Christ Crucified, Sermon 48
SERMON XLVIII.
ISAIAH LIII.XI.
Verſ. 11. He ſhall ſee of the travel of his ſoul, and ſhall be ſatis…d: by his kn…wledge ſhall my righteous ſervant juſtifie ma y; for he ſhall bear their iniquities.
IT's a great Work that Our Lord Jeſus h…th undertaken, in Satifying the Ju…tice of God for the Sins of t…e El…ct, and He hath at a dear Ra…e; and with great Expence, and Travel performed it; Now, it is but reaſon that He ſhould again be ſatisfied, that ſo Jehovah's Satisfaction, and the Mediator's Satisfaction may go together, and that is the thing that is promiſed here in theſe Words; What this Satisfaction is which is promiſed to Him, as the great thing in which He delights, and by which He is ſatisfied, in the undertaking, and performing of the Work of Redemption, it's alſo ſet down here, He ſhall ſee of the fruit of the travel of his ſoul, and ſhall be ſatisfied, Which in a Word is this, He ſhall ſee many who had periſhed, if He had not Suffered, getting good of His Sufferings, and to be benefited by them; Who, by His taking on Him the Curſe, and by His undergoing this Soul travel, ſhall be fred from the Curſe, and made to partake of the Benefits, Priviledges, and Comforts that He hath bought by ſo great and precious a Price.
We propoſed this, as the main Doctrine from the Words the laſt day, That it is great Satisfaction to Our Lord Jeſus, to ſee Sinners making uſe of, and getting good of H…s Sufferings; Or thus, That Sinners making uſe of Chriſt's Sufferings for their good, is His Satisfaction, for all the Soul-travel, and Sufferings …hat He indured; He ſhall ſee of the Fruit of the travel of his ſoul, and ſhal be ſatisfied; I ſhall inſiſt no further in clearing and confirming this, but come cloſs to the Uſe of it; And if any Point of Doctrine have Uſe, this may have, and hath it, to the Glading and making Joyfull and Fain the Hearts of loſt Sinners; That Our Lord Jeſus ſhould Suffer ſo much, and ſeek no more Satisfaction …or it all, but to ſee Sinners improving His Sufferings for their good, to have a Seed brought forth by His Soul-travel, and to have them getting Life by His Death, and the Bleſſing by His bearing of the Curſe, and yet this is it, that this Doctrine bears forth.
We may draw the 1. Uſe to theſe Four, from, and by which we may learn, and know in ſome meaſure, how to anſwer this Queſtion; ſeing we have heard ſo much of Chriſt's Suffering…, and Soul travel, what ſhall we give to Chriſt for all that, how ſhall we ſatisfie Him? …f there w re any affected ſuitably with thankfulneſs from the hearing of Chriſt's being brought ſo low, by His ſad Sufferings; This would be, and could not but be their Queſtion; H…re is an Anſwer to it, That Our Lord Jeſus ſeeks no more as a Satisfaction for all His Sufferings, but that ye improve them for your good; This will Delight and Satisfie Him, ye cannot do Him a greater pleaſure, no…hing will be …ore acceptable, nay, nothing will be acceptable to Him, nor taken off your h…nd but thi…, even to ſee you coming in to Him, and making uſe of His Sufferings for your own good, That as to your particular, His Sufferings may not be in vain, and for nought, but that, ye improve them, and ſo improve them, as ye may not Live and Die in the Caſe that ye would have been in for ever, had He not Suffered, That is, under the dominion of Sin and Sathan, under the W…ath and Curie of God in an anxious heartleſs Life, without God, and without Hope in the World; It is even this, in a Word, That hearing of His ſad Sufferings, and of the Deſigne of them, ye may betake your ſelves to Him for Pardon of Sin, for Sanctification in both the Parts of it, and for Conſolation and that in the end, ye may get your Souls …aved, on the account of His Sufferings and by vertue thereof: 1. then, ye would ſeek to be reconciled to God, as the Apo…le, 2 Cor. 5.20, 21. exhorts, We as ambaſsadours for …hriſt and in his ſtead, beſeech you to be reconciled to God; And the Argument whereby it is preſsed, is the ſame that the Doctrine holds forth, For he was made ſin for us who knew no ſin, that we might be made the righteouſneſs of God in him; Hence it follows alſo, Chap. 6.1. We beſeech you, receive not this grace of God in vain: Are there …ny of you, who are convinced, that Chriſt ſhould be Satisfied, and that He ſhould not be at all this Travel and Pains for nought? And that think ye would fain Satisfie Him, if it were in your power? Behold, Our Lord hath told you what will ſatifie Him; It is not thouſands of Rams, nor ten thouſand Rivers of Oyl, but that His Sufferings be ſo improven by you, as the native F…ui…s of them may follow and be found in you; That, conſidering the wofull caſe ye are in by Nature, ye may make uſe of His Satisfaction to Divine Juſtice, as as the alone Atonement, and may by Faith, take hold of it as the Ground of your Peace; if this be not, C…riſt will be to you as if He had never Suffered. 2dly. It calls for Holineſſe, and Mortification of Sin; This is much preſſed, Rom. 6. from v. 2, to 14. And by this ſame Argument, to wit, That ſeing Chriſt died for Believers, we ſhould die with Him, That being it wherein the Power of His Death kythes, even in the Mortification of our Luſts, which He came to deſtroy: But when Folks live as they had wont to do in their Prophanity, and Looſneſs, th…re is nothing of the Fruit of the Travel of His Soul to be ſeen in them. 3 Chriſt Travelled for the Conſolation o… His People; And this is another Fruit of His Death and Suff…rings, that theſe who have betaken themſelves to Chriſt may comfort themſelves on …his Ground, Th…t once and that ere long, they will get the M…ſtery over a body of Death, and will get both Sathan, and it bruiſed under their Feet through Him; Who was delivered for our offences, and roſe again for our juſtification and, who hath blotted out the hand writing of ordinances that was against us, nailing it to his croſs; And that through the vail, which is his fleſh, there might a way be made. Patent to us unto the moſt holy, And that with confidence we might approach to God, and in His Sufferings dr…wn all our Challenges: And indeed Believers are behind, and greatly at a loſs, who have betaken themſelves to Chriſt, and yet live as Anxiouſly and Uncomfortably, as if they had not a ſlain Mediator to comfort themſelves in, who by His Sufferings, Soul-travel, and Death, hath made a Purchaſe of ſo great things for them. And in a Word, The up-ſhot of His Sufferings, is, to get the S…uls of Believers in Him, carried unto Heaven, and keeped there perfect, till the Body be ra…ſ…d; and in a perfect …ate be Re…un…ed to the Soul, at the Great D…y, according to that of the Apoſtle. Eph. 5.26, 27: He gave himſelf for his church, that he might ſanctifie and cle…nſe it, and preſent her to himſelf a glorious church without ſpot and wrinkle, or any ſuch thing; And when Souls are not taking the right way to heaven, he hath nothing of the Travel of his Soul from ſuch, more then if he had not undergone it, or not Suffered at all.
Uſe. 2. If this be Chriſt's Satisfaction for all the Travel of his Soul, that he ſee Sinners getting good of his Sufferings, Then, if any Motive be weighty to move People to give Him their So…ls to ſave, this muſt ſure have weight with them, even that thereby he may have Satisfaction for all his Soul-travel; And therefore we would exhort you on this ground, to give Him your Souls to be ſaved by Him, in order to His Satisfaction: And what is ſpoken in common, take it as ſpoken to every one of you in particular, Men and Women, Old and Young, Rich and Poor; If ye would do Chriſt a favour, and pleaſure, give Him imployment for Pardon of Sin, for Peace with God, for Sanctification, for Conſolation, and for Acceſs to Heaven; Or, if ye would know what motive we would uſe to perſwade you to make Uſe of this Goſpel for all theſe, take this for one, and a main one, That it will Satisfie, and even (to ſpeak ſo with Reverence) comfort Chriſt for all the Travel of His Soul, and for all the hard Labour that He endured; even as it Satisfies a wooer for all his Pains and Patience, in waiting on after many refuſals and ſlights, when he gains the Womans Conſent, and when the Match is made up; So it will Satisfie Him, when He ſees Souls, by vertue of His Sufferings, brought to believe on Him, and to lay the weight of their Salvation upon Him, for then He ſees it was not for nought that He laid down His Life; And truly if this Motive prevail not, I know not what Motive will prevail.
But to make it the more clear and convincing, conſider theſe things, 1. What it is that Chriſt ſeeks, when He ſeeks Satisfaction for the Travel of His Soul, He even ſeeks your benefit, and good; If He had ſought that which would have been painfull to you, ye would, I ſuppoſe, have judged your ſelves obliged readily to have gone about it, had it been (as we uſe to ſpeak) to have gone through the fire for Him; But now, when this is all that He ſeeks, that by making uſe of His Sufferings ye may be Juſtified, made Holy, comforted in your Life, and brought to Heaven at your Death, ſhould it not much more ingage you to give Him this Satisfaction? 2. Who ſeeks this Satisfaction, and to whom is it to be given? Is it not to Our Lord Jeſus Chriſt? There is very great weight in this Part of the Argument, that by believing on Him, and making uſe of His Sufferings, we not only ſatisfie and ſave our ſelves, but make Glad the heart of Our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who being conſidered as God, needs no Satisfaction, neither is capable of any Additional Satisfaction from Creatures. He being infinitely happy, and fully Satisfied in the injoyment of His own All ſufficient Self; Nothing from without can be added unto Him; yet He having condeſcended to become Man, and Mediator betwixt God and Man, to reconcile loſt Sinners to God, He is graciouſly pleaſed to account it Satisfaction to Him for all His Soul-travel, to have Sinners making uſe of Him for their good; and if their be any weight in the Satisfaction of one that is Great and Good, and good to us, This hath weight in it, that our doing ſo, will ſatisfie Him, that is Matchleſly Great and Good, and ſuperlatively ſo to Sinners. 3. Conſider the Ground on which this Satisfaction is pleaded for, and it will add yet more weight to this Argument; it's Satisfaction to Him for His Soul-travel; And can any find in their hearts to think, but He ſhould be Satisfied on this account? Is there not reaſon for it? Who (as the Apoſtle ſayes, 1 Cor. 9.7.) goeth a warefare on his own charges? who plants a vineyard and eats not of the fruit thereof? or, who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Ah! Should Our Lord Jeſus beſtow all this Labour and Pains for nothing? And further, 4ly. Whoſe Satisfaction is it that is ſought? (This conſideration is ſomewhat diverſified from the 2. And would not therefore be looked on as any Tautology,) is it not His who is Lord of all, and who will one day be Judge? When, if we had all the World would give it to pleaſe Him; And who will pronunce the Sweeteſt or the Sadeſt Sentence upon us, according as we have Satisfied Him in this, or not; Conſidering that it is He who deſires this ſatisfaction from us, ſhould there not be an holy Diligence, Eggerneſs, and Zeal to get that performed, that will Pleaſe and Satisfie Him? Eſpecially when the improving of His Sufferings may do it? But 5ly. From whom requires He this Satisfaction? Is it not from them, who like ſheep have gone aſtray? From theſe who have many iniquities lying on them, and are lying under the Curſe of God by Nature? From theſe, who muſt either be healed by His Strips, or elſe they will never be healed, but will die of their Wounds? may not this make the Argument yet the more ſtrong, that He is not ſeeking this Satisfaction of ſtrangers, but of His own People, nor of Righteous Folks, but of Sinners, who are lying under the Curſe, and whoſe happineſs lyes in giving Him this Satisfaction? And when it is thus with you, That either your Sins muſt be taken away by Him, or elſe ye muſt lye under them for ever; That either He muſt bear the Curſe for you, or ye muſt bear it your ſelves; If theſe things be obvious, as indeed they are, O! give Him the Satisfaction that He calls for, and let Him not be put to ſay, as it is, Iſai. 49.4. I have laboured in vain, and ſpent my strength for nought, and in vain.
3dly. To preſs this yet a little more (Although it ſhould be ſad to us, that there ſhould be need to preſs that ſo much on us, which is ſo profitable to us, and Satisfying to Him) even that we would make uſe of Him, for our Spiritual Good and Advantage; Theſe conſiderations will add weight to the Argument. 1. What eſteem Chriſt hath of it; He thinks it as it were to be Payment, and a ſort of Compenſation for all His Labour and Sufferings; The Price was not Gold nor Silver, nor any ſuch thing, which He gave for Sinners, but it was His Precious Blood, His own Life, who was the Prince of Life, and the Prince of the kings of the Earth; And O! what a vaſt and infinit diſproportion is there betwixt His Life, and all our Lives; and yet He accounts it a ſufficient Reward, if we will but give Him our Souls to be ſaved by Him, in His own way, and will make Uſe of His Death and Sufferings for that End; And if it were poſſible, that we could think little of our own Salvation, and much of Chriſt's Satisfaction for His Soul-travel, ought we not to think much of our own Salvation, in reference to His Satisfaction; And now, when he hath joyned theſe together, ſo that we cannot pleaſe, nor ſatisfie Him, except we give Him our Souls to ſave, and cannot ſatisfie Him but that in doing ſo, our Souls ſhall be ſaved; Should it not induce us to make Uſe of Him for that End? If He had commanded us to run here and there, and to undergo ſome long and very toilſome Voyage, or ſome hard piece of Labour, or to beſtow of our Means and Subſtance, yea, all of it to pleaſe Him, it had been very reaſonable on His part to have demanded it, and moſt unreaſonable on ours to have refuſed it, But our Lord layes weight on none of theſe things, as ſeperated from the laying the weight of our Souls on His Righteouſneſs; The Reaſon is, becauſe the making uſe of His Righteouſneſs, and the improving of His Sufferings for our Juſtification and Salvation, ſhews, that He in His Sufferings is eſteemed of, and He ſeeks no more but that. 2. Conſider how good reaſon ye have to ſatisfie Chriſt, and yeeld to Him, and to improve His Sufferings for your own Salvation; Is there any that dar ſay the contrary? Will not Hiſtorical Faith ſay that there is good reaſon for it? if there be any Love to Him, or to your own Souls, will it not plead for this? If ever ye think to be Pardoned, is there any other name given whereby ye can expect it? Is there any Holineſs, or Comfort but from Him, any hope of Heaven, but through Him? and will not this bind the Conſcience of any that is not deſperat, to judge, That He from whom all this comes ſhould be Satisfied? 3. Conſider at what a rate He hath Purchaſed theſe benefits of the Pardon of Sin, of Peace with God, of Sanctification, of the hope of Heaven, &c. And how He hath brought them about; Did He not ingage in the Covenant of Redemption, and hath He not performed all that He ingaged for? in taking on our Nature, in being in an Agony, in Sweating drops of Blood, in being Buffeted, Mocked, Reproached, and in Dying, to procure Life and Peace to Sinners? If we could rightly diſcern His Sufferings, and the benefits that we have by them, it would ſay, that there is good reaſon, that He ſhould have a kindly meeting, who hath done, and Suffered ſo much to obtain theſe to us. 4. Conſider the cheerfull way of His Suffering, and of His laying down of the Price, how well-pleaſed He was to undergo all for His People, ſo that He ſayeth, John 10. No man taketh my life from me, but I lay it down of my ſelf, and take it up again; Pſal. 40. I delight to do thy will, O my God; And, Luke 12. I have a baptizme to be baptized with, and how am I ſtraitned till it be accompliſhed? And, Luke 22. With deſi…e have I deſired to eat this paſsover before I ſuffer: He opened not his mouth, in order to His delivery ſo well did He love the Salvation of Sinners: Now, What if a meer and ordinary M…n had done ſomething to the hazard of His Life, for you, would it not plead with the moſt Carnal Perſons, having the leaſt meaſure of Natural, or Moral Inginuity to give Him a meeting; Very Heathens will love theſe that love them, much more ought ye to ſatisfie Him in what He requires, who h…th done ſo much for Sinners. 5. Conſider what He ſeeks as a Satisfaction, (hinted at before) If it were a great matter, or which were to your prejudice, there might be ſome ſhadow of a ground to Refuſe, but when it is no more but to make uſe of His Sufferings, for your own good, how can it be refuſed? It's in this Caſe, as if the Patients health would ſati…fie the Phyſician, as if a Poor Mans receiving of a Sum of Money would ſatisfie the Rich Friend, who is pleaſed to beſtow it; Or, …s if one that is naked would ſatisfie another, by putting on the Cloaths laid to his hand by him; What reaſon is there to refuſe ſuch Offers? And yet this that Chriſt calls for, is, even as if the Phyſician ſhould ſay to his dying Pa…ient, I will be ſati…fied greatly, if thou wilt take this Potion that is for thy Recovery, …ealth, and Cure, and I will not be content if thou take it not, though the Ingredients ſtand my ſelf very dear, beſides that, it is for thy good, and will Recover thee; Or, as if the Father ſhould ſay to the Child, I will not be content, if thou put not on ſuch a fine Suit, that ſtood me ſo much Money; In a word, That which makes the Divour Sinner happy, is, that which ſatisfies Him. 6. Conſider, if Jeſus Chriſt get not this Satisfaction, what will come of it, if ye pleaſe Him not in this, He will be highly diſpleaſed, no other thing will Satifie Him, though ye ſhould Pray and Weep an hundred years, and do many good Works, if He get not this Fruit of His Soul-ſufferings, To wit, that ye improve them for your Souls good and Salvation, He will be continually diſpleaſed; Therefore it's ſaid, Pſal. 2. Kiſs the Son, leaſt he be angry; And that is not…ing elſe, but to make Uſe of H…m in His Offices; and it ſayes, that there is no way to pleaſe Him, and to eſhew His anger but this; And indeed if ye anger Him, ye anger Him that can be your beſt Friend, and your greateſt Foe. 7. Conſider further, how Our Lord Jeſus ſeeks, and preſses for this Satisfaction from you; He …ends for… His Friends, and Ambaſſadors to wooe …n His Name, and to beſeech you …o be reconciled, and to tell you that it will not be thouſands of Rams, nor your fir…-born, that will do the buſineſs but that ye muſt humble your ſelves, and walk with God, which neceſſarly ſuppo…eth the Uſe-making of Chriſt; If there had been no pleading with you in His Name, there had not been ſuch Sin, in not imp oving H s Satisfaction; But when He pleads ſo much and ſo often for this, and intreats every one in particular to Satisfie Him, ſaying, as it were, let Me ſee of the Travel of My Soul, … Me have this much Satisfaction for all M Sufferings, that ye will make Uſe of My Righteouſneſſe; and when He is ſo very ſerious, in Beſeeching and Intr…a…i g, it ſhould, no doubt, make us the more willing, to grant Him what He ſeeks. 8. Ye would look upon this, not only as a diſcourſe in the general to Si…n…rs, but ye would alſo look on it, as addreſſed to every one of you in particular; And therefore remember, that ye will all be called to give an account of this matter, and it will be ſked you. What became of ſuch and ſuc… an offer of Grace, and whether ye gave Him …he Satisfaction that He called for, or not; According to that Word, Act. 17.31. e hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in righteouſneſs, by that man whom he hath ordained, Whereof he hath given aſſurance to all men, in that he hath raiſed him from the dead; He would have Judged the World though Chriſt had not come; But He will have a day wherein He will call all the hearers of the Goſpel to an account, eſpecially as to this, To wit, What welcome they have given to Chriſt: And ſeing ſuch a day is coming, when Folk will be called to an account, what Uſe they made of Him, with what face will many come before Him, when it ſhall be told them, That He craved no more Satisfaction from them, for all that He Suffered, but that they would have improved His Sufferings for their own good, and that yet they would not give Him that much? Doeth not this ſay, that their is need, that we ſhould look well what Fruit there is of His Sufferings, that there may be more then if He had not Suffered at all. 9. Conſider the great weight that will be laid on this Sin, of refuſing to believe, and to Satisfy Him in this, to wit, in improving of His Sufferings, above all other Sins; This is a Sin that will be found to be againſt Equity, Thankfullneſſe, and Ingenuity, that when He had done and Suffered ſo much, He was ſo ill requited; Yea, it will be found to be a wilfull and malicious Sin, That, when your Good and His Satisfaction were joyned together, ye would rather choiſe to deſtroy your ſelves, then to Satisfie Him, in ſaving your ſelves, through Uſe-making of His Sufferings: There are two remarkable Words to this purpoſe, Heb. 6.10. In the 6. Chap. it's ſaid of ſuch, That they crucifie to themſelves the Son of God afreſh, and put him to an open ſhame; That is, they do diſpleaſe and anger Him, and do what in them lyes to caſt reproach upon Him, as if He were no Saviour at all, or an inſufficient Saviour; to put Him to Suffer over again, in His wanting of Satisfaction for His Sufferings; As it is a great pain for a Mother to be in Travel, but it's another, and in ſome reſpect, a greater pain, if the Child die in the bringing forth: In the 10. Chap. v. 28. It's called, A trading under foot the ſon of God, and an accounting the blood of the Covenant to be an unholy thing, And in the 26. v. Before it's ſaid, There remains no more ſacrifice for ſin, but a certain fearful looking for of judgement; And it's upon this very account; As we did at another occaſion, make uſe of theſe two Scriptures to a like purpoſe, and did thus Caution our Application of them againſt miſtakes) For what greater indignity can be put on Him, then, when His Satisfaction depends on the improving of His Sufferings, yet people will not do it? As nothing pleaſes Him better then to improve His Sufferings, ſo, on the contrary, There is no Sin that doth diſpleaſe Him more, then when they are not improven: And if ye will not now believe this to be a Truth, yet, when the Lord ſhall call you to count for it, ye will find it to be a moſt certain and ſad Truth; That He called you to believe, and that ye would lye ſtill in your Unbelief, Ignorance, and Prophanity; That ye deſtroyed your own Souls, and made His Sufferings as uſeleſſe, as to you, as if there had never a door been opened to Sinners, to Heaven, by them. Is there any of you that will be able to anſwer to this challenge? If not, Then let Him have this Satisfaction, by improving of His Sufferings, that He may find (to ſay ſo) that His Death hath not been for nought, as to you: Study to have Him great in your eſteem, and to have your Souls ſaved by the vertue and efficacy of His Sufferings, otherwayes the challenge will be unanſwerable; Conſidering, that He declared, that this would ſatisfie Him, and ye knew that it would have pleaſed Him, and removed the quarrel, and ſaved your ſelves; And that withall, by this means, a comfortable ſentence at Judgement might have been procured to you; And that yet ye diſdained to do it: And therefore, ſince it ſtands ſo with you, be intreated to make earneſt, and greater earneſt of believing, and of the great work of getting your own Souls ſaved, which He hath thought ſo much of; elſe it had been better for you, that ye had never had a delightſome hour in the World; And ſad will the encounter be, that ye will have with Him, and with your own Conſcience in that Day, when it ſhall have this to tell you, that ye cannot now expect any Good, or Favour from the Judge; Becauſe, when He would have ſaved you, ye would not have it ſo, but would needs run on your own damnation; And therefore we ſay again, either give Him Satisfaction, by improving of His Sufferings, and by making Earneſt of the buſineſſe of your Salvation, Or, reſolve to meet with a moſt terrible Purſuer of the Quarrel againſt you; The Wrath of God is dreadfull, but much more the Vengeance of the Mediator, who, becauſe ye would not give Him His will in your Salvation, He ſhall have it in your Ruine, and Deſtruction.
4. There is here a ſweet Word of Conſolation to poor Souls, that faln would have Sin taken away, and are afraid to preſume; Our Lord will never be angry, that ye make uſe of His Sufferings for your own good; Nay, He accounts it a Satisfaction to Him, that ye improve them; That when ye find your ſelves Arreſted for Sin, ye put it on His Score, and draw a Bill on Him to pay your Debt; That when you find your ſelves under that, which to you looks like the dominion of Sin, ye look to His Croſs, for Vertue to Crucifie, Kill, and Subdue it: If therefore (as I have often ſaid) ye would do Him a Favour, or Pleaſure, make uſe of Him; Be aſſured, that the more weight ye lay on Him, ye do Him the greater pleaſure; And this is all the amends that He ſeeks for all the wr…ngs ye have done to Him, and all the Satisfaction that He ſeeks, for all the good turns He hath done to you, That ye come to Him thus to make uſe of Him; And it is good Reaſon, even all the Reaſon in the World, that He get this amends made to Him, and this Satisfaction granted to Him.