Christ All and in All, Sermon 24
MAL. 4. 2.
The Sunne of righteouſneſſe ſhall ariſe XXV. SERM. at Mary Wolnoth. Lon. April 10. 1653.with healing in his wings.
THe Prophet Malachy hath in this book many conteſts with the Jewes for ſeveral impieties which raged amongſt them. At the thirteenth verſe of the former Chapter he contends with them for their Atheiſme and blaſpheming of the providence of God. Your words have been stout againſt the Lord, and ye have ſaid, it is in vaine to ſerve the Lord. They that work wickedneſſe are ſet up, and they that tempt God are delivered. Amongſt other anſwers which the Prophet gives to this blaſphemous charge; he tells them there was a day coming, when Gods dealings ſhall be manifeſt, that they themſelves ſhould diſcerne a clear difference betwen them that ſerved God, and them that ſerved him not, ver. 18. This difference which ſhould be made between the godly and the wicked, is amplified in the firſt verſes of this Chapter; for, Behold the day cometh, &c. His dealing with the wicked and diſobedient, is ſet down fully, ver. 1. The day of the Lord cometh, that ſhall burne as an oven. This day, though it be particularly meant of the day of Chriſts firſt coming, as is cleare by the context, ver. 5. which is by our Saviour himſelf interpreted of John Baptist his forerunner, Matth. 11. 14. yet as ſome good inte…preters think, it may have a further reference, namely, to the day of his ſecond coming, when all this ſhall be fully accompliſhed. His dealing with the godly is ſet down, verſe 2. 3. In which are two things.
1. The grea… happineſſe which the godly ſhould enjoy in theſ… own perſons, verſe 2.
2. The conqueſt they ſhall obtaine over the wicked, verſe 3. Ye ſhall tread down the wicked, &c.
In the happineſſe which is promiſed to the perſons of the godly, as it is ſet down, in this Verſe we have theſe three things obſervable.
1. A deſcription of their perſons, unto them that fear my Name This is an ordinary and uſual deſcription whereby the people of Go… are diſtinguiſh…d from all others, Mal. 3. 16. Eccl. 8. 12. Iſa. 50. ….
2. The authour of their happineſſe. The Sunne of righteouſneſſe.
3. The nature of their happineſſe. This is ſet down two ways. 1. Generally, he ſhall ariſe upon you. 2 Particularly, This is let down three ways. T…ere are three great bleſſings which they ſhould enjoy by the riſing of this Sun upon them.
(1.) Spiritual healing.
(2.) Spiritual freedome. Ye ſhall go forth.
(3.) Spiritual increaſe. Ye ſhall grow up as calves of the ſhall.
I ſhall wave the deſcription which is here made of the perſons of godly men. And proceed to the Authour of their happineſſe, which is ſaid to be, The Sunne of righteruſneſſe, for it is to open this expreſſion that I have now choſen this text; in the handling of which I ſhall have occaſion to open the particular benefits which ſhould accrew to the godly, healing, freedome, growth, The Sunne of righteouſneſſe. The Sunne is uſed in Scripture in a double ſenſe.
1. Properly. For that creature which God hath ſet in the heavens, and called by that name, Pſal. 136. 8.
2. Metaphorically, or improperly; and ſo it's uſed for ſeveral things, which carry ſome ſimilitude to the natural Sunne. And thus its uſed ſeveral wayes.
Firſt, for Gods ſpecial favour, Pſal. 84. 11. The Lord God is a Sunne and ſhield.
Secondly, for comfort, Job 30. 28. I went mourning without the Sunne, that is, without comfort.
Thirdly, for proſperity and ſettled peace. Eſay 60. …0. Thy Sun ſhall no more go down, neither ſhall thy Moon withdraw it ſelf.
Fourthly, for eminency and height of condition and ſtate, Rev. 16. 8. The fourth Angel poured out his vial upon the Sunne, which Mr. Mede makes to be the Germane Empire, the Papal Sunne of the heaven.
