Emmanuel, or, The love of Christ explicated and applied in his incarnation being made under the law and his satisfaction in XXX sermons / preached by John Row ... ; and published by Samuel Lee.

SERMON VI.

Joh. 15.13.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

I Now proceed to that which remains: The se∣cond Particular therefore is this, That Christ did not only make himself passible and mortal for us, but Christ did actually undergo suffering and death for us: This I shall open in several Particulars.

1. Our Lord Jesus Christ, that he might bear the punishment of our sins, underwent all manner of sufferings in his body for us, he suffered hunger, thirst, weariness, pain, grief, and the like, Isa. 53.4. He hath born our grief, and carried our sorrows: and vers. 7. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted. Whatever pressures and loads of afflictions we may feel, Christ felt the same, yea he hath felt them in a far greater measure than we do. It was part of the Curse pronounced upon ••lam after his Fall, Cursed is the ground for thy sake, in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life, thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, Gen. 3.17, 18. By these expressions, Learned men observe, That all the miseries and calamities of this life are set forth; this was part of the Curse, that man should be subject to all the miseries of this life, the mi∣series that we all feel and experiment, such as hunger, weariness, pain, and the like. Now that being part of the Curse, that we should be subject

to all these miseries, Christ underwent the mise∣ries that we are subject unto.

2. Christ was exposed unto, and suffered shame, ignominy, contempt, and reproach for our sakes. Hence was it, that he was arraigned and condem∣ned as a Malefactor by an earthly Judge: hence it came to pass, that he was buffeted, reviled, spit up∣on, crowned with thorns, mocked, derided, crucified between two thieves, all which circumstances were matter of great reproach and contempt, and all this our Saviour bare as the punishment of our sins, and we cannot have a just and due contem∣plation of the sufferings of Christ, what they are in themselves, nor make the right use of them as to our selves, unless we apprehend, that whatever Christ suffered, he suffered it as the punishment for our sins. We read in the History of the Go∣spel what shame and contempt was poured on our Saviour, in his being buffeted, spit upon, de∣rided, mocked, and crowned with thorns; but I fear there are too few that consider, that he bare these things as the just punishment of our sins. We read this as a History, and that is all; but if we look upon this with a spiritual eye, we ought to consider, that our Saviour bare all this as the just punishment of our sins; for shame and contempt is one part of the punishment due to sin. Hence is it, that when the punishment of the wicked is described at the last Day, it is described by this, Some shall rise to shame and everlasting contempt, Dan. 12.2. so that shame and everlast∣ing contempt is part of the punishment that is due to sin. Now then our Saviour bearing the whole punishment of our sins, hath born that shame and contempt that we deserve. Hence are those

expressions, Isa. 50.6. That he gave his back to the smiters, and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair, he hid not his face from shame and spitting.

3. Christ suffered in his Soul, as well as in his body, for us; yea, our Saviours sufferings in his Soul were his greatest sufferings. Though the suf∣ferings of his body were great, yet the sufferings of his Soul were by far the greatest sufferings, Joh. 12.27. Now is my soul troubled. Mat. 26.28. My soul is exceeding sorrowful. The Papists and some others will not admit these sufferings of our Saviour in his Soul, they make the main of Christs sufferings to be in his body. But the Scripture is clear in this, That Christ suffered in his Soul as well as in his body; and it was most necessary, that Christ, who was our Surety, should suffer in his Soul as well as in his body: and the reason is, because Adam did primarily and principally sin in his soul: sin first began in the soul; and therefore it was meet, that Christ should primarily and prin∣cipally suffer in his Soul that punishment that was due to us for our sins. It is the observation of a Learned man, Christ, saith he, is to be consider∣ed under the notion of a Surety, or Ʋndertaker for us: Thence, saith he, it follows, that his body was constituted and appointed as a Surety for our body, his Soul was constituted a Surety for our souls: so that Christ was to suffer that punishment in his Soul, that we were to suffer in our souls, and Christ was to undergo that punishment in his bo∣dy, that we were to suffer in our bodies; and if we should suppose, that our Saviour had not suffered that in his Soul which we should have suffered, but only hath suffered such grief as belongs to the sensitive part, then it would follow, that the

