A Robbery Committed, And Restitution Made, Both To God
And Man
Ebenezer Erskine
(1680-1754)
"Then I restored that which I took
not away."
PSALM 69:4
IT is abundantly plain, that there are several passages in this psalm
applied unto Christ in the Scriptures of the New Testament; particularly that
in the 9th verse of the psalm, "The zeal of thine house hath eaten me
up." We find it applied to Christ, John 2:17; and likewise that
immediately following, "The reproaches of them that reproached thee are
fallen upon me," Romans 15:3; so likewise in the 21st verse, "They
gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to
drink," applied to Christ, Matthew 27:48, and Mark 15:23. But I need go no
further to prove this, than the first word of the verse where my text lies,
"They hated me without cause," Christ applies it to himself, in John
15:25. We find our Lord here, in the verse where my text lies, is complaining
of his enemies; he complains of their causeless hatred in the first clause of
the verse, "They hate me without a cause;" he complains of their
multitude, "They are more than the hairs of mine head;" he complains
of their implacable cruelty, "They that would destroy me, being mine enemies
wrongfully, are mighty." Now our blessed Lord is thus treated by the
world, whom he came to save. When there is such a powerful combination of hell
and earth against him, one would have been ready to think, that he would have
stopped, and gone no further; but he did not faint, nor was he discouraged, for
all the opposition that was made against him; for you see, in the word I have
read, what he was doing for lost sinners, when he was meeting with harsh
entertainment from them. Then, even then, says he, I restored that which I took
not away.
In which words you may notice these following particulars. 1. You have here
a robbery disclaimed; a robbery was committed, but it is disclaimed by the Son
of God; I took not away. There was something taken from God, and from man; by
whom it is not said, but it is easy to say, that surely an enemy did it.
But then, 2. We have a restitution made of that robbery that was committed:
I restored, saith Christ, I restored what I took not away. The work of man's
redemption is a restitution both unto God and unto man of what was taken away
by sin and by Satan. When once the work of redemption is completed, there will
be a restitution of all things; for we read, Acts 3:21, of the
"restitution of all things."
Again, 3. We have an account of the person restoring. Who made the
restitution? It was I, saith the Lord; I restored what I took not away. I who
speak in righteousness, and who am mighty to save, I the child born, and the
son given to the sons of men, whose name is "Wonderful, Counsellor, The
mighty God, The everlasting Father, and the Prince of peace"; I, even I
restored what I took not away.
Again, 4. You have the voluntariness and frankness of the deed. No man is
obliged to make restitution of what is taken away by another, unless he does it
of his own accord. Well, says Christ, though I took it not away, yet I made
restitution of the robbery and stealth that was committed; I engaged to do it
in the council of peace, "Lo, I come: I delight to do thy will," etc.
Again, 5. We have here the time when our glorious Immanuel made this
restitution of what he took not away. It was, Then I restored what, etc., when
his enemies were destroying him; when they were robbing him of his name, and
robbing him of his very life, he restored what was taken away by robbery from
men. You will see how low our blessed Lord descended to make this restitution,
and when it was; it was, in the first verse, when the waters of God's wrath
were coming into his soul, even then, says he, I restored that which I took not
away. Now, from the words thus briefly opened, the doctrine that I take notice
of is shortly this.
"That it was the great design of the Son of God, when he descended into
a state of humiliation here, in this lower world, to make restitution both unto
God and unto man, of what he never took away." For as there was a robbery
committed upon God and upon man by sin and Satan; so our glorious Redeemer,
makes a restitution of the stolen goods, he restores both to God what was his
due, and unto man what he had lost.
Now, in the prosecution of this doctrine, if time and strength would allow,
the method that I propose is,
I. To premise two or three things for clearing of the way.
II. To inquire into the stolen goods, what it was that was taken away both
from God and man.
III. I would make it appear that our glorious Immanuel, makes restitution of
what was taken away both from God and man; he restores unto God his due, and
unto man his loss.
IV. I would shew when it was that our Lord did this; for it is said here,
Then I restored.
V. I would give the reasons why Christ made this restitution, when he was
under no manner of obligation to it, but his own free will, And then,
VI. Lastly, I would make some application of the whole.
I. The first thing proposed is, to premise two or three things for clearing
of the way. For clearing of it you would consider,
1. That when God made man, he made him a rich man; he bestowed all manner of
goods upon him, that were necessary to make him live comfortably here, and to
make him eternally happy hereafter.
