Sermon 44

Isaiah 53:11 — Verse 11. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be made perfect, thoroughly furnished to all good works; and that His People may be made wise to salvation; yet these Scriptures wherein our Lord Jesus is held forth more clearly, are eminently useful: He being the foundation and ground of all; to whom the Law and the Prophets bear witness; and they are only profitable to us, in the estate wherein we are, in so far as they relate to Him, and point Him out to us; and we may further say, that these Scriptures, wherein His sufferings, and death are held forth, in the richness and fruitfulness of them are singularly so; that being the very life of the covenant, and the very door, by, and through which, we step from death to life; and whatever they be to others, sure they have a special sweetness in them to sensible sinners; and therefore the sum of the Gospel, and of saving knowledge is by the Apostle (2 Corinthians 2:2) summarized in the knowledge of Christ, and of him crucified, which unfolds His very heart and bowels to us.

The Prophet has been pointing out this, in several verses, and has hinted at the effects of His sufferings, in the former verse: and now in these words, he puts a new title on them, calling them the travail of Christ's soul; not only to set out the exceeding greatness of them, but with respect to the foregoing words; wherein it is said, He shall see his seed; which is repeated here, when it is said; He shall be satisfied; so that as a mother is in travail, for bringing forth of a child; so says he, shall Christ be put to soul-travail, for bringing life and immortality to the seed given to Him, to be saved by Him; and seeing He is put to travail, He must needs bring forth, and see his seed: here we may allude that of Isaiah 66:9. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? says the Lord; shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? says your God.

We have spoken of the nature and greatness of these sufferings; now before we proceed to any more observations, we would speak a word further to the use of this; it being indeed an Eater, out of which comes meat; and a Strong, out of which comes Sweet; these pangs having calmed and quieted the pangs and showers (to speak so) of many travailing souls, and brought forth a birth at last.

And therefore, beside what I spoke to in the use, the last day, I would add this, That we would endeavour to have the solid faith, not only of His sufferings, but of the greatness of His sufferings imprinted deeply on our hearts; that (I say) the sufferings of a dying, blood-sweating Christ, wrestling and struggling, even to His being in an agony, with the wrath of God, and putting up strong cries with tears, may be born in on our hearts; and that we may thoroughly be persuaded of the greatness of the work of redemption, and that it was a most dear and costly bargain to Christ; for it was not gold nor silver, it was not kingdoms nor visible worlds, nor angels that were given as a price for elect sinners; but it was the precious blood of the Son of God; indeed, it was the bitter and sharp soul-travail, [reconstructed: sadness], sorrow, and agony of our Lord Jesus; which (to speak comparatively) was beyond the shedding of His blood; and what a price do you think this to be? That He, that made all, and preserved all in their being, and was before all things, should come thus low, as to be a man, and a [reconstructed: most] sorrowful suffering, and dying man; indeed to be a cursed man, and to go out of his life, as being under a curse, yet being always the beloved Son of the Father; and being even then, when at His lowest, the Prince of the kings of the earth, and shining forth gloriously, in the power and riches, and freeness of His love and grace; sure this wonderful low stooping, and humbling of Himself, preaches out the love that constrained Him to run upon that which was His own death; there being no hands that could have taken away His life, had He not willingly laid it down, which He did with delight; could we make use of this, there is much here to be said for our use.

We shall draw what we would say on it, to these four heads. 1. To something for instruction. 2. To something for consolation. 3. To something for exhortation. 4. To something for reproof, and expostulation.

