The Fountain of Life Opened

Fourthly, As it was all the wrath of God that lay upon Christ, so it was wrath aggravated in divers respects, beyond that which the damned themselves do suffer. That's strange you will say, can there be any sufferings worse than those the damned suffer, upon whom the wrath of an infinite God is immediately transacted! Who holds them up with the arm of his power, while the arm of his justice lies on eternally. Can any sorrows be greater than these? Yes, Christs sufferings were beyond theirs in divers particulars.

Fourthly, As it was all the wrath of God that lay upon Christ, so it was wrath aggravated in divers respects, beyond that which the damned themselves do suffer. That's strange you will say, can there be any sufferings worse than those the damned suffer, upon whom the wrath of an infinite God is immediatly transacted! Who holds them up with the arm of his power, while the arm of his justice lies on eternally. Can any sorrows be greater than these? Yes, Christs sufferings were beyond theirs in divers particulars.

First, None of the damned were ever so near and dear to God, as Christ was. They were estranged from the womb: but Christ lay in his bosom. When he smote Christ, he smote the man that was his fellow, Zech. 13.7. But in smiting them, he smites his enemies. When he had to do in a way of satisfaction with Christ, he is said not to spare his own Son, Rom. 8.32. Never was the fury of God poured out upon such a person before.

Secondly, None of the damned had ever so large a capacity to take in the full sense of the wrath of God, as Christ had. The larger any ones capacity is, to understand and weigh his troubles fully; the more grievous and heavy is his burden. If a man cast vessels of greater and lesser quantity into the Sea, though all will be full, yet the greater the vessel is, the more water it contains. Now Christ had a capacity beyond all mere creatures, to take in the wrath of his Father. And what deep and large apprehensions e had of it, may be judged by the bloody sweat in the garden, which was the effect of his mere apprehensions of the wrath of God. Christ was a large vessel indeed. As he is capable of more glory, so of more sense and misery than any other person in the world.