7. SERM. VII. The Fourth Sermon on the Excellency of Christ.
SERM. VII. The Fourth Sermon on the Excellency of Christ.
A nd his Name shall be called Wonderful. – Isa. 9:6.
Christ is Wonderful in regard of the glory of the Father that shines in him.
We proceed: The Name of Christ is Wonderful in regard of the wonderful glory of the Father that shines in him; It is in Jesus Christ that God reveals himself, and appears both to men and Angels: It is true, somewhat we might know of the invisible things of God by the things that are seen, as the Apostle speaks in Rom. 1:20, by his great Works of Creation and Providence: but there is as much difference between the Glory of God that shines in all his Works of Creation and Providence, and the Glory of God that shines in the face of Christ, as between the glittering of a Glow-worm in a dark night, and the glory of the Sun in the full strength of it. Now only take this along with you, that God expects that those that do see his glory in Christ, should glorify him in another manner than those that see his glory only shining in the Works of Creation and Providence; that as there is much difference between the shining of the Sun in its full strength, and a Glow-
worm, even so there should be as much difference between believers glorifying God, and heathens, as there is between the Glow-worm, and the glory of the Sun; you should not satisfy yourself except you find that there is some such proportionable difference; for certainly if you have seen God in Christ, you have seen him wonderfully indeed; therefore in 2 Cor. 3:18, saith the Apostle, But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. This Scripture hath very much in it, he speaks of the Gospel, and compares that to a Glass, wherein the glory of God shines, so as we may behold it with open face, and so behold it, as that we are changed into the very same image of it, from glory to glory, from one degree unto another. We may behold the glory of God in the glass of the creature, and never be changed into the same image; but when we behold the glory of God in the glass of the Gospel, we then come to be changed into the same Image, and still to be changed more and more; and with open face we do behold it. And in chap. 4, ver. 6. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined into our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Mark it, he is the knowledge of God, the light of the knowledge of God, and the light of the knowledge of the glory of God; and all this is, in the face of Jesus
Christ; in the face of the creature there may be the knowledge of God, but the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, this is in the face of Jesus
Christ. He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father, saith Christ to Philip; It was a maxim among the Fathers in the time of the Law, that no man could see God, and live, God was so glorious, that they thought that he could not be seen, but it would overwhelm any creature that was in the flesh that should see him; but now mark in that Prophecy that we have of the times of
the Gospel in Isa. 40:3. There is a Prophecy of Christ that is apparent, The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord
(which is in express words applied to John the Baptist the forerunner of Christ; And in the very same words) make straight in the Desert a high way for our God, every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; Then it follows in the fifth verse, And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; before no man could see God and live, Flesh was not able to behold God, but now when the Word was made Flesh, when the times of the Gospel came wherein God would make himself appear through his Son more clearly and fully, now all Flesh shall see it, shall see the glory of the Lord; now the glory of God appears wonderfully in Christ in these four or five particulars.
First, The glory of God's Attributes do shine more brightly in the face of Christ than any other ways; As for instance, The power of God appears infinitely more in Christ, than in making heaven and earth; for God to unite
God and man together in one Person, is a greater work than making heaven and earth; there is more power of God put forth in the hypostatical union of the Natures of Christ, besides all the power of God that appears in the great
Works that Christ did do, and in carrying Christ through all those great Works that he was carried through, than in making of heaven and earth.
There is more power of God appears in the conversion of one soul to Christ, than in making heaven and earth: Then what power of God appears in Christ himself?
And the wisdom of God appears more in Christ, than in the creation of heaven and earth. Now for God to find out such a glorious way of Reconciliation as he hath found out in his Son, in this the wisdom of God is
more glorious than in all his works infinitely, the glory of God's wisdom in other things is darkened in comparison of his wisdom in this; If God had put it to Angels to find out a way of Reconciliation, they could never have guest at such a way as this is; that we should be reconciled in Christ, here is the glory of wisdom.