I say, 1. It serves for instruction, and you would from it be instructed in several things. 1. How to think aright of the great severity of the justice of God, and of the horror of wrath, and of the dreadful consequences of sin, which it will most certainly have following on it; may it not make your souls to tremble to think upon, and consider that our Lord Jesus was brought to such a pass, as to be in such an agony, to be so exceeding sorrowful, and even amazed; to be so troubled in soul, that he was thereby made to sweat great drops of blood, and to be wrestling with somewhat, that his holy human nature had a scarring at: O! the desert and wages of sin is dreadful, when the law pursues its controversy, and when justice exacts what a broken covenant deserves; Alas! the most of men believe not this, but it is here that may convince us what an evil thing sin is, and what a dreadful thing it is to fall into the hands of an angry God; O! that you would think upon it, that you may beware of sin, by all means, and may always be minding that word which our Savior has, If these things be done in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry? If it was so done with him? who in the action (if I may so call it) was performing his Father's will, and giving an admirable proof of his respect to the honor of God, what will he do to the dry sticks, the damned reprobate, who have slighted the offer of his grace, despised the sufferings of a Mediator, and disdained to be reclaimed? Hear it, and tremble, and be persuaded, that the horror that sin shall bring upon the sinner, when God comes to reckon with him, is inexpressible. 2. Be instructed, and see here, how great the difficulty is of making peace with God, when once his law is broken; a thing that is little believed by most, who are disposed to think that they will get God sooner pleased and pacified, than they will get their neighbor, or master pacified and pleased; which says that either they think nothing, or but very little of his wrath, or that they will soon get it put by, that a word will do that; hence it is, that they think, that an equivalent price is not necessary for satisfying the justice of God, and for preventing of his wrath; but if it be so easy a thing to pacify God, and to satisfy his justice, why did our Lord undertake the debt? Why did he become so low and pay so dear a price, to procure a discharge of it? Why was his soul put to such travail, when no shame, nor reproach, nor pain on his blessed body could do it, but his soul in the sore travail thereof, was required to be made a sacrifice for sin? Sinners' grossly ignorant mistakes of the justice of God, appear palpably in this; there was never a person that was called to it, and did undertake to remove God's wrath from others, but our Lord Jesus; and you see here what it cost him; and what do you imagine will be the lot of others, who shall lie under it eternally. 3. See here the worth and weight of a soul, and the great moment of the salvation of a soul; immortal souls are of much worth, and though men often sell them at a cheap and easy rate, yet our Lord Jesus bought souls dear; it is true, souls considered in themselves, are not worthy of the price laid down for them; but being considered with respect to the end for which they are designed; to wit, the glorifying of the riches of the grace and mercy of God, and their enjoying of him, they are of much worth; ah! that men should sell that soul so very cheap, when our Lord bought souls so very dear. 4. See here, the solidity, fullness, and satisfactoriness of the price that Jesus Christ gave to justice, for the souls of his people? It cannot surely be but a fully satisfying price, that such a person should suffer, and suffer so much; even to be put to soul-travail; for which there could be no reason, neither could it have any other end, but the satisfying of divine justice, for the sins of the elect; and considering these, his sufferings in the degrees of them, which was so very high; and in the use of them, in God's purpose and decree, and in the end of them, which was to satisfy the justice of God, and to make his grace glorious, it cannot but be a most solid, full, and satisfying price; so that a soul may have here a sufficient ground to build its salvation upon; and the more low that the Mediator was brought by his sufferings, the more solid and sure is the ground of our faith, indeed, this is the end why he came so low. 5. See here how greatly we are in Christ's debt, that when justice was provoked, and sinners had lost themselves; and when nothing else could be admitted, but all other sacrifices were rejected, he was graciously pleased to yield himself to be the sacrifice, by his extreme, and most exquisite sufferings; most pleasantly and heartily, saying, Lo, I come in the volume of your book, it is written of me, I delight to do your will, O my God; by which will, says the Apostle (Hebrews 10) we are sanctified; and by it we have access to eternal life; it had been much, if he had made a new world for believers to dwell in, in fact it had been much if he had provided angels to mollify, and mitigate their sufferings, and to give them drops of water to cool their tongues in hell; but that he his own blessed self, should decline no soul-travail beside bodily sufferings, to redeem them from the curse; how much, how unspeakably much are they obliged to Jesus Christ? If we were suitably sensible of our hazard, and clear, as to our interest in these sufferings, it could not be, but our souls would leap someway within us, as the babe did in Elizabeth's womb, on this consideration, that a guarantor, and Savior has come, and paid the price that was due by us, to the justice of God; this is a greater obligation than his making of the world, for a habitation to sinners, in fact a greater obligation than his giving of heaven to us, if abstracted from Christ: O! so well as it would become us, in reading of these words, to stand and pause, and to say, Is it so indeed, that Christ gave himself thus for sinners, and for me? This is it which opens the door of access to God, and makes a bridge over the gulf, that is between God and sinners; he was smitten, that by his strokes, and stripes health might be brought to us; he was content to undergo sore soul-travail, that thereby life might be brought to us.

