Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself, Part 3 (6 of 7)

Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself · Part 3 (6 of 7)

p. 5203. Sanctification is a farre other thing then morall vertues: 1. A moralist that is …emperate, chast, is never so over-clouded in his faith, as to doubt, whither he be a temperate man or not;Holinesse and morall vertues farre different. a sanctified soule will often doubt if …e have any sanctification at all: 2. A sanctified man must …ve the use of the light of the Spirit to know his …tare, and these things that are freely given him of God, 1 Cor. 2.12. A Mo…li… knoweth with the light of his own sparks, what he is; does Saltmarsh know of any desertions or overcloudings of the Spirit, in a morall Seneca, Aristides, Plato? 3. The Moralist dreames of justification p. 521by his vertues. 4 He needs only naturall reason, not the breathings and stirring of the Spirit to act according to his morall habits. 5. Nor are his habits infused from heaven, but his own conquest. 6. Nor knowes he an absence or a presence of the Spirit, all which are peculiar to sanctified and just…fied persons.

We are not compleatly (saith Saltmarsh) or perfectly mortified to sin, by our being planted into Christ, and the fellowship of his death.

Answ. But if mortification bee the faith and apprehension that Christ mortified sinne for us, then as we are perfectly justified, so are wee perfectly mortified; now Antinomians teach the former.

Let not (saith he) mortification of sin in Christ, tempt any to a neglect of mortification of sinne in the body, no more then the free-grace of God in forgivenesse of sinne ought to tempt any to take liberty to sinne.

Answ. 1. Surely as to adde an thing to justification, so to advance in mortification must be as wicked and blasphemous, according to the way of Antinomians, To adde to Antinomians mortification is to adde to Christs merits.for if mortification be the believing that Christ has slaine the body of sin, as Mr Den saith (and Saltmarsh seconds him as a brother) …hen our neglecting of mortification is no sinne, for we are to believe that Christ has removed all neglects of mortification, if mortification bee faith and beliefe that Christ mortified sinne for us.

2. I cannot neglect justification or apprehension that Christ mortified sinne for me, any otherwise but by a remisse act of believing, or neglect of a higher measure, and a more intense and strong act of faith, and not by an abstinence from fleshly lusts; such an abstinence is no faith or apprehension that Christ has slaine and mort…fied the body of sinne for me; for non-sinning cannot formally bee believing; that were non-sense.

3. If the meaning be that we are not to abstaine from fleshly lusts▪ that is from sinnes that the flesh or the body of sinne acteth in us, this is neither mortification nor any part thereof, to Antinomians. But I desi…e and provoke Antinomians to satisfie us in these; if Salmarsh one of their Patrons can.

1. Whither or no sins of the body, or in the body, as Saltmarsh p. 522calleth them here, or sins of conversation, as Mr Den saith, or sinnes, as Mr Town speaketh, arising out of these earthly members of our flesh, Mr Twn asser. of grace, pag. 72. Queries that Antin…mi…ns can never Answer,he sinnes agai…st the Law of God; if so, they involve t…e justified under a curse, and so t…ey a…e sins formally, and the justified either cannot sin a… all, which I feare is the fleshly way of Libertines, a way that my soul abhorre…, if I be not deceived, or then, the sinnes, the adultery o… a just…fied man, the m…rther, the denyall of Christ in Peter, is no lesse a breach of the Law of God, then the denyall of Christ in Iudas (it may be the one with a greater bensill of will denyes Christ, then the o…her; sed magis & minus non variant speciim) and so the jus…ified doe as truly and essentially sin against the Law, as the unregenerate doth; then they are not as clean from sin as Christ the surety is.

2. If murthers, adulteries committed by the justified bee sinnes of their flesh and body that is, such sinnes as they are not by any Prophet or Nathan to be rebuked for; because the Spirit that is not in their power, in his actions and motions did assist not them to abstaine, and they are under no other Law, but the only irresistible action of the Spirit to hinder them physically in all sinnes, to abstain from any sin, this must be Antinomians spirituall divinity; to make no Rule no Law of ordering the life and conversation of an justified man; but only the motions of a Spirit separated from the world.

3. Whither or not when Paul said, Rom. 7.17. Now it is no more I (that sinne) but sinne that dwelleth in me, ver. 18. I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing, his meaning be according to the Antinomians divinity, that no regenerate man sinneth, but his flesh and sensitive part which is not capable of any Law, sinneth: but he who acteth the sin being above or from under Law, Rule, or direction, sinneth not against God, or any Law?

4. Whither or no the Enthysiasts Rule, which is the immediate and irresistible inspiration of a Spirit, which doth presse a brother to kill a brother, and has done it, as Bullinger saith of the practise of divers Anabatists, and some of New England said, though they resisted the Christian Magis…rate, and fired the Churches of Christ there, yet they should be miraculously delivered from the Court, as Daniel was from the den of Lyons; whither or no this Rule of the Spirits immediate p. 523acting without Law and Gospel be the only Law and Rule that the justified are under and led by?

5. Whither from this spring does not flow the rejecting of all the Scriptures or written Law or Gospel, as if they were but a covenant of works, and the walking by the Spirit separated from the word, and the denying any marks as love to the brethren sincerity, keeping of the commandements of God recommended in the word, Ioh. 14.15. 1 Ioh. 2.3.4.5. 1 Ioh 3.14? and if this be the spirituall divinity spoken of here?

6. Whither or no sinnes of the body and of the fl…sh or conversation (as Antinomians call them) be not sinnes against the Law of God, and make the justified truly guilty, if the Lord should enter in judgement with them, and though they that commit them be justified, and so absolved from obligation to eternall wrath, are not formally and inherently blotted, and sinfull in those sinfull acts?

7. If they are not to be sad for them as offensive to the authority of the Law-Giver, and the love of Christ, though they be not to fear the ete…nall punishment of them? for sorrow for sin, and feare for sin, are most different to us.

8. Whither the free-g…ace of God doth not tempt men to sin, most kindly and from the nature of free-grace, according to the Antinomian way, if the free-grace of justification doe free the justified so from sinning; as their indulgence to the flesh and sinfull pleasure, can bee no sinne in Gods court, no more then there can be sin in Christ; and if they be as free, notwithstanding of all the sin they doe, being once justified, as if they never had sinned, or as the sinlesse Angels; and if the essence of sinne and all they doe against the Law of God, be as cleane removed as money taken away out of a place, which sure cannot be said without a contradiction, to remaine in that place, as Dr Crispe speaketh, and that before the sin be committed? whither can a thing in its essence be wholly removed, as if it never had been, before it have any being at all; can a rose be said to be whithered and destroyed as if it had never been, before ever that same rose spring out of the earth? sure faith cannot phansie lies and contradictions.

How ever it be, Christs death teacheth us mortification of our lusts, it is a mortified like death, for he dyeth on a visible journey leaving the earth; his back was towards life, pleasure, p. 524profit, he is not dead to his lusts, whatever be his boasting who is not dead in, or with Christ to sinne.

For 1. Christs death and his contempt of the world teacheth that we should follow him. 1. He looked even straight before him,Divers manif…sta…ions of Christ's deadnesse to the world. neither to the right, nor left hand, nor behind him; the meddows, buildings, faire flowers and roses in the way of this passenger, did never allure him to stay in the way and fall in love with any thing on this side of heaven, Heb. 12.2. as our foreign the captaine of our faith foreign for the joy that was set before him, 1. Christ mind…d h…aven exc…edingly in his …ac….he endured the crosse; his heart was so upon the crown, and that which was his garland, his conquered Spouse, that he did runne his race with all his breath and wearied not; his heart was much upon the p…ize that he did runne for.

2. H… was nothing beholding to the world, he came to the house o… his friends, they refused him house roome and lodgeing, Ioh. 1.11. His own received him not, and therefore he was fame to lie with the birds of heaven, and the Foxes of the earth; Christ was no landed man on earth, hee had never a free house of his own above his head; he had a purse, but no fi…e rent, no income by year, Matth. 8.20. he had not whereon to buy a grave when he dyed, Ioh. 19.41. The earth was his Fathers land; but he lodged in a borrowed grave; his coat was all his legacy, yet it could not buy a winding sheet to him; the souldiers thought it too little see for their paines in crucifying him, and it was not of much worth, when they put it to the hazzard of lots, take it that wins it; his heart was never on the world, he refused a Kings Crown when it was offered to him without stroak of sword, Ioh. 6.15. He had neither heart nor leasure to enjoy the world, Christ dead … the ga…n… a…d glory of the world.Ioh. 4. when he wanted his dinner, he begged a drink of water from a stranger, and was wea…y with walking on foot, yet he was the one great Bishop, the head of the body of the Church, and had neither ho…se nor coach, and he could have made the clouds his chariot; he became poore that we might be made rich. Was sweet Iesus thy Saviour a poore man in the world? learn to be a stranger and to want, and to be content to borrow, and to lie in the fields, and to have a dead heart to the world: 1. O glory worldly', O all crownes, and gold, and stately Palaces, blush, be ashamed, take not such a wide lodging in the hearts p. 525of Saints, goe not with so broad and faire Peacock-wings, ye are too bigge in mens eyes, Christ our dear Saviour refused you: 2. Rich Saints, drink at leasure, use the world at t…e by, as if you used it not. Look with halfe an eye, the least halfe of your desire upon this borrowed shaddow: Let not thy heart water, nor itch after white and yellow clay: 3. Gold, thou art not God, Saints look over crownes and court; see, see what a Kingdome is above your hand; Pilgrims, drink, but la… not down your burthen and your staffe: let it be a standing drink, and bee gone; 4. Yee are longed for in heaven, 5. Your King lodged with poverty and abasement, and shame; love the lodging the better that hee was there before you. Christs love is languishing to have you soon cut of this passing …ransi…ory world and to be at your best home.

3. Christ did never laugh on earth that we read of, but he wept; O what a sad world! Psal. 69.11. I made sackcloth my garment; O pretious Redeemer, cloth of gold is too con…fe fo… thee, v. 20. Reproach hath broken my heart, Christ a sad man in the world.I am full of heavinesse; he was a man made of sorrow, Esa. 53.3. and had experience and familiar acquaintance with grief; there be a multitude that goes laughing, harping, piping and danceing to heaven as whole and unbroken-hearted Christians mysticall mortification (say they) is only faith, and joy; we have nothing to doe with weeping, co…fessing, sorrow for sinne, that is a dish of the Law Vinegar and Gall, it belongs not to us; we are not under the Law, but under grace; that soure sauce is the due of carnall men under the bond…ge of the Law; but will Christ wipe away teares from the eyes of laughing men, wh…n they come to heaven? believe …, there goes no unbroken and whole professors to heaven; that is farre from mortification; heaven will not lodge whole soules, with their Iron sinnew in the neck never cracked by the death of Christ.

