Keys of Hell and of Death, hath promis'd to unlock the Doors of theſe loathſome Priſons, and to let the Priſoners go forth into a ſtate of Liberty and Glory. He turneth Man to Deſtruction; but his Almighty Voice will one day call through all the Receptacles of Nature, Come again ye Children of Men. By him laſtly, who liveth and was dead, and is alive for evermore, ſhall thoſe that ſleep in the Duſt of the Earth be awak'd and ſing, Death is ſwallowed up in Victory. Which Conſideration alone, as it is full of Comfort, and Joy, and Triumph to every faithful Chriſtian, ſo is it likewiſe ſufficient to curb the Arrogance and Haughtineſs of that Apoſtate Spirit. Who therefore (ſays an ingenious *Br. Rel. Med. pag. 87.Author of our own) chiefly frequents Coemeteries, Charnel-Houſes, and Churches, becauſe they are the Dormitories of the Dead; where, like an inſolent Champion, he beholds with Pride the Spoils and Trophies of his Victory over Adam.
And thus I have diſcharg'd my firſt General Head, which was, to ſhew the Greatneſs of the Salvation wrought for us by Chriſt. I now proceed to my Second, which is, very briefly to lay before you our Inexcuſableneſs, and the intolerable Aggravations of our Guilt and Puniſhment, if we neglect it. How ſhall we eſcape, &c.
1. Then, we ſhall be utterly inexcuſable, and intolerably aggravate our Guilt and Puniſhment, if we neglect this great Salvation which Chriſt hath wrought for us, becauſe we ſhall be entirely deſtitute of the mollifying Circumſtances and Conſiderations of Ignorance. Whilſt Men had little or no Underſtanding, but walk'd on ſtill in Darkneſs, 'twas no wonder that the Foundations of the Moral, as well as of the Intellectual World, were out of courſe. Their broken Notices of another State, and beggarly Conceptions of its Delights and Entertainments, induc'd them rather to let looſe the Reins to their Intemperance, than to correct and retrench the Luxuriancy of their Vices. A more delicious Canaan, the Fields and Groves of Elyſium, and a Mahometan Paradiſe, naturally lead Men to an unbounded Gratification of their ſenſual Appetites, as to that which is the End and Perfection of their Beings, their ultimate Portion in the Regions of Eternity. So that a truly moral Man, with ſuch Perſwaſions about him, would be an Object equally ſtrange and ſurprizing, as Fewel or dry Stubble, that will not take fire in the midſt of a burning firy Furnace.
But now with Chriſtians is the Caſe quite otherwiſe. We know for certain both the Exiſtence and Nature of the other State. That for pure and holy Souls, who are entirely cleans'd from the Stains and Pollutions of corrupted Nature, and rais'd to the Poſſeſſion of their Primitive Brightneſs, remains a moſt glorious and undefil'd Inheritance, Entertainments moſt agreeable to their enlarged Faculties, exalted and divine Joys for evermore. That for impure and ſenſual Souls, on the contrary, who fight under the Banner of the World and the Fleſh, forſaking God that made them, and lightly eſteeming the Rock of their Salvation, is prepar'd a Worm that will never die, and a Fire that will ne'er be quench'd. We know (I ſay) that Refin'd and Purified Souls will be receiv'd into ſerene undiſturbed Manſions of everlaſting Happineſs, the City of the Living God, the Heavenly Jeruſalem, where, with all the ſhining and innumerable Companies of Holy Angels, they ſhall for ever behold and praiſe the unfolded Beauties of their God and Saviour. That on the other hand there are ſad, uncomfortable Regions of Darkneſs and Miſery, where Fire and Brimſtone, Storms and Tempeſts, will be the lamentable and everlaſting Portion of the Ungodly. Fire and Brimſtone, to poſſeſs, inflame, and torment their Bodies; and the Storms and Tempeſts of an enraged Conſcience impetuouſly to hurry their awak'ned Souls through all the unhappy Stages of that woful Eternity. If we then dare to commit Wickedneſs, who have received this clear Knowledge of its ſad Effects and Conſequences; that it cuts off all our hopes of the Glories of Heaven, and irrevocably condemns us to the unconceivable Agonies and Amazements of Hell; we put our ſelves beyond all poſſibility of Excuſe, and (as our Saviour himſelf aſſures us) unmeaſurably enhanſe the Severities of our Condemnation. This is the Condemnation, *Joh. 3.19.ſays he with an Emphaſis, i. e. the higheſt, the greateſt, the moſt intolerable Condemnation, that when Light is come into the World, Men love Darkneſs rather than Light. In a word, God may vouchſafe to wink at the times of Ignorance, and graciouſly overlook the unhappy Miſcarriages of the unenlightned World: He may be favourable to the Servant that knows not his Will, and therefore does unwittingly things worthy of Stripes: But Chriſtians, who know their Lord's Will, and yet prepare not themſelves, nor do accordingly, will have nothing to plead or pretend for their Diſobedience, and therefore will moſt certainly be beaten with many Stripes.
