Christ Crucified, Sermon 27
SERMON XXVII.
ISAIAH LIII.VII.
Verſ. 7. He was oppreſſed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; He is brought as a Lamb to the ſlaughter, and as a Sheep before her ſhearers is dumb, ſo he opened not his mouth.
THough the news of a ſuffering Mediator ſeem to be a ſad ſubject, yet it hath been, is, and will be, the great Subject of the Goſpel, and of the gladeſt tidings that ever ſinners heard; This being the great thing that they ought in a ſpecial manner to know, even Jeſus Christ and him crucified; The Prophet here takes a ſpecial delight to inſiſt on it, and in one verſe after another hath ſome new thing of his ſuffering.
Having in the former verſe ſpoken to the occaſion, ground and riſe of his ſufferings, to wit, the Elects ſtraying like ſheep, their wandering and turning every one to their own way, and the Lord's laying on him the iniquity of them all; The Elect that were given to Chriſt, being naturally at enmity with God, and having run on in the courſe of their ſinful nature to the provoking God; And there being no way for them to eſcape the wrath which by their ſin they had deſerved, till the Lord found out this mids, to wit, the ſecond Perſon interpoſing as their Mediator and Surety, and ingageing to pay their debt; On which followed the imputing of all their iniquities to him, according to the tranſaction made about them; Which tranſaction being laid down as we have heard, the Prophet proceeds to ſhew Chriſt's executing and performing of the tranſaction; And becauſe it might be thought that it was ſo great matter as could not but have much ſad and ſore ſuffering following upon it, to take on all our iniquities; He anſwers, that notwithſtanding of all that, yet he took them on, and that very willingly and chearfully; Or becauſe it might be thought that the former words look as if God had laid the puniſhment of our iniquity on him, and that he had not taken it on himſelf, the Prophet tells us that it is nothing ſo, but that there was a mutual Covenant betwixt God and the Mediator, and that the Mediator was as well content to bear the iniquity of the Elect as the Father was content to lay it on him; And that though he was exacted upon, oppreſſed, afflicted, and ſuffered ſad ſtroaks, yet he rewed not the bargain, but went on reſolutely in paying the ranſom of the Elect as ſingly as ever a ſheep went to the ſlaughter, or as it is dumb before the ſhearer, ſo he opened not his mouth to ſpeak againſt it.
There are three things aſſerted here that ſerve to make up the ſcope, ſuppoſing the tranſaction to have gone before, 1. The Fathers exacting the Elects debt of the Mediator. 2. The Mediators yielding and ſatisfying. 3. The manner how he did it, willingly, readily and chearfully. We ſhall firſt open the words a little, and then ſpeak to ſome Doctrines from them, reſerving the Uſes to the cloſe of all.
1. Where it is ſaid, He was oppreſſed, the word ſignifies; to exact; And we find it three wayes applyed in Scripture, 1. To the exacting of Tribute, as 2 King. 23.33. Where it is ſaid, That Pharaoh Necho who put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of ſilver, and a talent of gold, it's the ſame word that is here. 2. Sometimes it's applyed to the exacting of debts; As when a man is put to the Horn, and Caption and Impriſonment follows upon it; So Deut. 15.2. When the Lord tells his people, that the creditor ſhall not exact of his neighbour, or of his brother, in the year of releaſe. 3. It's applyed to the exacting of labour, as Iſai. 58 3. ye exact all your labour; And Exod. 1.11. The word Task masters comes from the ſame root; This being the ordinary ſignification of the word, it's turned here oppreſſing figuratively becauſe ſuch Exacters and Task maſters in their rigorous uſage of theſe whom they exact upon, are often oppreſſive; And there being no Noun prefixed to the words in the Original, they may ſtand as well thus, It was exacted of him; That which he was ingaged to pay, he was fully exacted upon for it, to the leaſt farthing; Or take the words as they ſtand here, he was oppreſſed, that is (as we uſe to ſpeak) ſtreſſed or diſtreſſed for our debt; He was not only ingaged, but according to his ingagement was put hard to it, to ſatiſfie. 