2. You would consider, that Satan, by this time, having fallen, like a star,
from heaven to earth, when he lighted upon this world, upon this earth, he
presently saw man standing and acting in the capacity of God's viceroy, bearing
his image, and having the whole creation in subjection to him. This filled the
enemy with envy, and therefore he enters into a resolution, if it were
possible, to commit a robbery upon man, and to strike at God's sovereignty
through man's side and accordingly,
3. Satan prevailed upon our first parents, and beguiled them into an eating
of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which God had discharged them to eat
upon the pain of death; and thereby the pact betwixt God and man (I mean the
covenant of works) was broken.
4. The covenant of works being broken, and man having entered into a
rebellion against God with the devil, he justly forfeited all the spiritual and
temporal goods that God bestowed upon him, and likewise lost his title to a
happy eternity, and became the enemy's vassal; and thus the enemy robbed him of
all the goods that God bestowed upon him.
5. Lastly, The eternal Son of God having a delight in the sons of men, and
beholding, them in this miserable plight, he enters upon a resolution that he
will take on man's nature as a coat of mail, and that he will in man's nature
be avenged upon that serpent that hath beguiled our first parents, and spoiled
them of their patrimony. And accordingly, in the fullness of time, he comes,
and is manifested to destroy the works of the devil, and to recover all the
stolen goods; he spoiled principalities and powers, and triumphed over them in
his cross, and then divides a portion with the great, and the spoil with the
strong; and with a view to this, it is said in this text, Then I restored that
which I took not away; And so I come to,
II. The second thing I proposed, and that was, to inquire a little into the
robbery that was committed by sin and Satan, both upon God and upon man.
And, first, To begin with the robbery that was committed upon God. It was
the devil's great aim by tempting man to sin against God, to rob God of his
glory. God made all things for his glory, and for his pleasure they are and
were created. The whole earth, before sin entered into it, was full of his
glory; and whenever Adam opened his eyes, and looked abroad through the
creation, he saw the glory of God sparkling, as it were, in every creature he
cast his eyes upon. Well, the enemy's design was to despoil and rob God of his
glory. There is a question put, Malachi 3:8, "Will a man rob God?"
will a creature adventure to rob his Creator? And yet this wickedness is
perpetrated. God is invaded, and his glory is in a great measure taken away, I
mean his declarative glory, for it is impossible his essential glory can be
invaded.
I will tell you of several things relative to the glory of God, which were
attempted to be taken away, and quite obscured and sullied by the sin of man.
1. There was an attempt made to rob God of the glory of his sovereignty as
the great Lord and Lawgiver of heaven and earth. Man, when he sinned against
God, and broke the law in compliance with the motion of the enemy, what was the
language of the deed? It was, "We ourselves are lords, and will come no
more unto thee;" we will make our own will a law: "Let the Almighty
depart from us: for we desire not the knowledge of his way."
2. There was an attempt to rob him of the glory of his wisdom. The wisdom of
God was impeached by the sin of man as a piece of folly, namely, in giving a
law to man, that was not worthy to be observed. Sirs, depend upon it, every sin
you are guilty of, charges God with folly, and exalts the will and wisdom of
the creature, above the will and wisdom of God expressed in this holy law. And
what a capital crime is it for poor men to charge God with foolishness!
3. By sin there is an attempt to rob him of the glory of his power, in
regard the sinner gives a defiance to the Almighty, and, upon the matter, says,
he is not able to revenge his quarrel on us, the arm of his power is withered.
That is the language of sin. And then,
4. There is a robbery upon God's holiness, which is one of the most orient
and bright pearls of his crown. When the holy law is violated and transgressed,
the language of that action is, God is like ourselves, he approves of our ways.
Again.
5. There was an attack upon his justice, and a denying his rectoral power
and equity. God says, "The soul that sinneth shall die, that he will by no
means acquit the guilty." Well, but the language of sin is, "God will
not require it," or he may be pleased or pacified with this or the other
petty atonement.
Not to insist: there was a despising of God's goodness. God gave man a great
estate; he gave him the whole earth, and would have given him the heavens also,
if he had continued in his integrity; but yet all that goodness of God was
trampled under foot by the sin of man.
Also, there was a denial of the faithfulness of God in the threatening that
was denounced against the sin of man, "In the day that thou eatest of it,
thou shalt surely die." But the language of sin is, God is not true to his
word, he will not surely do it; said Satan, "Thou shalt not surely
die." Thus you see there was an attempt made to rob God of the glory of
all his perfections at once.
Secondly, Let us inquire a little into the goods that were stolen from man
by sin and Satan. Here we may see a melancholy scene. The glory of the human
nature was quite marred by sin. Man was made the top of the creation; but by
sin he was brought below the very beasts that perish, so that, "The ox
knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib, but my people know not me,
saith the Lord; and they do not consider" their obligations to me.