Object. But godlinesse is not melancholy, but joy of the holy Ghost.

Answ. 1. True; but whom does Christ,The v…rious disp…nsation of G…d in leading some to heaven, through sweet, some thr…ugh sowre. with the bowels and hand of a Saviour binde up, but the broken-hearted mourners in Zion, and such as lie in ashes? Esa. 61.1.2.3. sorrow and joy may lodg in one soule.

2. Christ feasts some in the way to heaven, and dyets them daintily; some feed ordinarily on the fat and marrow of the p. 526Lords house, Psal. 63.5. And there is a feast of fatte things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of ma…row, of wines on the lees-well refined Esai. 25.6. and has not the King a banqueting house, a wine-celler (Cant. 2.4.) for some? and doe they not feed upon the hony-comb, and the wine, the spiced wine and the milk? Cant. 5.1. Cant. 8.2. But these that drink wine at some time, must at another time bee glad of a drink of water.

2. And if there bee varieties of temperature of Saints, some rough and stiffe, some milde, some old men, and some babes, 1 Ioh. 2.13. and as there be some Lambs,The various Tempers of the Saints require that some feast on fatt things and wines, and others drink water. some fainting weak and swooning tender things that Christ feeds like Kings son…, with wine of heaven: so there bee others that are under the care of the steward Christ, who are heifers and young bullocks, like Ephraim not well broken yet. Ierem. 31.18.19. and there be hoping and waiting Saints, that must bear the yoake in their youth, Lament. 3.26.27. and sundry kindes and sizes of children; every one must have their owne portion and diet, 2 Tim. 2.15. Matth. 24.45. One mans meat is anothers poyson, and yet they are both the sonnes of one Father.

3 Can every head that shall weare a crowne in heaven, bear this wine, on the earth, being clothed with such a nature? and must every one be taken into the Kings house of wine, and sit betweene the Fathers knees, at the high table, and eat marrow, and drink spiced wine? are there not some set at the by-board, that must bee content with browne-bread and small drink or water?

4. Though the word should be silent, it is easie to prove that Saints have not the like fare of Christs dainties at all times; for the Church, Cant. 2.4. is taken into the banqueting house, and feasts on fatnesse of free love; and yet againe, Cant. 3. crys hunger, and seeks and findes not; and Cant. 5.1. feasts with Christ on wine and honey and milk; but vers. 5.6. there is a dinner of gall, hunger, and swooning, my soule (saith the Spouse) went out of me.

Christ and the Saints have a sad journey to heaven in regard of afflictions.5. How many Saints goe to heaven, and you never heard another word from them but complaints, want of accesse, straitning of Spirit, deadnesse, absence, withdrawings of the beloved, at every slippe, scourged, chastised every morning? their complainings cannot be praised; yea till they land, they p. 427are ever sea-sick, till they bee at shoare, never see a fa…re day, nor one joyfull houre, …sal. 88.15. I am afflicted and ready to die foreign from my youth I suffer thy terrors, and am distracted sore, for the Lords dispensation, wee m…y …ay, who hath been upon his counsels and who hath instructed him? Antinomians allow dayly feasts and the strongest of the Gospel wine for dayly food to all that are sinners; this we… dare not doe; but as we judge it a sinne to stand a…o…fe from free grace, because wee have no mon…y nor hire: so to fill out the wine of t…e the Gospel more largely and p…ofusely then the King of the feast allowes, even to sinners as sinners, and all unhumbled and high minded Pharisees, is to be stewards to mens lusts, and to turn the Gospel in to the doctrine of licence to the flesh, and not to extoll Free grace.

4. Chri…t in his way had no reason to glory in friends, 1. How was hee dispised of them? Esai. 53.3. Wee did hide our faces from him; all his friends thought shame of him, a…d fled the way for him, they refuse to give him one looke of their eye, 2. Psal. 31.11. I was a reproach amongst all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a feare to mine acquaintance, they that see me without, fled from me; this is more to be a…pproach and a feare to neighbour and friend. 3. Nature and blood went against it self, Psal. 69.8. I am become a stranger to my brethren, and an alien to my mothers children.

All the Saints Idols are broken, to the end God may be one for all; this is a good ground of mortification; men shall bee cruell brethren, and redeemed ones shall have the yron bowels of an Ostrich, a Lion to kill you and to consent to make war against you, that Christs meekenesse may appeare; friends must be sowre, that Christ may bee sweet; and you may bee deadned in love to brethren and friends, yea to a forsaking father and mother, Psal. 27.10.5.Christ free from lusts, so we are not. No lust had any life or stirring in Christ, this cannot be in us; the old man that has lived five thousand yeers and above, is not so gray haired as to dye, in any Saint while he dy, his deceiveable lusts at best come to a staffe and trembling, and gray hairs in the holiest and most mortified, but expire not till dust returne to dust.

If I bee lifted up, I will draw, When Christ is weakest and bleeding to death on the crosse, he is strongest, Col. 2.15. he triumphed over principalities and powers; there is more of strength p. 528and omnipotency in Christs weaknesse, then in all the power and might of Men and Angels; the weaknesse of God is stronger then men, 1 Cor. 1.25. there is more of life in Christs death, then in all the world;Christ weakest is strong. hee was a graine of wheat cast in the earth, and sowen in the grave, and there sprung out of dead Christ a numerous off-spring of children, a…l the redee…ed ones grew out of the womb of his grave, his Catholicke Church was formed out of the side of the second Adam, when hee was fast asleepe on the crosse.

2. This makes the way of redemption so much the more admirable, that out of a way of weaknesse, of death and shame, the Lord should out-work sinne and the Devil, and rear up to himselfe out of dust and hell and death, glory heaven and eternall life: Infinite glory made a chariot of shame, and from it highly honoured Christ: Omnipotency did ride upon death, and triumph over hell and devi…s, 1 Cor. 1.27. God hath chosen the weak things of the world, to confound things that are mighty, 28. and foreign the base, the kinlesse things that are of no noble blood, and foreign, things that are despised, the nothings of the world he hath chosen, and things that are not, foreign that he may make idle and fruitlesse, or bring to nothing, things that are.

Vse If the Lord Iesus at the lowest and weakest, his dying and shamed condition be so strong as to pull his bride from under the water,Christ now strong to save his Church. and out of the bottome of hell, up to heaven, what power has he now, when hee is exalted at th… right hand of the Majesty of God, and has obtained a name above all names, and is crowned King in Zion? It is better to be weak, and sick, and weepe and sigh with Christ then to bee strong, and live, dance, sing, laugh, and ride upon the skies with men in the world; sure his enemies will be now lesse then bread to him, and shall be his footestoole.

Christ minded us much in death.2. Christ had cause to minde himselfe, and forget us, being now lifted up to the crosse under extreame paine and shame; but love has a sharpe memory, even in death.

Two things helpe our memory, and they were both in Christ: 1. Extreame love; the mothers memory cannot faile in minding her childe, because the childe is in her heart, and deepe in h…r love: the wretch cannot forget his treasure, his gold is in his heart; Christ loved his Church, both by will, and p. 529nature, and cannot forget her, she is Christs gold, and his treasure, Esai. 49.14, 15. Christ could not cast off nature, the husband cannot forget the wife of his youth; and the deeper love is rooted, the memory of the thing loved is the stronger. O but it is many yeares since Christ loved his redeemed ones: 2. Sense helpeth memory; a man cannot goe abroad in cold weather and forget to put on his cloaths; sense will teach him to doe that; a paining boyle will keep a man in minde of paine; the Church is a fragment and a piece of mysticall Christ; hee cannot forget his own body; the Church is bone of his bone; the head forgets not a wound in the hand. Love did sweat up an high and mighty mountaine with thousands on his back: 1. O what sweating for us even in death, and sweating of blood: 2. O what praying, and praying more earnestly; Lord help me up the mountaine with this burthen; and all this time, he is drawing and carrying on his shoulders hell up to heaven. 3. What a sight was it to behold Christ dying, bleeding, pained, shamed, tormented in soule, wrestling in an agony with divine justice and wrath, receiving stroaks and lashes from an angry God, and yet he kept fast in his bosome his redeemed ones, and said, death and hell, paine and wrath shall not part us. It pleased the Lord to bruise him, to afflict his soule, not to spare him, to smite the shepheard, but it pleased him in that condition out of deep love to draw his redeemed ones from the earth up after him to heaven. Christ was a good servant, he alwayes minded his work, even to his dying day.

Vse. If he in his weakest condition draw all men.

1. How easily can he with one look, blast the beauty and strength of his enemies being a God of such majesty and glory? how weak is hell and all the Iron gates of it?All weak, and Christ strong. when Christ at the weakest, plucks his Church out of the jawes of death; and triumphs over death and hell.

2. It shall be nothing to him with a pull of his finger, when he appeares the second time in power and great glory, to break the pillars that beare up heaven and earth, and to dissolve with the heat and sparkles of fire that comes from his angry face, the great Globe of the whole world,The world a weak thing to Chr…st. as a hot hand can melt a little snow-ball of some few ounces weight, and to loose with one shake of his arme all the Starres in heaven, especially p. 530since the world is now but an old thred-bare-worn case, and the best jewell in the case is man, who is old and failed, and passeth away like a figure; and it shall be but a case of dead bones, and of old broken earthen shards at Christs comming, and Christ with no labour or paine, can crush down the Potters house, marre all the clay-vessels, and burn with fire all the work of the house, the Houses, Castles, Towe…s, Cities, A…kers, Lands, Woods, Gold, Silver, Silks, and whatever is in it; glory not in the creatures, but glo…y in Christ.