There likewise doth appear the glory of God's holiness more in Christ than in any other way; it is true, the Law is a glass of God's holiness, and those that cast reproach upon the Law, they spit in the very face of God's holiness; I but that is no such glass as Jesus Christ is, there we see the holiness of God in another manner than we can do it in the holy Law that God hath made. God never shown his hatred of sin so much as he did in Christ, and it cannot be devised by all Angels and men how it were possible to have such an Argument to manifest the hatred of sin so as it is manifested in Christ, that God should deal so with his Son, as he hath done for the sin of man; I say, if an infinite Wisdom should set itself on work never so much to find out an Argument to manifest the hatred of sin, there could not be a greater Argument: So that when God sent his Son into the world to die for man's sin, he did as it were say, I have many ways to manifest my holiness to the children of men, how infinitely I do hate sin, but here is a way that it shall appear to the uttermost, they shall see it in my dealing with my Son; certainly in Christ God's wisdom hath found out an Argument to make us all to be convinced of the infinite holiness of God, that God hates sin more than hell its self, and that we should do so too.
Again, the Justice of God appears in Christ, more than in anything else: It appears not so much in all the torments of the damned, as in God's dealings with Christ, in that he required such satisfaction from him as he did; when as we hear of the dreadful curses of the Law, and of the torments that are in
hell, we may thereby be put in mind of an infinite Justice; Oh how righteous is God in his ways there, and his Justice seems to be wonderful unto us: But when you behold in this red glass of the blood of Christ, God's Justice, it is a great deal more glorious here, than in all the damned in hell. If God should grant to any of you to stand upon the very brink of hell, and there to look into the pit, and see all the torments and tortures there, and hear all the cries there, then you think your hearts would be affected with the Justice of God, to fear it. I but when God makes himself known to you in Christ, when you hear of the sufferings of Christ for sin, God would have you to be more affected with his Justice, and to fear it more, than if you saw all the Torments of hell. And the truth is, there is no such way to set out the Justice of God, as to show the dealing of God with his Son for the sin of man. If I would preach but one Sermon that should be my last, of the Terribleness of God's Justice, I would speak of some Scripture that should show the terribleness of the dealing of God with his Son, and that would set out the Justice of God to be a great deal more glorious than anything else.
And so the glory of God's mercy and goodness is more in Christ than any other thing; we enjoy these outward comforts as a fruit of the bounty and goodness of God; I but what are all these to all the love of God in his Son? I remember a learned man compares all the good things we receive from God, from his general bounty and providence, and his love and mercy that appears in Christ, with a few sparks that come out of a burning furnace, and the heat of it within; look what difference there is between them, such difference is there between the love of God to us in all the comforts in this world, and the love of God in Jesus Christ; God he would have an Argument to manifest the infiniteness of his love unto his creatures, and no
such Argument as this, So God loved the world that he sent forth his only begotten Son.
And so the glory of God's Truth that is manifested in fulfilling Promises, any promise that is fulfilled manifests the glory of God's truth and faithfulness, but now the fulfilling that great Promise of God in sending his
Son into the world, here the truth and faithfulness of God appears more gloriously than in all other; for there was never a promise so difficult as this promise; many men can be content to fulfil promises of smaller moment, when there is no great difficulty in the fulfilling of them, I but here is the greatest Promise that ever was, and there was the greatest difficulty for God to fulfil this promise of anything that ever God did promise; and indeed when as we hear that Christ was promised some four thousand years before he came into the world, and yet at length he came into the world, it is a good Argument to teach us never to doubt of the fulfilling of God's promises; And indeed the right apprehension of God's faithfulness in this great Promise of his Son, will mightily strengthen the faith of the people of God to believe any smaller promises, and not to stagger in them; and the reason why people are so ready to stagger in their belief about smaller promises, it is because they have not been acquainted with the work of faith in believing that great promise that God made with his people in sending his
Son into the world; so that these Attributes with all other, do shine gloriously in Christ. No marvel then though the Angels upon the birth of Christ, they cry out, Glory be to God on high; as if they should say, Oh
Lord, Here is one come into the world, wherein thy glory doth appear, and by whom thou shalt have glory to all eternity: Though Christ was but a Babe in the Manger, yet the Angels did see more glory in him, than in the highest heavens; they did not see so much cause to cry, Glory be to God on
high, from any object that ever they saw, as when they saw the Babe in the Manger, then Oh glory be to God on high, we behold thy glory shining here, and blessed are those that shall be enabled to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; who would not but have beheld the glory of God in his great works? What man or woman that hath any knowledge of God at all, would for a world but have beheld so much of the glory of God as doth appear in the great Works of Creation and Providence; Oh what comfort have the Saints in beholding the glory of the great God, when they look up unto heaven, and upon the earth, and in the seas! Oh but then the sweetness, and soul-satisfaction that there must needs be in the beholding the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ!
