Doctrine.
It was by Christ that eternal life has been communicated from the foundation of the world.
It was by Christ that holy men in the old world, before the flood, received life;
'twas by faith in him that Enoch was translated;
'twas by the reception of Christ that Abraham received eternal life;
'twas [by] faith in him Moses received eternal happiness, that faith whereby he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.
It was by Christ and him alone that Job, Samuel, David, and the prophets were saved; he is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, in whose blood the godly have been washed and with whose righteousness they have been clothed—never ever have been or ever will be saved any other way to the end of this world. There is none else can communicate eternal life to us, or deliver us from eternal death.
I. We cannot obtain it by ourselves. Our own strength, our own righteousness, our own suffering, are all good for nothing to procure this life we speak of. If we make our ways never so clean, if we worship God never so well, if we sacrifice thousands of rams and ten thousands of rivers of oil, yea, if man should sacrifice the fruit of his body for the sin of his soul, it is nothing.
Abraham's being so freely willing to offer his only son, Isaac, was not sufficient to satisfy God for the least of Abraham's sins, not for the least wrong thought and sinful action; but it was Christ that satisfied for Abraham's sin, and it was through that faith in Him by which he offered him up that he received pardon of sin and eternal life, and it was for His sake that this action of his was accepted and rewarded.
II. All the world can't procure eternal life for us. If all the men in the world should offer to be crucified for the sake of one man, it would be absolutely to no purpose; instead of satisfying for all our sins, they could not satisfy for one of them; instead of procuring eternal life, they could not procure one drop of water for us in hell: the flames of hell would not be at all the cooler for it. They are not able to pay one farthing of all that ten thousand talents which we owe, but we must have been in hell till we had paid the uttermost farthing, notwithstanding all that they could do or suffer; and so,
III. Neither could angels help us. If the archangel, the chief angel in heaven, with all the rest of those bright, excellent, and glorious spirits, should assume human bodies and all undergo as much disgrace as Christ did, and should hang upon crosses in pain and intolerable torment thousands of years, 'twould be to as little purpose.
[IV.]2 'Tis the Lamb of God alone that can take away the sins of the world, and it is the Lion of the tribe of Judah alone that is strong enough to work our way through to everlasting happiness. The reasons why it is so are:
First. None else is able to endure the wrath of God against sin. God's hatred of sin and his wrath against it are infinite, and no finite person can bear such an infinite weight. No angel or man could have held out to bear what Christ bore, but before the [agony] grew to that height as to cause them to sweat blood as Christ did, their strength would fail, and they would relent. Now, Christ was able to lay down his life, and was able to take it again of himself.
Second. The suffering and righteousness of none but Christ could have been sufficient and satisfactory. The least sin deserves eternal punishment, and the suffering of none but of an infinite person can be equivalent to eternal sufferings. Christ is an infinite person, and he is one that the Father loves with an infinite love; and therefore whatever he doth is accepted upon his own account, upon the account of that love which the Father hath to him.
Third. None other is of power and wisdom and grace enough to fit us for, to bring us to, and make us eternally happy in heaven, but Christ alone. Our old natures must be destroyed, or else heaven, although it be bought for us, cannot be bestowed upon us. We must be sanctified and made holy, and all the men and angels in the universe can't do that; they have not power enough to raze3 out the old image of Satan, nor skills enough to draw the image of God upon our souls. This [is] a work of the almighty power and wisdom of God, which is Christ: 1 Corinthians 1:24, "Christ the power of God, and wisdom of God"; Ephesians 1:19, "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power."
There is none else that can fill our hearts with grace: we must receive of his fullness and grace for grace. 'Tis he alone that has received the Spirit without measure: "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God, for God giveth not the spirit by measure unto him" (John 3:34). He is an infinite vessel; he has enough for himself and for us too, but it is not so with angels.
None else can give us spiritual wisdom, for none know the things of the Spirit; and Christ alone can send into our hearts the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, to teach us heavenly things.
There is no other vine that we can [be] ingrafted into, that can communicate vital and spiritual nourishment, and, at last eternal life unto us but Christ alone, by whom and for whom are all things, who is before all things, by whom all things consist. There needs an almighty power to give us our natural life, and less will not suffice to give us our spiritual.
There is no one else can conquer our enemies but Christ alone: that can conquer the world; that can triumph over the devil and make a show of him openly, as Christ did upon the cross; that overcame death and break his bands, that can take away his sting, and that can raise us up at the last day.
Or that [can] make us happy when we get into the other world. Christ Jesus is the only source and fountain of true happiness; 'tis he alone that can fill the soul and satisfy it forever.
Christ Jesus is the only complete Redeemer that has worthiness enough, that has power, wisdom, and an inexhaustible fountain of grace, sufficient for our spiritual life here and our eternal life hereafter.
_____
7 Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.
(2 Nephi 9:7)
No comments:
Post a Comment