3. Death and the crosse are the weakest things in the world, but being on Christs back they are the strongest things in the world, 2 Cor. 13.4. Though he was crucified through weaknesse, yet he liveth by the power of God: 1. The crosse was Christs triumphing Chariot;Christ strong in the Crosse. there is power and strength in Christs teares, in his sighes, in the holes that the thornes made in his head, in the stone laied above him, when he is buried: 2. His shame, death, and buriall, made the greatest turning of wheels in the earth and heaven that ever the eares of man heard;Providence … spe…iall …o th…ngs most …calle…. the more providence does concerne God, his highnesse, his glory, the more speciall it is and accurate, not that infinite wisdome is not infinite in the care over a worm, as over an Angel; but because there is more art of seen and externall visible providence in whole Kingdomes, in Kings, in the Church, then toward one man or one Saint; so providence must have more of the art, wisdome, speciall care of God toward his Catholick Church, and his own only begotten Son in redeeming the whole Catholick Church, then in caring for the Lilies of the field, and the wormes of the earth, or some one particular Saint: What wonder then there be an eminent providence observed in the disposing of Christs coat when he dyed, & in the borrowing of an Asse for him to ride on, and in casting a garment on the Asse for a Saddle, or a foot-mantell when he rode into Ierusalem? so in Christs suffering there is much of God; there was a more noble work in his dying on the crosse, then the creating of the world; and there were foure things of the greatest basenesse imaginable upon Christ, in this providence; for there were upon Christ. 1. The weaknesse of death. 2. Extreame paine. 3. The openest shame, Christ dying poore, despised, forsaken of all friend and unfriend. 4. The curse of the Law in the manner of his death; yet in p. 531all these he acted the part of a triumphing redeemer, Col. 1.19. For it pleased the Father that in him all fulnesse should dwell, ver. 20. and (having made peace through the blood of his crosse) by him, to reconcile all things to himselfe, whither they bee things in earth, or things in heaven.

Vse. Yea, we see Christ has never loosed any thing by the crosse, but has gained much, Rom. 8.37. in all these we are more then conquerours, in death we die not,… and h… C…rch lose no…hing by suff…i…g. a dead man is more then a conquerour, and if he should not live and triumph, he could not be capable of conquering, farre lesse could he be more then a Conquerour, Revel. 12.11. The Saints overcome, but its a bloody victory; They overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their Testimony; Then if the word be an overcomming and prevailing thing, the cause overcame; but what if the persons be killed, then they are overcome? No; for the victory is personall, the followers of the Lamb, overcame by dying, because they loved not their lives unto death ▪ Triumphing in the grave is admirable. Things work in a threefold consideration: 1. According to excellency of their being, modus operandi sequitur modum essendi, mens operations flowing from reason are more excellent then actions of beasts.A threefold exc…llency of working in Christ dying And Angels excell men in their actions. Its a noble and excellent being that is in Christ, being the only begotten Son of God; what excellency of working is this, that not only the dead, but death should live? and shame should shine in glory? the dumb may speak, and the deafe hear; but that dumbnesse should speak, and deafnesse heare, is more then a miracle; here Christ causeth death, shame, cursing be immediate organs and instruments of life, glory, immortality and honour. 2. Christ was never weaker and lower then now, and never more glo…ious in his working, Esai. 63.2. Wherefore are thou red in thy apparell, and thy garments like one that treadeth in the wine fat? R…v. 19.15. he himselfe was trodden on in the wine-presse, and fiercenesse, and wrath of Almighty God? but Esa. 63.1. he is glorious in his apparell and travelleth in the greatnesse of his strength; so in his lowest condition, when he is shamed, he is glorious; when he is weak and lying on his back, he walketh and walketh in the greatnesse of his strength; from the basenesse of the instruments, in excellent works, we collect that there must be a high, noble and excellent p. 532cause, who acteth on these instruments: 3. Agents work according to the distance they are to that they wo…k upon; a shot afarre off is weaker. Now on the crosse, 1. Christ is nearer to us, and so getteth a heartier lift of us; death and blood are neare of kindred to us; 2. Christ comming so near death, hath a fairer shot and visie of death, and the grave, and Hell, and all our enemies, Heb 2.14, 15. Hee dyed that by death he might destroy him that had the power of death.

1. Drawing when he is on the Crosse, doth most extoll Christs love:Christ in drawing sinners in his death, draweth, 1. Lovingly, 2. Suffering paine, 3. Strongly, 4. compleatly, 5. Finally, dying and drawing, death parteth company amongst men, and often parteth loves; but Christ dying draweth his Church into his bosome and heart, as not willing that the grave should part them and him Ioh. 14.1. Christ having loved his own, that were in the world, to the end he loved them: Christ dyed loving, and dyed drawing.

2. The cords of love with which he draweth sinners, were woven and spunne, in all their threds and twistings, out of the bowels and heart of Christ, out of his blood, death, and paine; though it be sweet to Christ to draw, yet its laborious and and painfull to Christ. It cost Chr…st a pained back, and holed sides, and pierced hands and feet, an head harrowed with thornes and a bleeding body, and a bruis…d soule to draw sinners; he drew while hee did bleed againe, he dyed under the work.

3. All the bones of all mankinde that have been, are, or shall be, all the strength of Angels in one arme could not have drawn one sinner out of Hell. But O the strength of the merits of his lifting upon the Cross…! one sinner is as heavie as hell, as a mountaine of Iron; what burthen must it be to Christ to have millions of soules and all their sins hanging on him?What strength of love to draw the weight of so many sinners, He carried on his body on the tree, so many millions of sinners, and drew up after him so many thousand redeemed ones, as would have made the world to crack, the whole earth to groan and cry for paine like a sick woman in child-birth paine.

4. The white and red in a flower or rose contempered together, make up a beautifull colour and pleasant to the eie; 1. Love in Christ; 2. Lowlinesse; 3. And singular care to save, made up a sweet mixture …n Iesus that flower of Iesse, to draw strongly sinners to him. See a Father carrying seven or eight children on his back; through a deep river, he binds p. 533them all in his garment that none of them fall in the water, he leanes on his staffe; how doth he with advised choyse and ele…ion order every step, that he s…eme not to them to slip or fall? and he cryes comfort over his shoulder to them, Fear not, Christ and all his in his bosome did wa…le strongly through all the sl…uds of his suffering.be not dismayed, I will present you safe on dry land: so Christ with all his children, great …esus Christ had his off-spring laped up in his merits, and did wade through the floods of death and hell and the curse of the Law with redeemed ones in his armes crying, Feare not worm Iacob, be not dismayd: I will help thee, the fl…nds shall not drown thee; and for his own condition, his faith was that he should safely swim through the Sea, and the mighty waters of all his deepest sufferings, and that he and his mysticall body (for Christ was a publick surety, not one private man in this case) should shoar on the land of prayse…, and this is above all doubting, when he saith, Esai. 50.7. For the Lord God will help me, Loving and drawing sinners Christs last work in his death-bed.therefore shall I not bee confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed; and then Christ had a most watchfull and prudent care, Esa. 52. that not one pinne, not one wheele in the work of our salvation should miscary, but all should goe right, nothing neglected, in doing, comforting, preaching, praying, suffering, sweating, weeping, believing, hoping in patience, in being shamed, spitted on, scourg…d, accused, railed on, traduced, condemned, belyed, pained, crucified between two Theeves, buried in a sinners grave; there was not one hole, one want, one stumble, one slip in all or any thing, but the work was whole entire and perfectly finished to Gods satisfaction, Esa. 53.11. Luk. 22.37. Ioh. 19.30.

5. That drawing of sinners to Christ was his last work in his death-bed and departure out of this life, cryeth …hat he was desirous to lie in one grave with his Spouse the Lambs wife, and dyed inclosed in an union with Saints; it saith also, O how admirable was his love! and that love was Christs last work in this life, he dyed of no other sicknesse but love, love, love was Christs death-work, Christs Testament, Christs winding sheet, Christs grave, he took his Bride lapped in his love and hart to Paradise with him, his last breath was love. The myrrhe, when it is withered has the same smell (and a sweeter) that it had while it was g…een. Christ that bundle of myrrhe that lyeth all the night between the Churches breasts, when withered p. 534and dead, smelled of love, for hee opened the graves and raised the dead, and took a repenting sinner to Paradise with him, which are acts of great love; its considerable that hee is at one time a dying, a drawing and a loving Saviou…; and ask what was Christs last act on earth, its answered, he dyed in the very act of loving, and drawing sinners to his heart.

Vse, We are engaged to love him, and if so, to keepe his commandments, and to draw him after us; his owne image, ho…inesse in the Saint… takes Christ, and causes him fall in love with us, Cant. 4.9. Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my Spouse, thou hast ravished my heart, with one of thine eyes, with a chaine of thy neck; Its much love that ravishes Christ; y…a it so overcomes him, that hee professes its above him, hee must desire his Spouse to looke away, Cant. 6.5. Turne away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me, Cant. 7.5. The king is held in his galleries; holinesse make… our king, the Lord Iesus a captive, for eternitie he will delight to see the Lambs wife his bride, when shee shall bee decked up with endlesse glory; Bee holy, and the king shall desire your beauty; ingage Christ more to love you, deck your selves with chains, with bracelets, be attired in raiment of needle work, the braver in this apparell you are, yee are the lovelier to Christ, the wedding garment makes you fair to the king; put on the crowne of grace on your head, and bee highly beloved of this Prince.

Ver. 33. Now this he spoke signifying what death he should dye.

The last article in Christs draw…ng of sinners, is the exposition of the Evangelist Iohn, who openeth to us the sense of Christs words, to wit, what was meant by Christs lifting up from the earth; for it is not an ordinary phrase to expresse dying on the crosse; therefore saith Iohn hee meaned by his lifting up from the earth, the kinde and manner of his death, to wit, that he should bee crucified, and dye the shamefull and ignominious death of the crosse; it would seeme that the exposition of Iohn may be referred to the whole verse, 32. What is the sense of this? If Christ be lifted up hee will draw all men up to him, What it is to bee lifted up from the earth.that is, if he be crucified, by that shamefull and painfull death and the merito thereof he will draw all men to him, and translate them from the kingdome of darknesse to the state of saving grace, which is true in it self, but seemeth not to bee the sense of the words.

p. 5351. Because the Evangelists use to expound what may appeare ambiguous to the hearers, as Ioh. 7.8.39. But this he spoke of the Spirit, …oh. 20.23. Then went this saying abroad among the Brethren, that that disciple (Iohn) should not dye: yet Iesus …aid not to him, hee sh…ll not dye: So Matth. 2.16.17, 18. But that Christ draweth sinners by his death, was not so much controverted; for to come to Christ, to beleeve in Christ, to bee drawen to Christ, were Phrases obvious enough, and known to all.

2. It is most pertinent to the text, that lifting up from the earth, which is ambiguous, and may seeme to allude to Elias his beeing carried up to heaven, should bee expounded by Chri…s manner of death, to wi…, by crucifying.

3. Because the holy Ghost expoundeth not the connexion of the conditionall proposition, If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men after me, which he must doe, if the sense goe thus; but onelyonly speaketh of the kinde and nature of Christs death, which was known to the …ewes to bee both shamefull and cursed; but in his exposition hee speaks nothing of the fruit of Christs death, but of the kinde and manner of death.