Soul or Spirit that is in us, is not yet redeemed; for what Christ hath not born for us, doth remain still for us to suffer and to be undergone. If therefore Christ suffered nothing in his Soul of what the Law of God and Divine Justice would inflict upon our spirits and souls as the punishment of sin, it remains still to be undergone by us. But much more sweet and comfortable is that speech of Ambrose: My mind or spirit is crucified in Christ, the meaning of which I take to be, That the pu∣nishment which was due to my mind or spirit is laid upon Christ, and I having suffered that in my mind or spirit, in Christ my Head, which I de∣served to suffer, I hope hereby to be set free from that punishment. Christ, I say, suffered in his Soul: hence is it said, that Christ was smitten of God, Isa. 53.4. We did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and it pleased the Lord to bruise him, and to put him to grief, vers. 10. Christ was stricken of God, immediately stricken in his Soul, Psal. 69.26. They persecute him whom thou hast smitten. Mat. 26.31. I will smite the shepherd. If Christ was smitten of God, how should that be but im∣mediately in his Soul? Hence is that of one of the Ancients: God, saith he, was justly angry with us for our sins, and Christ interposing himself as the middle person, took off the stroke, and bare the punish∣ment that hung over us. Neither may it seem strange to us, that our Saviour should suffer in his Soul, for as much as he was pleased to take upon him the guilt of all our sins. It is a memorable passage of a late modern Divine: The guilt, saith he, of all our sins, wickednesses, and most hainous offences, which from the beginning of the world to the end of it have been committed by any of the Elect, all

these were imputed to one Christ, altogether, and all at once; and although Christ by taking the guilt of all these sins upon him, did not pollute or defile that holy Soul of his, yet nevertheless he did burthen his Soul with them, by obliging himself to suffer the punishment that was due to the sins of the Elect, as if so be those very sins had in some sort been his own sins. Now, saith he, whenas we see the most profligate and im∣pure sinners, lyars, thieves, adulterers, and the like, when we see these, they cannot patiently hear them∣selves to be called lyars, or thieves, or adulterers, though guilty of such enormous crimes, although it is manifest that they are guilty of them, neither can they bear the shame and disgrace of their own guilt that yet doth manifestly lye upon them; with how great a grief and passion of mind, with how great a darken∣ing of that sanctity and glory that was in our Saviour, must we suppose that Christ did take upon his shoul∣ders this most noisom dunghil of all our sins, than which nothing could be more abhorring from the purity and sanctity of nature!

4. Christ suffered death it self for us: hence is it said, That he tasted death for everyman, Heb. 2.9. Nothing less than death could satisfie the Law, the sentence of the Law was, That the soul that sins shall dye; therefore he that will be our surety, and bear the punishment due to us, must undergo death it self for us. Some of the Papists tell us, That such was the dignity of Christs per∣son, that the least drop of his Blood, the least tear, the least sigh of his heart would have been sufficient to redeem us. But our Divines do well answer: To what purpose then were all the rest of Christs sufferings, his temptations, his grief, his reproaches, and all that which he underwent both

in his life and death? If one drop of Christs blood had been sufficient to redeem us, then all the rest that Christ suffered, must needs be supposed to be superfluous and unnecessary. But we must know, that notwithstanding the dignity of Christs person, the Law requires death, In the day that thou eatest thou shalt dye the death: there∣fore Divine Justice demanded the same punish∣ment to be undergone, which was threatned by the Law; therefore death being threatned by the Law, nothing less than death would satisfie Divine Justice. The Apostle tells us in the Epistle to the Hebrews, That under the Law, without shedding of blood there was no remission; the sacrifice must be killed and slain before there could be remission of sins. Christ therefore being the true Sacrifice for our sins, he was to be slain and put to death, before remission of sins could be obtained for us. It is true, there were many advantages that did accrue by the dignity of Christs person, some of which are such as these, which Divines mention.

1. That the death of one should be sufficient for the Redemption of so many. If Christs per∣son had not been of that dignity and worth, it could not have been supposed, that the death and suffering of one person would have sufficed for the Redemption of so many. It is well observed by one of the Ancients: If Christ had not been God, how could he alone have been sufficient to have been a price for our Redemption? Therefore there is that advantage which ariseth from the dignity of Christs person, that the excellency of his person is such, he being an infinite person, that he is able to make satisfaction for all.

