XN the former sermons, we have opened the nature and kind of death Christ died ; even the cursed death of the cro^s. Wherein, nevertheless his innocency was vindicated, by that honourable title providentially affixed to his cross. Method now requires that we take into consideration the manner in which he endured the cross, and that was solitarily, meekly, and instructively.
* Because you desired that T should crucify your king, I have crucified him ; the ignominy shall henceforth be yours, who extorted this from me. Cbfe. on Maltli. xxvii. 27.
f For saints, when their hearts are renewed, are not ashamed, by repentance, to acknowledge their ignominious faults and ignominy, to the glory of God : nothing is lost to us, which redounds to his honour. Brightman on Cant.
344 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. SERM. XXVIII.
His solitude in suffering is plainly expressed in this scripture now before us, it cannot be doubted, but the prophet in this place speaks of Christ, if you consider Matth. xxvi. 31. where you shall find these words applied to Christ by his own accommodation of them, " Then " said Jesus unto them, all ye shall be offended because of me this " night, for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep " shall be scattered." Besides, the title here given [God's fellow] is too big for any creature in heaven or earth besides Christ.
In these words we have four things particularly to consider. First, The commission given to the sword by the Lord of hosts. Secondly, The person against whom it is commissioned. Thirdly, The dismal effect of that stroke. Fourthly and lastly, The graci- ous mitigation of it.
First, The commission given to the sword by the Lord of hosts. " Awake, O sword, and smite, saith the Lord of hosts." The Lord of hosts, at whose beck and command all the creatures are. Who, with a word of his mouth, can open all the armories in the world, and command what weapons and instruments of death he pleaseth, calls here for the sword ; not the rod, gently to chasten ; but the sword to destroy. The rod breaks no bones, but the sword opens the door to death and destruction. The strokes and thrusts of the sword are mortal ; and he bids it awake. It signifies both " to rouse up," as one that awakes out of sleep, and " to " rouse or awake with triumph and rejoicing." So the same word is rendered, Job xxxi. 29. Yea, he commands it, " to awake " and smite * " And it is as if the Lord had said, Come forth of thy scabbard, O sword of justice, thou hast been hid there a long time, and hast, as it were, been asleep in thy scabbard, now awake and glitter, thou shalt drink royal blood, such as thou never sheddest before.
Secondly, The person against whom it is commissioned, " my " shepherd, and the man that is my fellow -f\" This shepherd can be no other than Christ, who is often in scripture stiled " a Shepherd, yea, the chief Shepherd, the Prince of pastors." Who redeemed, feeds, guides, and preserves the flock of God's elect, 1 Pet. v. 4. John x. 11. This is he whom he also stiles the man his fellow \. Or his neighbour, as some render it. And so Christ is, with respect to his equality and unity with the Father, both in essence and will. His next neighbour. His other self. You have the sense of it in Phil. h. 6. He was in the form of God, and thought it no robbery to be equal with God.
* 113? — Evigilavit, suscitavit. Buxtorf. Incitavit ad agendum. Stockius. f Pastorem vocat Christum, ctg^i'rroifj.zvcc, animarum nostrarum. D. Par. % CD1* 1113 byi— E< super virum prorimum meum. Montanus.
SERM. XXVIII. THE FOUXTAIN OF LIFE. 345
Against Christ his fellow, his next neighbour, the delight of his soul, the sword here receives its commission.
Thirdly, You have here the dismal consequent of this deadly stroke upon the shepherd. And that is the scattering of the sheep. By the sheep understand here, that little flock, the dis- ciples, which followed this shepherd till he was smitten, i. e. ap- prehended by his enemies, and they were scattered, i. e dispersed ; they all forsook him and fled. And so Christ was left alone, amidst his enemies. Not one durst make a stand for him, or own him in that hour of his danger.
Fourthly, And lastly, Here is a gracious mitigation of this sad dispersion, " I will turn my hand upon the little ones." By little ones he means the same that before he called sheep ; but the ex- pression is designedly varied, to shew their feebleness and weak- ness, which appeared in their relapse from Christ. And by turning his hand upon them, understand God's gracious reduction, and gathering of them again after their sad dispersion, so that they shall not be lost, though scattered for the present. For after the Lord was risen, he went before them into Galilee, as he promised, Matth. xx vi. 31. And gathered them again by a gracious hand, so that not one of them was lost but the son of perdition.
The words thus opened, I shall observe suitably to the method I have proposed.
Doct. That Christ's dearest friends for soolc and left him alone, in the time of his greatest distress and danger.
This doctrine containing only matter of fact, and that also so plainly delivered by the pens of the several faithful Evangelits, I need spend no longer time in the proof of it, than to refer you to the several testimonies they have given to it. But I shall rather chuse to fit and prepare it for use, by explaining these four questions.
First, Who were the sheep that were scattered from their shepherd, and left him alone?
Secondly, What evil was there in this their scattering?
Thirdly, What were the grounds and causes of it ?
Fourthly, and lastly, What was the issue and event of it ?
First, Who were these sheep that were dispersed and scattered from their shepherd when he was smitten. It is evident thev were those precious elect souls that he had gathered to himself, who had long followed him, and dearly loved him, and were dear- ly beloved of him, They were persons that had left all and fol- lowed him, and, till that time, faithfully continued -with him in his temptations, Luke xxii. 28. And were all resolved so to do,
346 HIE FOL'NTAFX OF LIFE. SER3*. XXV 111.
though they should die with him, Matfch. xxvi. 35. These were the persons.
Second!?/, But were they as good as their word? Did they indeed stick faithfully to him ? No, they all forsook him and fled. These sheep were scattered. This was not indeed a total and final apostasy, that is the fall proper to the hypocrite, the temporary believer, who, like a comet, expires when that earthly matter is spent that maintained the blaze for a time.