Communion Sermons Vol. 2 Christ the Physician of Souls Part 2 by Thomas Boston. This audio was created with an artificial voice for the audiobook initiative on Sermon Audio. Proposition 3. The exaltation of Christ was absolutely necessary for sinners' salvation, that is, His resurrection ascension and sitting down at the Father's right hand. The necessities of perishing sinners cried to Him to come out of the grave and go to heavenfore. 1. The death of Christ had not been effectual if he had not risen again. He was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification. Had he remained still in the grave, all our hopes had been buried and perished with him. His death had died and been of no effect, but now God hath raised him up, having loose the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. The sins of the elect, Christ's gravestone, are taken off. God sent his angel as an officer to open the prison door. Two, no less necessary, was His ascending into heaven for the atoning for the sins of the elect. This was typified by the high priests, after He had killed the sin offering, going into the holiest of all with the blood, and with incense on the golden censer. So Christ presented to the Father His blood, and sits down there as intercessor. Had He not gone before us, we could have had no hopes of entering heaven. They had need of an advocate at the court of heaven, who have continual business there, which they themselves are not capable to manage. Proposition 4 Sinners have absolute need of union with Christ. He that came into the world in their nature must come into their hearts and dwell there by his Spirit, else they cannot be saved. They must be joined to him and made one with him by faith, else they will perish, whatever else they pretend to. What will it avail you in the sight of God, if Christ be not your Saviour? All perished that were not in the ark. One, unless you be in Christ, God cannot be well pleased with you. It is only in the beloved that you can find acceptance. The Lord looks upon men as in one of two, either in the first or in the second Adam, as in the first, God looks upon us as enemies, but in Christ as friends. Woe to them that appear before God, but not in their elder brother's garments. To you cannot be justified, Romans chapter 5 verse 1. There is a sentence of condemnation on all mankind by nature. There is no taking off of this without union to Christ. Sin remains unpardoned, the sentence stands in force till the sinner be in Christ. For God is just, his judgment is according to truth. He cannot justify a sinner but on the account of a perfect righteousness. None have it of their own, and there is no communion with Christ in His righteousness but by union with Him. 3. You cannot be children of God, but the slaves of the devil. The only way of adoption is by receiving Christ and believing on His name. John 1.12 How can you, who are born children of the devil, become the children of God, but by a spiritual marriage with His Son? If the Son make you free, you shall be free indeed. And if we be not children, we cannot be heirs of God. For you can do nothing that is pleasing and good in his sight. Without me, says Christ, ye can do nothing. First the tree must be good, then the fruit. Christ is the life of the soul, Galatians chapter 2 verse 20, and without Christ all our works are but dead works. Our fruits will be found as the apples of Sodom, fair to look upon, but when touched fall to ashes. Proposition 5 We stand in need of Christ in all his offices. Our necessities call aloud for all the offices with which he is invested. One, we need Him as a prophet, teacher, and interpreter of the Father's mind to us. Can we know a man's mind but by his words? No, surely, for nature has not granted us a window to look into their hearts. No more can we know the mind of God without the words of Christ. John 3.13 One, how could we ever have known the mind of God concerning man's salvation without Him? For no man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him. None, but He could have brought life and immortality to light. That counsel might, for us, have remained through eternity hid in the breast of the Father. The heathens could look up to the heavens and read much of God's goodness, wisdom and power, Romans 1.20, but none could ascend into heaven and enter God's secrets but he that was in the bosom of the Father and on his cabinet councils, John 3.13. 2. How can we get saving illumination without Him? Neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son, and He to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him. By Him God made the world laying the foundation of it in light, and by Him He hath formed the new world. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts. to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus. We lost our eyes in Adam, we cannot discern one truth spiritually and savingly while out of Christ, 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 14. Oh, the vast difference betwixt book learning and in what is learned from the Spirit! I refer it to the experience of the godly, if saving illumination was not as the bringing them to a new world, which they never saw before. This makes unlearned Christians able to suffer for Christ, when others can only dispute for Him. You may read the best books with attention, but if Christ be not your Teacher by His Spirit, you will never know anything to purpose. 