2. It is ſaid, He was afflicted, which is ſometimes rendered to anſwer; And theſe two agree very well together, he was exacted upon and he anſwered the debt; As when a Bill of Exchange for ſuch a Sum is drawn upon a man, and he anſwers it; And this Expoſition runs well and ſmoothly with the words following, Yet he opened not his mouth; He uſed no defence to elude or ſhift the debt: He ſaid not that it was not his, but he anſwered it indeed, and in a word ſaid nothing to the contrary; Or taking the words as here they ſtand tranſlated, He was afflicted, they ſignifie the effect that follows on his being exacted upon; Though it brake him not, yet it brought him very low, even to an afflicted condition. The 3. thing is, that though he was brought thus low, and though it was not for his own but for other folks debt (which uſually troubles men moſt) Yet he opened not his mouth; to ſhew his wonderful condeſcendency, and the great love from which it flows; He payed the Elects debt with as good will, and as pleaſantly as if it had been his own proper and perſonal debt; Though he was the Son of God, and God equal with the Father, and might have brought Legions of Angels to deſtroy his enemies, yet as the lambs brought to the ſlaughter, and as the ſheep before the ſhearer is dumb, ſo he opened not his mouth; And it may be that there is not only here relation or reſpect had to the ſheep as it is an innocent, harmleſs, ſimple tractable creature, and not untoward and refractory as a Bull or ox uſeth to be; But alſo reſpect had to it as it was made uſe of in the S…crifices; And ſo the meaning is, he yielded his life willingly when none could take it from him, for performing the Indentor, to ſay ſo, and for ſatisfying the tranſaction paſt betwixt Jehovah and him.
So, having ſhown how it comes to paſs that Chriſt ſuffered and ſuffered ſo much, and was brought ſo low under ſuffering; And having told that he was ingaged to pay the Elects debt, and that the Father had laid their iniquities on him; Leſt any might think that the Father would have ſpared his own Son, no, ſaith the Prophet, He was oppreſſed, and not only ſo, but afflicted and humbled; And leſt it ſhould have been thought that the Lord Jehavah had better will to the bargain than the Mediator had; It is added, that he did ſatisfie the debt as willingly as the Father laid it on him, as theſe ſimilitudes made uſe of, plainly hold forth.
Take theſe Obſervations from the words, 1. That our Lord Jeſus having entered himſelf Surety for ſinners, he was really put at, and Juſtice exacted the debt of him which he had undertaken and engaged to pay: Read the whole ſtory of the Goſpel, and it will make out this; It's ſaid by himſelf, Luke 24. It behoved the Son of Man to ſuffer theſe things, and then to enter into his glory; He muſt needs go to Jeruſalem and ſuffer; And when the Cup is in his hand, and his Holy Humane Nature, having a ſinleſs ſcaring at it, makes him pray, Father, if it be poſſible, let this cup paſs from me; Yet ſeing here was a neceſſity that either he ſhould drink it, or that the Elect ſhould periſh; In the very next words, he ſweetly ſubjoyns, Not my will but thy will be done; And ſo hotly and hardly was he purſued by Juſtice, that he muſt needs come to the curſed death of the Croſs, and actually die; And as if death had gotten a piece of dominion over the Lord of Life, he is laid in the grave; So Zech. 13. the Lord ſaith, Awake, O ſword, againſt my ſhepherd, and againſt the man that is my fellow, ſmite the ſhepherd; Where we ſee, that when the good Shepherd and great Biſhop of Souls, hath undertaken for the Elects debt, Juſtice gives a Commiſſion as it were to its own holy revenge, to purſue the man that is God's fellow for that debt: That which we deſign to confirm in the Doctrine, is not only, that our Lord Jeſus ſuffered, but that his ſuffering was by Juſtice it's exacting of him the debt of the Elects ſin, according to the engagement that he came under to the Father; For the ſcope is to ſhew, not only that he ſuffered ſo great things as oppreſſed and brought him very low; But alſo that he was put at by Juſtice in theſe ſad ſufferings, to pay the debt that he had taken on: For confirming and clearing of this a little, ye may conſider 1. The Titles which he gets in Scripture, he is called the Cautioner or Surety of the better Teſtament or Covenant, Heb. 7.22. And by that Title he is ſhewed to be inſtated in our room, and anſwerable for our debt; And he is called the Lamb that takes away the debt of our ſin by the ſacrifice of himſelf; He ſteped in into our place, and kept off the ſtroak of the Sword of Juſtice that would have lighted on us, had he not interpoſed. 