Sermon 27

Isaiah 53, Verse 7. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

Though the news of a suffering Mediator seem to be a sad subject, yet it has been, is, and will be, the great subject of the Gospel, and of the gladdest tidings that ever sinners heard; this being the great thing that they ought in a special manner to know, even Jesus Christ and him crucified; the Prophet here takes a special delight to insist on it, and in one verse after another has some new thing of his suffering.

Having in the former verse spoken to the occasion, ground and rise of his sufferings, to wit, the elect's straying like sheep, their wandering and turning every one to their own way, and the Lord's laying on him the iniquity of them all; the elect that were given to Christ, being naturally at enmity with God, and having run on in the course of their sinful nature to the provoking God; and there being no way for them to escape the wrath which by their sin they had deserved, till the Lord found out this [reconstructed: means], to wit, the second Person interposing as their Mediator and Surety, and engaging to pay their debt; on which followed the imputing of all their iniquities to him, according to the transaction made about them; which transaction being laid down as we have heard, the Prophet proceeds to show Christ's executing and performing of the transaction; and because it might be thought that it was so great a matter as could not but have much sad and sore suffering following upon it, to take on all our iniquities; he answers, that notwithstanding all that, yet he took them on, and that very willingly and cheerfully; or because it might be thought that the former words look as if God had laid the punishment of our iniquity on him, and that he had not taken it on himself, the Prophet tells us that it is nothing so, but that there was a mutual covenant between God and the Mediator, and that the Mediator was as well content to bear the iniquity of the elect as the Father was content to lay it on him; and that though he was exacted upon, oppressed, afflicted, and suffered sad strokes, yet he rued not the bargain, but went on resolutely in paying the ransom of the elect as readily as ever a sheep went to the slaughter, or as it is dumb before the shearer, so he opened not his mouth to speak against it.

There are three things asserted here that serve to make up the scope, supposing the transaction to have gone before: 1. The Father's exacting the elect's debt of the Mediator. 2. The Mediator's yielding and satisfying. 3. The manner how he did it, willingly, readily and cheerfully. We shall first open the words a little, and then speak to some doctrines from them, reserving the uses to the close of all.

1. Where it is said, He was oppressed, the word signifies to exact; and we find it three ways applied in Scripture: 1. To the exacting of tribute, as (2 Kings 23:33), where it is said, that Pharaoh Necho who put the land to a tribute of a hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold — it is the same word that is here. 2. Sometimes it is applied to the exacting of debts; as when a man is put to the Horn, and Caption and Imprisonment follows upon it; so (Deuteronomy 15:2), when the Lord tells his people, that the creditor shall not exact of his neighbor, or of his brother, in the year of release. 3. It is applied to the exacting of labor, as (Isaiah 58:3), you exact all your labor; and (Exodus 1:11), the word taskmasters comes from the same root; this being the ordinary signification of the word, it is turned here oppressing figuratively because such exacters and taskmasters in their rigorous usage of those whom they exact upon, are often oppressive; and there being no noun prefixed to the words in the Original, they may stand as well thus, It was exacted of him; that which he was engaged to pay, he was fully exacted upon for it, to the least farthing; or take the words as they stand here, he was oppressed, that is (as we use to speak) stressed or distressed for our debt; he was not only engaged, but according to his engagement was put hard to it, to satisfy. 2. It is said, He was afflicted, which is sometimes rendered to answer; and these two agree very well together, he was exacted upon and he answered the debt; as when a bill of exchange for such a sum is drawn upon a man, and he answers it; and this exposition runs well and smoothly with the words following, Yet he opened not his mouth; he used no defense to elude or shift the debt: he said not that it was not his, but he answered it indeed, and in a word said nothing to the contrary; or taking the words as here they stand translated, He was afflicted, they signify the effect that follows on his being exacted upon; though it broke him not, yet it brought him very low, even to an afflicted condition. The third thing is, that though he was brought thus low, and though it was not for his own but for other folks' debt (which usually troubles men most) yet he opened not his mouth; to show his wonderful condescension, and the great love from which it flows; he paid the elect's debt with as good will, and as pleasantly as if it had been his own proper and personal debt; though he was the Son of God, and God equal with the Father, and might have brought legions of angels to destroy his enemies, yet as the lamb brought to the slaughter, and as the sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth; and it may be that there is not only here relation or respect had to the sheep as it is an innocent, harmless, simple tractable creature, and not untoward and refractory as a bull or ox tends to be; but also respect had to it as it was made use of in the [reconstructed: Sacrifices]; and so the meaning is, he yielded his life willingly when none could take it from him, for performing the indenture, to say so, and for satisfying the transaction past between Jehovah and him.