And this by the way would be a good evidence of your faith; have you beheld more of God's glory in the face of Christ than ever you did in all the world besides? Yea and hath the glory of God in the face of Christ, darkened all the glory of the world besides unto you? Have your hearts been taken with that glory more, than with all the glory that there is in the world?
Why here would be a good evidence of faith indeed, that you have had a true and real fight of Jesus Christ; we cannot have a real sight of Jesus
Christ, but we must certainly see more of God in him, than in all things else.
And then secondly, As the glory of God's Attributes, so the glory of the great Counsels and Works of God, especially in the governing of man unto his eternal estate, that appears in Christ above all.
As the great Counsels of God in Election, We are chosen in Christ, the great Counsels and Works of God in Vocation, Justification, Adoption,
Reconciliation, Sanctification, and Glorification, these are the great Works that God doth glorify himself in, these are the great things that the thoughts
and counsels of God hath been from all eternity exercised about, whatsoever your thoughts are exercised about, yet I say, the thoughts and counsels of God have been exercised from all eternity about these great
Works of his, Election, Vocation, Justification, Adoption, Reconciliation, Sanctification, Glorification, all these Works whereby he doth order and guide mankind unto an eternal estate. Now the glory of God in all these
Works they are in Christ, Christ he is the head of our Election, and all are chosen in him; what is Vocation but a calling unto Christ, and revealing
Christ to the soul? And so Justification it is in Christ still: And we are made children, adopted in him, and reconciled in him, and sanctified through him, and are to be glorified through him; all these great Works about which the heart of God is so much busied, the glory of God in all these, it doth shine in the face of Christ, and without the knowledge of Christ we could never come to know any of these things. What could the heathen know of God's eternal Election, or Vocation, or Justification, or Adoption, or Glorification, to speak such words to the Heathens as these are in reference to God, it would be barbarism; But now these are the great things of God that are revealed to Christians by Jesus Christ, we come to have all these glorious counsels of God in these great works of his to be opened to us, and Christ is wonderful in all them, and all those that did know what these things mean, they see the glory of God wonderfully in them.
Thirdly, the glory of God is wonderful in Christ, in that all the good and mercy that is in order to eternal life, that God communicates to the children of men, it is through Christ.
Now we mentioned somewhat like to this in the former, when we shown Christ's endowments, that from him we have all Excellencies; But now I only mention it to show how the glory of God the Father is in him, because
that God hath appointed him for the communication of all the good that he doth intend towards the children of men in order to eternal life; now the glory of God must needs be eminent in him this way; for God accounts it a great part of his glory to communicate himself to his creatures, therefore that through which he doth communicate himself, must needs be partaker of abundance of glory; God hath honored Christ in this, that he hath chosen him to be the instrument of the conveyance of all saving good to all the Elect. Now suppose there were a glass that all the beams of the Sun that ever could shine upon the world, were contracted in it, and no beam of the Sun could shine upon the world but thorough that glass, first it must come upon the glass, and shine thorough it, and so shine upon the world, surely this glass would be very glorious. You may conceive of Christ thus,
Conceive of God the Father as the Sun, and of all his elect ones as the world, and Jesus Christ as the glass between the Father, and all the Elect; now all the beams of the love, and mercy, and goodness that ever shall come from God upon all his elect ones, they all come thorough this glass, thorough Jesus Christ; Oh how glorious is Jesus Christ, how wonderful is he then in that glory of the Father!
Fourthly, The glory of the Father is wonderful in him in this, that God the Father attains unto his greatest design, the great design that God had in making of the world, and in the preserving of the world; I say, God attains unto it by his Son, by Jesus Christ, And that design would be lost, if Jesus
Christ did not bring things about for the glory of his Father. God hath made a world for his glory, and he preserves a World for his glory, but the main design that God had in making the world, and that he hath in preserving the world, it is to fetch about a great design that he hath only by Jesus Christ,
and therefore it is that the Father is so well pleased in his Son, because that by him he comes to attain the great design that he hath in making the world.
Quest. You will say, What is that?
