I shall speak a word or two (upon this occasion of remembering the death of Christ) unto the latter clause, — of our "being made conformable unto his death," — wherein a very great part of our due preparation unto this ordinance doth consist ; and for the furtherance whereof we do in an especial manner wait upon God in this part of his worship. Therefore I shall in a few words mind you wherein we ought to be conformable unto the death of Christ, and how we are advantaged therein by this ordinance.
We are to be conformable unto the death of Christ in the internal, 'moral cause of it, and in the external means of it.
The cause of the death of Christ was sin; the means of the death of Christ was suffering. Our being conformable unto the death of Christ must respect sin and suffering.
The procuring cause of the death of Christ was sin. He died for sin; he died for our sin; our iniquities were upon him, and were the cause of all the punishment that befell him.
Wherein can we be conformable unto the death of Christ with respect unto sin? We cannot die for sin. Our hope and faith is, in and through him, that we shall never die for sin. No mortal man 1 Delivered February 21, 1674-5.
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can be made like unto Christ in suffering for sin. Those that undergo what he underwent, because they were unlike him, must go to hell and be made more unlike him to eternity. Therefore the apostle tells us that our conformity unto the death of Christ with respect unto sin lies in this, — that as he died for sin, so we should die unto sin, — that that sin which he died for should die in us. He tells us so, Rom. vi. 5, " We are planted together in the likeness of his death;" — " We are made conformable unto the death of Christ, planted into him, so as to have a likeness to him in his death." Wherein? " Know- ing that our old man is crucified with him," saith he, verse 6. It is the crucifixion of the old man, the crucifying of the body of sin, the mortifying of sin, that makes us conformable unto the death of Christ ; as to the internal moral cause of it, that procures it. See another apostle tells us, 1 Pet. iv. 1, 2, "Forasumch then as Christ hath suf- fered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind : for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin: that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God." Here is our conformity to Christ, as he suffered in the flesh, — that we should no longer live to our lusts, nor unto the will of man, but unto the will of God. And, brethren, let me tell you, he who approacheth unto this remembrance of the death of Christ, that hath not laboured, that doth not labour, for conformity to his death in the universal mortification of all sin, runs a hazard to his soul, and puts an affront upon Jesus Christ. 0 let none of us come in a way of thankfulness to remember the death of Jesus Christ, and bring along with us the murderer whereby he was slain ! To harbour with us, and bring along with us to the death of Christ, unmortified lusts and corruptions, such as we do not conti- nually and sincerely endeavour to kill and mortify, is to come and upbraid Christ with his murderer, instead of obtaining any spiritual advantage. What can such poor souls expect?
To be conformable unto the death of Christ as to the outward means, is to be conformable unto him in suffering. We here remem- ber Christ's sufferings. And I am persuaded, and hope I have con- sidered it, that he who is unready to be conformable unto Christ in suffering, was never upright and sincere in endeavouring to be con- formable unto Christ in the killing of sin ; for we are called as much to the one as to the other. Christ hath suffered for us, " leaving us an example," that we should also suffer when we are called thereunto. And our unwillingness to suffer like unto Christ arises from some un- mortified corruption in our hearts, which we have not endeavoured to subdue, that we may be like unto Christ in the mortification and death of sin.
There are four things required, that we may be conformable unto
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the death of Christ in suffering ; for we may suffer, and yet not be like unto Christ in it, nor by it : —
1. The first is, that we suffer for Christ, 1 Pet. iv. 15, 16, "Let none suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil-doer," etc.; " yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed." To suffer as a Christian is to suffer for Christ, — for the name of Christ, for the truths of Christ, for the ways of Christ, for the worship of Christ.
2. It is required that we suffer in the strength of Christ; — that we do not suffer in the strength of our own will, our own reason, our own resolutions; but that we suffer, I say, in the strength of Christ. When we suffer aright, " it is given unto us in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but to suffer for him." As all other graces are to be derived from Christ, as our head and root, stock and foundation ; so, in joarticular, that grace which enables us to suffer for Christ must be from him. And we do well to consider whether it be so or no ; for if it be not, all our sufferings are lost, and not acceptable to him. It is a sacrifice without salt, yea, without a heart, that will not be accepted.