So, having shown how it comes to pass that Christ suffered and suffered so much, and was brought so low under suffering; and having told that he was engaged to pay the Elect's debt, and that the Father had laid their iniquities on him; lest any might think that the Father would have spared his own Son, no, says the Prophet, He was oppressed, and not only so, but afflicted and humbled; and lest it should have been thought that the Lord Jehovah had better will to the bargain than the Mediator had; it is added, that he did satisfy the debt as willingly as the Father laid it on him, as these similitudes made use of, plainly hold forth.

Take these observations from the words, 1. That our Lord Jesus having entered himself Surety for sinners, he was really put at, and Justice exacted the debt of him which he had undertaken and engaged to pay: Read the whole story of the Gospel, and it will make out this; it is said by himself, Luke 24, it behoved the Son of Man to suffer these things, and then to enter into his glory; He must needs go to Jerusalem and suffer; and when the cup is in his hand, and his holy human nature, having a sinless scaring at it, makes him pray, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; yet seeing here was a necessity that either he should drink it, or that the Elect should perish; in the very next words, he sweetly subjoins, Not my will but your will be done; and so hotly and hardly was he pursued by Justice, that he must needs come to the cursed death of the Cross, and actually die; and as if death had gotten a piece of dominion over the Lord of Life, he is laid in the grave; So Zechariah 13, the Lord says, Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, smite the shepherd; where we see, that when the good Shepherd and great Bishop of Souls, has undertaken for the Elect's debt, Justice gives a commission as it were to its own holy revenge, to pursue the man that is God's fellow for that debt: That which we design to confirm in the doctrine, is not only, that our Lord Jesus suffered, but that his suffering was by Justice exacting of him the debt of the Elect's sin, according to the engagement that he came under to the Father; For the scope is to show, not only that he suffered so great things as oppressed and brought him very low; but also that he was put at by Justice in these sad sufferings, to pay the debt that he had taken on: For confirming and clearing of this a little, you may consider 1. The titles which he gets in Scripture, he is called the Cautioner or Surety of the better Testament or Covenant (Hebrews 7:22). And by that title he is shown to be instated in our room, and answerable for our debt; and he is called the Lamb that takes away the debt of our sin by the sacrifice of himself; He stepped in into our place, and kept off the stroke of the sword of Justice that would have lighted on us, had he not interposed. 2. Consider the titles which his sufferings and death gets (Hebrews 9:12). He is said to purchase (to wit by it) eternal redemption for us; and (Romans 3:24) we are said to be justified through the redemption that is in Jesus; We were slaves to the Devil, subject to the curse, discerned and adjudged to suffer for the wrongs that we had done to Justice; and his suffering is called redemption, because as the man that redeems the captive, gives a ransom for him, so he interposed and paid a ransom for us; it is also called a propitiation (1 John 2:2). He is the propitiation for our sins, to wit, pleasing to God, and accepted of him in the room of all the Elect; and this word propitiation as it supposes God's being displeased with the Elect before Christ's satisfaction, so it plainly holds forth his being well pleased with them on the account of his satisfaction. 3. Consider these Scriptures that speak not only of Christ's sufferings, but of their end and scope, even the drawing of him down (to speak so) into the Elect's room, as verse 5 of this chapter, He was wounded for our transgressions, etc. He got the strokes, and we got the cure (2 Corinthians 5:21). He was made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God through him; We are sinners, and Christ is to purchase righteousness to us; and the way how he does it, is by stepping in into our room, and becoming our Cautioner, and he engaging as Surety, the Law wins at him on that ground; so (Galatians 3:13). He has redeemed us from the curse of the law by being made a curse for us; we were under the curse and liable to be pursued by it, and our Lord Jesus becomes a curse to deliver us from it: Considering then the end of God's covenant, which is to glorify his Justice [reconstructed: and] Grace, that sinners may know it is an evil thing to sin and depart from God, and that grace is a very costly thing, to which he has made access through the veil, which is his flesh; and considering Christ's undertaking, without which they could not be set free, it could not be otherwise. This is a truth that has in it much of the marrow of the Gospel, and tends much to humble us, and is also very much for our comfort: What was Justice seeking of Christ when he suffered and was in an agony? If you are a believer or an elect sinner, it was even exacting your debt of him; and would it not affect a noble debtor to see his Cautioner dragged, hauled, and hurried to prison for his debt? Even so, if we could look on Christ's sufferings as so many summons and pursuivants arresting him for our debt, it could not but affect us with much sorrow for our sins that brought him to this, and with much love to him who was content to be so dealt with for them; and no doubt this is one of the reasons why he will have his death remembered till he come again, even that we may see our obligation to him, and be suitably affected with it.

