(continued from page 13)
Is it so, that a believer’s Saviour is a wonderful Saviour? Then it informs us of eight things.
First:
My first inference is this, that Christ’s sufferings are what He endured from men in His body, and what He suffered from God in His soul: He did not only endure pain in His body, but agony in His soul. Oh the sea of sufferings, the sea of sorrow, the sea of blood, the sea of tears that our blessed Saviour waded through to come and bring peace to our souls, salvation to our souls, grace and glory to our souls! He suffered from devils; He suffered in His name, He suffered in His members, He suffered in His body, He suffered in His soul: the cause was our sins, the effect our salvation. If you look through the chronicle of His life you will find that His whole life was full of sorrow and misery: He was persecuted, He was tempted, He was reproached, He was falsely accused, He was apprehended, He was betrayed, He was crucified. What shall we say more? What can be said more? He was full of sorrow: He took His name from sorrow: our Lord Jesus Christ is called a man of sorrows — “A man of sorrow, and acquainted with grief.” Isa. 53, 3. Now, judge whether Christ’s life was not full of sorrows: He took His name from sorrow. O sweet Jesus! Thy sufferings were truly great.
Secondly:
Jesus Christ suffered by Himself. He was alone in His sufferings; neither angels nor saints bore any part with Him in them; no, He drank the bitter cup alone; He alone purged our sins: “He alone by Himself purged our sins.” Heb. 1, 3. Christ had none to help to bear His heavy burden with Him; He bore it Himself alone. But, my beloved, though our Lord Jesus Christ suffered by Himself, yet He did not suffer for Himself: He suffered for us, He suffered for that which we deserved: “He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.” Do you see here, Christians, how many ‘ours’ are here? Our griefs, our sorrows, our transgressions, our iniquities, our peace. So again, “For our sakes He became poor.” 2 Cor. 8, 9. Mark, “for our sakes.” Beloved, He was born for us: “Unto us a child is born”; He was given for us: “to us a son is given.” Isa. 9, 6. “He was made a curse for us.” Gal. 3, 13: the text tells, He was made a curse but it was for us; He was delivered up for us. Rom. 8, 32. “Who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all.” Oh, all these things were for us — given for us, made a curse for us, made sin for us, delivered up for us, and is now in heaven interceding for us. Heb. 7, 25. So that, my brethren, all that our Lord Jesus suffered, it was not for Himself, but it was for us: our blessed Saviour suffered for us, that we might not suffer.
Thirdly:
It is more for Christ to suffer anything than for all men and angels to suffer all things. Pray mark, if all the kings and emperors should have left their thrones, their crowns, their kingdoms, their sceptres, their glory, their honours and princely robes, and have come and took upon them a poor Lazarus condition, to go on poorly, and fare hardly, and die shamefully, why, all this had not been so much as for Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to suffer the least thing He did suffer. Now further, I say, if all the angels in heaven and men on earth had come and suffered, and died ten thousand deaths, it had not been so much, put all together, as it was for Christ to suffer anything. They are creatures, He is the Creator; they the servants, He is the Master; they are the subjects, He is the Prince; they are mean, He is mighty; He is the King of kings and Lord of lords: “He thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” Phil. 2, 6. It would not have been half such a wonder if all the angels in heaven and men on earth had come and suffered, as it was for the Son of God. Oh! this is a wonder of wonders; His sufferings were wonderful, His humility was wonderful, His patience was wonderful, His love was wonderful: greater love could no man show; He loved us so that He died for love. Now, I beseech you, consider this inference, which was this, That it is more for Jesus Christ to suffer anything than for all men and angels to suffer all things. And, indeed, I want words to express it or set it forth; for there is both want of words, and want in words to express this matter.
Fourthly:
In what miserable case lay we, that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ must endure all this, undergo all this, for poor sinners? Certainly the misery of man was very great, that man should need such redemption as this. Oh what a breach had sin made between God and us, that the Son of God must come from heaven to earth to suffer all this! Oh! mischievous sin hath undone us; sin hath robbed every one of six jewels, every one of which jewels are more worth than heaven and earth. Would you know what jewels they are that sin hath robbed us of? I will tell you, and then you will say with me that we were in a very miserable case. (1) It robs us of the image of God. Was this a precious jewel, think you? I say it robbed us of the image of God, and drew in man the devil’s picture: Malice is the devil’s eye, oppression is the devil’s hand, blasphemy is the devil’s tongue, and hypocrisy is the devil’s cloven foot. (2) Sin robs us of our sonship, and makes us slaves to the devil, slaves to sin, or slaves to the world, and slaves to ourselves. (3) It robs us of our friendship with God, and makes us enemies to God and enemies to Christ, enemies to our own soul and enemies to all that is good. (4) It robs us of our communion and fellowship with the Father, Son, and Spirit, and makes us strangers and aliens. (5) It robs us of our rights and privileges, of heaven, and heavenly things, and makes us children of wrath, and heirs of hell. (6) It robs us of our honour and glory, and makes us vile and miserable, as you may see: “There is no soundness in us; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores.” Isa. 1, 6. Put all this together, and then see whether or not we are not miserable, and whether we did not need a Saviour to come and deliver us from this misery into which our souls were plunged. Now here is our happiness, Christians; in Christ we have these jewels again that we lost in the old Adam; the glorious image of God, our sonship, our friendship, our fellowship, our privilege, and our glory and honour, we have all again by Jesus Christ.