2. Conſider the Titles which his ſufferings and death gets, Heb. 9.12. He is ſaid to purchaſe (to wit by it) eternal Redemption for us; And Rom. 3.24. we are ſaid to be juſtified through the Redemption that is in Jeſus; We were ſlaves to the Devil, ſubject to the curſe, diſcerned and adjudged to ſuffer for the wrongs that we had done to Juſtice; And his ſuffering is called Redemption, becauſe as the man that redeems the Captive, gives a ranſom for him, ſo he interpoſed and payed a ranſom for us; It's alſo called a propitiation, 1 John 2.2. He is the propitiation for our ſins, to wit, pleaſing to God, and accepted of him in the room of all the Elect; And this word propitiation as it ſuppoſeth God's being diſpleaſed with the Elect before Chriſt's ſatisfaction, ſo it plainly holds forth his being well pleaſed with them on the account of his ſatisfaction. 3. Conſider theſe Scriptures that ſpeak not only of Chriſt's ſufferings, but of their end and ſcope, even the drawing of him down (to ſpeak ſo) into the Elects room, as v. 5. of this Chapter, He was wounded for our tranſgreſſions, &c. He got the ſtroaks, and we got the cure, 2 Cor. 5.21. He was made ſin for us who knew no ſin, that we might be made the righteouſneſs of God through him; We are ſinners, and Chriſt is to purchaſe righteouſneſs to us; And the way how he doth it, is by ſteping in into our room, and becoming our Cautioner, and he ingaging as Surety, the Law wins at him on that ground; ſo Gal. 3.13. He hath redeemed us from the curſe of the law by being made a curſe for us; we were under the Curſe and lyable to be purſued by it, and our Lord Jeſus becomes a Curſe to deliver us from it: Conſidering then the end of Gods Covenant, which is to glorify his Juſtice a…d Grace, that Sinners may know it is an evil thing to ſin and depart from God, and that Grace is a very coſtly thing, whereunto he hath made acceſs through the Vail, which is his Fleſh; and conſidering Chriſts undertaking, without which they could not be ſet free, it could not be otherways. This is a truth that hath in it much of the marrow of the Goſpel, and tends much to humble us, and is alſo very much for our comfort: What was Juſtice ſeeking of Chriſt when he ſuffered and was in an agony? if thou beeſt a Believer or an elect Sinner, it was even exacting thy Debt of him; and would it not affect an ingenuous Debtor to ſee his Cautioner dragged haled, and hurried to Priſon for his Debt? Even ſo, if we could look on Chriſts Sufferings as ſo many Summons and Purſevants arreſting him for our Debt, it could not but affect us with much ſorrow for our ſins that brought him to this, and with much love to him who was content to be ſo dealt with for them; and no doubt this is one of the reaſons why he will have his death remembered till he come again, even that we may ſee our obligation to him, and be ſuitably affected with it.
2ly Obſerve, That the Debt of the Elects ſins was ſeverely and with holy rigidity exacted of Chriſt to the very full worth or value; this proceeding was as to Chriſt by way of Juſtice, whether we look to the purchaſe that he made, to wit, the Elects Souls, he laid down as good in their room, or whether we look to a Tranſaction or Bargain going before, whatever was in the ſtipulation he payed and ſatisfied to the full, nothing was remitted nor given him down; or whether we look to the Curſe due to the Elect, that was inflicted on him, and he himſelf was made a Curſe for us, looking on the Curſe ſimply as penal and what was bitter in it, which ſhews his condeſcendency in his Sufferings ſo much the more.
