Christ Set Forth, Book II: What Faith Is to Look At in Christ's Death

What, in Christ’s death, faith seeking justification, is especially t» eye and look at.

Now then, a second direction for faith towards Christ as dying, is, Faith is principally and mainly to look unto the end, meaning, and intent of God, and Christ in his sufferings, and not simply at the tragical story of his death and sufferings. It is the heart, and mind, and intent of Christ in suffering, which faith chiefly eyeth, and which draweth the heart on to rest on Christ crucified. When a believer sees that Christ’s aim in suffering for poor sinners agrees and answers to the aim and desires of his heart, and that that was the end of it that sinners might have forgiveness, and that Christ’s heart was as full in it, to procure it, as the sinner’s heart can be to desire it, this draws his heart in to Christ, to rest upon him. And without this, the contemplation and meditation of the story of his sufferings, and of the greatness of them, will be altogether unprofitable. And yet all or the chief use that Papists, and many carnal Protestants make of Christ’s sufferings, is to meditate upon, and set out to themselves the grieviousness of them, so to move their hearts to a relenting, and a compassion to him, and indignation against the Jews for their crucifying of him, with an admiring of his noble and heroical love herein: and if they can but get their hearts thus affected, they judge and account this to be grace; when as it is no more than what the like tragical story of some noble personage, full of heroical virtues and ingenuity, yet inhumanly and ungratefully used, will work, and useth ordinarily to work, in ingenuous spirits, who read or hear of it; yea, and this oft-times, though it be but in a way of a fiction: which, when it reacheth no higher, is so far from being faith, that it is but a carnal and fleshly devotion, springing from fancy, which is pleased with such a story, and the principles of ingenuity stirred towards one who is of a noble spirit and yet abused. Such stories use to stir up a principle of humanity in men, unto a compassionate love, which Christ himself found fault with, as being not spiritual nor raised enough, in those women who went weeping to see the Messiah so handled; Weep not for me, says he: that is, weep not so much for this, thus to see me so unworthily handled by those for whom I die.

And, therefore, accordingly as these stirrings arc but fruits of the flesh, so human inventions, as crucifixes, and lively representations of the story of Christ’s passion unto the sight of fancy, do exceedingly provoke men to such devotional meditations and affections; but they work a bare

historical faith only, an historical remembrance, a o and an-historical love, as I may so call them. And no other than such doth the reading of the story of it in the word, work in many, who yet are against such crucifixes. But saving, justifying faith, chiefly minds and is mostly taken up with the main scope a.d drift of all Christ’s sufferings: for it is that in them which answers to its own aim and purpose, which is to obtain forgiveness of sins in Christ crucif’.ed. As God looks principally at the meaning of t/:( Spirit in prayer, (Rom. xiii.) so doth faith look principally to the meaning of CJtrist in his sufferings. As in all other truths a believer is said to have the wind of Christ ( 1 Cor. ii. 16) so especially he minds what was the mind and heart of Christ in all his sufferings. And therefore you may observe that the drift of all the Apostles’ epistles is to shew the in tent of Christ’s sufferings, how he was therein set forth to be a propitiation for sin: to bear our sins upon the tree; to make our peace, se. He wan made sin, that we might he made the righteousness of God in him. As in like manner, the scope of the Evangelists is to set forth the story of them, for that is necessary to be known also. And thus did that evangelical Prophet, Isaiah, chiefly set forth the intent of Christ’s sufferings for Justification, (Isaiah liii. throughout) as David before had done the story of his passion, Psalm xxii. And thus to shew the use and purpose of his sufferings, was the scope of all the Apostles’ sermons, holding forth the intent of Christ’s passion to be the Justification and salvation of sinners: This iff a faithful saying, and icorthy o, all acceptation, that C/trist came into the world to save sinners, 1 Tim. i. 15. And they still set forth what the plot was at which

