Chapter II
What in Christ s death, faith seeking justification, is especially to eye and
look at.
(2.) 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 suffer
ing 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 which the papists and many carnal protestants make of
Christ s sufferings, is to meditate upon, and set out to themselves the
grievousness of them, so to move their hearts to a relenting, and 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
CHAP. II. J OF FAITH, IN HIS DEATH. 19
their hearts thus affected, they judge and account this to be grace; whenas
it is no more than what the like tragical story of some great and noble
personage, full of heroical virtues and ingenuity, yet inhumanely and
ungrately used, will work, and useth ordinarily to work in ingenuous
spirits, who read or hear of it, yea, and this ofttimes, though if it be but
in the 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 at his suffering 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 unworthily handled by those for whom I die.
And therefore, accordingly as these stirrings are 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, a historical remembrance, 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, justi
fying faith chiefly minds, and is most taken up with the main scope and
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
crucified. As God looks principally at the meaning of the Spirit in prayer, Eom. viii. 27, so doth faith look principally to the meaning of Christ in
his sufferings. As in all other truths a believer is said [to have the mind
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 intent 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, &c. ; he was made sin, that we
might be made 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, Isa. liii., throughout the chapter, as David before had done the story of his passion, Ps. 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 is a faithful saying, and
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ came into the world to save sinners, 1 Tim. i. 15 ; and they still set forth what the plot was, at which 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 ii.) pitch their faith, where having set forth the heinousness of their sin in murdering the Lord of life, then to raise up their hearts
again (that so seeing God s end in it, they might be drawn to believe), he
* all this was done by the determinate counsel of God, ver. 23, and that for a farther end than they imagined, even for the remis sion of sins through mVname, as in the closure of that sermon he shews. It was not the malice of the Jews, the falseness of Judas, the fearfulness of
tells them, that
Pilate, or the iniquity of the times he fell into, that wrought his death, so
20 CHRIST, THE OBJECT AND SUPPORT [SECT. II.
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 contrivement and agreement, whereby God made
* was in Christ, not im
* sin, and laid our sins upon him. God
Christ
puting 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, Heb. x. 5. * Lo, I come to do thy will, and that will was to take away sins, verses 4, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16. These words Christ spake when he took our nature, and when he came into the
* God sent his Son in
world, clothed with infirmities like unto us sinners.
the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh, Rom.
viii. 3. Mark that phrase for sin; iregt is there put for propter, as John
* not for a good work. That is, not because of
x. 33, oil fl-gg/ xaXoD egyou,
a good work, or for a good work s sake. So here, for sin, that is, because
of sin. Sin was the occasion of his taking the likeness of sinful flesh. 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 sin s con
demning us, he might condemn sin, and that we might have the righteous ness of the law, verse 5. This phrase for sin is like unto that in Rom.
vi. 10, he died unto sin, that is, for sin s 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 pro portionable unto it. God, that willeth 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 Rom. 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 gave me commandment, says he, so do I ; arise, let us go hence, John xiv. 31. And when Judas went out at Christ s own
provocation of him, W
That 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 things 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, he says, if it be possible, let this cup pass ; and God made his passion of so great
necessity, that it was even impossible 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, Isa. 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 our flesh, Rom. viii. 4.
CHAP. III.] OF FAITH, IN HIS DEATH. 21
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 be fulfilled in us, as it fol lows there, who were then represented in him, and so the fulfilling of it is accounted ours. Behold we him in his lifetime, as John the Baptist did, even as
* the Lamb of God, bearing 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 body on
the tree, and thereby once offered to bear the sins of many, 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.