3ly Obſerve, That our Lord Jeſus was brought exceeding low while the Debt of the Elect was exacted of him; He was put to exceeding ſore affliction, much ſtraitned and ſtreſſed by the Juſtice of God exacting of him the Debt due by elect Sinners. We ſpoke to ſome words before, which bare out this, as he was wounded, bruiſed, chaſtified, &c. and now we ſee the effect here when Juſtice puts him to it; After he hath taken on the Debt, he is tried, ſtripped as it were to the ſkin, puniſhed and diſtreſſed ere he get it payed; If we conſider our Lord Jeſus as God, he is neither leſs nor more puniſhed, being ſo conſidered, utterly incapable of any ſuch thing; But if we look on him as Mediator, God-man, God much withdrawing from him the influence of his comforting preſence while he hath the cup of wrath in his hand, ſo, he is brought exceeding low and ſadly afflicted; And theſe four conſiderations (under which we may ſee him paying our Debt) may clear it, 1. That he laid aſide the glory which before the World was he had with the Father, for a time; which therefore that it may be reſtored to him again, he prayeth John 17.5. it having been as to the manifeſtation thereof in his perſon eclipſed, interrupted, and darkened for a ſeaſon; hence the Apoſtle ſays Philip. 2. that he emptied himſelf and became of no reputation, as if his glory had not been diſcernable for a time; He that is Judge of Quick and Dead is himſelf judged; He that created Heaven and Earth, hath not whereon to lay his head; Though all the kings of the Earth hold their Treaſures of him, yet he was ſo poor that he lives upon the alms of others, for women miniſtred unto him. 2. Not only hath he a Being that is mean and low, but he is exceedingly afflicted, he ſuffered hunger; he is purſued as if he had been a thief or a robber; a band of men comes and apprehends him in the night as if he had been a Malefactor or Evil-doer, and drags him away to the civil Judge; his back is ſmitten, his face is ſpitted on, his head ratted and pricked with thorns, ſentence is paſſed upon him, he is condemned and ſcourged; and when he dow not bear his own croſs, (his body, being a true humane body, is ſo fainted and infeebl…d,) it's accounted a favour that he gets one Simon to help him to bear it, or to bear it afte… him; which is not mark…d to ſhew that they did him any kindneſs or courteſie beyond others, but to hold out the low and weak condition he was brought into, that he was not able to bear it himſe…f; and not only ſo, but he muſt come to death, and to the ſhameful and curſed death of the Croſs; and he dies very quickly, further to point out his lowneſs, which was ſuch that death overcame him ſooner than the others, becauſe he had other things to wreſtle with. 3. In his name he ſuffered, he was rep…oached, nodded at with the head, reviled, mocked, ſent about as a ſpectacle from Pilate to Herod, back again from Herod to Pilate; He had a ſcarlet rob put on him in deriſion; the high Prieſts alſo deride him; the Jews wag the head at him, and count him not at all worthy to live, and therefore prefer a Robber and Murderer to him. 4. Conſider his inward ſufferings, O! theſe were far more piercing; Juſtice laid claim to his ſoul, the ſorrows of hell compaſſed him; his ſoul is heavy unto the death; he ſweats blood, and crys if it be poſſible that that wrathful cup might paſs from him; and on the Croſs with a pitiful voice, my God, my God why hast thou forſaken me? which, by the way, is not an expreſſion of any quarrelling complaint or diſcouragement, but of ſinleſs nature when he is arraigned and made to ſtand before the Tribunal of God, affected with the horrour of divine Wrath, and cannot eaſily endure that there ſhould be a Cloud betwixt God and him: But theſe Soul-ſufferings of his, will fall in to be ſpoken to afterwards; only we ſee here that he was afflicted, and in ſuffering was greatly humbled and brought very low: And indeed conſidering that all the Elects ſins were laid upon him, and that Juſtice was exacting all their Debt of him, he could not be otherways, but behoved to be exceedingly afflicted and ſore diſtreſſed.
