Inf. 8. Did the dreadful sword of divine justice smite the Shepherd, God's own fellow ; and at the same time the flock, from whom all its outward comforts arose, were scattered from him? Then learn, That the holiest of men have no reason either to repine or despond, though God should at once strip them of all their outward and inward comforts together. He that did this by the man his fellow, may much rather do it by the man his friend. Smite my Shepherd: there is all comfort gone from the inward man ; Scatter the sheep ; there is all comfort gone from the out- ward man. What refreshments had Christ in this world, but such as came immediately from his Father, or those holy ones now scat- tered from him ? In one day he loseth both heavenly and earthly comforts. Now, as God dealt by Christ, he may, at one time or other, deal with his people. You have your comforts from heaven ; so had Christ, in a fuller measure than ever you had, or can have. He had comforts from his little flock ; you have your comforts from the society of the saints, the ordinances of God, comfortable relations, $c. Yet none of these are so firmly settled upon you, but you may be left destitute of them all in one day. God did take all comfort from Christ, both outward ancf inward ; and are you greater than he ? God sometimes takes outward, and leaves inward comfort ; sometimes he takes inward, and leaves outward comfort : but the time may come, when God may strip you of both.
This was the case of Job, a favourite of God, who was blessed with outward and inward comforts; yet a time came when God stripped him of all, and made him poor to a proverb, as to all out- ward comfort ; and the venom of his arrows drank up his spirit, and the inward comforts thereof.
Should the Lord deal thus with any of you, how seasonable and relieving will the following considerations be ?
First, Though the Lord deal thus with you, yet this is no new thing ; he hath so dealt with others, yea with Jesus Christ that was his fellow. If these things were done in the green tree, in him that never deserved it for any sin of his own, how little reason have we to complain ? Nay,
Secondly, Therefore did this befal Jesus Christ before you, that the like condition might be sanctified to you, when you shall be brought into it. For therefore did Jesus Christ pass through such varieties of conditions, on purpose that he might take away the
356 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. SERM. XXIX.
curse, and leave a blessing in those conditions, against the time that vou should come into them. Moreover,
Thirdly, Though inward comforts and outward comforts were both removed from Christ, in one day, yet he wanted not support in the absence of both. How relieving a consideration is this ! John xvi. 32. " Behold, (saith he) the hour cometh, yea, is now " come that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall ii leave me alone ; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is " with me." With me by way of support, when not by way of comfort. Thy God, Christian, can in like mannner support thee, when all sensible comforts shrink away together from thy soid and body in one day.
Lastly, It deserves a remark, that this comfortless forsaken con- dition of Christ, immediately preceded the day of his greatest glory and comfort. Naturalists observe, the greatest darkness is a little before the dawning of the morning. It was so with Christ, it may be so with thee. It was but a little while and he had better com- pany than theirs that forsook him. Act therefore your faith upon this, that the most glorious light usually follows the thickest dark- ness. The louder vour groans are now, the louder your triumphs hereafter will be. The horror of your present, will but add to the lustre of vour future state.
Of the manner of Christ's Death, in respect of the Pa- tience thereof,
He IMS 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.
OW pur Lord Jesus Christ carried on the work of our re- demption in his humble state, both in his incarnation, life, and death, hath in part been discovered in the former sermons. I have shewed you the kind or nature of that death he died ; and am now engaged, bv the method proposed, to open the manner of his death. The solitariness or loneliness of Christ in his sufferings, was the subject of the last sermon. The patience and meekness of Christ in his sufferings, come in order, to be opened in this.
This chapter treats wholly of the sufferings of Christ, and the
SJKEM. XXIX. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFF. 357
blessed fruits thereof. Hornbeck * tells us of a learned Jew, « that ingenuously confessed this very chapter converted him to " the Christian faith. And such delight he had in it, that he read " it more than a thousand times over." Such is the clearness of this prophecy, that he who penned it, is deservedly stiled the evangelical prophet I cannot allow time to annalize the chapter; but my work lying in the seventh verse, I shall speak to these two brandies or parts of it, viz. The grievous sufferings of Christ, and the glorious ornament he put upon them.
First, Christ's grievous sufferings; " he was afflicted, and he " was oppressed, brought to the slaughter, and shorn as a sheep," " i. e. he lost both fleece and blood, life, and comforts of life. " He was oppressed;11 the \ word signifies both " to answer and " oppress, humble or depress." The other word, rendered afflict- ed, signifies " to exact and afflict," and so implies Christ to stand before God, as a surety before the creditor; who exacts the .ut- most satisfaction from him, by causing him to suffer according to tlie utmost rigour and severity of the law. It did not suffice that he was shorn as a sheep* i. e. that he was stripped and deprived of his riches, ornaments and comforts ; but his blood and life must go for it also. He is brought to the slaughter. These were his grievous sufferings.
Secondly, Here is the glorious ornament he put upon those grie- vous sufferings, even the ornament of a meek and patient spirit. He opened not his mouth : but went as a sheep to be shorn, or a lamb to the slaughter. The lamb goes as quiet to the slaughter-house, as to the fold. By this lively and lovely similitude, the patience of Christ is here expressed to us\ Yet Christ's dumbness and silence is not to be understood simply, but universally ; as though he spake nothing at all when he suffered ; for he uttered many excellent and weighty words upon the cross, as you shall hear in the following discourses ; but it must be understood respectively, i. e. he never opened his mouth repiningly, passionately, or revengefully, under his greatest tortures and highest provocations. Whence the note is,
Doct. That Jesus Christ supported the burden, of his sufferings, with admirable patience and meekness of spirit.