BOOK 6. THE DEATH.
CHAPTER 3.
6.3.7. Of Joying in Jesus in that Respect.
Of Joying in Jesus in that Respect.
Let us joy in Jesus, as carrying on the great work of our salvation in his sufferings and death; what hath Christ suffered for us? Hath he drunk off all the cup of God's wrath, and left none for us? How should we be but cheered? Precious souls! Why are you afraid? There is no death, no hell, "no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus," Rom. viii. 1. There is no divine justice for them to undergo, that have their share in this death of Christ; oh! the grace and mercy that is purchased by this means of Christ! oh! the waters of comfort that flow from the sufferings and obedience of Christ! Christ was amazed that we might be cheered, Christ was imprisoned, that we might be delivered; Christ was accused, that we might be acquitted; Christ was condemned, that we might be redeemed; Christ suffered his Father's wrath, and came under it, that the victory might be ours, and that in the end we might see him face to face in glory: is not here matter of joy? It may be the law, and sin, and justice, and conscience, and death, and hell, may appear as enemies, and disturb thy comforts; but is there not enough in the blood of Christ to chase them away? Give me leave but to frame the objections of some doubting souls, and see whether Christ's death will not sufficiently answer, and solve them all.
1. One cries thus, "Oh! I know not what will become of me, my sins are ever before me;" "Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight," Psal. li. 3, 4. "I have sinned against a most dear, and gracious, and merciful God and Father in our Lord Jesus; O the aggravation of my sins! Are they not sins above measure sinful!"
It may be so, but the blood of Christ is "a fountain opened for sins and for uncleanness, Zech. xiii. 1. -- In him we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, Eph. i. 7. He by himself purged our sins, Heb. i. 3. -- And now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, Heb. ix. 26. -- And Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, verse 28. (Anenegchein,) to bear away the sins of many." As the scape goat under the law had upon his head all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and so was "sent away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness," Lev. xvi. 21, 22, so the Lord Jesus (of whom that goat was a type) had all the iniquities of his elect laid upon him by God his Father; and bearing them, he took them away, "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world," John i. 29. He bore them, and bore them away; he went away with them into the wilderness, or into the land of forgetfulness. See what comfort is here.
2. Another cries thus, "Oh! I know not what will become of me, the law is mine enemy, I have transgressed the law, and it speaks terribly," "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them," Gal. iii. 10. "Oh! I have offended the law, and I am under the curse."
Say not so, for by the death of Christ, though the law be broken, yet the curse is removed; the apostle is clear, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us," Gal. iii. 13. He was made a curse for us, (i.e.) the fruits and effects of God's curse, the punishment due to sinners, the penal curse which justice required, was laid upon Christ; and by this means we are freed from the curse of the law. It is true, that without Christ thou art under this law, do, or die; and if thou offendest in the least kind, thou shalt perish forever, the curse of the law is upon thee to the uttermost; but on the other side, if thy claim be right to the blood of Christ, thou art freed from penalty, not but that we may be corrected and chastised; but what is that to the eternal curse which the law pronounceth against every sin? We are freed from the curse, or damnatory sentence of the law, "There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus," Rom. viii. 1. the law is satisfied, and the bond is cancelled by our surety Christ. Oh! What comfort is this?
3. Another cries thus, "Oh! I know not what will become of me, I have offended justice; and what shall I appeal from the seat of justice to the throne of grace? My sins are gone before, and they are knocking at heaven's gates, and crying justice Lord on this sinner; I know not what will be the issue, but either free grace must save me, or I am gone."
Say not so, for by this death of Christ, free grace and justice are both thy friends. However some do, yet certainly thou needs not to appeal from the court of justice to the mercy-seat; in this mystery of godliness there may be as much comfort in standing before the bar of justice, as the mercy-seat, (i.e.) by standing therein, and through the Lord Jesus Christ; yea, this is the gospel-way, to go to God the Father, and to tender up to him the active and the passive righteousness of Christ his Son for an atonement and satisfaction for our sins; in this way is the comfort of justification brought; if we go to God in any other way than this, it is but in a natural way, and not in a true evangelical way. A man by nature may know thus much, that when he hath sinned, he must seek unto God for mercy, but to seek unto God for pardon with a price in our hands, to tender up the merits of Jesus Christ for a satisfaction to divine justice: here is the mystery of faith: and yet I speak not against relying on God's mercy for pardon, but what need we to appeal from justice to mercy, when by faith we may tender the death of Christ, and so find acceptance with the justice of God itself? Come, soul, and let me tell thee for thy comfort, if thou hast any share in the death of Christ, thou hast two tenures to hold thy pardon and salvation by, "Mercy and justice, free grace and righteousness:" mercy in respect of thee, and justice in respect of Christ; not only is free grace ready to acquit thee, but a full price is laid down to discharge thee of all thy sins; so that now when the prince of this world comes against thee, thou mayest say in some sense as Christ did, he can find nothing in me; for how can he accuse me seeing Christ is my surety? Seeing the bond hath been sued, and Christ Jesus would not leave one farthing unpaid. As Paul said to Philemon concerning Onesimus, "if he have wronged thee, or owe thee anything, put it on my account, so doth Christ say to God, if these have wronged thy majesty, or owe thee anything, put it on me." Paul indeed added, "I Paul have written it with mine own hand;" but Christ speaks thus, "I Jesus have ratified and confirmed it with my own blood."
