The Sufferings of Christ, and 2
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O my brethren! will you not afford the blessed Jesus this pleasure? It is but little, very little, for all the tortures he bore for you: your sins have given him many a wound, many a pang, and will you not now grant him this satisfaction?
But the cross is not the only place from whence he takes a view of his spiritual seed. He is now exalted to his throne in the highest heavens; and from thence he takes a wide survey of the universe. He looks down upon our world: he beholds kings in their grandeur, victorious generals with all their power, nobles and great men in all their pomp; but these are not the objects that best please his eyes. "He sees his seed;" he sees one here, and another there, bought with his blood, and born of his Spirit; and this is the most delightful sight our world can afford him. Some of them may be oppressed with poverty, covered with rags, or ghastly with famine; they may make no great figure in mortal eyes; but he loves to look at them, he esteems them as his children, and the fruits of his dying pangs.
His eyes are upon this assembly today! And if there is one of His spiritual seed among us—He can distinguish them in the crowd. He sees you drinking in His Words with eager ears! He sees you at his table commemorating His love! He sees your hearts breaking with penitential sorrows, and melting at His cross! And oh! should we not all be solicitous, that we be of that happy number on whom his eyes are thus graciously fixed?
But these are not the only children whom He delights to view; they are not all in such an abject, imperfect state. No! He sees a glorious company of them around His throne in heaven, arrived to maturity, enjoying their inheritance, and resembling their divine Parent!
How does His benevolent heart rejoice to look over the immense plains of heaven—and see them all peopled with His seed! When He takes a view of this numerous offspring, sprung from His blood, and when He looks down to our world—and sees so many infants in grace, gradually advancing to their adult age; when He sees some, perhaps every hour since He died upon Calvary, entering the gates of heaven, having finished their course of education upon earth; I say, when this prospect appears to Him on every hand—how does He rejoice!
Now the prophecy in my text is fulfilled! "He shall see of the travail of His soul—and shall be satisfied!" If you put the sentiments of His benevolent heart into language, methinks He would say, "Since My death has been so fruitful of such a glorious posterity—I am well satisfied. I desire no other reward for all My agonies for them. If this end is but answered—I am fully satisfied by My hanging on the tree for them!"
O sirs, must not your heart melt away within you, to hear such language as this? See the strength of the love of Jesus! If you are but saved—He does not begrudge His blood and life for you! Your salvation makes amends for all His sufferings! He asks no other reward from you—than that you will become his spiritual seed, and behave as children towards him. This He accounts His greatest joy—a joy more than equivalent to all the pains He endured for you! And oh! my brethren, will you not afford him this joy today? This is a point I have much at heart, and therefore I must urge it upon you; nay, I can take no denial in it! Jesus has done and suffered a great deal for you; and has gratitude never constrained you to inquire how you can oblige him? or what you shall do for him in return?
If this be your sincere inquiry—you have an answer immediately! Devote yourselves to his service, love and obey him as his dutiful children, that he may save you. If you would oblige him, if you would give him full satisfaction for all the sorrows you have caused him—then do this; do this—or nothing; for nothing else can please him.
Suppose that He should this day appear to you in that suffering form—sweating great drops of blood, accused, insulted, bruised, scourged, nailed upon the cross! And suppose He should turn to you with a countenance full of love and pity, and drenched with blood and tears, and address you in such moving language as this:
"See! sinners—see what I suffer for you! See at what a dear rate I purchase your salvation! See how I love you! And now I have only this to ask of you in return: that you would forsake those murderous sins which thus torment Me; that you would love and serve Me; and receive that salvation which I am now purchasing with the blood of My heart! This I ask, with all the importunity of My last breath, of My bleeding wounds, and My expiring groans. Grant Me but this—and I am well satisfied! I shall think of all My sufferings, as well bestowed."
I say, suppose he should address you thus in person, what answer would he receive from this assembly? Oh! would you not all cry out with one voice, "Lord Jesus, you have overcome us with your love: here we consent to your request. Prescribe anything—and we will obey. Nothing can be a sufficient compensation for such dying love!"
Well, my brethren, though Jesus is not here in person—yet he makes the same request to you by the preaching of the gospel, he makes the same request by the significant representation of his sufferings, just about to be given by sacramental signs; and therefore make the same answer now, which you would to himself in person!
He has had much grief from Hanover before now: many sins committed here lay heavy upon him, and bruised and wounded him; and oh! will you not afford him joy this day? Will you not give him the satisfaction he desires? His eyes are now running through this assembly, and shall he not see of the travail of his soul? Shall he not see the happy fruits of his death? There is joy in heaven at the conversion of one sinner—and Jesus has the most joy. And will you endeavour to rob him of it? If you reject his proposal, the language of your conduct is, "He shall have no cause of joy—as far as I can hinder it! He shall have none from me; all his sufferings shall be in vain—as far as I can render them so!" And are you not shocked at such blasphemy and base ingratitude?