Answ. Truth it is, we understand but little of it for the present, but we know in the general it is this, That he might have his elect ones eternally with himself to behold his face, and magnify him together with Angels for his mercy in Jesus Christ, that is the great design that God had; other men have great designs in their heads, but the greatest design that God hath of all, it is to fetch about his honor in his Son, and to glorify himself in his elect ones to all eternity, that is the great design for which he made the world, without which he would never have made it. And God, as I may so say, is well enough satisfied in the midst of all the dishonor that is done to him in this wicked corrupt world, with this consideration, Well, but my Son doth drive on my design, and this pleaseth me; no matter though I be dishonored, though my Name be never so much blasphemed in the world, yet my Son carries on my great design, and the glory I foresee I shall have in the accomplishment of that great design of mine, it doth so please me, that it is no great matter to me what wicked men that belong not to mine
Election do. Christ is wonderful in this, that he carries on the great design that God had from all eternity in making the world.
And then lastly, The glory of God is great in Christ, and therefore wonderful, because it is through him that all the services and praises that God hath from his elect ones, do all come through him: As there is a reflection of the glory of God in the descending of it, when it doth descend upon the elect through Christ, so in the ascending of it again from believers it doth ascend through Christ, there is as great a necessity that when we tender up any honor to God, that it should come through Christ, as when
God lets down any beams of his glory, that that should come through Christ; Christ is as Jacob's Ladder, for God to come down as it were from heaven to us, and for us to ascend up to heaven through him, Eph. 3, last,
Unto him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all Ages world without end. Unto him be glory in the Church (but how) by Christ Jesus; except the glory that you tender up to God goes through Christ, God accounts not himself glorified in it; For whatsoever comes from God to you, except it comes through Christ, it will be to little purpose; so whatsoever comes from you unto God, except it comes through his Son, it is not accepted of God; therefore oh how wonderful is Christ in this, That such glory of the Attributes of God do shine in him? The great Counsels, and Works of God about man's eternal estate are all in him: And all the good that God communicates to his elect ones, all is through him: And the great design that God had from all eternity, he doth attain it by his Son. Lastly,
All the honor that he hath from all his elect ones, it is through his Son. How wonderful is Christ then in regard of the glory of the Father in him? Only as we go along, remember that when we set Christ thus before you, we do it not merely to your understandings, that you may conceive thus of Christ, but as an object of your faith, you must exercise your faith upon Christ, as such a Christ in whom the glory of the Father doth so much appear.
Christ Wonderful in his Humiliation.
The next thing is, Christ is wonderful in his Humiliation; and indeed this may seem to be the greatest Wonder of all, at least to our sense it is, especially if we do understand what hath been said before of Christ, what a Person Christ is; now to hear what we shall hear of his Humiliation, will appear to be an amazing, and an astonishing Wonder.
As first, The wonder of his Humiliation is in this, That Christ, God and man, as you have heard before, should have all the sins of all the elect ones from the beginning of the world, to the end of the world laid upon him. For such a one as Christ is, infinitely beloved of the Father, and equal with the Father, accounted it no robbery to be equal with God, yet that he should stand before God the Father with all the sins of the Elect charged upon him, so the Scripture tells us, 2 Cor. 5:21. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin: He hath made him to be sin for us; for Christ to be made a worm was a wonderful Humiliation, but for Christ to be made sin was a greater Humiliation than to be made a worm; surely this must needs be a wonder to all the Angels in heaven, for them to see such a one, whom they knew to be the eternal Son of God, equal with the Father, to stand before the Father clothed at it were with all the sins of the Elect. We read in Zech. 3, a kind of type of this, in ver. 3, of Joshua the High Priest, he was clothed with filthy Garments, and stood before the Angel, so Jesus Christ stands clothed with filthy Garments, he that is clothed with Majesty and Glory, yet he must come and stand clothed with filthy Garments before the Father. For one to be clothed with filthy garments, and yet to be in some room alone, that nobody should see him, is no great matter, but to see a great Prince to come out before the world clothed with filthy garments, it is a very great humiliation: But Christ that was infinitely above all the Princes in the world, he comes and stands before Men and Angels, yea before God himself clothed with these filthy garments. For a man to have sin upon him before other men it is no great matter, but for him to come into the presence of God with sin upon him, it is a terrible thing. But now the Son of God must do it, he comes into the presence of the Father, and stands with all the sins of the Elect upon him, what an object is here of Wonder? Luther calls
Christ the greatest sinner that ever was in the world, I confess that is somewhat hard, for it was but charged upon him, but his meaning is only this that I am speaking of: Christ had not only the sins of David, his Murder and Adultery, and denial of Peter, and the like, but all the sins of all the elect ones, from the beginning of the world, to the end of the world, which they were, or should be guilty of, charged upon him.
