Sermon 41

Isaiah 53:10. *He shall see his seed, He shall prolong his days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.*

It was once a riddle, how, out of the strong could come forth meat, and how, out of the eater could come forth sweet; it is here most clearly unriddled, and that in a most wonderful and comfortable manner; Our Lord Jesus, the strong Lion of the Tribe of Judah, is put to grief and bruised, and his soul is made an offering for sin, and here is the sweet meat that comes out of it. He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, etc. The substance of the words is, That by His death many shall be brought to life; it is the same death that has given us the hope we have of life; and all the ground that we have to speak of it to you; which had never been, had He not been bruised, and put to grief.

We show, that here is held forth the Lord's great design in the contrivance of the work of redemption; and that these words are a further answer to the stumbling objection proposed before; to wit, How the innocent Son of God could suffer? It pleased the Father to bruise him; when he should make his soul an offering for sin, etc. Which justifies God, in that proceeding and serves to sweep away that reproach, that might seem to stick to Him; in sum, it is this; If we consider the notable and noble fruits, and comfortable effects, that followed on His sufferings, and death; there is no ground to stumble at God's giving His Son, or at the Son's condescending as Mediator, to suffer, to be despised, and put to [reconstructed: death]; and this is the first fruit, and [reconstructed: effect] thereof, that He shall see his seed; whereby is meant, that by His death the elect, who are given to Him do by faith in Him receive a new life from Him, and are taken in under a most sweet and kindly relation to Him by their being begotten again, to a lively hope, through His Resurrection from the dead.

We spoke to [reconstructed: this] point, that believers are Christ's seed; which shows the great privilege, that they are admitted to, and their great obligation to Christ on that account; they are obliged to Him, for their spiritual life and being; as children are obliged to their natural parents, for their natural life and being; and infinitely more obliged, in as much, as the one life is infinitely preferable to the other.

There are three things more to be observed, from the words, and first, considering them as they stand in dependence on the former; That God's design, in sending His Son into the world, and the Mediator's [reconstructed: design], in coming so low; is to have a seed begotten to the hope of eternal life, and to have [reconstructed: poor] souls dead in themselves, sharing of life in and through Him; even to have many partaking of life through His death. Second, considering the words, as foretelling the event of Christ's death, and sufferings, we have this observation from them, That our Lord's [reconstructed: death] shall certainly procure life to many; or thus, it cannot be, but His death must have [reconstructed: truth], to the saving of souls from death, and to the making of them partakers of life. Third, looking on the words, as a promise made to the Mediator; we observe from them, That the seeing of a seed, is exceedingly much thought of, by Jesus Christ; it pleased Him wondrous well; therefore this [reconstructed: promise] of a seed is [reconstructed: made] to Him, to encourage [reconstructed: Him] to lay down His life.

We shall speak a word to each of these; and shall leave the consideration of the words, as they hold out, not only our Lord's out-living his sufferings, but His seeing a seed on the back of them, to the second effect that follows; He shall prolong his days.

For the first doctrine, we suppose, it will be clear, if we consider how the seeing of his seed is subjoined to, and depends upon the former words, regarding His making His soul an offering for sin which holds out this, That the great design of God, and of Christ the Mediator in His sufferings, is, to beget a people to eternal life, and to make way, that sinners naturally [reconstructed: dead] in sin, may partake of spiritual and [reconstructed: heavenly] life, and may be begotten to the hope of eternal life, through Him: and what other design, I pray, could there be then this? For the Lord had nothing to procure to Himself; to speak simply, there could be no addition made to the glory of God thereby; therefore, it is said (John 6:39-40), This is the Father's will that has sent me, that of all that he has given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day: and this is the will of him that sent me, that every one who sees the Son, and believes on him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (1 Timothy 1:15) This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation; and what is it? That Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners: and that (John 10:10) I came that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