Sin, it robbed man of his light and sight. You know what befell Samson when
he was taken captive by his enemies, they put out his eyes; and so when we fell
into the enemies hands, they put out our eyes, and all mankind have been born
blind since that time. Again, sin hath robbed us of our very life, and laid us
among the congregation of the dead. All mankind are a dead and putrefied
company, "dead in trespasses and sins," Ephesians 2:1. And then, sin
hath robbed man of his liberty unto any thing that is spiritually good; and
ever since we have become captives to the devil, the world, and our lusts.
Again, sin hath robbed us of our wisdom, and brought us to prefer folly to
the wisdom of God. Every man by nature is playing the fool. Who but a fool
would spend his money upon that which is not bread, and his labour upon that
which profiteth not? Sin robbed us of our righteousness, and rendered us a
company of guilty criminals before God, and brought us under the sentence of
the broken law, condemned already, John 3:18. Sin robbed us of our beauty, of
the beautiful image of God, consisting in holiness and conformity to the great
Creator, and it hath brought the hue of hell upon all mankind, lying among the
pots.
Again, sin has robbed us of our health. Man was a healthy creature both in
soul and body before the entry of sin; but sin has robbed us of that, so that,
"from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, there is no sound
part about us." Sin has robbed us of our peace, and set us at war with
God, with ourselves, with one another, and at war with the whole creation. Sin
has robbed us of our beautiful ornaments that God put upon us at our creation,
and stript us naked, as it is said of Laodicea, Revelation 3:18. Sin has robbed
us of our treasure, insomuch that we are become beggars, poor, and naked. In
short, sin has robbed us of our God, so that we are become "without God in
the world." There is a robbery for you that cannot be paralleled! You see
what was taken away from God and man, by the sin of man. I might likewise tell
you that sin robbed man of that paradise of pleasure in which God set him at
his creation. No sooner had man sinned through the instigation of Satan, that
old serpent, but he was turned out of the garden of Eden, Genesis 3:24, and a
flaming sword placed, that turned every way, to keep him from having access to
the tree of life in the midst of the garden. Sin hath robbed us of heaven, and
made us heirs of hell and wrath. In short, sin hath disordered and disjointed
the whole creation. Whenever man sinned, there came such a load upon the earth,
through the curse of God, that ever since the whole creation hath been crying
in pain, seeking deliverance from that dead weight that hath been lying upon
it. So that, I say, by the sin of man there is a robbery committed, there are
goods stolen from God and man, and the good creatures of God.
III. The third thing proposed was, to make it appear that our glorious
Immanuel makes a restitution of what was taken away both from God and from man.
He restores unto God his due, and restores unto man his loss.
And, 1. He makes restitution of glory to God, and that in the highest
measure and degree, as was intimated by the angels, at the nativity of our
Lord, Luke 2:14. The first note of the song of the angels is, "Glory to
God in the highest," etc. It is just as if they had said, Glory hath been
taken away from God, by the sin of the first Adam and his posterity; but now
there is a higher revenue of glory to be brought in to the crown of heaven,
than the whole creation in innocency could afford. Accordingly, our blessed
Lord declares, when his work was finished, after he had gone through his course
of humiliation, he comes to his Father, John 17:4, and he says, Now Father,
"I have glorified thee on the earth." Observe the phraseology, for
there is something remarkable in it, "I have glorified thee on the
earth:" the earth was the theater of rebellion where God was affronted,
his law violated, and his sovereignty contemned; but, he says, "I have
glorified thee on the earth," where thou wast dishonoured. I ought to go
through all the perfections of God, that were injured by the sin of man, and
tell how Christ restores glory to every one of them.
He restores glory to the divine sovereignty, bowing his royal neck to take
on the yoke of the law which we had broken. He was made of a woman, and made
under the law, that he might magnify it, and so maintain the honour of the
great Lawgiver. He restores glory likewise to the divine wisdom; for Christ
himself, in his person and mediation, is just "the wisdom of God in a
mystery," even his "hidden wisdom, the manifold wisdom of God."
O Sirs! never were the treasures of divine wisdom and knowledge so much
expended as in the person and mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And then, he restores glory likewise to the divine power; for Christ is
"the power of God." And when he went forth to the great work of man's
redemption, he went forth armed with infinite power to manage it; therefore he
is called "the arm of God, and the man of God's right-hand, whom he hath
made strong for the purposes of his glory." How gloriously was the power
of God displayed, when he came from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah,
glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength; spoiling
principalities and powers, who had spoiled God in his glory, and man of all
that was valuable unto him!