Fifthly, for Chriſt himſelf. So 'tis uſed in this text, he that is called the Meſſenger of the Covenant, chap. 3. 1. is here called the Sunne of righteouſneſſe. The Obſervation is this.
Doct. That the Lord Jeſus Chriſt is the Sun of righteouſneſſe. Zacharias the father of John Baptiſt gives him a name parallel to this, Luke 1. 78. foreign, The day-ſpring from on high hath viſited us. In the handling of this Doctrine, I ſhall by way of Explication open theſe three things.
1. In what reſpects Chriſt is called the Sunne.
2. Why he is called the Sunne of righteouſneſſe.
3. How he doth excell the natural Sunne.
1. For the firſt. Chriſt may be compared to the natural Sun in three reſpects.
1. In reſpect of his own perſon. The natural Sun hath a ſhadow of two excellencies which are in the perſon of Chriſt. As,
(1) His glory and Majeſty. Of all the viſible works which God hath made, there is not any ſo glorious as the Sunne; it's full of ſplend or, and glory: The Sunne is Anima munds, the very ſoul of the world. The brightneſſe of the Sunne is ſo tranſcendent that the weak eye of man is dazzled with the beholding of it. See how David deſcribes this creature, Pſal. 19. 5. He is as a bridegroom coming out of his Chamber. Never was any bridegroome, no not the greateſt Prince in the world, in ſuch attire on his wedding day, as the Sunne is every morning at his coming out of his Chamber. So glorious is the Sunne, that he draws all the eyes of men to look upon him at his appearing. The Lord Jeſus Chriſt is a glorious perſon. The Sunne is but blackneſſe if it be compared with Jeſus Chriſt. His face is ten thouſand times brighter then the Sunne when it is cloathed in its beſt apparel. He is the bright ſhining of his Fathers glory, and the expreſſe image of his perſon, Heb 1. 3. When he was transfigured upon the mountaine in the ſight of his Diſciples, the text ſaith, His face did ſhine as the S…nne, and his rayment as white as the light, Matth. 17. 2. Could we but ſee the face of Chriſt as it is now ſhining at the right hand of God, we ſhould ſay the Sun were but like ſackcloth in compariſon of it; how much more bright is he in his Godhead? this is ſo glorious, that no man can ſee it and live. The face of Jeſus Chriſt is that which makes and conſtitutes the very glory of heaven. And then.
2. His omniſcience. The Sunne in the firmament travels up and down, and beholds every part of the world. David ſaith, there is nothing hid from the heat of it, Pſalm. 19. 6. Jeſus Chriſt as he is the Sonne of God is perfectly omniſcient. The Apoſtle ſpeaks of his omniſcience, Heb. 4. 13. There is no creature that is not manifeſt in his ſight, &c. Yea, he ſees every thing not by moving up and down as the Sunne doth, but by one fixed and conſtant view. There can be no fence made to keep out the ſight of his eye, he doth ſimul & ſemel, together and at once behold all creatures with all their motions, thoughts, and imaginations. This is the firſt.
II. In reſpect of his effects and workings upon his people. There is a great reſemblance between the Suns effects upon the creatures, and Chriſts effects upon his people. I ſhall inſtance in eight particulars.