That which we mainly aim at in this branch of the use, is, that you would look to the mercy purchased by this soul-travel, as your great obligation; and at what a rate you have the offer of grace, and access to Heaven; when He made the world, Heaven, and earth, Sun, Moon, Stars, etc. He spoke the Word, and it was done, there needed no more, but let such a thing be and it was, but the work of redemption was of another sort, and brought about at a high and dearer rate; therefore among all the things which the Gospel holds out, put a special price on these things that are the fruits of Christ's soul-travel; and consider what a slight it will be, and what guilt it will involve you in, that He should purchase redemption so dear, and make offer of it so freely, and you should care little or nothing for it. 6. Be instructed regarding the absolute necessity of being in Christ's debt, for the use-making and application of His purchase; is there any man that can merit it, or render Him a recompense for it? If not; and if there be a necessity of making Heaven and salvation, then sure there is a necessity of being in Christ's debt, and of making use of His purchase, for the attaining of that which He has purchased; And men are not hardly dealt with, nor ill come to, when this blessed necessity is imposed upon them, not to satisfy for themselves (for what can they bring that will be an equivalent price;) but to acquiesce in His satisfaction made to justice for them, and the rather, that they cannot bind Him to make application of it: Folk are very readily given to one of these two, either to ignore, and pass by the Mediator, and so to presume to make a new bargain for their peace, by offering to drink themselves for themselves, of that cup which Christ drank of, for that only was the price of souls; Or if they esteem of Christ's satisfaction, they think to oblige Him, and to procure from Him the application of His purchase, by their prayers and good living: But what is there in this, more than is in the former? What price is there that can be given to Him, that is equivalent to His sufferings? It must therefore of necessity come to this, that as it was freely purchased, so it is freely applied; and it were very suitable for sinners to carry the faith of this along with them in their bosom; If He procured Heaven to us by His soul-suffering and travel, we cannot procure it to ourselves, and therefore a necessity lies on all that would be at Heaven, to be in Christ's care for it; And this is the upshot of all, that debtor sinners may know, that they are in His care: as for His purchase, so for the application of it.

Use 2. This doctrine yields much consolation, and it is the fountain and source of it; His soul-travel bought it all, and makes way to the bringing of us to the possession of it: and in many respects, our consolation depends on it; We shall look upon it as the source of it more generally, in these respects. 1. That to a poor sinner lying under the curse, there is a possibility of getting it put by, and kept off, that Heaven is not desperate, and that the fear of coming before the tribunal of justice is not absolute; for our Lord has satisfied justice; the price that He laid down was not for nothing, but levelled at this very scope, as the Apostle has it, (2 Corinthians 5:21) He was made sin for us, that knew no sin, that we sinners might be made the righteousness of God in, or through him? And what strong consolation is this; for a sinner under the curse of God, to have this word spoken to him, though you cannot satisfy justice for yourself, yet there is a way laid down to satisfy it for you; the Mediator having the price that was required proposed to Him, did not stick at the terms, but held the bargain, and has accordingly actually performed it. 2. It is a consolation in this respect, that not only is there a complete satisfaction given to justice, but a willing Savior, ready to make that satisfaction forthcoming, and to make it forthcoming freely; Can there be a greater proof of our Lord Jesus His love to sinners than this? That when they were considered with all their debt lying on their heads, He undertook this soul-travel for them, to procure them salvation from wrath and justice; This is more than His giving them His Word for it, though that had been enough; it's more than the giving them His Oath, thus to commend His love, as it is, (John 15:13) Greater love has no man than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friend; But, says the Apostle, (Romans 5:8, 10) God commends his love to us, that while we were indeed sinners, indeed enemies Christ died for us; This good Shepherd laid down His Life for His Sheep. 3. It's a consolation in this respect, that there is also a willingness in the Lord Jehovah, the provoked party, to accept of this satisfaction, and to absolve the elect on account of this satisfaction; For what I pray was all this soul-travel that the Lord underwent? But Jehovah His transferring of the debt of the elect on Him, according to the transaction that had past in the Covenant of Redemption; He would never have made the sword of His justice to awake against the man that was His fellow, if He had not been content to accept of His satisfaction for them that should make use of it; For we have not only the Mediator, and His satisfaction to look upon in this soul-travel, but also the contrivance of the Covenant, called in the former words, the pleasure of the Lord; who, while we were enemies gave His Son, and was content to want Him for a time (to speak so) and to be a distinct party to pursue Him; Is not this then a good bargain, when we have a willing Mediator, and merchant, content to give the price and satisfaction, and a gracious and willing God, content to accept of this satisfaction, and both of them content to make the application of it to us freely, as it is, (Revelation 3:18) Here is matter of strong consolation, the ground of which will not fall, to wit, the Mediator's soul-travel, and the Lord Jehovah will not cast the bargain; When the poor sinner says, I have nothing to pay, but there is a price in Christ's satisfaction offered in the Gospel, and the Judge says, admits it for the sinner that lays claim to it, as if the sinner had never sinned, or had actually paid the price himself.