3. How think you to get through the world without Him, to know sin and duty in particular cases, and to go safely through the snares and temptations with which the world abounds? Moses would not venture on the journey through the wilderness without His presence, the cloud of glory. And the Father has seen it necessary to give Him a leader to His people, Isaiah chapter 55 verse 4. For how can we read the Bible profitably without him? I confess there are but few much concerned about this. The dust of their Bibles will witness against them. Others by their reading get their heads filled with knowledge and may have the history of it on their finger ends, but alas, still it is but a sealed book to them. Like the eunuch, they understand not what they read, not having one to guide them. Only Christ can here teach you to profit. He only can open our eyes that we may behold wondrous things out of God's law. Whatever others say, exercised souls will say it is true, for they know what it is, sometimes to have the Bible a sealed, at other times an opened book. Five, how will you get your case resolved without him? Few are exercised about their case. They are at ease from their youth and settled on their lays. They are like the door on the hinges. Conscience is become stupefied. No small thing will awaken it, but they who are exercised about the case of their souls will see their need of him. Men may speak to an exercised soul, but if Christ speak not, the remedy will not be effectual. He hath the tongue of the learned, and knows how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. True it is, the watchman may find the spouse, but it is not by their own act, but by Christ speaking in them or by them. And whatever difficulty, some have to believe the presence of God in ordinances, yet some can from experience report that God is in you of a truth. Sometimes the soul of the Christian is so exercised as almost to despair of deliverance, but see how deliverance comes, Job chapter 33 verses 19 through 26. Lastly, how will you understand the dispensations of Providence without Him? His way is in the sea and His footsteps are not known. Who but Himself can unfold them? There are many dark passages in a Christian's life. What must they do but go to Christ with them? Psalm 73, John Chapter 13. Many a time the child of God is at a stand with providences. They appear to them as the wrong side of things. They cannot see the beauty, harmony, and order of them till they go to Christ with them, who is able to satisfy them. Two, we need him as a priest, seeing we have sinned against the Lord. We need him in both parts of this office, his satisfaction and intercession. One we need his satisfaction, the sacrifice of himself, his blood as the scripture terms it. This is a fountain in which we must be washed. With this our souls must be sprinkled, else we perish. One, there is no answering the demands of justice and the law without this blood. The law requires, and justice demands satisfaction for a broken covenant of works. Their demands run high namely, that it be infinite, either in respect of value or duration, for an infinite God is offended, and sin is a kind of infinite evil. Now sinner that art out of Christ, how canst thou answer these demands? Suppose thou shouldst begin and suffer from the cradle to the grave, all those will be but useless to this purpose. Sooner may a child fill up the sea with little stones than thou satisfy the demands of law and justice. No plea will avail here but that of Christ's blood which cleanseth from all sin. He is the city of refuge, the high priest that died for us. 2. There is no peace with God without him and his blood. Romans chapter 5 verse 10. It is Christ's blood only that procures our peace and atones for rebel sinners. That is it which quencheth the fire of God's wrath that otherwise would burn up the sinner. Prayers and entreaties would not do it. Without shedding of blood there is no remission. 3. There is no pardon without this blood. Guilt is so deep in the soul that nothing but Christ's blood will wash it away. Wouldst thou have a pardon, sinner, it must come to thee through Christ, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. This is the only remedy. 4. There is nothing able to purge us from an evil conscience but this blood. An evil conscience is a dreadful companion, it is a tormentor. Guilt makes it uneasy or will do so. Many have other ways to cure their uneasy consciences, but these will only heal the wound superficially and it will break out again. The Scripture knows of no cure but the blood of Jesus, which purgeth the conscience from dead works to serve the living God. What need have we then to come to the blood of sprinkling? 2. We stand in need of Christ to be our intercessor with the Father, to appear in the presence of God for us. Hebrews chapter 9 verse 24. If we have not Him for our friend at the court of heaven, we need never think to come there. One, if Christ be not our intercessor with the Father, we can have no peace made or kept up with God, as it is by His intercession that the peace purchased by His blood is first made up, so by the same means it is continued. We are every day offending. How stands the covenant then? Why is it not broken? If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Because while we live we sin, therefore Christ lives to intercede. He is ready to say, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. What shall become of them then that are still sinning and have no intercessor? They are treasuring up wrath. 