West Port Experiment

The following are extracts of David Dickson’s (1583–1663) Therapeutica Sacra, Book 1, Chapter 4, “The Divine Covenants about the Eternal Salvation of Men; and in Special, Of the Covenant of Redemption,” etc. This chapter is both a high-water mark of Scottish federal theology and at the same time a tremendous glimpse into the high mystery of the psychological ordeal through which our Lord’s sinless soul had to pass. Behold, was there any sorrow like unto his sorrow? And truly, those vexed in their minds and even the psychologically tormented may take solace with the lengths to which God came down to “taste death for every man.”

I have also recorded the chapter here. Read or listen; then prostrate yourself before the “man of sorrows.”

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Objection. But did not this astonishing amazement of Christ’s soul, speak some imperfection of the human nature? Answer. It did no ways argue any imperfection, or lack of sanctity in him; but only a sinless and kindly infirmity, in regard of natural strength, in the days of his flesh. For the mind of a man, by any sudden and vehement commotion arising from a terrible object, may, without sinning, be so taken up, that the swift progress of his mind in discourse may for a while be stopped, and the act of reasoning suspended a while ; all the cogitations of the mind fleeing together to consult, and not being able to extricate themselves in an instant, may stand amazed, and sit down awhile, like Job’s friends astonished. Now our Lord, taking on our nature and our common sinless infirmities, became like unto us in all things except sin. Daniel’s infirmity at the sight of an angel, was not sin, (Dan. x).

Objection. But doth not this astonishing admiration, suddenly lighting upon Christ’s soul, prove that something unforeseen of him did befall him? Not at all; for he knew all things that should befall him, and told his disciples thereof, and \ras at a point, and resolved in every thing which was to come, before it came. But this astonishing amazement did only shew forth the natural difference between things preconceived in the mind, and these same things presented to sense: for there is in the mind a different impression of the preconceived heat of a burning iron, before it do touch the skin, from that powerful impression which a hot iron thrust into the flesh doth put upon the sense. In regard of which natural difference between foresight and feeling, between resolution and experience, this astonishment befell our Lord ; and in this regard, Christ is said to learn experimental obedience by these things which he suffered, (Heb. v. 8). . . .

Objection. But was he not tempted to doubt by Satan? Answer. We grant that he was indeed tempted by Satan to doubt; yea, we shall not stand to grant that he was tempted to desperation; but we altogether deny that he was tainted with sin by temptation in the least degree: for the scripture saith, he was tempted in all things like unto us, but yet without sin in him, or yielding in any sort to any temptation. And seeing by the Evangelist (Matt, iv.), we understand, that he was tempted in the wilderness by the devil, unto the most horrible sins that Satan could devise, and yet was not stained or polluted in the least degree, with the least measure of yielding to the sinful temptations; we need not stand to grant that he might be tempted, or that he was tempted unto doubting and desperation ; for this was among the most notable and prime temptations, whereby Satan in his impudent boldness, solicited the Son of God, very God and man in one person, even to doubt of that which Satan knew he was: “If thou be the Son of God,” saith he. It is true indeed, that we who are sinners by nature, and corrupted in all the powers of our soul, cannot be tempted, tossed, and troubled, but therein our sinful nature in some measure may appear, and be polluted. But the matter was not so with our holy Lord, the God of glory, who was separate from sinners. For our impure nature is like to water in a puddle, which being stirred, doth presently become muddy and foul: but the holy human nature of Christ, was altogether pure, like unto clear and pure fountain water in a glass, which howsoever it be troubled and tossed, remaineth most pure, and free of all muddiness. . . .

Let us consider but one of the passages of our Lord’s exercise, (John xii. 27, 28), “Now (saith he) my soul is troubled,” wherein, behold the perplexity of his mind, smitten with the horror of the curse due to us coming upon him. Then cometh forth, “What shall I say,” wherein, behold reason standing mute and altogether silent, he only lets forth the confession of his perplexity. Presently after this, he subjoineth, “Father, save me from this hour;” wherein, behold holy nature, trembling and shrinking to fall into the wrath of the Father, and according to the principles of holy nature, testifying the simple abhorrency of his soul from such an evil as is the wrath of God his Father, which, had it not been for love to save our souls, he could not have yielded his human nature to endure or bear it. Therefore he, considering that we were but lost for ever, if he should not suffer wrath for us, he repeats the sum of the covenant of redemption agreed upon, “But for this cause came I unto this hour.” And last of all, he shuts up his speech and exercise in the triumphing voice of victorious and untainted faith, “Father, glorify thy name;” and here he resteth: wherewith the Father is so well pleased, as that from heaven he speaketh to the hearing of the multitude standing by, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

Among the deepest degrees of the suffering of Christ in his soul, we reckon that desertion, whereof Christ on the cross giveth an account, crying out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me.” By which speech, he doth not mean, that then the personal union of the natures was in him dissolved, nor yet that God had withdrawn his sustaining strength and help from the human nature, nor that the love of the Father was taken off him, nor that any point of the perfection of holiness was taken from him ; but his true intent is to shew, that God for a time had taken away sensible consolation and felt joy from his human soul, that so justice might in his sufferings be the more fully satisfied. And this is the forsaking of him here given to us to understand. In which desertion, Christ is not to be looked upon simply as he is in his own person, the Son of the Father, in whom he is always well pleased ; but as he standeth in the room of sinners, surety and cautioner, paying their debt; in which respect, he behoved to be dealt with as standing in our name, guilty, and paying the debt of being forsaken of God,—which we were bound to suffer fully and forever, if he had not interposed for us.

The last degree of Christ’s sufferings (wherein he may be said to have “descended into hell,” so far as scripture in the Old Testament, or the history of Christ’s passion in the New, will suffer us to expound that expression), is that curse, wherein the full wrath of God, and the dregs of that horrible cup, were poured forth upon his holy human nature, while heaven, and earth, and hell, seemed to conspire to take vengeance on him, and fully to punish our sins in the person of him our Surety, by that cursed death of the cross, which was the evidence foretold of the malediction of God lying on him, in so far as was necessary to complete the punishment of loss and feeling both in soul and body. And, therefore, not without ground have orthodox divines taken in Christ’s sufferings in his soul, and the detaining of his body in the grave (put in as the close and last part of Christ’s sufferings), as the true meaning of that expression, “He descended into hell,” not only because these pains which Christ suffered both in body and soul, were due to us in full measure; but also, because that which Christ suffered in the point of torment and vexation, was, in some respect, of the same kind with the torment of the damned. For in the punishment of the damned, we must necessarily distinguish these three things, 1st, The perverse disposition of the mind of the damned in their sufferings; 2d, The duration and perpetuity of their punishment ; and 3d, The punishment itself, tormenting soul and body. The first two are not of the essence of punishment, albeit by accident they are turned into a punishment ; for the wickedness, vileness, and unworthiness of the damned, who neither will nor can submit themselves to the punishment (and put the case they should submit, are utterly unable to make satisfaction for ever), do make them in a desperate doleful condition for ever ; though obstinate sinners do not apprehend nor believe this, but go on in treasuring up wrath against themselves, pleasing themselves in their own dreams, to their own endless perdition. Of these three, the first two could have no place in Christ. Not the first, because he willingly offered himself a sacrifice for our sins ; and upon agreement, paid the ransom fully: not the second, because he could no longer be holden in the sorrows of death, than he had satisfied justice, and finished what was imposed on him ; and his infinite excellency made his short sufferings to be of infinite worth, and equivalent to our everlasting suffering.