The Divine Perfections Illustrated in the Method

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The Divine Perfections Illustrated in the Method of Salvation, Through the Sufferings of Christ
(A Sacramental Discourse)

By Samuel Davies

"Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!" John 12:27-28

Should a favourite child now come running to you, with all the marks of agony in his countenance, and with these words in his mouth, "I am troubled; my very soul is troubled—and I know not what to say!" it would raise all the tender sensations of parental compassion and concern in your hearts, and you would solicitously inquire, "What ails my dear child? What is the cause of your distress?"

But here your ears are struck with a more strange and impressing sound—you hear the source of all consolation complaining of sorrow: "I am troubled; my very soul is troubled, and in a commotion like the stormy ocean!" You see the wisdom of God, the guide of the blind, pausing, hesitating—at a standstill—at a loss what to say!

And will you not so far interest yourselves in his sorrows, as solicitously to inquire, "What ails my dear Lord? Judas has not yet betrayed him; the rabble have not yet apprehended him, and dragged him away, like a heinous malefactor; as yet his face is not dishonoured with spitting nor bruised with blows; as yet I see no crown of thorns upon his sacred head; no nails in his hands and feet; no spear in his side; no streams of blood and water running down his body. He is at liberty, and surrounded with his usual friends. Nay, at this time even the despised Jesus begins to grow popular; the humble Jesus, the man of sorrows, has just now entered Jerusalem in triumph, like a conqueror, surrounded with the applauses and hosannas of the multitude. Now also the first fruits of the Gentiles are brought to him; a number of Greek proselytes beg an interview with him, and desire his instructions; a thing so agreeable to him, that as soon as he hears of it, he cries, out, "The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified!" John 12:23. And why does my Lord alter his voice so soon? Why, my blessed Jesus—why this sudden fall from joy to trouble, from triumph to sorrow and perplexity?"

The reason was, that though his sufferings were not now upon him—yet he saw them approaching. He saw the fatal hour just at hand; and this immediate prospect raises all the passions of his human nature, and throws him into a sea of troubles. He did not fall into his sufferings through inadvertence, or the lack of foresight; and his fortitude and resolution were not owing to any hopes of escape, or an expectation of better usage. But we are expressly told, that "Jesus knew all things that should come upon him," John 18:4. He saw the rugged road before him—all the way from his cradle to his cross. He rushed into dangers with his eyes wide open, and went on courageously to encounter the last enemy, death, fully expecting to meet him in all his terrors!

Now the foresight of sufferings is a special aggravation; it brings the sufferings upon the anxious expectant by anticipation; they are reflected back upon him, before they are actually inflicted; and thus the pain of a few moments—may be diffused through a length of years. And sometimes the expectation of a trouble is more tormenting than the trouble itself! Our happiness is in a great measure owing to our being happily blind to the future sufferings, and ignorant of future calamities.

But Jesus had not this mitigation of his sufferings: the cross, the scourge, the nails, the crown of thorns—were ever before his mind. So that he could say with yet greater reason than his servant Paul, "I die daily! I am in deaths often!" By this painful foresight, the crown of thorns was always upon his head; the nails were fastened in his hands and feet all his days; and his whole life was, as it were, one continued crucifixion! How peculiarly aggravated, how long continued, how uninterrupted do the severities of his sufferings appear—when viewed in this light! And how does this display his fortitude and the strength of his love!Though he had this tragic prospect before him—yet he did not draw back or give up the arduous undertaking; but he resolutely held on his way. He was irresistibly carried to meet all these terrors, by his ardent zeal for his Father's glory—and his unconquerable love to the guilty creatures whose salvation he had undertaken.

Sometimes, indeed, he shows he was a man; that he was capable of all the tender and painful sensations of human nature: and if he had not been such, his sufferings would have been no sufferings. At such times his innocent humanity seems struck aghast, pauses and hesitates, and would gladly shrink away from the burden, would gladly put away the bitter cup. But immediately the stronger principles of zeal for the divine glory, and love to man—gain the ascendant, calm all these tumults of feeble human nature, and irresistibly impel him on to the dreadful encounter in its most shocking appearances! Oh! the generous bravery of the Captain of our salvation! Oh! the all-conquering power of his love!