2. We ſhall be utterly inexcuſable, and intolerably aggravate our Guilt and Puniſhment, if we neglect this great Salvation which Chriſt has wrought for us, becauſe we thereby become guilty of the vileſt Ingratitude. We know the infinite Obligations to Duty and Gratitude, which our Heavenly Father has laid upon us; all the Stratagems of his Goodneſs, the aſtoniſhing Miracles of Divine Mercy and Condeſcenſion. That he, whom the Virgins, the untainted Beings above adore and love, meekly drew a veil over his Eſſential Glories, and cloath'd himſelf with Fleſh for the Society of Mankind. That the Eternal, Independent, All-ſufficient One, ſtoop'd down for our ſakes to the loweſt Eſtate of Uneaſineſs and Need; and the Lord and Governour of all the Kingdoms of the Earth vouchſaf'd to dwell among us, though he ſcarce found a place where to lay his Head. That the King of Glory was contented not only to be deſpis'd and rejected of Men to become a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with Grief; but alſo to ſuffer his moſt precious Life to be moſt cruelly and ignominiouſly taken from among Men, that be might entitle us again to Happineſs and Glory. Nay, we have ſeen the only begotten Son of the Living God oppreſs'd and groaning under a heavier load of Miſery than all this; almoſt ſinking under the inſupportable Burthen of his Father's Wrath and in the Anguiſh and Bitterneſs of … Soul moſt lamentably complaining, t… his Father too, whom he had never offe… ed, had for the Foulneſs and Blackne… our Iniquities hid his Face from him. … more, we are ſenſible that we our ſe… have been the Betrayers and Murtherers of the Lord of Life; that he has frequently bled afreſh, and been crucify'd again … our new Sins; that our repeated Impieties have wounded his ſacred Side, and the … rows of our Ingratitude pierc'd him to … very Heart. How (notwithſtanding … this) he is ſo merciful, that he will not ſuffer his Diſpleaſure to ariſe, but that he calls us daily, importunes us inceſſantly, and intreats us earneſtly to return. That he begs us not to ruin and deſtroy our ſelves, opens his Arms to receive us, tho' we have been never ſo ungrateful, and promiſeth Pardon for all that is paſt, if we will but take care to be obedient for the future. Laſtly, we know, that if we will return, and do Works meet for Repentance, he will in due time take us from this Vale of Miſery, theſe Regions of Exile, this State of our Pilgrimage into his Father's Houſe, there ſolemnly pronounce our Diſcharge before all his Saints, and crown us with Joy unſpeakable and full of Glory.
Now then to treſpaſs againſt this great Friend and Benefactor, whoſe wonderful Love even condeſcended to aſſume our Nature into his Divinity, and ſo to exalt it above Cherubims and all the brighteſt Orders of Intelligences; who in our Nature thus aſſum'd graciouſly embrac'd for our …akes both the Miſeries and Calamities of a diſtreſſed Life, and alſo the Infamy and Tortures of an accurſed Death; who ſtill (notwithſtanding all our diſingenuous and moſt ungrateful Returns) continues his Tenderneſs and Compaſſion for us, even …ayly offering his Grace and Pardon to the greateſt of Sinners, and by all the gentle Inſinuations of an unwearied …over endeavouring to allure and entice them into Happineſs. To treſpaſs (I ſay) againſt this great Friend and Benefactor, is certainly a Provocation of the moſt amazing Proportions, a Sin of the deepeſt Dye, the baſeſt and ſouleſt Ingratitude, that can be imagined. What then (think you) will be the Condition of ſuch Sinners when God ſhall come to Judge the World? When they ſhall ſee him, whoſe infinite Love they have deſpiſed and rejected, coming in the Clouds of Heaven, and all his Holy Angels with him, to reward every Man according to his Works? Alas! every Circumſtance of this glorious Day will frightfully repreſent to their awak'ned Conſciences the monſtrous Aggravations of their unparallell'd Ingratitude. This God, who now comes in the Clouds with Vengeance is that very Saviour who dy'd to redeem them. Thoſe Emeralds or ſparkling Jewels that ſhine ſo gloriouſly in his Body, the deep and gaſtly Wounds he receiv'd … their ſakes: Thoſe glittering Attendant… and