4ly Obſerve, That foraſmuch as our Lord ſuffered, yet he did moſt willingly and chearfully undergo it all; He thwarted not with it; he repented not, he grudged not, he flinſhed not nor drew aback; or, which is to the ſame purpoſe, our Lord Jeſus in his loweſt humiliation and affliction, and all …longſt his deepeſt ſuffering, ſhewed exceeding great willingneſs, deſirouſneſs and heartſomneſs; That word was always true of him, I delight to do thy will O my God; and the Prophet holds out this as a great wonder, that though he was oppreſſed and afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: We ſhall for clearing of this, propoſe theſe Conſideration…, 1. In his undertaking of the Bargain, his willingneſs appears, when burnt Offerings and Sacrifices would not do it, and when there was no obligation on him to do what he did, then comes in his free offer and conſent, and that with delight, Pſal. 40. Then ſaid I, Lo, I come: in the volum of thy book, it's written of me, I delight to do thy will O my God; where we ſee that there was no extorting or throwing of a conſent from the Mediator againſt his will, but a delightſome offering of it; and that word of his Prov. 8. is very remarkable to this purpoſe, Rejoycing in the habitable parts of the earth, and my delight was with the ſons of men; The contemplation and foreſight of his Incarnation and Suffering for the Elect was (to ſpeak ſo) refreſhing to him, and made him leap as it were for joy, ere the World was made, and before they had a Being. 2. Conſider the great things that he undertook, not only to be Man, but a poor mean man; It had been much for him to have humbled himſelf to be Monarch of the whole World, as his vain and prophane pretended Vicar the Pope of Rome claims to be; yet he not only will not be ſo, but emptied himſelf and became a worm in a manner, and no man, an out-caſt of the people, O ſuch a proof of his love; And when he took the Cup, that bitter Cup, and ſaid, Father, if it be poſſible, let this cup paſs from me, leſt it ſhould ſeem a thwarting with the work of Redemption, and with his Fathers will therein; He ſays, let it come Father, not my will but thine be done. 3. Conſider the manner of his Suffering, and we will ſee a further proof of his willingneſs; How little pains takes he to eſcape them, yea, when Peter labours to diſwade him Mat. 16. from ſuffering, he diſdains and rejects the ſuggeſtion with a ſevere check, Get thee behind me Sathan, thou art an offence unto me, thou ſavourest not the things that be of God but of men; and when his Diſciples ſaid to him (reſolving to go up again to Judea) John 11.8. Maſter, the Jews of late ſought to ſtone thee, and wilt thou go thither again; He will needs go up notwithſtanding; and when they were going up to Jeruſalem, Mark 10 32. He went before all the reſt, to wit at a ſwift pace; and Luk. 12.50. he ſays, I have a baptiſm to be baptized with, and how am I ſtraitned till it be accompliſhed? Never did men long ſo much for their Marriage-day, and for the day of their triumph, as our Lord Jeſus did to get the Elects Debt payed and their Diſcharge extracted and drawen out. 4. Conſider his eaſineſs and willingneſs to be taken; He goes forth John 18. to meet the band of Souldiers that came with the Traitor to apprehend him, and aſks them again and again, whom ſeek ye, and ſays as often, I am he; he will not ſuffer his Diſciples to draw a ſword in his defence, Matth. 26. but when Peter drew his ſword, he bade him put it up again, for he could have commanded more then twelve legions of angels; but it behoveth him now to ſuffer, he came for another end than to oppoſe his ſufferings; and hence he ſays John 10. No man takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my ſelf, and I have power to take it up again; it was neither Judas nor Pilate that took his life againſt his will, but he willing…y laid it down; for either the Elect behoved to die, or he himſelf; and ſince it is ſo, as if he ſaid, then behold here is my life, take it and I will lay it down, that they, poor things, may go free; and therefore does my Father love me (ſays he) becauſe I lay down my life for my ſheep; not becauſe it's taken from me againſt my will, but becauſe I wi…lingly and of my ſelf lay it down; and when he is brought before Pilate and Herod, and they lay many things to his charge, Mat. 26.63. and Mark 15. He held his peace, ſo that it's ſaid, that Pilate marvelled, Mark 15. he knew that he could not but have much to ſay for himſelf as all men in ſuch a caſe uſe to have, but he anſwered nothing; or as it's in the Text, yet he opened not his mouth; the reaſon was, becauſe he would not divert the courſe of Juſtice, nor mar the Lords deſign in the work of the Elects Redemption through his death and ſufferings; He came not into the world to accuſe Pilate or the Jews and to juſtifie himſelf, though now and then for the conviction of enemies, and for his own neceſſary clearing he did let a word fall, but being engaged for the Elect, he wil needs perform all that Juſtice called for: And in this willingneſs he hath a reſpect to two things, 1. To the Fathers ſatisfaction, for his willing ſuffering is that which makes it a Sacrifice acceptable and well-pleaſing to him. 2. To the Elects conſolation, that they may know th…y had a willing Saviour that had no neceſſity laid on him to ſatisfie; but ſatisfi…d willingly; And from theſe two ariſes a third, even the glory of the Mediators ſatisfaction, for herein his love to the Elect ſhines brightly, I lay down my life for my ſheep; this is the heart-wa…ming commendation of his ſufferings, that with delight and pleaſure he underwent them, as if he had been purchaſing a kingdom to himſelf.