Readers are in raptures on the bravery of Homer's mythological Achilles—who engaged in the expedition against Troy, though he knew he should never return. But how much more worthy to be celebrated is the heroic love of Jesus—who voluntarily gave himself to infinitely greater sufferings, when he foresaw them all, and knew what would be the consequence!

The language of heightened passions is abrupt and startling; and in such language does our Lord here speak: "Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? What petition shall I ask of my Father? Such an hour of distress is a proper time to address him. But what shall I say to him? Shall I yield to the reluctance of my frail, human nature, which would draw back from suffering? Shall I urge the petition that my feeble flesh would put into my mouth, and say, Father, save me from this hour? Father, dismiss me from this undertaking, and resign the glory which you would gain by the execution of it? Father, if it is possible—save sinners in some easier way! Or— Father, let them perish—rather than that I should suffer so much for them? Shall this be my petition? No! I cannot bear the thought, that my Father should lose so much glory, and the objects of my love should perish.

It was to suffer for these important purposes, that I came unto this hour! For this I undertook to be the sinner's Friend and Mediator! For this I left my native heavenly paradise, and assumed this feeble flesh and blood! For this I have spent thirty-three painful years in this wretched world—that I might come to this dismal hour! And now, when it has come—shall I fly from it, or shall I drop an undertaking which I have so much at heart, and in which I am so far engaged? No! This petition I will not urge, though it be the natural cry of my tender humanity! What then shall I say? Father, glorify your name! This is the petition on which I will insist—come on me what will. Let the rabble insult me—as the off-scouring of all things!

Let false witnesses accuse me, and treacherous judges condemn me—as a notorious criminal! Let the blood-thirsty murderers rack me on the cross, and shed every drop of blood in my veins—still I will insist upon this petition! Not all the tortures that earth and hell can inflict—shall force me to retract it! Father, glorify your name! Display the glory of your attributes by my sufferings, and I will patiently submit to them all. Display the perfections of your nature, exhibit an honourable representation of yourself to all worlds—by the salvation of sinners through my death—and I will yield myself to its power in its most shocking forms. Let this end be but answered, and I am well content. This consideration calms the tumult of passions in my heart, overpowers the reluctance of my human nature, and makes it all patience and submission!"

I intend, my brethren, to confine myself at present to this part of my text, this petition on which Jesus insists, and in which his mind acquiesces after perplexity and hesitation: "Father, glorify your name!" And it evidently suggests to us this important truth: that the divine perfections are most illustriously displayed and glorified, in the method of salvation through the sufferings of Christ.

This truth I shall endeavour to illustrate, after I have premised that it is most fit and proper that the glory of God should be the ultimate end of all things; and particularly, that it should be his own principal end in all his works. He is in himself the most glorious of all beings, the supreme excellence, and the supreme good; and it is infinitely fit and reasonable that he should be known and acknowledged as such; and that it should be his great end in all his works—to represent himself in this light. It is but justice to himself, and it is the kindest thing he can do for his creatures—since their chief happiness must consist in the enjoyment of the supreme good, and as they cannot enjoy him without knowing it.

Selfishness in creatures is a vile and wicked disposition, because they are not the greatest or best of beings; but for God to love and seek himself above all, is the same thing as to love and seek what is absolutely best; for such he is. The aims of creatures should reach beyond themselves, because God, the supreme good, lies beyond them; they should all terminate upon him, and should not fall short of him, as they cannot fly beyond him, because he is the supreme excellence, and it is not to be found anywhere else.

But for this reason, God must aim at himself, if he aims at what is absolutely best; for he alone is so. For creatures to aim principally at their own glory, to set themselves off, and make it their end to gain applause—is vanity and criminal ambition, because they are really unworthy of it; and were formed for the glory of another, even of the great Lord of all. But for God to make his own glory the highest end, for him to aim at the display of his attributes in all his works—is worthy and just, and infinitely distant from a vain ostentation, because there is nothing else so excellent, and so worthy of a display! His perfections deserve to be represented in the most illustrious light, and demand the highest veneration and love from the whole universe!

In short, for God to aim at his own glory in all his actions, is but for him:
to do justice to infinite merit;
to display the most perfect beauty;
to illustrate supreme excellence;
to exhibit the supreme good in a just light;
to procure honour to what is in itself most honourable; and
to represent the true God in the most godlike manner.