1. The Sunne hath an enlightning vertue. The Sunne is the great luminary which God hath appointed and made to carry the light abroad to the inhabitants of the earth. The preſence of the Sunne makes day. The Sunne is the great torch of heaven, by which men and other creatures ſee what to do, and where to go, Gen. 1. 14, 16. By his light we ſee it and all other things: Jeſus Chriſt hath an enlightning power, and doth actually enlighten the hearts of men. The ſoul is by nature in darkneſſe, and never ſees till Chriſt beame down his light upon it. All men by nature in regard of ſpiritual light, are as that blinde man was, John. 9. 1. without any ſpiritual ſight. They ſee neither ſinnes, blackneſſe, nor their own miſery by reaſon of ſinne. They ſee not Chriſts beauty, not graces excellency till their eyes are opened. They have thick skales upon their eyes, as Paul had before his converſion, Act. 9. 18. Therefore they are called darkneſſe, and their ſtate a ſtate of darkneſſe, Eph. 5. 8. Now Chriſt gives them light. When he riſeth upon them ſavingly, then, and not till then do they ſee their condition, and the way out of it, Eph. 5. 14 As the Sun is ſpeculum munds, the worlds looking glaſſe; ſo is Chriſt ſpeculum Animae, the ſouls looking glaſſe. All ſpiritual light which is given to the ſoul, is in and thorough Jeſus Chriſt. So the Apoſtle tells us, 2 Cor. 4. 6. The Goſpel is the vehiculum lucis, the great chariot that carries this light abroad, but the fountaine of it is this bright Sunne of righteouſneſſe Jeſus Chriſt. Spiritual illumination is Chriſts work. This is that which the Evangeliſt ſaith, John 1. 9. John Baptiſt carried the …orch, but Chriſt himſelf was the light. Till this Sun be up, the ſoul lies in groſſe darkneſſe, but when it appeares then light comes Preſently, Eſay 60. 1. When the glory of the Lord is riſen upon the ſoule, then is darkneſſe expell'd, and the ſoul ſhines forth. The heart that is as dark as any dungeon; when the beames of this Sunne are darted down into it, is as light as a Paradiſe. Chriſt turnes Egypt into Goſhen. And then,
2. The Sunne hath a warming vertue. Though it be not formally hot, yet it is hot in its effect. Pſal 19. 6. The beames of the Sunne warme the earth and the ayre, the bodies of the rational and irrational creatures. Experience teacheth that the Sunne hath a heating power; the light and motion of it cauſes heat. The Lord Jeſus Chriſt hath a warning vertue in him. The heart that is as cold as yee is heated and warmed by the influences of his Spirit into a good temper. The luke-warme heart, when Chriſt ſhines upon it is ſet into a burning heat. The beames which are caſt from Chriſt in his Ordinances, put the cold ſoul into a ſpiritual ſweat. We have an inſtance of this in the two Diſciples, Luke 24. 32. They were in a freezing temper till Chriſt overtook them, but when they had continued a while in that ſpiritual ſun-ſhine, their hearts were put into a violent flame. Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us by the way? The forerunner of Chriſt tells the Jews, that he that came after him, did baptize men with the holy Ghoſt and with fire, Matth. 3. 11. Chriſt can kindle the ſparks of grace which ſeeme to be as dead, and put them into a burning flame. Many a Saint hath come to the Ordinances with his heart like the cold earth, and before he hath departed, Chriſt hath ſent him away like a burning lamp; the cold water hath been put into a vehement boyling that the heart hath runne over again, eruct…vit cor meum, Pſal. 45. 1.Peter grew cold at the high Prieſts fire when the beames of Chriſt were withdrawn, but when Chriſt ſhone upon him his cold heart was heated, when Eliſha had lien a while upon the Shunamites dead childe, his fleſh waxed warme, 2 King. 4. 24. Though a ſoule be as cold as death, if Jeſus Chriſt do but once ſtretch himſelf upon it, it waxes warme. And then,
3. The Sunne hath a comforting vertue. The Sunne is in Scripture put for comfort, Job. 30. 28. To walk without the Sunne is to walk without comfort; and Solomon tells us, that it's a pleaſant thing for the eyes to behold the Sun, Eccleſ. 11. 7. Weak and ſickly perſons, when they are brought into the Sunſhine, finde their ſpirits cheered by it. The Lord Jeſus Chriſt hath a heart-comforting vertue. He is the firſt inlet of comfort into the ſoul. He is the preſerver of joy in the ſoule; and he it is that reſtores joy unto the ſoul after dejections and droopings of heart. Noah was herein a figure of Christ; ſee what his father Prophecies of him, Gen. 5. …9. Jeſus Chriſt is the true Noah, the great comforter of his people in all the griefs and ſorrows of this world. Chriſt is the foundation of all true comfort to thy ſoule. Tolle Christum, tolle ſol…um, that reconci…iation which he hath made between God and man, is the very baſis of all conſolation. Whatſoever in God, in the Scriptures yeilds any comfort to the ſoul, is ſo on…y in and through Chriſt. that comfort which is not built upon Chriſt, is baſtard comfort, which will end in terrour. The Spirit of God is called the comforter, John 15. 20. his office is immediately to cheer the ſoul. How doth he comfort but even by making application to the ſoul of a ſinner of that which is merited for him? All the arguments whereby the ſpirit comforts the heart are drawn from Chriſt, he ſeales up to the ſoul that Chriſt is his, and ſo fills it with comfort. And then,
4. The Sune hath a healing vertue, this is in the text. There would be no health amongſt men or any other living creatures, if there were no Sunne. The world would be a Hoſpital if the Sunne were not.
