Trouble of the Mind and the Disease of Melancholy, Discourse · Part 1 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Of the Great Love of Chriſt in ſuffering the wrath of God in his Soul; which is the more to be admired, in that he bore it for us, and not for the fallen Angels; and becauſe now he is from his own experience more qualified to relieve us under all our temptations.
Inf. 3. HOW great cauſe have we to value Jeſus Chriſt, who by ſuffering the wrath of God in his own perſon, has procured this priviledge for Believers, That the Anger of God towards them ſhall be only for a moment? Had it not been for his ſpotleſs ſatisfaction, the Divine Juſtice would have perpetually flam'd out againſt us; and he would not only have been angry with us now, but for ever. He has delivered us from the wrath to come.
That which is eaſy to us upon our Faith, was purchaſed by him at a very dear Price; he ſhed his own Blood to obtain Peace and Mercy for us. Oh how great was the Burden of that heavy Croſs which he bore for us? how terrible and amazing was that wrath which he felt in his bitter and his doleful agonies, when he ſaw not one Smile in his Father's face; when it was with him an hour of thick darkneſs; and when under the ſmart of what he felt, and the view of what he was to feel, he ſaid, My Soul is exceeding ſorrowful, even unto death? And when the agonies of his Soul did affect his Body, and made it even in a cold Seaſon to ſweat as it were drops of Blood? What a gloomy time was that when he fell upon his face, and in a ſorrowful poſture, with ſtrong Cries and Tears prayed, O my Father, if it be poſſible, let this Cup paſs from me? What flaming wrath was that which ſcorcht him, when he uttered thoſe dreadful words, My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken me? The Angel told Mary, That a Sword ſhould pierce through her Son, Luk. 2.35. to ſee what injurious uſage her Soul met withal; but how much ſharper was the Sword that pierc'd the Soul of Chriſt himſelf? The wrath that he bore, would have totally overwelm'd and deſtroyed Angels and Men, had they joyned their ſtrength together. There was none but he that was able to ſuſtain ſuch a Combat, and to bear ſuch a Load. Oh where had we guilty Creatures been, had not he dyed for us! God would have been our Enemy, and Hell our Portion: His Holineſs would not allow him to be gracious to us, without a Satisfaction; and there was none that was able to make it, but his own dearly beloved Son; and this excellent Perſon freely did it. And what cauſe have we to admire the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, of this Love, which paſſes Knowledg! Eph. 3.18. Angels in Heaven wonder at it, it was ſo great in it ſelf, and accompliſhed in ſuch a painful and a coſtly way: and we may juſtly be fill'd with a wondring joy, for we are more concern'd, and our Sin and Guilt makes us to need it more than they do. There was nothing in us to move him to begin, or to finiſh, the bleſſed work of our Redemption; nothing but miſery: He ſaw us loſt, and he came to find us: He ſaw us periſhing, his bowels earned within him, and his own Pity and Compaſſion made him to come and ſave us. What puniſhment had we deſerved for our manifold tranſgreſſions? And he came and bore the puniſhment that was our due, and diſcharg'd that debt which we were never able to pay. How kind was he, that thought not his own Life, nor his own Blood, too much for us? Who ever expos'd his Perſon and his Life for an Enemy? and yet he dyed for us when we were ſo; as marvellous an Act of Mercy, as if a Prince's Son ſhould lay his Head upon the block to ſave one that had rebell'd againſt the Crown and Government of his own Father: What does he require from us for all that he has done? he asks nothing but our Love, and ſhall we not give him our beſt Affections, our higheſt thoughts, and our hearts, which he has ſo dearly bought? have even any of thoſe things to which we give our love, done ſo much for us as he has done? He has the beſt Title, and will prove our trueſt Friend in the latter end; had it not been for him, we could never have prayed to God with hope, nor liv'd without a fearful expectation of Vengeance: We were Children of wrath, and muſt, but for him, have been the Heirs of wrath too. Who would not love ſuch a Benefactor? Who would not give him all, who gave himſelf for us? It is by his death that God is appeas'd, and that his Anger is but for a Moment to thoſe who receive his Son: God hath ſmelt a ſweet favour in this Sacrifice, and is highly pleaſed with it, and is pleas'd with us upon this account. He does not now follow us with wrath, but invites us to himſelf in mercy; he has ſheath'd his flaming Sword, and is ready to embrace us in his Arms; and though he ſees nothing in us to excite his goodneſs, yet every time he looks upon our bleſſed Lord, he ſees one who has entirely pleaſed him, who has done his will, and who is the beloved of his Soul, and it's for his ſake that his anger towards us is ſo long delayed; and that when it comes, it is but for a Moment. Let us love this Redeemer with all our hearts, remembring that terrible ſentence of our Apoſtle, If any man love not the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, let him be Anathema Maranatha, i. e. Curſed till he come again, 1 Cor. 16.22. There are two things that ſhould engage us to love him, for his bearing the wrath of God.
1. That he bore it for us, and not for the fallen Angels.
2. That from his own experience he is able to help us under all our temptations, and when we are under the ſenſe of God's diſpleaſure.