There are two things that we would speak a word to, for clearing of the doctrine, and then make use of it. The 1st is, How this can be God's design in Christ's humiliation, to beget many sons to life? The 2nd is, How Christ's death contributes to this design? For the first, when we speak of God's design here, we mean not His last and ultimate design, but His immediate design in the gospel, which is subservient to that His last and ultimate design; to wit, the glorifying of His grace and justice, in giving the Mediator, to satisfy justice for debtor sinners, who are not able to satisfy for themselves; and He having chosen this, as the midst, to that highest end, we may well say, that this is His immediate design in the gospel; that thereby the glory of His grace and justice might be manifested. For the 2nd, which is, How Christ's sufferings contribute to this end? It may be soon cleared, if we consider, that there is a twofold obstacle in the way of sinners, partaking of life, which Christ's sufferings do remove. The 1st obstacle is a standing quarrel, between God and the elect, they having sinned, and having nothing to pay their debt; this our Lord Jesus, by His death removes; He pays the debt, and tears the obligation, called, the handwriting that was against them, nailing it to his Cross (Colossians 2). And in this respect, His death is called a ransom for many; and in the words before, He is said to have made his soul an offering for sin, on the same account; to wit, that the principal debtor might be set free. The 2nd obstacle is man's utter unfitness to walk with God: for though the debt were taken away, yet they have no life; but Jesus Christ, by His death, has laid down a ground, how a sinner may be reconciled to God, and may partake of grace here; and so be in case to walk with God, even while sojourning in the world, in some good measure; and of the life of glory hereafter. His sufferings are not only a ransom for their debt; but also a bridge (to speak so) to step over the gulf of the distance that is between God and them, to glory, where He, as the forerunner is gone before them. In this sense, we have our graces, as the fruits of Christ's sufferings; the life of grace, faith, love, perseverance, etc. We have also protection, preservation, and guiding in the way, till we be brought through to eternal life: as that word is (John 6:39-40), cited before, That of all whom the Father has given me, I should lose nothing. In the first respect, Christ is surety for our debt; in the second respect He is surety for our duty. In the first respect, we are admitted into covenant with God; in the second, we are entertained in it, by Him, who lives forever, to make intercession for us.

Use 1. See here, believers, what you are in the Father's debt, for sending His Son; and what you are in the Son's debt, for coming to die for you; you were bound to have borne the curse yourselves, if He had not borne it, but He took it on Himself, that you might be freed from it. Thus it stood with you: you deserved to be shut out for ever from God, to have the sword of His justice awakened against you; and He gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; and was content that the sword of justice should awake against Him, and smite Him, that He might, by His stripes heal them, and by His death, procure life to them. Indeed, it stood thus with you, and it could not be otherwise; the justice of God being provoked, and the elect being under the curse, as it is, (Galatians 3:10) Cursed is every one, that continues not in all things written in the law to do them; (Ezekiel 18:4) The soul that sins shall die. Either they were bound to die, or the guarantor; and our Lord was content to be a sin-offering, thereby to set sinners free: to be lifted up on the cross, that He might draw all men after Him, to pay their debt, which all the creatures could never have paid. And therefore, we would ask you, if you think heaven and glory to be of worth, and if you think it to be a great mercy, to be free from the wrath to come, and from the damned state and condition of reprobate angels, and of reprobate men and women in hell, and to be admitted to enter with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob into the kingdom of God, and into these heavenly mansions? Are you not much in Christ's debt, that procured this for you, and at such a rate, that thereby life might be communicated to you, who were naturally dead, in trespasses and sins? Whatever the rest of the world think of it, if any of you be born again, as you ought, in a special manner, to think much of it, so you will do, in some measure; for you are as much in Christ's debt as all that is worth; who was content, that poor sinners should partake of Him, and of the life that is in Him; to taste of Himself, and who has said, Because I live, you shall live also. In almost wonderful way, His death is the price, by which life is communicated to us; and it would become believers well, to be often reckoning, what they are in His debt. It is one of God's great ends in the work of redemption, even to have sinners esteeming highly of, and much ravished with His grace, and with His love, brightly shining in the way thereof; yet less conscience is made of this, than of many other duties, by believers. We will lend an ear to a practical point of doctrine, and will some way aim to mind it; if we be bidden pray, we will pray; if we be commanded to mortify sin, we will endeavor it, and so in other duties; but who minds this as a duty, when we are called of God, to admire, and praise His grace, and love, and humbly to glory in Him, so, as seriously to set ourselves to fall about it? And yet this were a most natural, proper, and kindly exercise for believers; even like the work of those, who say, Salvation to our God, that sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb (Revelation 7:10). To Him who loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, etc. (Revelation 1:5). To be taken up, with such sweet soliloquies in ourselves about this subject, and with such songs of praise to Him, who has given us so noble a being, and life which is conveyed to us, by His blood, is surely a suitable use of this point; for if our life be of much worth, He must be of infinitely much more worth in Himself, and should be so to us, who purchased it at such a dear price.