And what can be more fit or just? A lower end than this would be unworthy of him. The display of God's glory is of more real worth—than the existence or the happiness of ten thousand worlds! And this is the end which he has uniformly pursued—in all the steps of creation, providence, and redemption. This particularly was his end in the permission of sin, and in the form of his administration towards our guilty world, through a Mediator. As, on the one hand, we are sure that he is not at all accessory to sin, as its proper producing cause; so we may be equally sure, on the other hand, that sin has not entered into the world without his permission: that is, it could not have happened—if he had hindered it. Now there were undoubtedly very good reasons for this permission; and one appears evident, namely: that if sin had never entered, it would have been impossible in the nature of things, that some of the divine perfections, particularly his punishing justice and his forgiving grace—should be displayed in the conduct of his providence towards his creatures.

Pardoning grace could never be displayed, if there were no sin to be pardoned; nor vindictive justice, if there were no crimes to be punished. And, consequently, if moral evil had never been permitted, these divine perfections must have been forever idle, concealed, and as much unknown, as if they did not belong to the divine nature! But now there is room for the mediatorial scheme of salvation to our world. And I now proceed to show, that in this scheme—all the perfections of God have an illustrious display, and are represented to the greatest advantage!

Here I would consider this scheme, both absolutely—in itself; and relatively—as a part of the grand administration towards the rational world. In the latter view, I shall consider it but briefly, and therefore I shall begin with it.

Considering it RELATIVELY, as a part of the divine economy towards the rational world, the mediatorial scheme of salvationconcurs with the other parts, to show the amiable and wise variety of the divine government, or in how many ways God can answer his ends, and display his perfections in his works towards his creatures.

The Scriptures give us an account of the divine conduct towards two sorts of rational creatures: angels and men. And from thence, we may also learn the wise variety of the divine dispensations towards them.

A part of the angels were preserved in their primitive state of holiness; and a part of them were allowed to fall into sin. But the whole human race was permitted to fall—and not one of them continued in their original state of integrity.

A part of the angels are happy for ever; and so is a number of mankind. But here lies the difference: the angels are continued in a state of happiness, from which they never fell; but the saved from among men are recovered from a state of sin and misery, into which they fell—to a state of happiness, which they had entirely lost.

The angels are entitled to happiness upon the footing of a covenant of works—to which they have yielded perfect obedience; but men are saved entirely upon the plan of the covenant of grace—on account of the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to them and accepted for them, though it is not originally their own. The angels having never offended, have no need of a Mediator, or of redemption through his blood. But it is through a Mediator alone—that guilty mortals have access to God; and they owe their salvation to his death.

As to the fallen angels—there was no Saviour provided for them; but to us fallen men—is born a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. They were never placed in a second state of trial, or under a dispensation of grace—but given up to irrecoverable ruin immediately, upon their first apostasy; but our guilty race is placed under a dispensation of grace, and made probationers, for a happy immortality after their first fall.

The devils are irrecoverably lost for lack of a Saviour—but the sinners from among men perish by the neglecting a Saviour.

All the fallen angels, without exception, are remedilessly miserable; but only a part of mankind share in their doom.

The angels stood every one for himself—but Adam was constituted our representative; our concerns were lodged in his hands, and we fell in him.

Now what a surprising variety is here!

Here are some holy and happy beings—that were never otherwise; and some that are recovered to holiness and happiness—that had been deeply involved in guilt and misery!

Here are some rewarded for their own personal works of obedience; and some are saved by the righteousness of another!

Here are some that have access to God without a Mediator—and some through a Mediator!

Here are some that have always gone on in an easy, natural tenor of uniform obedience; and some that have passed through various conflicts and temptations, and ascended to heaven from the field of battle!

Here are some shining in all the glory of native innocence, highly improved—but not new-created; and some repaired from their ruins, and formed anew!

Here are some that perish without a dispensation of grace—some without the offer of a Saviour; and some for rejecting the offer!

Here are some sinners abandoned forever for the first offence; and some lost by abusing their time of trial and the means of their recovery.

What various theatres are these, on which to display the glory of the divine perfections! What amazing wisdom to form so many different models of government, and so conduct and manage them all—as to answer the best ends!

If there are any of the divine attributes that are most properly exercised upon sinless creatures that never fell—they meet with a proper object in the elect angels.