Now that the Evangelist expoundeth the sence of Christs words, what he meaned, by being lift up from the earth, it holdeth forth to us a necessity that the Lord speak plaine language to us in scripture, and that one scripture expound another.

In finding the meaning of scripture, these considerations may give light.

1. The Scripture in the plainest expressions is dark, that is,The Scripture plain. high and deepe in regard of the matter which is deepe; high, above the reach of reason, and yet the language plaine, obvious easie, that a virgin shall be a mother, the antient of dayes a young sucking infant; that through one man, death digged a hole in the world, and sinne passed on all; through a second Man life and heaven entered again;The matter of the Scripture deep and high but the Scripture is not obscure as Papists say. are high and deepe mysteries, yet is not the Gospel obscure, as Papists say.

2. In meer historicall narrations and prophecies foretelling the wars of the Lamb, the Dragon and the Beast, the Antichrist, their persuing the woman in traveling in birth, to bring forth a man child, the matter subject is not profound, nor deepe, yet the expressions are dark and covered, while the p. 536works of the Lord bee a key to open his word; Here's the wisdome of God, that in deepe and high mysteries necessary for salvation, the Lord is plaine, and lower and easier stories are foretold more darkly; articles of faith are not set downe in dark and enigmaticall prophesies, but plainly, whereas histories of things to come are more mysteriously proposed.

3. The Scripture in no place is in the popish sense dark, that is, that we are not to take any sense for the word of life, and the object of our faith, but that which the Church giveth as the sense, in regard the Scripture is a nose of wax, with equall propension to contradictory senses, except the mistris of our faith, the witch of Babel expound it, and then it is for such formally the word of God, as she expoundeth it.

4. The holy Ghost the Authour of Scripture has concreated with the words, the true native sense, which all the powers on earth cannot alter.

Then when we sweare a covenant with the Lord in plaine easie countrey language, not devised of purpose to bee ambiguous or to hold forth that all sects, Antinomians, Socinians, Arminians, Prelati…all halters, Anabaptists, Seekers, &c. may salve every one his owne way, and his foreign, what hee thinks good; to obtrude any authoritative interpretation on this covenant, which it holds not forth in its owne simple words, to the reader, is the greatest tyranny and equivocating jugling in the world, and we may easily distinguish and dispute our selves out of a good conscience, or rather confesse wee had never any intent to keep it, or acknowledge it was our sin we did swear it, and because unlawfull, it obliges us not.

When wee accuse the scripture of darknesse, wee would but snuf the Sun, and blow at it with a pair of bellowes, to cause it shine more brightly. But the mischief is, that wee either charge our soules beyond their stint,We accuse the Scripture as hard because it lies not level with our lusts. thinking to compasse that world of the de…pe wisdome of God with our shor… fingers, or we stumble at the wisdome of the Scripture, because it is eccentrick to, and compl…es not with our lusts; and here's a deep not seene; God intends to carry Pharoah and blinded reprobates to hell, through the wood of his mysterious works and word, they being blinded and hardned and they intend the same, but in another notion; God aimes at the same end materially with them, but God levels at the glory of his owne unviolable p. 537justice; they levell at the word, the works of God to flatter their lusts, and take up a plea with both from the womb.

What death he should die.

Two things offer themselves to our consideration.Christs dying and his kinde o… death he died.

1. Christs dying,

2. The kinde of his death, What death he should dye.

Christ came into the world with as strong intention to dye as to live, and to be a pained, an afflicted man, as to bee a man. In Christs dying these considerations have place.

1. The love of man can goe no farther then death, greater love then this hath no man, 1 Consideration.that a man should give his life for his friends, Ioh. 15.13. For this Love can goe no farther then the living Lover; now hee cannot goe one …eppe beyond death;Christs love went to death and beyond it. Chri…t went on to the first and second death, so farre as to satisfie justice: love is like lawfull necessity, neither of them can live, when God is dishonoured. Christ's love burnt and consumed him, till he dyed; love followed and persued his lost Spouse through the land of death, through Hell, the grave, the c…ses of an angry God, though Christs love was both ancienter then his man-hood, and survived his death; love was of longer life in Christ, then his life as man, this Sun of love bu…nes hard down from heaven to this day.

2. It was a hard law that Christ subjected himselfe unto;2 Consideration. Christ must love and will to die. that die he must; Heaven, Angels, the World could not save his life; This fa…re …ose had life and greenesse in abundance, and yet it must wither; this fountaine of heaven had Sea's of waters, yet dryed up it must bee; this beauty of highest glory was full and vigorous, yet it must fade; the Lilly of the excellentest Paradise that cast Rayes of glory and Majesty over the foure corners of the Heaven of Heavens, and out-shadowed Angels, Men, and the large circuit of the whole Creation, must finde its death-monethmonth, and must cast its faire and timely bloome: The love of loves must become pale and droup, that fire of love, that warmes Angels and men, must become cold; and there was strong and invincible necessity; thus it must be foreign, Matth. 26.54. Christ must die, Mar. 8.31. the Sonne of man must suffer many things, Luk. 22.27. For I say unto you (saith Christ) that that which is written must have an end in me. Ioh. 3.14. The Son of man must be lifted upon the Crosse. Christ could not passe to heaven p. 538another way; death was that one inevitable passe that he behoved to goe through; there was no passable foord in the river but one;Christ behoved to take the only strait passe between Earth and H…aven. there was but one strait passe and fort between Christ and his Father, his glory and a saved Church, and justice kept this passe. Christ must lay out himselfe, his life, bloud, estate and glory for his Church to gaine this fort, and save his people from their sinnes. The Law laid it on him; 2. Love laid it on him: 3. Our necessities and everlasting perishing burthened him.

3. Might not the dead all wonder? there was never before nor after,3▪ Consideration. A wondring in the creatures to see Christ their Creator in death suffer such hardship. nor never shall be such a Christ amongst the dead as the Lord of life; all these in the dust could say, O life, what dost thou here among the dead! the wormes and clay might say, O Creator canst thou lie neare to us! Would not the fountains be offended, that they could not have leave to furnish a draught of cold water to their Creator, who made the the Seas and the Rivers, and divided Iordan with his Word? would not life it selfe grieve at such a dispensation, that it could stay and lodge no longer in the body of the Lord of life, but behoved to be gone and leave the Prince of life, to fall, that he could not stand on his own feet? was not bodily strength discontented, that sweet Iesus complained, Psal. 22.15. My strength is dryed up like a Pot-shard, ver. 17. I may tell all my bones. Would not joy and beauty take it ill that sweet Iesus was a sad Saviour, and his face foule with weeping, and his faire countenance that was like Lebanon, all marred, and our lovely Redeemer was put to his knees to pray with strong cryes and teares? Esai. 52.14. Heb. 7.5. If there had been sense and reason, in all the Purples, Silks, Fleeces, wooll, fine linnins that ever the earth had, they would think themselves unhappy, that they could not cover the holy body of the Redeemer of men and their Creator, when he complained, Psal. 22.18. They part my garments among them, and cast lo…s on my Vesture.

… Consider.4. It was to much in regard of our deservings, that the Lord of life should discend to a naturall life, to be under the …owly condition of base clay;Reason would say Christs body should be pretious as the Sun. but that this tent of clay, that the Lord was to dwell in, should be of the finest and most pretious earth that can be, would seeme reason; it might be said, it were fitting for the glory of the God-head united in p. 539a personall union with the Man Christ, that the body of the Son of God should be above paine, weaknesse or the Law of death, that it should be more glorious then all the pearelesse and pretious stones of the earth; yea, then the Sunne in the Firmament; yea, but Esai. 53.2. he hath no forme, nor comlinesse, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that wee should desire him. But this was incomparable condiscension of love that the Lord would take his own death upon him, and assume the manhood of sick, weak, pained, sad, sighing and dying clay, Esai. 53.4. Surely he hath born our sicknesses, and carryed our sorrowes.

5. If there be any that ever tasted the sweet of life, it being the most noble and desirable of created beings,5 Consider. if it were from a glorious Angel to a poore gnat or a base worm, they keep possession of life with all their desire;It is much that Christ should part with the sweatest inherita…ce of a living man his life. they will part with all things, men even with teeth and skin, ere they quit their life, Iob 2.4. The more excellent life is, they struggle the more to keep it; a young man will doe more then an old man for it; and the old man who ha… but a chip of life, the dregs of it, or the hundreth part of an hand-breath, the twentieth part of an inch, yet holds it so long as there is so much as the fourth part of a dram of naturall vigorin him; Now Christ had cause to love his life, as any man else. It was about the flower of his age, the thirty three yeare of this life; and it must be a noble life, that dwelt personally with the God-head; yet when he was called to a treaty for rendering his life, hee gave it not up, but upon princely and honourable quarters, even that he should see his seed, have a noble prize, and a ransomed spouse, a faire crown, a rich Kingdome to mysticall Christ, but hee parted with his noble and glorious life deliberatly, intentionally, most willingly, Ioh. 10.18. there was more will, more love in Christ dying, then in the dying of all men from the creation to the last judgement; O how he thirsted and longed to pay that Ransome, he had it by him, to give it out on demand; he did not first die, and bow his head, but he first bowed his head, and beckened with his hand, and called upon death, and then rendred his Spirit.

6. O what a wonder, this rose of life on the Crosse withereth in his full beauty,6 Consider. the Sun of life would shine no more on it. The prime delight of the Sons of men, the second Adam p. 540from Heaven fades, and life can breath no more, and beauty shine no more, and green…sse blossome no more; and when most lowly and low, cloathed with a curse, most lovely, most Lordly and Princely, because in the act of Redeeming.

7 Consideration including other three. Christs death comes und…r a three old notion.7. Christs death must come under a three-fold notion: 1. At a torment inflicted by Gods enemies: 2. As a punishment inflicted of God or sinne, as a Ransome pa… to justice: 3. As the crown and …nd of Christs journey.