The second use is to exhort you whom we suppose to be renewed, (as some of you now hearing me are, and O! that all of you were) that whenever you think of enjoying heaven and glory, you would think also, from where it came to be thus with you. O! think on that rock, out of which you are hewn, as you are believers, and are entitled to life; and this will lay the natural pride, which, Alas! too often believers have going along with their hope of life; as if they were something better by nature than others, because they have hope to come to heaven. But think this also with yourselves, that there are no thanks to you, but to Him, who loved you, and washed you from your sins, in His own blood; which should make you walk softly, and with a stopped mouth; and in this case, every thought of your title to, and of your hope of heaven, would be both singularly pleasant, and profitable to you.

Use 3. See here, that which makes the glad tidings of Christ's death wonderfully comfortable; it's much that Christ came, and suffered; but if you add this, that His design in suffering, was to beget sinners to a new and spiritual life, to raise and quicken them that were dead in sins and trespasses, to pay their debt, and to cancel their obligation; it makes it to be much more wonderful. Alas we have great want of spiritual affections, that are not more affected with this; even with this; that the Father should send His Son and that the Son should come into the world, and why? That He might have a seed; that poor souls that were dead and without life might be quickened; and that such as had no hope of heaven might have it; that in such a way an entry into heaven should be made to sinners; this is the wonder. Do you believers, indeed believe this, that the Lord's design, in all the work of redemption, was to bring dead sinners to life? This is it that makes Christ get the name of a Savior, that the Shepherd being smitten, God might turn His hand on the little ones. And therefore, as a fourth use, see here a good ground, whereon to preach to you by the death of Christ, the offer of life, and the remission of sin, as the Apostle has it (Acts 13:39-40), "Be it known therefore to you men and brothers, that through this man is preached to you, the forgiveness of sins, and by him, all that believe are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses." And there is never a text, that speaks of the end of Christ's sufferings, but readily, it some way lays a ground, how a sinner may get life; and it is, as it were a proclamation to sinners, to make the right use of what is offered to them. If our Lord Jesus had not suffered, there had not been a warrant for us to speak of life to you; there had been no treaty with sinners, no door opened, for access to heaven, no ground for any to call God Father. But on the contrary, Christ having suffered, and satisfied justice, it gives us ground to make this proclamation to you: Be it known to you, that through this man is preached to you forgiveness of sins. And these two, put together: 1. That there is a sufficient price laid down, for the satisfying of the justice of God, for the debt of elect sinners. 2. That this is the Lord's design, in laying of the price down, even to procure, and to communicate life to them, according to that of (John 3:16), "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes on him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." And that of (John 12:32), "And if I be lifted up, I will draw all men after me." This demonstrates, that there is a sufficient warrant, to make use of Christ, for pardon of sin, and for obtaining of life, through Him. For readily the exception is one of two; either 1. That the price will not do the turn; and that cannot be said; for the death of Christ is a price sufficient: or, 2. That sinners know not what is the Lord's purpose in it. This text holds out that, and tells us, it is, that he may have a seed. This is the sum of the Covenant of Redemption; says the Father, Son if you will lay down your life, you shall see a seed, that shall have life, through your sufferings; and the Lord would never have given His Son to die, if He had not minded the salvation of sinners, and to beget, and promote life in them, through His sufferings. And to what end is the Gospel preached, by which life and immortality are brought to light; but that what He has bought, may be applied to sinners?