The happiness of Christ's exalted state consists, in a great degree—in the pleasure of seeing the designs of his death accomplished in the conversion and salvation of sinners; and therefore, by denying him this, you attempt to degrade him, to rob him of his happiness, and to make him more a man of sorrows. And can you venture upon such impiety and ingratitude? I tell you, sirs, it will not do to profess his name, to compliment him with the formalities of religion, and to be Christians in pretence , while you do not depart from iniquity, and while your hearts are not fired with his love. He takes no pleasure in seeing such spurious seed, that have no resemblance to their pretended Father; but he will disown them at last, as he did the Jews, and tell them, "You are of your father, the devil—whose deeds you do!" John 8:44.
The thing in which he would rejoice, and which I am inculcating upon you, is: that as penitent, helpless sinners, you will cast yourselves entirely upon the merit of his atonement, devote yourselves to his service, and submit to him as your Lord; that is, that you would become true, genuine, sincere Christians! This, and nothing short of this, would afford him pleasure! And can you refuse it to him; especially when it will afford the greatest pleasure to yourselves as well? Permit me, my dear brethren, to insist upon it—that you rejoice the heart of the blessed Jesus today.
I request you in his name and stead—and to which of you shall I make the request with success? Will you gratify him in this—or will you refuse? Some of you, poor Negroes, have, I hope, rejoiced the heart of Christ, by submitting to him as your Saviour; and are there no more among you who will do him this kindness? Oh! can any of you bear the thought of refusing? He bore the black crimes of many a poor Negro; and now he is looking upon you, to see what return you will make to him. Come, then, you who are at once slaves to men, and slaves to sin—let the Son make you free, and you shall be free indeed! He will deliver you from sinand Satan—the worst of masters, and bring you into the glorious liberty of his children!
Here I would, for a while, drop the noble principle of gratitude to Christ; and endeavour to work upon that principle of self-love, which, though less noble, is more strong in degenerate creatures. In affording Christ this pleasure, you will also afford the greatest pleasure to yourselves; for it is your happiness, your salvation, that he rejoices in—and therefore, in grieving him—you only ruin yourselves. Receive him as your Saviour and Lord—and you shall be happy forever; but if you reject him—you are forever undone; he will not save you, and where will you look for a Saviour? To which of the saints, to which of the angels, will you turn? But alas! If you are not saved—then He will rejoice over your damnation! He will glorify Himself in your destruction! The flames of hell will burn dreadfully bright—when He will please Himself in the execution of His justice upon you!
But, on the other hand, if you afford him joy at your conversion this day, he will reward you forever; he will reward you with all the unspeakable joys of heaven!
Here, then, is a twofold cord to draw you to Jesus Christ: the love of Christ—and the love of yourselves! And one would think such a cord could not easily be broken. Can any of you resist the united force of gratitude—and self-interest? Are you so unnatural as to sin against Christ—and against your own life; to ruin yourselves rather than to oblige him? Who would think that the once noble nature of man should ever be capable of such a degree of degeneracy? And oh! who would have thought that the Son of God would lay down his life, or even entertain one benevolent thought for such base ungrateful creatures—who care so little for him, or even for their own true interest?
I must bring this matter to a short issue; and it is this; you must either afford Christ this generous pleasure, by receiving and submitting to him this day—OR you will return home under the additional guilt of rejecting him, and doing all you could to reduce him into misery again; and if you continue such, which, alas! is not improbable, you must feel his eternal resentments, and perish forever under the weight of His righteous vengeance!
Let us now proceed to another part of the text.
"The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand." It is the pleasure of the Lord that sinners should be saved through the mediation of Jesus Christ; I say, through the mediation of Jesus Christ; for he is determined they shall not be saved in any other way! He is determined that those who refuse to be saved in this way—shall not be saved at all. Because their salvation in any other way—would not be consistent with the glory of his perfections, the honour of his government, and his character as thesupreme Magistrate of the universe! And his honour and glory are of more importance— than the happiness of all created worlds. And therefore their salvation and happiness cannot be obtained in any way inconsistent with it.
But through the mediation of Christ sinners may be saved—and in the meantime the honour of the divine perfections and government secured, and even illustrated! He has made atonement for sin, and answered the demands of the divine law and justice; so that God can now be just, and yet justify the one who believes in Jesus. Hence God is in Christ; observe, in Christ, reconciling the world to himself. 2 Corinthians 5:19. His heart is set on it; and the success of this scheme affords him the greatest pleasure.
It is not only your interest—but your duty to be saved. It is as much your duty to enter into heaven, as to pray, or to perform any other part of religion. And your destruction will not only be your righteous punishment—but your sin; the most criminal self-murder! God has been pleased to interpose his authority, to give greater force to the principle of self-love. Your interest has this additional recommendation, that it is your duty; and you sin against God—in ruining yourselves!
Here again my subject leads me to address myself to the united principles of gratitude and self-love. Will you not afford the Lord who made you—this benevolent pleasure? Will you not gratify him in this—when it is your happiness he seeks? Has neither the pleasure of God, nor your own immortal interest—any weight with you? Is sin dearer to you than both! Alas! if you are not to be wrought upon by considerations drawn from the love of God; or love to yourselves, from gratitude or self-interest; from what topic shall I reason with you? If this is the case, you are no longer to be dealt with as reasonable creatures—but as brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed!