He restores glory to the holiness of God. This attribute, was injured by the
sin of man, but its glory is restored by Christ; and there is such a brightness
of divine holiness shines in the person and mediation of Christ, that when the
Angels look upon him, Isaiah 6, they are dazzled, they are overwhelmed, not
being able to behold it, they cover themselves, and cry, "Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory."
And then, he restores glory to the divine justice; for in the work of man's
redemption, justice gets a complete, and full satisfaction, till it cry, It is
enough. And the justice of God manifested in the execution of the penalty of
the law upon the Surety, is laid as the very foundation of the throne of grace,
that we are called to come to for grace and mercy to help in the time of need,
Psalm 89:14, "Justice and judgment are the habitation, or establishment,
of thy throne," viz.—justice satisfied, and judgment executed upon the
glorious Surety.
Again, he restores glory to the divine goodness. God was good to man, but
man trampled it under foot: But Christ makes a higher display of the divine
goodness than ever was seen by men or angels; for in his person, and mediation,
and sufferings, the goodness of God breaks out like an ocean, in amazing
streams of love, grace, and mercy. The love of God, O how does it shine in the
giving his only begotten Son into the world! "Herein is love, not that we
loved God, but that he loved us, and gave his own Son to be a propitiation for
our sins." And then for grace, grace is made to "reign through
righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord." And for mercy,
it is "built up for ever." Thus I say, there is a restitution of
glory to the divine goodness.
And likewise there is a restitution of glory to the divine faithfulness. The
faithfulness of God engaged in the penalty, was trode upon by man and the
devil; but the faithfulness of God is maintained in the execution of that
penalty threatened against man in the person of our glorious Immanuel: and not
only so, but the faithfulness of God comes to be established in the new
covenant "in the very heavens:" for all the promises come to be
"yea and amen in Christ, to the glory of God." Thus you see, that
Christ restores what he took not away from his Father; he restores "glory
to God in the highest," which he never took away.
2. Let us see next what restitution he makes to man; for man was robbed of
all that was valuable to him, either for time or eternity.
First, The human nature was debased by sin, and sunk below the beasts that
perish. Well, but the Son of God comes and takes the human nature into a
personal union with himself, and thereby exalts the human nature above the
angelical nature: Hebrews 2:16, "Verily he took not on him the nature of
angels: but he took on him the seed of Abraham." And, chapter 1:5,
"Unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day
have I begotten thee?" And see what follows, "When he bringeth in the
first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship
him." Thus the glory of the human nature is restored and advanced to a far
brighter pinnacle of glory and honour, than when it stood in the first Adam
before his fall, adorned with all its embroideries, in a state of innocency. O
Sirs, look up and see your nature exalted, taken out of the dunghill, and set
on the throne of God. The throne of God is called "the throne of the
Lamb," because our nature is there in a personal union with the great God.
But this is not all: he not only restores the glory of the human nature;
but, to all who believe in him, he restores to advantage all the losses we
sustain, either by the sin of the First Adam, or our own personal
transgression; as will appear by running over the particular losses mentioned
upon the former head.
First, then, Did sin rob us of our sight and light, and leave us in
darkness? Well, Christ makes a restitution of that; for he comes forth as the
bright and morning star, to give light to the darkened world, which may make us
all sing and say with Zacharias, Luke 1:78, "Through the tender mercy of
our God; whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us." Psalm
118:27-29 "God is the Lord, which hath showed us light; bind the sacrifice
with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. Thou are my God, and I will
praise thee; thou art my God, I will exalt thee. O give thanks unto the Lord,
for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."
Again, Hath sin robbed us of life, and left us among the congregation of the
dead? Christ makes restitution of that; for he is "the resurrection and
the life:" and having recovered life by his own death, John 14:19, He
keeps it in his hand and heart, and binds up our life with his "Because I
live, ye shall live also. Our life is hid with Christ in God."
Again, Did sin rob us of our liberty? Christ makes restitution of that; he
buys our liberty at the hand of justice, and then takes the executioner and
binds him, and spoils him of his power over the poor captive; and having
purchased liberty, he goes forth and "proclaims liberty to the captives,
and the opening the prison-doors to them that are bound."
Again, Did Satan and sin spoil us of our wisdom, insomuch that ever since we
are infatuated, and like fools, spend our money for that which is not bread,
and our labour for that which cannot profit us? Well, Christ restores wisdom
unto fools and babes; he is "made of God unto us wisdom" and when we
are determined to come to him, he makes us wiser than our teachers; wise to
know the mysteries of the kingdom that are hid from the wise and prudent of the
world, and revealed unto babes: "Unto you it is given to know the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven," etc.