1. Chriſt bore not the wrath of God for the fallen Angels; they fell from him as we did, but he deſigns not to raiſe them again; they groan'd under the wrath of the mighty Judge, and they muſt always groan under it; no beam of chearful Light will ſh…ne into their Dungeon; no Meſſenger will be diſpatched to give them the glad-tidings of Salvation; the anger of God threw them out of Heaven, and the door is for ever ſhut; they know this to be their woful Caſe, and therefore they rage againſt him, and againſt his Servants, and his Intereſt in the world. What could move Chriſt, to take the nature of Man, and not of Angels? Heb. 2.16. to ſay to us, Live, and to ſuffer them to dye? to viſit our ſinning World, to ſet us at Liberty, to ſet open the Priſon-doors, whilſt he ſuffers them to roar in chains of wrath? As they have greater Capacities, and Natures more knowing than ours; ſo they might have honoured their Creator more than we, had they been redeemed; but they muſt mourn for ever, and never ſing his Praiſe; they muſt grieve whilſt we rejoice; whilſt we look for our Lord, they tremble in the fear of his coming; whilſt we have the ſweetneſs of hope, they are in anguiſh and vexation, in deſpair and horror; we have our Sabbaths, but they have no days of reſt; we can through Jeſus Chriſt call God our Father, but they know him not by ſuch a comfortable Name; they feel his Power, but they taſt not his Love; they tremble under his Vengeance, but all comfort and Joy is fled away from them for ever; why are we in the light, and they in darkneſs? Why is Chriſt a Phiſician to us, whilſt he is a Judge to them? truly nothing makes the difference but his own love; and what manner of love is this!
2. It was great love in Chriſt to bear the anger of God, becauſe now his poor tempted Servants have one to whom they may repair. in all their ſtraits. Heb. 2.18. For in that he himſelf hath ſuffered, being tempted, he is able to ſuccor them that are tempted. 'Tis a great relief to the miſerable and afflicted, to be pitied by others; as Job. 19.21. Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends, for the hand of God hath touched me: It is ſome relief when others, tho they cannot help us, yet ſeem to be truly concerned for the ſadneſs of our caſe, when by the kindneſs of their words, and of their actions, they do a little ſmooth the wounds that they cannot heal; but it is an unſpeakable addition to the Croſs, when a man is brought low under the ſenſe of God's diſpleaſure, to have men to mock at his Calamity, or to revile him, or to ſpeak roughly; this does enflame and exaſperate the wound that was big enough before; and it is an hard thing when one has a dreadful ſound in his ears, to have every friend to become a Son of Thunder: It is a ſmall matter for people that are at eaſe, to deal ſeverely with ſuch as are afflicted; but they little know how their ſevere ſpeeches, and their angry words pierce them to the very ſoul: 'Tis eaſie to blame others for complaining, but if ſuch had felt but for a little while what it is to be under the fear of God's Anger, they would find they could not but complain. It cannot but make any perſon very reſtleſs and uneaſie, when he apprehends that God is his Enemy. It is no wonder if he makes every one that he ſees, and every place that he is in, a witneſs of his grief; but now it is a Comfort in our Temptations and in our Fears, that we have ſo compaſſionate a Friend as Chriſt is, to whom we may repair. Heb. 4.15. For we have not an High-Prieſt which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without ſin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help us in every time of need. Had it not been for his Mediation, the abſolute and pure Deity would have been too glorious and inacceſſible to us; but he is cloathed with our nature; and though it has undergone ſeveral alterations, ſince he is exalted; yet we are ſure that he retains a tender ſence of our miſeries: And tho he be very high, he does not think it below him to regard the moſt troubled and ſorrowful Believer: He was on earth acquainted with grief, Iſa. 53.3. And has carryed to Heaven with him a remembrance of what he felt in his own Temptations, and of what he felt when his Father frown'd upon him; and his own experience renders him more capable of helping us; and makes him full of pity, when he ſees us mourn; well knowing what was his own Caſe. As God has faſhioned the hearts of all men, and ſome who have naturally more mercy and pity than others; and then the holy Spirit by its renewing grace, carrying their good Diſpoſitions to greater degrees, and proceeding, and working uſually according to their tempers; ſo it is certain he temper'd the heart of Chriſt, and made it of a ſofter mould than all the tenderneſs of all the men in the world put together, would have made it: he had ſuch a humane nature, that might be more merciful than all Men and Angels together, Goodwin, Chriſt's Heart in Heaven. p. 55. Our groans and our ſighs teach his Heart above; and tho he does not come with help juſt when we deſire it, yet he is providing for our welfare, he ſends us ſome inward ſupports, when we have not an immediate deliverance: he will not ſuffer us totally to ſink, tho he may leave us for a while to try our faith, or to let us underſtand our own weakneſs; we may think that our veſſel will be covered with waves, when he is guiding us to ſhore; even when we think that he is aſleep and has forgot us, and cares not though we be caſt away: only let us never ceaſe to ſay, Maſter, ſave us, or elſe we periſh.