Secondly, The wonder of Christ's Humiliation it is in this, that he that was so high should be now brought down so low for the sin of man; is not this a wonder, that he that thunders in the heavens, should be crying in a Manger?
Is it not a great wonder, that he that framed the heavens and earth, should work with a Carpenter in his Trade; that he that is the great Judge of all the world should be accused, and should be condemned as a Malefactor, and crucified among Thieves? That he that is the Lord of Life should die, that he that dwelt in that light that is unapproachable, should have darkness to cover him, that he that is the blessed God should be made a curse for the sin of man, are not these things wonderful in Christian Religion? And yet all these are things that may be said of Christ; for the Lord of Life to come and die, and that accursed death, this was a wonder that all the world seemed to be affected with, the very insensitive creatures; for at the death of Christ the Sun withdrew his light as being amazed with this wonder, not able to behold it, and the earth shaked and trembled, and the graves opened at this wonder, the very stones clave in sunder at this wonder; there was such a mighty concussion of things at this time, that it made one that knew nothing of the cause of it, One Dionysius, seeing the darkness at that time, and such great things which were done, cry out, Certainly either the God of Nature suffers at this time, or the world is at an end. So great a wonder it was that the Lord of Life should thus die an accursed death; Angels, yea all
insensitive creatures they stood amazed at it, and seemed to be exceedingly affected with it.
And then in the third place, Why, Christ may die, and yet not suffer so much to make us wonder, many of the servants of God have died cruel deaths; But then in the third place, There is a greater wonder in Christs humiliation, than in the sufferings of the servants of God, because though their bodies suffered, yet they had much freedom in their souls, they were filled with joy and comfort in the time of their sufferings, so it was in the Martyrs; Oh but it was otherwise with Christ, though he were the fountain of all consolation, yet Christ suffers in his soul, he was sorrowful in his soul to the very death, he gave his soul to be an offering for sin, and indeed the suffering of Christ's soul, was the soul of his suffering, the chief of his suffering, when as Christ was in the Garden, there he acknowledges that his soul was compassed round about with sorrows, his soul was very sorrowful; and in another Evangelist he began to be amazed, and a third Evangelist saith, he began to be filled with sorrow in his soul, and the very trouble of his soul was that that drew forth from him such a wonderful sweat as never was heard of in the world before, nor never since, nor never is like to be, that a man from distress and trouble of his soul should sweat so: Many a man when he is in fear and trouble of mind, he may sweat; but when did you ever hear of a man out of trouble of mind that did sweat blood, that blood should come and break through his skin, and run down upon him, and this through the trouble of his mind? For there was no bodily affliction upon Christ then, but merely the trouble of his Spirit, and he knowing what cup he was to drink, and the trouble that he suffered in his Soul, did cause the blood to break through his veins, and come to trickle down; and not some thin blood, for so I have read of one in Paris that was condemned to die, and
the very trouble of his spirit did cause some blood to come out of his body, but thin; but the Scripture tells us that there was clodders of blood; and when was this sweat? When he was abroad in the night time, and lay upon the ground, and in the Winter season: In a Winters night when he was abroad, and lay upon the ground, he sweat this sweat, and all from the trouble of his spirit: A man may sweat in Summer, and in Winter in the day time, or in a warm room, or in a bed, but for Christ in a Winters night, and lying upon the ground to sweat such a sweat, for clodders of blood to trickle down, never was Garden watered as this Garden; now who would not have accounted this a Wonder of all Wonders?
Here upon this ground lies groveling the Son of God, the same God that made the heavens and earth, lies here in trouble and anguish of his Spirit, while he sweat clodders of blood; certainly there was some great matter upon the Spirit of Christ at this time. We know it by experience, a Porter when he hath a great burden upon his body, he carries it while he sweats again: Oh but when you see Porters sweating under their burdens, remember Jesus Christ sweating under the burden of sin.
Besides that other expression, If it be possible let this cup pass from me, and then the second time, and the third time to do it again: Why the Martyrs have gone cheerfully to their deaths, whose deaths have been as cruel as the death of Jesus Christ, and more cruel for the outward part of it, but here even the great Champion from whom all the Martyrs that ever were, had their strength, he, when he comes to die, If it be possible let this cup pass from me, saith he; certainly he saw that which the Martyrs never saw: He suffered in his Soul.