And then again, Did sin spoil and rob us of our original righteousness?
Christ makes restitution of that; for he himself is "the Lord our
righteousness, and he was made sin for us, he who knew no sin, that we might be
made the righteousness of God in him."
Did sin spoil us of the beautiful image of God? Christ makes restitution of
that; for that very moment that a poor sinner looks unto him with the eye of
faith, he gets the print of the second Adam drawn again upon his soul, and it
is by beholding his glory that we are changed into the same image.
Did Satan and sin rob us of, and take away our health? Well, Christ, comes
to make restitution of that: for he is the Physician of value, and there is no
disease so obstinate as is able to stand the virtue and healing power of this
Physician; so that, if we perish with our diseases, we need not do it with that
word in our mouth, "Is there no balm in Gilead, and no physician
there?"
Did Satan spoil us of our peace? Well, Christ makes restitution of that: for
"he is our peace." Peace on earth was one of the articles of the
angels praise, "Peace on earth, and good will towards men." Sin
robbed us of our peace with God. Christ restores that; for "God is in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself." Did sin rob us of our peace
of conscience? Christ restores that; "Peace I give unto you: not as the
world giveth, give I unto you," etc.
Did sin kindle a fire of war and of strife betwixt man and man? Well, when
Christ comes with the sceptre of his power, he makes them beat their swords
into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; he makes the wolf dwell
with the lamb, and the leopard lie down with the kid.
Did sin rob us of our ornaments? Christ restores these, he makes the King's
daughter all glorious within; he brings us a far better garment, even the
garment of salvation, and a robe of righteousness to adorn us.
Did sin take away our riches and treasures? Christ opens up a far better
treasure, even unsearchable riches; and he tells us, that "riches are with
him, yea, durable riches and righteousness."
Did sin rob us of our God, and leave us without God in the World? Christ
makes restitution of that; for what is Christ? He is Immanuel. And what is
that? He is God with us. That may make our hearts rejoice indeed; our God is
come back to us, and is saying, "I am the Lord thy God; I will be their
God, and they shall be my people." It is God in Christ that speaks in such
a dialect to poor sinners. Thus you see, that Christ restores to man, what he
took not away from him. I might enlarge much on this subject.
Sin robbed us of our title and charter to eternal life; whenever the
covenant of works was broken, our charter was done. But Christ restores a
better charter. Even the covenant of grace; he himself is "given for a
covenant to the people." and is the Alpha and Omega of the covenant; all
the promises and blessings of it are "in him yea and amen." The
covenant of works was a frail covenant, a slippery security; but the covenant
of grace, and the charter granted unto us in Christ, it is a lasting charter:
Isaiah 54:10. "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but
my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace
be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee."
In short, Christ restores beauty and order again to the whole creation.
Whenever man sinned, there fell such a dead weight upon the creation, that the
whole creation was like to crumble to its original chaos; but the thing that
prevented it was, the Son of God bought this earth as a theater, on which his
love to sinners might be displayed; therefore he will uphold the theater till
the scene be acted; and when it is acted, he will commit it to the flames; there
is a word to that purpose, Isaiah 49:8, "I will preserve thee, and give
thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit
the desolate heritages." The theater of this earth was giving way under
the weight of the wrath of God; but Christ being given as a covenant of the
people, he upholds the earth and all things by the word of his power, as it is,
Hebrews 1:3.
Thus much for the third thing, which was, to let you see how Christ makes
restitution of these good things which he never took away from God or from man.
IV. The fourth thing proposed was, to inquire into the time when Christ did
all this: when did he restore that which he took not away?
I shall not stay upon this; I pointed at it in the explication. I told you
that it was in a state of humiliation that he made this restitution. I cannot
stand to tell you of the several steps of his humiliation whereby he restored
what he took not away. We have a summary description thereof, in that question
of the Catechism, "Wherein did Christ's humiliation consist?" The
answer is, "In his being born, and that in a low condition, made under the
law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed
death of the cross; in being buried, and continuing under the power of death
for a time." By these steps of his humiliation, he brought about the
blessed project of redemption. Then was it that he restored what he took not
away: Galatians 4:4,5, "In the fullness of time, God sent forth his Son
made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law,
that we might receive the adoption of sons." But I do not stay upon this;
I hasten forward.
V. The fifth thing proposed was, to inquire a little into the reasons of the
doctrine. Why was it that our Lord restored what he took not away? Why did he
restore these goods that sin and Satan took away both from God and from man? In
answer to this, I only suggest these few particulars.
