A Goodly Heritage

For Christ’s binding. The evangelist tells us, that the band, and the captain, and the officers of the Jews, took Jesus, and bound his hands with cords; certainly they wanted no malice, and now they wanted no power, for the Lord had given himself into their hands. Binding argues baseness: fools and slaves were accustomed to be bound, and so were thieves; but is our Saviour numbered amongst any of these? O yes! In that same hour said Jesus to the multitude, Are ye come out as against a thief, with swords and staves O wonderful condescension of Christ! He that was eminently just, is reputed a thief; he that was equal with God, is become a servant; he that was stronger than Samson, is bound with cords, and, as a lamb, continues bound for the slaughter; and thus began our liberty from sin and death. Christ was faster bound with his cords of love, than with iron fetters; his love was strong as death; it overcame him who is invincible, and bound him who is omnipotent: the Jews’ cords were b...

Christians! How it concerns you to stand upon your watchtower—you have enemies within you! If a city was besieged by foreign armies, would the citizens harbour traitors within their walls? Nay, would they not put them to death, for their own safety? You have within you a host of treacherous enemies, and these seek all occasions to betray you into the devil’s hands. Is it not high time for us all to mortify the flesh with its affections and lusts, and to implore the aid and assistance of God’s Spirit, to mortify our bosom traitors and murderers (Galatians 5:24-25)?

Of the purpose of God concerning man’s salvation before all worlds, we read in Scripture, “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose,” (Romans 8:28). And it is said of Jacob and Esau that “being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand,” (Romans 9:11). And, in Christ we are said to obtain an inheritance, “being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will,” (Ephesians 1:11). Elsewhere the apostle speaks of “the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Ephesians 3:10-11). Again, “He hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” (2 Tim. 1:9). All these hold forth this truth: God purposed...

The most excellent subject to discourse or write of is Jesus Christ. Augustine,1 having read Cicero’s works, commended them for their eloquence; but he passed this sentence upon them: “They are not sweet because the name of Jesus is not in them.” And Bernard’s saying is near the same: “If thou writest, it doth not relish with me, unless I read Jesus there; if thou disputest or conferrest, it doth not relish well with me, unless Jesus sound5 there.” Indeed all we say is but unsavory, if it is not seasoned with this salt: “I determined not to know any thing among you,” saith Paul, “save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1Co 2:2). He resolved with himself before he preached among the Corinthians that this should be the only point of knowledge that he would profess himself to have skill in, and that, in the course of his ministry, he would labor to bring them to. This he made “the breadth, and length, and depth, and height” of his knowledge (Eph 3:18). “Yea, doubtless,” saith he, “and I c...

Consider him passing over the brook Cedron. It signifies the wrath of God, and rage of men. Through many tribulations must they go, that will follow after him to the kingdom of glory. Consider him entering into the garden of Gethsemane: in a garden Adam sinned, and in this garden Christ must suffer. Into this garden no sooner was he entered, but he began to be agonized: all his powers within him were in conflict. Consider, O my soul, how suddenly he is struck into a strange fear. Never was man so afraid of the torments of hell, as Christ, standing in our room, is of his Father's wrath; nor was he only afraid, but very heavy. "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." His sorrow was deadly, it melted his soul as wax is melted with heat; it continued with him till his last gasp; his heart was like wax burning all the time of his passion: nor was he only afraid and heavy, but he began to be sore amazed. This signifies an universal cessation of all the fac...

Ah, my brethren ! let us remember we are pilgrims and strangers upon earth, and our way lies over the brook Cedron ; we cannot expect to enter with Christ into glory, but we must first drink of the brook in the way; that is, we must endure many afflictions, variety of afflictions. You will say, This is an hard saying, who can hear it? When Jesus told his disciples of his sufferings to be accomplished at Jerusalem, Peter takes the boldness to dehort his Master, Be it far from thee, Lord, this shall not be unto thee: Jesus thereupon calls him Satan, meaning that no greater contradictions can be offered to the designs of God, than to dissuade us from sufferings. There is too much of Peter's humour amongst us ; O, this doctrine of afflictions will not down with Antinomians ; and hence we believe we have our congregations so thin, in comparison of some of theirs ; they that can break off the yoke of obedience, and present heaven in the midst of flowers, and offer great...

Now then let me advise thee, whosoever thou art that read- est, to enter into thine own soul, and examine thine own state, whether or no thou art yet born again? Search and see, whe- ther as yet the spirit of bondage hath wrought its effects in thee; whether thou hast been enlightened, convinced, and terrified with a sensible apprehension, and particular acknow- ledgment, of thy wretched estate? Search and see, whether as yet the Spirit of adoption hath sealed thee for his own; whe- ther, after thy heart being broken, thy spirit bruised, thy soul humbled, thy conscience wounded and awakened, thou hast had a sight of Christ, and hast thirsted after him, and hast followed his ways and commandments by an universal obedience: If upon search thou canst say,without self-deceit, that so it is with thee, then mayest thou bless God that ever thou wast born; certainly, I dare say it, thou art born again. But if not, if all I have spoken are very mysteries to thee, what shall I s...