(2.) Or fi'om hypocrisy, when they will not discover their grief, though their conscience be out of tune.
(3.) Or else out of sUipid blockishness, which is worst of all, when they are not aft'ected with the signs of God's wrath. It is a good thing to be affected with the least token of God's displeasure, when we can gather by good evidence that God hath a quarrel against us. You see how sensible Christ was, and so will it be with us if we get not into him betimes ; we shall be sensible of sin one day whether we will or no ; conscience is not put in us for nought. You may stupify and stifle the mouth of conscience with this or that trick now, but it will not be so for ever ; it wiU discharge its office, and lay bitter things to our charge, and stare in oui'" faces, and drive us to despau' one day. Sin is another matter when it is revealed to conscience than we take it, howsoever we go blockishly and stupidly on now. It is sweet in the temptation and aUm-ement, but it hath an ill fare- well and sting. If we could judge of sin as we shall do when it is past, especially when we come to our reckoning at the horn* of death, and at the day of judgment, then we would be of another mind ; then we would say that all sinners, as the Scripture terms them, ' are fools,' Ps. xciv. 8. But to go on.
Christ ice see eicpresseth his sensihleness by complaint; 'My God, my God, u'hy hast thou forsaken me ? '
Caution. Here some cautions must be rendered that we do not mistake.
Christ complains not of God but to God.
Ohj. Was Christ ignorant of the cause of God's forsaking him ?
Ans. No, he knew the cause, for his sufferings were intolerable ; but taking our nature upon him, he takes our speech also, and expresseth him- self like to a miserable man; having the greatest affliction that ever was upon
864 chbist's suffebings for man's sin.
a creature. The divine nature of Christ stopped the excess of any passion ; he was turbated but not perturbated ; he was moved with the sins of men, but not removed ; he was as water in a clear glass. There is nothing but water though you stir it never so much : if there were mud in it, it would soon be unclean. We cannot stir our affections and complain but with a tincture of sin. It was not so with Christ. He knew when to raise and when to allay his affections ; and though there were much nature in these affections, a natural shunning of gi'ief, and a natural desire of God's pre- eence ; yet here was gi'ace to direct and sanctify the same ; for nature sometimes carries grace with a stronger wind, more fully when they go both in one current, as here. It was grace to have the love of God, yea, it was death to be without it, and it was sinless nature to desire ease ; for without sin nature may desire ease, so it be with submission of itself to God. For the soul may have divers desires as there are divers objects pre- sented to it. When the soul apprehends release and ease, it rejoices and is glad ; but when upon higher considerations and better ends there is pain presented to the soul to do it good, the soul may desire that, and upon deliberation choose that it refused before. A man may have his hand cut off, and cast his wares into the sea, that he would not willingly do, yet when upon deliberation he considers, I shall save my life by it, he will do it. So Christ by a natural desire, without sin, might desire release of pain, but when it was presented to him, what shall become of the salva- tion of men and obedience to God then ? Upon these considerations, that respected higher ends, there might be another choice ; so in things subor- dinate one to another, one thing may cross another, and yet all be good too.
But you must know this likewise, that forsaking and to be sensible of forsaking, is no sin, especially when it is not contracted by any sin of ours. It is a suffering, but not a sin ; and to be sensible of it is no sin. It is rather a sin to be otherwise affected. God allows those affections that he hath planted in us : he hath planted fear and sorrow in presenting dolo- rous objects. If a man do not sorrow in objects of sorrow, he is not a man after God's making. God allows grief and fear in afflictions and trouble, always remembering it be with submission to him, ' Not as I will, but as thou wilt,' Matt. xxvi. 30.
Again, consider Christ was now in a conflicting condition between doubting and despair, the powers of hell being round about him. Satan as he was busy about him at the entrance into his office, Mat. iv. 1-11, so he was now vexing his righteous soul with temptations, * God hath forsaken thee,' and this and that. We know not the malice of Satan at such a time ; but certainly the powers of hell were all let loose then upon him. The truth is, God had a purpose to finish his sufferings presently upon his complaint, and because he will have us all receive what we receive, even Christ himself, by prayer and opening om' desires to him, God suffers Christ to complain, and pour out his supplication into his bosom, that pre- sently after, he might be released of all, seeing he had now fully satisfied for the sins of man.