Use Two. It [that our blessed Lord Jesus was most hearty in laying down His life for sinners, was most cheerful in undertaking and most willing and cheerful in executing what He did undertake] should teach you to love and heartily to welcome this Lord Jesus Christ. What argument of love and of trust, what motive to welcome Him can there be if this be not, that He spared not His life, but poured it out unto death for sinners? How long shall we halt between Christ and Belial? We cannot endure to mortify a lust, to want {go without} our sport and laughter or a bit of our credit or honor, though it should cost us the want of Christ. But, O ingrate fools! is that a becoming requital to Him that took His innocent soul in His hand and poured it out for sinners, and when He was someway melted like lead in the fire of God’s wrath, was content to yett [pour] it forth abundantly, out of love to their salvation? Should it not rather call for love to Him, for trusting and welcoming of Him and to suffering for His sake if He call you to it? Will you skar [be frightened] to hazard your life for Him that poured out His soul for sinners? It would do a soul good to think how willingly and cheerfully He suffered. But, alas! how reluctantly and unwillingly come we under suffering for Him?
However, let me commend these three words to you: 1. Love Him, for even publicans will love these that love them [Matt. 5:46]; and give Christ love for love. 2. Credit and trust Him, do not look for ill at His hand; what ground is there to suspect Him? It is His glory to do good to sinners and He counts them His triumph and spoil; and to make conquest of them, He poured out His soul unto death, or as the word is in Philippians 2:8, “He emptied himself;” which seems to look to this word of the prophet. And is not that warrant sufficient for you to trust and credit Him and to lay the weight of what concerns you upon Him? And 3. Welcome Him, which is a fruit of faith and love. He is a sweet wooer; He is that “good shepherd, that laid down his life for his sheep” [John 10:11, 14–15]. He gave Himself for His church, as it is in Ephesians 5:25. Therefore, I say, welcome Him. This is the great thing the gospel aims at; such expressions are a great depth and it would require time to read, to ponder them and to wonder at them; and we would be much in praying for a right uptaking [understanding] of them.
Doctrine Three. From the connection, because He has poured out His soul unto death; observe that our Lord Jesus’ willing condescending to die, is most acceptable to the Father. Therefore, He says, I will give him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He has done so and so; and all the promises made to Him confirm this. That is a wonderful word in John 10:17. “Therefore does my Father love me, because I lay down my life for my sheep.” The only begotten and well beloved Son of the Father, cannot but be loved; yet He says, Therefore or on this account, does my Father love me. That is, ‘I am Mediator, the Father’s minister, steward or deputy in this work of redemption of sinners; and because I so willingly and cheerfully lay down my life for them, He has given me this victory and glory.’ So well pleasing to God is the willing and cheerful death of the Mediator, that it should be admired by us and should have this weight laid on it by us, that seeing cheerfulness in obedience is so acceptable to God, we should study it, for He loves a cheerful giver and cheerfulness in any duty.
It is much we have this word to speak of to you. Many nations never heard of it and you would make some other use of it than if you had never heard of it. O! but it will be dreadful to such as have heard it and do slight it! Their souls shall be poured out into hell, even squeezed and wrung eternally by the wrath of God. Therefore look not lightly on it; do not think all this transaction of grace to be for naught; if we were serious, we would wonder what it means. Alas! we think little or nothing to make our peace with God and yet all this business is, ere the matter can be brought about.[1] It is a great evidence of the stupidity, senselessness and absurd unbelief of many, that they think nothing of sin and wrath and of the hazard that their souls are in; and that they look at peace with God as an easy business. But one day it will be found to be a great matter to be at peace with Him, that sin is bitter and wrath heavy, and that to be in good terms with God is better than a thousand worlds. God Himself make you wise to think seriously on it in time.
[1] . [Or: ‘and yet it must be made e’er the matter can be brought about.’ 1723 London ‘Englished’ edition.]
James Durham, Sermon 65, 72 Sermons on Isaiah 53. This text was updated or even transitional as I was editing between the 2001 edition and the text for Collected Sermons of James Durham: 72 Sermons on Isaiah 53 (NP with RHB, 2017); see pp. 735-736. I dropped the note giving the English of the 1723 edition which did extensive rephrasing of Durham's Scots.