In the first notion, Christs death as comming from wicked men, wanted three ingredients, that all the wicked world and Hell could not give it: 1. All the world cannot adde a curse to the death of any man,Three ingredients in Christs death which men could not give: 1. The Cu…se: 2. Infinite merit: 3 Divine acceptation. God only is the Master and Lord of cursing and blessing: God cast this in from heaven of his own, for 2 Cor. 5.21. God made him sinne, Esai. 53.6. Iehovah, the Lord laid on him the iniquities of us all. Who said that, Cursed be every one that abideth not in all that is written in the Law to doe it, Gal. 3.10.13. Deut. 21.23. Deut. 27.26? the only Law-giver who can dispense curses, he made Christs death a curse: One death has not a curse more then another, and Christs death of the crosse had not a Ceremoniall curse only in it, for that was common to the deaths of all that hangeth on a tree, Deut. 21.23. But the curse of the Morall Law which is upon the sinner, Deut. 27.26. Gal. 3.10▪ 13. was laid upon Christ; and this is heavier then ten millions of deaths of the crosse: O how many thousands and what millions of talents weight of gall, & vengeance did the Lord from heaven adde to the cup of Christ? 2. Because Christ was made sin, he behoved to be made the sinner, and from Christs person his death had the sweet perfume of infinite merit & a sweet smel of a savor of rest to God, above all sacrifices and offerings that ever were offered to God, infinitnesse of merit, this Christ gave to his own death. 3. The Lord gave it a third ingredient, that it had acceptation even in point of Law and Iustice, which no man could give; to feele a smell of everlasting love, peace, reconciliation in bloud, is the sure mercies of David; O but it was white bloud to God, crying bloud, or rather singing blood that sings the sweet Gospel-song. Abels blood cryed a song of vengeance; ye are come to the bloud of sprinkling foreign, that sounds better things then the bloud of Abel, Heb. 12.24.

p. 541In the second notion that Christ came under the Law of dying (for it is appointed for all men to die) speaks much love▪ To come to sleep which is deaths brother, to come under paine, weaknesse, bleeding, that are the neare bloud-friends of death, is great love expression. But to die, the lowest, and the saddest and sowrest of bodily infirmities, and then for other mens faults, it sets out the love of God.

In this respect Christ dying was a Ransome for justice;Foure sad cond…tions which were in the ransom… that Ch…ist gave for sinners. there be foure of the sadest things in a ransome that are here.

1. To give person for person is the hardest bargain; by the Law of Nations they are meeker warres where moneys and gold may buy a captive. God in this bargain could send captives away for neither silver, nor gold, nor any corruptible thing, 1 Pet. 1.18. A gift a reward will not bow justice; Rubies, Saphires, let ten earths be turned into gold of Ophir, 1. Gold for persons may be given in ra…ome, but here person for person must be given.they cannot buy the offended Law of God; therefore it must be man for man, person for person or nothing, a man is more pretious then gold.

2. If you must have man for man, then let proportion of common justice be kept; a souldier for a souldier, a servant for a servant, a free-man for a free-man,In ransome a servant is given for a servant, but here a King for a servant. a master for a master; yee cannot demand a King to ransome a servant: Yea, (saith justice) but I will; they are but men and slaves, and servants of sinne; their Father Adam was indeed a King, but by Law, he is fallen from the crown and all his children are traytors and born servants; therefore justice would have no lesse ransome then one of the Kings line, one of the bloud royall; and more, the only heir of the crown of heaven and earth, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords; he is more then an over-ransome and over-summe; this is hard; but infinite wisdome cannot be against justice, but it was the strictest justice that ever was, the Kings Sonne for the Traytors sonne, the Prince for the Slave, the Lord of Lords for the poor c…ay-subject.

3. But the ransome King must have honourable conditions, like himself; if he must be a captive,Here a King is not served as a King but as a servant. let him have some freedome befitting his birth and condition; now because this bargain was to be stretched out to the utmost line and border of strict justice (as also it wanted not deepest mercy shining in glorious rayes through justice) therefore the King standing p. 542a ransome was as farre below his place as a servant is below a King, Phil. 2.6, 7. You have the lowest and the highest steps, who being in the forme of God, thought it not robbery to be equall with God, but made himselfe of no reputation, and took upon him the forme of a servant: a King and God made a servant, Matth. 20.28. for even the Sonne of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransome for many: See here the Sonne of God a ransome in his own person, and the lowest of ransomes, a servant, farre below a King.

4. It is not universall in these persons that are given to ransome others,Here the person given in ransome …ust die. but poor soules, if they be turned in servants, their life should be spared; but Christ was such a ransome as must lay down his life for the captives, Matth. 20.28. No ransome can come lower then a man, and an innocent mans death: If the captive be wounded and sickly, the man that goes a ramsome for him, by no Law, should be sickly and wounded also: 1. It is not ordinary that he that stands as a ransome for captives, should take their naturall infirmities, their body, sighes, sadnesse, sorrow, wants, and be like them in all things, but Christ was like us in all things except sin: 2. And what greater hardship can you put on a ransome captive then death? all these Christ did …ndergoe for us.

The third and last consideration of Christs death, is as it was the end of Christs journey, and all his labours in the flesh, and this I desire to be considered in these repects.

1. As death is Christs last enemy.

2. In the concomitants of it.

1. As in his triumph of victory.

2. His welcome to his Father.

1. As death was Christs last enemy, dying was to him as to man the last day and moment of his week, when he entered into his Sabbath and rest, Death the end of Christs labours and his S…bbath.and dyed never to die againe; the world, and devils chased him into the grave, and when he was there, hee was in his own land, in Paradise, in a Kingdome: Death was the wearied way-faring-mans home, the end of his race, and at this place was the fore-runners gold, his garland, and prize, even the glory set before him, for the which hee indured the Crosse and despised shame, he then sat down; it was Christs landing port after his stormy sailing. 2. He had no more to do: in the merit of redemption, in the way of p. 543satisfying justice; for Christs buriall or lying in the grave was but his mora, his lodging all night with death or a continuation of his death; when he dyed, all was finished, the Law of God for satisfaction could crave no more: as the last enemy of the body is death, 1 Cor. 15.26. so it was the head Christs lasts enemy on earth: 3. Heaven was Christs place of refuge, his sanctuary and his asylum; when Christ was in the other side of death and of time, hee was in his castle, in his strong Fort; enemies can neither besiege him nor take him, he cares not now for the worlds feud, or for death or the grave, Revel. 1.18. There was no more law against Christ after his soul was in Paradise; the believer has a perfect acquittance of all crosses, when he is once in the land of glory.

2. There be two considerable concomitants in Christs death: 1. His victory: 2. His welcome:Christs victory in death. His victory was in his very act of dying, that death and the justice of a divine law had their will of Christ, and could demand no more of him for all engagements, and to answer the bill, but death and such a death it was a sort of over-plus and aboundance of ransome to God, that death was put to the worse, and could in justice never arrest any believer or Saint after Christ. O dea…h, what wouldst thou have more! Or, what canst thou demand in law? 2. Christ and all his, l…gally were crucified, and dyed, and Christ and all his were not destroyed under death, but Christ lived and all his with him, Ioh. 14.19. when two strong enemies doe conflict, and put out their strength one against another to the full, and the one lives in his full strength, the other must be foiled. Christ after death lived and can die no more, and is strong and omnipotent; now death did all it could against Christ in that he dyed; then he must be the Victor, and death the vanquished party; death was Christs Land-port, his shoar after sad Sea-sailing, his last stage in which he posted to glory; and he came into Paradise and his Fathers Kingdome, in a sweat of bloud (and the Crosse accompanied him in over the threshold of the gates of heaven) so he was welcommed, he, and all his feed (who then were legally in him) as one who had acquitted himselfe bravely and honourably in the businesse that most highly concerned the Lord, and the glory of all his blessed attributes, mercy, justice, grace, wisdome, power, soveraignty, &c. There was a p. 544most joyfull acclamation in heaven, a welcome and embracing, and a hand-shaking (as we say:) 1. Between the Father and the Sonne, and this is a sweet medi…ation, Dan. 7.13. I saw in the night visions, C…rist welcomm… …to G…d afte… his death.and behold one like the Sonne of man, came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of dayes, and they brought him neare before him, ver. 14. And there was given him dominion and glory, and a Kingdome, that all People and Nations and Languages should serve him: Now who be these that brought Christ to the Father when he ascended? who but th… holy Angels his ministering Spirits or servants; they attend his ascension to heaven, as the Estates of a King wait on, and convey the Prince and Heire of a Crown, in his Coronation day, Heb. 1.6, 14. the Disciples, Act. 1.10. See two men in white apparell, at his ascension; goe up to heaven; sure there must have been a hoast of them, as there were at his birth, and shall be at his second comming, and its little enough that the Peeres of Heaven, such a glorious Parliament of the High House, beare the taile of his Robe Royall and attend to welcome to heaven their Lord Creator, and their head Christ by whom they stand in Court, they are the servants of the Bridgroome; it was much joy to them, when Christ returned a triumphing Lord to heaven, having done all gloriously and compleatly. The Father after his death made him a great Prince, and gave him a name above all names, and set him at the right hand of the Majesty of God: 2. And if the Lord shall say to sinfull men, Well done, good servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord; Farre more, being infinitely satisfied with the travels and service of his Sonne, he must say, Well done, well suffered, O Son of my love, enter into the joy of thy Fathers soul: For the Fathers soule ever delighted in him, Esa. 42.1. 3. And to see the Father embrace his Sonne in his armes after the battels, and put the Crown on his Head, and set him down at his right hand and exalt him as an eternall Prince for evermore, and accept all his labours, and his faithfull and most successefull acquitting of himselfe, in all his offices, as Redeemer, King, Priest, and Prophet, must be a joyfull sight.