2. The dignity of Christs person made the

death of Christ to be meritorious; for what may we not suppose, that so great a Person, who was of equal Majesty and Glory with the Father, should not merit at the hand of his Father?

3. The dignity of Christs person was available as to this, That some circumstances of punishment, which were not fit for him to undergo, Christ undergoing that which was equivalent, might be omitted; as one circumstance which Divines men∣tion is this, namely, That the torments of Hell, which were to be suffered and undergone by us in the next life, were suffered and undergone by Christ in this life. These advantages did accrue from the dignity of Christs person; yet notwith∣standing this dignity of Christs person, he that was to be our Surety was to undergo the substance of that punishment that we were to undergo. Now death being the punishment that was to be suffered by the transgressors of the Law, as being threatned by the Law, Christ being our Surety, was to undergo and suffer death for us.

5. Christ did not only undergo natural death, but he also tasted of supernatural death, and so by consequence suffered the pains and torments of Hell for us. Christ suffered the whole curse of the Law as to the substance of it. Hence is that of the Apostle, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us, Gal. 3.13. Now the Curse of the Law was, In the day that thou eatest thou shalt dye the death: or as it may be rendred, In dying thou shalt dye, that is, thou shalt dye doubly, thou shalt dye a twofold death, thou shalt dye naturally, and thou shalt dye spiritually, thou shalt dye a natural death, in having thy soul separated from thy body, and thou shalt dye a spiri∣tual

death, in having thy soul separated from me. Therefore it is well observed by one of the An∣cients, I think it is Ambrose's observation; There∣fore, saith he, it was said to Adam, In dying thou shalt dye, or as it is rendred, Thou shalt dye the death, and not simply, Thou shalt dye, because the death here spoken of concerns both soul and body. Now then as Adam, and we in him, became sub∣ject to a double death, one of the body, the other of the soul: So our Saviour being pleased to be our Surety, subjected himself to a double death for our sakes, to a natural death, and to a super∣natural death.

1. To a natural death, the separation of his hu∣mane soul from his body.

2. To a supernatural and spiritual death, the separation of his soul for a time from the comfort of Gods presence. Hence is it that we read, that our Saviour did not only suffer death in the Singu∣lar number, but he underwent deaths in the Plural number, as if it were intimated, that there was a double death that he suffered, Isa. 53.9. He made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, in the Hebrew it is in his deaths in the Plural number; and this was not without some special Mystery in it, as some Learned men conceive: yea, there is a judicious Divine that saith expresly, he is perswaded, that both kind of deaths, natural and supernatural, are intimated by that expressi∣on, when it is said, He made his grave with the rich in his deaths. Our Saviour underwent therefore a double death, a natural death and a supernatural death. That our Saviour suffered the first death, a natural death, a separation of his humane soul from his body, that we do all know and believe.

Now that he tasted of the second death, or superna∣tural death, the separation of his soul from God (taken in a right sense) that I must speak unto. To understand this we must know, that the soul may be said to be separated from God two ways.

1. By a voluntary aversion from God by sin, this was not in our Saviour, and could not be in him, his will did always firmly and inseparably adhere to God even in the midst of his greatest sufferings. It is true, this is part of the punishment of sin in us, namely, that our wills are turned aside from God, Adam voluntarily deserting of God, this is now part of the punishment that is come upon him, that he is now left to himself, and thereupon there is an aversion of his will from God, and this is that which we call spiritual Death, when the will declines and turns from God, the chief Good. But this kind of death could not be in our Saviour, and the reason is, because he that was to bear the punishment of all other mens sins, must necessarily be supposed to be without all sin him∣self. Christ could not have been a Surety for our sins, born the punishment of them, if he had not been without all sin himself. This aversion of the soul from God, as it is the punishment of sin, so it is in it self a sin. Now Christ so bears the punish∣ment of our sins, as that he himself is still with∣out all sin in a way of inhesion. Christ hath the guilt of our sins laid upon him by way of impu∣tation, but he hath no sin in him by way of inhe∣sion.

