Milk for Babes, Questions · Question 21 – Question 22
21. Q. How ſhalt thou eſcape this curſe?
A. OnelyOnly by Jeſus Chriſt our Lord.
Thou anſwereſt rightly: Chriſt is our deliverer from the curſe. Act. 4.12.for there is no name under heaven whereby thou canſt be ſaved, but onelyonly the name of Jeſus; that is, no authoritie, power, vertue, or merit. Gal. 3.13.It is he that hath redeemed thee from the curſe of the law, being made a curſe for thee. Col. 2.14, 15.It is he that blotted out the handwriting that was againſt thee, and tooke it out of the way, nayling it to his croſſe, and having ſpoyled principalities, and powers, made a ſhew of them openly, triumphing over them, in himſelfe, on the croſſe: and therefore when Paul groveled under the burthen of his ſinne, he could find no reſt for his ſoule but in the Lord Jeſus Chriſt: Rom. 7.24, 25.and thus muſt it be with thee; therefore it behoves thee to know him.
If thou didſt owe millions of pounds, yea, and ſatisfaction to the law by death; and hadſt but one friend in all the world that would, and could undertake to diſcharge thee from all, thou wouldſt know him, or elſe thou wert unworthy to have benefit by him. So thou muſt know Chriſt in his names, natures, offices, and uſes, by which thou haſt ſaving good by him, or elſe thou art unworthy of him. And becauſe this is ſignified in his names, thou muſt throughly know the ſenſe, and vertue of them for thee.
He is called Jeſus, Matth. 1.21.becauſe he ſaves his people from their ſins. He ſaves thee three wayes; By Ranſome, by Reſcue, and by Mortification. He ſaves thee by Ranſome, by laying down his life for thee. Joh. 10.15.Thou ſhouldſt have died the firſt, and ſecond death for ever, and ever: Chriſt died the firſt death, and overcame the ſecond for thee. He ſaved thee by Reſcue, by delivering thee by ſtrong hand. When God was ſatisfied, thy enemies, the world, the fleſh, and the devill, would not let thee goe. Luk. 1.71, 74, 75.Therefore Chriſt ſaved thee from thy enemies, and from the hands of them that hate thee, that thou being delivered from them, mightſt ſerve him without feare (of them) all the dayes of thy life, in holineſſe, and righteouſneſſe before him. He ſaveth thee by Mortification, by killing of ſinne of thee, leaſt thou be killed in ſinne. When thou art ranſomed, and delivered, yet ſinne ſticks cloſer to thee then thy skinne. Therefore, to perfect thy ſalvation, Chriſt ſtrengthens thee with might, by his ſpirit in the inner man, Ephſ. 3.16; 17. Rom. 8.13.and dwels in thy heart by faith, that thou mayſt mortifie the deeds of the fleſh by the ſpirit.
He is called Chriſt, becauſe he is anointed. Pſal. 2.2. Col. 2.9.This anointing is, his having the fulneſſe of the Godhead dwelling in him bodily. He was not onelyonly made partaker of the divine nature, as we are: but he was full God, and full man perſonally united; Joh. 3.34.and ſo he received not the ſpirit by meaſure: but was anointed with the oyle of gladneſſe above his fellowes. Pſal. 45.7.The reaſons why he was anointed were, that he might be a fit Prophet, Heb. 7.25. Joh. 1.18. Epheſ. 1.17. 1 Cor. 1.30. Eſa. 53.Prieſt, and King, to perfect thy ſalvation. As he was a Prophet, he came out of his Fathers boſome, to reveale his will unto thee, that ſo, he might be thy wiſdome to ſhew thee the way to heaven by him. Heb. 7.As he was a Prieſt, Rom. 8.he offered himſelfe in ſacrifice for thee, and ſtill maketh requeſt for thee at the right hand of God. As he was a King, he had all authority, and power committed to him, to rule over thee, and overrule thy enemies. Thus nothing lies in the way to hinder him from being the Prince of thy ſalvation, by mortification, as a King, and Prophet; by ranſome, as a Prieſt; and by reſcue, as a King.