Vse 1. No Believer take it ill to die; death sips at every bloud,Comforts against death because Ch…ist dyed. noble or low, and would but drink the bloud of this celebrious and eminent Prince of the Kings of the earth: 1. For besides, that God has stinted our moneths, and the p. 545ship cannot passe farther then the length of the cable; here is the matter, Christ for imputed sinne, behoved to bleed to death: 2. Only Enoch and Elias were reprieved, by the prerogative of free-grace; we are by birth and sinne, but some ounces or pieces and fragments of death and its appointed for all men to die; there is more reason we should die then the Lord of life; for life was essentiall to the Prince of life, but life is a stranger to us; man is but man, but a handfull of hot dust, a clay-vessell tunned up with the breathing of warme wind that smoaks in and out at his nostrils, for a inch of flietting away time. And sinne addes wings to the wheels of his life, and layes a Law of death on man, and if Christ had not come into this clay▪ city, he had been under no law of death; he dies for us; then we should …arre rather have died, p…opter quod unumquod que tale, &c. Now because your Redeemer laid his skin to death, and was willing to kisse death, believers are to esteeme of death as the crosse that Christ went through, love the winding sheet and the coffin the better, that they were the sleep-bed and night-clothes that your Saviour sleeped in. 3. And Christ had the more cause to be willing to die, that he was little beholden to this life; it looked ever with a frowning face on Christ: 1. The first morning salutation of this life when Christ was new born, it boasted and threatned Christ with the cutting of his throat in the cradle, and banishment out of his own land to Egypt: 2. He had good hap all his life to sufferings, hee had ever the winde on his faire face, and the smoak blowing on his eyes,Christ had good hap to the Crosse all his life. as if his whole day had been a feast of teares and sorrow; yea, life and the sad and glowing crosse parted both together with Christ, as if the world had sworn never to lend the Son of God one smile, or one glimpse of a glad houre. 3. Christ thought himselfe well away and out of the gate (as he fore-telleth, when the people mourned for his death, Luk. 23. ver. 28, 29, 30, 31.) before the destruction that came on the City of Ierusalem, that killed many of the Lord of the wine-yards servants, and at last killed the righteous heir. 4. You may remember Christ message that he sent to Herod, Luk. 13.32. I doe …uers to day and to morrow, and the third day foreign, I shall be perfected, Death perfected Christ.Heb. 2.12. It became him from whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain p. 546of their salv…tion perfect through sufferings, foreign: Death made Christ perfect for the Lo…d put the faire crown of Redemption on Christs head with a very black hand; it was a black boat-man that carried our Prince Iesus over the water to Paradise, but sweet Iesus would have it his perfection, his crown, his glory to be swallowed up in deaths womb for us. Its considerable that death perfecteth the head: 1. As a Priest; he had been an unperfect sacrifice, if he had not dyed; and being offered dead to God, Christs dead corps had an infinitely sweet smell in the nostrils of a just God; never sacrifice, never burnt offering like this which perfected all: 2. He had not been a perfect King and Conqueror, had he not persued the enemy to his own land, and made the enemies land the seat of warre, and triumphed dead upon the crosse. 3. He had not beene a perfect Redeemer, had he not dyed, and paid life for life: no satisfaction without death, no remission of sinnes without blood, Heb. 10. but it was the heart-blood, and blood with the life that was shed to God. Now these same befall the dying Saints: 1. While the Saints are here they are from home, and not at their Fathers fire-side, and this world their Step-Mother looks ever asquint on them, Ioh. 16.33. And the crosse gets a charge from God concerning a Saint, w…it on him, as his keeper while he die, leave him not; the crosse follows the house of Christ and all the children of the house, its kindly to all the second Adams seed, it is an in-come by year that followes the stock:The Crosse kindly to the Saints. every childe may in his suffering say my father the Prince of ages even the head of the house, my brother Iesus, and all our kine were sufferers: the sad crosse runs in a blood to us, Psal. 34.19. Matth. 19.24. This is not our home,1 Tim. 2.12.1 Tim 2:12 I would I were ashoare, and at home, in my Fathers house.

2. The Lord takes the righteous away from the ill to come, Esai. 57. When Christ was taken away, vengeance came to the full on the lewes,The Saints out-runne crosses. when he was in heaven. Christs followers, that die, out-runne many Crosses, as we see a man upon his life chased by his enemies, gets into a strong house and with speed of foot wins his life; sad dayes persue the Saints and they escape to their Castle, before the affliction can reach or overtake; there be some cruces posthume late-borne crosses, calamities and ill dayes that come on the posterity of the p. 547godly, the Lord closeth their eyes that they never see them. The grave is a house the Devill and the World and aff…ictions cannot besiege; sure when a Saint is in heaven, he is beyond Doomesday, death, and teares, he defies the malignants of this world then, and the warres and bloud that his own brethren can raise against him.

3. What shall we say, that as Christ thought himselfe maimed, and he wanted a piece, or an arm or legge of a Saviour and a perfect Redeemer till he dyed, and then when hee dyed he was perfected; indeed our redemption had been lame and unperfect, had not Christ dyed; and his escape through death and the land of darknesse the grave to his Fathers old crown that hee had with him befere the world was, The life we have, is lame so long as we want our life hid up with Christ in God.was a perfecting of Christ: 1. So dying to a Saint is the Sun rising, the morning birth-day of eternity, the opening of the prisoners doore, the Coronation-day, the marriage-night: 2. He is ever a lame man, he wants incomparably his best halfe, so long as he wants Christ in a fruition of glory; all the travelling and way-fairing men in their journey toward heaven are but sick men, for sicknesse is but a lamenesse of life, a want of so many degrees as make up a perf…ct life (because good health is but the flowre and perfection of life) and the only perfect life Col. 3. ver. 3.4. is the life of glory; then all the Saints yet wanting the life of heaven, must be crazie, weak, groaning men, not healthy in a spirituall consideration, while they be in heaven: 3. When a Saint dies, he but takes an essay of the garment and robe of glory (though death make it seem strait and pinching) and enters in the joy of his Lord, Rev. 14.13. There is both Word and Writ, and from a land where there can bee no lies, from heaven, blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, that they may rest from their labours, foreign that the travellers may over-rest, or exceedingly breath, and refresh or comfort themselves after much toyle and sweating in the way; therefore is death, 2 Tim. 4.6. foreign an unfolding of the net, or of the tent, that the man may goe out, or a taking up the burthen and laying it down in another Inne, or a loosing the cabels of ships to saile, or an untying of cords of a tabernacle to goe to a choycer place.

Vse 2. From Christs dying we learn to die to sinne, and live to him that dyed for us, 1 Pet. 2.24. Rom. 6.2, 6. 2 Cor. 5.15. p. 548Mortification to this goodly and God-like Idoll the World, is a speciall lesson of the death of Christ, Gal. 6.14. It is a great distance and many miles about and off the roade-way to heaven to goe through such a thorny, thick, and bushy-wood of honours, riches, pleasures wordly, its a shorter and easier way to stand at a distance from the silken and golden creature, and despise the fairest created excellencies that fill both sides of the Sun. Antinomians would have us rest satisfied with a morall mortification, Reall Mortifica…ion required and the morall mortifca…ion and sa…cti…ication of A…i…mians, as if …t were enough that Christ dyed for us, and we n…kedly to believe that, rejected.in the brim of the imagination, to believe that Christ dying mortified sinne and the body thereof on the Crosse, and there is an end, and that wee are obliged by no command, no precept, no law to a personall mortifying of our lusts, to walk in new obedience, and that all that we doe is arbitrary and free to us, comming on us by the immediate Spirits impulsion; for (a)(a)R…s…, r…ig…, rui…e, e…ror, 14. p. ….Christ works in the Regenerate as in these that are dead, not as in these that are alive, and that after conversion we are altogether dead to spirituall acts, say they; contrary to 1 Cor. 15.10. Phil. 2.13. Rom. 6.11. Gal. 2.20. 1 Pet. 2.5.24. And (b)(b)R…s…, r…ign, error, …. p. 7.that it is the efficacy of Christs death to kill all activity in his members, that he might act all in all; Yea, and that there is not any command in the Gospel, all is but promises, Christ is obliged to doe all in us, and if he suffer us to sin, let him see (c)(c)Ibid. …savory speeche… error, 4. p…g. 19.to his own honour; Yea (d)(d)Ibid. error, 33 p. 6.to act by vertue of, or in obedience to a command, is a Law-way, and we have nothing to doe with the Law: But the Gospel teacheth us a reall and personall mortification, and that we are to be holy as he is holy, perfect as he is perfect; that is, a new-covenant command, Gen. 17.1. That we should walk before him and be perfect, that we should walk after the Lord, Deut. 13.4. walk in all his wayes, Deut. 5.33 take diligent heed to walk in his way, Iosh. 22.5. Psal. 119.93. Prov. 2.7.20. Isa. 2.3. walk in the steps of that faith of our Father Abraham, Rom. 4.12. according to this rule of the Gospel Gal. 6.16. and worthy of the vocation, Eph. 4.1. worthy of the Lord, Col. 1.10. in light, 1 …oh. 1.7. even as he walked, 1 Ioh. 2.6. after his commandements, 2 Ioh. 6. honestly, as in the day, Rom. 13.13. in love. Ephes. 5.2. as children of the light, v. 8. as we have received Christ, Col. 2.6. in wisdome, ver. 4.5. as wise men, Ephes. 5.15. And the Gospel forbids and condemns walking as the Gentiles doe in the vanity of the minde, having the understanding darkned, being alienated p. 549from the life of God; but observe by Antinomians fleshly doctrine, no Gospel command under paine of eternall death, bee it a command of believing in him, that justifieth the sinner, or of holy walking as a fruit and witnesse of our faith and justification obligeth these that are in Christ, as if, in regard of any Scripturall command of law or Gospel, we might live as we list, and follow the inspiration and leading of a lawlesse spirit separated from all word either Law or Gospel, either commanding or conditionally promising or threatning. We are not so to live after flesh in lasciviousnesse, lusts, excesse of wine, revellings, banquetings and abominable Idolatries, 1 Pet. 4.3. not after the flesh, 2 Pet. 2.10. Rom. 8.13. If yee live after ths flesh, yee shall di…: There is a Gospel threatning as a promise of life; yea, the armes, colours, the badge of Gospel grace is to deny ungodlinesse, Tit. 2.11. Not to walk in darknesse, nor hate our brother, 1 Ioh. 2.8.9. for this is the new commandement; and that the Gospel has commandements is cleare, Math. 15.3. Ioh. 15.12. Rom. 16.6. Eph. 6.2. 1 Tim. 1.1. The holy commandement, 2 Pet. 2.21. 1 …oh. 3.23. Rev. 22.14. Prov. 2.1.Comfort from remission of … in Christs deat…. Ioh. 14.21. 1 Thes. 4.2. 1 Ioh. 2.4, 3, 2…. And he that keepeth his Commaadements, dwels in him, and he in him, Ioh. 14.15. If ye love me, keep my Commandements, Math. 5.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.20, 21, 22▪ 24. Math. 7.1.2, 3, &c.