IN HIS DEATH. 5l

God, by an ancient designment, aimed at in the sufferings of Christ; which was an end higher than men or angels thought on, when he was put to death. And thus faith takes it up, and looks at it. And upon this doth Peter in his Sermon, (Acts 2.) pitch their faith, where having first set forth the heincusness of their sin in murdering the Lord oj Lijc, then to raise up their hearts again, that so seeing God’s end in it, they might be drawn to believe, he tells them, that all this was done by the determinate counsel of God, verse 23d, and that for a further end than they imagined, even for the remission of sins through his Name, as in the close of that Sermon he shews. It was not the malice of the Jews, the falseness of Judas, the fearfulness of Pilate, or the iniquity of the times he fell into, that wrought his death, so much as God his Father complotting with Christ himself, and aiming at a higher end than they did: there was a farther matter in it; it was the execution of an ancient contrivance and agreement, whereby God made Christ Sin, and laid our sins upon him. God was in Christ, (not imputing our sins to us, but) making him sin, 2 Cor. v. 20. Which Covenant, Christ came (at his time) into the world to fulfil: Sacrifice and burnt offering thou wouldst not have, Ileb. x. 5, Lo, I come to do thy will, and that will was to pake away sins, lerses4, 10, 12, 14, 15, 1G. These words Christ spake when he took our nature, and when he came into the world, clothed with infirmities like unto us sinners. God sent his Son hi the likeness of slnjul Jlesh, and for sin condemned tin in tht’Jlcxh, Rom. viii. 3. Mark that phrased/or sin, peri is there put for propter, »s John x. 33, (ou (peri) kalou ergon) not Jor a good

•fl GLORIES OF CHRIST

work. That is, riot because of a good work, or for a good work’s sake. So here,yor s’ut, that is, because of sin; sin was the occasion of his taking the likeness of sinful Jlesh: what, to increase it? no, but to condemn it, as it follows: that is, to cast and overthrow it in its power and plea against us; that instead of sins condemning us, he might condemn sin, and that we might have the righteousness of the Law, verse 5. This phrase,^ sin, is like unto that in Rom. vi. 10, He died unto sin, that is, for sins cause; for so the opposition that follows evinceth, in that he liveth, he liveth unto God, that is, for God and his glory. So he died merely for sin, that sin might have its course in justice, and for its sake suffered death, so putting to silence the clamour of it. The death of Christ was the greatest and strangest design that ever God undertook, and acted: and therefore surely had an end proportionable unto it. God that wlllcth not the death of a sinner, would not for any inferior end will the death of his Son, whom he loved more than all creatures besides. It must needs be some great matter for which God should contrive the death of his Son, so holy, so innocent, and separate from sinners; neither could it be any other matter, than to destroy that which he most hated, and that was, Sin; and to set forth that which he most delighted in, and that was Mercy. So Romans iii. 25, 26. And accordingly Christ demeaned himself in it, not at all looking at the Jews, or their malice, but at his Father’s command and intent in it. And therefore when he was to arise to go unto that place where he should be taken, and carried to slaughter, As the Father ave me commandment, says he, so do I: Arise, let

us hence, John xiv. 31. And when Judas went out at Christ’s own provocation of him, What thou doest, do quickly, says he, the Son of man goeth as it was determined; he looked to his Father’s purpose in it. When he went out to be taken, it is said, Jesus knowing all t h ings that should befall him, went forth, John xviii. 4. And when he was in his agony in the Garden, whom doth he deal with but his Father? Father, says he, //’ it be possible let this cup pass: and God made his Passion of so great necessity, that it was even im possible that that cup should pass. Indeed, had Christ stood in his own stead, it had been an easy request, yea, justice to grant it; and so he tells Peter, that he could command millions of angels to his rescue; but he merely submits unto his Father, Not my will, but thy will be done, for God had laid upon him the iniquities of us all, Isaiah, liii.

Let our faith therefore look mainly to this design and plot of God and of Christ in his suffering, to satisfy for our sins, and to justify us sinners. When we consider him as born flesh and blood, and laid in a manger, think we withal, that his meaning was to condemn sin in ourjlesh, Rom. viii. 4. So when we read of him fulfilling all, or any part of righteousness, take we his mind in withal, to be, that the Law might fa fulfilled in us, as it follows there, who were then represented in him; and so the fulfilling of it is accounted ours. Behold we him in his life time, as John the Baptist did, even as the Lamb of God, bear ing and taking away the sins of the world; and when upon the cross, let our faith behold the iniquities of us all met in him: Surely he hath borne our sorrows, (bearing our sins in his own body on the tree) ami thereby once offered to bear the sins of mam/, Heb. ix. &c. This intent of Christ in all that he did and suffered, is that welcome news, and the very spirit of the Gospel, which faith preys and seizeth on.