1. Christ made this restitution, because it was his Father's pleasure that
he should do it: he did always these things that pleased his Father: "No
man taketh my life from me [saith he], but I lay it down of myself. This
commandment have I received of my Father."
2. He restored what he took not away, because it contributes very much to
enhance his mediatorial glory. Genesis 14, there you read of what Abraham did,
he armed his men and went in quest of the five kings that had plundered Sodom;
he pursues them, takes them captives, and recovers the spoil, and restores what
not he, but the enemy, had taken away: and this was much for Abraham's honour.
So it is to the immortal honour of our glorious Immanuel, that he pursued, and
spoiled principalities and powers, who had robbed God and man; and then
restores unto both what they, not he, had taken away. Upon this account,
"God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every
name." etc.
3. Christ restored what he took not away, out of regard that he had to the
holy law of God. The holy law was violated, and the sovereignty of God in it
was trod down: but Christ had a mind to maintain the dignity of the law, it
being an emanation of the holiness of God, therefore he will restore a perfect
obedience to the law, and bring in an everlasting righteousness that answers it
to the full, that so a foundation may be thereby laid for our legal investiture
in the privileges of children we had lost by sin.
4. Because his delights were with the sons of men. Sirs, Christ had a bride.
And when he saw her in the devil's clutches, he arms himself with divine power,
and rescues the bride: "He loved me, and gave himself for me." And
then, Christ restores what he took not away, that so the glory of grace might
be exalted in the salvation of lost sinners; and that none glory in themselves,
but that they that glory may glory in the Lord. It is not we, but he only, that
makes the restitution, and grace reigns to us through that restitution that he
made.
5. And lastly, Christ restores what he took not away, that he might
"still the enemy and the avenger," as the expression is, Psalm 8:2;
"the enemy and the avenger," that is the devil. Sirs, when the devil
robbed man, he thought the day was his own, and triumphed as if the world and
the glory thereof were his own, and men led as captive prisoners. But Christ
stills the enemy, he stills his boasting; for he spoils the spoilers, takes the
prey from the mighty, and delivers the captives from the terrible.
VI. The sixth thing proposed was the Application.
1. Is it so, as you have been hearing, that Christ restores what he took not
away? Then, hence see, what a generous Kinsman we have of him; he never took
away any thing from us, and yet he restores all to the spoiling of his own
soul, and pouring of it out unto death. O! how hath the kindness of God to men
appeared! What reason have we to adore the achievements of our renowned
Redeemer, who went forth conquering and to conquer!
2. This doctrine serves to let us see into the meaning of that word, Romans
8:3, "He condemned sin." Why, or how did he it? Why, sin is a robber,
it committed a robbery on God and man; and is it not just that a robber should
be condemned to die? Well, Christ condemns sin, and yet he saves the sinner:
the sinner deserved to be condemned; but he manages the matter so dexterously
that he kills sin, and preserves the sinner.
3. Hence see what a criminal correspondence it is that the generality of the
children of men have with sin. It is dangerous to haunt and harbour robbers;
and yet will you keep a robber in your bosom. Sin is a robber; and every time
you sin, it is committing robbery upon God and your own souls; therefore do not
harbour it. "Stand in awe, and sin not."
4. If sin be such a robber of God and man, then see how reasonable the
command is, to crucify sin, and to mortify the deeds of the body, "Mortify
the deeds of the body, crucify the flesh, with its affections and lust."
Why crucify them? Why kill and destroy them? They are robbers. Therefore let us
wage war against all manner of sin, whether within us or without us; let us
"resist even unto blood, striving against sin," because sin is a
robber and deprives us of all the good you are hearing of.
5. From this doctrine see what way Christ takes in order to carry on his
mediatory work of making peace betwixt God and man. There was a robbery
committed upon God and man; and unless there was a restitution to both parties,
there could be no peace. Well, Christ restores what he took not away; he
restores glory to God, happiness to man; and so he carries on his mediatory
work; for when both parties have restitution, then there is peace. Christ makes
an end of sin, for he is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the
world." And why takes he it away? It is, that so peace may be restored
betwixt God and man, restitution being made to both.
6. From the doctrine we may likewise see, that the believer in Christ is the
wisest man in the world, however the world may look upon him as a fool. Why?
because he comes to Christ, and gets restitution of all the losses he suffered
either by the sin of the first Adam or his own. No wonder he is a thriving man,
because he gets his losses made up in Christ; for he comes, and out of his
fullness receives grace for grace, and gets wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption, from the Lord Jesus.