Vse 3. We have rich consolation, from the Article of Christs dying; the sinners debts are paid, his band and the hand-writting of bloud, and eternall vengeance is cancelled, and taken out of the way; the gates of the p…ison broken, and the prisoners brought out, by the bloud of the everlasting Covenant, 1 Pet. 2.24. with his stripes we are healed, Esai. 53.5. The chastisement of our peaces, or treaties of peace, as the word beares were upon him, and with his stripes we are healed; Th… word of stripe in either languages, **foreign a blew swelling of a wound, or a … a confluence of humors and blood associated, Psal. 38▪ 6. foreign Soci…tus, j…nc…us suit, Gre. foreign … wou…d …rom the r…ing of the skinne, and causing a gr…nesse and mark appeare to th…e e…e, that it may bee known there is a wound.Ps 38:6is a mark of a wound where blood and humours are neighboured together, it leads us to this that the only medicine of sick and dead sinners, was that which is sicknesse, paine, swellings from nailes in hands and feet to Iesus Christ. Christ the Physitians paine was our case, his wounds the healing and cover…ng of our wounds with his skinne, and his death the life of sinners; to visit the sick and help him at his bed side with consell and art is favour, but its physick of grace, not of nature, that the Physitian should p. 550be the sick man, the pained, the groaning and dying Patient…, and lye down in his bed, and make his life and blood, and medicine to cure our diseases and wounds; In a Law-challenge the believer is so freed from eternall wrath, that if Satan and conscience say, Thou art a sinner and under the curse of the Law, he can say, its true, I am a sinner, but I was hanged on a tree and dyed, and was made a curse in my head and Law-surety Christ, and his payment and suffering is my payment and suffering.

Sin sweet; suffering for … sad and so…er to Christ.Vse 4. Sinne is a sad debt, the Law is a severe crave…: 1. Its pastime to a foole to sinne: it is no pastime nor sport to Christ to satisfie for sinne. 2. There is as much justice and vengeance in the Gospel, as in the Law; the Gospel-suffering for our sin was as salt and sowre to Christ as the Law vengeance would have been to us. The Lord never minded that any should beare sinne, either by acting or suffering gratis, and at an easie rate. 3. Will yee not read bloudy justice persuing sinne on the blew stripes and scarlet wounds, on innocent Iesus back and sides, his head and hands and fe…t? will ye young men, Eccles. 11.9. laugh and sinne, and must Christ weep and shout and cry for paine, when he suffers for sinne? Sinners yee have merry dayes in your lusts, O but it was a dolefull and a wearisome time to Christ to pay for sinne. The drunkard sings and drinks, when Christ answers his bill he sighes. Salomon, Eccles. 2. in the dayes of his vanity sought to give himselfe to wine, ver. 3. to lay hold on folly; and ver. 10. and what ever his eyes desired he with-held not from them, he kept no joy from his heart. But Christ had a sad night in the garden, O but he had a heavie soul, when with teares and strong cryes, he prayed, when justice squeazeth a sweat of blood out of Christs body, and hee looks like sorrow and sadnesse it selfe dying, and b…eeding, and crying My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me: never mothers sonne after this, make a sport of sin, or sinne with good will and delight.

What death, foreign, what quality or kinde of death, he was to dye.The three speciall qualities of Christs death. 1. Paine. 2. Shame. 3. A Curse.

The quality and kinde of Christs death is most remarkable; for three characters were printed and engraven on the death of the Crosse which Christ dyed.

1. Paine. 2. Reproach and shame. 3. The Curse of God and man▪

p. 551The paine in Christs death comes under a twofold consideration: 1. Naturally: 2. Legally; the nature of the death was painefull, for death of it self is painfull; no man payes that debt with ease and nature smiling and sporting: die who will, it will cost you of your flesh; when Asa dies,The paine of Christs death and …he causes of it. he cryes, ah my feet; when David dies, he complaines, O my cold body; the Shunamites child, ah my pained head; Vzzah, Oh my lep…ous skin; do not pamper nor idolize your body; if wicked men have not one band or coard in their death▪ but steal down to the grave in a moment beside deaths knowledge, yet they pay deare for it, Iob 24.20. The wormes shall feed sweetly on them; life is a great pearl▪ But there bee three things besides, that made the death of Christ painfull.

1. Violence.

2. Slownesse of dying.

3. Many degrees of life taken from him.

Violence, it is to die of any disease or of paine: 1. But when five or six deaths do all start equally at one land-port, and at one race, and strive which of them shall dispatch the poore man soonest, the paine is the more; yee know the complaint of our blessed Saviour, Psal. 22.16. They pierced my hands and my feet, and Ioh. 19.34. one of the souldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out bloud and water: Many deaths at once on Christ.here by Scripture, be five deaths, that invade a living man, death on every hand, and death on every legge, and death on his side; though this last came a little too late; the Souldiers had no law to pierce his side, but to make sure work he should be dead, by a sort of chance to men, which yet sweetly was subservient to the decree of God and the Prophecies; Christ was thus served. 2. Now a violent death it must be when strong and great nailes did pierce the most nervous parts of his body, his hands and his feet; one Iron wedge thrust in at his left pape, to pierce his heart, or to pierce through the temples of the head would quickly have dispatched him. 2. As for the slownesse of his death, foure leasurely and slow violent deaths to cause him to bleed to death were hard: the word saith the bloud is the life of the living creature; then look how long his bloud was comming out, his life was dropping out as long. They say, the death of the Crosse will keep a man aliv with his life in on the Crosse, above three or foure hourese p. 552the man dying and yet cannot die; these languishing deaths procuring a cruell favour such as is deaths slow pace, and yet quick torment, are images of hell, where men seek death, but cannot finde it, because death sleeth from them.

2. The lentnesse of death is much when death is divided into foure quarters;The l…ntnesse and slownesse of death when its on its j…ur…ey, …. death at every hand, and at every foot makes the paine greater; when the weight and trunck of Christs living body lifted up from the earth, hangeth upon four paining and tormenting pillars, the Lords pierced hands and feet; as if death had delighted to hold Christ long at Sea, and denyed him the last sad service. 3. And Christ had been before dying a terrible death in the garden, when he had been see…hed and boyled in a bloud of sweat, and two circumstances evidence that the two Theives death was nothing in slownesse of torment comparable to Christs death: 1. The sad and direfull Prefaces and preparatories to Christs death, as he was in the night before in a soule death in the garden and in a sweat of bloud there trickled out of his body down upon the ground foreign as it were drops great hail-stones of blood frozen or h…ardened together as Stephanu… thinks, through extreame terror; he was scourged against all Law and crowned with thornes: 2. And so was he weakened in body as he was not able to beare his own crosse; it was his own complaint, Psal. 22.17. I may tell all my bones, what ever the story of passion say, how Christ could have been so lean in twen…y and foure houres, its evident he complaines his …rength was dryed up like a pot-sheard, and that death was more painfull to Christ then to these tha… dyed the same death; yea, Christ began to die the night before; he was then under violent death of soule and body above▪ the houres that hee was on the Crosse, when others are long tormented with paine, that paine is rather the fore-runner of death, then death; for death stayes but a moment in doing that sad service in bringing the soule out, but death all this time twenty foure houres was acting upon Christ, both the second death, the Lords anger and curse being on him,Christ did suffer many deaths. and then bodily paine with the curse of the law all this time wrought upon him. Some say gall and vinegar were given to men to be crucified to make them lesse sensible of that extream paine. And consider his death legally, may we not say, as Christ in bearing the paines of the second p. 553death did suffer that which all the Elect should have sustained in their souls for ever so Christ did bear many millions of bodily deaths? it may be a question, if Christs suffering for Peter be Christs suffering for David; for sure Peters sins and Davids sins together, are more then Davids sins alone, and if on Christ the Lord laid the iniquity of us all, …sai 53.6. it must be a greater punishment, then if the Lord had laid the iniquity o… some few, one or two upon Christ; say that the Elect were three millions of rede…med ones, as we cannot de…erm…ne the number, sure thi… must be a sadder death, then if Christ had dyed but for tenne men; it is true, it was an infinite paine in regard of the one infinite person that did beare our iniquiti…s, yea, and so subjectivè it was an infinite love with which in election and free redemption Christ followed all the Elect of God withall,Many l…ves t…rm…natively from Christ on a…l the Elect▪ but o…e l…ve in him subject…vi…y. but terminative as his love is bounded on sundry persons, Paul speaks of it as if there had been not one man loved but himselfe, Gal. 3.20. Christ loved me, and gave himselfe for me. Though the Lord Iesus passed in one bill, the election and redemption of all the family of the first born, yet every soule has a white stone, and a new name, that no other elect man knowes, but he himselfe; as every flower, every rose, every medow and severall garden has its severall rayes, beames, and comfort, and vigor of hear from the Sunne, yet all these rayes and beames are but one in the Sunnes body; so though Christ dyed but on death for all the Elect, yet in the hight of paine it was many de…ths to him.

3. Againe, consider how much of life Christ had, the removing of it by violence must be so much the more painfull; life naturall had in Christ a sweet and peaceable dwelling,The sweeter that Christs life was, the lo…e of it wa… the more. the possession of life was with excellent deligh…s, like a tree growing on the bank of a sweet river of oyl, wine and honey; it was planted beside the glorious Godhead pers…nally, and had sweet company, and that made it pleasant; the more beautifull, pleasant, and green the flower of lesse was, the more violence and paine it was to hew down this delitious tree of life, and to cut him out of the land of the living; it had not been so much to cut down a thistle or a thorn tree, or to take away the life of a common man, whose life is not priviledged with grace and the grace of a personall union with God; yea, the destroying of the life of an Angel, could never have been p. 554such violence. And then its considerable that Christ was not suffered to goe to the grave without bloud, and that his skine, his winding sheet, were bespotted with bloud. Christ paid not this sum quickly, as many die; its true, there was more will and love infinitely in his blood, then violence and paine, every streame of bloud flowing in a channell of love; and its also sure the soule and the Godhead were not separated, but the pretious life of Christ was expelled, and that by a bloudy death, out of a sweet Paradise, and death was a rough, sad and thorny journey to Christ; weapons of Iron on hands and feet came against the Lord to fetch the soule out of the body.