2. Observe, that the debt of the Elect's sins was severely and with holy rigidity exacted of Christ to the very full worth or value; this proceeding was as to Christ by way of justice, whether we look to the purchase that he made, to wit, the Elect's souls, he laid down as good in their room, or whether we look to a transaction or bargain going before, whatever was in the stipulation he paid and satisfied to the full, nothing was remitted nor given him down; or whether we look to the curse due to the Elect, that was inflicted on him, and he himself was made a curse for us, looking on the curse simply as penal and what was bitter in it, which shows his condescension in his sufferings so much the more.

3. Observe, that our Lord Jesus was brought exceeding low while the debt of the Elect was exacted of him; he was put to exceeding sore affliction, much strained and stressed by the justice of God exacting of him the debt due by elect sinners. We spoke to some words before, which bore out this, as he was wounded, bruised, chastised, etc. and now we see the effect here when justice puts him to it; after he has taken on the debt, he is tried, stripped as it were to the skin, punished and distressed before he gets it paid. If we consider our Lord Jesus as God, he is neither less nor more punished, being so considered, utterly incapable of any such thing; but if we look on him as Mediator, God-man, God much withdrawing from him the influence of his comforting presence while he has the cup of wrath in his hand, so, he is brought exceeding low and sadly afflicted. And these four considerations (under which we may see him paying our debt) may clear it. 1. That he laid aside the glory which before the world was he had with the Father, for a time; which therefore that it may be restored to him again, he prays (John 17:5), it having been as to the manifestation thereof in his person eclipsed, interrupted, and darkened for a season; hence the Apostle says (Philippians 2) that he emptied himself and became of no reputation, as if his glory had not been discernible for a time. He that is judge of the living and dead is himself judged; he that created heaven and earth, has not whereon to lay his head; though all the kings of the earth hold their treasures of him, yet he was so poor that he lives upon the alms of others, for women ministered to him. 2. Not only has he a being that is mean and low, but he is exceedingly afflicted, he suffered hunger; he is pursued as if he had been a thief or a robber; a band of men comes and apprehends him in the night as if he had been a malefactor or evildoer, and drags him away to the civil judge; his back is smitten, his face is spitted on, his head ratted and pricked with thorns, sentence is passed upon him, he is condemned and scourged; and when he [reconstructed: could] not bear his own cross, (his body, being a true human body, is so fainted and enfeebled,) it is accounted a favor that he gets one Simon to help him to bear it, or to bear it after him; which is not marked to show that they did him any kindness or courtesy beyond others, but to hold out the low and weak condition he was brought into, that he was not able to bear it himself. And not only so, but he must come to death, and to the shameful and cursed death of the cross; and he dies very quickly, further to point out his lowness, which was such that death overcame him sooner than the others, because he had other things to wrestle with. 3. In his name he suffered, he was reproached, nodded at with the head, reviled, mocked, sent about as a spectacle from Pilate to Herod, back again from Herod to Pilate; he had a scarlet robe put on him in derision; the high priests also deride him; the Jews wag the head at him, and count him not at all worthy to live, and therefore prefer a robber and murderer to him. 4. Consider his inward sufferings — O! these were far more piercing; justice laid claim to his soul, the sorrows of hell compassed him; his soul is heavy to the death; he sweats blood, and cries if it be possible that that wrathful cup might pass from him; and on the cross with a pitiful voice, my God, my God why have you forsaken me? which, by the way, is not an expression of any quarrelling complaint or discouragement, but of sinless nature when he is arraigned and made to stand before the tribunal of God, affected with the horror of divine wrath, and cannot easily endure that there should be a cloud between God and him. But these soul-sufferings of his, will fall in to be spoken to afterwards; only we see here that he was afflicted, and in suffering was greatly humbled and brought very low: and indeed considering that all the Elect's sins were laid upon him, and that justice was exacting all their debt of him, he could not be otherwise, but needed to be exceedingly afflicted and sore distressed.