Fifthly:
Jesus Christ brought life to us, — a life of grace, a life of comfort, a life of glory, but we brought death on Him; He brought glory to us, but we brought shame on Him; He brought riches to us, but we brought poverty on Him; He brought joy to us, but we brought sorrow to Him — sorrow upon sorrow: we put the crown of thorns upon His head; He put the crown of glory upon our heads. We thought the earth too good for Him, and would not let Him live here, but put Him to death, but He thinks not heaven too good for us; we are ashamed to own Him before men, but He is not ashamed to own us before His Father and His holy angels: we condemn Him, but He justifies us. Oh think of your unkindness to Him, and let the considerations of His infinite love and favour to you draw out your affections after Him!
Sixthly:
All believers have exceeding great cause to bless God for Jesus Christ. God the Father gave Him to us, who were not His friends, but enemies: to us, who were not sons, but slaves: to us, who were not angels, but men: to us, who loved not God, but hated Him. Oh! have we not cause to bless God for Jesus Christ? “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3, 16. Oh what a gift is Jesus Christ!
Seventhly:
If Jesus Christ be so wonderful, then how vile, how base a thing it is for the hearts of men to prefer anything before Jesus Christ! I beseech you, and beg of you all to mind this inference. Surely if Jesus Christ be so wonderful, so precious, so lovely, so rich, so sweet, so rare, it is a most abominable thing, a wicked thing, a vile thing, to prefer anything before Jesus Christ. Oh! I speak it with grief of heart, there are too many in the world that set light by Him, and make nothing of Him, and love Him not, and prefer every base lust before Him: though there is nothing more cursed than this, there is nothing more common than this — for men prefer the vilest things before Christ. The wicked worldling prefers the trash of the world before Jesus Christ; he can leave hearing and praying, reading and fasting, to follow the world: he prefers gold before God, earth before heaven, gain before glory, his corruptible silver before his Saviour. Oh! thou wicked worldling, thou wretched worldling, can thy riches save thy soul? Let me ask thee, Can thy riches deliver thee from hell? Can thy riches bring thee to heaven, that thou preferrest them before Christ? Oh! the Lord Jesus will come in flames of fire to take vengeance on such, and then thou wilt know to thy cost, and pain, and torment, that thy riches cannot keep thee out of hell, much less bring thy soul to heaven: then thou wilt see thy folly when it is too late.
The wicked drunkards prefer their drunkenness before Christ; the drunkard prefers his pots before Him, the drunkard wades through the sea of drink to his grave; he can sit a day or a whole night in the ale-house, and think it a little time; but an hour in the service of God, oh how tedious is that! O thou drunkard, that turnest off thy cups so fast, God Almighty has a cup for thee, but not a cup of sack, or a cup of beer, but a cup of wrath, which thou shalt drink to eternity! which is worse than to drink scalding hot lead down thy throat. He hath so much liquor here; not only drink to quench his thirst, but to drink to excess, till he say and do he knows not what; but in hell he shall have little enough; there is never a tavern or ale-house there; no, there is not a drop of water to be got all hell over. O thou wretch! thou shalt live in burning flames, and thy tongue shall cleave to the roof of thy mouth, and if thou wouldest give a thousand worlds for one drop of water, thou shalt not have it. And therefore I beseech you, if any such there are here, in the name of God hear and fear, and do no more wickedly. Oh! I would not be in thy condition for ten thousand worlds; and yet I cannot but have bowels of pity towards thee, which constrains me thus to speak, knowing thy condition better than thou dost thyself. Oh! couldest thou but speak with thy fellow-drunkards that are now in hell, what a dreadful story would they tell thee of their agonies, and suffering, and pain, and torments! Some are in hell already for the same sins you live in; and if you live and die without Christ, you shall be ere long with them.
The swearer, the blasphemous swearer, prefers his oaths before Christ. Many can swear by their Creator and Maker, and speak proudly, and look highly, and walk contemptuously, as if there were no God to punish, no devil to torment. Well let me tell thee, O thou swearer, that now delightest in cursing, thou shalt be ere long sent with a curse to a cursed place: “Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire!” will Christ say to such persons. The proud person prefers his pride before Christ: if a fine suit did lie on the one hand, and Christ on the other, the proud would rather put on the suit of clothes than Him. Oh, I beseech you, consider what a vile and abominable thing it is, to prefer anything before Christ! “Consider this,” saith the Psalmist, “ye that forget God, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver you.” O poor wretch! consider of that text. Thou liest open to all the judgments in this life, and to all the torments in the life which is to come, all ye wicked ones that prefer anything before Jesus Christ.
Eighthly:
If Jesus Christ be so wonderful, then every one that heareth of Him should think it a most dreadful thing to miss Him. O Christians and friends, consider of it! Certainly that man or woman’s condition must needs be sad indeed, that lives and dies without Jesus Christ. O poor sinner! the devil looks but for a look from God to come and rend thee in pieces, and draw thy soul to hell. Poor soul, thy soul is in danger every hour of being arrested by death, and carried prisoner to hell. Oh, I beseech you, do you think and consider with yourselves what a sad thing it is to miss Christ! Until a man is in Him, he hath nothing, he knows nothing, he enjoys nothing, can do nothing, and is fit for nothing, and is worth nothing. Prov. 10, 20.
Oh, I beseech you, that you would consider seriously, that of all miseries that is the greatest of miseries to miss Christ! We are never able to lament the loss of the poor soul that loseth Jesus Christ: all losses be wrapt up in that one loss. And therefore I beseech you all, both good and bad, bethink with yourselves what a sad condition that person is in who misseth Christ.