7. See the folly and madness of the sin of unbelief. The generality of the
hearers of the gospel will not come to Christ to get restitution of what they
lost by Adam and their own sin; John 5:40, "Ye will not come to me, that
ye might have life." O what folly is this! If you had lost any of your
worldly goods at the last rebellion, how readily would you seek restitution if
it were to be had? And yet such fools are the most part of sinners under the
gospel, that though Christ counsels, calls, and beseeches them to come and get
restitution of their God, of their life, and all losses, yet they will not
hear, Psalm 81:11, "My people would not hearken to my voice," etc.
8. See the folly of the legalist, that goes about to make restitution to
God, and to himself, of what was taken away by sin. The legalist, like the
proud Pharisee, comes to God with his filthy rags, and thinks to please God
with this and that obedience. But, O Sirs! consider that "by the works of
the law no flesh living can be justified;" you will never repair your own
losses, nor the dishonour you have done to God, but only by coming to Christ,
who is "the end of the law for righteousness to every one that
believeth."
I should next improve the doctrine by an use of Trial. Try whether you have
ever come by faith to a second Adam, and found in him a reparation of your
losses by the sin and apostasy of the first Adam. They who find Christ himself,
they have found all, for "Christ is all, and in all. All things are yours;
whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things
present, or things to come; all are yours; for ye are Christ's; and Christ is
God's." They who find him, they find the goodly pearl, a treasure of
unsearchable riches; and therefore cannot but reckon all their losses made up
to wonderful advantage. And if so, whatever appeared gain to you formerly, will
be esteemed loss for Christ; yea, doubtless, you will count all but dung and
loss for Christ, that you may know him, win him, and be found in him. You will
be dead to the law, and the works of it, being married to a better husband,
whose name, is "The Lord our righteousness;" for "in him shall
all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory."
Again, if you have found reparation in Christ, you will wage a continual war
with sin and Satan; you will resist the devil, resist even unto blood, striving
against sin. These robbers, they never come but to spoil you of some good,
whatever disguise they may appear in. And if you have received any love-tokens
from the Lord on this occasion, you may lay your account with an attack; the
pirates pursue and attack the ship with the richest cargo. Lastly, whenever the
enemy has prevented and stripped you of your comforts, you will fly to Christ
for restitution, saying, with David, "Restore unto me the joy of thy
salvation," for he it is who restores what he took not away.
I close with a word of Exhortation.
Sirs, I have a proclamation to issue forth in the name of the Lord Immanuel.
Be it known unto men, by these presents, That whereas two great robbers have
entered into the world, namely, sin and Satan, and have stolen away all the
valuable goods which once pertained to Adam and his family, whereby they are
all reduced to the utmost poverty and misery; it has pleased God the Father,
from the love he bears to mankind-sinners, to send his only begotten Son into
the world, to repair all their losses, and to restore what he took not away.
Accordingly, the eternal Son of God hath come into the world, and having armed
himself with the human nature and divine power, he hath gone forth and pursued
the robbers, and taken Satan captive, and bruised his head, and destroyed that
destroyer of mankind; he hath finished transgression, and made an end of sin,
and hath brought in a robe of righteousness, and hath recovered all the goods
that the robbers had taken away, all the goods and gear men lost; hath
recovered them with wonderful advantage; and the goods are all in his hand, and
he hath sent out us, who are his ambassadors, to cause all mankind to see what
losses they have sustained; and whoever have lost any thing, their God and
their souls, heaven and happiness, he is willing to restore it to mankind, and
that without any security; for he will do it without money and without price.
Come, and get your own again; for Christ hath received gifts for men, for
the sons of men. O come, come, come, Sirs, and get from the glorious Restorer
what you have lost, what you stand in need of, through time and eternity! O
come and get your life, your God, and your souls again for a prey!
Since the rebellion commenced, many a man has lost very much; some have lost
their land, some their houses, some their legs, and some their arms, and many
their lives. And now, if the Duke of Cumberland, the King's son, should issue
forth a proclamation, to every man to come and get his losses repaired, in his
father's name, I believe you would not be shy to put in your name, and tell
that you have lost this and that. Well, the Son of the King of Heaven, the great
Jehovah, he hath all his Father's treasures in his hand, and he hath sent us to
tell you to come and get your losses repaired. O Sirs, what are men's temporal
losses in comparison with their soul losses! "What is a man profited,
though he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Well, come
and get your souls for a prey from the Son of God.