Fourthly, observe that inasmuch as our Lord suffered, yet he did most willingly and cheerfully undergo it all; he thwarted not with it; he repented not, he grudged not, he flinched not nor drew back; or, which is to the same purpose, our Lord Jesus in his lowest humiliation and affliction, and all along his deepest suffering, showed exceeding great willingness, desirousness, and heartsomeness. That word was always true of him, I delight to do your will, O my God; and the Prophet holds out this as a great wonder, that though he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. We shall for clearing of this, propose these considerations. 1. In his undertaking of the bargain, his willingness appears; when burnt offerings and sacrifices would not do it, and when there was no obligation on him to do what he did, then comes in his free offer and consent, and that with delight (Psalm 40): Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of your book, it's written of me, I delight to do your will, O my God; where we see that there was no extorting or throwing of a consent from the Mediator against his will, but a delightsome offering of it. And that word of his (Proverbs 8) is very remarkable to this purpose: Rejoicing in the habitable parts of the earth, and my delight was with the sons of men. The contemplation and foresight of his incarnation and suffering for the Elect was (to speak so) refreshing to him, and made him leap as it were for joy, before the world was made, and before they had a being. 2. Consider the great things that he undertook, not only to be man, but a poor mean man; it had been much for him to have humbled himself to be monarch of the whole world, as his vain and profane pretended vicar the Pope of Rome claims to be; yet he not only will not be so, but emptied himself and became a worm in a manner, and no man, an out-cast of the people — O such a proof of his love. And when he took the cup, that bitter cup, and said, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, lest it should seem a thwarting with the work of redemption, and with his Father's will therein; he says, let it come, Father, not my will but yours be done. 3. Consider the manner of his suffering, and we will see a further proof of his willingness. How little pains he takes to escape them; yes, when Peter labors to dissuade him (Matthew 16) from suffering, he disdains and rejects the suggestion with a severe rebuke: Get behind me, Satan, you are an offense to me, you do not savor the things that be of God but of men. And when his disciples said to him (resolving to go up again to Judea) (John 11:8), Master, the Jews of late sought to stone you, and will you go there again — he will needs go up notwithstanding. And when they were going up to Jerusalem (Mark 10:32), he went before all the rest, that is, at a swift pace. And (Luke 12:50) he says, I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I constrained till it be accomplished? Never did men long so much for their wedding day, and for the day of their triumph, as our Lord Jesus did to get the Elect's debt paid and their discharge obtained and drawn out. 4. Consider his ease and willingness to be taken; he goes forth (John 18) to meet the band of soldiers that came with the traitor to apprehend him, and asks them again and again, whom do you seek, and says as often, I am he. He will not suffer his disciples to draw a sword in his defense (Matthew 26), but when Peter drew his sword, he bade him put it up again, for he could have commanded more than twelve legions of angels; but it behooves him now to suffer — he came for another end than to oppose his sufferings. And hence he says (John 10): No man takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself, and I have power to take it up again. It was neither Judas nor Pilate that took his life against his will, but he willingly laid it down; for either the Elect must die, or he himself; and since it is so, as if he said, then behold here is my life, take it and I will lay it down, that they, poor things, may go free. And therefore does my Father love me (says he) because I lay down my life for my sheep; not because it's taken from me against my will, but because I willingly and of myself lay it down. And when he is brought before Pilate and Herod, and they lay many things to his charge (Matthew 26:63 and Mark 15), he held his peace, so that it's said that Pilate marveled (Mark 15); he knew that he could not but have much to say for himself, as all men in such a case are accustomed to have, but he answered nothing; or as it's in the text, yet he opened not his mouth. The reason was, because he would not divert the course of justice, nor hinder the Lord's design in the work of the Elect's redemption through his death and sufferings. He came not into the world to accuse Pilate or the Jews and to justify himself, though now and then for the conviction of enemies, and for his own necessary clearing, he did let a word fall; but being engaged for the Elect, he will needs perform all that justice called for. And in this willingness he has a respect to two things: 1. to the Father's satisfaction, for his willing suffering is that which makes it a sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing to him; 2. to the Elect's consolation, that they may know they had a willing Savior who had no necessity laid on him to satisfy, but satisfied willingly. And from these two arises a third, even the glory of the Mediator's satisfaction, for herein his love to the Elect shines brightly: I lay down my life for my sheep. This is the heart-warming commendation of his sufferings, that with delight and pleasure he underwent them, as if he had been purchasing a kingdom to himself.

