England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 43
COLOSSIANS 1.20. Through the bloud of his Croſſe.
AS this expreſſion ſpeakes crueltie, we purſued it in the laſt Exerciſe; as it ſpeakes the cauſalitie of divine friendſhip, I purpoſe now to handle it. Chriſt hath by his death accompliſhed the favour of God. Having made peace [through the bloud] of his Croſſe. Hanging was uſed under the old Covenant, onel… for ſome notorious crimes, as blaſphemie, ſacrificing to Devils, &c. and was uſed as a ſecond death; firſt, life was taken away by ſome other puniſhment, as ſtoning, or the like, and then the body hanged up, to render the perſon as well as the fact, abominable to all, to God and man, which is the meaning of that expreſſion, [He] that is hanged is accurſed of God, Deut. 21.23. his perſon as well as his fact, is execrable, greatly abhorred. Thus David commanded Rechab and Barzillah, to be puniſhed, with a double death, for that foule fact of murthering Iſhboſheth, he ſlew them, and then he hanged them up, 2 Sam. 4.12. Such a one was Chriſt judged to be, a notorious malefactor, a blaſphemer, one that had a devill, &c. and therefore hanged on a tree; not ſlaine firſt, but tortured to death upon the Croſſe, which was a Romiſh variation from the rule, as in matter, ſo in forme, and ſerved in this caſe onelyonly to vend the height of malice againſt innocency, making not two deaths, but a thouſand deaths in one.
The bloud of the croſſe ſpeakes three things. Divine wrath fully ſuffered. Infinite Juſtice was offended, anſwerable diſpleaſure brake forth; a ſea of wrath in the world, and Chriſt in the bottome of it alive, and all the waves paſſing over him. I went downe to the bottome of the mountaines, ſaith Jonah, All the waves paſſed over me, yet haſt thou brought my life the pit. Theſe expreſſions ſpeake Chriſt, he lay under mountaines, ſeas of diſpleaſure, he bore the full weight of divine wrath, he paid the utmoſt farthing. God is not extreame to marke what's done amiſſe, in reference to us, but he was ſo in reference to Chriſt; not a ſin, not a circumſtance of ſin overlooked, of all thoſe millions of ſinners and ſins undertaken for, but wrath weigh'd out exact in proportion to all, and laid on Chriſt, and he bore all. He bore the iniquitie of us all. Juſtice mingles her ſelfe with mercy, when ſhee breakes forth upon us; in the middeſt of Juſtice, God remembers merciemercy, but it did not ſo in reference to Chriſt; Juſtice went forth in its full ſtrength againſt him, without a dram of mercy mixed with it. He was made a [curſe] for us. Which words ſpeake no mercy. The ſtrength of ſin is the Law, and the ſtrength of the Law is the curſe, all the curſes written in Gods book, without any mercy mixed, and all this did Chriſt beare upon the croſſe. The croſſe was a grand curſe, a ſuperlative puniſhment, which wrapt up all the miſery in it, that ever juſtice made, or any creature felt. Chriſts cup had mixture in it, but not one ſweet ingredient, all corroding and ſpeaking full and pure wrath; gall and vineger was given him in the pangs of death:
The bloud of the croſſe ſpeakes juſtice fully ſatisfied: 'tis called for this cauſe a Lutron, a ranſome. Wee were ſold under ſin, and the bloud of the croſſe bought us, paid the full demands of that power under which we were. The Son of man came not to be miniſtred unto, but to miniſter, and give his life a ranſome for many. The bloud of the croſſe is a ranſome, that which gives full ſatisfaction to an offended God, under whoſe wrath wee lay. Wee are bought with a price, this price is not gold, nor ſilver, but the precious bloud of Chriſt. The bloud of Chriſt, is bloud of price, that this is ſhed, is as much as if the bloud of all the creatures in the world had been ſhed; yea more: life is our choiceſt jewel, yet all creatures lives put together, and put into one bundle of life, and preſented to God, he would not have taken it to ranſome one ſoule; no, he would not have taken it as ſatisfactory for one ſin. Juſtice offended is infinite, the price given for ſatisfaction muſt be proportionable, or elſe no ſatisfaction: the bloud of all the world is finite, and not proportionable to infinite, and therefore God ſhed his bloud: the bloud of the croſſe, is the bloud of him that was God-man; this made the bloud of the humane nature precious bloud, as Peter ſpeakes; that is, infinitely precious, of worth to ſatisfie for all the ſins that are, or ſhall be committed in the world, becauſe all will riſe but to a finite bulke, let it ſwell as big as 'twill; 'tis of price to ſatisfie for all the ſinnes in the world, and if there were ſo many more then there are; therefore is that expreſſion, foreign, much more, repeated twice in the fifth of the Romans, Not as the offence, ſo is the free gift: the price is another gets thing, then that in proportion to which it is given: for if through the offence of one, many be dead: much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man Jeſus Chriſt, hath abounded unto many.
The bloud of the croſſe ſpeakes guilt fully expiated; actually in reference to Chriſt as an undertaker, and ſo alſo in reference to us, who are actually in him by faith. He bore our ſinnes in his bodie upon the croſſe, ſaith the Apoſtle Peter. The Leviticall bloud was purging, it purified the fleſh, as the Scripture ſpeakes, and pointed at Chriſts bloud, which purifies fleſh and ſpirit, (i) takes away the wrath of God liable to both. Without bloud there is no remiſſion, but with bloud there is remiſſion, full remiſſion, the bloud of the croſſe takes out all ſpots. The bloud of Jeſus Chriſt cleanſeth us from all ſin, 1 Joh. 1.7. There is not a ſpot in Chriſt; conſider him as our undertaker, as married to our nature, he is all faire. Thou art all faire my love, &c. Joſhua had filthy garments, but he hath waſhed them white in his owne bloud, ſo have they which are in him by faith, their garments are white with the bloud of the Lambe; by garments is not meant the outſide onelyonly, but outſide and inſide, the whole perſon. They that are waſhed are cleane every whit. Chriſt ſpeakes of the Spouſe, as the Spouſe ſpeakes of him, Thou art all faire, &c.
Ʋſe. Sinners, doe you conſider how uſefull Chriſt is, and make uſe of him? The chaſtiſement of our peace is upon him, that which belongs to any mans eternall welfare, is contrived upon the croſſe by Chriſt; he hath bought all into his hand with his bloud, which tends to any ones good; he has the eare of God, the hand of God, the heart of God; he has Earth, Heaven, he hath eternall life, and can give it to whom he will; he hath the keyes of David, the keyes of thoſe everlaſting dores, he is the dore to the boſome of the Father, he hath by his bloud entered within the vaile, bought all under his cuſtodie. Chriſt is furniſhed to doe us good, and we make no uſe of him. Sinners tumble in their ſinnes, and fall aſleepe, and wrath cuts them off ere they dreame of a Saviour. There is a death in ſin, to which the death of Chriſt is without profit; this is when the ſoule will goe his own way. Many walke by no rule, all is fiſh that comes to net, all is contentfull, that ſutes to a carnall affection: conſcience jogges theſe ſoules ſometimes, and then they talke of Chriſt, that he hath dyed for their ſinnes; but poore ſoules, they doe but talke. If the faith of ſuch perſons forementioned were faith indeed, and no fancie, the ſoule would be crucified, with crucified Chriſt. I am crucified with Chriſt. They which indeed appropriate the death of Chriſt, die with him in affection firſt, and then in action by little and little, according as the death of Chriſt is more and more beheld.
The death of Chriſt is of double vertue, it makes a death of guilt, and a death of the very being of ſin. The bodie of ſin as well as the ſoule of ſin, is dead. The bodie is dead, ſaith the Apoſtle, ſpeaking of corruption. Corruption keepes in a bodie, all that while 'tis alive: all powers combine to beate out their owne way, as will beſt carry the world afore it, and winke at, if not ſcoffe at the way of Chriſt; this ſoule crucifies Chriſt, but is not crucified with him. The ſin of this age is bloudy wickedneſſe, therefore doe we bleed. Surely, we bleed not ſo much for ſmall ſin; our ſin is crimſon and ſcarlet coloured; wee crucifie Chriſt, his truth, his people, therefore doth he crucifie us. Light riſes, ſo doth malice; 'tis nothing to the men of this generation, to ſpeak bitterly, to murther bloudily, their own convictions; Chriſt ſhall die at the dore, rather then they will open love to him, to deſtroy the advantage of this time. A man crucified to Chriſt, is crucified to the world; you that kill not the luſts of the world, you kill Chriſt, but not believe on him, and his bloud ſhall be upon you, not to take off guilt, but to bind on guilt till you die, till bloud goe for bloud. 'Tis a very bloudy time in which we live, trials murther love to Chriſt, & to one another; heartie affection to Chriſt can hardly be found, men are ſo taken up with their own ends. Povertie is marching towards us like an armed man, all is falling; fleſh ſhakes at this, and treads upon Chriſt, and treads out his bowels, to keepe up; ſuch wretches as theſe, know not their wretched condition, they have not taſted of the bloud of Chriſt, nor know what Chriſt is now doing: Chriſt is now avenging the bloud of his Covenant, upon all that tread upon it; men that doe not ſo take hold of his bloud and death, as to bleed and die with him, in name, in ſtate, in perſon, ſhall bleed and die by him; this time is a diſcovery of unbeliefe, and a recompence.
Unſenſible perſons are below diſcipline, theſe therefore I muſt let goe. Where conſcience bleedes, the bloud of the croſſe may be of uſe; and to theſe in the laſt place I will addreſſe my ſelfe. Soules are loaded and troubled about many things, but where the diſtreſſe is about eternall life, whether ſhall I live or die? Whether ſhall I live where Chriſt is or not? 'Twill be reliefe to ſuch a burthened heart to thinke, what Chriſt can doe for him in this caſe. Thou haſt a tender friend in Heaven, and thy ſoule is precious to Chriſt, he hath ſhed his bloud, that thou mighteſt not die, nor more deſpaire. Things are very well between God and Chriſt, he hath ſtood in the perſon of many, and diſcharged well his undertaking: the favour of God is at his diſpoſe: whom he intercedes for with his bloud, eſcape the wrath of God. 'Tis ſad to me to ſee, how ſome ſoules ſinke, they thinke peace an impoſſible thing for them ever to attaine. What is not peace Chriſts? Is not Heaven Chriſts? Is not kingdome, power, and glory, Chriſts? That all is Chriſts, methinkes ſhould quiet the cryings of conſcience. That God is at peace with Chriſt, ſhould generate faith in the moſt complaingeſt ſoule. 'Tis a facile thing for Chriſt to procure the favour of God: but how ſhould one get Chriſts favour? And Chriſt is ſolicitous how to get thy favour. Chriſts favour comes farre eaſier to us, then Gods favour did to him; he doth not expect your bloud, to get his favour: to accept him, is to gaine him; his favour is free, all that he expects, is that poore ſoules would but truſt him, and imploy him with their eſtates, that they would imploy him and none elſe, to procure the love of God, and eternall bleſſedneſſe.
Could I truſt Chriſt with my eſtate, I know all would be well, but I cannot believe. Why, know this, that Chriſts bloud hath ingaged God to give faith, and every grace elſe unto thee; what thou wouldeſt doe and canſt not, let not that deject, put out that grace you have. When a man cannot goe into the poole, 'tis hopefull to lie neere it, for one or other may take him up and carry him in thither, whither he cannot goe himſelfe. Pained ſoules, ſpeake of nothing but the bloud of Chriſt, prize nothing in compariſon of this; hence muſt come thy eaſe if ever: out of theſe pantings, ſpring faith unto joy. Chriſt takes up theſe creeples of a ſudden, and carries them into the poole of his bloud. You that have the Kings evill, ſtand in the way of the King, and though you cannot cure your ſelves, yet you will lie as faire for cure as you can. In a ſpirituall ſenſe, be thus prudent: in the middeſt of all your ſoule-paines, ſay, If ever any thing give me eaſe, it muſt be the bloud of Chriſt; if ever any thing quiet my conſcience, it muſt be Chriſts bloud ſprinkled upon it: out of theſe honourable thoughts of proper remedie, proceedes remedie to the ſoule.
Matter of faith, and matter of love, ſhould ſpring from this point, if one had time to goe this way. The bloud of the croſſe ſpeakes love in ſtrength, love as ſtrong as death; what ſpeakes it in Chriſt, ſhould make it in us. No ſuch Sermon of love in the Bible, nor in the Creation, as the bloud of the Croſſe. Enlarge this your ſelves in deeds.