The Revival of Grace, Part 2 · Chapter 5 · Section 7
CAP. V. Sect. 7. Gratitude Improved, on Chriſt's Dying a Teſtator.
7. THE Seventh Sacramental grace I mentioned, is Gratitude, and thankful returnes to the memory of our Dying Lord. In this point I labour not for a proof, it is confeſſedly owned by all who own any thing of the excellency, continued uſefulneſs, and efficacy of the Sacrament. It is the Euchariſt, and very unfitly, named if thankfulneſs be not required to fit us for it. 'Twere ſtrange if the generality of Chriſtians ſhould miſtake in a practical point of ſuch daily occurrence. It ſucceeded in the room of a Sacrament which required high meaſures of Gratitude; and it is the ſtanding memorial of the greateſt benefit obtained for us; it is a ſtanding pledge of our greateſt expectation, viz. Of the bleſſed Hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour; for herein we ſhew forth his death until he come. It becometh us to be thankful, but why ſo particularly to Chriſt a Teſtator? what is in that more than ordinary? or if you ſhew not more than ordinary incentives to thankfulneſs, yet what particular ſufficient juducements are there to this in Chriſt's Dying a Teſtator to confirme his laſt Will?
1. Look, ſee what he hath as a Teſtator done for you and me. He hath bequeathed to us a participation with himſelf in every excellent thing we needed, or are capable of. He hath conveyed to us by his laſt will, pardon and juſtification through his Death, and obedience. He hath conveyed Sanctification, and purifying grace, through the ſpirit which he poureth out upon us, ſince he died, and roſe again, aſcended; and ſitteth on the right hand of the Father: He hath conveied conſolation and joy through the ſpirit of Adoption; and will give the poſſeſſion of that inheritance of glory, which (as yet) is reſerved for us in Heaven, and which is duely enſured to us in the Sacrament. In one word, the whole Covenant of grace framed into a Teſtament, is confirmed by the Death of Chriſt the Teſtatour; ſo that thou, and I, are beholding to Chriſt a Teſtator for all the riches of grace, conſolation and glory. Well worthy of thine and my praiſe, thanks, and hearty acknowledgments is Chriſt therefore for that he by his Death hath procured, and by will hath entitled us unto ſuch great and glorious advantages and benefits.
2. Chriſt a Teſtator hath deſerved thy moſt grateful reſentments of his love for that he hath by this means removed all thy fears, and prevented all thy doubts, leaſt at any time thou ſhouldſt (by reaſon of thy weak faith and defective love,) fall ſhort of the goodneſs and bleſſings thou expecteſt; for this (as other Teſtaments) is of force now that the Teſtator is dead, and ſince he is dead none may either null it, or alter it, but it muſt continue for ever in ſtrength. And on this conſideration of certainty and validity doth the Apoſtle, Gal. 3.15. advance the excellency of the promiſes made to Abraham, and to Abraham's ſeed. Now what ever doth advance the excellency of the promiſes made to us, doth likewiſe advance our debt of thankfulneſs for the promiſes.
3. Chriſt a Teſtator is worthy of our highest Gratitude, for ſo much as he hath by his last Will and Testament diſpoſed of his rich inheritance amongst us, ſo as we may duly expect, and constantly fetch in as much as we will of grace for our preſent help and comfort, reſerving the fullneſs of all unto the final conſummation of the elect redeemed. Many a man loſeth all, or elſe much of his thankes by an unſeaſonable caution in his will, that the Legatees ſhall have nothing of the gift until ſuch a time to which it is uncertain whether he live; but Chriſt deſerveth our admiration, as well as our thanks, for the preſent benefit, uſe, and advantages we have from his Teſtament. He hath ſo given, that wee may now enjoy; we ſo enjoy now, that hereafter we ſhall receive; preſent enjoyments were not to be compared with future; the preſent improvement is ſufficient to keep us handſomely; the future is far above mine and your thoughts.
4. Chriſt a Testator worthy of thy thanks for ſo much as he was thus mindful of thee at the laſt, when enemies inſulted and vaunted againſt him; when ſorrows and pains did ſeiſe him; when his Friends ſtood aloof off, and ſome of them denied him; when many were content not to be known of his acquaintance; when he foreſaw what Friends we (in our ſeveral generations) would be to him; for what theſe perſons were under Chriſt's Eye, was both an index, or diſcovery of them, and alſo a ſymptome, or prognoſtick what we after them would prove. And yet for all this his love continued firm to us, and made them and us Heirs both of his own, and of his Father's love alſo.
5. And laſtly, conſider this, Chriſt a Teſtator, is Chriſt Voluntarily Dying that he might make all ſure to us. He was not by nature under an unchangeable law of Death, as we are; if he had not loved us ſo much, he needed not to have Died; here then is his plea and Title unto our Gratitude; he did Voluntarily, and of choice put himſelf into a condition that he might dye, to procure and confirm the promiſes to us. And yet the kind and manner of Dying, and pains he did foreſee in his Death, are the circumſtances which, as they ſet off, and advance his love to us, ſo do they increaſe and augment our debt of a loving hearty reſentment of his kindneſs. Sirs, Chriſt muſt dye a curſe under the vindictive juſtice of God ere he could convey by will the Heavenly, bleſſed and everlaſting Legacies, which we now expect from him as a Teſtator. Whoſo ſhall caſt an Eye upon theſe particulars, if others more quickning do not occur, yet theſe will either perſwade to thankfulneſs, or render unthankfulneſs inexcuſable. We do uſually pick out ſuch circumſtances as theſe to commend the worthineſs of our Friends love towards us at his Death; he remembred me in what I moſt needed, provided for me as much as I need, or can receive, he (I thank him) ſetled it by will that I might be ſure of it: And herein I am greatlieſt beholden to him, that as I was unfit to be truſted with all at once, and unable to ſubſiſt without any of it for preſent, he did in wiſe kindneſs to me provide that the main part ſhould be reſerved for me, and that the leſſer be now given unto me. So Chriſt, that I might live, and rejoice in the preſent grace of my Lord to me; that I might be rich and happy in the poſſeſſion of the whole, when I was fit for, and capable of it, did wiſely bequeath me a portion of peace in him, grace from him, comfort through him, all which I needed, but hath reſerved, fulneſs of Glory, the immarceſcible Crown, the unchangeable Kingdom, the inconceivable, and unſpeakable bleſſedneſs, until I ſhould be prepared to enjoy them all: herein the love of Chriſt excelleth, inſomuch as he did all this for us, when ſorrows and troubles, greater than can be equalled were beſetting him; nay, he put himſelf into a ſtate ſubject to all thoſe ſorrows and troubles (from which by nature he was free) that he might be liable to dye, and make all this mercy ſure to thee, and me (and ſuch like us) by Teſtament: and thou, and I muſt thank him that he did it for us who by our folly and wickedneſs were the cauſes of all this ſorrow, and trouble to him. Here is love to be owned with higheſt renſentments, and moſt enlarged affections; Chriſt is the greateſt conquerour of hearts and therefore to be crowned with a triumphant wreath of enflamed hearts; oh live, and dye in the grateful acknowledgments of his love. If (as ſome men will have it) his Table where thou ſuppeſt with him be an Altar, let not this Altar ever want a flaming Sacrifice. Let thine heart be offered to him; he deſerveth more, thou canſt not tender leſs; it were too little if thou had'ſt ought more; it will be ſufficient if thou doſt not think it too much. Oh my ſoul! thy preſent income is worth thy thanks; thy future full poſſeſſion is fitteſt for an eſtimate and thanks in the higheſt Heavens.