2. The second is this, Christ was very sensible of it, even to complaint and expostulation, My God, My God, &c. Why should it be thus be- tween the Father and the Son ? between such a Father and such a Son, a kind, loving Father to his natural, obedient, and only Son ? The word is strong, beloved, he was not only forsaken, but exposed to danger, and left in it, being very sensible of the same. Every word here expresseth some bowels. He doth not say, the Jews have forsaken me ; or my beloved dis- ciples and apostles that I made much of have forsaken me, or Pilate would not do the duty of a true judge ; my feet are pierced, my head is wounded, my body is racked, hanging on the cross, &c. ; he complains of none of these, though they were things to be complained of, and would have sunk any creature to have felt that in his body that he did, but that which went nearest to him, Avas this, ' Oh, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?' I stand not upon others forsaking, but why hast thou forsaken me ? I stand more upon thy forsaking than the forsaking of all others. Christ was very sensible of this ; it went to his very heart.
But what special reason was there that Christ should take this so deeply ?
1. First of all, because the lovingkindness of the Lord is better than life itself, as David the type of Christ well said, Ps. xiii. 3 ; the forsaking of God being indeed worse than death. The lovingkindness of the Lord is that that sweeteneth all discomforts in the world ; the want of that embitters all comforts to us. If we be condemned traitors, what will all comforts do to a condemned man ? The want of God's love embitters all good, and the presence thereof sweeteneth all ill; death, imprisonment, and all crosses whatsoever. Therefore Christ having a sanctified judgment, in the highest degree, judgeth the loss of this to be the worst thing.
2. The sweeter the communion is with God the fountain of good, the more intolerable and unsufferable is the separation from him; but none had ever so near and sweet a communion with God as Christ our Mediator had, for he was both God and man in one person, the beloved Son of his Father. Now the communion before being so near and so sweet unto him, a Uttle want of the same must needs be unsuflerable. Things the nearer they are, the more difficult the separation will be ; as when the skin is severed from the flesh, and the flesh from the bones, oh, it is irksome to nature ; much more was Christ's separation from the sense of his Father's love. Those that love, live more in the party loved, than in themselves. Christ was in love with the person of his Father, and lived in him. Now to want the sense of his love, considering that love desires nothing but the retui-n of love again, it must needs be death unto him.
3. Another ground that Christ was thus sensible, was, because he ivas best able to apprehend the worth of communion with God, and best able to appre- hend ivhat the anger of God ivas. He had a large judgment, and a more capacious soul than any other ; therefore being filled with the wrath of God,
Christ's suffeeings for man's sin. 363
he was able to liold more wrath than any man else. He could deepest apprehend wrath, that had so deep a taste of love before.
4. Again, in regard of his body : the grief of Christ, both in hochj and soul, was the greatest that ever was, for he was in the strength of his years ; he had not dulled his spirits with intemperancy ; he was quick and able to apprehend pain, beuig of an excellent temperature.
Use. Was Christ so exceeding sensible of the want of his Father's love, though it were but a while ? I beseech you then, let us have merciful con- siderations of those that suffer in conscience, and are troubled in mind. Oh, it is another manner of matter than the world takes it for ! It is no easy thing to conflict with God's anger, though but a little. It was the fault of Job's fi-iends ; they should have judged charitably of him, but they did not. Take heed, therefore, of making desperate conclusions against our- selves or other, when the arrows of the Almighty stick in us, when we smart and shew our distemper in the apprehension of the terrors of the Lord seizing upon our souls. God is about a gracious work all this while ; the more sensible men are of the anger of God, the more sensible they will be of the return of his favour again.
There are some insensible, stupid creatures, that are neither sensible of the afilictions they suffer in body, nor of the manifestation of God's anger on their soul. Notwithstanding, he foUows them with his corrections, yet they are as dead flesh, unmoveable ; therefore, ' Why should I smite them any longer,' &c., Isa. i. 5, saith God.
This comes fi'om three grounds :
(1.) From j^ride, when men think it a shame for such Eoman spirits as they are to stoop.