Christ Set Forth, Book II: What Support Christ's Death Affords to Faith

What support or matter of triumph Christ’s death affords to faith for Justification.

Now having thus directed your Faith to the right object, Christ, and Christ as dying; let us secondly see what matter of support and encouragement faith may fetch from Christ’s death, for Justification. And surely that which hath long ago satisfied God himself for the sins of many thousand souls now in heaven, may very well serve to satisfy the heart and conscience of any sinner now upon earth, in any doubts in respect oi the guilt of any sins that can arise. We see that the Apostle here, after that large discourse of Justification by Christ’s righteousness, in the former part of this Epistle to the Romans, and having shewed how every way it abounds, chap. 5th, he now in this 8th chapter, doth as it were sit down like a man over convinced; as verse 31st, What then shall we saij to these things? He speaks as one satisfied, and even astonished with abundance of evidence; having nothing to say, but only to admire God and Christ in this work: and therefore presently throws down the gauntlet, and challengeth a dispute in this point with all new comers. Let conscience, and carnal reason, Law, and Sin, Hell and Devils brin? in all their strength, Who is he shall lay any linn? to the charge of God’s Elect? who shall condemn? Paul dares to answer them all, and carry it with these few words, It is God that justifies, It Is Christ that died. And as in verse 37, We arc more than conquerors in (ill these. It was this that brought in the Prodigal, that in his Father’s house there was bread enough. And so likewise he, whoever he was, who was the author of the 130th Psalm, when his soul was in deep distress by reason of his sins, verse 1, 2, yet this was it that settled his heart to wait upon God, that there was plenteous redemption with him. Christ’s redemption is not merely (antilutron) a price or ransom equivalent, or making due satisfaction according to the just demerit of sin, but it is plenteous redemption; there is an abundance of the gijt of righteousness, Rom. v. 17, and unsearchable riches of Christ, Eph. iii. 8. Yea, 1 Tim. i. 14, the grace of our Lord, that is, of Christ, as verse 12, (uperpleonase) we translate it, was abundant, but the word reacheth farther, it was over full, redundant, more than enough. And yet, says Paul, verse 13th, I had sins enough to pardon, as one would think, that might exhaust it, was a blasphemer, But I found so much grace in Christ, even more than I knew what to do withal.

I shall not insist so largely on this first head of Christ’s dying, as upon those three following, be cause it is the main subject of another Discourse, (which, through God’s grace, I intend to publish, though in another method) only, for a taste, to instance in some few particulars, shewing how Christ’s satisfaction may be opposed, and set against the guilt of a poor sinner’s offences. What is there that can be said to aggravate sin in the general, or any man’s particular sins, that may not be answered out of this, Christ hath died? and something be considered in it, which the conscience may oppose thereto? So that whatever evil, which according to the rules of spiritual reason, (which the righteous Law proceedeth by, and containeth as the foundation of its righteousness in condemning or aggravating sin) a man’s conscience may suggest to be in sin; oppositely hereunto, may a man’s faith, according to the like rules of true spiritual reason, shew a more transcendant goodness to have been in Christ’s death, which the Gospel reveals, and so may oppose the one to the other, and have as go@d reason to shew why sin should not condemn (from Christ’s death) as conscience can have, that the law may condemn.

As first, Is sin the transgression of the Law? Christ dying, the law-maker, was subjected to the law; and will not that make amends? Is sin the debasement of God’s glory, manifested in his word and works? Christ’s dying was the debasement and emptying of the brightness of his glory in the highest measure, who was God personally manifested in the flesh. The one of them is but as the darkening the shine or lustre of the sun upon a wall, but the other is as the obscuring the sun itself. Sins highest evil lies in offending God; but Christ’s righteousness is, oppositely, the righteousness of God himself; or Jehovah made our righteousness. So that God in our sin is considered but as the object against whom: but God in this our righteousness, is the subject from whom, and m whom this righteousness comes, and is seated. And so his Godhead answerably gives a higher worth to it, by how much the alliance which the subject hath to an action of its own, that proceeds from it, is nearer than that which an object hath, against which the action is committed.

Or secondly, what peculiar aggravations or circumstances are there in thy sins, to weigh thee down; with which some circumstances in Christ’s obedience and death may not be paralleled, to lift thee up again?