2. The soul may be said to be separated from God in a way of deprivation, namely, when the soul is deprived of the comfort of Gods love and presence. Now this our Saviour did undergo, he

was deprived of the comfort of his Fathers love and presence for a time, as we shall shew more here∣after. Psal. 88.14. Lord, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me? This is spoken in the letter in the person of Heman; but Learned men conceive, that Christs sufferings are here represented to us under these expressions: Lord, why hidest thou thy face from me? Gods face was hid from Christ for a time, that so it might not be hid from us for ever. And this was the spiritual death that our Saviour underwent, not a death in sin, which we are all subject to; not any aversion of his will from God, but desertion of God in point of comfort; to be deserted and for∣saken of God, as our Saviour was, is in some sense the spiritual death of the soul. It is a good speech of one of the Ancients: That is not death so pro∣perly that separates the soul from the body; but that is most properly death, which separates the soul from God. God is life, life it self; he therefore that is separated from God must needs be dead; as the body lives from the soul, so the soul, ut beatè vi∣vat, that it may live happily, must live from God. Hence are those expressions of Austin: The life of the body is the soul, but the life of the soul is God; the body dyes, when the soul recedes from it, and the soul dyes, when God recedes from it. Therefore when our Saviour was so far forsaken and deserted of God for our sakes, as to have no sensible taste of his love and favour for a time, in this sense he underwent spiritual and supernatural death for us.

6. The sixth Particular which follows upon this is, That our Saviour tasting of supernatural death for us, he did in so doing undergo the very

pains of Hell for us. Hence are those expressions, Psal. 116.3. The sorrows of death compassed me, the pains of hell got hold of me, I found trouble and sorrow. So likewise, My soul is heavy to the death, Mat. 26.38. It is a great expression which we have, Act. 2.24. Having loosed the pains of death, or the sorrows of death. The Greek word proper∣ly signifies the sorrows of a travailing woman, and what were these sorrows? Those which he had in the Garden, when he was in his Agony, and when he sweat drops of blood, and those which he had upon the Cross, when he cryed out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? These are cal∣led the sorrows or pains of death, but indeed they were the sorrows or pains of Hell; and there∣fore the vulgar Latin renders it, the pains of hell, because in these sorrows our Saviour did not only taste of the sorrows of natural death, but he also tasted of the sorrows of supernatural death, that is, of the pains of Hell. Hence is it, as Learned men have observed, That the sufferings of Christ, and those great sorrows that he underwent, are set forth in such a variety and multitude of ex∣pressions in the Scripture, that sometimes they are set forth by the grave, by darkness, sometimes by the land of oblivion, sometimes they are called wounding, killing; sometimes they are set forth by his being forsaken, forsaken of his friends, of his kindred, yea of God himself: sometimes they are called debts, afflictions, tempests, solitude, prison, cuting off, abjection, treading under foot; all which, and many more which the Scripture is full of, sets forth those most perfect, consummate, and compleat sorrows and pains which our Saviour did suffer and undergo for our sake. In Psal. 22. which is

certainly a Prophecy of Christ, and a description of his sufferings, we have these sufferings notably set forth, in vers. 1. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? and vers. 14. I am poured out like water, all my bones are out of joynt, my heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels, my strength is dryed up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws, and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. He that thinks this is spoken of some or∣dinary sufferings, which are common to other men, must needs have a very slender consideration of these things, certainly they are more than com∣mon ordinary sorrows that drew such expressions from our Saviour, in whose person here the Psal∣mist speaks: our Saviour then tasted of superna∣tural death, he did undergo the pains of Hell for us. Now that I may unfold a little more parti∣cularly and distinctly how it was that Christ suf∣fered the pains and torments of Hell for us, I must do it in some particular Propositions, and I would speak of this a little for these two ends.

1. That we might more fully understand what it was that we deserved by our sins.

2. That we might admire the love of Christ so much the more, that he should suffer such pains and torments for us, that we might be delivered from them.

1. Our Saviour suffered the greatest and most inexpressible dolors, anxieties, and perplexities in his mind for us, and yet without sin: no sorrows were ever like to his sorrows. Hence is that ex∣pression, Mark 14.33. He began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; or, He began to be afraid and grievously troubled. The first word properly signi∣fies to be struck with fear, or to be astonished with

fear, our Saviour was as a person astonished: this is the proper import of the word. This amaze∣ment, as we express it, was such a passion as was stirred up in our Saviour, by which (from the sud∣den commotion of all the faculties of his Soul) he was as a person astonished, all over in a fear, asto∣nished at the greatness of the things he had to suf∣fer: neither d••d this astonishment speak any im∣perfection of Holiness in the humane nature of our Saviour, but only demonstrated the greatness of his sufferings; for it is possible, that the mind by some sudden and vehement commotion from some terri∣ble object, may be so occupied and taken up, that there may not be the free exercise of the thoughts for the present, and yet this without sin: this was the case of our Saviour, he was like a person asto∣nished at the greatness of the sufferings that he was to undergo, and that he saw coming upon him, all the faculties of his Soul were moved and stirred in him at the torrent of Divine wrath that he saw ready to break in upon him.