Fourthly, Christ he suffered these things from his Father, that makes the wonder greater, and so his sufferings greater; he did not suffer only from
wicked men and devils, men indeed they are like themselves malicious, the devils are like themselves cruel, I but Christ he might have looked up to his
Father, and have said, But oh blessed Father, thou hast said from heaven, that I am thy well-beloved Son: Christ would have accounted it no great matter to have suffered from men or devils, so be it that his Father had shined upon him; Oh no, but here is the wonder, and the greatest thing for Angels, and men to admire at, that God the Father he inflicts these sufferings with his own hand upon him, and the chief sufferings of Jesus
Christ they were inflicted by the very hand of God the Father himself; for a King to come and take his own child, and scourge him, and put him to death with his own hand, we would say, There was never such a thing heard of!
Yet thus it was in the work of our Redemption, God the Father takes Christ with his own hands, and puts him to death, For he made his Soul an offering for sin, it was he that bruised him: If you read Isa. 53:10, you shall find it was the Father that did it; And that was typified in Abraham's coming with his knife to sacrifice Isaac his Son, was not that a wonderful thing, that story of Abraham? Isaac must be sacrificed, and Abraham to sacrifice Isaac his only Son with his own hands, what a strange history is that? But that was but the type, here is the Antitype, here God the Father takes his Isaac, his only Son Christ, and sacrifices him himself; surely there was some great thing to be done, that God the Father should do it thus himself.
Fifthly, Not only God he comes himself upon him, and inflicts these evils, but he doth not spare him at all.
You will say, If God himself must be the Executioner, and come and lay his hand upon him, he will lay his hand gently upon his own Son. Nay, when Jesus Christ the Son of God came to take our sins upon him, the Father would not spare him one whit, but lets out the fullness of Justice
upon him, lets out his Justice to the full, Rom. 8:32, it is said, That God spared not his own Son, certainly if God would have spared any, one would have thought it should have been his Son: Oh here behold the Justice of God the Father, that when his own Son takes sin upon him, and that by imputation, he must pay to the uttermost farthing to Justice, yea though he prayed with strong crying's and tears, as in Heb. 5:7. Though it is true, the Father did carry him through, yet in this God would not spare him, notwithstanding any of his cries, but he must suffer to the uttermost, and pay the uttermost farthing that Divine Justice did require for the satisfying of it for man's sins. Many poor creatures think that having to deal with God who is a merciful God, though they have the guilt of great sins upon them, yet if they cry out to God for mercy, that God will spare them; why, art thou dearer to God than Jesus Christ was, thy sins are thine own, his was but by imputation, yet when he cried, he must not be spared? What thoughts must the Angels in Heaven have upon this when they see him whom they knew to be the eternal Son of God under the hand of the Father, and the Father not so much as to spare him in anything? Certainly if we do not know these things, or believe them, if we think to put off God lightly, if we think that a few cries to God at last will be enough to cause God to spare us, and pass by all our sins, do but know God in Christ, and a thousand of thy vain thoughts about God, and the pacifying God for thy sin, will vanish away and come to nothing, did we but know God aright in Jesus Christ.
Sixthly, Yea but yet further, there is a further wonder in this humiliation of Christ. God did not spare him; I but when God deals thus with his Son, will he leave him? For one to suffer much, yea and though it be much from God, yet so long as they may have the presence of God with them, that God doth not leave them it is not so much. But in all these sufferings, God the Father
leaves him, this is that is expressed by that speech, that wonderful speech of Christ upon the Cross, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me; There was never a speech spoke in this world that had matter of so much admiration as that speech of Jesus Christ that was the eternal Son of God, in the midst of his sufferings, that he should thus cry out, certainly he did not mistake, what Christ apprehended to be, was, we many time may apprehend that God hath forsaken us, when there is no such thing, but certainly Christ was never deceived in his apprehensions, but what he did apprehend, it was true: But now what this forsaking of God was, it is a very hard thing, a great mystery, which is too deep for us to dive into, but that there was a forsaking, and that he was not deceived, but that he apprehended was real, that must needs be granted, or otherwise we must grant that Christ was deceived, which would be blasphemy for us to say.
Seventhly, Yea again yet further, the wonder in Christ's humiliation was this, that all this Christ foresaw, and yet did willingly undertake it to save mankind, see what the heart of Christ in his sufferings towards his elect ones, was, that rather than he would see them to be plunged into the bottomless gulf of eternal misery, he would put himself into it to keep them out, he did it willingly; When he did first undertake this great work with his
Father, he knew what he should suffer, A body hast thou prepared me, it is written in the volume of thy book I should do thy will, and lo I come, I delight to do thy will, And what was it? It was the suffering of all these things that I have named unto you, and I have but even named them unto you.