As first, Is it the greatness of thy sin in the substance of the fact committed? hath there been lewdness in thy wickedness? as the Prophet speaks. Consider what guilt of how heinous crimes God suffered to be laid to Christ’s charge by profane men, when he was made an offering for sin. He died as a traitor to his prince, and a blasphemer of God in the highest kind of blasphemy, as making himself equal with God; an impostor, a seducer, yea a devil, yea a prince of devils, than whom a murderer was esteemed more worthy to live. Which imputations, though by men unjustly charged on him, yet by God were so ordered as just, in respect of his bearing our sins. For him who was holiness itself, to be made the greatest of sinners, yea to be made sin, and the worst of sins, and accordingly to suffer from God and men; what greater satisfaction for the taking of sins away, can be desired or imagined?

Or secondly, dost thou aggravate thy sins by the naughtiness of thy heart in sinning, and sayst that the inward carriage thereof hajh been much worse than the outward? Look thou into the heart of Jesus Christ dying, and behold him struggling with his Father’s wrath, thou wilt find the sufferings of bis

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soul more than those of his body, and in them to lie the soul of his sufferings.

Thirdly, may thy sin be aggravated, in that thou didst commit it with so great delight and greediness, and pouredst out thy heart unto it? Consider that Christ offered himself more willingly than ever thou didst sin: Lo, I come, says he, in the 40th Psalm, / ddiht to do thy mil: and how am I straitened “till it be accomplished? Luke xii. 5G. And though to shew how great an evil and misery it was in itself, he shewed an averseness to it; yet as it was his Father’s will for our salvation, he heartily embraced, and drank off that cup unto the bottom.

Fourthly, didst thou sin with much deliberation, and when thou mightest have avoided it? There was this circumstance in Christ’s stifle rings to answer that, that he knew all he icas to suffer, and yet yielded up himself, as John xviii. 4.

Fifthly, hast thou sinned presumptuously, and made a covenant with death and hell? Christ in like manner offered up himself by a covenant and complot with his Father so to do.

Sixthly, are there any especial circumstances of time, and place, £c. that aggravate thy sins? As first, that so great a person in the Church should scandalize the name of God in sinning. Why, how great a person was Christ? even equal with God the Father; and yet how greatly humbled? even to the death; his offices of King, Priest, and Prophet being debased with him: how great a name had he? as ilc b. i. 4, which notwithstanding was dishonoured more than ever any man’s. Or, secondly, that thou sinncdst at such a time, or in such a company, which

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sometimes serve to make a sin the more heinous: Consider how God contrived to have the shame and affliction of his Son’s death aggravated by all these circumstances. It was of deaths the most accursed; at a time most solemn; in a place most infamous; with company most wretched.

Thus might we find out that in Christ’s sufferings and satisfaction made, that would fitly answer to any thing in our sins; and so thereby we should be the more relieved. And though the whole body of his sufferings do stand and answer for the whole bulk of our sinnings; yet the consideration of such particulars will much conduce to the satisfying of an humbled and dejected soul, about the particulars of its sinnings.

Therefore, to conclude, get your hearts and con* sciences distinctly and particularly satisfied in the all sufficiency of worth and merit which is in the satisfaction that Christ hath made. As it is a fault and defect in humiliation, that men content themselves with a general apprehension and notion that they are sinners, and so never become thoroughly humbled; so is it a defect in their faith, that they content themselves with a superficial and general conceit, that Christ died for sinners; their hearts not being particularly satisfied about the transcendant all sufficiency of his death. And thence it is, that i time of temptation, when their abounding sinfulness comes distinctly to be discovered to them, and charged upon them, they are then amazed, and their faith nonplused, as not seeing that in Christ which might answer to all that sinfulness. But as God saw that in Christ’s death which satisfied him; SQ you should endeavour by faith to see that worth im it which may satisfy God, and then your faith will is it down as satisfied also. If a man were to dispute for his life some hard and difficult controversy, wherein are many great and strong objections to be taken away; he would be sure to view, and study, and ponder all that might be said on that other part which he were to hold, in way of answer to them, and to get such a clear and convincing light, as might make the truth of his position apparent and manifest through those clouds of objections that hang in the way. Now you will all be thus called one day to dispute for your souls, sooner or later, and therefore such skill you should endeavour to get, in Christ’s righteousness, how in its fulness and perfection it answereth to all your sinfulness; that your hearts may be able to oppose it against all that may be said of any particular, in or about your sins; that in all the conflicts of your spirits, you may see that in it, which could clear your whole score: and that if God would but be pleased to impute it to you, you might say, I durst presently come to an account with him, and cut scores with his law and justic6.

Thus much of the first thing made the object of foith; namely, Christ as dying.

TILL

GLORIES OF CHRIST.