Now, to come to the Use of all these doctrines; when they with the things contained in them are laid together, we profess we cannot tell you what excellent uses they yield; Would to God we were all in such a frame as the Eunuch was in, when he read this Scripture (as the divine history gives us an account Acts 8:32 and forward,) who when Philip had begun to preach to him on this excellent subject, was so taken, that before the sermon or discourse was at an end, being holily impatient at any longer delay; he says to Philip, Here is water, what hinders me to be baptized? I say again, would to God we were all in such a frame, and that this were the fruit of such a doctrine as this to many of you, or rather, to all of you.

Use 1. Wonder, believers, at the extensiveness and infiniteness of the grace of God, and at the heart-affecting and soul-ravishing love of the mediator — at grace in God that spared the debtor and exacted payment from the surety the Son of his love; at love in the mediator that paid so much, and so willingly and cheerfully: If any subject of thoughts be pertinent for us while we are about to celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, certainly this were pertinent; concerning a crucified Christ in placing himself in our room to pay our debt, and doing this of his own accord, without the solicitation or interposing of any creature, and doing it also so frankly and cheerfully: Was ever the like of this love heard tell of, for one, and more especially for such a one, to suffer so much and so cheerfully unrequired? We would have you confirmed in the faith of this great and sweet truth, that he had never better will, in fact never so good will to eat his dinner, than he had to suffer and satisfy justice for you, though at a dear rate; He says (John 4) it was his meat to do the Father's will that sent him, and to finish his work. Have you suitable thoughts of his love when you read the Gospel? Have you in the Word seen him standing before Pilate in your room, not answering when he is accused, and Pilate marveling at his silence? And did Pilate marvel, knowing and being convinced of his innocency? And have you never marveled, or marveled but very little? Sure, your little marveling at his silence is the more sadly marvelous, that the cause of his silence when he was charged with your iniquities, with such and such a piece of your miscarriage, with such a vain and roving heart, with such a wanton look, with such a profane or idle word of yours, with the horrid sin of your having so abused, slighted and neglected him, etc. — that the cause, I say, of his silence at such a terrible accusation and charge, and not vindicating of himself, or saying, these faults, miscarriages, and transgressions are not mine, as he might have done; was pure love to you. O! is not this strange? And yet most true; wonder then more at it.