This work of saving sinners, God has entrusted to Jesus Christ: and he has chosen a very proper person for so grand and difficult an undertaking! The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand—or under his management. He knows how to carry on the scheme of salvation, to the best advantage. The work has been going on from Adam to this day, in spite of all opposition; and it is not now at a standstill.
Oh that it may prosper among you, my dear people! Oh that the sacred Trinity, and all the angels on high, may look down with pleasure this day—on this guilty spot, rejoicing to see the grand scheme of salvation successfully going on! My brethren, will you not fall in with the design? A design so favourable to yourselves! Will you not all concur to promote it, and carry it into execution upon a child, a friend, a neighbour, and especially upon yourselves? Or will you set yourselves against the Lord, and against his Anointed, by refusing to fall in with this scheme? Will you join in the conspiracy against it with the malevolent powers of hell—who oppose it with all their might, because it tends to your salvation? You readily concur in any scheme for your temporal advantage, and why not in this? Alas! Is the happiness of heaven—the only kind of happiness that you are careless about? Is the salvation of your immortal soul—the only deliverance for which you have no desire? Alas! Have you become so stupidly wicked!!
This subject affords strong consolation to such of you as have complied with the method of salvation through Christ, since the salvation of sinners in this way is the pleasure of the Lord; and since it is entrusted to the faithful and skilful hands of Christ, under whose management it will prosper—you may be sure that his good pleasure will be accomplished with respect to you, and that the divine scheme shall be carried into complete execution, in spite of all opposition. Therefore rejoice in your security, and bless his name to whom you owe it.
I shall conclude with a few PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS adapted to this solemn sacramental occasion:
The table of the Lord is just about to be spread among us. This is another instance of the grace and benevolence of Christ; for to remember him, who is the design of this ordinance, is not only your duty—but your privilege and happiness. The remembrance of him has virtue in it: to refresh your souls, to heal your wounded consciences, and to revive your languishing graces. Hence it is that this ordinance is not only a memorial of Christ—but a feast for your refreshment and support! And consequently, his making it a standing ordinance in his church is a standing evidence of his good-will to his people to the end of the world! It is true—that it is an institution little regarded, even in the professing Christian world. To many, the table of the Lord is contemptible, for they stand by and gaze at it—as unconcerned, or curious spectators. But this does not depreciate it, nor is it a reason why you should desert it.
Come, all children of God—and crowd round your Father's table today! Let Jesus see his seed feasting together in commemoration of him, and in mutual love with one another. Let him now see of the travail of his soul, the children with whom he travailed as in birth; let him now see a goodly company of them around his table—that he may be satisfied!
Let me remind you that you have caused him many a heavy hour, and much pain and sorrow; therefore let him in return have pleasure and satisfaction from you this day! Oh! rejoice that heart—which you have often broken, and let there be joy in heaven over you! Let the angels who are ministering to the saints, and who are no doubt hovering unseen over this assembly, viewing those humble memorials of that Saviour whom they behold without a veil in his native heaven; let them carry up glad tidings to their Lord this evening, and tune their harps above—to higher strains of joy and praise!
And oh! that the lost sheep would this day return, that their kind Shepherd may rejoice over them! He came from heaven in search of you—and will you keep out of his way and fear falling into his hands? Let wandering prodigals return, that there may be joy in your Father's house, whose arms are stretched out to embrace you, and who is looking after you with eager eyes! Oh let the pleasure of the Lord prosper among us this day—and it will be a day gratefully to be remembered to all eternity!
This ordinance is also a seal of the covenant of grace; therefore come to it this day to renew your contract with your God and Saviour; to take him for your God, and to give up yourselves to him as his people, in an everlasting covenant never to be forgotten! Make a sure covenant; call heaven and earth, God, angels and men, to be witness to it, and seal it with the memorials of your dying Redeemer! You had need to make it firm, for much depends upon it; and you have much to go through to perform the duties of the Christian life: to conflict with powerful temptations: to die; to stand at the supreme tribunal. These are the things you are to go through; and you cannot pass through them with honour or safety, unless you make sure of an interest in God, and give up your all into his hands.
This institution is also intended to cultivate the communion of the saints; and therefore, as children, you are to sit down at the table of your common Father, with hearts full of ardent love to mankind, and especially to the household of faith. Let no angry or malicious passion pollute this sacred feast; but be all charity and benevolence, like that Redeemer whose death you celebrate.
Finally, You are now to renew your vows and obligations to be the Lord's, and to walk in his ways all the days of your life. See that you enter into them with an entire dependence upon his strength! And oh! remember them afterwards, to carry them into execution.
One would think that all traitors would be forever deterred from sitting down at the Lord's table, by the shocking example ofJudas, the first hypocrite who profaned it. And oh! one would think that vows, made in so solemn a posture, and with the emblems of Christ's body and blood in your hands—would not soon be forgotten as trifles. It is, methinks, an exploit of wickedness to be capable of this; and none of you, I hope, are audacious enough to venture upon it!
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