2. We want not an accuser before the Lord. Satan is the accuser of the brethren and accuses them before our God day and night. The devil first tempts, then accuseth. Have we not then need of one to answer these accusations against us? Zechariah chapter 3 verses 1 and 2. Without this there is no safety, but in Christ's intercession we may boast against all. Romans chapter 8 verses 33 and 34. Three, without Him we can have no communion and fellowship with God. It is by His intercession that we have access to God in duties. In Him we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him. The word signifies a leading by the hand, alluding to the custom in the courts of princes, where none may come to the presence chamber but those who are brought in by some favourite or courtier. Many come to duties, to prayers, sermons, etc., but there is no intercourse betwixt God and them. Why, nay, God says to them, as Joseph did to his brethren, except you bring your brother with you, you shall not see my face. For without him your services and duties cannot be accepted. He must present them, else they will be rejected. Revelation chapter 8 verse 3. The best sacrifice wants not dung, which must be burnt up by the efficacy of Christ's blood and intercession. No hearing of prayer without his intercession. God will hear no prayers as they come out of the sinner's mouth, but as out of his son's mouth as presented by him. Three, we stand in need of him as our King and Lord. Christ has a twofold kingdom, his essential kingdom and his mediatory kingdom, the former over all, the latter over his people. This kingdom is administered externally and internally, we stand in need of both. One, we stand in need of Christ to be our King outwardly, to govern us in a visible church state. It has been the cry of our land, we will have no King but Caesar, the magistrate having been invested with a blasphemous supremacy over all persons in all causes. This cannot be taken off by saying he is a subordinate, not a coordinate head. The Pope never pretended to more. But from the Scripture we learn the Church is not a monster with two heads. Christ himself is head over all things to the Church. That Christ is the only head and King of his Church hath been the doctrine of the Protestants against the Papists to cut off the Pope's supremacy, and therefore in the large confession of the Church of Scotland. It was declared blasphemy to acknowledge another head. This shows the contradictory nature of the test. Now we stand in need of Christ to be our King. 1. Consider the sad and woeful case these are in that are without this visible kingdom of Christ. These are the dark places of the earth that are the habitations of cruelty, Ephesians 2.12. The visible church of Christ on earth is the only society in which safety can be found. The scripture calls it the kingdom of heaven, for here the king of heaven reigns, Psalm 2 verse 6. Here are the laws of heaven, Hebrews chapter 12 verse 25. Here the subjects of heaven dwell, even those who are fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of faith. And here the glory of heaven is begun, for the God of all grace hath called us unto his eternal glory by Jesus Christ. 2. Consider and view the several parts of this kingly government of Christ as externally administered, and the need of the same will quickly appear. These are 1. Christ's calling a people out of the world to the profession of his truth. Acts 15.14 2. Giving them laws and ordinances. Isaiah 33.22 3. Officers, Ephesians chapter 4 verses 11 and 12. 4. Defending the church from her enemies, Psalm 110. How needful this calling out of a people from the world to the profession of His truth and making up a church was, and is, may appear from what has been already said. See that one place, Isaiah chapter 9 verses 2 and 3. What society can be well governed without laws? The wicked cannot abide Christ's laws. Psalm 2 verse 3, but without them all would go to confusion. He has instituted ordinances, the word, sacraments and discipline in his church, all which are of evident necessity to the church of God. These are a burden to many. They can live without the hearing of the word and without sacraments. These are ties which they like not to come under. they will not subject themselves to discipline, it is a yoke too hard for their fair necks, but so necessary, as that without it, the church would be like, a city that is broken down and without walls. Much contempt is poured out on the office-bearers of Christ's house. Ministers are looked upon by many as a sort of almost useless creatures, hence long desolation of parishes, but see Ephesians 4.11, Proverbs 29.18, and unless the church were defended, enemies restrained and conquered, the wild boar of the forest would soon eat up that planting of the Lord. 2. We stand in need of Christ to be our King, in respect of the inward administration of his government in and over our souls. His kingdom must be within us, else we will never reach his kingdom of glory. The visible church is this king's house, but the believer's heart is the throne and chair of state. He dwells in their hearts by faith. Many are subjects of Christ's visible kingdom who are really subjects of the devil's invisible kingdom. Many give Christ the hand that