And therefore, as a 5th use, we beseech you to concur with Christ, in the design of His laying down of His life. Is it not, think you, great ingratitude to Him, and great cruelty to yourselves, that when the Lord has designed such a thing, by the laying down of His life, that you should, as far as you can, stand in the way of it? Now His design is, to have many in His company for life; [reconstructed: that] He may have a seed, and to have poor sinners, that are dead, and lifeless in themselves, taking with their sin, and coming to Him, to get justice satisfied, and a right to life, by His offering. And is this a prejudicial design, or unprofitable to sinners? Why then should you stand in the way of that? When our Lord has designed sinners good, and has been content to lay down His life, to make life possible to you, when all His [reconstructed: design] in dying, is, to have sinners saved, by their betaking themselves to Him, and that, by their betaking themselves to Him, the Second Adam, they may get a [reconstructed: right] to life transferred to them? Is it not folly and madness, for sinners, to obstruct what they can this His design? The Apostle makes use of this argument (2 Corinthians 5:18-19): He has given us the word of reconciliation, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; we therefore, as ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead; be reconciled to God. And what is the reason? For he was made sin for us, who knew no sin, and for this end, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. And is not this the same argument that is in the text? Our Lord was made a [reconstructed: sin-offering], that He might see a seed. And so, then, we would entreat you, if the [reconstructed: bleeding] bowels of Christ can have any weight with you, and if you would do Him a pleasure, not to mar His design, as far as you can — for He will certainly accomplish His design. And that is, to have souls brought in, to make sinners' peace with God, and that they may make use of His sufferings for that end. Need we use arguments, to persuade you to this, which is so much for your own good and welfare, even to save your souls? To come, and be reconciled to God; to make use of Christ for life, to prevent the wrath that is to come, and to make heaven sure to yourselves — which is impossible for you, honestly to aim at, but God shall have the glory of His grace and wisdom from you. And if this be not your aim and endeavor, God will not have the glory of His grace in you. Though passively, He shall have the glory of His justice, in punishing you eternally in hell; but that is not His great, and proper design, in the sending of His Son. For He could have had His glory that way, though He had never sent Him into the world. And therefore, in His name, and in His stead, we do again and again seriously beseech, and solemnly implore you, to give our Lord Jesus satisfaction in this particular. You that are going to hell, or are in danger of it, come to Christ Jesus the Prince of life, the purchaser, and giver of life, and get life from Him. Come as dead sinners in yourselves, and by the law, to get a new gift of life, by His right. And we propose this suit, and request in His name, who tells us, that He laid down His life, to get a seed. This gospel comes to every one of your doors, and says to you, will you be obliged to Christ for life? Will you be His children? If the heart be honest, and you can sincerely say, content Lord, and will creep in under His wings, that you may be found in Him, and may be covered with His righteousness, there is good ground to expect a closed bargain. For our Lord purposely died, that He might have a seed, and is calling upon you for this very end, and will not go back on His word, if you be content to bargain with Him. And therefore I would again say to you, do not avoid His call. It is His design, to have a seed, and it should be yours, to seek to be of that seed. Oh, let Him have His errand among you! The offer comes, as I just now said, to every one of your doors, and your answer will be, and must be, either yes, or no — either that you are content to be His children, that His grace may be glorified in you, or that you are not content, and that you will not come to Him, that you may have life, as it is in John 5, that you scorn to be His seed, and children. But, ah, the day comes, when you would be glad of such an offer, and will not get it.