But 4. Look a little further, and we will find more consolation, though this be much; consider a sinner in a tempted condition, and under sad soul-exercise, that knows not what to do with unbelief, with the Devil, and with the wrath of God, all which are like to overwhelm and swallow them up, and the heart is like to sink, here is the native and kindly fountain for such a soul to drink at; That our Lord Jesus suffered more, and that it was another sort of cup that He drank of, and drank out; And for these ends 1. To take away the sting and bitterness of your cup. 2. To procure, and meritoriously to purchase a freedom and out-gate from these temptations to you. 3. Also, that He might be made a sympathizing High Priest, and the more compassionate towards the person that should be so tempted, according to that, Hebrews 2 (last verse). For that he himself has suffered, being tempted, he is able also to succor those that are tempted; He was tempted, that He might have kindly sympathy with tempted souls, and therefore when such are ready to fall a swoon, He [reconstructed: dotes] and dandles them, as it were on His knee, and when they are in hazard to turn their backs in the conflict, He comes up with fresh strength, and recruits them; So, Hebrews 4:15. We have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin; We have such a High Priest, as was not only mocked, and scorned of men, and some way deserted of God, but who was tempted, though not from sin within (for He was without sin) yet to sin, for He was assaulted by the Devil, and tempted to unbelief, and other gross sins, As is clear, Matthew 4. though, (as He says Himself) The prince of this world had nothing in him; And He was not only tempted to sin, but as if He had actually sinned, He met with wrath from all, there is a sweet and strong sympathy flowing from such bowels, as one brother has towards another, indeed, inconceivably beyond the tenderest bowels, that the most warmly loving brethren in all the world have one towards another; And therefore he knows well what apprehensions, temptations riding thick (to speak so) will attempt to beat in upon poor souls, and can from experience sympathize with them; It is not so to be understood, as if there were any additional degree made to His kindness, skill, and grace, as He is God, these being infinite in Him, as so [reconstructed: confederated], yet He being man, as well as God, or having a human nature, He has from His personal experience a sympathy, and that in a human way, though infinitely above what we can conceive, with His own under their temptations, and sad soul-exercises: And seeing the Scripture holds out such a thing as this, That our High Priest is a man that has bowels of sympathy, it may sufficiently warrant a believer to expect much good, this, and other ways from Christ, He having grace infinite in Him, as God, and a tender heart as man to befriend them, and to communicate, and let out of that grace to them: And this is great ground of consolation to believers, under any cross and piece of hard exercise, to know that we have a mediator, who knows in experience, though not the sinfulness that accompanies these hard exercises in us, yet what these fears are, of being shut out from God, and how dreadful a thing it is to be at controversy with Him; and is like to these, who having come through a sad trial, and piece of exercise themselves, are thereby the more ready to sympathize with others under it. 5. and lastly. The consideration of this may comfort believers even in their outward afflictions; it had been another sort of crosses that they would have been made to meet with, if He had not taken this cup of wrath and drunk it for them; and therefore they would be comforted, and bless God, who has taken this soul-travail from off them, and made way for a retreat and shelter for them in Him; and it should even shame believers, who are ready to think so much of any little bit of inward exercise, or of outward affliction, seeing our blessed Lord Jesus endured so much, not only outwardly, and bodily affliction, but also so much inward trouble, and soul-travail, that thereby their burden might be made light, and their yoke easy.

Use 3. For exhortation, seeing our Lord Jesus was put to such sore soul-travail, surely it lays a great obligation on them, for whom he suffered, to endeavor to make some suitable and grateful return; seeing therefore we are so much in His debt, we should give Him a friendly meeting in these four, which this calls for, 1. It calls for love to Him, that vented such love to us. 2. It calls for faith, That seeing He gave such a price for us we should trust our souls to Him. 3. It calls for holiness and obedience, even living to Him, and to the glorifying of Him that has bought us; This argument will surely weigh with you, who, on solid grounds lay claim to His purchase. 4. It calls for thankfulness, and praise, in magnifying His grace and love, that has so loved us; And are not all these very suitable and becoming, that sinners should love Him, and that these who love Him not, should be Anathema Maranatha, accursed to the coming of the Lord; that sinners should believe on Him, and be obedient to Him, and thankful?