never gave him the heart. But our having Christ for our king inwardly is absolutely necessary to our salvation. If Christ be not your king in this way then, One, how can you be his true and loyal subjects? The first act of Christ's kingly office is subduing us to himself. We are born enemies to God, and Christ has his kingdom to raise up out of a company of rebels, Romans chapter 8 verse 7. What will bring them into him? Men cannot. Only a day of power will do it. Then he makes them willing. Where the word of a king is, there is power. He can make them run at a call then, Isaiah chapter 55 verse 5 and chapter 44 verse 22. None but King Jesus is able to rob the devil of subjects and take off the fetters from the sinner's will. He gets no subjects but by stroke of sword. The devil likes his subjects better than to part with them easily, and they like his service better than to be ready to leave it, therefore there must be a drawing power. Two, how can you get true repentance without him? He is exalted to be a prince and a savior, to give repentance unto Israel and forgiveness of sins. Many think repentance an easy thing, but it is not so. The mere word, good advice, and education will not produce it. Our hearts and our lusts are more firmly glued together than to be rent asunder by a wedge of our own timber, if you get no other repentance than what is spun out of your own bowels that will be swept away as a spider's web. 3. How can we get lusts mortified without Him? The least of them is too strong for us, therefore He hath said, He will subdue our iniquities. Our own spirits are sufficient to carry us on in the way of the flesh, but the Spirit of Christ is necessary for true mortification. Romans chapter 8 verse 13. How soon will our lusts turn our masters, if we grapple with them in our own strength? For how can we be right ruled but by him? If his spirit rule not in our hearts, there will be nothing but confusion in them. Woe to that man that gets the reins laid on his own neck and is left to be his own steersman through the sea of this world. They will never come safe to land, and therefore the Spirit of Truth is promised to guide us into all truth. The Father, therefore, has appointed Jesus to be the captain of our salvation, to lead and guide the people of God to their rest in the heavenly Canaan. Micah chapter 2, verse 13. Five, how shall we be defended against our spiritual enemies, but by Him? We have many enemies, many snares and temptations are in our way. We have a subtle devil and a multitude of inward lusts. we are not able for the least of them, unless he defend us. Lastly, who shall conquer and restrain our enemies but he? None other has Satan in a chain, nor can bruise him under our feet, but he who bruised his head. For application, what hath been said serves, one, for instruction and it lets us see. One, what is our case by sin? We may discern three things in it. One, we may discern here the heinousness of our guilt. It was dreadful to behold Adam cast out of paradise, hell reigned out of heaven upon Sodom, but much more to see the Son of God necessitated to come out of heaven, out of His Father's bosom, and bear His wrath. It could be no small thing that occasioned all this. Think on this, thou that thinkest little of sin. Behold the Son of God dying on a cross for it. 2. Pollution of our souls by it, and their hatefulness in the sight of the Lord. The sinner can have no access to God without a mediator, no admission into His presence, but as washed with the blood of Christ. O deep stain, that could not be washed away but by the blood of God. 3. Our inability to help ourselves. We have fallen into a pit, a gulf of misery. We must perish there unless helped out. It passeth our power and skill to recover ourselves. How low then has sin laid us! Two, we see with what a God we have to do. Those who are unacquainted with Christ, in whose face his glory shines, cannot properly know God. He is a just and holy God. Fools make a mock of sin because they think God such and one as themselves, but God will not be mocked. sinners will find to their cost that He is both just and holy and that He will burn them up, in case they get not one to stand between them and Him when He is angry. 3. The dangerous case in which they are that are out of Christ. You may as easily climb up to heaven by a ladder of your own making as get salvation without Him. Pretend to what you will, if you have no just pretenses to Christ, you are ruined eternally. Do what you will, suffer what you will, nothing will avail without your being in Christ. If you should leave the world and dwell in a wilderness, dig your grave with your nails, live on grass, weep for your sins till you weep out your eyes, as a thousand ciphers alone still stand for nothing without a figure before them, so all that you can think, do, or suffer without Christ will be useless. 4. That they are a blessed people that are in Christ, and that they should be ever making use of him, seeing they are ever sinning. As we are still defiling ourselves, still we should be dipping in the fountain. Use too of exhortation. Be convinced then, sinners, of your need of Christ, and let your necessities drive you to Him. Alas, few are sufficiently convinced of their absolute need of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is an error here that is the cause of many others. Of it there are clear evidences such as 1. The sound rest which many get in their sins, sleeping on the mercy of God. There is a generation going on in their sins, and yet have peace and hopes of salvation, and that merely because God is merciful. These see no need of the Lord Jesus. They know not that Jesus is the only conduit through which mercy flows to sinners. They consider not that they cannot taste of mercy unless they be in Him. Mercy cannot save if you be out of Christ, for it cannot act in prejudice to justice, and God cannot deny Himself. 