The Usefulness and Excellency of Christ, Section 5
SECT. 5.
Matter of feare for such as reject Christ.
3. THe point is usefull and good 3. This serves to work upon means affections: and 1. To make men feare.for mens affections to work upon them.
And first of all, to terrifie those who refuse and reject the Lord Christ, preferring with those base spirited Gadarens, (Mat. 8. 32. 34.) their Swine or swinish lusts, and brutish desires and filthy sins before him, whereas they should rather infinitely desire and esteeme him, even above pearles and diamonds, and rubies, and the burnished gold of Ophir, and the whole world, if it were all turned into one intire masse and lump of gold, seeing he is so faire and so usefull, and so desirable, as I shewed you, being like a rose, a Rose indeed, outmatching all other roses, for beautifulnesse, usefulnesse, medicinalnesse, and desirablenesse, and so consequently worthy to be esteemed, and to be preferred before all things: So that all such sordid and detestable Gadarens amongst us may well even tremble and be astonished at it, that they doe so despise and trample under the feet of so monstrous contempt, the Son of God, that most glorious Rose of Sharon: For what will you say another day, you that are so vile and so base, why you did not embrace the Lord Jesus, forgoing and forsaking all your bosome sinnes, though never so delightfull, deare, and desirable to your corrupted and depraved natures? Nay, I demand againe, What answer will you returne unto him whom now you doe so vilifie and lightly esteem, when he shall come in the rowling clouds of heaven to judge you, and all men else both quicke and dead; and shall question you, as he did once those stiffe-necked Jewes, Ier. 2. 5. What iniquity or fraud, as the originall hath it, could you find in me, that you went so farre from me, or stood at such a distance with me, and would not approach and draw neere unto me, but have walked after vanity, that is, as the originall intimates, after things of nought, and which did soone fade away; and in the which you could find nothing but a meere emptinesse, and became so vaine your selves, as that you were but like so many empty caskes, ecchoing, and sounding loud enough, but containing not so much as one drop of grace; and goodnesse, as being wholly sequestred and alienated from me, who am the fountaine of goodnesse, Iohn 1. 16. What can you say then, say I, for your selves, why you did so shamefully forget your selves? will you say that Christ was not desirable, or usefull, or faire enough for you? then my text will stop your mouths that you shall not be able to justifie nor maintaine your saying: For therein you see Christ himselfe resembles himselfe to a Rose right faire and good, and desirable, saying, I am the Rose of Sharon; so as that he may well answer you then after this sort: If I were and had been like a tearing bramble, or a nettle which will sting those that touch it, you might have had some excuse for your abhorring and rejecting of my glorious person; but now I have made my selfe otherwise knowne unto you, I have told you that I am like a rose, to comfort, and to revive, and not to sting, nor to teare those that come unto me; & therefore now you have no cloake for your detestable and horrible sin of despising me, and neglecting so great salvation. See Iohn 15. 22. Whereupon shall I tell you what you may be like to say: O bedlams, that we were, when we despised and rejected so glorious a Saviour, we fooles then could see no beauty in him, nor comlinesse wherefore we should desire him, Esa. 53. 2. but now how faire and glorious is his body, which there we see upon that white and glorious throne; and how desirable is his sacred person, which is crowned with such Majesty? Oh how doth he shine now with incomparable splendor above the brightnesse of the sun, and oh! how amiable is his countenance; and therefore, oh! how have we wronged our own soules, whom we have bereaved and deprived of so beautifull, blissefull, and delightfull an object, as this most glorious and sweetest Saviour is, whom now we behold with most bitter griefe, and unutterable vexation of heart, because we have so wilfully, disdainfully, and obstinately withstood and lost so great salvation: If now we had time and leave to make our choise, we would prefer this glorious Saviour, whom we have once so despised, before ten thousand worlds if there were so many, and before more then ten hundred thousand pleasures and sports, and pastimes, and carnall oblectations; but alas we cannot, the time of mercy is expired, and the time of justice, wrath, and vengeance, so much spoken of by our faithfull pastors, hath appeared, and we must now be judged, and adjudged to the easelesse, remedilesse, endlesse torments and flames of that infernall pit; and all our pleasures, profits, and delights are passed Wisd. 5.away from us. Like a shadow and a poast, that hasted by; and there is nothing of all things we ever enjoyed and possessed, that can solace and comfort us now in that mercilesse flame in all eternity; and therefore, O that we had never been borne, oh! that we had been but so happy as our cattell, horses, oxen, dogs, swine, beasts, birds, which died but once, and feele no more paine for ever; whereas we must be ever dying, and yet shall ever be living in paine, in woe, and misery. Oh woe, woe, woe unto us that ever we were borne to see this day, and to die this death, and to live such a life, which will be unto us a perpetuall and everkilling destruction.