Use 2. Here is strong consolation to believers, and wonderful wisdom in the rise and conveyance of it, in uniting justice and love; out of which the consolation springs; justice exacting upon and distressing the Son of God, and he satisfying justice so fully, that though all the elect had satisfied eternally in Hell, it had not been made to shine so splendidly and gloriously; justice also on the mediator's side in yielding and giving satisfaction though it should oppress and break soul and body: And yet love, both on the Father and mediator's side; on the Father's side, love, in finding out this way of satisfaction to his own justice, when there was no cure but by wounding of his own Son, and yet he was content rather to wound him, than that the elect should suffer and be wounded eternally; and love on the mediator's side, who willingly yields and undergoes their debt, and will not hide his face from shame and spitting. What may not the believer expect from God when he spared not his own Son for him? And what may he expect from Christ who spared not himself for his sake? And who is that good shepherd that laid down his life for the sheep, and held his tongue and quarreled not with those that struck him — will he quarrel with a poor sinner coming to him and pleading for the benefit of satisfaction? No certainly; but as the word is (Zephaniah 3:17) He will rest in his love, or as the word signifies, He will be silent or dumb in his love; he will not upbraid you nor bring up your former miscarriages, he will not say reproachfully to you, where were you so long playing the prodigal? He is better content with your recovery than ever he was discontent or ill-pleased with all the wrong you did to him.

Use 3. This word of doctrine lays down the ground on which a sinner sensible of sin may build his expectation of peace with God; The transaction concluded and agreed upon is the ground of his coming, and the exacting of the price according to the transaction, is the ground of his expectation of the benefit of Christ's purchase; And there is justice for it, as the Apostle intimates (Romans 8:34-35), Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies; who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yes rather that is risen again, etc. And upon this follows the believing soul's triumph: O! but there is much need to be thoroughly acquainted with the mutual relations that are between Christ and believing sinners, with the ground of their approaching to him, and with the good they are to expect through him.

Use 4. This word is made use of, (1 Peter 2:21). To give us a notable and none such pattern of patience; Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps; He did bear all wrongs patiently, and packed them up quietly (to say so) and opened not his mouth; He could have told Pilate and Caiaphas what they were, but spoke not a word save one to the High Priest, notwithstanding all his provoking carriage, and a very meek one too, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil, and if well, why do you strike me? Among other copies then that Christ has cast, take this for one, make him a copy and pattern for patience; It is to be regretted that folks are so unlike to Christ in this respect; they think it a disdainful thing to pack up a wrong, and they will scorn and rush at it; But, what if Jesus Christ had been of that temper and disposition? (if it be fit to make such a supposition) you had been without a Redeemer, and had perished for ever; When he calls you to be followers of him, and to suffer patiently as he did, though most unjustly as to men; for you to think or say that you scorn it, and that you are not so mean spirited, what is it else but to think and say on the matter, that blessed Jesus in his patient and silent carriage under all the injuries that he suffered very unjustly from men, showed himself to be of a low and base spirit, and that you disdain to follow his way; O! intolerably saucy and proudly blasphemous reflection. The many contests, the many high [reconstructed: resentments] of wrongs, the great grudging, [reconstructed: fretting] and foaming at them that there are in [reconstructed: Christians] say plainly, that there is little of the meek and patient Spirit of Christ in and among us, and that many of us know not what spirit we are of.