Why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?....John xx. 15.. PROFESSION of Christ, without affection to him, leaves the heart in dead formality. What is religion without the affections? What the highest pretension, the greatest depth of knowledge, without love to our dear Saviour? Here poor Mary discovers her affection to her Lord, by weeping for and seeking after his crucified body. The fire of love in the heart carries out the soul beyond itself. Tell me, Sir, says she to Jesus (supposing him to be the gardener) where thou hast laid him, and I WILL TAKE HIM AWAY. Poor weak being, her affections went beyond her strength; but, to her inexpressible joy and comfort, Jesus manifested himself to her. This was written for our instruction. Come, ye weeping, seeking souls, learn a lesson of encouragement and comfort to-night, from your sister's conduct and your Lord's dealings with her. Observe 1st. Christ's beloved disciples have their weeping and their seeking seasons. They weep because they love Christ: they seek him because they cannot be happy without him. So the church, “I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him but I found him not.".... Song iii. 1. Still she goes on seeking: seeking Christ is an evidence of, and discovers love to him; seeking him sorrowing and weeping, shews the ardency of affection. Poor distressed sinner, who sees thy want of Christ, knows thy all is in him, and cannot be happy without him, know this is from a dart of love: Christ hath wounded and ravished thy heart with his love: what doth he say to thee? "Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse."....Song iv. 9. O, there is a mutual affection between Christ's heart and thine. 2d. Jesus was near to Mary, though she knew him not; he is near to every weeping, seeking soul, though they have not the comfort of it. Sd. He discovers his affections by his questions: "Why weepest thou? Whom peekest thou?" Our fears are seen; our sorrows are felt by our sympathizing Lord; our most silent sighs enter his ears, and pierce his heart: but he will know the cause of our sorrows from our own lips. Then pour out your hearts before him, tell him of your complaints. Do this in the assurance of faith that he will manifest himself to you. For, 4th. He did so to Mary: he called her by her name, Mary, which signifies exalted: she was exalted to know Christ's voice, to taste his love, to be his sister and his spouse, to be married to Christ, and to live in sweet union to him and communion with him. O soul, see whence your seeking, sorrowing frames spring! See the blessed end in which they terminate. O, bless Jesus for a heart to seek him; bless him, though you seek him sorrowing. Thy Lord hath assured thee, "every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth."....Luke. xi. 10. They crucified him....Matt. xxvii. 35. A short sentence, replete with the greatest importance to a world of sinners: each word in it contains matter of sorrow, wonder and joy. Here is a fund for meditation. O christian, time can never explore its depths: it will be the glory of eternity to sing of, wonder and adore a once crucified Jesus. Let us consider the agents.... the work....and the subject. 1st. The agents, THEY. Who? Angels? No; they gaze and wonder at the cruel, awful deed, but share not in it. Devils? No; they instigate to it, they shout and applaud the deed, but effect it not. No; the work is done by beings, little lower than the angels, yet not devils, but men....men of devilish natures, cursed passions, and wicked hands: with these they seize the innocent victim, doomed to direful agonies and accursed death. 2d. The work: they CRUCIFIED. O the bloody deed! Heaven that hour let fall a tear. There hangs....who? A man like us? Yes, but immáculate, innocent: yea more, the Son of God: God and man in one Christ. The Lord of life and glory hung a spectacle to men and angels: nailed his innocent hands and tender feet to the transverse wood, to bleed, and groan, and die. Say, why? Consider, 3d. The subject, HIM: Jesus Christ, the anointed Saviour. As God he loved sinners from all eternity: as man he was born to make sinners righteous by his life, and to take away their sins by his death. The work is done: on the cross he finished it. What are the effects? Seest thou, O sinner, where hangs all our hope? Ever view then, O soul, the sovereign cure of death, the eternal source of life; God and man in one Christ, on the accursed tree, to make thee blessed and happy. Such is the love of thy Saviour: such is his salvation. Where is your faith? O look and look, and look again, till your whole soul loves him. Is sin your grief, and pain and burden? O, the load of pain and grief which Jesus bore! The iniquities of us all: he has taken them ALL away by his ONE sacrifice. Remember this: plead this before the Lord; the faith of this brings hope to the most desperate and vile: the best of saints have no other. With this faith and this hope thou mayest draw nigh to God; plead boldly before justice itself; challenge the law to lay ought to thy charge; face death; resist and repel satan with thy Saviour's dying words, IT IS FINISHED. Thy dying love, thy rising pow'r My Saviour dear, I'd sing: In thee I'd glory ev'ry hour, Till thou to glory bring. 'Midst all my fears, and doubts and Is the Lord among us or not?....Exod. xvii. 7. A VERY awful question to come out of the mouth of any child of God. What was the cause of it? Why the Lord tried their faith that fails them: nature murmurs: the flesh wants gratification: they are athirst: they tempt the Lord: they chide Moses: he is in distress: he cries to the Lord, "What shall I do unto this people? They be ready to stone me." Mr. Henry judiciously observes here," they do in effect suppose that Moses was an impostor; Aaron a deceiver; the pillar of cloud and fire a mere sham and illusion, which had imposed on their senses; that long series of miracles, which had saved, rescued, and fed them, a chain of cheats; and the promise of Canaan a banter upon them. It was all so, if the Lord was not among them. Note, it is a great provocation to God, for us to question his presence, providence, or promise, especially for his people to do it, who are so much obliged to trust him." Well might Moses call this place Massah and Meribah, that is, temptation and strife. Disciple, wast thou never at Massah and Meribah? Did you never tempt your God, by forgetting his past dealings of love and favor to you; passing over the sweet experiences of thy soul, in former days of light and liberty, peace and love; calling all in question, and ready to