But to come a little nearer in the application of this use, 1. Are there not many of you without life, indeed, hundreds of you? Not one among many is renewed; if you think yourselves to be dead, this word of life and salvation is sent to you, and surely you have need of it. 2. There is life in Christ to be had, a fair purchase made, and a way laid down to bring sinners to have a right to life; and are not these two, think you, well met and arranged? On what ground then is it bottomed? Upon one of these two, or rather on both of them, implied in this phrase of being Christ's seed. 1. It implies that there be a coming to Christ as void of life, and an actual trusting to Him for the attaining of life, that sinners pricked with the fear or feeling of the wrath of God acknowledge Christ as the Father of their life, and credit Him with the application of life to them. 2. It implies not only the crediting Him with the application of life, but that we commit ourselves to be alone in His debt and common for it, which is implied in that word (John 5): "You will not come to me, that you might have life." The use making of Christ for the attaining of life is implied in the word "coming," and that is for slain and dead souls to go to Christ for absolution and life, called (Hebrews 7:25) a coming to God by Christ. And again, it is not, "you will not come to me that you may buy or procure life, or work it to yourselves," but "you will not come to me that you may have it — you will not be in my common for it." The first word expresses where we get our life, and that is in Christ's sufferings; the second word, how we get it — even as the child gets life from the parent, we get it fully and freely conferred on us by Him. So that the similitude says this much: come to Christ, who has procured your life, and trust your getting of life to Him on the terms of grace. And since this is all that Christ seeks of you — not to make your performances the ground of your pleading for life, but His purchase; and that having need on your side and fullness on His side, you should come and have — what hinders your closing of a bargain? This is the very thing your salvation will stand or fall on, even on your yielding to come to Him, and to be in His common for life, and on your leaning to His righteousness or not; and according as you act faith or not on Him in this respect, so will the sentence of your absolution or condemnation pass in the great day. And therefore let me beseech you yet again, above any thing, to make this sure. And when I speak of making it sure, it is not only to have a glance of the thing in your minds, as many may have, to whose door Christ comes, when yet they will not go out of doors to Him. Nor is it only to have a conviction in your judgment and conscience of the reasonableness of it, as many of you have — so many convictions of sin and of the necessity of faith in your judgment, as will make you inexcusable. You are convinced that such a thing should be, and there it holds. The Lord draws you by His word to give assent to the reasonableness of the offer, but you smother the conviction. You come Agrippa's length in assenting to the truth, but come no further. You laid your account, it may be, that you could not save yourselves, and that your salvation was only in Christ, and you took that for faith. But believe me, there must be something more than that, even a laying of yourselves over on Him, and a making of application to Him to fill the empty room in the heart. I remember of a dying person that had a good word to this purpose, who, when it was asked of him how his faith did now differ from that which he had in his health, answered: when I was in health, I was convinced that I should believe, but now my soul actually casts itself on Christ. The many convictions that men have that they should believe will stick to them and go with them to hell, and make them the more inexcusable that they held there and went no further.

Sixthly, and lastly, it serves to be a ground of expostulation, with many hearers of the Gospel, who have heard of this noble design, and yet make no use of it. O! hypocrites, formalists, and profane persons, what a reckoning will you have to make, when this shall be found on your score; you were dead in sin, and the Lord contrived a design to save lost sinners, in sending His Son to be an offering for sin, and the Son came and laid down His life; and you were called and invited to come to Him, and to have life in Him; the glad tidings of redemption were preached, and made offer of to you; and you would not be content to close with Christ, but would, so far as you could, thwart with Him, in His design, though it cost Him His heart-blood, to bring it about. What will come of this? Or what will you answer Him for it? You will say, it may be, that you were content to concur with Christ, and stood not in the way of it; but it will be replied: why then did you live and die in your sin, and bring your soul to this dreadful hazard and loss? Your conscience and God will bear [illegible] upon you, and you will not get it shifted; that your destruction was of yourselves, because you would not be saved; and will that, think you, be a suitable and satisfying answer? That though Christ would have saved my soul, I would not be saved by Him, and then to go to Hell for that? What a tormenting thing will it be in the conscience, that life was offered to me, on condition of believing in Christ, but I refused or scorned to take it on that condition? Think on it, what you will think to be sent to Hell, because you would not be saved freely by Christ, and to perish, because you would not be Christ's seed; because you would not take with your guilt, that you might have life from Him. What, do you all think that you have life, are there none sensible of their need of life from Christ? Alas! that we should be put so often to repeat these words; we may almost speak to stones, with as great hope of success, as to many consciences among you, that are habitually obdurate, and blinded with presumption, by the god of this world, who has put out your eyes. But the day comes, when you will find yourselves greatly mistaken. I shall insist no further; only, seeing that you are naturally dead in sins and trespasses; and seeing that Christ's design in dying, is, to have a seed, as you would not prejudge yourselves of life, as you would not be found to be despisers of His sufferings, and such as have trod the blood of the covenant under foot; study to make sure eternal life to yourselves, by betaking yourselves to Him for it; or lay your reckoning to be reputed guilty of this horrible crime with all the aggravations of it.