2. Shame.

The second character engraven on Christs death was shame and reproach, in which consider

1. How shame could be on Christ dying.

2. What sh…me was on him.

3. How it stood with his honour as King.

1. Shame, is taken either fundamentally in the cause, or formally; sinne and sinne acted by men against the Law of God is the only foundation of shame,How Christ was not capable of sham…. when the people fell in idolatry, Exod. 32.25. Aaron made the people naked to their shame; so when Tamar disswads her brother from incest, 2 Sam. 13.13. she saith, and I, whether shall I cause my shame to goe? and as for th…e, thou shall be as one of the fooles of Israel. Shame and sinne are of one blood; for sinning is a shamefull reproaching of the crea…ure; and thus, Christ was no more capable of shame, nor of sin; for he had done no violence, neither was there any guile in his mouth. Christ-man came out of the wombe cloathed with a precious white Robe of innocency and abundance of grace,Isa. 53.9.Isa 53:9 hee never contracted one black spot on that faire Robe of the highest image of God, from the wombe to the grave; and so there was no shame, but fundamentally glory in Christ all his life; but there is shame formally in sinne; and that: 1. Which we call thinking of shame or being ashamed actively:How Christ was capable of shame. 2. In bearing of shame passively. In the former consideration; because sinne is a shamefull thing in selfe, Ier. 11.13. Ye set up Altars to that shamefull thing, even Altars to burn incense to Baal; there is an internall blushing and shame rising from sinne, when p. 555the sinner, if the conscience through a habite of sinne be not turned brazen and hard, thinks ill of sinne and esteemes it s…lf base in doing ill; Rom. 6.21. What fruit had yee then of these things whereof yee are now ashamed? Adam and Eve were not ashamed before they sinned: now Christ man had this ingenuity which Heathens called halfe a vertue; shamefastnesse or a power to think ill of sinne. Christ of himselfe (though he could not sinne, as Adam had a power, before the fall to pitty and commiserate the sick and miserable, though there was no formall object for that power afore men sinned) could think it of sinne. Christ (I say) thought ill of sinne, and esteemed the creature base in sinning; Heathens said vertue was of a red blushing colour; and the Scripture condems the shamelesnesse of sinners that are not abased themselves, for sinne and cannot bee ashamed; so the Lord burthens his people with this Ier. 3.3. And thou hadst a whores forehead, thou refusedst to ashamed, Heb. to blush, Esai. 3.9. The shew of their countenance (that cannot blush at sinne) doth witnesse against them, and they declare their sin as Sodome, How shame passively w…e in Christ.they hid it not. Zeph. 3.5. But the unjust knoweth no shame. In this, Christ our Lord, (to come to the second point) being our surety though he could not be ashamed of any sinne he did himself, for that he never sinned, yet being made sinne for us, he did did beare the shame of our sinne. And so Christ was not free of shame passively, as it is a punishment of sinne; for it is penall evill of the creature, Dan. 12.2. Many that sleep in the dust shall awake some to shame and everlasting contempt. Ezech. 32.24. Elam and all her multitude are slaine—they have born their shame, with them that goe down to the pit. That which is penall in shame, the Lord Iesus did beare; he saith of himselfe, Esai. 50.6. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the haire, I hid not my face from shame and spiting, Heb. 12.2. Hee endured the crosse, despising the shame; in these respects he did beare our shame; 1. That hee being the Lord of glory, and thought it no robbery to bee equall with the father, hee abased himselfe to come so low as to be a man, and the lowest of men, a servant, Phil. 2.6, 7, 8. Matth. 20.28. & Esai. 49.7. Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his holy One to him whom man dispiseth, Hebr. to one dispised in soule, foreigna contemned p. 556soule abhorred by the nation, to a servant of Lords: 2. All the tokens of reproach and shame was on his suffering: As 1. In gestures,What tokens of shame were on Christ. the puting a crown of thornes on his head, and a Reed for a Scepter in his hand, to scorne his Kingly power, saluting him with mocking and bowing the knee to him: 2. In words, saying, Haile King of the Iewes; a scorning his Propheticall dignity, in blind-folding him and covering his face and saying, Prophecy who is he that smot thee? and to deride his Prie…hood, they put a Roab on him, and when he is on the Crosse and offering himself as our Priest, in a sacrifice to God, all that passed by wagged their head, and shot out the lip, saying he trusted in God, let God save him: then the spitting on his face, in the Law was great shame, Deut. 25.9. the wife of the brother that would not build his brothers house, did spit on his face; so Iob complaines, chap. 30.10. that the children of fooles and base men abhorred him, and spared not to spit on his face. O but there is now much glory and beauty of glory on that face, its more glorious then the Sunne. 3. His death had a speciall note of shame, the death of a robber and an ill doer; so it is called Christs reproach, Heb. 13.13. Let us goe forth therefore unto him, without the Camp, bearing his reproach, or bearing his crosse, which was a reproachfull thing; for it is a clear allusion to the manner of Christs going out of the City of Ierusalem to Mount Calvary bearing his own Crosse; it was a reproachfull thing to see the Lord of glory beare shame on his back, and to behold Iesus going through the City, out at the Ports of Ierusalem with a shamefull Crosse between his shoulders, and all the children and boyes and base ones of the City wondering at him, and crying hue after him; O woe to Ierusalem when they shut Christ out at their Po…ts, and will lodge him no longer, and wo to them that put that shame on him, as to lay the reproachfull and cursed Crosse on his back, and no man would beare it for him: And the suffering of Christ, Heb. 11.26. is called the reproach and the shame of Christ, Psal. 22.7. But I am a worme foreign no man of note, the reproach, the manifest or published shame or reproach of Adam, of fraile men, the contempt of the people, the publick disgrace or neglect of the people.foreign publicavit, probris aftesi…. Now the third particular is how could it consist with the glory of Christ as King to be shamed. It is, I must p. 557confesse, a strange expression, the Son of God shamed, yet its Scripture expression, Heb. 12.2. Esai. 50.7. But such a shame as they could put on Christ, may well stand with the personall union.

For 1. Shame as arising from the ill conscience o… sinne, they could not put on Christ, Ier. 2.26.How shame c…uld con…st with the dign…ty of Christs person. As the Thiefe is ashamed, when hee is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed, They could not catch Christ in any sinne and so though they shamed him, he was not shamed, nor could he hide his face for confusion.

2. Shame is a breaking of the hope and confidence of these who look for great things, as 2 Chron. 32.21. The Lord sent an Angel which cut off all the mighty men of valour and the Leaders and Captaines in the Camp of the King of Assyria: So he returned, with shame of face, to his own land; and Esa. 30. Ye trust (saith the Lord) in the shadow of Egypt, ver. 3. Therefore shall the strength of Pharoah be your shame, ver. 5. They are all ashamed of a people that could not profit t…em, nor be a help nor profit, but a shame and also a reproach: now thus the confidence that Christ had in God could not be broken. God could not faile Christ; his hope was ever green before the Sunne: he said it, and it was true Esa. 50.7. (Christs faith and boldnesse in his father was as hard as flint) for the Lord God will help mee, therefore shall I not bee confounded, ther…fore have I set my face as flint, and I know that I shall not bee ashamed.

3. But it is cleare, in pulling off his garments and scourging him, so they shamed him, as Ier. 13.26. Therefore will I discover thy skirts on thy face, that thy shame may appear: they brought Iesus bound, as if he had been a common Thiefe, to Pilate, Matth. 26.2. And in regard of this, Esay prophecied 53.3. He was dispised and rejected of men (the text will beare) Christ was no body—and we hid as it were our faces from him; they put so much disgrace and shame on blessed Iesus, he was so basely …andled, that we blushed and were ashamed to look upon him, all his friends thought shame of him. 1. But this was but the lying estimation of unbelieving men, who could not see his glory; but the repenting Thiefe, when they render him most shamefull and abased by faith, saw him a King who had the keyes of Paradise at his girdle, when he prayed, Lord p. 558remember me when thou commest to thy Kingdome; and he was most un-King-like at that time; and he had as much shame on him, as he was able to bear; he was branded as the greatest Thiefe of the three, dying a Thiefes death, going out at the ports of life, bleeding, pained, cursed, shamed, forsaken, despised, mocked; all his glory was now under the ashes, and covered with shame; the Sunne seemed to be ashamed to see the Creator of the Sun in so painfull and so shamefull a condition, and therefore the Sunne runnes away and hides it selfe, and is not able to behold the Lord of glory hanged on a tree; the Rocks and Mountaines, the stones and faire Temple, as if they would burst for sorrow, cannot indure so base a condition as the Creator was in now. And as if death and the graves were grieved and male content to serve the justice of God, for the sinne of man, they will lodge their prisoners the dead no longer; but the graves are opened: 2. Shame is but an opinion, and men can bestow their opinion amisse, and so did the world on Christ; there was glory and fulnesse, yea, infinite glory in Christ, but they saw it not; few see the worth, fewer can weigh the weight of Christs excellency; Mens glory is but foreign, a meere opinion, and often but a lie; and it took nothing of reall glory from Christ, whatever they esteemed him;foreign Devove… d…ris, imp…ccor ▪ foreign, an execration verball or reall. foreign V…rbo vel …e …le dixit. Iob 3.6. Gen. 3.17. foreign m… ledicta terra, its ascribed to Cain, Gen. 4.1…. & Num. 22.6. he shal be cursed th…t thou cur…st foreign to blasp… is from foreign l…ght, of no weight, … Deut. 21.23Job 3:6Gen 3:17Gen 4:1Num 22:6Deut 21:23 say that the sense of a man would judge the Sunne no better then a two penny candle, this takes nothing from the excellency of the Sunne. 3. The Sunne is the Sunne when it hides its beames and rayes of light and heat; Christ was the Lord of glory, when he drew in all his majesty and caused the Rayes of glory and honour retire and hid themselves under all the shame, basenesse and disgrace that men could lay on him; a voluntary condiscension of Christ was all here.

3. A Curse.

The third Character engraven on Christs death, is the curse of God, in which consider

1. What a curse was on Christ dying.

2. How he was a curse, and the causes of it.

To curse in both languages, is to pray evill, to devote to destruction either in word or deed; now the curse that Christ was made: 1. Was the Lords pronouncing him a curse: 2. The setting of him a part, as appointed for wrath and judgement. p. 5593. The dishonor done to him, the nothinging or dispising of Christ, was a part of his curse; now in the first of these three, we know, Deut. 21.23. The Lord pronounceth him accursed that hangeth on a tree. Paul in Gal. 3.10.13. applies it to Christ;What sort of curse was on Christ. it was a Ceremoniall curse, I grant, Deut. 21. but had a speciall relation to Christ, who was under a reall and morall cu…se, for such a curse is upon the sinner for Idolatry, and the highest breaches of the morall Law, Deut. 27. as to s…t light by Father and Mother, to remove the neighbours land-mark, and by fraud or rapine, to take his Lands from him; such a curse was laid on Christ; an higher curse then to be hanged on a tree; to be hanged was a note of a temporall curse, but except the man dyed in sinne, no mark of the eternall displeasure of God, but as typicall and relative to Christ, for whose sake only this cu…se was put on the death of the Crosse, it was in equivalency an eternall vengeance, and that wrath which all the Elect were for ever to suffer in hell; the Apostle saith,A morall not a C…r…m…ni…ll curse only on Christ. Gal. 3.10, 11, 12, 13. Such a curse as is due to these that abide not in all that is written in the Law of God to doe it, was upon Christ; now this was a reall and morall curse; because first, due to the Gentiles who were not obliged to the Law of Ceremonies; and was, secondly, due to thousands that dyed not on the tree.