2. How few have ever got a sight of sin in its own colors. This is evident from their making so light of it. Many live under the gospel, who were never yet under convictions from the Spirit, of their sinfulness and misery by nature. They confess they are sinners, and who denies that, but they were never perplexed about their soul's state nor ever put to it to ask what shall we do to be saved, and surely till a man knows his disease to be dangerous he will never see the need of the physician. are there not some whom their soul's case never sent to their knees? 3. How few are there that will refuse comfort and rest in anything till they get an interest in Christ secured. If we saw our absolute need of Christ, it would be so. Acts 2.37 What pleasure can a condemned man take in anything till he get a pardon? The man who sees his danger will say, What can omnipotence give me while I go Christless? But alas, few keep pace with the church, Lamentations chapter 3 verses 49 and 50. They can take up their rest in the world when they get nothing of Christ. For how few are there brought to that, to leave no mean untried, in order to get an interest in Christ and salvation. It is a matter of life and death, and all that a man hath will he give for his life. Necessity has no law, every possible exertion must be made. But alas, most part of men are easily diverted in their pursuit of an interest in Christ, and if they cannot attain their desire with ease, they will let it go. Hence, some professors in their duties are like the door on the hinges. Still there is one thing they lack. 5. How few are brought to be content to part with all for Christ, and to take Him on any terms! Surely a sight of absolute need would make the soul content to put a blank in Christ's hand, saying, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? What will not a condemned man give for pardon? See you a man prigging much in the market, you may conclude either that he can want the article or knows some other quarter whence he may get it. The soul that sees its need must have him cost what it will. 6. How many can live in peace, weeks, months, and years without communion with Him? Are there not some, who never knew in experience what communion with Christ is? Some that will not bow a knee to God for it. Some content with the bare performance of duties, are never anxious about that, whether they find Christ in them or not. They reign as kings without Him. As King Saul, from whom God is departed, they never see the King's face. Lastly, the little pains people are at to get scriptural evidence of their interest in Christ. Many hope they have an interest in Him, but were never at pains to examine the foundation of their hopes. If a man were to be let down a steep rock by a rope, would he not try whether it could bear his weight or not? This may convince many of us that we do not sufficiently see our need of Christ, and therefore receive the conviction and know that thou that wast never acquainted with this art yet out of Christ and so in a fearful state, and I would exhort you to have so much compassion on your souls as to retire this night and one. Meditate on what a God thou hast to do with, two, on thy sinful and miserable state, and three, pray the Lord may open your eyes, and to quicken a sense of your need of Christ, and to urge you to close with him, I would ask you these questions. One, how think you to live without Christ? I am sure your life will be a continued death without Him. These bodies of yours will be but living coffins for dead souls, with the curse of God upon them for a grave stone. Though may in prosperity, yet how will you do you do in adversity? The clouds are growing black above the heads of the people of the land. I fear days are coming in which the Lord will plead his controversy, and how dreadful will it be for a deluge of wrath to come upon a man who is not in the arc of safety. 2. How will you die without Christ? You may think light of Him now, but when death settles down on these eyelids, and the grim King carries thee over into the ocean of eternity, if Christ keep thee not, where art thou then? 3. How wilt thou appear before God to judgment without Him? Will not the face of God, whose Son thou hast slighted, be terrible to thee? to see this Christ, who is now freely offered to you as a Saviour, sitting at the right hand of God, but not to open a month for thee there, but against thee as a slighter of Him and a neglector of His great salvation. How will you then escape? Amen. The End of Christ the Physician of Souls Part 2 This audio was created with an artificial voice for the audiobook initiative on Sermon Audio. There may be mispronunciations or occasional repetitions. To report a mistake, please email us at info at sermonaudio.com and include the sermon ID or title of the message and the time at which the error occurs. We will do our best to get it corrected for future listeners.