By the Late DAVID DICKSON, Irvine.
X. OF THE COVENANT OF REDEMPTION.
(Continued from Vol. XLVI., page 260.)
(7) Another degree of the suffering of our Lord’s soul, is the interruption, for a time, of the sensible up-taking and feeling of that quiet and peaceable enjoyment of the felicity of the human nature, given (for the point of right) unto it in its personal union with His God-head, in so far, that in the midst of many disciples, Greeks and Jews, looking on Him, the vehemency of His trouble did not suffer Him to hide His perturbation; for (John xii., 27) our Lord cried out, “Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say?” and (Mark xiv., 34) made Him declare His exceeding heaviness; “My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death.” In these words He insinuates, that to His sense, death was at hand; yea, that in no small measure, it had seized on Him, and wrapped Him up in the sorrows of death, for the time, as in a net, of which He knew He could not be held still. Objection.—But did not this huge heap of miseries take away from the human nature, the felicity of its union personally with His Godhead? Answer.—It did indeed hide it for a time, and hinder the sensible feeling of it for a time, as it was necessary, in His deep suffering; but it did not take it away, nor yet eclipse it altogether. For as a corporal inheritance has a three-fold connection with the person owner thereof; so a spiritual inheritance has a three-fold connection with the believer’s soul. The first is, of lawful title and right; the next is, of possession of the inheritance according to the lawful right; the third is, an actual fruition and present feeling of the use of the inheritance. The fruition and felt benefit and use, may be marred or suspended, and the possession stand: and the possession may be interrupted and suspended, and the lawful right remain firm. Christ had not only an undoubted right to this felicity standing unto Him, by the personal union, but also a fast possession of it, in as far as the personal union was indissoluble. But the actual felt fruition in His human sense and up-taking, was so long interrupted, as the human nature was diverted from this contemplation for its present exercise, and turned to look toward the sad spectacle of imminent and incumbent wrath: especially when, and how long it was, as it were, bound to the feeling of the present stroke, which did fill the soul with sadness and grief, anxiety and vexation, without sin.
(8) Neither did the vindicative justice of God, pursuing our sins in our Surety, stay here; but in the garden went on to show unto Christ the cup of wrath, and also to hold it to His head, and to press Him to drink it; yea, the very dregs of the agreed upon curse of the law:—was poured into His patient and submissive mouth, as it were, and bosom, and the most inward part of soul and body, which as a vehement flame, above all human apprehension, so filled both soul and body, that out of all His veins it drew and drove forth a bloody sweat (the like whereof was never heard) as when a pot of oil, boiling up and running over, by a fire set under it, has yet further the flame increased, by the thrusting of a fiery mass of hot iron into it. Hence came such a wasting and eating up of all His human strength, and emptying of His natural abilities; such a down-throwing of His mind; such a fainting and swooning of His joy, and so heavy a weight of sorrow on Him, that not only He desired that small comfort of His weak disciples watching with Him a little, and missed of it, but also stood in need of an angel to comfort Him (Luke xxii., 43).
It is without ground, that some of the learned have denied the cause of this agony to be, the drinking of the cup of wrath held forth to Him by the Father; saying, that the sight of it only, and of the peril He saw we were into, was the cause of this heavy exercise. For the cup was not only shown unto Him, and the huge wrath due to our sin set before Him, that He should see it, and tremble at the apprehension of the danger we were in; but it was poured into Him, and not only on Him, that He for the sins of His redeemed, should suffer it sensibly, and as it were drink it, that the bitterness thereof might affect all the powers of soul and body. For the Scriptures testify, that not only upon the sight and apprehension of this wrath and curse coming on Him, the holy human nature did holily abhor it, upon the consideration of the divine decree and agreement made upon the price to be paid by Him; and that, upon the feeling of this wrath, this agony in His soul, and bloody sweat of His body, was brought on. Objection.—But how could the pouring forth of the Father’s wrath upon His innocent and dear Son, consist with His fatherly love to Him? Answer.—Even as the innocence and holiness of Christ could well consist of His taking upon Him the punishment of our sins; for even the wrath of a just man, inflicting capital punishment on a condemned person, suppose his own child, can well consist with fatherly affection toward the child suffering punishment. Therefore, it is not to be doubted but those two can well consist in God, in whom affections do not war one with another, nor fight with reason, as it falleth forth among men; for the affections ascribed unto God, are effects rather of His holy will toward us, than properly called affections in Him. And these effects of God’s will about us, do always tend to our good and blessedness at last, however diverse one from another in themselves.
Among the degrees of the sufferings of Christ’s soul, we may number not only the perturbation of His mind and thoughts, but also the perturbation of His affections, and especially His fear; for His human nature was like unto ours in all things except sin, and was indeed afraid when it saw and felt the wrath of God, lest it should have been swallowed up by it. And of this fear the apostle bears witness, saying, “Who in the days of His flesh, when he offered up prayers and supplications, and strong cries and tears, unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared,” Heb. v., 7. Now, albeit this seems the saddest passage of all His sufferings, that He was afraid of, being swallowed up, yet this His fear is not to be wondered at, nor is it inconsistent with His holiness; for when Christ assumed our nature (as has been said), He assumed also all the common and sinless infirmities, passions and perturbations of our nature. Now, it is fitting that the creature at the sight of an angry God, should tremble; for we read, that the rocks and mountains have trembled before God, when He did let forth His terror; and it is natural to man, at the sight of a terrible object, at the sight of a peril and evil coming upon him, but much more already come upon him (especially if the evil and peril be above all his natural strength), to tremble and fear the worst. And this becomes holy nature very well, to fear present death, off-cutting, perdition and swallowing up in the danger, when God appeared angry, and was hastening to be avenged on sinners in the person of their Surety. What could the human soul of Christ gather from this terrible sight, but that which sense and reason did teach? In the meantime, there was no place here for His doubting of the issue, and His escaping from being swallowed up; for a natural fear of the human nature, arising from the infirmity of the creature, differs very far from the fear arising from the infirmity of faith in God’s faithfulness and power; and natural fear of the worst can very well stand with the strength of faith to overcome the natural fear. For, as the sensitive appetite may abhor a bitter cup of medicine, and cause all the body tremble for fear to take it, while in the meantime, the man, by reason, is resolved to drink that bitter cup of medicine, because he confidently hopes to help his health thereby; so, natural fear in Christ to taste of the cup of wrath, could very well consist with strong faith and assurance to be delivered therefrom. For it is very suitable that faith should as far overcome the natural apprehension of sense and reason natural, as reason does overcome sense in drinking a loathsome and bitter cup of medicine.
(To be continued.)