Milk for Babes, Questions · Question 23
23. Q. What hath Chriſt Jeſus done for thee?
A. He ſuffered the paines of death for me.
Thou haſt ſeene what Chriſt was, What Chriſt hath done for usand is; now ſadly conſider what he hath done for thee. Thou happly, mayſt thinke it little for him to be borne for thee, to live for thee, (though it were infinite love): but becauſe the purity of his nature, and perfection of his obedience, have influence into the value of his ſufferings; therefore thou doeſt mention onelyonly theſe paines of death. Peter mentioneth theſe paines of death: Act. 2.24.and Paul cals them, Rom. 6.9.the Dominion of death; Phil. 2.8.and his humbling of himſelfe, and becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the croſſe. What paines and torments Chriſt endured for thee then, is unexpreſſible: yet they may be valued a little, Heb. 5.7.by his offering up prayers, and ſupplications, with ſtrong crying, and teares to his Father: and by ſweating drops of bloud when he grovelled upon the ground, in ſo cold a ſeaſon as made Peter creep to the fire in the high Prieſts Hall. Surely, there was fire nigh which cauſed this ſweat. What may the cauſe then of theſe paynes and torments be? Surely, the ſight of our ſinnes charged upon him, Heb. 7.22.and the ſenſe of his Fathers wrath. He ſtood a Surety in our roome, and was to anſwer for all our ſinnes to God, and not be diſcharged till he had ſatisfied for them all. Look therefore, as if a man were bound for a million of thouſand pounds for other men; when he was once attached his whole charge would be put in againſt him: and this ſight would be fearefull to him, eſpecially if he conſidered that they were his chiefe enemies for whom he was bound, and a neſt of unthankfull creatures, who did load him with diſgrace, and obloquy. Juſt thus was it with thy bleſſed Saviour. Though he had the teſtimony of his enemies that never man ſpake as he did: Joh. 7.46. Mar. 7.37. Act. 10.38.and that he had done all things well; becauſe the Lord was with him: Yet when he was under arreſts, and executions, Eſa. 43.24.he was made to ſerve with our ſinnes, and was wearied with our iniquities: 2 Cor. 5.21for he was made ſinne for us, who knew no ſinne, when all our ſinnes were charged upon him, and he was to make ſatisfaction to God his Father for them. And whoſe ſinnes were theſe? The ſinnes of thoſe that were his enemies: Rom. 5.10.the ſinnes of his Diſciples, who runne away from him: the ſinnes of Peter, who denied him: and the ſinnes of Jewes, and Gentiles who crucified him. The Jewes, and Gentiles bare a world of enmity againſt him: Eph. 2.16.yet he reconciled both unto God in one body by the Croſſe, having ſlaine the enmity in himſelfe. Thinke ſeriouſly, whether this was not a torment, and paine of death to have all the debts preſented unto him of ſuch ſinners to be ſatisfied for. Beſides, when God his Father ſaw him thus covered with ſin in the State of a ſurety (though the holineſſe of his perſon was never polluted), he withdrawes the bleſſed viſion of the divine nature. Whereſoever it ſhined abroad upon others, yet, though hee was perſonally united unto it, it ſhined not upon himſelfe, but left him to ſweat drops of bloud, and his ſoule to be heavy unto death, and his heart and tongue to cry out, Pſal. 22.1. Mat. 27.46.My God, My God, why haſt thou forſaken me? Is not this an unutterable paine, and torment of death? Was it not enough for him to die, but he muſt endure the ſorrowes of death thus?
Uſe. Oh (my deare child) forget not this point. It will humble thee for ſinne, drive thee from ſinne, and comfort thee againſt ſinne. It will humble thee for ſinne, to think that it ſhould preſent ſuch a curſed viſage to God, that ſuch a fearfull load muſt be laid upon thy Surety for it. It will drive thee from ſinne, to thinke, that, if thou neglect ſo great ſalvation as Chriſt hath offered unto thee, thou ſhalt be, for thy ſins in a worſe caſe then he was. He was able to ſlay hatred, and enmity, but thou canſt not by ſuffering millions of millions of ages: and therefore thou ſhalt have thy ſinnes lye before thee for ever, and the wrath of God will preſſe thee to all eternity. It will comfort thee againſt ſinne, to thinke, that, thy Surety having endured this for thee, it were unjuſt for God to impoſe it upon thee againe. OnelyOnly be ſure that thou keepe the Covenant of the Goſpel, that is, when thou haſt been tranſlated out of the kingdome of darkneſſe, into the Kingdome of his deare Sonne, that thou honour the Father in the Sonne by beleeving in him with a faith working by love, and then thou wilt have cauſe to triumph, as Paul, Rom. 7.25.I thanke God through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord.
Now let me ſee, what thou remembreſt, and underſtandeſt of what I have ſaid. Tell me:
Q. Who muſt deliver thee from the curſe of the Law?
A. Jeſus Chriſt onelyonly.
Q. Why is he called Jeſus?
A. Becauſe he ſaves his people from their ſins.
Q. How many wayes doth he ſave thee?
A. Three: by ranſome, by reſcue, by mortification.
Q. How by ranſome?
A. By laying down his life for me.
Q. How by reſcue?
A. By delivering me by ſtrong hand.
Q. How by mortification?
A. By killing of ſin in me.
Q. What means doth he uſe?
A. The Word of God, Sacraments, and Prayer.
Q. Why is he called Chriſt?
A. Becauſe he is anointed.
Q. What is his anointing?
A. His having the fulneſſe of the Godhead dwelling in him bodily.
Q. Why was Chriſt anointed?
A. That he might be a Prophet, Prieſt, and King.
Q. Why was he a Prophet?
A. To reveale his Fathers will to me.
Q. Why was he a Prieſt?
A. To offer himſelfe in ſacrifice, and make interceſſion for me.
Q. Why was he a King?
A. To rule over me, and over-rule my enemies.
Q. How is Chriſt a Lord?
A. By poſſeſſing me as his own.
Q. Why was Chriſt a Lord?
A. To maintaine his right in me, and to call me to accounts.
Q. What is this Jeſus Chriſt our Lord?
A. The Sonne of God made man?
Q. Why muſt the Sonne of God be thy Saviour?
A. Becauſe he might give me what I wanted.
Q. Why muſt thy Saviour be a man, not a woman?
A. Becauſe man is the more noble ſacrifice.
Q. Did this God and man, ſonne, ſuffer for thee?
A. Yes, he ſuffered the ſorrows of death for me.
Q. What were theſe ſorrows?
A. The ſight of my ſinnes, and the ſenſe of his fathers wrath.
Remember (my child) how farre thou art gone. Thou waſt made to ſerve God: thou ſhouldſt ſerve him as he hath commanded: thou breakeſt all the commandements, and ſo lyeſt under the curſe of the Law. Jeſus Chriſt came into the world to deliver thee from this curſe. This Jeſus Chriſt was the Sonne of God: and though he were the Sonne of God, yet becoming thy ſurety he ſuffered the ſorrows of death, to ſatisfie God, and diſcharge thee. It may ſeeme ſtrange that the Sonne of God (who is immortall) ſhould dye: Tell me therefore,