CONTENTS
[ I ] * THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE.
SERMON XXXVIII.
Wherein four weighty Ends of CHRIST'S Humiliation are opened, and particularly applied.
Isa. liii. 2. Heshallfee the travail of hisfoul, andbefatisfied.
WEE are now arrivedat the laſt particularwhich wedeſigned toſpeak to in Chriſt'sstate ofhumiliation, namely, the designs and bleſſed ends for which hewas ſodeeplyabafed.
Itis inconſiſtent with the prudence ofacommon agent, to beatvaſt expences oftime, pains, and coſt, and not to propound to himfelfadeſign worthyofall thoſe expences. And it is much leſs imaginable, that Chriſt ſhouldſo ſtupendoufly abaſe himself, by ſtooping from the boſom ofhis Father to the ſtate of the dead, where our laſtdiſconrſe left him, ifthere had notbeen ſome exT cellent, andglorious thing in his eye, the attainment whereof, might give him a content and fatisfaction, equivalent to all the forrows, and abaſements, he endured for it.
And ſo much isplainlyheld forth in this ſcripture, " He shall " ſee the travail ofhis foul, andbe fatisfied."
In which words three things fallunder our confideration.
First, The travailing pangs ofChriſt.
So the agonies of his foul, and tormentsofhis bodyare fitly called, not only becauſe ofthe ſharpness and acutenessofthem,being inthat reſpect, like birth-pangs of a travailing woman, for ſo this * word ſignifies, butalſobecauſethey fore-run, and make wayfor the birth,which abundantly recompences all thoſe labours.
I ſhall not here infiftuponthepangs andagonies enduredby Chriſt in the garden, oruponthe croſs, which the prophet ſtiles " the travail ofhis
" foul," having, in the former fermons, openedit largely in its particulars, but paſs tothe ,,This wordſignifiesboth thebirth and pain attend. ingit.
Strigel.VOL. II.
SERM . XXXVIII .
The Fountain of Life.
Second Thing confiderable in theſe words; and that is the affured fruits and effects of this his travail ; he shall fee the travail of his foul.
By feeing, underſtand the fruition, obtainment, or enjoyment of the end of his fufferings. He shall not ſhed his blood upon an hazard : his deſign ſhall not mifcarry; but he ſhall certainly fee the ends he aimed at accom pliſhed.
" And Thirdly, This ſhall yield him great fatisfaction : as a woman forgets her forrow, forjoy that a man is born into " the world," John xvi. 21. he ſhall ſee it, and be fatisfied.
As God, when he had finiſhed the work of creation, viewed that his work with pleaſure and fatisfaction ; ſo doth our exalted Redeemer, with greatcontentment, behold the happy iſſues
*ofhis hard fufferings.
It affords pleaſure to aman to ſee great affairs, by orderly conduct, brought to happy iſſues.
Much more doth it yield delight to Jeſus Chriſt, to see the refults of "that moſt profound wisdom and love, wherein he carried on redemption-work. Allruns into this doctrine.
Doct. That allthe bleſſed designs and ends for which the Lord Jesus Christ humbled himself to the death of the cross, Shall certainly be attained, to his full content and fatisfaction.
MY preſent buſineſs is not to prove, that Chriſt ſhall certainly obtain what he died for ; nor to open the great fatisfaction and pleaſure which will ariſe to him outof thoſe iſſues ofhis death, but to point at the principal ends ofhis death ; making fome brief improvements as we paſs along.
First, Then let us enquire into the deſigns and ends of Chrift's humiliation, at least the main and principal ones ; and we ſhall find, that as the ſprinkling ofthe typical blood inthe
Old Testament was done for four weighty ends or uſes, anſwerably, the precious and invaluable blood of the Teftator and furety ofthe New Testament is ſhed for four weighty ends alfo.
First, That blood was ſhed and applied to deliver from danger; Exod. xii. 13. " Andthe blood ſhall be to you for a 66. + token upon the houſes where you are ; and when I fee
" the blood, I will paſs over you and the plague ſhall not be " upon you, to destroy you when I ſmite the land of Egypt."
+ The Jews implicitly acknowledged by this ceremony, that they were to be liberated from eternal death by the bloodofthe Meffial
Vatab.
SERM . XXXVIII .
The Fountain of Life.
Secondly, That bloodwas ſhed to make an atonementbetwixt God and the people; Lev. iv. 20. "And he thall do with the " bullock as he did with the bullock for a fin-offering ; ſo ſhall
" he do with this; and the prieſt ſhall make an atonement for " them, and itſhall be forgiven them."
Thirdly, That bloodwas ſhed to purify perſons from their ceremonial pollutions, Lev. xiv. 6. 7. "He shalldip the cedar
" wood, andſcarlet, and hyffop, with the living bird, inthe " blood of the bird that was killed over the running water, and " he ſhall ſprinkle uponhim that is to be cleanſed from the " leproſy ſeven times ; and ſhallpronounce him clean, and " ſhall let the living bird looſe in the open field,"
Fourthly, That † blood was ſhed to ratify and confirm the teſtament or covenant ofGod with the people, Exod. xxiv. 8.
" AndMofes tooktheblood, and ſprinkled itonthe people and " faid, behold theblood of the covenant, which the Lord hath
" madewith you concerningall thesewords."
Theſe were the fourmainends for ſhedding, and ſprinkling that typical blood.
Suitably, there are four principal ends for hedding and applying Chrift's blood.
As that typical blood was ſhed to deliver from danger, ſo this was ſhed to deliver from wrath, even the wrath to come.
That was ſhed to make an atonement, ſo was this.
Thatwas ſhed to purify perſons from uncleanneſs, fowas this.
That was ſhed to confirm the Teſtament, ſo was this.
As will appear in the following particulars more at large.
First, One principaldeſign and end ofthedding the blood of Chriſt was to deliver his peoplefrom danger, thedanger ofthat wrathwhichburns down to thelowesthell.
So you find, 1 Theff. i. 10. " Even Jeſus who delivered us fromthe wrath tocome."
Here our mifery is bothſpecified and aggravated.
Specified, in calling it wrath, a word of deep and dreadful fignification.
Thedamned beſt underſtandthe importanceofthatword. And aggravated, in calling it wrath to come, or coming wrath.
Wrath tocome implies both the futurity and perpetuity of this wrath.
It is wrath that ſhall certainly and inevitably comeupon finners. As ſure as the night follows the day. As fure as the winter follows the ſummer, ſo ſhall wrath follow fin, and the pleaſuresthereof.
Yea, itisnotonly certainlyfuture, butwhen A2 * Seven times, Signifies perfect expiation; this number was confecrated to denote perfection.
Menoch.
+ Theshedding andsprinkling ofblood ſignifies that the covenant wouldbe fure and ſtable, even with the hazard oflife.
Rivet.