I might make use of many motives to persuade you. Pray you, consider only
the goods you lost are in Christ's hand, and that they are in his hand that they
may be restored again to you. He invites you to come, "Incline your ear,
and come unto me." etc. He not only invites you, but counsels you, "I
counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire," that is, I counsel you
to get your losses restored. He not only counsels you, but commands you,
"This is his commandment, that ye believe in his Son," etc. He not
only commands, but he promises; he gives all manner of security that your
losses shall be made up, if you come to him for a reparation, Psalm 72:4,
"He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the
needy." Come then, poor and needy sinner. He is grieved to the heart when
sinners will not come and get their losses repaired; he was grieved when
Jerusalem would not be gathered as a hen gathereth her chickens under her
wings. I will tell you, many a man have got their losses repaired; and
innumerable company have got restitution from him, Revelation 7:9, "I
beheld, and lo, a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations,
and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the
Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands." Now, when
others have come and got reparation, will not ye come and get reparation too?
O Sirs, consider what you are doing. Mind, there is no hope of reparation
after death; but if you come for reparation, you must come now to the King's
Son; therefore, "Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts,
as in the provocation."
Upon this last day of the feast, I cry to all mankind, if my voice could
reach them, to come and get their losses repaired by the Son of God, who
restores that which he took not away. Do not say, "I am rich, and
increased with goods, and stand in need of nothing;" for I can assure you,
that he who is infinitely wise, and knows you better than you do yourselves,
declares, that you are "poor, miserable, wretched, blind, and naked,"
through the robbery that sin hath committed.
You say, I cannot get time to come, because of worldly business. But let me
tell you, that your worldly business is but mere trifles in comparison with
this; therefore make all other business but by-business in comparison with this
one thing needful. Another says, I will get time enough afterwards. I will tell
you, delays are dangerous; what know you, man, what a day may bring forth?
Death may come, and then you are gone for ever through eternity. Another says,
I am afraid the time is gone already, and that he will not make a reparation of
my losses. No, Sirs, I will tell you, that while there is life there is hope,
and the Son of God is at the back of your heart, crying, "Behold, I stand
at the door, and knock: If any man [out of hell] hear my voice, and open to me,
I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
But O, you say, I fear my losses are irreparable. I will tell you, poor
sinner, as broken a ship has come to land, as we use to say; as great sinners
as you have got a reparation of their losses, and a full pardon to the boot.
What think you of Manasseh, and Mary Magdalene, and Paul? The same hand that
repaired their losses is ready to repair yours; "his hand is not
shortened, that it cannot save," etc.
Another says, What if I be not among the number of the elect? I answer, You
have nothing a-do with election; for "secret things belong unto the Lord,
but that which is revealed unto us and our children." Election does not
belong directly and immediately to the business of believing, but only things
revealed: and if revealed things belong unto us, then put in your claim: for
"the promise is to you and your seed."
You say, I am impotent, and cannot come. I answer, That was one of the
losses Christ came to restore; "he gives strength to the weak, and to them
that have no might he increaseth strength." You say, My will is an iron
sinew, it will not answer. Answer. He that restores that which he took not
away, offers to restore your good hearts and your will, "Thy people shall
be willing in the day of thy power." Ezekiel 36:26, "I will take away
the heart of stone, and give the heart of flesh."
Another says, I would fain come to get my losses repaired, but I think when
I come to him he will frown me away. Do not think so; for he says,
"Whosoever will come to me I will in no wise cast out." When he
frowns upon you, and calls you a dog, be as the Syrophenician woman, do not
give over, and you shall prevail. "Truth, Lord, I am a dog, yet the dogs
eat of the crumbs that fall from the master's table;" the Lord repaired
her losses, and granted her all the desires of her heart.
I should conclude with a word to believers, who have got their losses
repaired by the glorious Immanuel. I only say two or three things to you by way
of advice. (1) O sing praises to the blessed Restorer, "O my soul, bless
the Lord, who hath redeemed thy life from destruction, and crowned thee with
loving kindness and tender mercies," Psalm 103:1-4. (2) Whenever you meet
with new losses, come back to the blessed Restorer. Satan will be about with
you, he goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, and to take
away any good you have got on this solemn occasion; but when the enemy has
robbed you, I say, come back to Christ by faith, and you will find restitution
again. Again, my advice to you is, O love the Lord with your heart, strength,
and mind; let him have the strength and flower of your affection, lay nothing
in the balance with him; and, as an evidence of your love, keep his
commandments, walk worthy of the Lord, to all well pleasing; contend for the
faith once delivered to the saints; study, with the church, to cause his name
to be remembered to all generations, that the people may praise him for ever
and ever, who restored what he took not away.