Eighthly, And yet further, the wonder of Christ's humiliation (my scope is now to present as briefly as may be, as much of Christ as I can unto you, that you may have some help for your more clear apprehensions of Christ,
and how to make him the object of your faith) The wonder of Christ appears in this, that there should be such a way to save men as this is, that the Son of God should be thus humbled, and this we find clearly in Scripture set out to us; but that God would have such a way to save sinners, and no other, this is as great a wonder as anything, it is certainly the astonishment of the Angels, and the admiration of the Saints to all eternity; that the Lord should look upon base man, and that he should have thoughts to save him, that was nothing; but when God saw that if he be saved, he must be saved after this way, that God should as it were trouble heaven and earth for the saving of a poor wretched sinful creature, and though God saw that it would cost him so dear to save a soul, yet that he should go on with his work to save him, here is the wonder; but this is the way of salvation, and this is that that is infinitely above reason, not only above sense, but above reason; which of the Heathens could have imagined that there should have been such a way to save man by as this; Why how wilt thou be saved? I will cry to God for mercy, and break off my sin, and be sorry with all my heart, why if this were the way there was no wonder in that; but know oh thou sinner, whosoever thou art, that if ever thou be saved, that thou must be saved by a wonderful way; and the truth is, considering that this is the way of saving sinners, we may stand and wonder that any are saved; when you hear of but few that go to heaven, and that most people in the world perish, and when you come to hear the way of saving man, and what it cost, and the great difficulty of it, you may then stand and wonder that any should be saved:
Oh whenever you think of salvation, think wisely of this, it is a wonderful work of God to save a sinner, and the most wonderful work that ever God did do; why, because the way of saving a sinner is so strange; and truly my
Brethren, then doth God begin to work savingly upon the heart of a sinner,
when the sinner begins to stand and wonder at the way of saving, and till that time it cannot be conceived that God is beginning savingly to work upon your hearts. I appeal to your consciences, you that have gone on in a secure dead-hearted way, when was ever your hearts taken up in admiring at the way of God's saving sinners? Why, if it hath done so, that is a good evidence that God is beginning to show himself unto you in a saving way.
But now if you go on, and have but low thoughts about the way of salvation, if your hearts do not sanctify God's Name in admiring at the wonderful way of salvation, know, that yet the Gospel is hidden to you, certainly you yet do not understand the counsels of God about the way of salvation, when your hearts are not taken up with admiring at the glory of God in it.
I will but leave this note of Trial with you, whether Christ be revealed to you; have your souls wondered at him, My Brethen? There are divers things that men wonder at in the world, and their hearts are taken with them, and all because they understand not Christ the great Wonder of the world. We read in Rev. 17, that when Antichrist had gotten a great deal of power, that the world did wonder at him, ver. 6. When I saw her, I wondered with great admiration, &c. Antichrist having a great deal of power makes men to wonder much at him. Now in ver. 8. The Beast which thou sawest, was and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition, and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, (whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world) when they behold the Beast that was, and is not, and yet is, saith he, those whose names are not written the book of life, that was written from the foundation of the world, they shall make a wonder at Antichrist, and at his great power, and at the way of his falling too. So in Rev. 13:2,3. And the Dragon gave him his
power, and his seat, and great Authority, &c. When the Dragon had given his power to the Beast, that is the Civil state and power, had given its power unto Antichrist, unto their Church-state, so that they had the Civil sword in their own hands, and were able by that Civil power to force all to come in to their Dictates, now the Text saith, That they all wondered at it; but who are they? In chap. 17, ver. 8, those whose names were not written in the book of life; so that carnal hearts now may be taken with the wondering after the pomp and glory of the word, and after the power of Antichrist, because
Antichrist prevails in the world, but they are those whose names are not written in the book of life; those whose names are written in the book of life, they will never stand wondering at the excellency of Antichrist, because of his outward glory; no, Those whose names are written in the book of life, they have learned to wonder at Jesus Christ, not at Antichrist; let Jesus Christ be never so mean, and humbled, and low, and persecuted in his members, in his Ordinances, yet they see that excellency in Jesus Christ, as makes them wonder, and it is such a wonder as it doth darken all the wonders in the world besides.