If you believe this truth, this comfortable, and soul-ravishing truth, let me exhort you, and be exhorted and prevailed with to love our Lord Jesus Christ, and to give Him that answerable respect, meeting and welcome that becomes. If we may plead for anything from you, surely we may plead for this. If it be true that He engaged in such a bargain, in which, if He had not engaged Himself, we had inevitably gone to the pit; and if He has actually paid the price which He undertook to pay, let your consciences speak, if it should not melt the hearts of such to whom the benefit of this is offered, with love to Him? And if you have the faith of the doctrine, can you deny, but this obligation lies upon you? Look in on your consciences and hearts, and see if you be able to shift it; and if you had suitable palaces for entertaining Him in, if you be not bound to open to Him, and give Him open entry to them, and if your eyes were fountains of tears, if it would not become you to wash His feet with them, and to wipe them with the hair of your heads? Would to God that you were under the suitable impression of this, and that you were by the gospel, and the privileges you have by it constrained to love the Lord Jesus Christ. It may be some of you think, if this be all that is called for, He shall not lack it. We assure you it is called for: My Son (says He) give me your heart. But we are afraid, that though you will confess, that this is your duty, and that you should have love to Him, yet the most part of you lack it. For when we speak of love to Christ, it is not a pretext or apprehension of love, that will be taken for love, but such love as has these qualifications. First, if Christ be loved, He will be esteemed of, as the most excellent thing, or person, the most excellent bargain, the most kind friend, the most loving husband, and as the most full, complete, and absolute sufficiency, or sufficient one; as He is spoken of, and esteemed of by the spouse (Song of Solomon 5): His countenance is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars, his mouth is most sweet, he is altogether lovely. The heart is brought to esteem of Him, and to prefer Him beyond all that it can set the eye upon. It were indeed something, if you were brought under conviction, and through persuasion of this, that Jesus Christ is the incomparable best thing that a sinner can have a title to. But, alas! He is despised, and rejected of men, though He be the chiefest of ten thousands. And men play the fool egregiously, in preferring other things to Him, who is infinitely worthy of the preference [reconstructed: above all], and of the preeminence above them all. A second evidence of love is, the heart's longing and panting after the enjoyment of Him, and after the enjoyment of Him, as the most excellent object, quite surpassing all other objects. And when the thirst and longing of the soul is so carried out after Him, as it cannot be satisfied without Him, which is to be sick of love for Him, as it is (Song of Solomon 2:5 and Song of Solomon 5:8). To be in a manner swooning and fainting because of His absence, and even yearning (to speak so) for His presence, to have the bent of the soul's designs, and desires towards making of that glorious conquest, of which the apostle speaks (Philippians 3). Even to count all things to be but loss and dung, and to cast all things as it were overboard, to win to Him, and to be found in Him. To count of Him, as the pearl of price, and as the treasure hid in the field; for the sake of which, you would strip yourselves to the skin, and sell all that you have to buy it. Third, this love to Christ Jesus has in it a satisfying delight in Him, and the soul's blessing of itself in Him, its contenting itself with Him, and its rejoicing in that sweetness which it finds to be in Him, as being the only attractive object, that has such a loveliness in it, as breeds satisfaction. Which satisfaction begets a kindly warmness in the heart to Him again, even till the soul be put in a holy glow, or flame of love to Him. More of this love would make Christ and the gospel much more sweet, and would make every one of these words, that expresses His love in His sufferings to be like marrow and fatness, and would also make the promises to be like breasts full of consolation. It would also cause, that there would not be such mistakes of Christ, nor such wanderings and unfaithfulness from Him, and such preferring of idols to Him, as alas! there are. Where this love is not, there can be no other thing that will be acceptable. We shall say no more for the time, but only this, that we do appeal to your consciences, if there be not here an excellent and nonpareil object of love, and if there be not here much reason to be in love with that object? A very heathen will return love for love, and should not we much more do so in this case? God Himself kindle this love in us, and make us know more the great advantages of it.