Firſt, the Sunne dries up cold moiſtures, exhales vapours which would infect the bodies of men and other creatures.
Secondly the Sunne helps on the growth and vegetation of all healing plants, and in both theſe reſpects hath healing in his wings. The Lord Jeſus Chriſt hath a healing vertue; he heals both as medicine and Phyſician. His blood is the Phyſick that heals, and he himſelf is the Phyſician that applies it to the ſoul. The Scripture ſpeaks of Chriſt as a healer, Eſay 61. 1. He heals the ſoul of the guilt of ſinne by the grace of juſtification, and he heales it of the filthineſſe of ſin by the grace of ſanctification. The Prophet Eſay ſpeaks of this, chap. 53. 5. By his ſtripes we are healed. If Chriſt do but lay his hands upon the diſeaſed ſoul, it is cured whatſoever infirmitie be upon it. The very border of his garment, if it be but touched with a hand of faith, cures all the bloody iſſues of the ſoul. You have a rare cure done by the touch of Chriſts garment, Mat. 9. 20. There are thouſands of ſoules in heaven that have found perfect cure of ſtrange diſeaſes under the wings of Chriſt. And then,
5. The Sun hath a melting and ſoftning vertue. Though it patch and harden the clay, yet it ſoftens the wax; the hot beames of the Sunne melt the yee, and mollifie the ground when it's frozen into hardneſſe. The Sunne when it was up melted the Manna, Exod. 16. 21. The Lord Jeſus Chriſt hath a melting and ſoftning vertue; if he do but ſend down one hot gleam upon the ſoul, it's diſſolved and melted like wax. We have an example of Chriſts ſoftning vertue in Peter, Luke 22 61, 62. his heart was grown as hard as yee by his threefold denial of Chriſt, and yet one beame from the eye of Chriſt thawed this yee into teares. The Lord turned and looked upon Peter, and he went out and wept bitterly. Chriſts eyes are like a flame of fire, Rev. 1. 14. Theſe heavenly beames of Chriſt are able to turne the flint-ſtone into ſprings of water. Thoſe three thouſand mentioned, Acts 2 37. were as hard as marbles, for they had their hands in the blood of Chriſt, v. 36. yet when Chriſt did ſhine upon them in the minſtery of Peter, they are ſo ſoft that any frame may be put upon them, Men and brethren what ſhall we do? The Jaylor, a rough hardned ſinner that drew blood from the backs of the Apoſtles; yet when Jeſus Chriſt did but ſpread his hot wings upon him even at midnight, how is he ſoftned? Acts 16. 29. 30. he that was lately like a ſtone, is now like wax, any impreſſion may be put upon him. There is not the moſt ſtiff necked ſinner in this or any other Congregation, but if Chriſt put out his power, he can diſtil him into tears of repentance. And then,
6. The Sunne hath a vegetative vertue, It doth bring on the growth of plants and flowers, and all vegetables. The Sunne darws the ſap from the root into the branches, and makes it th…uſt out into buds, bloſſomes, and fruit, and when the fruit is knit, it ripens it and brings it on to perfection. This is mentioned, Deut. 33. 14. To this Bildad alludes. Job 8. 16: He is green before the Sunne, and his branch ſhooteth forth in his garden. Though the ſoyle be never ſo good, and the husbandry never ſo exact, yet without the Sunne nothing comes to perfection; the fruitfulneſſe of the earth is to be aſcribed to the Sun more then to the Earth or Tillage. Jeſus Chriſt hath a vegetating vertue, he brings on the ſpiritual growth of every grace in the ſoul; did not this Sunne ſend down his beams the ſpiritual plantation would come to nothing. The Scripture attributes all Chriſtian growth to Chriſt; he is the root which feeds grace; All ſupplie comes from him. God hath ſtor'd all our nouriſhment in Chriſt, from him to be communicated as we ſtand in need. The Apoſtle ſets this out in two texts, Col. 2. 19. Epheſ. 4. 16. And the Prophet in the text makes it one effect of Chriſts riſing upon the Saints. They ſhall grow up as the calves of the ſtall. You may thank Jeſus Chriſt for the thriving of your graces, as well as for the planting of your graces, John 15. 5. And then,