2. The second word used by the Evangelist is, He began to be amazed, and very heavy. This word is well rendred by our Translators, very heavy; for I find that Phavorinus renders the Substantive, sadness of soul, He began to be amazed, and very sad. Now concerning this fear and this grief that our Saviour underwent, I shall speak more par∣ticularly hereafter; but before we proceed to that, I shall make some use of what hath been al∣ready opened.

Learn from hence in the first place, [Ʋse 1] how great an evil sin is, nothing shews more clearly what an evil sin is, than those great sorrows and sufferings of our Saviour, that God should cast so innocent

a person as Christ was in himself, meerly because he was our Surety, and took upon him the guilt of our sins, into such great sorrows and inexpressi∣ble dolors both in soul and body, this shews what an infinite evil sin is, and how much God hates it, and what it is that we deserve by it. We may slight sin, and think it a light and trivial thing; but O let us stand by the Cross of Christ a while, and see what it was that the Son of God and God suffered in our nature: consider what grief, what anguish, what trouble and perplexity of soul he underwent, and then we shall see that God doth not look up∣on sin as such a slight and trivial thing whatever we may do. Would God have exposed his own innocent Son who was so near to him, who was so tenderly beloved by him, who always pleased him, and who never offended him, to so much ignominy, to so much contempt and shame, to so much pain, grief, and sorrow, had he not hated sin infinitely, had not his soul been infinitely set a∣gainst it? O when we find our hearts begin to play and dally with sin, it is good for us to soak our hearts in the meditation of Christs sufferings, to take a turn at the Cross of Christ, and behold the Son of God incarnate made a spectacle to men and Angels, and bearing the wrath of God to ex∣piate the guilt of our sins.

Learn from hence what remains still to be suf∣fered by Ʋnbelievers, those dolors, those sorrows, [Ʋse 2] those torments of soul and body; that death which Christ hath not suffered for them remains still to be suffered by them in their own persons, for the sentence of the Law must take place: therefore unless thou have suffered in a surety, thou art liable to suffer in thy own person; the sentence

of the Law is, In dying thou shalt dye, dye nuturally and dye spiritually, taste of natural and supernatu∣ral death; therefore unless thou have suffered this in a surety, thou art liable to suffer this in thy own person. Now all Unbelievers, who are guilty either of positive, or negative unbelief, have no part in Christ or his sufferings.

1. They who are guilty of positive unbelief, such as reject Christ, and will have nothing to do with him, as they said, We will not have this man to reign over us, these have nothing to do with Christ and his sufferings.

2. Such as are guilty of negative unbelief, such who do not believe on Christ, who do not close with him, who do not embrace him by a lively faith, all such have no part in Christ and in his sufferings; therefore it necessarily follows, that that which Christ hath not suffered for them, re∣mains still to be suffered by them in their own per∣sons, Joh. 3. ult. He that believeth not on the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. O how should this make every soul of us to trem∣ble, lest we should be found out of Christ! Canst thou bear the terrour of the first death, when the sting of it is not taken away? Or canst thou bear the fear of supernatural death, to have thy soul separated from God for ever? If thou hast not a part in Christ and in his death, thou art liable to both these, to the terrours of natural death, and to the terrours of supernatural death. O let us not think it an indifferent thing, whether we get a part in Christ yea or no; certainly God did not put his innocent Son to suffer all these things, we have heard of, in vain; and certainly, if the Gospel be true, Christ hath suffered all

these things; and if Christ hath suffered all these things, then all of us did stand in need of them; and if we need them, it concerns us deeply to make sure our part and interest in them.

The end of the sixth Sermon.

Notes

• Mens mea in Christo crucifixa est. Ambr.
• Dickson. Therapeut Sacr.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Pha∣vorinus.