If there are any perfections that cannot be displayed but upon the guilty—here are guilty men and angels, in the conduct toward whom they may shine in their full glory.

If there be any of the divine attributes that may be represented in the most illustrious light, in the recovery of lost sinners through the obedience and sufferings of a Mediator—here are thousands saved in this way from among men, who will be the everlasting monuments of their amiable glories!

If any of the divine perfections can receive more honour by punishing abandoned criminals immediately given up to remediless ruin—they receive that honour from the everlasting punishment of the fallen angels!

If any of the divine perfections can be displayed to greater advantage, by the punishment of the ungrateful abusers of the means of grace, and a time of trial—the impenitent and unbelieving sons of men are a proper object for them!

To all which I may add, that: here we have the divine perfections displayed in justification by works—and justification by grace.

Here we have the divine perfections displayed in inflicting punishment upon the proper offender—and upon Jesus Christ as a surety.

And whatever glory may be peculiar to one or other of these ways, or may result from them all conjointly as one whole, or system of government, all that glory redounds to the divine perfections!

Thus you see the method of salvation through Christ, considered as a part of the grand scheme of the divine government, tends to the illustration of the perfections of God. It is one link in the bright chain; and should it be broken or removed, the whole system and context would be shattered or left incomplete! Thus Paul tells us, that by the dispensations of grace towards the church, are made known, not only to men—but to principalities and powers (that is, to the angels) the manifold wisdom of God, his variegated and beautifully diversified wisdom. Ephes. 3:10.

And oh! that our eyes may be enlightened to behold and admire it! However little this divine scheme be regarded in our blind and ungrateful world, the various ranks of angels cannot behold it with careless eyes—they stoop, and look, and pry into it, with a divine curiosity and an insatiable eagerness, through all eternity!

But let us now proceed to a more particular survey of this scheme, considered ABSOLUTELY in itself; and, in this view, we shall find the divine perfections are displayed more gloriously by it, than by any other; particularly—as to the degree—the harmony—the universality—the grace and benevolence—and the wonderful and surprising manner of the display.
I. By this scheme—the divine perfections are displayed in the highest degree possible. It appears that such and such attributes not only belong to God—but that they are in him in the highest perfection.

God's GOODNESS had already displayed itself all the world over, in giving life, and breath, and all things to men, from age to age. But what are the blessings of the sun and rain, what are the productions of the earth—when compared to the gift of his only begotten Son, the man that was his fellow, whom he loved more than ten thousand worlds! This is an unspeakable gift; this the richest gift which even the infinite goodness of God could bestow! Almighty love could do no more! The creation and support of millions of worlds would not have displayed such a degree of love and goodness as this.

God had displayed his HOLINESS and JUSTICE, and his abhorrence of sin, by the variety of his judgements upon a guilty world; and he will display these attributes to all eternity by the more dreadful punishments of hell. But the subjects of these punishments are creatures of an inferior order; and they have provoked their gracious Sovereign, and most justly incurred his displeasure, by their own personal crimes. These he may therefore punish, and yet spare his Son.

But Christ becomes the surety of the guilty, and he is chargeable with no sin of his own—but only the imputed guilt of others. The dignity of his person, the greatness of the love of his Father to him, his personal innocence, and the benevolence of his design—plead for him, and seem to promise him an exemption, or at least the mitigation of his sufferings. This now is the greatest trial that can be made, whether divine justice be strictly inexorable, whether God can be prevailed upon by the strongest possible inducements to overlook sin, and dispense with his law. Had the doom of the whole created universe been suspended on it—it would not have been so great a trial.

And what was the outcome? Paul tells us the amazing result, "God spared not his own Son—his one and only Son, but delivered him up to death!" Romans 8:32. When the honour of his justice and holiness were at stake, even the Father would not relent; but with his own mouth he issues out the dread commission, "Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, says the Lord Almighty! Smite the Shepherd!" Zech. 13:7. Now it even pleased the Father to bruise him, and put him to grief. Isaiah 53:10.

And could there be a more astonishing display of justice and the sacred honours of the divine government? Could a more striking proof be given of the infinite holiness of the divine nature, the malignity of sin, and his implacable hatred to it? No! all the punishments of hell can never give such an illustrious display of these perfections!

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