7. The Sunne hath a purifying vertue. When your garments are mouldy, you hang them out in the Sunne; when your roomes are muſty, you ſet open the windows to let in the Sunne that they may be ſweeten'd. Jeſus Chriſt hath a purifying vertue, he makes the heart ſweet, and he keeps it ſweet. See how this Prophet deſcribes him, Chap. 3. 2, 3. he is like a refiners fire, and like fullers ſope, &c. When the heart hath gathered any defilement, when it growes mouldy and muſty, there's no way to get the ill favour out; but to bring it under the ſhine of Jeſus Chriſt. And then,
8. The Sunne hath an elevating vertue. By the heat and power of the Sunne are many things exhaled and lifted up from the earth, which otherwiſe would lie there; many meteors and impreſſions there are in the aire, which are exhaled from the earth by the power of the Sunne: Jeſus Chriſt hath an elevating vertue, he it is that doth exhale and lift up the earthly hearts of men to heavenly things and heavenly meditations. The heart of man naturally is ſo deep buried in the earth, that if Chriſt did not by his heat which he ſends down in his ordinances lift it up; it would never have one thought of heaven: he hath an attractive power to draw up the hearts of men to himſelfe, John 12. 32. It is from Jeſus Chriſt that ever you had one ſerious thought of heaven or heavenly things. The Apoſtle applies our ſpiritual raiſedneſſe to Chriſt, Col. 3. 1, 2. It is from Chriſt as the merit of it, and it is from him as the worker of it in us; the power of our ſpiritual reſurrection at firſt is from Chriſt, and the power of Chriſt is that that helps us to raiſe our ſelves higher from day to day; did not Chriſt ſend down his exhaling power, we ſhould lie like ſtones and never aſcend, he deſcends and then we aſcend.
III. Chriſt is called the Sunne, to ſhew the cleerneſſe of the Goſpel worſhip, in reſpect of the legal diſpenſation God uſed towards the Fathers. This is Calvins Note upon the text; God did never ſhine ſo clearly to the ſonnes of men in the perſon of Chriſt. The Ceremonial Law with all the appendixes thereof, was but dark: Goſpel worſhip is clear. The Apoſtle compares the Law to a ſhadow, Heb. 10. 1. that was but Moon light or ſtar light, Goſpel worſhip is Sun-light, 2 Cor. 3. 10. The Patriarchs ſaw Chriſt, and hoped in him, and were ſaved by him as well as we, but it was more darkly: In the Goſpel the heavens were opened wider then ever. God did never manifeſt himſelf ſo fully and clearly to the world as he hath done by Jeſus Chriſt. The Apoſtle ſpeaks of this Heb. 1. 1. foreign, Hence is that of the Prophet to the Goſpel-Church, Iſa. 60. 1, 2. 19. 20. All former light was but like the dawning light of the morning in reſpect of this mid-day light of the Goſpel. The Goſpel Revelation is full, and perfect. John 1. 18. God was declared before, but never ſo fully as by Chriſt. The fathers looked for additions, but Chriſt brought to light the whole will of God: No further Revelation is to be expected till we come to heaven, 2 Pet. 1. 19.