Now, to come to the Uſe of all theſe Doctrines; when they with the things contained in them are laid together, we profeſs we cannot tell you what excellent Uſes they yield; Would to God we were all in ſuch a frame as the Eunuch was in, when he read this Scripture (as t…e divine Hiſtory gives us an account Acts 8. ver. 32. and forward,) who when Philip had begun to preac… to him on this excellent ſu…ject, was ſo taken, that before the Sermon or Diſcourſe was at an end, be ng holily impatient at any longer delay; he ſays to Philip, Here is water, what hinders me to be baptized? I ſay again, would to God we were all in ſuch a frame, and that this were the fruit of ſuch a Doctrine as this to many of you, nay, to all of you.
Uſe 1. Wonder Believers at the extenſiveneſs and infinitneſs of the Grace of God, and at the heart-affecting and ſoul-raviſhing love of the Mediator▪ at Grace in God that ſpared the Debtor and exacted payment from the Cautioner the Son of his love; at love in the Mediator that payed ſo much, and ſo willingly and cheerfully: If any ſubject of thoughts be pertinent for us while we are about to celebrate the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, certainly this were pertinent; concerning a crucified Chriſt in ſtating himſelf in our room to pay our Debt, and doing this of his own accord, without the ſolicitation or interpoſing of any Creature, and doing it withall ſo frankly and cheerfully: Was ever the like of this love heard tell of, for one, and more eſpecially for ſuch a one, to ſuffer ſo much and ſo cheerfully unrequired? we would have you confirmed in the Faith of this great and ſweet Truth, that he had never better will, nay never ſo good will to eat his Dinner, then, and as, he had to ſuffer and ſatisfie Juſtice for you, though at a dear rate; He ſays John 4. It was his meat to do the fathers will that ſent him, and to finiſh his work; Have ye ſuitable thoughts of his love when ye read the Goſpel? have ye in the Word ſeen him ſtanding before Pilate in your room, not anſwering when he is accuſed, and Pilate marvelling at his ſilence? and did Pilate marvel, knowing and being convinced of his innocency? and have ye never marvelled, or marvelled but very little? ſure, your little marvelling at his ſilence is the more ſadly marvellous, that the cauſe of his ſilence when he was charged with your iniquities, with ſuch and ſuch a piece of your miſcarriage, with ſuch a vain and roaving heart, with ſuch a wanton look, with ſuch a profane or idle word of yours, with the horrid ſin of your having ſo abuſed, ſlighted and neglected him, &c. that the cauſe, I ſay, of his ſilence at ſuch a terrible accuſation and charge, and not vindicating of himſelf, or ſaying, theſe faults, miſcarriages, and tranſgreſſions are not mine, as he might have done; was pure love to you, O! is not this ſtrange? and yet moſt true; wonder then more at it.