4. Another cries thus, "Oh! I know not what will become of me, the first threat that ever was, "(in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die," Gen. ii. 17,) now sits on my spirit; methinks I see the grisly form of death standing before me; Oh! this is he that is the king of fears, the chief of terrors, the inlet to all those plagues in another world; and die I must, there is no remedy. Oh! I startle, and am afraid of it."
And why so, "It is Christ that died," Rom. viii. 34. And by his death he hath taken away the sting of death, that now the drone may hiss, but cannot hurt: come, meditate much upon the death of Christ, and thou shalt find matter enough in his death, for the subduing of thy slavish fears of death, both in the merit of it, in the effect of it, and in the end of it.
(a). In the merit of it, Christ's death is meritorious, and in that respect, the writ of mortality is but to the saints a writ of ease, a passage unto glory.
(b). In the effect of it, Christ's death is the conquest of death: Christ went down into the grave to make a back door, that the grave which was before a prison, might now be a thorough-fare; so that all his saints may with ease pass through, and sing, "O death where is thy sting! O hell, where is thy victory?"
(c). In the end of it, Christ's death amongst other ends, aims "at the ruin of him that had the power of death, that is the devil: and to deliver them, who through fear of death, were all their life-time in bondage," Heb. ii. 14, 15. Christ pursued this end in dying, to deliver them from the fear of death; and if now thou fearest, thy fearing is a kind of making Christ's death of none effect. O come, and with "joy draw water out of the wells of salvation?" Isa. xii. 3.
5. Another cries thus, "Oh! I know not what will become of me; the very thoughts of hell, seem to astonish my heart: methinks I see a little peep-hole down in hell, and the devil roaring there, being reserved in chains under darkness, until the judgment of the great day: and methinks I see the damned flaming, and Judas, and all the wicked in the world, and they of Sodom and Gomorrah, there lying and roaring, and gnashing their teeth: now, I have sinned, and why should not I be damned? Oh! Why should not the wrath of God be executed on me, yea, even upon me."
I answer the death of Christ acquits thee of all, "Blessed is he that hath a part in the first resurrection, on such the second death hath no power," Rev. xx. 6. Christ's death hath taken away the pains of the second death, yea, pains and power too, for it shall never oppress such as belong to Christ. If hell and devils could speak a word of truth, they would say, "Comfort yourselves, ye believing souls, we have no power over you, for the Lord Jesus hath conquered us, and we have quite lost the cause." Paul was very confident of this, and therefore he throws down the gauntlet, and challengeth a dispute with all comers, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died," Rom. viii. S3, 34. Let sin, and the law, and justice, and death, and hell, yea, and all the devils in hell unite their forces: this one argument of Christ's death, (it is Christ that died) will be enough to confute and confound them all.
Come then, and comfort yourselves all believers in this death of Christ; what, do you believe? And are you confident that you do believe? Why then do you sit drooping? "What manner of communications are these that you have, as ye walk and are sad?" Luke xxiv. 17. Away, away dumpishness, despair, disquietness of spirit! Christ is dead, that you might live and be blessed; in this respect, every thing speaks comfort, if you could but see it; God and men, heaven and earth, angels and devils; the very justice of God itself is now your friend, and bids you go away comforted, for it is satisfied to the full; heaven itself waits on you, and keeps the doors open that your souls may enter; "We have boldness, (saith the apostle) to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the veil; that is to say, his flesh," Heb x. 20. Christ's death hath set open all the golden gates and doors of glory; and therefore go away cheerfully, and get you to heaven, and when you come there, be discouraged or discomforted if you can. O my soul, I see thou art poring on sin, on thy crimson sins, and scarlet sins; but I would have thee dwell on that crimson scarlet blood of Christ; oh! it is the blood of sprinkling; it speaks better things than the blood of Abel, it cries for mercy, and pardon, and refreshing, and salvation; thy sins cry, "Lord, do me justice against such a soul;" but the blood of Christ hath another cry, "I am abased, and humbled, and I have answered all." Methinks this should make my heart leap for joy; Oh the honey, the sweet that we may suck out of the blood of Christ! Come lay to thy mouth, and drink an hearty draught, it is this spiritual wine that makes merry the heart of man, and it is the voice of Christ to all his guests, "Eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved," Cant. v. 1.