He is called our Lord, Act. 10.36. Rom. 7.25. Phil. 2.8.9, 10.11.as one that hath power to maintaine that ſalvation which he hath procured thee: becauſe by purchaſe from God for thee, and conqueſt over the world, the fleſh, and the devill, he doth poſſeſſe thee as his owne, 1 Cor. 6.19, 20.and therefore muſt give an account to him. Thus thou ſeeſt him that ſaveth thee from the Curſe.
Vſe. Therfore (my dear child), build thy ſelf upon Jeſus Christ our Lord, upon Chriſt for ſalvation, & for dominion. All his garments ſmell of Myrrhe, Aloes, and Caſſia. Pſal. 45.8.That which covers thee, and comforts thee frō Chriſt, is preſervative, as Myrrhe; compurgative, as Aloes; comfortative, as ſweet ſmelling Caſſia. Chriſt wil not only comfort thee from guilt, but purge and preſerve thee from the body of death. Without Chriſt nothing can purge thee. Mich. 6.6, 7. Luk. 18.11, 12. Eſa. 1.11, 12, 13, 14.Hypocrites will runne to thouſands of Rams, and tenne thouſands of Rivers of Oyle: Moraliſts will run to their civill carriages: Formaliſts will runne to the outward acts of Gods Ordinances: but nothing will doe thee good without Chriſt. If thou ſeeke to Chriſt only, then all things ſucceed to this end. The Holy Ghoſt purgeth, by way of infuſion: Faith, by way of application: Repentance, by way of diſpoſition: Holineſſe, by way of repreſſion, and mortification: Zach. 13.1.but Chriſt is the fountaine whence all proceeds. Would'ſt thou have peace with God? Rom. 5.1.It muſt be through our Lord Jeſus Chriſt. Would'ſt thou have joy? Rom. 5.11.It muſt be through our Lord Jeſus Chriſt. Would'ſt thou have grace raigne? Rom. 5.21.It muſt be by Jeſus Christ our Lord. Would'ſt thou be juſtified? Phil. 3.8.It muſt be by the knowledge of Jeſus Chriſt our Lord. Would'ſt thou walke in Chriſt? Col. 2.6.As thou haſt received the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, ſo walke in him. Would'ſt thou have grace and peace? 1 Theſſ. 1.1.It muſt be from the Lord Jeſus Chriſt. Wouldſt thou have any ſaving grace? 2 Pet. 1.8.It muſt be by fruitfulneſſe in the knowledge of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt. Still whole Chriſt muſt be reſted on, or it will doe thee no good. When a wiſe Phyſician gives a certaine quantity to purge rebelling humours, thou muſt take it all: ſo when God gives the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, thou muſt apply him all. Chriſt cannot be divided. Jeſus cannot be Jeſus except he be a Lord. He was anointed to be a King, as well as a Prieſt, and a Prophet, and without the exerciſe of all his Offices, he ſaves not one ſoule. There is not the vileſt ſinner in the Church, but would have Jeſus. He would runne to his ſalvation, becauſe he is convinced that he cannot be ſaved without him: but they cannot abide the Lord Jeſus who muſt rule and raigne.
Ob. It may be thou maiſt thinke that thou runneſt to the Lord Jeſus Chriſt daily. Sol. If thou doeſt, then as a man cannot plunge himſelfe into a fountaine daily, and not be cleanner, or as a man cannot live among ſweet odours, and not be ſweeter: ſo nor can a man runne unto, and uſe Chriſt, daily, but he ſhall be better.
Ob. It may be thou maiſt thinke, that thou ſhalt not be the worſe though thou lie under the burden of ſome ſinne: becauſe we cannot be quite rid of the body of death. But I would have thee know, that there are three ſorts of ſinners. Sol. 1 Some that neither know the ſinnes they might know, nor deſire to know them. Theſe can not make uſe of Chriſt: becauſe they have no ſight of their fouleneſſe; and therefore they can neither renounce it, nor goe to the fountaine to cleanſe it. Some know them, and, when they are convinced, Deut. 29.19, 20.ſigh to know them, yet live in them wilfully under hope of mercy. Theſe cannot look for ſalvation: for God will not be mercifull to ſuch. Some are ſuch ſinners, as Paul was. Theſe are in the way of ſalvation by Chriſt. Rom. 7.15. 1 Cor. 9.27.If thou aske, what manner of ſinner Paul was? I tell thee, that he was ſuch a ſinner as hated ſinne, and cared not who knew what was in him: and practiſed great works of mortification: Rom. 7.24.and accounted himſelfe a baſe wretch, the leaſt of Saints, the greateſt of ſinners: and one that walked humbly under the ſenſe of finne, and one that made diligent ſearch after Chriſt to ſave him, and when he had found him, thanked God for whole Chriſt, even for the Lord Jeſus Chriſt. Be thou ſuch a finner (through Gods grace) and I ſhall not feare the Curſe of the Law which lies upon thee for ſin. Now tell me:
22. Q. What is Jeſus Christ?
A. He is the eternal Son of God made man.
This is alſo Gods truth: What Jeſus Chriſt is.for when Chriſt was baptized, and when he was transfigured, a voyce came from heaven, ſaying, This is my well beloved Sonne. Matt. 3.17. Matt. 17.5.And that he is the Eternall Sonne of God, appears; becauſe he was in the beginning, Joh. 1.1.that is, when God made Time, he was before God made that Time, to wit, in eternity, and ſo, was God. This crowned Peters faith, in the name of all the Apoſtles, when he ſaid, Thou art Chriſt, Matt. 16.16 Matt. 3. Luk. 3.the Sonne of the living God. And that he was made man, the Genealogies prove. And tha the was the Son of God made man, appears from Johns teſtimony, The Word was made fleſh, and dwelt amongſt us, Joh. 1.14.and we beheld his glory, the glory of the onelyonly begotten of the Father: and from the Teſtimony of the Angel, who ſaith to Mary, Luk. 1.35.an holy thing ſhall be borne of thee, which ſhall be called the Sonne of God, 1 Joh. 3.1.not nuncupatively, by name onelyonly, but ſhall be the Sonne of God. As Gods people are called the ſonnes of God by adoption, and are ſo; ſo Chriſt by nature. As borne of the Virgin, ſo he was made man, as the Sonne of God, ſo was he God. The Son of God muſt be thy Saviour; Luk. 3.38.becauſe he might give thee what thou wanteſt. Thou waſt, in Adam, the ſonne of God: by falling in him, Joh. 8.44.thou becameſt the ſonne of the Devil: thy Saviour comes to make thee the ſonne of God againe, without which thou canſt not be the heire of glory. Now marke, God cannot give thee what he hath not. The Father is not the Sonne, neither is the Holy Ghoſt the Sonne; but the Sonne is the Sonne. Therefore he becomes thy Saviour to give thee ſonſhip. The Sonne of God becomes the ſonne of man, to make the ſonnes of men become the ſonnes of God. He is made man, that he might be a fit ſacrifice. Man is a more noble ſacrifice then a woman: Mal. 1.14.for curſed is he that hath a male in his flock, and offers a corrupt thing.
Vſe. Now, ponder ſeriouſly on this, (my child) with thy ſelfe, that thy Saviour is the eternall Sonne of God. I tell thee that if thou have but any ingenuity in thee, it will make thee both hate, and avoid ſinne. Hadſt thou ſuch a Plague ſoare, botch, or boyle about thee, that nothing could cure but the heart-bloud of the Kings ſonne, and the King ſhould be ſo loving as to kill his onelyonly ſonne for thy health, would'ſt thou not hate ſuch a diſeaſe, and take heed that thou never didſt fall into ſuch a diſeaſe againe? This is thy caſe. Thy ſinne is a ſoare, wound, and plague, that nothing could cure but the heart-bloud of the Sonne of God. God out of his infinite love did ſend him into the world to take thy nature upon him, that he might be reviled for thee, ſpit upon for thee, ſcourged for thee, crowned with thornes for thee, ſweat drops of bloud for thee, be crucified for thee, and ſhed the bloud of his hands, feet, and heart for thee, and all to cover, and cure thy finne. Wilt thou not now hate thy finne, and be carefull to ſuppreſſe it, and never fall into the like againe? I hope thou wilt, or elſe thy latter end will be worſe then thy beginning. Goe on now and tell me: