A Scripture-Map of the Wilderness of Sin, Treatise · Part 4 · Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI. Convincing Chriſts lovelineſſe by removing the foregoing prejudices.
THirdly, As to the third Hinderance, viz. As to the 3d. Hinderance. Helpfull conſiderations convincing Chriſts lovelineſſe, notwithſtanding any prejudices. 1. Againſt his Port. 1. It is not of neceſſity, but choice, that his Port is ſo meanThat few like Chriſt ſo as to make him their beloved, being prejudiced againſt his Port, Perſon, Diſcourſe, Carriage, Eſtate. Conſider
1. As to Chriſts wooing Port, theſe three things: For my now deſigne is to remove the prejudices, and if it be poſſible to make up the match; and though I woe, yet will I not lye for God, nor for his Son Chriſt.
Though Chriſt come a wooing in Port deſpiſed by the World, on the Colt of an Aſſe, the fooliſhneſſe of preaching; yet is it not of conſtraint, but of condeſcenſion, and with a rich compenſation.
Firſt, It is, (let the world know) not of conſtraint, or neceſſity, that Chriſt comes in ſo mean a Port. He could if he would, come ſo as to convince you hereof; but it is of choice that he comes ſo meanly. I have read of one of the Roman Emperours, that having been long moleſted by the King of an eaſtern Country, having at length an Embaſſy ſent him by ſome contemptible Meſſengers, (yet the nobleſt that that Country afforded) the Roman Emperour thinking it were in ſlight, asked them if their Maſter had none more Heroicall then they? they anſwering they were his Chieftains, he brake out in ſuch an immoderate laughter, that he dyed in it. The Great, and Wiſe, and Nobles of the World, thus deride the Meſſengers of Jeſus Chriſt, and him that ſent them, becauſe of the meanneſſe of the Meſſengers: But let them know, that as he laughed himſelf to death, in laughing them to ſcorn, ſo may theſe laugh themſelves to damnation before they are aware: and as for us, Call they us, and count they us as they pleaſe, Prieſt, and croaking Calviniſts, and what they will; yet may not we anſwer that our Maſter hath none more noble to ſend, or that he cannot come in greater Port: for Pſal. 18.9, 10. He bowed the Heavens, and came downe. and darkneſſe was under his feet: And he rode upon a Cherub, and did flie; yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind, ſo Iſai. 19.1. Behold, the Lord rideth upon a ſwift Cloud. And this might be his Port.
So might Angels alſo be his Meſſengers, 1.7. Who maketh his Angels Spirits, and his Miniſters flaming fire. Chriſt could goe a wooing in a whirlwind, as the Lord came to anſwer Job, Iob. 38.1. And all his Attendants ſhould be flaming fire. If he give but a word among the Angels, great verily ſhall be the number, and company of thoſe that publiſh it, Pſal. 68.11. So that you ſee, it is choice, and not conſtraint, the free pleaſure of the Lord to make uſe of ſuch as wee are, as Embaſſadors for Chriſt.
2ly, 'Tis of abundant condeſcenſion.Secondly, It is out of an abundance of Condeſcentſion to all our infirmities and frailties, to mean mens weak Capacities, and to all our ſtrong unbelief.
1. To the infirmity of all our Natures.Firſt, 'Tis riches of Condeſcenſion to the weakneſſe of all our Natures, that Chriſt comes a wooing in ſo meane a Port, and by ſuch deſpiſed Meſſengers. Friends, God could have ſent an Angell from Heaven this day in my poore roome, to have wooed you for Chriſt; and I dare ſay, Glad would the chiefe among the Angels have been of ſuch an employment: and now behold a poor handfull of deſpicable duſt in your Pulpit, a vile ſinner, a man of unclean lips, and dwelling among a people of unclean lips; and he muſt eſpouſe you to one Husband, hee muſt wooe you for Jeſus Chriſt. Yea, but if an Angell had come to preach, where would you have ſat to heare? Alas! alas! if God had come to preach Goſpel to you from Mount Sion to day, as he once did preach Law to Iſrael from Mount Sinai, when there were thunders, and lightnings, and Clouds upon the Mount, and the exceeding loud voice, as Exod. 19.16. Oh! we ſhould have the ſtouteſt heart of you comming before next Sermon, as they in the next Chapter, Ezod. 20.18, 19. And all the people, when they ſaw the lightning, and thunders, and Mountaine ſmoaking, &c. they ſaw it, and removed, and ſtood afar off, and ſaid to Moſes, ſpeak thou to us, and we will heare, but let not God ſpeak leſt we dye.
2ly, 'Tis rich Condeſcenſion to the plaineſt amongſt us.2. Particularly to the mean & plain ones amongſt us. May ſome ſay, If Chriſt would not wooe by Angels, or Thunders, yet might he employ great Doctors and Schollars of the world, to preach to us in elegant ſtile, and accurate expreſſions, and then we think we ſhould be won. Ah! but ſtill it is not enticing words of mans wiſdome, but fooliſhneſs (that is plainneſs which they count fooliſhneſſe) of preaching, that Chriſt ordinarily both commiſſions, and crowns with ſucceſſe in this wooing worke, and doubtleſſe in riches of condeſcenſion to the poore. I have often thought, that the moſt learned may underſtand the plaineſt Preacher, but the plain Hearer cannot underſtand the high-flown Preacher: Men may, and ſome doe preach Engliſh, and yet to the ignorant and poore (which yet Chriſt hath ordained to receive the Goſpel) as it were in an unknown language: and how ſhall they receive what they are not able to conceive? Oh! that ſome Doctors in our Iſrael would often aske their Conſciences that Queſtion, 1 Cor. 14.16. What ſhall the perſon that occupieth the place of the unlearned, or plain man do? I am not worthy to adviſe this, yet this will I pray for, becauſe I have had ſome comfort in plaine preaching from thoſe that ſit at the footſtoole, or ſtand in the Alley: and this I know, that God would not have the leaſt of theſe little Ones to periſh; Therefore comes Chriſt a wooing not only by plain men, but alſo by plain language.
3ly,3ly, To the weakneſſe of our faith. 'Tis riches of Condeſcenſion to the weakneſſe of our faith. If a Great man ſhould come to ſome poor widdow of you in Gold, or Crimſon, or Scarlet, &c. Could you believe he intended to marry you in good earneſt? we finde it worke hard enough to perſwade convicted ſinners, that Chriſt, thus mean as his Port is, will indeed marry ſuch as they are: and I cannot think, but that if his Pomp, his wooing pomp were greater, by ſo much would their unbeliefe be greater. What, ſuch a Prince marry me? ſure he never ſaid ſo, or if he hath ſo ſaid, I cannot imagine that ever he will ſo do. But now if a mighty Prince ſhould come a wooing diſguiſed (as I may ſay with reverence to Chriſt) in as meane habit and Port as thine own, thou wilt not be ſo afraid or aſhamed to keep his Company, or ſo unwilling to believe his reality. This Moſes foreſaw, and foreſpake of concerning Chriſt, Deut. 18.15. The Lord will raiſe thee up a Prophet of thy Brethren, out of the midſt of thee like unto me, unto him ſhall you hearken. Oh! it gives great advantage to our otherwiſe unperſwaſible hearts, that Chriſt comes a wooing to us as one of our Brethren, and as like us in all things (ſinne excepted.) Upon this account we can entertaine ſome little beliefe, that when Chriſt wooes us, hee doth not mock us, Heb. 12. We are not come to mount Sinai, but mount Sion, &c. verſ. 18. And in the cloſe of the Catalogue of your company there, to Jeſus the Mediator, and the bloud of ſprinkling, that ſpeaks better things then the bloud of Abel; 'tis crucified Chriſt unto whom! wooe you, let this ſpeake encouragement to you, that Chriſt will have you. And methinks you might believe, that that Chriſt that hath choſen ſuch a wretch as I know my ſelf to be, for his ſpokeſman to thee, will not diſdain to chuſe thee (though a wretch in owne eyes) for a ſpouſe to himſelfe.
3ly, 'Tis with a rich compenſetion.3ly, Though he come a wooing in poore Port, as to the eye of ſence, yet with a rich compenſation as to the eye of faith. Therefore rejoyce O daughter of Sion, for though thy King is meek and lovely, riding upon an Aſſe, yet he comes having ſalvation. Zach. 9.9. You call ſuch preaching fooliſhneſs, but it pleaſeth God thereby to ſave them that believe, 1 Cor. 1.21.
Chriſt comes in meane Port, but with a rich Preſent: behold, (whatever his Port be) his reward is with him, and 'tis no leſſe then Salvation. When Satan comes a wooing, 'tis in the Hackney-Coach of this world, laden with lies, and gilded with deceit. Now then if you will deſpiſe this day, the poore ſpokeſman of the Lord Chriſt; yet neglect not Chriſt, though his pomp be ſmall, leſt you neglect ſo great a ſalvation.
2ly, As to this wooing perſon.2ly, As to Chriſts wooing perſon. Againſt that alſo carnall hearts are prejudiced. To remove which,
Conſider theſe four things.
1. As deſpicable as Chriſts perſon is to the carnal,1. If it be to be deſpiſed, yet not by us, whoſe perſons are to be lothed. and unregenerate eye; yet what can be objected by the carnall and unregenerat heart? Though there be any thing of uncomlineſſe to be objected unto him, yet unworthily by thee. Is he naked, and in his blood? Canſt thou ſay, that there is no form in him, or comlineſſe deſirable? Read Ezek. 16. And tell me, when thou haſt laid it to heart, if he be not a ſuiter (make the worſt of it) good enough for thee, who art naked, and in thy bloud, and thy perſon to be loathed, as well as thou art, as to thy ſtate, an outcaſt and forlorn.
2ly,2ly, Chriſt is beautifull, if not to thy ſence, yet to thy conſcience. As uncomely as Chriſts outward appearance is to thy outward ſence, yet how beautiful is the inſide of him to thine inward Conſcience? As ſhe ſaith of her ſelfe, who is his Spouſe: I am black, but comely, or as the ſpirit of God of her, The Kings daughter is all glorious within: glorious, and all glorious, at leaſt wiſe all glorious within: ſo may we, ſo muſt we; yea, ſo ſhalt thou ſay of Jeſus Chriſt. The Angells call him an holy thing, yea the Devils ſaw him looke ſo like his Father, that they acknowledged him to be the Son of God. Yea doubtleſſe, whatever thy fleſh and thy heart now ſay, yet ſhall Chriſt be glorious in the Conſciences of the worſt of men: yea of Devils unto all eternity. He that comes riding upon the Colt of an Aſſe is juſt, as well as having ſalvation, (therefore lovely both in Port and Perſon, though deſpiſed by the world in both) Zach. 9.9.
3ly, Even Chriſts crucified outſide is glorious in the eyes of the God of glory.3ly, Yea; and the very outſide of Jeſus Chriſt, contemned by the vain-glorious world, is exceeding glorious even to admiration in the eyes of the God of glory, that ſurely knows better what beauty, glory, comlineſſe, &c. are, then ſuch a vaine worme as thou art, ſee Iſai. 63.1. God ſpeaks there unto Chriſt, and of Chriſt, Who is this that commeth from Edom with dyed Garments, from Boſrah? this that is glorious in his Apparel? I that ſpeake in righteouſneſs, mighty to ſave (ſaith Chriſt by way of anſwer) God asks the Queſtion, as if he wondered at the glory, & as if Chriſt were glorified [quâ] crucified; as if his Croſs were his Throne, his Crown of Thorns were his crown of Glory; and his blood-ſcarlet were his richeſt Robe. Yea, view Rev. 19. where you have Chriſt in Majeſtie upon his white horſe, verſe 11. And on his head many Crowns, and verſe 12. He was cloathed in a veſture dipt in blood, and his name was called the Word of God. As if Chriſt Crowned and poſſeſſed of glory, did borrow a Robe of Christ crucified, to make up his glory.
4ly. If his viſage be marred, yet to be more loved by thee, becauſe it was marred for thee.4ly, Objecteſt thou, that the Viſage of Chriſt is marred more then any mans. Anſwer thy ſelfe, and take away this prejudice by believing. Sirs, whom was it for, that he was bruiſed, battered, buffeted, ſmiten, spit upon, ſcorned, ſcourged, rent, torn, and wounded? Was it not the chaſtiſment of thy peace? are not his wounds and ſtripes for thy healing? and were they not for thine iniquities? and not for his own? Read Iſai. 53. And tell me, if thou dareſt now deſpiſe his perſon, and not (as Joſeph) make much of his Crucified Corps, I meane ſpiritually. Dareſt thou ſtumble at that Croſs whereon he hung for thee? Wilt thou love him the worſe for skars, which he gat by ſtanding between thee and the ſtroke of divine vengeance, for venturing his owne life to ſecure thine? My friends! what ſhall we make of ſuch a ſoule? If this be not to returne hatred in the higheſt kind, for love in the higheſt: if this be not to kick againſt tendereſt bowels, to give a Scorpion for an Egge, to returne a Stone for a Fiſh; yea, for his beſt worke to ſtone him, let Conſcience judge. Greater love hath no man then that: greater hatred can no man have then this: 'Tis as if this ſhould render a ſuiter contemptible to ſome woman of yours, becauſe hee hazarded his life to ſave thine. The Emperour could affectionately kiſſe the Martyrs deformity, where he had in the foregoing perſecution loſt an Eye, accounting his blinde ſide moſt beautiful, becauſe he had loſt an eye for Chriſt. Now Chriſt loſt not eye, or a tooth, or a limb, but his life for thee; and being now come to life again, he comes a wooing to thee: Oh! wilt not thou waſh with thy very teares, thoſe pierced feet? wilt thou not kiſſe thoſe pierced hands? wilt thou not annoint thoſe precious Temples of his head, ſo torn with the thornes of thy wilderneſs? or wilt thou make a ſcorn of him, ſeeing thou wert in the ſame condemnation with him? yea, and it was for thy default, & not his; when he already was derided, deſpiſed, rejected, pierced for thee; ſhall he againe be derided, deſpiſed, rejected and pierced by thee? I hope better things of you my believing Brethren, and fellow Chriſtians.