THE FIFTH USE.
[FIFTH.] This doctrine makes Christ precious to the believers—' Unto you therefore which believe, he is precious' (1 Peter 2:7).
This head might be significantly enlarged and branched into a thousand particulars, each full of weight and glory. 1. By considering what sin is. 2. By considering what the hell is. 3. By considering what wrath is. 4. By considering what eternity is. 5. By considering what the loss of a soul is. 6. What the loss of God is. 7. What the loss of heaven is. 8. And what it is to be in utter darkness with devils and damned souls forever and ever. And after all, to conclude, from all the miseries, the Lord Jesus delivered me.
Further, this makes Christ precious, if I consider, in the next place,
1. How he did deliver me; it was with his life, his blood; it cost him tears, groans, agony, separation from God; to do it, he endured his Father's wrath, bore his Father's curse, and died thousands of deaths at once.
2. He did this while I was his enemy, without my desires, knowledge, or deserts; he did it unawares to me.
3. He did it freely, cheerfully; he longed to die for me; heaven would not hold him for the love he had for my salvation, which also he hath effectually accomplished for me at Jerusalem. Honorable Jesus! Precious Jesus! Loving Jesus! Jonathan's kindness captivated David and made him precious in his eyes forever. 'I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan,' said he; 'very pleasant hast thou been unto me; thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women' (2 Sam 1:26). Why, what had Jonathan done? O, he had delivered David from the wrath of Saul. But how much more should he be precious to me who hath saved me from death and hell! Who hath delivered me from the wrath of God! 'The love of Christ constrained us.' Nothing will so edge the spirit of a Christian as 'Thou was slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood.' This makes the heavens themselves ring with joy and shouting. Mark the words, 'Thou was slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.' What follows now? 'And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, forever and ever' (Rev 5:9-14).
Thus also is the song, that new song that is said to be sung by the hundred forty and four thousand which stand with the Lamb upon Mount Sion, with his Father's name written in their foreheads. These are also called harpers, harping with their harps: 'And they sang as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth' (Rev 14:1-3).
But why could they not learn that song? Because they were not redeemed: none can sing of this song but the redeemed; they can give glory to the Lamb, the Lamb that was slain, and that redeemed them to God by his blood. It is faith in his blood on earth that will make us sing this song in heaven. These shouting and heavenly songs must come from love put into a flame by the sufferings of Christ.
THE LAST USE. If all these things be true, what follows but a demonstration of the accursed condition of those among the religious in these nations whose notions put them far off from Jesus, and from venturing their souls upon his bloody death? I have observed such a spirit as this in the world that care not for knowing of Jesus; the possessed therewith do think that it is not material to salvation to venture upon a crucified Christ, neither do they trouble their heads or hearts with inquiring whether Christ Jesus be risen and ascended into heaven, or whether they see him again or no, but rather are for concluding that there will be no such thing: these men speak not by the Holly Ghost, for in the sum they call Jesus accursed; but I doubt not to say that many of them are anathematized of God, and shall stand so, till the coming of the Lord Jesus, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