Myriads of holy Ones; the Company he deſign'd for their Eternal Converſation and thoſe bright Regions of Everlaſt… Day, which appear over their Heads, th… Place he ſo dearly purchas'd for their immortal Inheritance. Theſe things (I ſay) thus united, and at once repreſented to their view, will ſwell their Paſſions to that Height and Fullneſs, as infinitely exceed the Meaſures of Mortality to conceive. They will occaſion ſuch ſharp, ſuch acute Reflections, as (like two-edged Swords) will every way rend, and tear, and ſtab, and gaſh their mollified Spirits with freſh incurable Wounds to all Eternity. Their monſtrous Ingratitude will then look them broad in the face, and (like frightful and terrible Gorgons or Furies) poſſeſs their Souls with Horror and Trembling, with ineffable Amazement and everlaſting Confuſion. In a word, The thorough and lively Apprehenſions which they ſhall then have of their Sins and Follies, will ſo incenſe and enrage them, that they'll be all in a flame with Fury and Indignation againſt themſelves, weeping, and wailing, and gnaſhing their Teeth; always, as it were, uon a Rack, without any Intermiſſion of their Pains and Anguiſh, diſtorted, afflicted, diſtracted, confounded.
What then remains, but that, ſince theſe things are ſo, we ſeriouſly take our Caſe into Conſideration? That ſince our Burden is lighter than that of Jews or Gentiles, we run with greater Chearfulneſs the ways of God's Commandments? That we grieve not the Holy Spirit, nor turn the Grace of God into Laſciviouſneſs; but that the great, extraordinary Aſſiſtances which we now enjoy under the Goſpel, influence our Wills, direct our Choice, and give Warmth and Vigour to our Affections? That the certain Faith and Aſſurance which we have of a Future State, and of its Rewards and Puniſhments, work moſt powerfully upon our Minds to conquer all the Temptations of this Life, to deterr us from doing any thing whereby we may forfeit our Crown, and to render us ſtedfaſt, immoveable, always abounding in the Work of the Lord, foraſmuch as we know, that our Labour will not be in vain in the Lord? and ſince the greateſt Puniſhments imaginable attend our Miſcarriages, that we lift up the hands that hang down, and ſtrengthen the feeble knees, and run with patience the Race that is ſet before us? Let us then look unto Jeſus, the Author and Finiſher of our Faith, and follow his Example, who for the Joy that was ſet before him endur'd the Croſs, deſpis'd the Shame, and is therefore now ſat down at the Right-hand of the Majeſty on High. Let us frequently contemplate his ſtupendious, unfathomable Love in vouchſafing to aſſume our Nature; that he, who is Mighty, ſhould ſo debaſe himſelf to magnifie us, and evermore ſay with the inflam'd and ſeraphick Virgin, Holy and Bleſſed is his Name. Let us, with her Piety and Devotion, view the Immaculate Lamb of God crown'd with Thorns upon the Croſs: Let us behold him there bleeding and dying for our Sins. Let his unconceivable Agonies ſink deep into our Hearts, and make us to weep bitterly for thoſe Sins which caus'd ſuch Torments to our Deareſt Lord. Let us beſeech him by all that Anguiſh and Amazement his Soul endur'd for our ſakes, never to ſuffer us to crucifie him any more; but that he would be pleas'd to come and take up his Lodging with us, to drive out all thoſe Uſurpers, the World with its Vanities; to make an utter Deſtruction of every Amalakite, and to take to himſelf the entire Poſſeſſion of our Hearts. Let us moſt paſſionately intreat him not to ſuffer our immortal Souls, the price of his own Blood, to periſh; but that he would be graciouſly pleas'd to waſh away all their Stains, to cloath them in his white Robe, and ſo to preſent them ſpotleſs and unblameable to our Heavenly Father. Laſtly, If the Author of Salvation, and that Eternal too, be worthy to be prais'd, let us now begin theſe Songs upon Earth, which will be our happy Employment and Buſineſs in Heaven, with all thoſe glorious Angels and Holy Ten Thouſands that worſhip about the Throne, ſaying, Bleſſing, and Honour, and Glory, and Power be unto him that fitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb for Ever and Ever. Amen. Amen. Allelujah.