Uſe 2. Here is ſtrong conſolation to Believers, and wonderful wiſdom in the riſe and convey of it, in uniting Juſtice and Love; out of which the conſolation ſprings; Juſtice exacting upon and diſtreſſing the Son of God, and he ſatisfying Juſtice ſo fully, that though all the Elect had ſatisfied eternally in Hell, it had not been made to ſhine ſo ſplendidly and gloriouſly; Juſtice alſo on the Mediators ſide in yielding and giving ſatisfaction though it ſhould oppreſs and break Soul and Body: And yet love, both on the Father and Mediators ſide; on the Fathers ſide, love, in finding out this way of ſatisfaction to his own Juſtice, when there was no cure but by wounding of his own Son, and yet he was content rather to wound him, than that the Elect ſhould ſuffer and be wounded eternally; and love on the Mediators ſide, who willingly yields and undergoes their Debt, and will not hide his face from ſhame and ſpitting; what may not the Believer expect from God when he ſpared not his own Son for him? and what may he expect from Chriſt who ſpared not himſelf for his ſake? and who is that good Shepherd that laid down his life for the Sheep, and held his tongue and quarrelled not with thoſe that ſmote him, will he quarrel with a poor Sinner coming to him and pleading for the benefite of ſatisfaction? no certainly; but as the word is Zeph. 3.17. He will reſt in his love, or as the word ſignifies, He will be ſilent or dumb in his love; he will not upbraid thee nor caſt up thy former miſcarriages, he will not ſay reproachfully to thee, where waſt thou ſo long playing the Prodigal? he is better content with thy recovery than ever he was diſcontent or ill-pleaſed with all the wrong thou didſt unto him.
Uſe 3. This word of Doctrine lays down the ground whereupon a ſinner ſenſible of ſin may build his expectation of peace with God; The tranſaction concluded and agreed upon is the ground of his coming, and the exacting of the price according to the tranſaction, is the ground of his expectation of the benefit of Chriſts purchaſe; And there is Juſtice for it, as the Apoſtle intimats, Rom. 8.34, 35. Who ſhall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect? It is God that justifieth; who is he that condemneth? it is Chriſt that died, yea rather that is riſen again, &c. And upon this follows the believing ſouls triumph: O! but there is much need to be thorowly acquainted with the mutual relations that are betwixt Chriſt and believing ſinners, with the ground of their approaching to him, and with the good they are to expect through him.
Uſe 4. This word is made uſe of, 1 Pet. 2.21. To give us a notable and none ſuch pattern of patience; Chriſt alſo ſuffered for us, leaving us an example that we ſhould follow his ſteps; He did bear all wrongs patiently, and packed them up quietly (to ſay ſo) and opened not his mouth; He could have told Pilate and Caiaphas what they were, but ſpoke not a word ſave one to the High Prieſt, notwithſtanding all his provoking carriage, and a very meek one too, If I have ſpoken evil, bear witneſs of the evil, and if well, why ſmiteſt thou me? Among other Copies then that Chriſt hath caſten, take this for one, make him a Copy and Pattern for Patience; It is to be regrated that folks are ſo unlike to Chriſt in this reſpect; they think it a diſdainful thing to pack up a wrong, and they will ſcorn and ruſh at it; But, what if Jeſus Chriſt had been of that temper and diſpoſition? (if it be fit to make ſuch a ſuppoſition) ye had been without a Redeemer, and had periſhed for ever; When he calls you to be followers of him, and to ſuffer patiently as he did, though moſt unjuſtly as to men; for you to think or ſay that ye ſcorn it, and that ye are not ſo mean ſpirited, what is it elſe but to think and ſay on the matter, that bleſſed Jeſus in his patient and ſilent carriage under all the injuries that he ſuffered very unjuſtly from men, ſhewed himſelf to be of a low and baſe ſpirit, and that ye diſdain to follow his way; O! intollerably ſaucy and proudly blaſphemous reflection. The many conteſts, the many high re…entments of wrongs, the great grudging, fretti…g and foaming at them that there are in Ch…iſtians ſay plainly, that there is little of the meek and patient Spirit of Chriſt in and amongſt us, and that many of us know not what ſpirit we are of.