First, That it was appointed by God, that the way whereby Christ should from this state of humiliation come to glory with him, should be the way of ignominy, reproach, and death; It behoved the Son of man to suffer, and so enter into glory, Luk. 24.46. It must be so else the Justice of God could not be satisfied, else mans Redemption could not be obtained; This our Saviour implieth, I come to thee, but how, Even as the Israelites to Canaan, through a Sea of blood; That then which our Saviour quickly spake, was with great pain and agony undergone; I come to thee through fire and blood, The Father doth this to demonstrate the bloody nature of sin, the unspeakable love of Christ, and the order God hath appointed for all believers ere they come to glory, 1. the bloody nature of sin, for it was this and nothing else that put Christ to be a Sacrifice for us, had not Adam and we in him all apostatized from God; There had been no need of his death, but now by this transgression, and ours superadded, without the shedding of his blood, there could be no remission of sin; Yet oh the profaneness and blindness of the world, what a little matter do they make of sin, how easily do they think a pardon may be had for it; Oh remember the least vain thought or idle word cannot in this world or in the world to come be expiated but by Christs blood only, had there been no other sin in the world but a vain thought, Christ must have undergone all that wrath of God and man ere it could be blotted out; Oh think of this you who like Leviathan laugh at the Spear, and sport your selves with those sins, which put Christ to all that Agony: Lastly, This showeth the order God hath appointed we must first be on Mount Calvary before we can be on the Mount of Transfiguration; As Christ had first a Crown of Thorns here, before he had a Crown of glory, so it must be with us, Rom. 8. We shall be glorified with him if we suffer with him, Let this then sweeten all thy afflictions and miseries, Though the beginnings of God with thee, like those of Joseph to his brethren, are harsh and rough, yet the endings will be full of sweetness and comfort; If thou grudgest at thy Tribulations say, this is to grudge at the Crown of Glory, This is to repine at the way to everlasting happiness.
First, That it was appointed by God, that the way whereby Christ should from this state of humiliation come to glory with him, should be the way of ignominy, reproach, and death; It behoved the Son of man to suffer, and so enter into glory, Luk. 24.46. It must be so else the Justice of God could not be satisfied, else mans Redemption could not be obtained; This our Saviour implieth, I come to thee, but how, Even as the Israelites to Canaan, through a Sea of bloud; That then which our Saviour quickly spake, was with great pain and agony undergone; I come to thee through fire and bloud, The Father doth this to demonstrate the bloudy nature of sinne, the unspeakable love of Christ, and the order God hath appointed for all beleevers ere they come to glory, 1. the bloudy nature of sinne, for it was this and nothing else that put Christ to be a Sacrifice for us, had not Adam and we in him all apostatized from God; There had been no need of his death, but now by this transgression, and ours superadded, without the shedding of his bloud, there could be no remission of sinne; Yet oh the prophanesse and blindenesse of the world, what a little matter do they make of sinne, how easily do they think a pardon may be had for it; Oh remember the least vain thought or idle word cannot in this world or in the world to come be expiated but by Christs bloud only, had there been no other sinne in the world but a vain thought, Christ must have undergone all that wrath of God and man ere it could be blotted out; Oh think of this you who like Leviathan laugh at the Spear, and sport your selves with those sinnes, which put Christ to all that Agony: Lastly, This sheweth the order God hath appointed we must first be on Mount Calvary before we can be on the Mount of Transfiguration; As Christ had first a Crown of Thorns here, before he had a Crown of glory, so it must be with us, Rom. 8. We shall be glorified with him if we suffer with him, Let this then sweeten all thy afflictions and miseries, Though the beginnings of God with thee, like those of Joseph to his brethren, are harsh and rough, yet the endings will be full of sweetnesse and comfort; If thou grudest at thy Tribulations say, this is to grudge at the Crown of Glory, This is to repine at the way to everlasting happinesse.