set all down as mere delusions? Hast thou not been ready to question whether the Lord is with thee or not? O, if thou hast not, I know one who has, and with grief of soul testifies of it, with shame of face confesses it, and with humble prayer would cry, God be merciful to ME a sinner! O how trying this to a God of patience! How dishonoring this to a God of love! But his patience fails not; his love never changes; his mercy endureth for ever: may this shame our unbelief. Again, wast thou never at Meribah? At the waters of strife? Hast thou not contended with the Lord's prophets, as though they had invited thee from the land of nature into the wilderness, to die for thirst after the waters of salvation? Hast not thou with the Psalmist," said in thy haste, all men are liars ?....Psalm cxvi. 11. God has forgotten to be gracious: his promise is to come to an end forever I shall never see the light of the living." I know one who can hold up his hand and plead guilty. O, let us rebuke ourselves for our unbelief cry to the Lord for pardon, and to strengthen our faith. And instead of questioning, "Is the Lord among us or not?" Let us in faith confess, the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge....Psalm xlvi. 7. Thou art, O Lord, my soul's relief: Forgive my sins, my unbelief: Thy patience, Lord, I oft have tried, M. I am found of them that sought me not....Isa. lxv. 1. EVERY display of the Saviour's grace is a jewel in his mediatorial crown. O what hearts have we, that we are not more humble before him, more thankful to him, and more joyful in him! Jesus, help us Gentile sinners to look back, to look within, to look up, and to look forward, to excite humility, thankfulness, and joy of heart. 1st. Look back, O my soul: view thy nature state; lying dead asleep in the arms of the wicked one, dead to God, under the power of sin, in love with the world, blind to the charms of Christ, without a single desire after him, or the least care for thy immortal soul. 2d. Look within, dost thou find affection to Jesus and desires after him? Is it the language of thy heart, none but Christ, I look to none but him; I expect salvation from him and him only? O, whence this mighty change? Say, did you first seek Christ, or Christ you ? Did your desires first go out after Christ, or his desires towards you? O, in the fervor of love, you must cry out, pride thou busy foe, avaunt! I must, I should have gone to hell, without a single desire of salvation by Jesus, if he had not sought me and made himself manifest to me: his grace was first in the work. Then, 3d. Look up, give Jesus the whole and sole glory. O, to think, when there was nothing in us to invite the loving Spirit down, but every thing to cause him to loath us and to leave us: yet, O matchless love and sovereign grace! he shewed us Christ, drawed us to Christ, and caused us to receive Christ. Rejoice, love, adore and praise. Who can resist divine attraction? Who is proof against divine love? Who that loves can love enough? 4th. Look forward, soul! Heaven is before you Jesus stands ready to receive you: God the Father to embrace you: God the Son to glory in you: and God the Spirit to triumph over you. Glory shall complete what grace has begun. O, study the grace and love of Jesus, that is our heaven below; to praise him for it will be our eternal employ above. But one thing remains, give God the glory of all this amazing grace study from day to day, and from hour to hour, to do it by the faith of your hearts, the words of your lips, and the obedience of your lives. No consideration whatever can beat down your native pride, sink into genuine humility, animate with holy love to all cheerful obedience, like this, "God commended his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."....Rom. v. 8. . : Then since I have my Saviour found, I'll tell poor sinners all around That they its pow'r may prove. The Spirit found me dead in sin, I felt such precious pow'r within, M. I know thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house up pointed for all living....Job. xxx. 23. WHAT Sweet familiarity does grace make between God and believing sinners! How freely can they speak to him upon that solemn event, death. In the exercise of faith, we think of it without terror and speak of it with delight. Why so? Because we have no sin and are not sinners? No: but because we know Christ, the friend of sinners, who has taken away all our sins, conquered death for us, subdued the fear of death in us, brought life and immortality to us, and is ever before the throne pleading for us. Yet we KNOW also, HE will bring us to death. O, this is soul-comforting knowledge! What, wilt thou, my loving God, my precious Saviour, who bore my sins in thine own body on the tree, bring me to death? Are the issues of life and death in thy hand? Cannot death approach nor assault me till thou give him commission and bring me to death? I thank thee, my dear Lord, for this knowledge: then death thou art no more the hideous monster, the frightful king of terrors to my soul. No: my dear friend brings me to thee, that I may salute thee as an angel of love, and kiss thee as a messenger of peace. Fond parents carry their children to see fine sights, to delight them: they avoid horrid spectacles which would terrify them: so doth our heavenly Father by us; he BRINGS us to death that we may see and be delighted with the glorious victories of his beloved Son. Here we behold him a triumphant conqueror over sin and death, and over the devil, who had the power of death. Our Father, God, BRINGS us to the field of battle; he carries us through it; he shews us the spoils of his Son's glorious conquests: there, says he, see, reap and wear the blessed trophies of his victorious cross; all are for you my children; your enemies are all slain; a crown of glory is won for you eternally to wear; a kingdom of glory is obtained for you, where you shall for ever reign. No sooner are we brought to, and carried through the field of battle, but shouts of victory await us. Hark, hark to the immortal spirits above: we shall soon be brought to join them in eternal shouts of SALVATION TO GOD AND THE LAMB. Now, this is the life of faith; believing in Christ the fear of death is conquered, the hope of life is enjoyed, eternal life is possessed; and we cry out, O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory?. We have an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens....2 Cor. i. 5. 1. Why should I fear when God shall say My Father gave his only Son, I'll bring thro' death to reign on high This work Christ hath forever done, M. G g |